FALLBROOK -- Devon Holman is not the first member of her family to win a $1,000 scholarship from Fallbrook Republican Women Federated for an essay on the U. S. Constitution.

Holman, 17 and a senior at Fallbrook High School, was honored at the group's biweekly gathering Friday morning, where she read her winning essay, called "The Elixir of Progress."

Her sister, Michaele, won the award two years ago with an essay on the same topic.

The girls' father, Dennis Holman, said Friday that he is proud of his politically-minded daughters.

"We have a lot of kitchen table discussions," said Holman. "From the time they were little, we'd just point out things and ask them, 'What do you think?' They have good insightfulness about themselves and those around them."

With a 4.2 grade point average and top honors as a star field hockey player at Fallbrook High School, Devon wrote her winning essay while bed-ridden from a knee injury.

"These gals are great for Fallbrook," Sally Cruver, a member of the Republican women's group, said of Devon and Michaele.

Cruver said Devon's accomplishments as a student and an athlete stood out when the group was selecting the winner of the essay contest.

After Holman read her piece on the U.S. Constitution, veteran journalist Charles Wiley spoke about the state of the Republican party and U.S. politics in general.

"I've never seen a bigger rift in the party than there is today," said Wiley, who has reported from at least 100 countries and covered 11 wars. "We still do agree on a lot of things, and those are the things we've got to build on.

"The good news is, we've got some outstanding young people, as you saw here today," he added, nodding toward the young scholarship winner.

Devon said she plans to attend Stanford University beginning this fall, although she hasn't decided on a major.

She also plans to continue her athletic career.

"It may be far-fetched, but I want to play field hockey in the Olympics," she said.

When quizzed about how she became one of the top athletes in the county, she said, "I wanted to quit several times. It's just a lot of hard work and love that gets you through."

Contact staff writer Tom Pfingsten at (760) 740-3516 or tpfingsten@nctimes.com.