学生可以通过阅读这些作品，了解不同人群的生活现状和社会问题，从而更好地理解自身在社会中的位置，正如评委 Emma Weber 所说：“The more you reflect on what is going on in the world, the more you will understand your place within it.”。
Ranvir Sharma, 14, from London, made the video above about the article “For Stonehenge’s Altar Stone, an Improbably Long Ancient Journey”
Aarushi Bahadur, 17, from Eagan, Minn., was one of several students in the last few weeks to comment on “What Trump Means When He Mispronounces ‘Kamala.’” Here are her thoughts:
I can’t count the number of times my name has been mispronounced. In Hindi — the language in which Kamala means ‘lotus’ — my name, Aarushi, means ‘dawn’. No matter how lovely my parents thought it was, I often found it a burden and wished I was an Arya or Anya instead.
In the article, the author describes how Trump’s deliberate mispronunciation of Harris’s name presents it as alien and needing assimilation. This is especially harmful given India’s history of linguistic colonialism by the British. Hundreds of words in Hindi have been reappropriated using Anglo pronunciation — shampoo, pajamas, veranda — and other words were entirely changed for the convenience of English pronunciation — including the country’s name.
Language is integral to culture. It allows us to communicate, build relationships, and create community. Without it, we aren’t human. So by deliberately mispronouncing Harris’s name over and over again, Trump not only others her but furthers a legacy of colonialism and dehumanization.
Like my name, Harris’s symbolizes new beginnings. Lotus flowers bloom when the sun rises and return to the murky water at dusk. They symbolize resilience. Rebirth. Yes, Trump’s remarks will continue to be damaging. But hearing her name pronounced correctly in the mouths of millions of American voters brings me hope that a kinder and more accepting future is ahead. A chance for something beautiful to blossom from the brackish dark.
Runners-Up
In alphabetical order by the writer’s first name.
Janet Omoruyi on “Why These Summertime Braids Cost $450 (and Can Take About 5 Hours)”
Jer-Shyan Chang on “For Gen Z, an Age-Old Question: Who Pays for Dates?”
Katelyn Deng on the Times puzzle Vertex
Naomi Ling on “I Keep the Family Tree — And I’m Flummoxed About Whom to Include.”
Neeraj Bhogavilli on “From Harlem to Selma to Paris, James Baldwin’s Life in Pictures”
Nicholas Tozzi on “Why Schools Are Racing to Ban Student Phones”
Yair Abreu on “Why Schools Are Racing to Ban Student Phones”
Honorable Mentions
Aditya Bharti on What Trump Means When He Mispronounces ‘Kamala’
Audrey Cho on “Helen Marden, Grieving in Bright Colors and on Her Own Terms”
Carter Ho on “Lokiceratops, a Horned Dinosaur, May Be a New Species”
Daniel A on “The Night Owl’s Special: Midnight Spaghetti”
Michelle Zhibing Zhou, 15, from Hong Kong, read the Science article, “Videos Show That Leeches Can Jump in Pursuit of Blood.” Here is her response:
Leeches! Bleh! Famed for their role in medieval medicine, they’re often dismissed as repulsive, blood-thirsty parasites. So, imagine my surprise and morbid curiosity when I stumbled upon an article that added insight into their world and abated some of my irrational fears.
Surprisingly, leeches reminded me of something very different: myself. When I have a craving, like for chocolate, I scurry to the store. Similarly, when motivated by their craving for blood, leeches are “provoked [into] acts of startling athleticism,” springing through the air, then splatting on the ground comically. Adding even more intrigue, the video included ground-breaking footage ending the age-old debate about whether leech-leaping was even possible. The finding sent ripples throughout the leech research community and shivers down my spine.
As with many things in life, the more you know about something the less scary it is. The article helped dissipate some of my fear and disgust, presenting leeches as being motivated by food (like me!), and with amusing behaviors. The article changed my perception of leeches from nightmare fuel to riveting little creatures.
Don’t get me wrong though, while leeches are endlessly captivating, being that, to them, I’m a tasty walking bag of blood, I don’t want them snacking on me in a tropical forest. I’ll stick to watching them from afar, behind a screen, and preferably while nibbling on a bar of chocolate.
Runners-Up
In alphabetical order by the writer’s first name.
Nazira Musabaeva on “After 12 Years of Reviewing Restaurants, I’m Leaving the Table”
Noa Riss on “‘Crown Jewels of the Jewish People’: Preserving Memories of the Holocaust”
Shi Yi Yang on “A Family Dinner with My Wife and Girlfriend”
Sissi Ma on “When It Comes to Food and Politics, Kamala Harris Is Riffing on the Recipe”
Honorable Mentions
Alex Ding on “The Youngest Pandemic Children Are Now in School, and Struggling”
Angirmaa Shinebaatar on “Cows Are the New Puppies”
Blanche Li on “The Most Important Writing Exercise I’ve Ever Assigned”
Erin Yoon on “The Jewelry Shiona Turini Never Takes Off”
Joshua Zhuang on “I Was Settling Into My Morning Commute on the 4 Train”
Lindsey Huang on “What Your Grocery Cart Says About You”
Sarah Guo on “Defeated by A.I., a Legend in the Board Game Go Warns: Get Ready for What’s Next”
Alex Cox, 16, from Bethesda, Md., responded to an article headlined “For Older People Who Are Lonely, Is the Solution a Robot Friend?” She wrote:
Is friendship becoming obsolete?
That’s what I wondered as I read this article, a sick feeling swelling in my gut. Many older people depend on ElliQ’s synthetic friendship. But I share Professor Porteny’s concern that these people can’t “enjoy the beautiful reciprocity that emerges from social interactions.” ElliQ provides something that almost mimics genuine human companionship, but is “almost” enough? If so, what’s the cost of trading real friendship for the artificial variety, especially for people nearing the end of their lives?
I spent last week with my grandfather, who’s almost 96. We had countless conversations over meals whose recipes my grandmother left us about everything from his former job as a NASA engineer to the German dialect he brought across the ocean fleeing World War II. That week, we did more than talk: we connected; we learned from each other; we united generations; we bridged worlds. The most fundamentally human action, after all, is to share.
What if instead of me, he’d spent the week with a robot? Something that could compute but not learn, hear but not listen, respond but not reciprocate? What if he’d died with nobody to share his rich, beautiful story?
Elderly people deserve companions. But they also deserve to have their recipes remembered, their dialects learned, and their stories told after their deaths. They deserve a human. As much as ElliQ can do, it will never be able to be one.
Runners-Up
In alphabetical order by the writer’s first name.
Anthony Babu on “Wildlife Protections Take a Back Seat to SpaceX’s Ambitions”
Cailyn Liu on “Welcome to Stucktopia”
Celina Chen on “What Your Grocery Cart Says About You”
Haiyang Zeng on “I’m a Psychiatrist. Here’s How I Talk to Transgender Youth and Their Families About Gender Identity.”
Joedie Sta. Cruz on “I’m a Psychiatrist. Here’s How I Talk to Transgender Youth and Their Families About Gender Identity.”
Honorable Mentions
Alex Xu on “Elon Musk’s Plan to Put a Million Earthlings on Mars in 20 Years”
Charlotte on “For Biden, a Race Against Time”
Chloe Jiang on “A Feline Scientist Explains Why Your Cat Might Actually Like You”
Ella Gentile on “Shelley Duvall, Star of ‘The Shining’ and ‘Nashville,’ Dies at 75”
Gabbi on “What We Know About the Assassination Attempt Against Trump”
