The Alhambra Source 2020 Census Storytelling Contest, co-sponsored by the Alhambra Unified School District, was created to educate local students on the importance of this year’s count and give them the tools to spark census engagement in their own network. In highlighting the stories of our eight Census Ambassadors, students are given an opportunity to illustrate their unique point of view on a foundational part of community funding.

This week’s story, “Persuading My Parents to Fill Out the U.S. Census” by Estevan Sayon, is authored by a fourth-grade student at Monterey Highlands Elementary. Estevan is the 1st Place winner in the 3rd-5th Grade Category.

We will be publishing one of the winning entries every Thursday for the next eight weeks.

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Persuading My Parents to Fill Out the U.S. Census

by Estevan Sayon

It all started when my teacher, Mrs.Kaur, gave me a persuasive letter assignment to complete. I was supposed to encourage and persuade my parents to fill out the U.S. Census. This was my first experience with the U.S. Census, so I didn’t know much about it until I researched the topic. After hours of research, I learned a lot about this topic.

I learned it is a form that is given every ten years to count the population of the U.S. and its territories. I also discovered that filling out the U.S. Census determines the amount of seats each state gets in the House of Representatives. Lastly, I learned that submitting the U.S. Census helps the U.S. government decide where billions of dollars go every year. As a matter of fact, money ends up here in the City of Alhambra.

The funds support things like school lunches, public transportation, and first responders. So how did I encourage my parents? I simply asked, “Did you submit the U.S. Census?” My mom quickly said “No.” Then, she continued to tell me how finding the time to complete the U.S. Census was very difficult these days. You see, my mom is a teacher teaching from home because of COVID-19 school closures. In addition, my dad is busy running a business from home due to COVID-19 as well. However, I kept telling my parents that it is important to fill out the U.S. Census for many reasons.

One, it helps the government determine where all the funding goes. For example, it can go to hospitals where there are COVID-19 patients. Two, it determines how many seats each state gets in the House of Representatives. This really got my mom interested because she really likes politics. Third, I told them that the results of the U.S. Census determine if there are enough teachers and schools in the community. Lastly, the U.S. Census also helps businesses. That’s when my dad got interested because as a small business owner, the U.S. Census data helps him out.

To make a long story short, my parents completed the U.S. Census online by April 1, 2020. My mom said it didn’t take that long. Plus, seeing the smile on my face made it all worth it, she added. Throughout this process, I learned my parents are responsible people. I also learned that I am pretty good at persuading others.