Hill City Fifth Grader Receives South Dakota Grandparent Essay Honors

AARP South Dakota congratulates the 2025 South Dakota Grandparent Essay Award Winner, Gabriella Isakson, a fifth grader from Hill City.

Gabriella was recognized on May 7, 2025, at the South Dakota Retired School Personnel (SDRSP) Convention held in Sioux Falls. She wrote the winning essay about “Grandma Sherry” – her “church grandma.”

The essay described Gabriella’s experience growing up in foster care and having a variety of grandparent figures in her life.

She wrote, “Although Sherry is not my biological or foster grandma, she is my church grandma. She treats all the kids at church like family. She’s kind, loving, heartfelt and empathetic.”

Gabriella continued the essay with details about how “Grandma Sherry” is someone she can talk to and rely on, and that Sherry has instilled in her many things, from the Bible to life lessons.

“I love her a lot, and I am so glad I get to have Sherry in my life,” wrote Gabriella. “When I get adopted, I know she’ll be there to see it happen and congratulate me.”

While the essay honor for Gabriella was certainly worth celebrating, the more exciting news she had to share was that since writing the essay, she has been adopted by the Isakson family

Attending the convention with Gabriella was her mom, Jackie.

Since 2003, AARP South Dakota and the SDRSP have co-sponsored an annual Grandparent essay to encourage fifth graders across our state to celebrate the significant role their grandparents play in their lives.

AARP South Dakota and the SD Retired School Personnel would like to thank all the fifth graders who submitted an essay and all the amazing grandparents who inspired them.