WINNER

Place Place Place 1 1 2 St St Nd

Sorange Rutabairo

Sorange Rutabairo is a senior in the Health Professions small learning community at Trenton Central High School. “Music will always be a lifeline for me,” she says. “I use it as an escape and a sanctuary.” She also enjoys reading and listening to poetry, so writing came to her as the obvious next step. As an alto sax player herself, Sorange had already been a fan of Gillam when she entered this contest, so she took this opportunity to express her appreciation for Gillam's work. “While writing, it was like I was being brought back to that space listening to her music, and it was almost just as entrancing,” she says. Sorange also enjoys photography and crosswords.

Evita Vasquez Reyes

Evita Vasquez Reyes is a senior in the STEM small learning community at Trenton Central High School. She frequently dabbles in multiple art forms for self-expression: “Drawing, writing, reading, playing instruments, and poetry have all been things that at some point allowed my monotonous life to feel ‘alive’ and like I wasn’t simply just surviving but I was living!”

Evita used to be afraid of writing in English. Since Spanish was her primary language most of her life, writing in English felt foreign and forced. However, she faced her fear during the pandemic through journaling and discovered a new passion. When she learned about the contest, she knew she had to enter. “Jess Gillam’s entire performance was like watching a set of short films,” she says. “They each had a story and a ‘painting’ that they delivered in their own special way.” Evita is driven by a desire to make a positive impact in her community and to bring joy and compassion to those around her. In her free time, she enjoys baking and trying new recipes with her friends and family.

Marie Jules

Marie Jules is a sophomore in the Visual and Performing Arts small learning community at Trenton Central High School. Immersed in different art forms, she listens to music and draws daily. She also dances and enjoys playing the flute. She wasn’t originally planning to enter the contest, but after attending Gillam’s Princeton University Concerts performance, she was inspired to write.

“While writing, I was listening to a playlist curated by Ms. Gillam,” she says. “That whole collection of music was a vibe and made me check out other genres of music I previously didn’t listen to.”

Marie is passionate about storytelling and the potential to be very emotive through the arts: “I have many stories and ideas I want to make real, so I always strive to better my craft so I can achieve that goal.”