Students win big at 2025 Clemson Declamation Contest

Fayette students again racked up recognition at the 2025 Clemson University Poetry Declamation Contest. Students from all five high schools placed in the competition, including 22 first place awards.

Clemson University’s Department of Foreign Languages poetry declamation contest gives students the opportunity to perform poetry in their language of study and receive feedback from leading language educators. 

Participants perform two poems from memory, specified according to students’ level of language study. They are evaluated based on pronunciation, interpretation of text, smoothness of delivery, and textural accuracy.

The 2025 Clemson Poetry Declamation Contest placements are:

Fayette County High: 

French 3: 

Vraj Patel, 3rd

Spanish 2: 

Edoghogho Naghise, 2nd

Yana Shapiro, 3rd 

Iqra Qudos, 3rd 

Spanish Native: 

Joanna Chavez-Hernandez, 1st 

Camila Davalos, 3rd

Casey Iraheta, 3rd

Vica Santos, 3rd

McIntosh High: 

Spanish 1: 

Rachel Park, 2nd

Spanish 2: 

Kennedy Brooks, 1st 

Maddie Elliott, 3rd

Sarina Jamaluddin, 3rd

Spanish 3: 

Cameron Gerson, 1st 

Zhara Jamaluddin, 1st 

Aryan Mathur, 1st 

Clarence Jackson, 2nd

Maya Otico, 2nd 

Sophia Sturgis, 2nd 

Shree Khasnis, 3rd

Landon McDonald, 3rd

Spanish 4: 

Om Khasnis, 1st

Seonae Kim, 1st 

Gavin Watkins, 1st 

Amaya Diaz, 2nd 

Cydney Fox, 3rd 

Lucyanne O’Neill, 3rd 

Spanish Native: 

Alberto Alba, 1st 

Ariana Brown, 1st 

Valeria Gamarra, 1st 

Sandy Creek High: 

Spanish 1: 

Analisa Wamsley, 3rd 

Spanish Poetry Slam: 

Jocelyn Saldierna-Cardenas, 1st

Starr’s Mill High: 

Spanish 1: 

Ryushin Hitomi, 1st 

Jacob Aleson, 2nd

Spanish 3: 

Jonathan Shiffman, 1st 

Spanish 4: 

Evelyn Isaacs, 3rd

Whitewater High: 

Chinese 1: 

Landon Yaksh, 1st

French 1: 

Shona Nwora, 1st

Clayton Mayfield, 1st

Janaye Powell, 2nd

Jahden Meinert, 2nd

French 2: 

Grace Ogbolu, 3rd

French 3: 

Ziyad Austin, 1st

Hadley Reynolds, 2nd 

Spanish 2: 

Skylar Martinez, 1st

Emma Paulus, 1st 

Alana Ringfield, 1st 

Aisling Caskey, 2nd 

Tatum Cooper, 3rd

Spanish 4: 

Elizabeth Toth, 1st 

Jonathan Hunter, 2nd

Spanish Poetry Slam: 

Ally Martin, 3rd