14th Annual NSU Louisiana High School Essay Contest
Congratulations to the NSU Louisiana High School Essay Contest 2022 Winners!
First Place
Rachael Bergeron
Catholic High School of Pointe Coupee
“The Howler’s Sunset”
Second Place
Jessica Chu
Caddo Magnet High School
“Everyday Ghosts”
Third Place
Caroline Wilemon
Caddo Magnet High School
“The Cat and the Fiddle”
Honorable Mention
Cameron Gresham
Dodson High School
“The Breathing Bayou”
Honorable Mention
Alexis Dupuy
Belle Chasse High School
“Youth Mask”
Honorable Mention
Anna Jean Eaves
Catholic High School of Pointe Coupee
“Mama T”
The 14th Annual NSU Louisiana High School Essay Contest is sponsored by the Louisiana Folklife Center, the NSU Office of Recruiting, and the College of Arts, Letters, Graduate Studies and Research at Northwestern State University of Louisiana.
2025 NSU Louisiana High School Essay Contest
Call for Submissions!
The 16th annual NSU Louisiana High School Essay Contest is now open for submissions until June 1, 2024. The essay contest is open to all Louisiana students in grades 9-12 regardless of type of school institution, including students in all types of private educational environments, as well as home schooled students.
The 2024 Contest theme is “Lyrical Louisiana.” Entrants are invited to address one of the following prompts:
1) Write an original composition of lyric poetry inspired by Louisiana. Entries should be approximately 10-40+ lines, should have titles, and should be typed (single spaced, 12-point font).
2) Write a piece of creative non-fiction addressing which Louisiana song or musician inspires them the most. Entries may be in narrative form if the student chooses. Entries should be approximately 1,000-2,500+ words, should have titles, and should be typed (double spaced, 12-point font, standard margins).
3) Compose, perform, and record an original musical composition (lyric and/or instrumental) inspired by Louisiana. Entries should be between 1-4 minutes in length and should have titles. Recordings need not be made on professional equipment. For example, phone recordings are acceptable.
All entries should include a cover sheet with the student’s name, mailing address, phone number, and e-mail address, school affiliation, and the title of their entry. Entries may be mailed to the Louisiana Folklife Center, NSU Box 5688, Natchitoches, LA 71497 or sent via e-mail to Dr. Shane Rasmussen, rasmussens@nsula.edu with the subject line “2024 NSU Louisiana High School Essay Contest.”
Entries may also be submitted to https://forms.office.com/r/vkQSwP7efe. If you have technical issues, please contact gordyd@nsula.edu.
The deadline for contest submissions is June 1, 2024. Prize-winning students will be notified by July 15, 2024.
The prizes for the contest winners are 1st place – $150; 2nd place – $100; and 3rd place – $50. In addition, essay contest winners will receive a $200/per semester NSU scholarship with a value up to $1600 if they attend NSU for four years. This award is in addition to other scholarship awards that the student may receive from Northwestern State University. Winners must have at least a 20 ACT composite or 950 on the SAT, as well as at least a 2.0 GPA to be eligible. Essay winners need to submit proof of the award. Winning essayists will be invited to present their entry at the 16th Annual Louisiana Studies Conference to be held on the NSU campus on Saturday September 14, 2024.
The winning print entries will also be published in the Louisiana Folklife Journal. Submission of an entry to the Contest entails granting permission to publish the entry in the Louisiana Folklife Journal. Entries may be subject to minor revision prior to publication. Additional information is available on the website for the Louisiana Folklife Center at Northwestern State University: https://www.nsula.edu/folklife/highschoolessay/.
Sponsored by the Louisiana Folklife Center, the Department of English, Languages, and Cultural Studies, the Office of Financial Aid, and the Office of Recruiting at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana.
Essay Contest Co-chairs:
- Jason Church, Chief, Technical Services, National Center for Preservation Technology and Training
- Daniel Gordy, Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice and English
- Dr. Rebecca Macijeski, Creative Writing Program Coordinator and Associate Professor of English
- Shea Montgomery, Instructor of English
- Dr. Shane Rasmussen, Director of the Louisiana Folklife Center and Professor of English
The 17th Annual NSU Louisiana High School Essay Contest is sponsored by the Louisiana Folklife Center, the Department of English, Languages, and Cultural Studies, the NSU Office of Recruiting, and the College of Arts and Sciences at Northwestern State University of Louisiana.
