A Sisterly Scenario Worthy of Shakespeare Himself

In 2009, Gary Mendoza, the theatre teacher for Covington High School, located about forty miles north of New Orleans, sent his first student to compete in the New Orleans Branch level of the ESUUS National Shakespeare Competition. That student advanced to the National Semifinals in NYC, and was the first of six of Mendoza’s students to make it to that level, culminating with National Champion Malachi White in 2024. Now, just two short years later, lucky number seven has advanced to NYC after CHS senior Madison Lott placed first at the New Orleans Branch Competition. The second-place winner that day…her twin sister Mallory!
The year after Covington High’s students started competing for the ESU, they began also competing for the Poetry Out Loud National Recitation Competition, held annually in Washington DC, consisting of one student from each state and US territory. This year marks the eighth time one of Mendoza’s students have advanced to the POL National Semifinals, more than a third of Louisiana state champions have come from Covington High School, and as if written in the stars, that student is Mallory Lott! (Madison lost to her sister in the district round of competition.)
What makes it even more compelling is that the two completely separate competitions in two completely separate cities are held the same week! Mendoza has had a similar scenario once before in 2022 when Jacob Simmons advanced to both national competitions, but since it was during the covid shutdown everything was held virtually. He finished in the top nine for POL. This is however the first time he has had two separate students in the mix, and it’s better than anything he could have imagined. And while most of the time the dates do not overlap, this year has provided the perfect metaphorical cherry to the top of an already competitive cake.
According to Madison, “it’s wild that we both get to compete and it’s so close together, and that we each get to do what we love to do in front of people from across the country. It’s much more special because it’s a shared experience between the two of us.”
Mallory adds “I seriously don’t think this could have turned out more perfectly. Everything seems like it happened the way it was supposed to. I honestly couldn’t be happier to be second to someone, because now, she has her chance to compete, and I have mine. It’s a very crazy and somehow convenient situation.”
That situation involves the sisters, their parents, and their teacher in New York for all of the ESU festivities on April 25-26. On April 27, Mallory will cheer on her sister as she performs her Hamlet monologue and Sonnet 115 at Lincoln Center. When the semifinals are over at 1pm, she will board a train along with Mendoza to head to Washington DC for the Poetry Out Loud welcome banquet that night. Madison’s parents will stay with her in NYC with hopes of advancing to the final round that evening. Once the Shakespeare Competition concludes, they will also travel to the capitol in order to see Mallory compete in her semifinal round on Tuesday afternoon, with dreams of also competing in the final round on Wednesday night.
Two sisters connected by life. Two states separated by miles. One week, forever remembered. As Shakespeare would say, it is “such stuff that dreams are made on.”