Student Writers Seek Identity: "There's Only One You" - Buckeye Community Hope Foundation

Each year, Buckeye Community Hope Foundation sponsors a writing challenge for grades three through twelve to emphasize the importance of writing in academic achievement. No matter the grade level and no matter the future plans for students, writing and thinking will be an integral part of their lives. Never has that been more apparent than in a world where students face challenges to their identity.

This year’s writing challenge asked students to focus on their own identities and what makes them special in the world. Elementary students (grades three through five) were asked to read a book, There’s Only One You, by Deborah Hembrook and Kathryn Heling and to think about all the ways that they, themselves are unique. The writing prompt asked what makes you different from all the other people you know? What makes up your IDENTITY? They were then asked to think about ways that their special identity could make the world a better place. Elementary winner, AND overall champion, Trinity Rollins from Hamilton County Math Science Academy in part wrote:

“My traits can help change the world in good ways. My art can make people feel understood and inspired. My volleyball trait shows hard work and can encourage others to try their best. By being myself, I can make a small difference and help others, too. I can also be a good example to people around me.”

The middle school challenge asked students to explore how the elements of a person’s identity affect all the aspects of their lives. In addition, students reflected on how their own identities have affected their lives. They choose two of the provided non-fiction texts, to describe, using textual evidence, how the authors portray the ways that their identities have affected their lives. The middle school winner, also from Hamilton County Math Science Academy, Praise Oghenekaro chose two essays by Amy Tan and a TED Talk by Rosie King. She wrote in her conclusion:

“Tan, King, and I have all been affected by our identities. Tan was embarrassed about her Chinese heritage….King was embarrassed about her and her sibling’s autism…I was embarrassed about my Nigerian heritage and tried to hide who I was, but over time, I learned to love being Nigerian. These struggles and experiences help make up our identities.”

And finally, our high school winner, Aisha Sharif, a junior from Focus North High School, conducted research about how personal identities affect society. Her essay, “Two Worlds, One Girl: The Struggles of a Teenager Growing up in a Multicultural Home in America,” focused on the juxtaposition of growing up in a Muslim home, but with varied expectations in her outside life. She combined an array of research with her own families’ experiences as well as her own. She writes:

“Growing up in a Somali-American household was like living in two different cultures and worlds for me. I had specific cultural expectations at home that were unique to my African Muslim culture. When I went to school, however, I felt I had to act a certain way to make friends and earn the respect of my peers.”

Forty-eight entries were received this year from Buckeye Community Hope Foundation schools. We appreciate and honor all our writers and their teachers who worked so diligently on this project. The future looks bright when students examine their own identities and their places in the world.

WRITING CHALLENGE WINNERS:

ELEMENTARY:

3^RD GRADE: SARIYAH HAMPTON (Hamilton County Mathematics & Science Academy)

4^TH GRADE: YURYANNIS DEJESUS-GODE (Constellation Schools Eastside Arts)

5^TH GRADE: TRINITY ROLLINS (Hamilton County Mathematics & Science Academy)

OVERALL ELEMENTARY WINNER: TRINITY ROLLINS (Hamilton County Mathematics & Science Academy)

MIDDLE SCHOOL

6^TH GRADE: SABRINA IBRAHIM (International Academy of Columbus)

7^TH GRADE: GRACE MCMULLEN (Constellation Schools Westpark Middle)

8^TH GRADE: PRAISE OGHENEKANO (Hamilton County Mathematics & Science Academy)

OVERALL MIDDLE SCHOOL WINNER: PRAISE OGHENEKANO (Hamilton County Mathematics & Science Academy)

HIGH SCHOOL