High school students from across the U.S. were honored today, Thursday, September 8, 2016 at the White House during a special ceremony hosted by first lady Michelle Obama and hip-hop legend, Q-Tip, who currently serves as the first ever artistic director of hip-hop culture at The Kennedy Center.
In its fifth year, the National Student Poets Program selected leading teen poets who show a mastery of the written and spoken word and for being region ambassadors who showcase other artists in their area. This year’s five winners are Maya Eashwaran of Alpharetta, Georgia (southeast); Maya Stella Binion of Chicago, Illinois (midwest); Gopal Raman of Dallas, Texas (southwest); Maya Salameh of San Diego, California (west); and Joey Resiberg of Towson, Maryland (northeast).
A poet himself who “uniquely [fuses] rap, jazz, and other styles with piercing, socially conscious lyrics” and the founding member of A Tribe Called Quest shared in a statement to press upon his accepting the position at The Kennedy Center, “With Hip Hop constantly changing and evolving, it is easy to forget the history and legacy that precede it. I want to begin at the beginning of the Culture to help people see its roots, better understand its present, and responsibly create its future.”
According to the White House’s Office of the First Lady, “For the past five years, Mrs. Obama has joined the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities (PCAH) and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to honor the top student poets in the country.”
