​​​New NYC Program Provides College Funds to Teens in Foster Care

by Faith Ornstein

I am a high school senior in foster care. I have started my college applications and I know I won’t be able to pay every dollar for tuition, room and board, and other essentials. So when my editor at Represent told me about Mayor Adam’s announcement about a college financial assistance program for NYC-based youth in foster care, I wanted to learn more about it.  

​​​How My Aunt Became My Mother 

by Seohee Jung

My parents argued as I ran from room to room, entertaining myself. I was 6, my brother was 3 and we were living in South Korea. After each lap around the small apartment, I paused and took a look at the woman giving me a tight smile.

Writing Contest Winners FALL 2022

Four times a year, we ask our readers to write about the impact recent stories have had on teens around the country. In Fall 2022, we had a range of responses from writers connecting to stories about mental health, race, and speaking out.

The Chancellor Banks Interview 

In August, as part of our summer writing workshop at YouthComm, we had the opportunity to interview New York City Schools Chancellor David Banks. As journalists, we spent time researching the issues we cared about most, such as student disciplinary practices, teacher layoffs, and specialized high school admissions.

My Burdens as an Adoptee 

by J.M.

I was born in Kentucky and only had about three days with my birth mother before I was put into foster care. While nine months pregnant with me, she had been apprehended by the police and forcibly hospitalized because she was homeless and suffering a psychotic episode.

I Look, Therefore I Am?

by R.G.

Names have been changed.  It was the day of my friend Amanda’s bat mitzvah. She was more of a recent friend, someone who, with my implicit permission, tended to degrade me on a daily basis. Nonetheless, I liked her, and at one of the final parties of the year-long bat mitzvah season, I wanted to look my best.