Becoming a responsible adult is a decades-long, uneven, challenging process. It takes human beings longer than any other living being to emerge into a state of independence and autonomy. Most people spend at least 10 to 20 years in school, learning the skills, knowledge and values that will serve us and our families and communities in good stead, hopefully for the betterment of our world.

Every year around this time, I have the profound opportunity to serve as a judge for a statewide essay contest for eighth graders across Vermont. This writing contest is sponsored by Hildene, The Lincoln Family Home, with its magnificent campus nestled in the high hills of west-central Vermont.

I’ve had the honor of judging middle scholars’ essays from across the Green Mountain State for 12 years now. I always come away from that grueling process with rekindled hope — and joy — after I’ve been gifted the experience of reading and discerning the thinking and writing skills of these young students. Every year, they must respond to a new and sophisticated prompt that focuses in a deep and meaningful way on the values and political and life philosophies of our 16th president, Abraham Lincoln.

This year’s prompt is especially apropos of the increasing bifurcation of our nation’s deep-rooted political differences under Donald Trump’s second presidency. Here it is, for your consideration — read this with the mind of an eighth grader, generally age 13 or 14:

The United States is once again deeply divided, politically and on a host of significant issues. Briefly describe (in 500 words or less) how this polarization has impacted you, your community, family, and/or school. Then detail one action that you or your community, family, or school could take to promote the kind of reconciliation Lincoln spoke of. Explore both the possible challenges and potential positive impacts of this action in justifying why it would be worthwhile.

What I most appreciate is the courage and forthrightness of the 200-plus students who willingly participate in this competitive contest. It’s one thing to have a strong opinion about something; it’s something else entirely to voluntarily submit your thinking and writing in a forum where one is not only having their written work judged by a dozen educational and business leaders. Beyond this, for all the winners, there’s the challenge of having to read one’s essay out loud to over 300 people at the annual awards luncheon, held on Hildene’s campus every May.

This past week I came away inspired by what these adolescents are not only capable of, but what they present in reality. Given the nature of this, and every year’s prompt, it would be far easier, given their relative youth, to write a highly emotional one-sided essay, trying to persuade readers of its righteousness, even its political correctness.

But, somewhat surprisingly, that’s not what I find myself reading and judging. The vast majority of these writings are more measured, more mature even, than one might think possible. At the same time, what comes through is humanity, warmth, intelligence, and compassion. For the best of the best, I’d say wisdom shines through as well — something I had thought to be more the province of more experienced writers and human beings.

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These young scholars don’t shy away from controversial issues. The yearly prompt offer them lots of choice in terms of the foci they select for themselves. Almost without fail, they go right at it. Here are a few of the themes this year’s cohort of Vermont eighth graders have chosen for themselves:

■Polarization on Social Media Through the Lens of the Israel-Hamas War.

■Vaccination Mandates: A Personal or Governmental Choice?

■Rethinking the Right to Die: Exploring the Limits of Medical Assistance in Dying.

■Why Religion Should Be Taught in Public Schools.

■The Battle for Equality in Sports.

■Feminism is Polarizing, but it Should be Uniting.

I love that there is head and heart interwoven into these essays, along with steady consideration of multiple points of view. Many are written at a level I would think come from undergraduate students, and a few go beyond that. These pages are deep contemplations of the future with the past carefully and mindfully integrated into them, and these young people are our future. It’s poignant indeed to note that this “future” commences far earlier in life than one might think.

And, above all else, my reading and discernment of their work gives me hope for that future, especially if some of these young writers go on to make their marks in society during that future. For me, it’s never a question as to whether I agree with their point of view. What matters far more is that they have one and can offer it with clarity and gravitas.

The other thing that gives me hope is that for each eighth grader who submits an essay, there are many other individuals who’ve become that student’s writing support system — teachers, principals, classmates, parents, and siblings to name a few. They too are deeply impacted by these essays, and the awards event.

I believe that, while these individuals may mentor that middle scholar, so, too, does that young person serve as a beacon of hope and light for them, and others around them. The annual Hildene Awards Luncheon, therefore, is a celebration in the best sense of that word. When each award winner comes up to the podium in front of hundreds of strangers and a just small group of individuals they know, I see those minutes as potentially and practically transformative.

With all else going on in our world, that is something to celebrate and remember.

Daniel Cantor Yalowitz writes a regular column in the Recorder. A developmental and intercultural psychologist, he has facilitated change in many organizations and communities around the world. His two most recent books are “Journeying with Your Archetypes” and “Reflections on the Nature of Friendship.” Reach out to him at danielcyalowitz@gmail.com.