MEET THE YOUTH POET LAUREATE:
Anna castro spratt
Anna Castro Spratt is a high school sophomore, currently enrolled in Riverside High School and the Fine Arts Center, and committed to attend the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities in Fall 2023. She moved to Greenville from Brazil, and is fluent in both English and Portuguese. As a Fine Arts Center Student Ambassador for Creative Writing, Miss Spratt has had an opportunity to contribute to the growth and success of the school through outreach, mentoring and by serving as a liaison to prospective students, families and the community at large. She is currently a Board Member and Publicity Coordinator for the Greenville Youth Alliance, a youth-led non-profit organization. She is also serving as the YMCA South Carolina Youth in Government Youth Lieutenant Governor and previously served as the YMCA South Carolina Youth Poet Laureate from 2021 to 2023 – a role which allowed her to use her own voice and words to inspire and connect with people in her community. Miss Spratt has received numerous awards, including a National Gold Medal, three Gold Keys, three Silver Keys, Honorable Mention in the Scholastic Arts and Writing Awards (2023), and the South Carolina Junior Scholar Award of Merit (2021). As the City of Greenville’s Youth Poet Laureate, Miss Spratt hopes to inspire other young people to express themselves through poetry and to advocate for the issues that matter to them.