1st place: DANGEROUS BOY*
Mick Guile
College of Liberal Arts, Criminal Justice
Description: DANGEROUS BOY is a poem that blurs the lines between a young Black boy’s self-image and the image that society has built for him as he enters the juvenile justice system. Is succeeding when the odds are against you really as simple as choosing to accept or reject the label that you’ve been given?
2nd place: No Take-Backs*
Isabella Piacentino
College of Liberal Arts, English
Description: No Take-Backs is a creative nonfiction piece that explores the different realities of kids in the same classroom because of the color of their skin. This piece catalogs the middle school girls’ obsession with The Outsiders while Karter grapples with the death of Trayvon Martin. Karter (whose name has been changed for his privacy) said something I will never forget: “I guess I can’t wear my hood up anymore or walk to the corner store or buy Skittles or Arizona iced tea.” Because these issues still persist, I look inward constantly. I’m unsure of when I first learned about race but this moment always sticks out to me, a moment where I am reminded about the world around me and grounded in my privilege, a moment where I realize the fight continues. For Trayvon. For Karter. For all of us.
3rd place: The common plea*
Shanna Kessler
Instagram: @tooindecisiveforthis
Facebook: My Hood Be Like…
College of Liberal Arts, Psychology
Description: I have been taking Nature of crime, Developmental psychology, children’s literature and human biology all at the same time, that’s where some inspiration lies. my dad was in jail for half of my life so and other family members have been incarcerated and I right about the criminal justice system and some of the feelings I have and so many others have as well.
*Do not use, reproduce, alter, etc.  without creator’s permission