Five students, including the two Indian-American students, have been selected for prestigious National Students Poets’ Program, announced by the White House.

An official announcement further said that the five students would be welcomed by the US First Lady Michelle Obama. Indian-Americans Maya Eashwaran and Gopal Raman will also be welcomed by Mrs. Obama on September 8.

17-year-old Eashwaran hails from Alpharetta in Georgia and Gopal Rama belongs to Dallas in Texas. The other three students are Stella Binion from Chicago, Joey Reisberg from Towson in Maryland and Maya Salameh from San Diego in California.

The National Students Poets’ Program has been showcasing the essential role of writing and the arts in academic and personal success for audiences across the country, since its inception in 2011.

From grades 9-11, among the outstanding pool of students, who have received a National Scholastic Art and Writing Award for poetry, five students are chosen for the National Students Poets’ Program, each year.

While Easwaran, write about foreigners and her personal experiences dealing with assimilation in modern age, Raman writes poetry in the form, which brings people together. Raman is inspired by poets such as Bill Collins, Wallace Stevens and Walt Whitman.

By Prajakt K.