My Writing Journey
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BlueFire Journal Grand Prize Award - Fiction
Review by bestselling author Tom Newkirk
"This was a disturbing story that really stayed with me. The author engages the contemporary concern about AI apps that can write essays and employ some thinking skills superior to humans. (Jennifer Egan engages this theme in her book The Candy House). As I understand the story, the AI program essentially confronts the narrator on the poverty of his expectations for himself, his willingness to cheat--and lie about why he is asking for the story. When invited to really think about his situation, he just reboots. There is also a subtle doubling--as this story itself is part of a contest, and it describes the narrator's participation in a contest. A complex, troubling vision."
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John Locke 2023 Distinction Award
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History Category
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6th New York Times Review Contest
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One of 56 finalists from 4100+ entries
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Scholastic Golden Key Award 2025
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I meticulously gathered information from diverse news sources and research articles, analyzing supporting and opposing positions to craft my argument. Though it was tough to write, it was important, and that importance pushed me through.
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Scholastic Honorable Mention Award 2025
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A poem that explores the disorienting experience of pandemic isolation and the resulting shift to virtual connection.
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Scholastic Honorable Mention Award 2025
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A meditative piece that considers carefully a tender moment of connection between mother and child at the seashore
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An experimental piece that weaves together myth, introspection, and object analysis through the tale of Barlon the Spotless, a fabled lion now captured in an object.
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John Locke 2024 Commendation Award
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Psychology Category
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Art of Unity Creative Award 2022
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Honorable Mention Award
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Short Story on LGBTQ+ relationships and resilience
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Scholastic Silver Key Award 2025
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Music often serves as a creative catalyst, evoking emotions and storylines like the melodies themselves. “An Allegory for All Our Lost Lakes” was written while listening to the jazz song “La Vie en Rose,” with my volunteer experiences in nursing homes adding emotional depth to my characters
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Write Cause Education Equality Writing Contest Bronze Pen Winner
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A story that juxtaposes the silent isolation of pandemic-era Korea with the intense pressure of the Suneung college entrance exam, while exploring how a student living in impoverished conditions channels all hopes for social mobility into academic achievement, capturing the physical and psychological toll of extreme academic pressure, culminating in a moment of personal transcendence.
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A wandering poem that explores an uncertain journey of self-discovery, how dreams both guide and mislead us in our search for meaning.