For Essay On Post-Pandemic Grief, Hoboken Student Wins National Writing Award

HOBOKEN, NJ — Hoboken eighth grader Georgie Galindez has been recognized as a 2024 Promising Young Writer by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), a group that runs national competitions in schools across the country each year.

Galindez received a “Superior” recognition for her submission "reflecting on a personal story of post-pandemic disconnection and grief in response to American Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman’s 'The Miracle of Morning,' " according to Galindez's school.

Galindez attends the Hoboken Dual Language charter school, HoLa.

“I am honored to receive this recognition as a Promising Young Writer and thank the judges for their consideration," Galindez said. "This opportunity allowed me to express my perspective on the impact of the pandemic on youth. I know people went through a lot of hardships
at that time, but it was also a period where we could all grow. Hopefully other writers are inspired to express themselves so they use their voice to connect with other people,” said Galindez.

“HoLa’s proven approach to language education is on display in the work of our immensely talented young writers. The wealth of cultural immersion and experiential opportunities they receive complements each student’s unique creative skills, yielding the authors, playwrights and poet laureates of tomorrow. Georgie, you make your entire school and community so proud of what you’ve accomplished,” said Jennifer Sargent,
executive director of HoLa Hoboken.

Students participated in the contest from 33 states and Puerto Rico, as well as Canada and South Africa.

Submissions were graded by a panel of judges on a variety of criteria including effectiveness, expression, language use, unique perspective, and voice.

NCTE was formed a century ago to further the English arts and instruction at all levels of education, and has held the competition since 1985 to spotlight the writing talents of eighth-grade students and the importance of the written word. They have also held competitions in high schools.

For more information about the Promising Young Writers Program, see http://www.ncte.org/awards/promising-young-writers/.

Founded in 2010, Hoboken Dual Language Charter School (HoLa) is a free, public Spanish and English Dual Language Charter School in Hoboken. Each year HoLa educates more than 430 children from kindergarten to 8th grade through an immersive Spanish/English dual language approach.