Revealing the Best Responders in Round 2 of Our Comment and Win

How do we feel about your responsive commenting in Round 2 of the Wharton Global Youth Comment & Win contest?

Runzhe C. said it best in his April 17 response to Maxwell D. on the KWHS article about the implications of the coronavirus: “Hey Maxwell! I had a blast reading your well thought out comment!”

Our Wharton Global Youth Program team has been equally as enthusiastic these past few days reading some 75 expressive and reflective replies to other students’ comments on KWHS articles, in keeping with the Round 2 theme of responding to the ideas and thoughts of your peers.

Our No 1 takeaway from this round: high school students from every corner of the globe have so much that they want to say, especially related to the current pandemic and enduring quarantine. Thank you for sharing your minds and your hearts. We encourage everyone to check out the long threads on our most recent articles for a bit of inspiration.

“Although I stand by my opinion of channeling our inner strengths to success at any career, we must not completely ignore our weaknesses.” — Anya P., The International School of Bangalore, India

The top commenters for Round 2 honored the theme. So, they read another commenter’s perspective, reflected, and provided a response that recognized his or her points, provided feedback, and possibly offered a counter argument or related insights. Lots of you acknowledged the commenter to which you were responding (great insights, Joe!), and then proceeded to offer your detailed perspective on the article topic. While these comments were rich and thoughtful, they didn’t always qualify as responsive commenting.

The few who did — hit it out of the park. Congratulations to our Round 2 winner, Zach. U., for his response to Samir B., who commented back in July 2017 on the KWHS article “Investing with Purpose.” Zach, a junior at Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, began his comment like this: “What I truly love about reading articles from the past is analyzing their responses for accuracy.” He then went on to support and counter several points, referring often to Samir’s original comment in a truly responsive style. A bit of trivia: Samir (with this comment) was the winner of Round 1 of our first-ever Comment and Win contest back in July 2017. We were impressed by Zach’s willingness to explore older comments and provide a then-and-now perspective.

The first runner-up for Round 2 is Abby C., whom many of you will recognize as our Round 1 winner. Abby’s response to Lucy C. on “Wharton Insights on the Impact and Implications of Coronavirus,” represented strong reflective “listening” and was well expressed. We also appreciated Abby’s initiative to disagree with certain aspects of Lucy’s comment and respectfully provide her own opinions, supported by examples.

The following Round 2 comments earned honorable mentions:

• Anya P., 16 and a sophomore at The International School of Bangalore in India, for her response to Neil H. on “Career Insight: CFO Lloyd Howell Jr. on Being Prepared for Anything.”
• Ke Hao C., 16 and a junior at the Bronx High School of Science, for his response to Aaryan S. on “How an Investment-minded Student Started Financial Literacy for You.”
• Kavish H., 16 and a junior at Eton College in the U.K., for his response to Diana D. on “6 Grim Realities Facing Today’s Retail Stores.”
• Edison C., Hunter College High School in New York City, for his response to Naman R. on “Thinking Like an Entrepreneur in a Time of Crisis.”

This was a tough one, commenters! If you’re surprised that you’re not among the winners, then it is likely because you didn’t do enough reflecting and circling back on the comment to which you were responding.

We learned so much from many of you, though. Shout-out to David Y., for example, for his meaty response to Diana D. on “6 Grim Realities Facing Today’s Retail Stores.” David, a junior at St. Mark’s School of Texas in Dallas, U.S., also shared some memorable sentiments on “Take 5: The Economic Impact of the Coronavirus.” Similarly, we loved learning a more China-centric perspective on that article from Yanqing Ma, 17 and a junior at Shanghai Weiyu High School International Department in China.

Round 3 of the KWHS Comment and Win contest is on! All the same rules apply, just a new theme. You have until midnight Eastern time on May 1 to choose a KWHS article and comment on how it relates to a personal experience you have had. Storytelling is a powerful tool in debate and persuasion, and it is the basis for strong, compelling writing. While we will be publishing several new articles in the coming days, we want to encourage you to explore beyond the homepage! You can choose any article on which to leave a comment. And you can also search by category. Check out the winners from last summer’s C&W storytelling round for inspiration.  Authenticity prevails in this round. No fiction storytelling, please. Good luck!