Winners of the Writing Contest!

Here are the writings of the two winners of the writing contest! We weren’t able to come to a decision between these two stunning works of Ashley Newman and Jason Tejayadi. Therefore, we have come to the conclusion of presenting both of their writings. Please enjoy reading!

Ashley Newman:

Quarantine: what an interesting, thought-provoking word. Scientists, plagues, and zombies all come to mind, but these last couple of months felt different, instead of pandemonium, quiet and solitude filled the world.

At 5 years old, I thirstily headed towards the kitchen at midnight to get a glass of water. Something zoomed past me. However, my bed beckoned my tiny, tired brain, so I tramped back to the bedroom, not taking the time to evaluate what or who this mysterious figure might be. The next morning, a guest told us someone ran into his room the night before. Anna, my older sister, slept-ran through the house that night. In her wake (or asleepness), she terrorized 5-year-olds, and random guests, alike.

This describes my quarantine. Sprinting, as the news fills with more chaos, but asleep, as screens link me to the world rather than tangible connection. Just as one fades from consciousness to sleep, this year’s beginning and ends don’t have a defining day or time. Every landmarks of this year came and went without recognition, just a vague sense of loss. School started with a haze of new people and screens filled with assignments, but it never felt quite real.

With no physical interaction, the wonderful students and teachers I see through my screen, seem like models in a magazine rather than people with personalities, thoughts, feelings, and everything that makes them human.

Dreams come and go, varying in remembrance and impact, but this year imprinted itself on my mind so heavily that forgetting this dream is not a possibility.

Jason Tejayadi:

The pandemic has brought about many negatives in my life, especially with the help of online schooling. Like I have never fallen asleep in class before, but I don’t think I’ve ever wanted to break that streak more than in the times of online schooling. Like my bed’s right there, right there, how can one stop me from accidentally clicking the power button on my computer and accidentally turning off the lights in my room, and whoops, tripping onto my bed and, welp, I’m asleep. Speaking of mistakes, zoom frames per second. But onto some positives.

I like to believe that the pandemic has brought some good into my life, especially with relationships! Covid has brought me closer to God because the pandemic has broken my heart through the tragedies people are enduring across the world, but He has been helping me get through it all calming me in times of need. And with all that negativity constantly occurring around me, I have tried to start to balance it out with positives. For example, since I like texting rather than talking, I would text someone and check in on them, maybe ask them how they are. You could try it too, and maybe you just might make them smile so hard they find themselves doing the definitely not long overdue essay for English (or Bible) class (cough), and hey, that’s a future suffering you just solved for someone, good on you!

Thank you for these astounding narratives! We would also like to thank the other writers who have contributed their amazing work to our contest (it was really hard to choose the winner of this contest). We have genuinely enjoyed each and every one of their stories, and we hope that you have also enjoyed reading them.