Three Libertyville High School students recently submitted their works into the website Teen Ink and were not only published on the site, but also given the Editor’s Choice award.

Teen Ink is an online magazine for teens to submit works of literature that they want to show off to the world. Teens have been sending in literary works since 1989, and since then, the website has expanded greatly; according to Teen Ink, more than 100,000 stories are submitted every year.

Teen Ink features all different kinds of literary works, from short poems to long creative essays. These get categorized into poetry, nonfiction, fiction, reviews, forums, and art/photo.

Teen Ink reviews every piece of work sent in to the website and only a select few to receive the award. The students’ work is labeled with the badge right next to it, showing everybody that it is a diamond in the rough.

Ashley
“I Live My Life Through” is all about staying true to what you love. Ashley Junkunc, junior, stated, “In my story, I focus on my passion for dance and how big of a role it plays in my life.” Junkunc sent her piece into the website on January 8th, and it was published only a week later. The story focuses on the importance of being optimistic throughout life.

She wants people to know how through her dance career and passion, she can inspire others and herself to strive through problems and adversity. Junkunc was inspired to write her story during her AP Language class, where she needed to create a narrative that was “close to my heart and at the same time was easy to paint a picture of,” said Junkunc.

Currently, Junkunc is not writing any new stories, but she wants to send more of her works in sometime in the future.

Morgan
“The Final Splash” refers to the final dive that a senior diver will attempt to finish her season. Morgan Paul is an LHS junior who not only dives but has been diving since freshman year. Paul posted her story right before first semester ended and doesn’t regret it at all.

In Paul’s mind, it is more important to have a positive attitude, as Paul stated that, “I was inspired [to write] by my experiences at state for diving and how I anticipate my last year at state to go.”

Paul wrote this story so that she could share that you can’t judge yourself purely based on one aspect or event of your life. Paul is not currently working on another piece for the website.

She hopes to let people who read her work know that “it is important for people to remember the joy of the sport.”

Anna
“It Is The Journey, Not The Destination” is a story about a hiking trip that junior Anna Lillydahl took. The story highlights the aspects of nature that most people fail to recognize and admire. Lillydahl posted her story on the friday before finals and it was published the within the next few days

Throughout the story, Lillydahl experiences different obstacles. However, she overcomes them and writes a shorter letter to her future self. This letter focuses on telling herself to cherish the more important things in life and to “get off your phone and focus on the real relationships you have now.”

Lillydahl was inspired to write this story because she wanted to write about her experiences while hiking and share with people the importance of nature. In her eyes, nature is a release from the stresses of life. Lillydahl currently isn’t working on any more works that she intends to publish.