Middletown Student Honored At White House

A student at High Technology High School was one of five honored last week at the White House through the National Student Poets Program.

The five teens were chosen as the 2015 National Student Poets by the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers.

It is the nation’s highest honor for young poets in tenth- and eleventh-grades.

Eileen Huang, 15, a student at High Technology High School in the Lincroft section of Middletown was chosen to represent the Northeast Region. She lives in Holmdel, according to APP.com.

The other winners are:

• Chasity Hale, 16, of Florida
• De’John Hardges, 16, of Ohio
• Anna Lance, 17, of Alaska
• David Xiang, 17, of Arkansas

The teens will serve as literary ambassadors for a year.

“By elevating and showcasing their work for a national audience, the program strives to inspire other young people to achieve excellence in their own creative endeavors and promote the essential role of writing and the arts in academic and personal success,” according to an announcement about the winners.

Following remarks by First Lady Michelle Obama, the students read their poems.

“Every year we have great young people who take this pledge and go on to do some wonderful things. This is the beginning of something phenomenal for each and every one of you. And I am so excited for you. And I don’t want you to be nervous about it . . . I want you to feel empowered by it. You all can do this. You made it to this point. There is nothing you can’t do,” the First Lady said during the ceremony, according to announcement.