A Lafayette High School student has been named the 2024 Lexington Youth Poet Laureate.
Five finalists, Zoya Abbas, Eva Alcaraz-Monje, Reyna Radhakrishnan, Sophie Watson, and Nina Tay shared their work in front of family, friends, and community members at Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning. Of them, 18-year-old Zoya Abbas was selected by a panel of judges.
Lexington Youth Poet Laureate Program Coordinator Jonathan Hall said Zoya is the perfect person to continue the work started by her predecessor, Olaoluwakiitan Adedeji.
The National Youth Poet Laureate focuses to identify, celebrate, and honor teen poets that show commitment to artistic excellence, civic engagement, youth leadership, and social justice.
Hall said the program was created to inspire others to share their story and make an impact in their community. He looks forward to seeing what Zoya will accomplish in this role.
Proud parents of Zoya, Amrita & Zahir Abbas said that she grew up surrounded by books and different art forms like music, writing, and photography.