Elizabeth Frick, a recent graduate of Eagan High School in Eagan, Minn., is the first place winner of the 2013 Clean Air Choice Biodiesel Essay Scholarship. Frick will receive a $1,000 scholarship as she continues her education at Concordia University Wisconsin in Mequon, Wis.

Frick was captain of both the girls cross country and the girls track team (which took second place in the state finals) and also sang in two choir ensembles at Eagan High School. In her winning essay, Frick recalls the difficulties she and her teammates experienced running near busy roadways with vehicle exhaust fumes thick in the air. After a farmer friend informed her of the many uses of soybeans, including biodiesel, Frick wrote that she became a strong advocate of the home-grown fuel.

“Knowing how biodiesel fuel actually helps keep the truck’s engine cleaner makes me wonder why all truck drivers are not using this cleaner fuel,” Frick says in her essay. “What additional information is needed before they make the switch to help keep the air I breathe a bit cleaner?”

The 2nd place winner is Molly Lax, a recent graduate of St. Mary’s High School in Sleepy Eye, Minn., who will receive a $500 scholarship. Both winning essays can be found on the www.CleanAirChoice.org website. Click here to read Frick's winning essay. The annual contest is sponsored by the Minnesota Soybean Research and Promotion Council.