I served as 2019-2020 National Student Poet of the West, the highest honor for youth poets in the U.S. I was one of five writers chosen from 24,000 submissions. As part of my work, I served as literary ambassador to 11 Western states, including readings at the Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian and Texas Book Festival.
NSPP is a collaboration of the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers. Through their support, I was also invited to the White House to meet First Lady Jill Biden. You can read more about the program here.
As the first National Student Poet from Utah, I focused my platform as a literary ambassador on connecting poetry and storytelling to the environment. I led workshops at public libraries, museums, afterschool centers, and nature centers to guide students to explore nature through poetry. I encouraged them to use language to gain understanding of place and emotional connections with environmental issues like climate change and resource depletion, and also share their writing in creative ways through zines made with collages they could give to friends and strangers.
