• Learning From My Mistakes

  by Leroy Chen

  On my first day of elementary school, my mother dressed me and gave me a warning. “Be careful who you hang out with. Especially brown and Black people. They’re not known for good things. They do bad things in the streets.”

• Defining My Indigenous Culture for Myself and Others

  by Liza Tuyuc

  “I’m not Latina, I’m Indigenous,” I tentatively said to my good friend, Wena, one early winter morning before school started. I was in 10th grade, and we had just finished sweeping the stage floor with two other classmates as part of our technical crew duties.

• My Thick Accent Doesn’t Define Me

  by Geraldy Mercedes

  When I moved here four years ago from Santo Domingo, I did not speak any English. The advice people gave me was: listen to music in English, watch TV in English, or download Duolingo. I did not like any of these methods; I hate watching television, I hated listening to music in a language that I did not understand.

• A Family’s Portrait

  by Stephanie Cuevas

  One of my earliest memories is of my father sitting me down at our kitchen table with canvases, paint, and brushes. He taught me how to blend colors and use different materials like acrylic paint and watercolors. Whenever we felt inspired, we set out all our materials and painted what our hearts desired.

• Why Do I Have to Change How I Talk to Sound ‘Professional’?

  by Meagan Zullo

  The first time I realized I was code-switching, I was making an appointment over the phone to get eyelash extensions. I was in the living room on the couch with my 14-year-old niece. My voice became higher, more gentle. I also purposely avoided saying certain words that would emphasize my New York accent such as “water” and “thought.”

• Leaving Venezuela

  by Laya Yagersys

  I grew up in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela. My house was surrounded by a garden full of orchids and a parrot who called out my name. I often sat there and thought, I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. One of my favorite sights is Caracas at night; the city lights look like they sit upon the mountains in the horizon, like ornaments on a Christmas tree.