Breathing rapidly, tears streamed down my face. “I can’t do this anymore,” I say to myself. Standing up, I walk to a random person sitting… Read More

As a young Somali girl, the fictional worlds of “Junie B. Jones” and “Clarice Bean” were my escape. Although we were the same age, I… Read More

It was a humid summer day of my fourth year in America when I decided to apply for Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) to help… Read More

The people on the plane reminded me of the soccer players and cartoon characters I saw on television. It was like another world. Not many… Read More

The scorching heat and blazing sun signified the first day of summer break in 2015. I had just completed my seventh-grade year and my report… Read More

I felt like I was in a whole new world. This was the first time I was attending a Pride event. I stopped by a… Read More

On a humid day in June, I landed in Boston, feeling tense. I was away from home, away from my family. I was scared. I… Read More

When I tell people I live in north Minneapolis, their eyes often get wide. I get it. Drive-by shootings, poverty and drugs surround my block,… Read More

I hate the smell of hospitals. The pungent, sterile odor of the place where some people go to die takes me back to the year… Read More

If I hadn’t moved away from Gary, Indiana, I would be in a juvenile facility or possibly pregnant. Growing up with my mom and older… Read More

I am lying on the playground, looking up at the other kids like they are giants. One kid keeps kicking me in the stomach. Fifth… Read More

My arms screamed in protest, crying mutiny against my mind even as screams, loud and physical, erupted from my youngest sister. At 2 years old,… Read More