The Nā Leo Team is proud to announce the November 2020 Student of the Month:

Madisen Gill!

Madisen is a perceptive, inquisitive, and complex UHMC student originally from California. She grew up in the Lake Tahoe and Marin County areas as she has family that lives in both areas. Something that Madisen is passionate about is creating a deeper connection to the world around her and inspiring others to do the same.

When asked about what inspires her work she said, “writing and all of the different mediums that I enjoy playing with are mostly inspired by my past experiences or observations of the natural world that spark my interest. Most if not all my writing this year was inspired from a place of deep reflection of my life over the last few years.”

Madisen also wants to thank Mr. Paul Wood for pushing her to submit her pieces to Nā Leo this year and for compelling her to find music in her words.

*SPOILER ALERT AHEAD* Read Madisen’s short story here before moving on!

As November’s Contest Winner, Madisen decided to share the story behind her winning piece “The Carpenter”:

“The Carpenter was inspired by earlier experiences in my life observing the hyper-religious and hardworking orientation of some of my latinx friends and family. The goal of this story was to highlight and relate the separation of one way of life and another that happens when immigrating to the states, and the sacrifices that come with it, in a sort of macabre twist.”

We are beyond honored to showcase the beautiful and intriguing literary works of Madisen!

More of her astounding work can be viewed here.