Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Arbor View student runner-up in national LGBTQ storytelling contest

Kaela Podwell

Christopher DeVargas

Kaela Podewell, who will be a junior at Arbor View High School, is one of five runners-up in a national LGBTQ-inclusive storytelling contest.

Kaela Podewell, 16, always resented the expectation that she act feminine, but picturing herself as strictly masculine didn’t feel right either.

“In public, when I'm presenting a certain way, either masculine or feminine, I feel off, like something is wrong,” said Podewell, a rising junior at Arbor View High School.

Amid the pandemic, Podewell stumbled upon "Hedwig and the Angry Inch," a 2001 musical film about a queer rock singer who confidently shirks conventional gender distinctions. She said she couldn’t have discovered the movie online at a better time.

“It really hit like my core and made me realize it doesn't matter how other people perceive me. What only matters is how I perceive myself,” she said.

Podewell articulated the impact of the movie in a two-minute video so well that she was one of five high school students to win runner-up in a national LGBTQ-inclusive storytelling contest by nonprofits Hope in a Box and the Born This Way Foundation.

“They said it was very heartfelt. Winning definitely motivated me to write more about my personal experiences,” she said.

The contest invited students in kindergarten through 12th grade to share how LGBTQ-inclusive books and stories have inspired them. Nearly 70 students from 20 states sent submissions.

The winners were selected by a panel of educators from Hope in a Box, which donates LGBTQ-inclusive books to teachers, and the Born This Way Foundation, a nonprofit cofounded by singer Lady Gaga that helps provide mental health support for young people.

“It was incredible to receive so many stories of hope, resilience and compassion from students across the country,” Joe English, founder and executive director of Hope in a Box, said in a statement.

Podewell’s video stood out from other submissions because of how creative and genuine her story was, English said.

"She made a really good case for why this was so transformative in her life,” English said.

Podewell and four other runners-up won $100 Barnes and Noble gift cards. Zee Taylor, a high school sophomore from Tennessee, won the cash grand prize of $500.

The winners’ submissions are featured on the homepage of Born This Way Foundation’s storytelling platform Channel of Kindness.

“Young people are the stewards of our future and the leaders of today, and we must continue to be their allies by uplifting their voices and validating their emotions,” Maya Smith, executive director of Born This Way Foundation, said in a statement.

Podewell learned about the contest from her sophomore English teacher, Jennifer Hiller.

"Kaela is kind of (wise) beyond her years. She's open-minded. It's admirable. She's special but also one of a generation. Kids weren't like that five years ago," Hiller said.

Hiller said Arbor View has clubs that represent a variety of groups on campus. The Gay Straight Alliance meets weekly and participates in campus events like the homecoming parade.

"It's just really refreshing that there is not any outward intolerance. I'm sure there are the mean people, but it gets shut down. In the classroom, the kids will call each other out in a gentle way,” Hiller said.

Hiller said she strives to teach students about groups that have historically had less power and have experienced discrimination.

She has introduced contemporary LGBTQ-inclusive texts to her students, as well as books that explore subjects like racial discrimination.

"It doesn't have to be 200 years old to be good. There's room for both. We still read Shakespeare, but we also read contemporary authors," Hiller said.