HHS sophomore Arshia Tharakabhushanam was nominated for the American Voices Award.

Hopkinton High School students earned 23 honors in the 2024 Scholastic Writing Awards, including seven gold keys and six silver keys.

Senior Daniel Applebaum earned five awards, including two gold keys and one silver key, making him the second-most decorated writer in HHS history.

Arshia Tharakabhushanam, a sophomore, was nominated for the American Voices Award, which goes to the top five written submissions in all of Massachusetts. This year, there were 1,147 submissions across the state. This is the third time a student from HHS has received this nomination.

Tharakabhushanam said she was shocked to earn this additional honor — she also won multiple gold keys.

“Writing has always been something I love, but I never expected this kind of recognition,” she said. “It is one thing to just write for yourself, but knowing that my words resonated with others is an amazing feeling.”

Because of the American Voices nomination, Tharakabhushanam said she felt “incredibly honored and excited” to have the opportunity to speak at the gold and silver key event.

“This experience has truly taught me the value of words and personal experience,” she said.

As for her award-winning scholastic entries, the sophomore submitted three pieces that all explored themes of personal identity, belonging and her experiences as an individual of Indian descent in America.

“I try to focus on the aspect of immigration and what it means to hold on to your roots while trying to build a life somewhere new,” she said.

Tharakabhushanam said her writing often includes the struggles she faces.

“This year, I decided to focus on conflicting cultures. The poems I submitted describe my Indian heritage as a part of my daily life and continues to explain the difficult situations that can emerge,” she said.

She noted that she is drawn to writing about cultural topics because they feel both personal and universal.

“A lot of the time, many people, especially teenagers, try to figure out where they fit between cultures and expectations from other people,” Tharakabhushanam noted. “Writing about my culture helps me understand who I am on a deeper level and helps me fit in among my peers who sometimes feel similarly.”

She added her goal when writing is centered around describing her own experiences and “additionally having other people see parts of their own lives when they read my work.”

Another sophomore gold key winner, Sanya Bhagat, wrote about the feeling of “coming home” to India each year and how “the chaos of the bustling streets, marketplaces and familiar faces creates a sense of belonging,” she said. “It captures the nostalgia of childhood memories, the bittersweet realization that time moves on and the comfort found in knowing some things never change.”

HHS sophomore Sanya Bhagat was a gold key winner.

Bhagat said she chose the topic because every visit to India “feels like stepping into a living memory. … The vibrant chaos of the streets, the aroma of sweets and the warmth of family moments create a feeling of contentment that I can’t find anywhere else.”

She said the recognition felt like a reminder of why she loves writing, “to hold onto the small moments that might otherwise slip away and share them in a way that connects with people.”

In addition to Tharakabhushanam, Bhagat and Applebaum (who did not respond to requests for comment), other gold key award winners were freshmen Farah Anis and Veronica Priefer.

Earning scholastic silver key honors were Applebaum, Tharakabhushanam, junior Madeleine Jacomme and sophomore Shrila Maity. Junior Riddhisha Vyas received two silver keys.