• Reintroducing Myself to the World

  by Marlin Xie

  As the first semester of my sophomore year of high school came to an end, I stared into my bathroom mirror, and a speck of doubt began to devour every thought I had about who I was. A fog swallowed my mind, and I realized I couldn’t recognize my reflection.

• Proud Parents of This Great Kid

  by Kai Arrowood

  My mom called me to dinner. I swallowed thickly and emerged from my room, faintly practicing the lines I had prepared. It was the winter of 8th grade, and Christmas music was playing. Feeling light in my chair, as though I was going to fall out of it, I cleared my throat and told my family, “I have something to say.”

• The Best Form of Validation

  by Kai Arrowood

  It was a typical winter Saturday in the 8th grade, and my family and I were walking home from dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant. I was wearing an oversized gray knit sweater, a hand-me-down from my grandpa. I was obsessed with oversized clothing that hid any curves.

• Caught in the Middle of an Ugly Divorce

  by A.O.

  I was born and raised in East Harlem near 110th and Madison. Both my parents were well known on the block; for a time I felt like royalty. My mom told me stories about how my aunts and neighbors fought over who held me next.

• Falling in Love for the First Time

  by E.M.

  My senior year started out amazing. I was on top of all my work, getting the best scores I could get, and making new friends. I was about to become the second person in my family to graduate high school. Adding to my excitement, I also met a girl who sat next to me in English class.

• Movie Review: Moonlight

  by Sedrick Sanchez

  Moonlight is about a character I’ve never seen in a movie—a gay thug who is big, bad, and scary, but who expresses his feelings. Instead of a monster, the movie shows a drug dealer as a human being. His name is Chiron, and he lives in a poor part of Miami, Florida.