Style: Creative Nonfiction Statement: I wanted to write a piece about my journey of grief and numbness, my struggles to get out of this masculinity armor to experience vulnerability. This was actually an essay for the English 11 Honors second semester assignment, Inspired by Tim O’Brien’s “How to Tell a Single Story.” It is a very introspective piece about my struggle to get rid of the armor and become emotionally vulnerable. A real man does not cry.  In the “true manly” st

Style: Short Story Statement: In this piece, I wished to explore a dystopian society of the United States, and if it became a pure meritocracy. I wanted to use a writing style that had fragments of memory slipping through the piece to give the reader just enough information to piece together a vague, though rough idea of the narrator’s life. I tried to achieve this by giving the piece a heartbeat with specific enumerated sections to create tense moments for the reader, up unt

Style: Poetry Statement: In this piece, I wanted to find warmth and comfort through food and family. As a child of immigrant parents, I treasure the rich culture I am nestled in. I also sincerely appreciate the time and thought my dad puts into cooking for me. Father lifts the clay pot from a back shelf  at Chun Ching Market, clearance stickers  still clinging to its freckled glaze. There’s life  to this , he points, as if his index finger might hook  some spirit from its spl

Style: Personal Narrative Statement: In this piece, I wanted to capture the pain of repeated separation from my dad and the way unspoken emotions build over years of goodbyes. Through personal reflection and sensory detail, I explored how loss can become routine yet never lose its sting. My goal was to show that goodbyes aren't singular moments but lingering pains that shape who we become. Ultimately, this narrative is about learning that endurance, not perfection, is the onl