Kendrah Su '22 gains two golds, one silver in Scholastic Awards
Seven Academy students honored by annual art and writing program.
Kendrah Su ’22 has turned recognition from the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards into an annual pastime.
The upper from Sugar Land, Texas, was honored with two gold medals and one silver medal last week to lead an Exeter contingent in the nation’s longest-running recognition program for teen writers and artists. Su has collected six golds and two silvers for her poetry over the past three years.
Her pieces “For Mama” and “Rules of the Road” earned gold; “What’s in the Fridge,” a collection of vignettes, was awarded silver. An excerpt from “Fridge”:
Ice cream birthday cake:
A loud knock comes from the front door as I cut the cake, quickly pushing a slice onto a paper plate.
Through the patterned glass, I make out the distorted face to be Michelle.
“Happy sweet 16!” She hands me a shoebox decorated with pink and red construction paper hearts, her face all smiles and a little tanner since I last saw her.
“Thanks,” I accept the box and hand her the paper plate. “I’d hug you, but, you know…”
“Yeah, my dad didn’t really want me to come but—” A car’s honk interrupts, her dad motioning at her from the blue sedan parked next to the curb. “Coming, Baba!” she yells.
After turning back to me, she continues, “Anyways, we should have a proper party once this is all over.”
Who knows when that’ll be? “Of course we will,” I say.
Since 1923, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards have celebrated the creative talents of teen writers and artists in grades 7-12. Past honorees include artist Cy Twombly; writers Sylvia Plath and Joyce Carol Oates; photographer Richard Avedon; actors Robert Redford, John Lithgow and Lena Dunham; and filmmakers Ken Burns and Richard Linklater.
Other Exeter students recognized this year in the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards:
- Maame Dufie Awuah ’23, silver
- Renee Bertrand ’21, silver with distinction
- Emma Chen ’22, silver
- Alexandria Westray ’22, gold
- Clark Wu ’23, silver
- Daniel Zhang ’22, silver
