A few years ago, Eliza Aldridge didn’t think she cared much for poetry. Now, the Leland Public School senior – and co-valedictorian of her graduating class – is the reigning Michigan state champion for Poetry Out Loud, a national poetry recitation competition that recently took her all the way to Washington, D.C.

Founded in 2005, Poetry Out Loud invites students from across the United States to perform poems in a competitive setting. According to the Poetry Out Loud website, more than 4.5 million high schoolers have participated in the program since its inception.

Aldridge is an unlikely torchbearer for the tradition. While she grew up surrounded by language – “My mom is an English teacher at Leland, and my favorite school subject has always been English,” she tells the Leelanau Ticker – poetry wasn’t exactly her passion.

“I was not the biggest fan of poetry for a very long time,” Aldridge says. “I didn't love reading it, and I've never been very good at writing it. So, poetry was not something that I really connected with before.”

Nevertheless, Aldridge signed up to participate in Poetry Out Loud as a sophomore. Already part of the choirs and theater productions at Leland – and bound for University of Michigan next year with plans to pursue a career in broadcast journalism – she’s “always loved performing and public speaking,” and saw an opportunity with Poetry Out Loud to hone her skills at both.

Turns out she had a knack for it.

Poetry Out Loud challenges participants to select a small handful of poems to memorize and perform live in increasingly competitive rounds. The first round is a school competition, which typically takes place in January or February. The second round is a state competition, where the school winners from throughout Michigan compete against one another. The third round narrows the field down to four finalists, who then face off for state championship bragging rights.

Both this year and last year, Aldridge won the Poetry Out Loud competition at Leland Public School and punched her ticket to states. Last year, she missed out on the top four. This year, she not only made it to that final round – she won.

The victory earned Aldridge a spot in the national semifinals, which took place late last month in Washington, D.C. “How it works is the top eight from each region perform a poem, and then the top three from each of the three semifinals go to the national finals for the final nine,” Aldridge says. Those finals are a big deal, with $50,000 in awards up for grabs, including a $20,000 cash prize for the overall winner.

While Aldridge didn’t ultimately advance to the national finals, she’s still buzzing from the experience.

“I was so excited to be there and to represent the state of Michigan, and it was so great to talk to other kids from across the country who are passionate about the same things I am,” she says. “The girl I was sitting next to, she was from Mississippi, and she was hoping to attend the University of Michigan and do journalism, exactly like I'm doing.”

Even without a win and a big cash prize, Aldridge thinks she got plenty of benefit from her three years participating in Poetry Out Loud.

“Looking at a career in broadcasting, I think the more practice you can get with public speaking, the better,” she explains. “Poetry Out Loud was very useful in that regard. It's a very scary process, to put yourself up on a stage and say, ‘I'm letting you judge me, and I'm letting myself be vulnerable.’ But that vulnerability, and that willingness to accept critique and accept possible failure, I think that's a really good skill to practice and learn. Because, when you're doing something in the public eye – like broadcast journalism – people are going to judge you.”

As for poetry itself, Aldridge still doesn’t fancy herself much of a poet, but says she’s gained a huge understanding and appreciation for the artform that she’ll carry forward.

“I love reading poetry now, and I really love listening to and watching poetry; that’s actually my favorite way to take it in,” she says. “So, I definitely plan on continuing to connect with it in that way. And for that, I’ll just give a big thank-you to my English teacher, Jen Walter. She's retiring this year, so this is her last year doing Poetry Out Loud, and her last year teaching at my school. She’s been so impactful on my journey throughout high school, and so helpful in making me into who I am.”

Pictured: Aldridge with her school and state Poetry Out Loud trophies (left) and Aldridge with teacher Jen Walter (right)