Rows of nervous faces, the frantic click-clack of keyboards, and the palpable tension hanging in the air – welcome to the UIL State Editorial Writing competition. For one young writer, Jannath Bhojani, this isn’t just another room; it’s the arena where her voice will either soar or fall silent.
After countless practices and late-night writing sessions, freshman Jannath Bhojani is heading to the UIL state Editorial Writing competition. On May 19, she will face off against the best young writers in Texas at UT Austin, creating compelling arguments under pressure.
“Editorial writing is a 45-minute competition,” UIL journalism coach Lindsey Fruge said. “The contestants are given a prompt with a hypothetical fictional situation that has happened, and they must pick a stance and argue why their stance is the right one. It’s a tough competition because not only do you have to think of arguments for your side, but it’s timed so that adds some extra pressure.”
Bhojanis’ journey to the UIL state Editorial Writing competition was paved with countless practice prompts and corrective responses.
“For practice, I focused on writing responses to old prompts and then sent them to Mrs. Fruge for feedback,” Bhojanii said. “It helped me get better and work on things I needed to improve before the regional meet. I’ll review the feedback from the regional judges and focus on improving the areas they pointed out. I’m also going to keep practicing under time limits to get better at thinking and writing quickly.”
This experience has boosted Bhojani’s confidence and created lasting friendships, while also making her consider a future career in writing.
“UIL has been great for helping me improve in areas I didn’t feel confident in before, like math,” Bhojani said. “I used to struggle, but now I feel so much better. It’s also helped my form meaningful relationships with my teammates. As for the future, I’ve always wanted to be a pharmacist, but lately, I’ve been looking into other careers that incorporate math and writing.”
According to Fruge, she could not be prouder of Bhojani for advancing to State.
“To make it to the State meet is a huge accomplishment, especially as a freshman,” Fruge said. “She has worked extremely hard this UIL season and is always wanting to put in the extra work to get better. I know the future is bright for Jannath, and I can’t wait to see how she does at State and in the years to come.”
