St. Margaret’s Upper School student Tina Mai was honored by the New York Times recently after winning the media organization’s annual “Student Review Contest” for her exceptional critical commentary.

 

Tina, a junior, was one of nine winners chosen out of 4,000 entries the New York Times received. The winners were chosen “for their clever use of language, insightful perspectives and engaging commentary.”

 

Students from around the world were allowed to submit original reviews about any kind of creative expression, and entries reviewed architecture, fashion, literature, podcasts, food and more. Tina wrote a review of Dickinson, an Apple TV+ series which follows famed poet Emily Dickinson as she navigates adolescence.

 

Tina, a poet herself, became interested in the series after her St. Margaret’s English III honors class, taught by Jamie Bunch, studied the poems of Emily Dickinson during a three-week unit. Ms. Bunch showed a scene from the Apple TV+ series, and Tina and a few other students began watching the series after that lesson. After learning about the New York Times’ Student Review Contest, Tina wrote and submitted an original review about the series.

 

“Tina is a superb young poet in her own right, but she's also a perceptive and gifted analytical writer; you see a perfect blending of her creative and analytical talents in this review of the Dickinson TV series,” Ms. Bunch said.

 

Tina’s review, along with the eight other winners, was published in the New York Times. You can read all the winning reviews at this link.

 

Congratulations Tina!