Texas High School sophomore, Jillian Brim, recently earned an Honorable Mention Award in the prestigious National Scholastic Art & Writing Awards for her compelling essay, exploring themes of relationships, loss and father-daughter dynamics.
Brim’s piece, titled “The End”, delves into the emotional complexity of relationships that gradually dissolve, including the strained ties between fathers and daughters. Her writing earned praise for its raw authenticity and thoughtful storytelling.
“Her writing jumped out because it was honest,” English teacher Kara Wicks said. “It [had] captivating dialogue and strong impressions from her memory.”
Recognizing Brim’s talent, Wicks pushed her to take the next step and share her work.
“I really enjoy writing and expressing myself through strong words and literature,” Brim said. “Mrs. Wicks told me about this and really encouraged me to submit this because she likes my writing style.”
Brim’s memoir was based on her personal experiences, with the writing process proving to be quite the undertaking.
“I wrote about the ending of a relationship, the panic it can cause you and not expecting the pain it can cause you,” Brim said. “It took me a total of 6 hours, and I went to Mrs. Wicks’ class every time I could.”
Brim wrote about her dad and the frustration she was constantly feeling. Her story serves as a reminder that even the most challenging personal experiences can be transformed into art that inspires and uplifts.
“I was very emotional writing this personal essay because I had to look back on a lot of past experiences that made me who I am today,” Brim said. “I used direct quotes from recordings I had that brought sadness.”
Brim competed in one of the nation’s most distinguished programs for recognizing creative young voices. Each year, thousands of entries are submitted by students across the country, making Brimm’s honorable mention a significant achievement.
“The whole piece is about trying to move past something and even when it’s finally ended, you still feel the emotion and that’s exactly what happened when I was writing,” Brim said. “I was still fighting the emotion I thought would be over when I ended this relationship.”
