Age: 18

Hometown: Springfield

Think of: Stephen Sondheim’s lyric ear turned outward through Lin-Manuel Miranda’s cool command of the stage, all pulsing with a vibrant humanist heart.

What caught our eye: Stewart, a Springfield High School senior, recites poetry, an art that demands more of its performers than you might think. “You really have to digest it and analyze it,’’ he says. “It’s a lot more interpreting the poem than presenting the words on the page.’’ In 2013, he won the Massachusetts title in Poetry Out Loud, a nationwide recitation contest. In 2014, he did it again. This year, he did it a third time. This week, he’ll compete once again with the country’s best at Poetry Out Loud’s national tournament in Washington. The champion receives a $20,000 prize.

Lightbulb moment: With an early passion for theater and a curiosity from watching his friend’s sister recite, Stewart gave it a try his freshman year, reciting Delmore Schwartz’s “Baudelaire.’’ “I think once I did that first competition and I saw that first poem that I had a connection to, I knew I had a connection to this,’’ he says.

Biggest thrill: “I jump at any chance to perform anywhere,’’ he says. “So the fact that I get to travel all around the state and sometimes even the country to these amazing places doing what I love to do is a great feeling.’’ The all-expense-paid trips to Washington for the national tournaments rank near the top, of course.

Biggest surprise: “I guess the most surprising things are the things I learn about myself,’’ Stewart says. “I’ve learned that I’m much more resilient than I thought.’’

Inspired by: Artists like Miranda — wish Stewart luck in the “Hamilton’’ lottery — and Walt Whitman come to mind. “I find when people have the ability to talk about things in life that are real issues, and don’t just see art as this flighty, far-off thing, that always appeals to me,’’ he says.

Aspires to: Return to theater, either by acting in it, teaching it, or bringing it to life with his own company. “I’d want to do all of the things that I’ve seen from looking through the window all this time, but haven’t really dug my hands into,’’ Stewart says. He separates his dream roles into Shakespeare and Broadway — either Macbeth or the Witch from “Into the Woods.’’

For good luck: “It’s always different,’’ he says. “Whatever matches the people I’m with, I always formulate something.’’ Examples include kissing someone before heading on stage and blasting show tunes at the expense of his mom’s nerves.

What people should know: Stewart has a green belt in karate and wrestled for three years. “There was a time when I was very sports-involved,’’ he says. “My mom likes us to be very well-rounded.’’

Coming soon: The Poetry Out Loud National Finals, May 3-4 at George Washington University’s Lisner Auditorium.

Joe Incollingo

Joe Incollingo can be reached at joe.incollingo@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @jk_inco.