How My Aunt Became My Mother
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. The smile seemed genuine to me, and it […]
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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. Congratulations to our winners and be sure to apply for our next contest […]
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What NYC Teens Actually Think About the SHSAT
In June 2018, I began to hear news about then-Mayor Bill de Blasio wanting to do away with the Standardized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT), the exam New York City students take to get into one of eight specialized high schools. These specialized schools are seen as huge stepping stones into elite colleges. Instead, the […]
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My Family Taught Me About My Roots
When I was in elementary school, I noticed that White students were favored by my teachers, from being picked first to be class monitors to being excused when bullying other children. In toy stores, my sister and I looked at rows and rows of White dolls wondering why none of them looked like us. There […]
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