A Boise student is honored with a prestigious national award. Alex Swerdloff is one of sixteen best teenage writers in the country. The awards ceremony took place at New York City's Carnegie Hall in June.
The Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, the nonprofit organization which administers the awards, has given out this award for almost a century. It's a rigorous competition that required the recent Boise High graduate to submit a portfolio of her work. “I had a little bit of poetry, a lot of journalism pieces. I write for the school paper. A lot of that work was in there. A lot of short stories and a few personal essays too,” says Alex.
The gold medal also comes with a $10,000 scholarship and a boost of self-confidence. “I definitely feel writing has helped me claim my voice and become more comfortable speaking up for myself,” says Alex.
The 18-year-old joins a list of prestigious authors and celebrities to win the Scholastic Art & Writing Gold Medal. Other names you may recognize include Steven King, Truman Capote, Robert Redford and Joyce Carol Oates, just to name a few.
Alex calls herself an introvert but says she will always cherish this moment in the spotlight. “I feel crazy lucky. I can't even believe it happened," she says.
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