One of the many reasons why people flee to America is because of its title: The Land of the Free.

And it’s one of the many reasons why I am proud to be American. Our right to vote, the right to bear arms - our freedoms and our abilities to choose. And as a journalist, one of the best rights we retain is freedom of speech.

But last night, I saw someone have her speech taken away from her. The separation between church and state kept a young woman from being able to thank one of the biggest influences of her life. God.

The Las Vegas area student who graduated from her high school with a 4.7 GPA said she wanted to express her right to free speech, which they taught her about in the very same school she was representing. She also said that while most students thank their parents, she wanted to thank God, and there was nothing wrong with that.

After her entire speech was edited and her nine mentions of God were taken out, she decided to say it just once. But before the name could come out, the district pulled the plug to her microphone.

The girl is going to college to study journalism.