The Harriet Rochlin Creative Writing Scholarship

Harriet Rochlin was born and raised in Boyle Heights. It wasn't easy for her to get into UC Berkeley and start a new life. Though she was very smart, she wasn't always a great student. She had a post-high school graduation job at a dress company downtown, but she didn't make much money. Her parents didn't want her to leave town. She always credited her best friend, Libby Ginsberg, already enrolled at Cal, for walking her through each and every step that brought her closer to higher education. She often said that it was the confidence given to her by public school teachers, who recognized her talents and encouraged her to continue writing, that kept her going. When she first started talking about having a scholarship in her name, she always said that grade point average shouldn't matter or even financial need. She wanted the recognition and money to go to a graduating senior at Roosevelt High who loved to write and who might welcome $1,000 and a pat on the back. Please meet the winners. 

The winner of the 2024 Harriet Rochlin Creative Writing scholarship is Heidy Ramirez Reyes. The first runner-up is Jaymely Zamora. Judging from the applause that followed the announcement of their names at the awards ceremony, both Heidy, who will be attending Cal State University Long Beach, and Jaymely, who is headed for UCLA, are not just gifted writers, they are also very well-liked. In fact, when I wrote to Raul Mata, the head of the Roosevelt scholarship department, to let him know that our judges had made their selection, this is what Mata wrote back minutes later. “They’re both great! You’ll be pleased to meet them!” He was so right. One more word of note: The reason why Jaymely hit the stage to accept her award with just minutes to spare was because she was accepting another scholarship award, this time from a legal organization, at another location. Congratulations to both Heidy and Jaymely! We look forward to reading your words in the future.

L to R: Margy Rochlin, Heidy Ramirez Reyes, Robert Abele, Jaymely Zamora, Cheryl Jacobson

2023

The first year of the Harriet Rochlin Creative Writing scholarship, only one student applied. She was a great writer and we were thrilled to give her the award. But still, the low turnout was worrying. The next year? Two applications. This year, however, we broke through. There was a real contest. The judges, each of them gifted writers themselves, deliberated at length, because it wasn’t easy. In fact, more than once, a judge would say, “This is too hard. I can’t choose.”

This year’s runner-up, Eimee Mendieta-Soto, delighted the judges with how her unconventionally spelled first name sparked a moving personal essay about the pressures of adolescence, being a first generation American, and her hopes for the future.

In her personal essay, Karen Perez, the winner of this year’s Harriet Rochlin Creative Writing Scholarship, explained what prompted her to branch out in her writing and join community and youth led news publications. “While observing the world around me, I have seen first-hand the lack of representation of people in media. As a young woman of color, it has been impossible for me to ignore this issue. I want to write stories which include people who look like me.”

Karen and Eimee, we think you are both beautiful writers, and when your names were announced at the awards ceremony the roar of applause that followed made it clear that everyone in the auditorium agrees.

L to R: Karen Perez, Emma Courtland, Margy Rochlin, Eimee Mendieta-Soto

2022

This year’s runner-up, Dulce Paz, wrote in her personal essay about persistence and resilience, and in the poem she submitted, used beautiful, powerful imagery to assert herself and celebrate her family. Dulce, we hope you keep turning your thoughts into words.

And now a few words about April Cruz, the winner of this year’s Harriet Rochlin Creative Writing Scholarship. One of our judges said, “April’s instinct for grabbing the reader is wonderful, and she backs it up with passion, imagination, and insight. We were so impressed with her versatility, too, whether writing about grief, the politics of forbidden tortas, or, believe it or not, the mind of a marshmallow.”

April wrote in her application essay, “Writing gave me a new joy in life. My writing gives me freedom. It motivates me because it allows me to be myself.” April, my mother felt the same way. Congratulations and keep writing! 

April Cruz

Dulce Paz