Valencia High Student Wins Sister Cities National Essay Contest

Posted by: KHTS FM 98.1 & AM 1220 in Education January 28, 2014 - 1:00 pm 0 305 Views

A Valencia High School student and a young artist from Santa Clarita’s sister city Sariaya in the Philippines have both placed in the Sister Cities International Young Authors and Artists Showcase. The entries are on display at the Valencia Library.

For the first time since Santa Clarita Valley International Program’s involvement with Sister Cities International, the Valencia Public Library will host an exhibit of winners and finalists from the 2013 Young Authors and Artists Showcase.

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This year, a Valencia High School student and a young artist from Santa Clarita’s sister city Sariaya in the Philippines, will be featured in the exhibit.

Ashley Choi, currently a junior at Valencia High, won the national grand prize for her essay “The Powerful Exchange of Love,” selected by Sister Cities International at their Annual Conference in San Antonio, Texas in July.

Sariaya resident Charmaine Agawin was one of five international finalists for the artwork “Enlightenment and Progress through Exchange.”

The national contest is open to junior high and high school students, ages 13-18, said Tess Simgen, Santa Clarita Sister Cities spokeswoman.

“We run it locally and then we submit our winning entries to Washington,” she said, “and the local winners compete with other cities in the United States.”

The 2013 contest is the first time that a Santa Clarita student has won the grand prize and the first time that a resident from one of Santa Clarita’s sister cities has participated in the contest.

There will be a reception in the Valencia Library Community Room on Wednesday from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

Young Authors and Artists Showcase winners The reception is free and open to the public and will also serve to kick off the 2014 local author and artist contest.