• Seeing My Pain

  by J. Huang

  One spring evening in 10th grade, my parents asked me what should have been a simple question: “What do you want to eat?” But I had planned to purposely skip dinner. I told myself I’d gain the endurance to skip more meals if I skipped this one.

• The Quiet Library of My Mind

  by Arina Limarieva

  When I was 5, my family had to move from Luhansk, Ukraine, to Kyiv to escape the 2014 invasion by the Russians. From my earliest memories, there has been chaos, which I got used to. It’s taken me years to figure out that I prefer calm—and to find ways to achieve it. 

• Accepting That I’m Autistic

  by Anonymous

  Names and identifying details have been changed.  Five months after I left my mom’s house and moved in with my aunt, I had to get a psych evaluation. It was one of many new things I had to face as I entered the foster care system. 

• My Health Is Not Up For Debate

  by Sama Daga

  “Good morning, Dagas!” Dr. B. exclaimed, greeting my family. My family neurologist, Dr. B, worked with my mother to manage her stress-related migraines around the time I was born, and everyone in our family had grown to trust her. She was always happy, and usually it made me smile too.

• Out of My Room and Into the World

  by Aster McNulty

  I have always been a homebody, even in elementary school. I went to the park after class with my friends, and to birthday parties. But I felt safest and happiest and most myself at home—the tiny, messy apartment I share with my parents.

• Learning to Trust Myself

  by Anonymous

  Names have been changed.  Growing up, I believed my family was a close one. My siblings and I spent time together, and we  traveled every year to new places as a family. We lived in an apartment in East Harlem and I felt comfortable living with my parents, who mostly seemed to care for me.