For more information, contact us at folklife@nsula.edu or (318) 357-4332
Contest Winners
Elayna Babineaux
Hanhville High School
“I Sway”
Second Place
Ren Sercovich
Belle Chasse High School
“Dr. John and the Electric Sounds of New Orleans”
Third Place
Lela Miller
Glenbrook School
“Outshine the Darkness”
Honorable Mention
Madelyn Fossum
Central Lafourche High School
“Ode to Hurricane Ida”
First Place
Madison Jackson
West Monroe High School
“Suppressing Systemic Racism One Step at a Time: The Housing Crisis in Louisiana”
Second Place
Tyron Martin
Hahnville High School
“Shining a Light: The Transformative Power of Journalism”
Third Place
Ryan Sinegal
Delcambre High School
“In 20 years…”
Honorable Mention
Caroline Blanchard
Holy Savior Menard Central High School
“Bridging the Gap for Children in Louisiana”
Honorable Mention
Bailey Robert
Breaux Bridge High School
“Veterinarian”
Honorable Mention
Rebecca Theriot
Houma Christian
“Music Makes Change”
Rachael Bergeron
Catholic High School of Pointe Coupee
“The Howler’s Sunset”
Second Place
Jessica Chu
Caddo Magnet High School
“Everyday Ghosts”
Third Place
Caroline Wilemon
Caddo Magnet High School
“The Cat and the Fiddle”
Honorable Mention
Cameron Gresham
Dodson High School
“The Breathing Bayou”
Honorable Mention
Alexis Dupuy
Belle Chasse High School
“Youth Mask”
Honorable Mention
Anna Jean Eaves
Catholic High School of Pointe Coupee
“Mama T”
First Place
Gabrielle Murison
Belle Chasse High School
“From On-Screen Superhero to Real-Life Superhero”
Second Place
Apryl D. Gallo
Belle Chasse High School
“Band Hero”
Third Place
Riley Leger
The Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts
“Reflections on my Pawpaw, his Life, and Lucius Quintius Cincinnatus”
Honorable Mention
Cameryn Broussard
Carencro High School
“My Father”
Jeremiah Hopkins
Belle Chasse High School
“Gumbo Queen”
Keara Nelson
Natchitoches Central High School
“Gumbo and Magnolias”
LaKin Ogilvie
Simpson High School
“The Giver of Gifts”
Second Place
Julia Kapusta
Mount Carmel Academy
“Louisiana—Through the Eyes of Gloria Doran”
Third Place
Abbie Butler
Pineville High School
“Looking Back and Moving Forward”
Honorable Mention
Bailee Creasey
C.E. Byrd High School
“Expansion”
Honorable Mention
Valerie Perilloux
St. Charles Catholic High School
“Memories of a Lifetime”
Honorable Mention
Dominic Ross
LSMSA
“War and Homecoming”
First Place
Hana Le
Ruston High School
“That Gray Area: A Self Reflection on Culture and External Factors”
Second Place
Emily Savell
Grant High School
“Bayou des Glaises”
Third Place
Timmie Harris
C.E. Byrd High School
“The Dirty South”
Honorable Mention
Sydney Hedrick
Grant High School
“A Boot-Shaped Mark”
Honorable Mention
Summer Netterville
C.E. Byrd High School
“What Makes My State So Great”
Kristen Adams
Caddo Parish Magnet High School
“The Jaquedeaux”
Second Place
Natalie DuBose
Minden High School
“The Ghost of Mardi Gras”
Third Place
Jadynn Giles
Grant High School
“The Edge of the Bayou”
Honorable Mention
Peyton Harville
Airline High School
“Happily Ever After in New Orleans”
Honorable Mention
Allison Huffty
Caddo Parish Magnet High School
“Selena”
Honorable Mention
Jacob Pichon
St. Paul’s School
“The White Crawfish”
First Place
Blake Ziegler
Holy Cross School
New Orleans, LA
“Chevra Thilim”
Second Place
Sarah Hendrickson
Mount Carmel Academy
New Orleans, LA
“Côte des Allemands”
Third Place
Anna Goodwin
Alexandria High School
Alexandria, LA
“The Miracle at Cabrini Hospital”
