Congratulations to the winners of the Beyond the System writing contest! The brainchild of high schooler Jolie Zhou, this contest was created as an academic opportunity for post-secondary and high school current and former foster youth. The prompt, "Write about one moment, big or small, that is important to you," was designed to give creative freedom for writers, who were judged on how well their experience was described, their growth and reflection throughout the story, and whether or not the piece zoomed in one moment.
This initiative originated from the research that Jolie conducted and the insights she gained from interviewing individuals that worked first-hand with foster youth. She drew on her personal passion for creative writing and its ability to spur reflection, and encouraged foster youth to do the same with their own stories.
In both age categories, first place winners receive $250 while second place winners receive $150, prize money that was fundraised by the Leo Club. The contest, which was held in partnership with Pivotal and the Leo Club, officially launched on April 3rd, 2025 and closed on June 5th, 2025. Together with Pivotal's High School Coach Supervisor, Dazzy Maldonado, Jolie recruited judges with various backgrounds and experience with writing to help score and provide feedback to the pieces. Pivotal's Senior Manager of Grants & Communication, Maria D'Souza, was one of the judges for this unique contest.
"It was truly an honor to be a part of the judging for this contest," said Maria. "All the writers are incredibly talented and I'm proud to have played a small part in uplifting the stories they shared."
You can read the winning stories below, as well as some of the other powerful submissions.