Hamlin 6th grader Abbie C., recently had her awards ceremony for placing first for her poster artwork in the annual Growing Up Asian in America contest. Abbie gave a confident acceptance speech about the theme of food insecurity for children (her poster about the topic appears above).

Abbie has entered this contest every year since second grade. Each year she has placed or received an honorable mention. This is the second time Abbie’s poster has won first place in her age category.

Growing Up Asian in America provides a unique platform for young people to creatively explore and celebrate being both Asian or Pacific Islander and American.

Every year, more than 500 Bay Area students from Kindergarten through 12th grade submit artwork, essays, poems and videos on a single theme, competing for over $20,000 in cash and prizes. We started our signature program in 1995 as one of the largest youth celebrations of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month in the nation. It encourages young Asian Americans to take pride in their identities, and helps others understand the varied experiences of our youth growing up in the Bay Area’s diverse communities.

This year’s theme, “Letter to the Senator”, was chosen in reflection of the 2016 election where we witnessed victories for the Asian and Pacific Islander (API) community. Especially exciting was the historic election of Kamala Harris as California’s new senator and the first Indian American and second African American woman elected to the U.S. Senate. Students were prompted to share about issues they wanted Senator Harris to work on, changes they wanted to see happen or advice they had on helping their community, country and the world.

For more information about the contest, please visit: http://asianpacificfund.org/what-we-do/awards/growing-up-asian-in-america-awards/