Storm Lake student wins mayor's first Why I'm Storm Lake Proud contest

Storm Lake High School student Itzel Sarabia will get a front-row seat to city government and one of the town’s biggest celebrations after winning Mayor Meg McKeon’s first Why I’m Storm Lake Proud essay contest. The city honored Sarabia at Monday night’s Storm Lake City Council meeting with a certificate and sash, then said she will serve as honorary Mayor for a Day on the Fourth of July and ride with McKeon in the Star Spangled Spectacular Big Parade.

The contest was more than a ceremonial nod. McKeon launched it April 20 to hear from students in grades 9 through 12 at Storm Lake High School and St. Mary’s High School, asking for original essays of no more than 500 words due May 22. The city said several students entered, and Sarabia’s essay stood out for the way it described Storm Lake’s multicultural appeal, beauty, celebrations, kindness, charity and opportunities to volunteer.

That message lands in a town where civic identity matters. Storm Lake’s population reached 11,269 in the 2020 census, up 6.3% from 2010, and the city has continued to lean on local pride efforts such as Storm Lake Hometown Pride, a volunteer committee focused on long-term cultural and economic vitality. In that setting, a student essay contest does more than fill a meeting agenda. It gives a young resident a direct path to City Hall and a public role in shaping how the community sees itself.

The honor will unfold during the Star Spangled Spectacular, the city’s two-day July 3-4 festival that brings concerts, a parade, a patriotic ceremony, Artists’ Alley, street performers, a classic car cruise and food vendors to Storm Lake. Sarabia’s parade ride with McKeon will put her in the middle of that crowd and make her essay part of a celebration already built around hometown pride.

For McKeon, who won the mayor’s office in a write-in race with 301 votes, the contest also fits a broader effort to connect local government with the next generation. In a city where residents often see council business focused on ordinances, fees and infrastructure, Sarabia’s recognition offered a different kind of public moment: one centered on belonging, student voice and a visible link between Storm Lake’s schools and its civic life.