University High School student brings home National Poetry title

Jayda Dawn, a junior at University High School and Fishers resident, is the 2026 Poetry Out Loud National Champion after having advanced from classroom to school, state and the national level. Dawn competed in Washington, D.C, April 27-29, bringing home the first-place title and a $20,000 prize, along with $500 for her school. 

“It has been a privilege to witness Jayda’s tremendous work pay off,” Megan Telligman, director of programs at Indiana Humanities, said in a statement. “Her passion for poetry is undeniable, and it’s shown all of us at Indiana Humanities how powerful the study of these works can be for young people. We’re grateful for our partnerships with the Indiana Arts Commission and National Endowment for the Arts for making this opportunity possible for students across the state.”

Poetry Out Loud is a national arts education program of the National Endowment for the Arts presented in partnership with the Indiana Arts Commission and administered by the Mid Atlantic Arts. The program encourages “the study of great poetry” through free educational materials and a dynamic recitation competition for high school students across the U.S., according to a press release. Since its inception in 2004, the program has seen more than 4.5 million students participate.

READ MORE: Indy Parks 2026 Free Concert Series returns with IF Theatre partnership

University High School is no stranger to the competition, having had students participate every year until 2012. Head of School Alicia LaMagdeleine decided to bring the program back at the end of last year, enlisting the help of Kirkland Austin, a choir and theater educator at University High School, to co-lead it. 

This year marked Dawn’s first year competing in Poetry Out Loud, and the second time in four years that a student from Indiana won the title, after Sreepadaarchana Munjuluri from Columbus North High School won in 2023.

Dawn has been writing her own poetry since she was 11 years old, inspired by the works of her favorite poets: Langston Hughes and Indianapolis-based poet Mari Evans.

“I really like poets that are super open and honest and tell stories about real-life experiences,” Dawn said. “I really like poetry that I can see myself in and kind of relate to. I think that Mari Evans and Langston Hughes do a really good job talking about the Black experience, which is something that I can relate to.”

She decided to participate in Poetry Out Loud purely for fun, because she “wanted to do something where I could do some poetry.” Dawn recited Hughes’ “The Weary Blues” during the competition, stating it was “really special” for her to perform as it was one of her seventh-grade recitations and she loves the musicality of it.

“I think the rhyming schemes really almost make it sing-songy, which is kind of ironic because that’s what the whole story is about,” Dawn said. “I kind of related it back to the Pixar movie ‘Soul,’ that scene in the jazz kitchen where he sees the man playing the piano.  I think that the really vivid imagery Langston Hughes uses, and those descriptive words in the poem, really build this picture that you can actually see when you’re reciting.”

Beyond poetry, Dawn is incredibly involved in extracurriculars — both athletic and creative. She’s a member of the student government and vice president of the Black Student Union, a member of the varsity cheer and track and field teams, and active in choir and musical theater. Though Dawn remains busy after school hours, she claims to “like it that way” in hopes that making time for all of her passions helps her find a career she’ll actually enjoy.

Having won first place in the 2026 competition, Dawn will be invited back to speak next year as the previous winner. When asked whether she’d want to compete again, Dawn hesitated before answering.

“I don’t think I would go to compete again, but I would definitely recommend other people to try it.”

She’s incredibly grateful to her fellow competitors, judges and overall experience, especially as a newcomer. 

“I think these days I’m a lot more reserved and a lot more shy, so to be welcomed with such open arms (by) such kind people, I think that was really important for me to have there,” Dawn added. “I don’t think a lot of times I see my own talent, and so I think that winning first place in a national competition, it just speaks volumes to that.”

Austin, who accompanied Dawn to the national competition in D.C., said she helped students prepare through a variety of poetry workshops focused on understanding the intention and story behind the words they were reciting. They also worked on things like which words to emphasize and how fast or slow to recite specific lines to “help your audience understand,” the story within the 16 lines they’re performing.

“I’ve had the opportunity to work with a lot of student performers, and Jayda just stands on a whole different level, so it was not surprising to me that she kept advancing,” Austin said. “The thing that made it so impressive is even though she comes with so much amazing, natural talent compared to other students, she didn’t rest on that at every level, including at the national level, … Every single time she performed, it was elevated.”

As for the $20,000 winnings, Dawn said it’s going into savings and investment accounts until college, as she has her eye on attending an HBCU. The $500 for University High School’s poetry program hasn’t yet been allocated to anything specific, but Austin said they hope to start a semi-annual poetry slam for their students or fund trips to participate in slams around the city.

“It’s really overwhelming to think about, and we don’t have any specific plans yet, but any funding for the arts, especially at this time, is incredibly important and life-changing for the students,” Austin said. 

For more information about Poetry Out Loud, visit poetryoutloud.org. 

This article has been updated.

Contact Arts & Culture Reporter Chloe McGowan at 317-762-7848. Follow her on X @chloe_mcgowanxx.