Bloomfield Hills middle school student wins national essay contest

An eighth-grader from Bloomfield Hills is the winner of a national essay contest hosted by the MLB, Scholastic and Sharon Robinson, the daughter of Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson.

West Hills Middle School student Debra Moraitis used her struggle with dyslexia as the focal point of her winning "Breaking Barriers: In sports, in life" essay.

"Dyslexic or not, I can change the world. Thank you Jackie Robinson for opening my eyes and giving me the strength and hope to go through each day so  I can take on the challenges that await me," Moraitis wrote in her essay.

Sharon Robinson visited Moraitis' class on Thursday to congratulate her. Moraitis will also be recognized at the Detroit Tigers game.

As first-prize winner, Moraitis gets a trip to the 2015 MLB All-Star Game, a laptop or tablet for herself, a laptop or tablet for her teacher and copies of Sharon Robinson's books "Promises to Keep."

Read the winning essay here:

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