This year’s Winter Challenge celebrates performance as a force for visibility, voice, and change. In a world that is often divisive, performance—and especially the spoken word—creates room for honesty, courage, and human connection.
Focused on the prompt “I Refuse to Be Invisible,” the 2025-2026 Winter Creative Challenge invited students to craft original monologues exploring self-advocacy, identity, and recognition. The winning submissions are personal, inventive, and deeply moving. Each speaks to the universal desire to be seen, heard, and valued.
We are proud to showcase the winning texts and performances from students who have embraced performance as a vehicle for truth and creativity. Their work reminds us that when young people are given a stage, they do more than perform: they share experiences, garner empathy, and refuse to be invisible.
A Silent Solace Behind the Shadows
by Patricia Owiyo
St. Andrew’s School, Turi, Kenya
I got comfortable with a predetermined perception of who I’m supposed to be. I was like the shadow that follows me relentlessly, leaving me no space to defy—only to abide. It never ceased, bright nor night, a constant reminder that I wasn’t doing anything right. Slowly but surely; it began to consume me. It took every last bit of authenticity left in me. I was hiding behind a mask that wasn’t mine, held by the comfort of a prevailing last name.
But this wasn’t who I was, and definitely not who I am.
So, I decided to take a stand. I was no longer going to conform to expectations that weren’t mine to fulfill. I took off my mask, layer by layer, expecting to be seen—not as a shadow, not as a surname, but as me. A wave of excitement filled my body as I found a new sense of courage in being unconditionally me.
Only to realize I’d become visible for all the wrong reasons. For not meeting standards—their standards. Those were reflections of who they were supposed to be—not me. I felt like a puppet, controlled by the strings of inanimate, unrealistic expectations. Every pull, nudge, tug, reminded me that those standards were never me. Their reflections were someone I’d never be.
However, I refuse to live under shadows, under false expectations of who they want me to be. I am not a mask. I am not merely a reflection of someone else’s dream. I am the architect of my own vision, and the author of my own story. I am me. Simply me. And that is more than enough.
Patricia Owiyo is half-Kenyan and half-Tanzanian. Her love and passion for literature has shaped the person that she is today. She enjoys the freedom in which people are able to creatively express themselves, not having to be confined to any sort of rubric. One of her hobbies is reading, and she is always eager to immerse herself in new worlds and characters. Among the wide range of books she has read, Harry Potter still remains her all-time favorite book series. She is keen to inspire more people to nurture their creative spirit by embracing the transformative power of literature and encouraging them to express themselves through words—as she did with her monologue.
I Am Always Just Good
by Ivana Zoe Azuara Sanchez
PrepaTec Saltillo, Mexico
So . . . you think I’m good?
You know my whole life I’ve been told that I’m good
Good student.
Good dancer.
Only good enough to stay quiet and be grateful.
And when it comes from you . . . it matters more than I want it to.
What’s wrong with me is that I keep needing you to see me?
Just tell me what to fix.
I promise I’ll fix it.
I’ve already changed so much just to stay here.
You taught me how to dance.
But somewhere along the way, I learned how to disappear.
How to be easy.
How to take up less space.
I wanted what they had.
To be chosen.
To be loved for it.
And maybe leaving is a mistake.
Maybe I’ll fail.
Maybe you’re right.
But staying means learning how to erase myself politely.
And I refuse to be invisible.
So . . . yes.
I’m good.
That’s why I’m walking away . . .
Not from my dream but from you.
Ivana Zoe Azuara Sanchez was born in 2008. A passionate dancer from the age of 12, she discovered her love for musical theatre in school productions. Zoe has worked professionally with her performance in In the Heights. She has been constantly working to improve her skills by, for example, taking a trip to LA to train in the Flip the Switch workshop, where she took classes led by great performers and choreographers. Her journey took a significant turn when she joined PrepaTEC; this allowed her artistic talents to flourish. Zoe enjoys performing in English and, as she continues to grow in her craft, she is excited to embrace new opportunities in dance and theatre.
Country Man’s Ramble
by Matthew Witten
Fundación Colegio Americano de Puebla, Mexico
A long, long time ago . . .
all ‘a this was just country, ya know?
(Pause, thinking.)
Thinking back, I suppose that it all started with the road.
That is, the one made of silt.
Or maybe it was the town that had already been built.
(shrug)
I really don’t know.
All I know is what I remember most was the road.
That evening was freezing;
It was very cold indeed.
