Akaisha Williams, a freshman at CHS won a gold medal at the first ever Verselandia poetry contest at Mt. Hood Community College.

Williams participated in the East Side Poetry Slam were she shared her own work.

Judges rated student performances using a 1-10 scale.

Eleven students performed in the first round and the five highest scores went to the second round, and the top three in that round were winners.

Williams shared a poem about the impact of the death of her friend Gabrielle, and another on sleep. Williams said “ It was fun, there were a lot of people so it was nerve wracking.”

She said she didn’t expect to win but enjoyed her time at the Verselandia.

“The strength to compete came with the excitement of competition,” said Williams.