2009 Sejong Writing Competition
Sijo Winners
| Sijo | |
|---|---|
| First Place | Creasy Clauser Crawfordsville, IN 12th grade, Southmont High School sijo |
| Second Place | Taylor Edwards Euless, TX 10th grade, Trinity High School sijo |
| Third Place | Sarah Chen Fresh Meadows, NY 10th grade, Townsend Harris High School sijo |
| Honorable Mention Friend of the Pacific Rim Award |
Margaret DuBose Madison, GA 12th grade, Athens Academy |
| Sarah Chin Northbrook, IL 3rd grade, CCB Prep School of Chicago |
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| Meg Eden Gambrills, MD 12th grade, South River High School |
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| Daniel Diaz Atlanta, GA 12th grade, Marist School |
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| Hallie Grumer Weston, FL 11th grade, Cypress Bay High School |
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| Michael Chung Los Angeles, CA 6th grade, Curtis School |
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| Samir Shah Aurora, IL 10th grade, Illinois Math and Science Academy |
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| Dana Jaalouk Pensacola, FL 6th grade, Creative Learning Academy |
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| Chelsea Caldwell Helphzibah, GA 7th grade, CT Walker Traditional Magnet School |
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| Leegan Lim La Canada, CA 10th grade, La Canada High School |
In poetry class the last trimester of my senior year, my teacher started a unit on cultural poetry. One of our assignment choices was to write a Sijo. After I spent what seemed like forever thinking about writing it, I decided to go with a humorous approach. Upon turning my sijo in, my teacher recommended that I let her submit it into this contest for me.
Writing the sijo turned out to be a lot of fun. Getting the correct syllable count was really hard, but after a lot of trial and error, I figured out how to manipulate and rearrange the words to still say everything I wanted and convey the same story. As it is with all poetry it seems, some sacrifices had to be made, but the resulting product was better than I had ever imagined it would be.
As for my future plans, next year I will be attending Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology to major in biomedical engineering as well as run track, cross country, and participate in the band and music programs. My hobbies and interests include photography, reading, playing sports, and anything to do with band. I play clarinet, piano, flute, and pit percussion. I am also a member of New Hope Christian Church.
My personal heroes are my parents. They have taught me so much, and been supportive of every activity I have wanted to try. I couldn’t be where I am now without them.
My name is Taylor Edwards, I’m 16 years old and about to be a junior at Trinity High School in Euless, TX. YAY! GO TROJANS! I entered the writing competition because my AP/IB English teacher, Mrs. Nease, suggested that I should after grading my sejong assignment. Honestly I didn’t have the faintest expectation of winning anything; I just did it for the fun of it all.
What I learned through writing this Sejong, is that when I write anything, I can never come up with something good without a great inspiration.
My goal in the future is to be a marine biologist or an orthodontist… but more on the marine biologist side because it sounds like a lot of fun. I don’t want to aim for a career just because I would make a lot of money for doing it, I want to look forward to going to work, and not have to drag my feet to get there. So I’m pretty much open to anything.
Some of my hobbies and personal interests are... being on the gymnastics team at school, running alone at the crack of dawn, lifeguarding in the summer at the city pool, rock climbing with friends, taking nature pictures, going camping with my family, kayaking on Grapevine Lake, and my favorite thing ever is going to the beach in North Carolina. Oh, and lime-green is the best color in the history of forever.
I don’t really have a personal hero, but in general I do admire people with strong opinions that don’t give in to the influence of others, no matter how tempting the bad influence might be.
My name is Sarah Chen. I’m from Queens, New York, and I go to Townsend Harris High School. I am 15 years old. Korean culture has always fascinated me. When I learned of this competition, I was eager to participate for that reason alone. This competition made me realize that the rhythm in poems, set by the number of syllables in a line, is a key factor to the tone of the poem. In the future, I want to make inspiring art that can influence people and make a change in the world, regardless of how small it may seem. Also, I want to become a video game designer when I grow up. These two ideas have both been my dream since I was in elementary school. In my spare time, I like drawing, making paper crafts, and going outside and playing sports, handball and basketball especially. Two people who are very close to me, David and Man Na, are my personal heroes. Even though I’m such a selfish person, they still put up with me, and support me no matter what. They are people I am eternally grateful for.
My name is Margaret DuBose, and I am a graduate of the Athens Academy Class of 2009 in Athens, GA. I was introduced to the Sejong Writing Competition through the teacher of a class I was taking called The Writing Process, and, while I had never heard of the Sijo poem before, I quickly found that I enjoyed its simultaneous simplicity and expression. Writing has provided me with a method of exploration, as well as an outlet through which to channel my thoughts and ideas. In high school, I was involved in activities such as competitive horseback riding, Mock Trial, cross country and track, community service, and Student Council, and I hope to continue to be involved in similar things throughout my time at college. I am attending Furman University in Greenville, SC in the fall and am currently planning to major in English.
Korean culture has always sparked a passion in Meg Eden. She is currently writing a novel set in Korea. The competitions gave Meg an opportunity to delve into Korean mythology and research for future writing works. They also gave her a way to share what she is passionate about. She hopes one day to live across the Orient and to publish her writings. In her spare time, she loves to study languages, write, and make things out of wood. She has many personal heroes, however, her favourite would be Peter (the disciple).
The reason I sent my sijo in was because it was a class project. My teacher was giving a grade for the sijo and a grade for sending it in, I had no idea I would achieve anything through doing it.
I learned through this while experience of writing and sending in my sijo that poems can mean different things to different people. I think poetry is a great way to express our minds differently and this experience proved it.
My goal in the future is to go to law school and become a successful lawyer.English and expressing yourself are big parts in the make up of being a successful lawyer so hopefully this helps me out.
I love to fish and hunt and I am now picking up golf. They are all things that allow my mind to relax, focus, and wander all at the same time. The time and patience that is required in fishing, hunting, and golf allows me to be in my own world.
My personal hero is my dad. He came from a family that had nothing. His parents did not go to school passed eighth grade and yet he went to go on to medical school and become a doctor. He has proven to me that if i can set my mind to something, it can be accomplished.
My name is Michael Chung and my pen name is Yeo Song. I am the 16th generation of Songgang Jeong Cheol. I will be going to the Harvard-Westlake School next year as a 7th grader. I entered my sijo because I felt the writing style came easily for me. I learned how sijos were written and how they should be formatted. My goal in the future is to work for Apple Inc. My hobbies and personal interests include computers, piano, and violin. My personal hero is Admiral Yi Soon Shin for defending Korea from Japanese invaders.