Malden High School Students Recognized For Immigration-inspired Art

MALDEN, MA — Students from Malden and Medford High School took home awards in an annual art competition meant to promote positive social messaging.

The Teen Perspectives Art and Essay Contest received a record 80 submissions from local students in its seventh year. The event, hosted by the Immigrant Learning Center, asked for artistic and essay submissions based on the theme “How My Community Benefits from Immigration.”

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Malden High School student Sophia Zhang won third place in the art category for her work The Beauty of Immigration. Malden High School student Kelly Ye won third place in the essay category for her work ABC: The Dilemma of Language. 13 judges from various backgrounds made up a panel that decided which creations were chosen as winners.

Ye wrote about how a trip to China made her want to fully embrace and learn more about her heritage.

Many second-generation immigrants, like me, lose ties with their motherland in favor of embracing an American lifestyle, where native cultures and languages are now obsolete. Listening to my father’s endless stories on his hometown and high school life, a compilation of mischievous pranks and long hours swimming in the river with friends, I wondered why I’ve been willingly ignorant of my heritage. How long would I be trapped, grasping at the brick wall of language?” Ye wrote. “I wanted to know what my grandmother’s school life was like, too. Where did she grow up? What did she do for fun? I swore to myself that the first thing I’d do after getting off the plane in America was to sit and chat with my grandparents.”

Malden Mayor Gary Christenson and Medford Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn were among attendees who spoke about the contest’s theme during the award ceremony at Malden High School at 77 Salem St. on Wednesday, April 15.

“We tend to forget in this fast-paced, crazy world that we live in, that us coming together to be here this morning is truly what it's all about,” Christenson said. “I often tell people that the point of life of why we're here is to share, learn, and grow from one another. And that's exactly what you do for our city and cities nearby.”

The program is primarily funded by the Malden Cultural Council. The Immigration and Learning Center is headquartered at 442 Main St. The nonprofit was founded by Daine Portnoy in 1992 and primarily focuses on English courses for speakers of other languages.

All of this year's submissions can be viewed online.

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