Owl Writers Honored in Nation, Region

Nine Owls from the Class of 2023 have received regional honors for their writing in the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, including Kyan Ramsay, who also won a national Gold Medal.

Ramsay’s critical essay examining themes in Toni Morrison’s novel “The Bluest Eye” was written as part of an independent study course, Perspectives in Women’s Literature, with English Department Chair Elizabeth Crosby last semester.
More than 100,000 students submitted more than 260,000 works of art and writing to the 2023 Scholastic Awards. Ramsay’s work was selected by some of the foremost leaders in the visual and literary arts for excellence in originality, technical skill, and the emergence of personal voice or vision. Fewer than 2,000 works received a national medal, which placed Ramsay’s essay within the top 1 percent of all submissions.  
Ramsay also won a regional Gold Key for his critical essay and two other regional awards: a Gold Key in the Personal Essay & Memoir category and a Silver Key for his Writing Portfolio. 

English Instructor Nat Akin submitted Ramsay’s works along with essays, short stories, and memoirs from all 12 students in his Nonfiction Writing class. Nine received regional writing awards – three Gold Keys, three Silver Keys, and four Honorable Mentions. Gold Key works were automatically entered in the national contest.

Following are the regional writing awards. (For previously announced art awards, click HERE.)
  • Abdullah Elahi: Honorable Mention, Personal Essay & Memoir
  • Frederick Huang: Silver Key, Personal Essay & Memoir; Honorable Mention, Short Story
  • Jack Knighton: Honorable Mention, Personal Essay & Memoir
  • Jeffrey Liu: Silver Key, Personal Essay & Memoir
  • Kevin Ma: Honorable Mention, Short Story
  • Ismael Qureshi: Gold Key, Personal Essay & Memoir
  • Kyan Ramsay: Gold Key, Critical Essay; Gold Key Personal Essay & Memoir; Silver Key, Writing Portfolio
  • Mohid Saeed: Silver Key, Personal Essay & Memoir
  • Alyaan Salman: Gold Key, Personal Essay & Memoir
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