A sudden hush fell over the room as the judges prepared to announce the winner, but sophomore Shreya Parmar stayed in her seat, completely unaware her name was about to be called. When the announcement finally came, naming her the winner of the Key Club’s annual writing contest, Shreya was caught in a moment of pure disbelief. “I honestly didn’t expect to win at all,” she admits. “When I heard my name, I was just shocked. I entered the competition because I really liked the prompt about ‘lifting others.’ I didn’t think about the prize; I just wanted to tell a story that meant something to me.”
This big win shows that Shreya is one of the top young writers at Urbana High School. The regional contest, run by the Key Club District Board, asks students to write a two-page story about the deep impact of helping others.
Improving Her Craft
Shreya’s path to winning started in the quiet environment of Ms. Olsen’s English class. Even though she takes many hard math and science classes, Shreya finds that writing offers a special kind of freedom. “While math usually has one right answer, writing is about finding your own truth,” she explained. She feels like writing lets her connect with people and share her feelings in a way that formulas and equations just can’t match.
The idea for her winning essay came directly from her time spent volunteering. What started as a personal journal to understand her service projects eventually turned into a strong essay about leadership. “I got into writing as a way to process the things I see every day,” Shreya says. “In Key Club, we do so much for the community, and sometimes the best way to understand the impact of that work is to sit down and write about it. It started as just personal journaling, but it turned into something I wanted to share with others.”
A Lasting Impact
For winning, her story will be published in the official club magazine. However, Shreya cares more about her message than the fame. She wrote about “small moments”, those quiet times when one person truly helps another, which is what the judges loved most. The experience has changed how she sees herself, showing her that her voice actually has value.
As she continues at UHS, Shreya wants to encourage other students to try writing too. For anyone nervous about sharing their work, her advice is simple: “Just enter the contest! Don’t worry about being ‘perfect.’ If you have a message you care about, that will come through in your work. Your perspective is unique, and that’s your biggest strength.”
With more projects ahead, Shreya Parmar is proving that even in a busy school like Urbana, a good story is a powerful tool to have.
