Alumna earns literary honour

Recent graduate Victoria Zalewski has a new accolade to add to her resume: award-winning writer. Earlier this week the Class of 2023 alumna won the Speaker’s Award for Youth Writers in the Grade 11-12 category for a story she wrote while at Pickering College.

The Speaker’s Award for Youth Writers is an annual contest by the Legislative Assembly of Ontario for youth in Grades 7-12 to submit their original fiction and non-fiction essays. Spilled Milk was created for an assignment for a Grade 11 English class. Earlier this fall it was shortlisted and on Monday, October 23 it was announced as the winner at a reception that took place the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, where shortlisted authors for the Award for Youth Writer's and the Speaker's Book Award were recognized.

In her award-winning story Spilled Milk, Zalewski creates a connection with readers through a moment that, on the surface, seems entirely mundane. 

“Readers will find themselves unexpectedly empathizing with the central character as she sits, sobbing, on the curb,” explains Leah Duncan, Senior School English Department Head. “While at first, it seems as though the unnamed character is distraught over nothing more than a package of spilled milk, as the story unfolds, readers discover that there is so much more to her unraveling. The story prompts readers to challenge our assumptions and gently nudges us to remember the humanity of strangers.”

In addition to this honour, earlier this year Zalewski was named the winner of the prestigious Joshua Weinzweig Memorial Literary Award at Pickering College.

“Her writing has been capturing the attention of audiences for years and will undoubtedly continue to do so,” says Duncan. “We are so proud of Victoria and hope to have her back to the Hilltop to visit soon.”

"I'm really thankful to have received this opportunity, as well as the encouragement to go after it,” says Zalewski, now in her first year of Political Science and Economics at the University of Toronto.

Spilled Milk is now available on the Legislative Assembly of Ontario’s website: https://www.ola.org/en/visit-learn/programs/youth-writers-award/this-years-winners

Joshua Weinzweig Creative Writing Program
Thanks to the vision and generous support of Daniel Weinzweig, young creative writers at Pickering College have produced a history of successful work. Work from dozens of writers from the Senior School have received awards and praise in regional, provincial and national literary competitions. Our students have published their work in newspapers, magazines and anthologies and won short story, poetry, and essay-writing contests. The nationally recognized Joshua Weinzweig Creative Writing Program provides young writers with support and wide-ranging opportunities to develop their craft. Their creative and analytical writing skills grow throughout the years through a progressive series of writing workshops that foster resource, program support and effective mentoring. Recognition for their efforts and quality of work is another key aspect of our program.  Each year, student pieces are published in the Joshua Weinzweig Review of Writing.