But that didn’t stop ’em from bringing their paver and screed.
The black goo was very quickly compacted.
The paver was quick and precise in its actions.
It was built with yellow lines.
It shone black in the sun.
And all the town thought:
How convenient, what fun!
They could not a’ known that they were not done.
(Beat)
So slowly, day by day the news that traveled throughout,
was not ’bout this or that being added
but rather all the things that were being cut out.
Many people left,
not evicted,
Bought out.
There was old man Randy,
Soon enough his house was a great big pharmacy.
There was Ms. Beaumont and her son Pickens.
They got caught by the dollars ‘a folk wanting to sell chickens. Ophelia and Clementine met the rich man’s Criteria
just fine once they discovered coal in their yard to mine.
Huell Monroe got turned into a Home Depot.
Soon enough ole’ Beau was a Costco,
Davies a Walgreens,
Steve R. Vai a Circle K
and shoot, that’s just the start,
(Sigh)
I knew it was all over once they built the Walmart.
(shift to softer tone of voice)
There was my next-door neighbor,
she was middle aged,
loved purple,
she was kind and overweight.
She was gone before long
since she happened to be on
what they all liked to call
prime market real estate.
(Bitter tone)
replaced by some self-righteous lot from New York.
Back then, we called this minority city folk.
Back ‘fore the yolk a’ this place was replaced by them folk . . .
(Long pause, shift to a more sad, honest tone)
Why haven’t I left? I really don’t know.
I ain’t much of a sellout I suppose
Or maybe it’s cuz’ my old memory a’ home
Haunts my mind like a ghost.
(confident tone, said with conviction)
All I know is they won’t get the license
to build on my daddy’s old place.
I refuse to be silenced.
I won’t be erased.
Matthew Witten is a student at the Colegio Americano de Puebla and is currently taking the IB honors program. Writing has been Matthew’s strongest and most fervent passion since he was in his first year of middle school, since then he has written a 75,000-word novel and a great many poems and short stories. He hopes to pursue his passion at the University of Texas in Austin. He dreams of his unpublished novel one day becoming a New York Times Bestseller and, after that, pursuing a multitude of careers which involve writing, producing movie scripts, journalism, and perhaps one day even becoming a college professor at a prestigious university.
Invisibility
by Samuel Contreras
Live Oak High School, CA
(Samuel walks on stage to deliver a speech. Looks around and sees the crowd is unamused and seems bored. He is unamused and irritated.)
You know what? No. I’m done. I’m not going to stand here and let you all belittle me and my accomplishments anymore. I’m done being ignored. I’m done being dismissed whenever I achieve anything because “it was obvious he would win” or “he didn’t even need to try that hard anyways.” When I won the robotics competition last week, nobody even paid attention—most of them had already left since they assumed I would win anyway. I have experienced this my entire life, and I refuse to be invisible anymore.
You all see me as this perfect, talented person who has never had to work for anything; but what you don’t see are the sleepless nights spent studying, practicing, preparing. What you don’t see are the times I am overwhelmed by the work and feel like there is no escape from this endless struggle. What you don’t see are the times that I miss out and do all the work, so you don’t have to. But what you do see are the tiny mistakes I make in my endless toil to live up to your expectations and ensure you don’t have to endure this struggle.
(repeat to emphasize the struggles of others)
When others struggle, everyone runs to their aid. When others struggle, everyone immediately offers to help and make sure they understand. Yet, in my constant struggle, nobody offers to help. Nobody checks to make sure I understand or I’m okay. Instead, they make assumptions. They assume that I’m perfect and never make mistakes, and—when I do, they assume that it was a lack of effort. They put me on a pedestal and assume that I’m prideful and think I’m better than them, but they’re too ignorant to actually ask me. But despite all of this, I have tried to be patient, hoping that one day I will be seen; yet every day I am left disappointed and unseen.
(tempo, volume, and emotion begin a gradual crescendo to demonstrate a growing determination)
I refuse to be invisible . . . I will make my mark—I will be seen. I don’t care how long it takes—I will be seen. I don’t care if I have to be the villain—I will be seen. If that’s what it takes, then so be it, because I will be seen! You call us the “overachievers,” but you are wrong; we are not overachievers, we are overlooked. And I refuse to be invisible anymore.
(enunciated and with a newfound determination)
I will be seen.
