• Wrestling With Stereotypes

  by Ushoshi Das

  As we shake hands, I can feel the pressure on me. Like a mantra I repeat: Strong grip. Stern expression. Show him you’re serious. The whistle blows, and my mind goes blank. It’s just me and my opponent. As Coach says, if my head is really in the game, I shouldn’t even be able to hear the advice he’s shouting from the sidelines.

• Bullying and Jealousy Made Me Into Someone I Didn’t Like

  by S.G.

  Names have been changed.  Being bullied and losing a friend made me loud and obnoxious. By high school, when I realized what I had become, it was hard to change. It started in elementary school. In kindergarten I had a good friend, Sam, and we did everything together.

• When I Lived in a Shelter, I Still Kept My Head Held High

  by Sirsy Galarza

  Some names have been changed. In 2016, I felt like my world was collapsing. My two aunts died, and then my grandmother. This made me afraid that I’d lose my mother and twin brother, too, and be put in the foster care system.

• Defunding the Police in Schools Can Help Support Essential Workers Like My Parents

  by Konner Stephen

  My mother is a Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) sanitation worker. She works from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day, plus overtime late at night at least once a week. My father works even longer hours as a correctional officer at Rikers Island.

• Now That I Am Inside

  by Gabrielle Pascal

  I am currently a junior at Hofstra University, and I am taking a course called Basic Black & White Film Photography. Since we no longer have access to the film lab at school, we can’t print or develop our photos right now.

• How I’m Managing the Stress

  by Gabrielle Pascal

  The spread of COVID-19 has drastically changed our lives. Whether you are a student in high school or college, your school has likely closed for the foreseeable future. It’s a strange and difficult world we have to adjust to. When this all began, I spent hours glued to my phone and laptop.