A 10-year-old girl from New Jersey has been named among the Top 10 winners of a national poetry competition in the United States for a poem inspired by her Colombian heritage.
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girl → name → heritage
Luisa Gonzalez, a fifth-grade student from Cherry Hill, received the recognition for her poem All Stitched Together, which was selected from thousands of entries submitted by students across the country.
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which → receive → country
Luisa secured a place in the grades 4 to 6 category of Creative Communication's Summer 2026 poetry contest.
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Luisa → secure → contest
Her poem, listed on the competition's official website, draws on the colours of the Colombian flag to explore her identity as a Colombian American.
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poem → list → American
Through the idea of different colours being joined together, she describes how her two cultural backgrounds form part of who she is.
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she → join → part
According to South Jersey Media, the idea came to Luisa when she was thinking about the Colombian flag and the way its colours fit together.
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colours → accord → flag
She wanted her poem to reflect her cultural background while encouraging others to take pride in their own identities.
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poem → want → identities
Luisa had participated in the competition several times before and received honourable mentions, but had never reached the Top 10.
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Luisa → participate → Top
How Luisa found out about her poetry award
Reaching the Top 10 was a goal Luisa had been working towards for some time.
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Luisa → find → time
Her mother, Lauren Gonzalez, knew how much it meant to her because she had continued submitting poems despite not securing a place among the top winners in previous attempts.
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she → know → attempts
Lauren shared the competition results with Luisa one morning while she was preparing for school.
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she → share → school
The news left her excited, particularly because she had finally achieved something she had been trying to accomplish.
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she → leave → something
"A smile spread across my face and I jumped up and down!" Luisa told South Jersey Media.
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Luisa → spread → Media
"I was so glad I won top 10 because I have never won top 10 before in that contest, so I was thrilled.
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I → win → contest
"
How a love for books led Luisa to poetry
Luisa's interest in poetry developed from her earlier attempts at storytelling and songwriting.
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interest → lead → storytelling
She was already making her own books in first grade, using folded sheets of printer paper for a series she called The Brave Girl Series.
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she → make → series
In the following years, she began writing songs, and it was a suggestion from her aunt that encouraged her to explore poetry.
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that → begin → poetry
Her mother told South Jersey Media that Luisa frequently reads during everyday activities, including car journeys to soccer practice.
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Luisa → tell → practice
Her interest in books and writing eventually led her parents to encourage her participation in poetry competitions and public readings.
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interest → lead → competitions
Luisa Gonzalez's winning poem (Screengrab: Creative communications' official website)
"I first started writing songs before I wrote poems
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I → win → poems
!" Luisa explained.
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Luisa → explain → ?
"Once my aunt remarked I would be a great poet after reading my songs, I decided to write poetry as well as songs."
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I → remark → poetry
With encouragement from her family, Luisa began taking part in local writing competitions and sharing her work at open mic events at Inkwood Books in Haddonfield.
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Luisa → begin → Haddonfield
Her literary interests extend beyond poetry.
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interests → extend → poetry
She admires the works of Langston Hughes and Maya Angelou, as well as songwriter Dolly Parton and Harry Potter author J K Rowling.
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She → admire → Parton
What is Luisa's winning poem All Stitched Together about?
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poem → win → What
Luisa's family continues to maintain a connection with Colombia, where her grandparents live.
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grandparents → continue → Colombia
They travel there every other year and remain in contact through virtual conversations between visits.
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They → travel → visits
Her grandparents also visit the family in the United States.
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grandparents → visit → States
Spanish is part of family life, with her father, Francisco, speaking the language to the children at home.
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father → speak → home
Luisa and one of her younger brothers also take Spanish classes locally.
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Luisa → take → classes
These family experiences form part of the cultural background Luisa wanted to express in All Stitched Together.
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Luisa → form → Stitched
Through the colours of the Colombian flag, she explored what it means to grow up with both Colombian and American identities.
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it → explore → identities
"Hispanic Heritage means so much to me," she said.
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she → mean → me
"It means to be proud of yourself as a Hispanic, and to be you."
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It → mean → Hispanic
From local poetry competitions to national recognition
Luisa had experience presenting her work to audiences even before receiving the national award.
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Luisa → have → award
She has taken part in community events, including the Collingswood Hispanic Heritage Festival, and also secured first place in Collingswood's Youth Poetry Contest.
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She → take → Contest
However, speaking in front of an audience was initially difficult for her.
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speaking → speak → her
She said that she worried about making mistakes, especially when presenting one of her poems in Spanish.
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she → say → Spanish
With experience, she became more comfortable reading her work publicly.
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she → become → work
…and 7 more, not listed.
The Aporia
