For the second year in a row, Licking Heights High School had a student place in The Ohio State University East Asian Studies Center and the Korea Foundation's Sijo Competition. Freshman Naomi Gyimah earned Honorable Mention for the High School Division, which encompasses the states of Kentucky and Ohio.

Gyimah is following in the footsteps of Jessie Khuu, a recent Licking Heights alumna who earned second place in last year’s competition. Heights students are taught about the Sijo style by world history teacher Amy Obhof, who also coordinates student entries. The Sijo competition includes cash prizes, and Gyimah will receive $100 for her work.

Sijo is a traditional form of Korean poetry that stylistically resembles a haiku, but allows for more flexibility and creativity for the development of a theme, narrative or image. Each line is 14 to 16 syllables, with the complete three-line poem including 44 to 46 syllables. 

While Gyimah is just starting her high school career at LHHS, she is no stranger to success as a writer. She says that writing has been a significant part of her life since childhood, as she enjoys doing it both academically and as a form of self-expression.

Gyimah was an active member of Power of the Pen at Licking Heights Middle School, a statewide writing competition for middle school students. Her accolades included Best of Round at the district competition, a third-place finish at districts and the Platinum Pen Award. She also just joined the writing staff for Licking Heights’ online student-run newspaper, launching in Spring 2025, and volunteers with a letter writing program.

Gyimah says she usually writes short stories and appreciated the opportunity to explore a new writing style that combined structure with creativity. While Power of the Pen competitions only allowed 40 minutes for the writing process and usually focused on fiction, the Sijo style allowed her to write candidly about her own experiences and learn about herself.

“My Sijo was inspired by myself. I took a different approach in that I don't usually write things so closely related to my own self,” Gyimah says. 

“I had a chance to calm down this time and think about my writing. I’m constantly psyching myself out and making issues for myself that don’t exist,” she adds about her Sijo. “Thematically, I was trying to write from a personal standpoint, but to also leave my poem kind of ambiguous and open to reader interpretation.”