Tanish Gaglani never thought of himself as a whole person.

He felt disconnected from his cultural roots — a feeling that was only worsened by social isolation when the pandemic hit in 2020 and the years after, when he was just 11 years old.

It wasn’t until Gaglani began exploring his deepest feelings through writing that he finally started to reconnect with those lost parts of his identity, an accomplishment underscored by him winning the first place prize from Make Noise Today, a literary arts competition.

Gaglani, now 15 and attending high school in Palo Alto, says that writing has become a powerful tool that allows him to embrace his own roots and reclaim his cultural identity.

And that’s exactly the goal of the Make Noise Today competition.

The contest was established by Long Beach-based communications company Intertrend in partnership with nonprofit Creative Class Collective in honor of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage month in 2020 — in hopes of providing AAPI youth with a platform to combat racist rhetoric, explore their identities, and reconnect with their heritage.

Each year, the organization hosts a nationwide callout for high school students to creatively express themselves through prose, performance, and visual arts — and highlights those works in an annual exhibition.

This year’s exhibition, which showcased selected original, first-person nonfiction works from 70 high school students nationwide, kicked off on Thursday, June 13, at the Billie Jean King Main Library with a special theme: “Amplifying Heritage, Empowering Futures,” an exploration of how their heritage has made them who they are today.

“We are honored to see such an incredible representation of Asian American youth and we were so moved by their written, performance and graphic expression of cultural appreciation,” Make Noise Today’s executive director Michael Vitug said in a press release. “By reflection on what ties them to their cultural roots, these talented students encourage other members of their generation to share their own stories and maintain this rich culture.”

This year’s exhibition also featured a special recognition for Vietnamese American and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen — whose debut novel, “The Sympathizer,” has been turned into a HBO series starring Hoa Xuande, Robert Downey Jr., Fred Nguyen Khan and more.

Nguyen, according to the press release, has been a key supporter of Make Noise Today and any efforts to highlight Asian American narrative.

“Stories always matter. That’s why it’s really heartening for me to see all the younger people here making noise, creating art, creating stories and playing music,” Nguyen said in the release. “We need storytellers just as much as we need doctors, lawyers, and entrepreneurs.”

Near the entrance of Billie Jean King library, three panels are erected creating “walls” that focus on a particular subtopic of the main theme, including “perpetual rhythms,” “bridging generations,” and “rooted legacy.”

Each panel holds various poems, stories, and artwork which explore those specific subtopics and hold an intimate place for viewers to witness the panorama together.

“(Despite an) item (like a wall) that was designed to separate spaces… we’re (using) it in a way to bring people closer together and give opportunity for voices to be heard,” senior designer of Intertrend Andrew Largoza said.

The exhibition, in addition to those student panels, includes a main wall dedicated to MemorialCare, a key sponsor of the Make Noise Today initiative — featuring the stories of the Asian American and Pacific Islander staff members at the hospital.

With a collage of individual pictures — ranging from doctors, nurses and corporate staff — and QR codes leading to each individual’s story, the installation provides an opportunity for the initiative’s main sponsors to highlight AAPI folks’ impact on the healthcare field of Southern California.

“If you look at the media, you don’t hear a lot about Asian stories,” Gary Iem, MemorialCare’s vice president of business development said.. “It’s really nice to highlight some of our caregivers, our managers and our leaders who are really driving a lot of change in our community.”

The exhibition is free to the public and will run until August 31.

For more information about Make Noise Today and its mission, visit makenoisetoday.org.