Three RL Students Earn Accolades For Their Creative Writing

Each year, the Alliance for Young Artists and Writers, in partnership with more than 100 visual and literary arts organizations across the country, accept submissions from teens in grades 7 through 12 for their Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. Hundreds of thousands of art and writing submissions across 28 categories are judged based on originality, technical skill, and the emergence of a personal voice. Roxbury Latin junior, Kevin Wang, not only earned Gold Key recognition in the regional competition for his personal essay/memoir submission titled Jab, but his writing also earned him one of only five nominations in the country selected to compete for the 2022 American Visions Award. This award is one of the highest honors presented annually by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, exceeding even the expectations of Gold Key honors. Kevin’s personal essay, Jab, grapples with the family dynamics at play in considering whether or not to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

Two other RL students found success in this year’s Scholastic Regional competition: James McCurley (II) earned a Gold Key for his flash fiction writing submission titled The Old Forest and an Honorable Mention for his science fiction/fantasy submission The Old Well. Eric Zhu (III) earned two Honorable Mentions, one for his short story submission The Victors Write History, and another for his poem Did Anything Change At All?

Several talented Roxbury Latin students earn regional honors for their art and writing in the Scholastic competition each year. For nearly 100 years, the Awards have empowered creative teens and celebrated their voices. The Scholastic Awards continue to champion and support teens’ originality and creativity, as well as bolster their artistic and literary futures through opportunities for publication, exhibition, and scholarships. The Awards encourage students to build confidence as creative individuals and to trust that their voice is important.

Kevin will learn this spring how his personal essay/memoir submission, Jab, fared among the four other national nominees in the American Voices Medal competition. That honor includes being recognized at the National Awards Ceremony at Carnegie Hall in New York City this June.