The Wayne Theatre hosted the 20th Annual Poetry Out Loud state finals on Friday in Waynesboro and a senior from Fredericksburg Academy will advance to the national finals.
Nadia Shalaby of Fredericksburg Academy attended Poetry Out Loud’s state finals for the first time Friday and said the experience was “absolutely amazing.” She enjoyed the relationships she formed with the other contestants.
Shalaby’s first poem choice was “The Bearer,” which she wrote a four-page essay about and dug even deeper for the competition.
“I thought that was so beautiful and just so sad,” Shalaby said of the choice.
“America, I Sing to” was her second choice, by a Native American poet, and Shalaby chose it because, for her, it brought back what America can be.
Shalaby, who plans to pursue a major in political science and English, with a minor in philosophy, at UVA in the fall, looks forward to a career in politics some day.
Aarya Rajashekara, a senior at Catholic High School, will serve as runner-up at the national finals. Friday was his third time at Poetry Out Loud.
“You’re back because you love it,” said Poetry Out Loud host Kalela Williams of Staunton.
Rajashekara, who will attend the University of Pennsylvania next school year and pursue pre-med courses, said he was nervous when he competed in his first poetry competition.
“And it became a community event rather than a competition,” he said.
Most of the contestants Friday mentioned a sense of community and friendship and Williams said she loved that theme, because poetry brings individuals together. Poetry is not about competition just as the future careers of the student contestants are not about competition.
“So this is something really important and something I hope you each carry with you,” Williams, who is director of the Virginia Humanities’ Virginia Center for the Book and a published author, said.
In round one, Rajashekara read “Two Guitars,” a story of the personification of two musical instruments and how each has a unique perspective. He said that his second reading, “Thoughtless Cruelty” is about the importance of every detail.
Amelia Rylak, a junior at Grace Christian School, competed for the second time in this year’s state finals. She read the poem “Candles” in round one, she said, because she wants to make an impact in the lives of others. In round two, she read “Oranges,” a poem which reminded her of the uniqueness of finding someone special in our lives.
Rylak said that while she is unsure of her future after high school, she loves musical theater and is thinking of pursuing a degree in Communications.
Kieran Snow, a senior at Flint Hill High School in Oakton, competed for the first time in Poetry Out Loud and said the experience had been “so awesome” to meet the other contestants and participate in workshops. She said the competition did not feel like a competition.
“That is what poetry is all about is bringing people together,” Williams said.
Snow said that the opportunity to read two poems, which she chose to tell a story and take the audience on a journey, enables her to plan for her future by improving her public speaking skills.
Thomas Jefferson High School junior Gabby Licayan competed in her second Poetry Out Loud on Friday.
“I feel like I definitely improved,” she said when Williams asked her how this year differed from last year’s competition for her. “I think poetry has been good to keep up with.”
Licayan said she will consider performing arts when she graduates high school next year.
“I think the future is very near,” she said.
Licayan’s first poem reading was about what gives the most joy and pain in life.
“There’s all kind of things that don’t fit with you in the things you love,” she said. For example, she loves Poetry Out Loud, but it makes her nervous to compete.
Bassett High School junior Alley Gongloff competed for the first time and loved every second of it. She said she most enjoyed the opportunity to take a break from high school life, be creative, relax and enjoy time with the other contestants.
Gongloff’s future includes college and a career in medicine.
The second poem she read was Henry Wadsworth Longfellow‘s “The Children’s Hour.”
“It’s definitely one I will read to my future children,” Gongloff said of the poem’s impact her.
Williams said that she loves that about poetry, how it travels through our lives with us.
Jazya Matthews is a sophomore at Tallwood High School and her first Poetry Out Loud competition was “definitely positive.”
“I don’t know what I’m doing after high school, but I know what I’m doing now,” Matthews said.
Both pieces she read were about ethnicity, including her second piece about Native Americans.
“Especially with the times we’re in, it’s important to appreciate where you come from,” Matthews said.
Reese Fleming, a first time contestant at state finals, is a junior at Collegiate School in Richmond.
She hopes to study cultural anthropology after high school.
“I’ve always loved reading and reciting,” she said of the poetry contest.
Both of Fleming’s poem choices she read in 7th grade English. “There are Birds Here” illustrates the current disconnect in society which happens when we do not listen to others. Her second selection, “Invictus” by William Ernest Henley, gave her confidence to believe she can be in control of something in life.
The competition’s top three finalists were Shalaby, Fleming, who read Maya Angelou’s “The Caged Bird Sings,” and Rajashekara, who read “The Charge of the Light Brigade” by Alfred Lord Tennyson.
“There is so much talent in this room. It is really incredible,” Williams said.
Between rounds one and two, VMI writing instructor and Virginia Poet Laureate Mattie Quesenberry Smith spoke on this year’s theme of alchemy and the meaning of poetry.
“The audience does negotiate meaning with the poet,” she said.
STEM provides a new language and exposes high school students to real-world phenomena, which helps develop the sharp eyes of poets and provide new ways to communicate.
According to Virginia Deputy Secretary of Education Emily Anne Gullickson, a former teacher, 4,000 students participated in the 2025 Poetry Out Loud competition, which “is a phenomenal feat.”
“I feel hope and I would encourage you all to keep saying yes. You are incredibly gifted,” she said.
She encouraged the contestants to serve as role models for younger students.
“You really are a bright spot for what the Commonwealth has ahead,” Gullickson said of the state finals contestants.
Shalaby received $200 as the winner of the state finals and Fredericksburg Academy will receive a $500 poetry book stipend.
The national finals will be held in Washington, D.C. April 30 to May 2.
Poetry Out Loud is sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Virginia Commission for the Arts.
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Wayne Theatre to host poetry competition for Virginia high school students
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Rebecca Barnabi
