South H.S. senior wins $2,500 for essay

Allyce Yang, a senior at South High School, was recognized at an awards ceremony on Dec. 14 for winning the $2,500 scholarship grand prize in Optimum Community’s eighth annual “Hispanic Heritage Month” essay contest.

“Your essay on the accomplished and resilient Frida Kahlo, one of Mexico’s greatest artists, was both informative and interesting,” said Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages at the ceremony. “I wish you the best of luck in all of your future endeavors.”

The contest, now in its eighth year, is open to students from grades six through 12 and strives to encourage them to explore the accomplishments made by Latinos, past and present. The 2015 essay question asked students to name a Latino they’d like to spend a day with and explain why. Yang won the grand prize, but other giveaways included a tablet, a laptop computer, and a Kindle Fire.

Yang was the only student out of approximately 635 applicants to earn the scholarship. The focus of her essay, Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, is known for self-portraits that reflected aspects of her own life. Yang described Kahlo’s background and work at the ceremony in front of faculty, Optimum representatives and her mother, Xiaoli.

Solages commended Yang for her work and expressed her shared admiration for Kahlo.

“She never followed the trend — she was a leader,” Solages said of the artist. “There are so many young people who need to be inspired by what you’re doing.”

In September, Yang was recognized as a National Merit Semifinalist as well as an All-State musician. She plays the viola and has achieved numerous musical honors. She is also a past recipient of the National Council of Teachers of English Writing Award. Yang is considering pursuing environmental science studies in college.