MANASSAS, Va., March 13, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Two Unity Reed High School students earned first-place honors in a national writing contest focused on bilingual identity, outperforming competitors from across the United States, including college students, during the 13th National Symposium on Spanish as a Heritage Language.
Ashlyn Hernández Gil, an 11th-grade student, won first place in the fiction category, while Steven Zeceña Díaz, a ninth-grade student, earned first place in the essay category. The National Student Writing Contest was hosted by the Spanish Heritage Language Program at Florida State University in partnership with Texas Tech University and included three categories: poetry, essay, and fiction. Out of all three categories nationwide, Unity Reed High students captured two first-place awards.
Each student will receive a $100 Visa gift card and a certificate of recognition. Their winning pieces were featured during the symposium’s Writing Contest Award Ceremony, held in February.
“I have always known our students have great potential, and we need to help them discover it and bring it out,” said Oscar Pizarro, a Spanish teacher at Unity Reed who mentored Hernández Gil. “This contest was about representing what it means to be bilingual and being proud of your roots. Our students are developing their identities in the United States while honoring where they come from, and that is a source of pride.”
Hernández Gil said she was initially surprised by the recognition. “I honestly didn’t think it was real at first,” she said. “It was my first time participating at a national level, and when I found out we competed against college students, that shocked me.”
Her experience with the contest has influenced her future goals and motivation as a writer.
“At first it made me think about whether someday I could write my own book,” Hernández Gil said. “This made me feel like maybe I really can do it. Maybe one day I could become an author and even be a famous writer. That idea is really exciting to me.”
Zeceña Díaz’s Spanish teacher, Luis Ortiz, shared that the achievement demonstrates what students can accomplish when given strong preparation and encouragement.
“When we prepare our students well, they can achieve anything they want,” Ortiz said. “This success motivates not only students, but also our community, because it shows what is possible.”
Ortiz added that bilingual education helps students succeed across subjects, including understanding texts, expressing ideas, forming opinions, and writing clearly.
Zeceña Díaz said the recognition gave him confidence. “I didn’t believe at first that we were competing against college students,” he said. “Knowing that made it even more meaningful.”
Both teachers concluded that they hope the students’ success encourages others to take risks and share their talents.
“Just by trying, you already win,” Pizarro said. “Give yourself the opportunity to be known and discover what you’re capable of.”
Contact Information:
Meghan Silas, PWCS Media Relations Coordinator
[email protected]
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0fc8de79-4071-4a7e-989a-dd3a5bbbea12