AN Essay Contest HOSTED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH
DOTDASH MEREDITH & REAL SIMPLE
14 Girls Write Now mentees share mini- and mega-moments of clarity in these personal essays.
Epiphanies don’t need to be grand to change our lives—to shake us awake and ask us to begin shaping new ways of being and seeing. In these reflections, 14 young writers invite us into their homes and their hospital beds, to the roller rink and the rock climbing gym, to their college campuses, high-school hallways and beyond to revisit their own revelations.
Along the way, they chronicle resilience, relinquish beliefs that no longer serve them, and cultivate a reverence for the everyday that we can all learn from.
Chelsea Lin, Girls Write Now Mentee and My Simple Realization contest winner, writes about her grandfather.
My time-out rug was white, with blue squares and tassels at opposite ends.
A depiction of my journey in asking for help, this essay is my reminder that I deserve peace and welfare in a battle against the uncertainties and anxieties of my mind.
While I used to feel fractured when it came to my heritage, poetry has helped me realize that these fractures are, in fact, who I am.
Rolling Through Fear: Realizations at the Rink
by Camila BonillaThe time spent at the rink was too short for me to spend it wallowing in my mistakes.
The First Step Towards Making A Friend
by Denise DomenaI had no clue where I was going—let alone what academic path I truly wanted to take—so you could say I was a bit overwhelmed on my first day of college.
a lesson in pressure & prestige
by Megan XingWritten after submitting my Early Decision application, this essay shares the epiphany I was already having—one expedited by a choice that held so much weight over my future.
‘You Don’t Owe Anyone Anything’
by Megumi JindoThe reality of missing school for a whole two weeks and dealing with the stares of society.
Sometimes the Way to Win Is to Quit
by Hazel Agicha“A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one,” is the best compliment for an overachieving young adult trying to find their way around the world. At least it was for me.
Rock climbing helps me realize that I am capable of beating all the “impossibles.”
I was floating, my elbows resting on the pool’s stone ledge as the jets massaged my back. That’s the last thing I remember.
The first time I realized my parents did not hold the answers of the universe in their palms was not when I was asking obscure questions about aardvarks or pirate ships.
More About Girls Write Now’s Collaboration with Dotdash Meredith
We launched our partnership with an intergenerational workshop: Dotdash Meredith employees—mentors for the day—helped Girls Write Now mentees ideate and draft essays, taking their work to the next level before submitting to the My Simple Realization Essay contest. A panel of Real Simple editors then judged the entries, selecting winners based on originality, creativity, technical writing skills and relevance to the contest theme.
Chelsea Lin’s essay, Each Tremolo Reminds Me, won the Grand Prize and she went on to work directly with Real Simple’s editors to prepare the piece for publication.
My Simple Realization: An Essay Contest & Story Collection
14 Girls Write Now mentees share mini- and mega-moments of clarity in these personal essays. This contest was produced in partnership with Dotdash Meredith and the team at Real Simple as part of the SeeHer Initiative.
Chelsea Lin, Girls Write Now Mentee and My Simple Realization contest winner, writes about her grandfather.
My time-out rug was white, with blue squares and tassels at opposite ends.
A depiction of my journey in asking for help, this essay is my reminder that I deserve peace and welfare in a battle against the uncertainties and anxieties of my mind.
While I used to feel fractured when it came to my heritage, poetry has helped me realize that these fractures are, in fact, who I am.
Rolling Through Fear: Realizations at the Rink
by Camila BonillaThe time spent at the rink was too short for me to spend it wallowing in my mistakes.
The First Step Towards Making A Friend
by Denise DomenaI had no clue where I was going—let alone what academic path I truly wanted to take—so you could say I was a bit overwhelmed on my first day of college.
a lesson in pressure & prestige
by Megan XingWritten after submitting my Early Decision application, this essay shares the epiphany I was already having—one expedited by a choice that held so much weight over my future.
‘You Don’t Owe Anyone Anything’
by Megumi JindoThe reality of missing school for a whole two weeks and dealing with the stares of society.
Sometimes the Way to Win Is to Quit
by Hazel Agicha“A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one,” is the best compliment for an overachieving young adult trying to find their way around the world. At least it was for me.
Rock climbing helps me realize that I am capable of beating all the “impossibles.”
I was floating, my elbows resting on the pool’s stone ledge as the jets massaged my back. That’s the last thing I remember.
The first time I realized my parents did not hold the answers of the universe in their palms was not when I was asking obscure questions about aardvarks or pirate ships.