Recently, Solomon Schechter of Long Island juniors Mia Bachrach and Micah Bidner won honorable mentions in the Teen Tiny Memoirs contest from The New York Times.
The task was to write a 100-word personal memoir. Mr. Pitt-Stoller, Bachrach’s English teacher, shared the competition with Mia, and he assigned the class to write a memoir, which they later turned into a college essay draft.
Similar to Bachrach, Bidner heard about this competition through his English teacher, Ms. Kassell. Bidner said she raved about the Modern Love section in The New York Times Magazine and had assigned the task to her class as well.
Bachrach was hesitant to submit her piece because she does not consider writing to be one of her strengths. But she thought submitting her memoir, “Memory in Music,” might be worth a shot.
Bachrach was inspired to write about a moment with a woman after one of her recitals. The woman remembered Bachrach’s voice from a performance years ago and shared how much it impacted her.
Bachrach doesn’t see herself pursuing journalism in the future. However, she said the experience taught her to be less negative and judgmental about myself.
Bidner’s submission was about a poignant life experience. From writing this memoir, Bidner, the editor-in-chief of Schechter’s student publication, said he learned to magnify a small, short moment or a simple interaction in his life.
“I love the journalistic process and hope to continue my passion for it,” he added.
The Teen Tiny Memoirs contest selects approximately one hundred teenagers nationwide to win.
By Talia Herbst
