Here are the 2009 Writing Contest winners
The 2009 writing contest featured many fine essays, narratives and poems. Here is a review of the winning entries.
In the Poetry category, first place was awarded to Tykisha Brown for "The Flower Pot," an allegoric poem about trusting in fertile soil to grow plants and, yes, to grow ideas.
Lucy Cabrera, who was a winner in a previous writing contest, as was her sister, Nina, received second place in Poetry for "The Real Victims (of Genocide)," a poignant comparison between the lives of children growing up here in the U.S. and those in countries where there is warfare.
Third place in Poetry was awarded to Tasnia Ali for "Have You Ever?" This poem championed work as a way to triumph over poverty and other disadvantages, and explained that doing anything else would be shameful.
An honorable mention in the Poetry category was awarded to Irenesusz Habrylo for "The Worker's Triumph," a haunting poem about a subway ride that contrasts two passengers, a homeless person described as "a man with nothing but his name" and a worker who is returning to his home from work.
There were many interesting entries in the Fiction/Non-Fiction Narrative category. First place in the category went to "Abuelita Lola." It is Mauricio Pinilla's dramatic account of his grandmother's kidnapping in Colombia, and it keeps the reader in suspense throughout. Alas, the work is non-fiction; Mauricio's grandmother was never found. We express our condolences to Mauricio but at the same time commend him on this sad but instructional narrative.
"A Familiar Place" was a non-fiction entry by Amy Tse about the experience of getting mugged in her own community. Although, gratefully, Amy was not seriously injured physically by the attack, she was hurt emotionally. The impact this event had on her led to this very well-written narrative and an award of second place.
The third place award in the Fiction/Non-Fiction category went to a work entitled "My Mother." Here, Erica Cheung delivered a gripping and instructive narrative about her mom that can be summed up with these words, "I remember when the last person I wanted to be was my mother. Now I realize I was wrong." Erica, there are countless others that have felt the same way about each or both of their parents, and this essay captured that emotion perfectly.
An untitled non-fiction narrative by Samina Hannan received an honorable mention in this category. The narrative was about the realization of a friend's abuse at the hands of her parents and how it made Samina decide on social work as a career choice. A persuasive piece of writing.
Another honorable mention in the Fiction/Non-Fiction category went to "All Men Are Created Equal: A Story About Acceptance" by Pearl Steinberg. In this piece Pearl used fiction to examine discrimination against gays and the dubious use of the U.S. military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy.
The first place award in the essay category was also selected as the writing contest's best overall entry. It went to Erica Cheung for "What's Wrong with Our Education System." In this essay Erica spelled out the advantages to the wealthy in our education system. She wrote, "My [private] education has given me an invaluable sense of purpose, self-confidence and belief that I have the ability to affect my community for the better. But most people are denied this opportunity because of money." Congratulations to Erica for this fine essay!
We should add that Erica Cheung is a student who has hit a grand slam! She is a previous writing contest winner, in addition to the two prizes she won in the 2009 writing contest. But there's more! Erica was also a recipient of a 2009 Vito J. Pitta scholarship award and a $4,000 Union Plus scholarship award this year. She is now attending Dartmouth, where she is studying to pursue a career in biomedical engineering.
Thahmina Rashid wrote an essay about a modern day hero, a new suggested topic in the 2009 competition. Thahmina's essay was an extraordinary account of a woman, Erika Vohman, who is making a profound difference in the lives of hundreds of thousands of poor people in Central America. Ms. Vohman is the founder of the Equilibrium Fund. The goal of this organization is to relieve poverty and malnourishment and stop the deforestation in Central America. These goals are accomplished through teaching women and communities in Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and Nicaragua about the Maya nut, an easily cultivated food source that has dozens of other uses.While many of us had no idea who Erika Vohman was before reading this piece, we know who she is now thanks to Thahmina Rashid's fine essay, which was awarded second place in the Essay category.
Third Place went to Amanda Ibrahim for "First Timothy Four Twelve," another essay about a modern day hero. In working with this organization, Amanda went out on a midnight run to provide supplies to the homeless. During this effort a homeless man told her, "I am lucky and blessed to be where I am right now," leading Amanda to write in her essay, "This man who had lost everything taught me to be thankful for everything I have. It is the most important thing anyone has taught me."
An honorable mention in the essay category was awarded to Jennifer Hu for "America: Is Our Democracy Working?" where she described our system as an "imperfect but promising form of government if enough people care to participate." How true those words are. Jennifer also wrote, "Though democracy in America is currently working, it is on the decline. It is much like a plug halfway through a socket, just enough for the lamp to stay lit . . . yet any rash move may pull out the plug." Her conclusion? "It is up to the people to push the plug securely into the socket: the citizens that vote for the leaders, the citizens in charge of the media, the citizens that are elected to represent and lead the public." A great essay, Jennifer!
Another honorable mention went to Tony Hung, also for the topic, "America: Is Our Democracy Working?" In his essay Tony described the contrasts in employment for his father between a union job and a non-union job. He saluted democracy for fostering labor unions and credited labor unions with fostering democracy and keeping democracies strong. It was another great essay out of many that were submitted.
A third honorable mention award in this category was awarded to Agnieska Gugala for "A World Language," an essay about two friends in fourth grade who speak different languages yet understand each other perfectly well. The essay noted that this relationship was exactly like the one New York City has with its residents, where "people have managed to see past their differences and have learned to speak a common language ââ¬â a world language." Congratulations to all the 2009 writing contest winners and to all the students who took the time and made the effort to enter the competition!
