San Jose Senior Recognized Nationally for Writing

San Jose, CA - Earlier this month, BASIS Independent Silicon Valley senior Kurn Sundaram was honored in New York City with a prestigious award. Sundaram was recognized by The Alliance for Young Artists & Writers and awarded their annual Gold Medal Portfolio Award for Writing. He is 1 of just 16 high school seniors to be bestowed with the Gold Medal.

Sundaram and his family flew to New York City this month where he and fellow award winners were invited onto the stage of Carnegie Hall to be acknowledged for their talents. Additionally, the Stanford-bound student received a $12,500 scholarship towards college.

"In a lot of ways, this recognition feels like a simultaneous cap on my high school creative writing career and a stepping stone for the next era of my life," Sundaram said. "I won't be pursuing writing professionally, but I will always consider myself a poet. Poetry, for me, serves as a mirror... my way of understanding myself, and in turn, the world around me."

To be considered for the Gold Medal, earlier this year Sundaram submitted six poems, one personal statement and one writers statement as part of his application to the Alliance.