New Jersey girl, 10, earns national poetry contest top 10 recognition

Luisa Gonzalez, a 10-year-old fifth-grader from Cherry Hill, New Jersey, earned top 10 recognition in a national poetry competition. Her poem, All Stitched Together, was inspired by her Colombian heritage and selected from thousands of student entries across the United States.

Her place was in the grades 4 to 6 category of Creative Communication's Summer 2026 poetry contest. The poem uses the Colombian flag's colors to explore her Colombian American identity, presenting different colors joined together as a way of describing her two cultural backgrounds.

She had entered the competition several times before and received honorable mentions. This was her first time reaching its top 10.

Her interest in poetry grew from storytelling and songwriting. In first grade, she made books from folded printer paper for The Brave Girl Series. She later began writing songs, and a suggestion from her aunt encouraged her to try poetry.