FORT BEND ISD (June 2, 2026) – More than 40 Fort Bend ISD student entries have earned statewide recognition as semifinalists in the 2026 I Am Texas Writing and Art Contest.
The statewide contest, hosted by The Bryan Museum, invites students to create original letters, writing pieces and artwork inspired by Texas history and artifacts from the museum’s collection. This year, FBISD students were recognized across all three categories, representing 17 campuses.
“This year we had over 1,300 students submit writing and art to the I Am Texas contest, so it’s a big deal to make it to the semifinalist round,” said Susannah Brown, Education and Program Manager at The Bryan Museum. “We are so happy to see the next generation take as much interest in Texas history as we do.”
“When students are given opportunities to creatively engage with Texas history, learning becomes personal and memorable,” said Linda Corbin, Ed.D., FBISD Director of Literacy Curriculum and Instruction. “The contest empowers students to explore the stories, cultures and experiences that shaped our state while expressing their own perspectives through writing and art.”
The recognition highlights the strong classroom experiences and creative thinking happening throughout FBISD, including the work of student artists whose pieces brought historical Texas themes to life.
“We are so excited to see FBISD artists recognized at the state level for their work,” said Amanda Levermann, FBISD PK-5 Visual Arts Facilitator. “These young artists let their creativity shine in works depicting historical Texas themes.”
Finalists will be announced Aug. 24. FBISD congratulates all semifinalists and looks forward to celebrating the next round of honorees.
Families can learn more about the contest on the official I Am Texas website.
A few samples of student artwork are featured below, followed by a full list of FBISD students who earned semifinalist recognition in this year’s contest.
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Art:
- Aarush Patel, 5th, Madden Elementary
- Aaryahi Chandrayan, 5th, Malala Elementary
- Abby Xu, 5th, Cornerstone Elementary
- Ada Yu, 4th, Commonwealth Elementary
- Alima Moosa, 4th, Commonwealth Elementary
- Annabelle Yang, 4th, Commonwealth Elementary
- Dhilan Durgham, 4th, Commonwealth Elementary
- Felix Pang, 4th, Commonwealth Elementary
- Jordan Poon, 4th, Commonwealth Elementary
- Olivia Chen, 4th, Commonwealth Elementary
- Alyssa Cheng, 5th, Colony Meadows Elementary
- Yuiko Nigo, 5th, Colony Meadows Elementary
- Audrey Lai, 5th, Sullivan Elementary
- Michael Ranjith, 4th, Leonetti Elementary
- Sophia Holliday, 4th, Austin Parkway Elementary
- Rudra Verma, 7th, Quail Valley Middle School
- Saqib Khan, 8th, Quail Valley Middle School
- Jessica Enyi, 8th, Quail Valley Middle School
- Junhao Wang, 8th, Quail Valley Middle School
- Trinity Chan, 6th, Quail Valley Middle School
- Naomi Chan, 8th, Quail Valley Middle School
- Vismai Krishnan, 6th, Thornton Middle School
- Dominic Ranjith, 7th, Thornton Middle School
- Elise Chen, 8th, First Colony Middle School
- Andrew Zhang, 6th, Fort Settlement Middle School
- Rafael Fu, 6th, Fort Settlement Middle School
- Alandra He, 8th, Fort Settlement Middle School
- Bing Xuan, 11th, Kempner High School
- Nicole Guan, 12th, Clements High School
- Sachi Bhushan, 11th, Clements High School
- Brianna Hu, 9th, Clements High School
- Sanskruti Kalepu, 10th, Elkins High School
- Audrey He, 9th, Elkins High School
Letter Writing:
- Graëme Stell, 2nd, Malala Elementary
- Hugo Holtam, 3rd, Malala Elementary
- Aaryahi Chandrayan, 5th, Malala Elementary
- Alexander Tiwari, 5th, Bhuchar Elementary
- Rishi Batta, 4th, Commonwealth Elementary
- Samaira Bhushan, 3rd, Commonwealth Elementary
- Samarth Sista, 5th, Cornerstone Elementary
Writing:
- Aiden Thomas, 6th, Quail Valley Middle School
- Abhiram Chebolu, 8th, Quail Valley Middle School
- Kyle Lien, 7th, Fort Settlement Middle School
- Chinhitha Pamulapati, 10th, Dulles High School
- Lily Black, 9th, Elkins High School
- Rashmi Karthik, 11th, Elkins High School
