Eesha Ande was chosen from nearly 13,000 applicants nationwide.
SAN ANTONIO — At an age when most artists are just beginning to find their voice, eleventh grade poet Eesha Ande is already being recognized on a national stage for poetry that centers on marginalized voices.
The Health Careers High School student, was chosen from nearly 13,000 applicants nationwide, eventually named a 2025 YoungArts Award winner, joining a prestigious community of creative minds.
“I’m so happy,” Ande said. “This is something I’ll remember for the rest of my life, but also like I’m finally being recognized for the work that I do at such a young age as well.”
Officials said it’s the only award in the country recognizing outstanding young artists across multiple disciplines, including dance, film, photography, visual arts and writing, and for Ande, this honor carries extra weight in a city where opportunities for youth writers can be limited.
“We have so many opportunities, especially in San Antonio, for adults in particular, and I feel like we don’t have that many opportunities for youth in San Antonio. So, I feel like the YoungArts Award is such an amazing way for you to get recognized. And I’m so honored and glad to have received that.”
Her writing and performance have also been recognized by Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, Poetry Out Loud, the City of San Antonio Metropolitan Health District, and the League of Women Voters of San Antonio.
And while poetry is often seen as something that flows easily off her page, Ande says her creative process is anything but quick.
“Poetry is this long, arduous process of writing. A lot of people think that art comes out very strongly, it comes out automatically. Well, for me, it takes so many hours, like spread out between different weeks, to be able to pull something that’s concise and meaningful,” she said.
Her work is deeply shaped by reading other poets and studying how modern poetry is structured today.
“My process really looks like 70% reading poetry and 20% writing down like different snapshots of a narrative I want to include in my poem. And then the 10% is actually writing,” Ande said.
Culture also plays a central role in her writing, something she says sets her work apart.
“I see a lot of written art about immigration and Asian immigration in the U.S., and it’s so beautiful. And sometimes I think, why aren’t there more South Asian poets,” she said. “I don’t see a lot of people talking about, biryani or South Asian culture and cuisine. And so that’s definitely an aspect I want to take with the work that I write.”
Ande credits both her school and the city of San Antonio with helping shape her voice as a writer.
“Because San Antonio is such a diverse place, there’s so many different cultures, so many different people, so many ways to even get involved in social justice and equity. It’s really the breeding ground for young writers like me. So, I’m just like really glad to be a Health Careers High School student in San Antonio.”
Through volunteering and youth-focused community programs, Ande says she’s been able to listen to others’ experiences and reflect those narratives through her poetry.
“I volunteer at domestic violence shelters in San Antonio and so, that was a very good way for me to understand what these women were going though and how I can take that emotion and help uplift their voice at the same time as mine,” she said.
Despite the challenges that come with being a young writer, Ande encourages others to take every opportunity they can.
“Say yes to everything, go beyond your way to find things that other people won’t find for you,” she said. “Because if you don’t do it, no one else will.”
Looking ahead, Ande plans to continue applying for writing competitions and hopes to weave writing into her future career, potentially in the health field. She believes poetry and storytelling have a place far beyond the page.
“I hope I can spread my art to more people and have a wider range of impact in the future,” she said.
For Ande, the recognition is just the beginning and in a city rich with stories, she’s determined to keep telling them.
“San Antonio is such a beautiful and diverse community and I’m so thankful for, like, all the opportunities and San Antonio itself has provided, like through Poetry Out Loud, through the Diabetes Art Competition that I won because in San Antonio, there’s so much culture in the sense that I was able to hear so many different people and their journeys and their lives and use that to make my poetry be more emotionally resonant with these people,” she said.
