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Friday, February 28, 2025

Feature Friday: Juniors Win Honorable Mention in NYT Writing Competition

by Talia Herbst, SSLI '25

Recently, juniors Mia Bachrach and Micah Bidner won honorable mentions in the Teen Tiny Memoirs contest from The New York Times. This prestigious award is very selective; approximately one hundred teenagers across the United States win.

The task was to write a 100-word personal memoir. Mr. Pitt-Stoller, Bachrach’s English teacher, shared the competition with Mia, and he assigned the class to write a memoir, which they later turned into a college essay draft.

Similar to Bachrach, Bidner heard about this competition through his English teacher, Ms. Kassell, who, Bidner shared, “was raving about the modern love section in The New York Times Magazine. She had assigned this fun, concise task to [his] class.”

Bachrach was hesitant to submit her piece because, she explained to PPN, she does not consider writing to be one of her strengths. Bachrach thought submitting her writing “might be worth a shot, and maybe something positive would come from it.” The memoir she wrote was called "Memory in Music."



PPN congratulates Bidner and Bachrach on their accomplishment. (A. Wolf)

Bachrach was inspired to write about a moment she had with a woman after one of her recitals. The woman remembered Bachrach’s voice from a performance years ago and shared how much it impacted her.

Bachrach doesn't see herself pursuing journalism in the future. However, she said, “This experience taught me to be less negative and judgmental about myself.”

Bidner’s submission was about a poignant life experience. From writing this memoir, Bidner learned to “magnify a small, short moment or a simple interaction” in his life.

Bidner concluded, “I love the journalistic process and hope to continue my passion for it through [being the editor-in-chief of] Paw Print.”

Talia Herbst is a writer for Paw Print Now and has been published on the site since December 2021. Talia is currently a senior at the Schechter School of Long Island and can be reached at the following email address: therbst25@schechterli.org

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