Jurors look for creative works that exemplify the Awards’ core values: originality, skill, and the emergence of a personal voice or vision. It only makes sense that our young alumni would pursue their own business ideas and ventures! In this episode, we chat with Scholastic Awards alums who have navigated their own paths by starting their own organizations. We discuss the importance of connecting with other creatives and the roadmap to becoming an innovator, from concept and plan to a thriving organization and product.

(2:10): Rosie Hong and Caroline Zhang are Scholastic Awards Gold Medalists and founders of Fleeting Daze, a literary magazine with a mission to provide young artists and writers everywhere a platform to amplify their voices, share their experiences, and exemplify the fleeting details of their lives that have shaped them to be who they are today. Learn more about Fleeting Daze here: https://www.fleetingdazemag.com/ and visit their Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fleetingdazemag/.

(35:18): Rowana Miller is the executive director of Cosmic Writers, a nonprofit that offers multiple pathways for children to experience creative writing programs. Rowana graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and has been awarded the 2023 Greater Philadelphia Social Innovation Award for Educational Entrepreneurship and the 2022 University of Pennsylvania President’s Engagement Prize. Her debut novel, Secrets of the Blue Hand Girls, is forthcoming from Sourcebooks in Fall 2025.

(1:02:32): Luke Hodges is a documentary producer based in New York City and a 2023 Alumni Microgrant recipient. Luke is the creator of the film "Crashing Out," a documentary short set at the height of the AIDS crisis.

The National Student Poets Program is the nation’s highest honor for young poets (grades 10–11) creating original work. Annually, five students are selected for one year of service, each representing a different geographic region of the country. This episode includes all of the information you need to know about the Program—how to make your portfolio stand out, why this program changes lives, and the nitty-gritty details behind what it takes to be a published poet.

(1:48): Darius Atefat-Peckham is a 2018 National Student Poetry Program alum and the author of Book of Kin, which won the 2023 Autumn House Poetry Prize. His work has appeared in Poetry, Poem-a-Day, The Georgia Review, Indiana Review, The Journal, Rattle, and elsewhere. Connect with Darius on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/d.ap_/?hl=en.

(32:48): Hannah Jones is the Manager of the National Student Poets Program.

More information about the NSPP: https://www.artandwriting.org/programs/national-student-poets-program/

If you want to dedicate your life to art, chances are you have asked yourself the following questions: Do I need an art degree to be an artist? How will I incorporate my love of art into a career someday? This episode is for you, visual storytellers. Episode two of The Scholastic Awards Podcast is all about how you can thrive in the art world after you’ve won your Scholastic Award. Join us as we collect wisdom from three notable alumni who have navigated their own paths in the art world in various ways.

(1:46): James Wells is a 2001 Awards alumnus and creative leader. He currently works as an Innovative Teaching and Learning Manager at Crayola. Because of his Awards, he was offered a full art scholarship to his local college. Knowing how impactful early recognition can be, James has committed his entire career to inspiring young artists, creatives, and educators.

(24:53): Matthew Ronay is a New York-based artist who creates organic sculptures, which are carved by hand from sections of basswood. Connect with Matthew on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mysteriousfog/?hl=en.

(58:53): Sasha Baskin is a practicing weaver and lacemaker. She received her BFA in drawing from the Maryland Institute College of Art and her MFA in Craft and Material Studies from Virginia Commonwealth University. Baskin currently teaches at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. Sasha is also a Scholastic Awards alumna, receiving a Gold Key Portfolio Award in 2010. Visit Sasha’s website for more: https://www.sashabaskin.com/