Cinco Ranch High School Junior Ethan Wang has been honored by the National Student Poets Program as a 2020 National Student Poet, the highest honor for youth poets in the United states. Wang is the recipient of the award for the southwestern portion of the U.S.

"I am very grateful to be given this opportunity. I hope in these times I can play my role in spreading and perfecting this art form," Wang said in a brief statement issued by Katy ISD.

National Student poets are selected from students in tenth and eleventh grades who participate in the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards and who receive top honors in poetry for that event. From that group of gold medal recipients, 35 semifinalists were identified as top poets for their regions. Judging is based on originality, technical skill and personal voice.

Participants were then invited to submit additional poems and performance videos to judges who then made the final selection of the five National Student Poets.

Wang is joined by Anthony Wiles from the Northeastern part of the country, Isabella Ramirez in the Southeast, Madelyn Dietz from the Midwest and Manasi Garg in the Western U.S.

Winning means Wang – along with the other four nationwide winners – will serve as ambassadors for the literary arts within their communities through service projects, workshops and public readings. Additionally, each received a $5,000 scholarship.

"Ethan Wang possesses an exceptional ability, rare in young writers, to craft immersive and emotionally evocative poetry," said Debate and Language & Composition Teacher at Cinco Ranch High School Mary Sarver.  "From his use of vivid imagery and poignant messages to his experimentation with form, Ethan's poems push readers to self-reflect and examine the complexities of human connection. His recognition as a National Student Poet is no surprise to his teachers at Cinco Ranch High School, and we are deeply proud of his accomplishment."