A former student at Science Leadership Academy at Beeber could become the country’s youth poet laureate.<\/p>\n
Malaya Ulan, a senior in high school,\u00a0is one of four finalists for the national title. Ulan recently won the Northeast regional category, advancing with Chloe Chou of California,\u00a0Rishi Janakiraman of North Carolina and\u00a0Daniel Somotochukwu Umemezie of Iowa. They will all perform at an April 25 ceremony in Omaha, Nebraska, where the U.S. youth poet laureate will be crowned.<\/p>\n
MORE:\u00a0These local movie theaters are giving out free popcorn on Jan. 19<\/a><\/p>\n The Free Library of Philadelphia named Ulan the city’s youth poet laureate<\/a> in 2024. She was a junior at the Science Leadership Academy at Beeber at the time. According to her Instagram account<\/a>, she has since moved to Miami for her senior year.<\/p>\n Along with poetry, Ulan dabbles in film, painting and dance. She has frequently collaborated with her mother, fellow artist\u00a0Anito Gavino, including on the\u00a0Philadelphia Fringe Festival production “Special Topics” in 2024. The teen has also performed at the Barnes Foundation, Asian Arts Initiative and Painted Bride Art Center. She delivered a TED Talk<\/a> on growing up a first generation Filipino American at a University of Pennsylvania conference last March.<\/p>\n Her poetry collection, “Ulan: When my tears turn into roses,” debuted in 2022.<\/p>\n Follow Kristin & PhillyVoice on Twitter: @kristin_hunt
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