Learning is not a spectator sport. It requires getting involved, often in things that may not come naturally at first. Such was the case for 16-year-old Anthony Ramsawak.

Mastering the Queen’s English is no easy feat and it was not a talent Ramsawak even knew he had, but after participating and placing in his first essay-writing competition, he developed the confidence to continue.

Last year, Ramsawak, who is in form five at Cunupia Secondary, entered the UWI Essay Competition and placed second.

"I never entered a competition, but after entering (the UWI competition), it pushed me to do more," said Ramsawak.

In an interview with Newsday, Ramsawak opened up about how the pandemic influenced an essay that would earn him recognition in a major essay-writing competition.

Ramsawak's form teacher Karen Cupen said if it weren't for the pandemic, she would have never considered encouraging her students to take part.

"Being online, there wasn’t much to do and I felt as if they should take part in other things."

So Cupen searched for other things to engage her students, who were becoming bored with the online environment.

"We may have never looked online to take part in this competition if it weren’t for the pandemic. I never knew about it. We would probably continue after pandemic. It’s a good experience."

The Queen's Commonwealth Essay Competition, established in 1883, is the world's oldest international writing competition for schools. It was started to elevate youth voices and develop key skills through creative writing.

This year, the competition had a record-breaking 25,648 entrants from across the Commonwealth. Each entrant is awarded a certificate and ranked as gold, silver, or bronze. Ramsawak, although not one of this year's winners, received a gold award for his entry. entitled From There (Triskaidekaphobia) to Here (Notabilia).

[caption id="attachment_923545" align="alignnone" width="731"] Anthony Ramsawak and his mom.[/caption]

The theme of this year's competition was Keeping connected through covid19, and Ramsawak used his newfound skill to convey the emotions he felt during the pandemic.

Cupen said when she first approached him about the competition, he was intimidated by the 1,500-word limit and didn’t think he could do it, but she encouraged him to try.

“Initially…he was scared. I told him to still try, and he even wrote more than he was supposed to and had to edit it down,” she joked. “Now, I don’t think he is scared about it.”

Ramsawak began his essay with the moment he, along with the rest of the nation, discovered he would be at home for an unspecified amount of time owing to the arrival of the country's first covid19 case.

"Friday the thirteenth has long been associated as an unlucky day," reads the essay. "It has been over a year, but that balmy Black Friday in March is vividly imprinted in my mind.The day when the unprecedented news was announced by our Prime Minister, Dr Keith Rowley, that our beloved country of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago was on lockdown due

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