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