Honorable Mention
Ashley Couget
Mount Carmel Academy
New Orleans, LA
“Refuge”
Honorable Mention
Benjamin Harris Davidson
St. Paul’s School
Covington, LA
“All Hail King Rex”
First Place
Jadynn Giles
Grant High School
Pollock, LA
“‘Ripples in the Water”
Second Place
Luke Paille
St. Paul’s School
Covington, LA
“A Boy’s Never Forgotten Experiences in Louisiana”
Third Place
Bryce Moulton
Louisiana School of Math, Science, and the Arts
Natchitoches, LA
“I AM FROM” and “What Goes On In My Back Yard”
Honorable Mention
Robert Kyte
Ruston High School
Ruston, LA
“Swimming in Louisiana”
Alena Noakes
Grant High School
Dry Prong, LA
“My Poetic Soul and Its Muse”
Kelly O’Neal
Cedar Creek High School
Choudrant, LA
“The World of Cowboys”
First Place
Brant Guerin
Redemptorist High School
Greenwell Springs, LA
“‘Pistol’ Pete Maravich”
Second place
Chelsea Franklin
Crowley High School
Crowley, LA
“The Mysteries of Huey Long”
Third place
Andrea Bradley
Westminster Christian Academy
Ville Platte, LA
“A Talk with the Madam”
First Place
Angelle Nicole Williams
St. Amant High School
St. Amant, LA
“I Am Proud To Be Louisianan.”
Second place
Jacquelyn Clark
St. Mary’s High School
Natchitoches, LA
“Fact vs. Fiction: My Louisiana and the Media’s Louisiana”
Third place
Alex Thomas
Cedar Creek High School
Ruston, LA
“A Bowlful of Culture.”
Honorable Mention
Mazie DuBois
St. Mary’s High School
Natchitoches, LA
“What is Louisiana Really Like?”
Regan Edwards
Glenbrook School
Minden, LA
“More than Bonnie and Clyde”
Nathaniel Gardner
St. Mary’s High School
Natchitoches, LA
“The Mass Media’s Erroneous Portrayal of Louisiana.”
First Place
Anne Mertens
Home Study
Natchitoches, LA
“A New Life”
Second Place
Brent Charles Alexander
River Oaks School
Monroe, LA
“Cultural and Heritage Preservation and Genealogy and Ancestry Awareness”
Third Place
Ryan Moore
River Oaks School
Monroe, LA
“Preserving Louisiana Wildlife”
First Place
Saraf Ahmed
Cedar Creek School
Ruston, Louisiana
“Spider Web”
Second Place
Madeline Wagnon
Captain Shreve High School
Shreveport, Louisiana
“The Journey of a Character”
Third Place
Molly Mitchell
Cedar Creek School
Ruston, Louisiana
“An Interconnected Heartbeat”
Creative Non-fiction Category
Shelby Elise Paine
Captain Shreve High School
Shreveport, Louisiana
“Visions of Home, Louisiana, as Seen From My Childhood”
Poetry Category
Josh Farr
Saint Paul’s School
Mandeville, Louisiana
“Crawfish” and “Gumbo”
Poetry Category: Honorable Mention
Meredith McManus
Atlanta High School
Atlanta, Louisiana
“Marie Laveau”
Fiction Category
Michael Burke
Saint Paul’s School
Mandeville, Louisiana
“The Rumble”
First Place
Morgan Bollich
“Inspiration: The Beauty Within”
Eunice, Louisiana
Second Place
Savannah Kate Bridges
“Tabasco Veins, Zydeco Heartbeat”
Rayville, Louisiana
Third Place
Chuhyun Kim
“Louisiana: My Inspiration”
Natchitoches, Louisiana
Honorable Mention
Lyle Manion
“A New World”
Covington, Louisiana
Honorable Mention
Michael Sitarz
“Environmental Inspiration”
Madisonville, Louisiana
Honorable Mention
Laramie Williams
“Through the Storm, We Stood”
Natchitoches, Louisiana
1st Place – Morgan Bulliard “Mais Sha, I’m Cajun!”
2nd Place – Heath McDaniel “Live in the Sportsman’s Paradise”
3rd Place – Maria Hefte “A Diverse Heritage”
Runners Up
1st Runner Up – Kim Bassemier “Louisiana Cuisine”
2nd Runner Up – Jennifer Grunder “My Louisiana Sky”
3rd Runner Up – Duyen Tran “In Which There is a Realization of Importance”