Michaela Coplen of Carlisle, PA was chosen by the White House Committee for the National Student Poets Program to serve as a literary ambassador, during which time she will share her work and engage audiences of all ages in the art of poetry. She will serve until September 2014 with four other students.
Michaela Coplen
The National Student Poets Program celebrates teens as makers and doers and is a signature initiative of the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the non-profit Alliance for Young Artists & Writers.
“What these young people learn through reading and writing poetry doesn’t just spark their imagination, it also broadens their horizons, both today and for the rest of their lives,” said Honorary Chairman of the President’s Committee, First Lady Michelle Obama. “Our National Student Poets are seeing, hearing, experiencing and shaping a vision of the world around them, and they are motivating others to do the same. With this award, we celebrate their passion, dedication and creativity.”
Michaela is the youngest child in a family that includes two Army parents, an ROTC cadet sister, and a farm full of horses. After moving around most of her life, her family settled down in Carlisle, PA where she just graduated from Carlisle High School. She was captain of the varsity soccer team, a member of the Model United Nations, the National Honor Society, and the Spanish Honor Society. She was also editor-in-chief of the literary publication Young Adult Writers and Poets (YAWP). Michaela will attend Vassar College in the Fall.