Samuel Contreras is a sophomore at Live Oak High School. He serves as the treasurer of Live Oak High School’s newly founded NEHS chapter and strongly believes in “leading by example.” Samuel is also an active member of the FFA and an officer of his school’s Key Club chapter and music student council. Samuel loves to stay involved in the community, whether it’s through community service or clubs, and sees it as a way to give back to his community. Additionally, Samuel enjoys wrestling, playing tennis, and cross country. In his spare time, Samuel likes to code, play video games, and spend time with his chickens. After high school, Samuel plans to go to school to get a bachelor’s degree and become a mechanical engineer.
Proof of Visibility
by Avery Lesher
Lansdale Catholic High School, PA
“I refuse to be invisible,”
I mumble through gritted teeth. I refuse to be ridiculed,
Without proof of the pain beneath.
I drag the blade across my skin, exposing the hurt I feel within. The line turns white,
And later rivers of red,
The pain is gone and silence fills my head.
For a split second everything stops, Everything is fine, everything is okay.
My mind turns from darkness to blank white space,
But I know deep down it won’t stay this way.
I will wake up tomorrow with band-aids on my ankles, I will say goodbye to my parents as I leave for school. I will greet my teachers and smile at practice,
I will take my medications to numb it for the day; I will wash it down with liquid heart attack.
I will laugh with my friends,
I will pray that someone sees past my act.
I won’t eat all day because skinny is pretty. I won’t go to guidance for help,
I won’t have a reaction to the assemblies about depression or addiction,
I won’t pay attention in class,
I won’t complain,
I won’t let my guard down,
I don’t care enough; I’ve numbed the pain.
After school I go to the gym, I work until I see black spots. I will run for miles,
I will do hundreds of squats.
My family and friends see me losing “healthy weight”
They see me glowing up, I am in such great shape,
But no one knows I got here by making myself throw up.
My ED isn’t noticeable enough for others to see, My bones don’t stick out so it can’t be,
No eating for days or puking after dinner, Who will end up the winner?
The work doesn’t matter,
I will still go home, look in the mirror, turn to the side, Grab my stomach and say,
“I wish I wasn’t this wide.”
I know the number on the scale will never please me, I will always want to be skinnier and look the best.
And I know no weight is heavier than this growing pit in my chest.
No one can know this is how I live day to day,
I need to be strong for my sisters, so I can protect them from the pain. My friends, they can’t know I relapsed.
I need to be a role model for them, so they trust me when I tell them to just relax.
I know I am loved,
I tell myself every night. I feel so guilty.
But they are the reason I fight.
So, I sit on my floor and grab the razor, I am miserable.
I say to myself through salty tears,
“I refuse to be invisible.”
Avery Lesher has a tight-knit relationship with her blended family, which includes lots of pets; her younger sisters, Carmella and Mackenzie; her stepdad, Joshua; her stepmom, Daria; her stepsisters; cousins; aunts; uncles; and grandparents. Avery attended Mary, Mother of the Redeemer Catholic School K-8 where she participated in various sports and clubs. Avery was awarded an academic scholarship to Lansdale Catholic High School, where she plays lacrosse, participates in cheer, and was awarded all-catholic in Field Hockey. She is a member of NEHS, NSHS, Community Service Corps., and Ministry. Avery enjoys spending time with pets, family, friends, reading, traveling, staying active, and working part-time as a lifeguard.
National English Honor Society
The National English Honor Society (NEHS), founded and sponsored by Sigma Tau Delta, is the only international organization exclusively for secondary students and faculty who, in the field of English, merit special note for past and current accomplishments. Individual secondary schools are invited to petition for a local chapter, through which individuals may be inducted into Society membership. Immediate benefits of affiliation include academic recognition, scholarship and award eligibility, and opportunities for networking with others who share enthusiasm for, and accomplishment in, the language arts.
America’s first honor society was founded in 1776, but high school students didn’t have access to such organizations for another 150 years. Since then, high school honor societies have been developed in leadership, drama, journalism, French, Spanish, mathematics, the sciences, and in various other fields, but not in English. In 2005, National English Honor Society launched and has been growing steadily since, becoming one of the largest academic societies for secondary schools.
As Joyce Carol Oates writes, “This is the time for which we have been waiting.” Or perhaps it was Shakespeare: “Now is the winter of our discontent made glorious summer . . .” we celebrate English studies through NEHS.
National English Honor Society accepts submissions to our blog, NEHS Museletter, from all membership categories (students, Advisors, and alumni). If you are interested in submitting a blog, please read the Suggested Guidelines on our website. Email any questions and all submissions to: submit@nehsmuseletter.us.
