ECE junior wins MLK college poetry contest

Kevin H. Lee, a junior majoring in electrical and computer engineering, won first place in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Writing Awards in the college poetry category with his poem, "Sushi at Yunioshi's."

These awards are open to all high school and college students in the Pittsburgh area and seek personal narratives dealing with individual experience of racial or cultural difference or personal reflections on Dr. King's legacy that rely on concrete detail. Jim Daniels, Thomas Stockham Baker University Professor of English, established the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Writing Awards in 1999. The program builds on Daniels’ commitment to writing about race. He edited "Letters to America: Contemporary American Poetry on Race." In 2001, the event expanded to include a separate category for Carnegie Mellon students, working on the premise that the voices of college students, and their varying experiences, could and should interact with the young voices from the Pittsburgh community.

Lee also made an appearance on Pittsburgh Today Live, where he read his poem. Watch the video here.

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Writing Awards program is sponsored by CMU’s Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences, the Department of English, the Division of Student Affairs and the Office of the President. In addition to presenting their work on campus, winners received cash prizes.

Watch the video: Martin Luther King, Jr. Writing Awards