The Nassau County Poet Laureate Society awarded a $500 Scholarship Award to Emily Shih on June 7, 2017 at the Plainview Old Bethpage John F. Kennedy High School. NCPL Lorraine Conlin presented the award for Emily who is an excellent student and will be pursuing a college education
Her guidance counselor, Neil Lasher, says she “is a talented Musician and Artist in addition to her many academic interests and expertise.” “Her three-year grade point average” is 98.
Her English teacher, Tracey Gonzales, describes Emily as “an English teacher’s dream. Just recently, after teaching a unit on Shakespearean sonnets, Emily shared several original sonnets she penned the night before …just to experiment with the form. Truly, they are of publishable quality.”
Emily has a portfolio of short stories, poetry (free verse and English sonnets), newspaper articles and creative essays.
Among her many achievements she is a “member and co-founder of a creative writing group…specializing in poetry and short prose” who meet weekly to compare and critique one another’s pieces. She has participated in Urban Word New York City’s first annual Summer Institute for poets aged 13-18 and has completed workshops in spoken word poetry and written poetry.
She is described as “a future leader in college and beyond.”