The Celebrate America Creative Writing Contest winners for 2024 will be announced on June 14th. The winning entries will be also published in our Awards Issue (to be available in late August). The awards will be given at the Immigration Impact Awards in Chicago, Illinois being organized by the American Immigration Council. The event will celebrate the Council’s impactful history, steadfast dedication, and exciting future of shaping a more welcome country for immigrants.
We are pleased to share with you the three winning entries here:
First Place Winner: Stories of Us
I sit
By the windowsill
Gazing outside.
Down, on the street, so many heads,
Each is unique.
Amidst the traffic and frantic honking,
I sense the presence of
Millions of others,
Just like me.
I contemplate
The journeys. Each of us—All of us have a story.
When mothers and fathers
Ventured far across the world,
Their sense of adventure leads
Them in search of a new life.
Then I think
About all the diverse people,
And a myriad of languages,
Some foreign to one, but familiar to another.
When I open my window,
I hear those languages harmonizing,
Merging together to form a chorus.
But not just any choir.
The symphony of every single person’s story,
A song where every note counts.
I think about the stories
That father would tell me.
About my father’s mother and
His migratory voyage.
My father’s trip to America,
With only 300 dollars in his suitcase,
And a brain.
I ponder about each and every one
of the people in my neighborhood
And I wonder
Why Father would be willing
To relinquish everything
To speak in a foreign tongue.
I think about his pride
In having dual nationalities.
About being able to keep his
traditions close to heart,
and embracing a new part of himself.
American.
Then my thoughts drift to school.
All of the different students,
Each of us with our own stories.
The accounts of our ancestors,
And all that they sacrificed.
For us.
For each and every one of us,
To be here.
At this moment.
Right now.
To be present,
Someone had to work hard.
Someone had to shed tears of exhaustion,
Leaving behind familiar joy and wonder,
Leaving behind family and friends,
To create new memories and stories
In one country,
Forming one grand story.
But this story
Isn’t just any story.
It is the story of us.
The U. S.
The story of the United States of America.
—Angela Du, grade 5, New York.
Second Place: Sugar and Milk
I wake up to the sounds of unfamiliar voices in different languages. I raise the blinds and look out the window. I see people wearing bright clothes and intricate patterns. They stand out against the dull brick apartment building, like fall leaves against a gray sky. My mom comes in and abruptly says, “Don’t bother with them. We were here first.” I sit silently on my bed pondering about what she said.
Weeks pass. Curious, I go over to their apartment building and find a girl watering a tomato plant. I shyly say, “Hi. I’m from the apartment across the street. My name is Sula.” She quietly responds, “My name is Aminah.” She reaches towards the tomato plant and offers a tomato. I smile and put it in my pocket. Aminah waves goodbye and runs inside.
I run back home to give the tomato to my mom. She says, “Thank you,” and takes a bite. “This is the best tomato I’ve ever had. Where did you get this?” I hesitated a bit, then I said, “From Aminah.” “Who is Aminah?” She asks. Anxiously I say, “The new kid from across the street.” Before my Mom can say anything, I run upstairs.
Aminah and I start playing together over the summer. I think Mom is still unsure of Aminah and her family.
Tonight I wake up to loud sounds. I am scared. Mom comes running into my room and we run to the basement. The next morning, my mom says that there is a war going on and the safest place for us is right across the border in our neighboring country. We pack our clothes and hurry into a truck packed full of people. As we settle down, I see Aminah and her family in the corner. After a long and tough ride, we end up in a camp full of tents.
Mom and I are going from place to place in search of food and a job. A week later Mom finds a job at a small bakery owned by a family. The job doesn’t pay a lot, but enough to get food for both of us. Later that month, the family invites us for dinner at their house. It is a small house with two rooms and seven kids. I am eager to have a proper meal. My Mom thanks them for sharing the food they have, especially when we come from a different country. Then the host shares a Parsi legend that she had heard from her elders. She begins,
“In the seventh century, when Parsis emigrated to India, they were brought before local ruler, Rana, who presented them with a vessel “brimful” of milk to signify that the surrounding lands could not possibly accommodate any more people. The Parsi head responded by slipping some sugar into the milk to signify how the strangers would enrich the local community and dissolve into life like sugar dissolves in the milk, sweetening the society but not unsettling it.”
Mom bursts into tears.
—Ananya Siddabathuni, grade 5, Minnesota.
Third Place: I See America
Through crashing waves and rocking ships,
I carry big wishes and high hopes for this new nation.
I see America, welcoming me with arms wide open,
Filling me with faith and showing me appreciation.
Leaving the green, white, and saffron flag waving in the breeze,
The concrete roof that once was over my head.
Still holding onto my traditions and beliefs,
While adapting to a different culture instead.
I am welcomed by classmates,
Welcomed by neighbors and teachers.
I soon feel connected with my community,
Regardless of my different nationality and different facial features.
When I get pushed down from inequity,
I get back up and stand strong.
I see America as a place of opportunity,
A place of liberty, and a place where nobody’s background
is wrong.
I will carry on our vows, generation to generation,
Longing for our customs to carry on, and never fade.
I hope that the new ages to come will learn that our heritage is something to be proud of,
And realize the righteous impact on America that
we immigrants have made.
For I am an immigrant from over the seas,
Proud of my heritage and values, I hold near and dear.
I am holder of two nationalities, first generation to see America,
And I hope to spread the joy of our culture here.
—Caroline Keslinke, grade 5, Illinois.
The 2025 Creative Writing Contest
The American Immigration Lawyers Association holds this annual contest to challenge fifth graders across the country to reflect on and write about one of two themes: “Why I Am Glad America Is a Nation of Immigrants” or “What Does it Mean to be a Welcoming Nation?” Visit: www.celebrateamericawritingcontest.org
The Celebrate America Creative Writing Contest winners for 2023 were announced last week. They will be also published in our Awards Issue. You can download the three winning entries here.
The Celebrate America Creative Writing Contest winners for 2022 have been published in our Awards Issue. You can download the winning entries here.
