Zavion Watson Wins Dyer-Ives Poetry Competiton
Zavion Watson, who played as a hybrid linebacker with Community Christian College's Football team, was recently recognized by the Grand Rapids Public Library for 1st Place in the Adult Division of the Dyer-Ives Poetry Competition. This comes as the trifecta of recent news for the graduate, as he has also been accepted into the University of Colorado for academics, as well as being featured in Eleve Magazine for a self-love testimony.
"I feel blessed," Watson said. "I've been through a lot." Watson shared how his prayers felt answered even before the recent events. His ability to play college football at CCC was a huge part of that.
"Playing college football was always a dream of mine, ever since elementary school…I'm thankful to CCC for giving me that opportunity."
Watson graduated from Community Christian with a 3.7 GPA in September 2022, and has been working at two elementary schools in Kentwood as a Health Aid and a Special Education Mentor since then. 4 weeks ago, he was accepted to pursue his Bachelor's Degree in Colorado. A week later, he was referred by a personal connection to write an article for Eleve Magazine about self-love and empowerment. He decided to tell his life story, titled "Purpose Molded Within Pain," detailing some of the hardships he faced through special education growing up.
He found out he had won 1st Place for the Dyer-Ives Poetry Competition through an email one week after his article was published, and was a little surprised.
"There was a teacher that had suggested I try out for this opportunity, and I was worried that it wouldn't read right because there was no audio component. I was a little skeptical…that they wouldn't accept my message because they couldn't relate to it."
"It warmed my heart, I felt like my voice was heard," Watson said with a smile.
Poetry was a recent development for Zavion Watson. He said he started three years ago, when a friend peer pressured him into speaking at an open night. Having no previous experience in artistic writing, this felt like something he wasn't prepared for.
Watson got on the stage, spoke his word, and everyone went bonkers. He was not prepared for that. The response inspired him so much that he's been working on perfecting his craft since then, culminating with his first award this past week. He had this to say when asked about how other CCC students could follow this same path:
"Be yourself, and don't compare yourself to anyone else. Not everyone's timeline is the same…I stepped out of my comfort zone, and in order to continue forward in life, sometimes you have to be comfortable with the uncomfortable. I went from being uncomfortable on the stage, to being comfortable speaking in front of crowds. Find your gifts, and use them to find what you love doing."
Watson's article on Eleve Magazine can be found at the link below. His poem will be published in Voices Publication, and will be read at the Award Winners Reading Ceremony at the Grand Rapids Public Library in June.