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Sacramento County Poetry Out Loud champion Beza Gatahun performs before arts commission
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Summary
Poetry Out Loud champion and McClatchy High School tenth-grader Beza Gatahun read two poems for the commission, including her award-winning 'Alchemy'; commissioners praised her performance and highlighted county-school partnerships that support youth arts.
Melissa Serone, grants and programs manager for the Office of Arts and Culture, introduced Sacramento County’s 2026 Poetry Out Loud champion, Beza Gatahun, noting Beza’s county win and her first-place finish in the statewide Poetry Ourselves competition.
Beza, a tenth-grade student at McClatchy High School, performed her original poem "Alchemy," which reflects on identity and voice: "When I was born, it was said my skin hummed, low and gold, like the sound of sunlight learning to breathe... My color is my chorus. My voice, it's echoing tonight. I refuse to dim or quiet." She followed with a newly written piece that framed speaking as an act of ending and movement—"A word can move across a room, a sentence can reach a hand, and a confession can open a window in a house that felt like it had no air left." Beza thanked the commission at the conclusion of her pieces.
Commissioners applauded. Commissioner Winlock called the performance "absolutely beautiful," and Commissioner Wallace commended Beza’s talent and asked where the public could see future performances. Vice Chair Ohebu and others noted the role of Sacramento County Office of Education staff and McClatchy High School teachers in supporting student arts and praised the partnerships that produce youth opportunities.
The commission invited Beza and program partners to a group photo and underscored the county and city collaboration that supports Poetry Out Loud and related student arts programs.
