Students from Everett, Malden and Medford public high schools were awarded for their artistic expression in the annual Teen Perspectives Art & Essay Contest hosted by The Immigrant Learning Center (The ILC).
The ILC received a record number of submissions this year. Eighty students submitted essays and artwork addressing this year’s theme, “How My Community Benefits from Immigration.” The first-place winners, for both art and essay, came from Everett high schools.
Student finalists from first place through honorable mention were awarded cash prizes from $50 to $300 during the awards ceremony at Malden High School on Wednesday, April 15, 2026. The student contestants, their family members and teachers, school committee members, and officials from all three school districts were in attendance.
At the awards ceremony, Malden Mayor Gary Christenson, Everett Assistant Superintendent of Teaching, Learning, and Student Success Margaret Adams, and Medford Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn spoke about the importance of immigrants to our communities and the power of our words during uncertain times.
“In a time where being an immigrant is challenging — and it’s easy to be unseen and unheard by many in our nation, in our communities, and in our country — I want to commend you for your courage. You remind us of the importance of lifting each other’s voices. And one way we can do that is by telling our own, and by reminding each other of the strength that we all bring,” Adams said.
First prize essayist Shashi Pokhrel from Everett High School read her submission, Sacrifices and Contributions of Immigrants, about her experience immigrating to the United States from Nepal. She expresses how the struggle to fit in while also keeping her culture alive was a challenge that eventually became a strength.
“Immigration is not just a policy. It is my childhood, my school, my family, and my identity. It brought struggle, but it also brought strength, culture, language, and connection. My story is one of many that shows that immigration does not harm communities, it builds them,” she wrote.
“I would like to congratulate all of you for being determined and actually entering this competition,” she added. “It takes a lot to come out and recognize immigrants, especially in a time like right now.”
The full text of the essay is available on The ILC’s website.
This year’s first place winner in the visual art category, Everett Alternative High School student Carolina Rivas, immigrated to the United States from El Salvador eight years ago, Her piece, Celebrating Columbus Day at the Church, gets at the heart of why immigrant communities are so important.
“Everett is a diverse community with many different cultures… my community is the inspiration from my art,” she said when accepting her award at the ceremony.
This program could not be a success without the support of teachers and administrators from all three school districts. It also wouldn’t be possible without support from a grant from the Malden Cultural Council, a local agency that’s supported by Mass Cultural Council, a state agency, along with sponsorship from Eastern Bank.
This year’s judges were:
• Anne Walsh: The ILC Board Member
• Diane Stern: The ILC Board Member
• Amy Hwang: Reference Librarian, Regis College
• Grace Cook: Editor, The Water Tower Newsmag; Publishing Intern, UVM Press
• Terri Basket: ELL Teacher, Woburn, MA
• Jodie Zalk: Co-Founder and Co-Facilitator, Malden Reads
• Mark Puleo: VP of Customer Success, NGP VAN
• Kate Taylor: Reporter
• Stephanie Blackman: Founder at Riverhaven Books
• Bitho Faustin: Artist
• Pam Shanley: Arts Collaborative Medford Board Member
• Edward Rocha: Artist, Edward Rocha Art; Founder, RoLa Languages, Rola Corporation and The Morning Goals
• Lizzy Mayer: Director and Grants Manager at Artists for Humanity and AFH Co-Lab
All of this year’s submissions as well as previous winners can be seen on The ILC’s website at https://www.ilctr.org/for-teachers/teen-perspectives/
The Immigrant Learning Center, Inc. (The ILC) of Malden, MA, is a not-for-profit organization that gives immigrants a voice in three ways. The English Language Program provides free, year-round ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) classes to help immigrant and refugee adults in Greater Boston become successful workers, parents and community members. The Public Education Institute informs Americans about immigrants and immigration in the United States, and the Institute for Immigration Research, a joint venture with George Mason University, produces valid, reliable and objective multidisciplinary research on immigrants and immigration to the United States.
For more information, visit the website http://www.ilctr.org. The ILC can also be found on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn.