Christina Esbeck, age 16, and a proud member of the Greater Mound City Stamp Club, brought home to St Louis her second win of the Youth Champion of Champions award for the best youth exhibit in the United States. Youth winners of the World Series of Philately (WSP) shows around the US were invited to participate, and Christina’s four-frame Thinking of You exhibit won out among the nine competitors. The exhibit tells the story of the 2013 Thinking of You stamp issue from the First Day ceremony through stamp usage. What drew Christina to this issue? It features the US’s first cupcake on a stamp, of course!
Christina also began her year with the Young Philatelic Leaders Fellowship (YPLF), an APS program to develop future leaders in the hobby. A stamp collector since the age of 7 and an APS member since the age of 10,
Last but not least, Chirstina became the President of the American Topical Association’s (ATA) Gastronomy of Stamps Study Unit,
What is YPLF?
The Young Philatelic Leaders Fellowship program was founded by the American Philatelic Society in 2009 to identify and support the best and brightest aspiring philatelists. The program coordinates and funds transportation to, lodging during, and activities at; APS national shows, and APS Summer Seminar on Philately held at the American Philatelic Center, for enthusiastic young collectors between the ages of 16 and 24. Additionally, YPLF connects participating Fellows with seasoned collectors, exhibitors, writers, researchers and dealers to expand their perspectives and exposure in the philatelic world.