YCTeen: True Stories by teens

YCT Story of the Week

Embracing the Imperfect

I’m not the fastest runner, but it’s OK to choose joy over achievement.

by Oscar Scribner

When I got in, I was in utter disbelief. My parents sent email announcements to my extended family, and soon everyone who lived in my building in Harlem knew it: Oscar was going to Stuyvesant! I had originally wanted to go to a high school with a special focus on history, my favorite subject.

Recent Stories

Powering Up and Tuning In

By Yeshaya Benknockee

I discover aspects of myself by writing superhero narratives.
Mean Girl Wipeout

By Anonymous

A skateboarding club took me in, then pushed me out. It took a while to trust again.
Begging for Scraps as TPS Gets Taken Away

By Anonymous

My family fled the war in Ukraine. Trump administration policies threaten to put us back in harm’s way.

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teens write about ai

Highlighted Stories

Teens Speak Out on AI

YC writers fear the technology’s toll on their thinking, creativity, and relationships.
Chatbot Comfort

I was stuck in a loop seeking reassurance and validation from AI. Opening up with friends helped me escape.
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By Lylagrace M.
I Don’t Want AI to Do My Thinking

Two teachers have shown me what we may lose by introducing AI into education.
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By Maggie Crary
Cheated Out of Learning

If AI grades (and does) my writing, are my brain and my character obsolete?
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By Anonymous
You Feel Seen, But What’s Seeing You?

Character AI seems creepy, and it hurt when a friend chose it over me.
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By Elizabeth Castro
High Seriousness

My search for a college that deals in ideas
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By Maggie Crary

More Stories

Beautiful Star

By Noshin Sayira

A writer wrestles with sharing trauma while preserving the rest of her identity.
Falling In With the Right Crowd

By Elizabeth Castro

A group of motivated friends re-lit my spark for learning and achievement.
An Epic Epic

By Arina Limarieva

A Greek mythology nerd reviews Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey.
My Father’s Failure, Not My Fault

By Anonymous (“Angela”)

Once I faced reality, I found my strength.
Marching Forward With Little Women

By Zaria Nyah Lowe

Finishing writing projects is a work in progress, but I’m learning to persevere.
Not My Fault

By Anonymous

A sexual assault, followed by rumors that blamed me, ruined my freshman year of high school. Friends and therapy helped me heal.
Let Carrie Bradshaw Grow Up

By Camila Ritter

The Sex and the City friends never seem to learn from their misadventures. Why not?
Killing My Darlings, But Not My Passion for Writing

By Arina Limarieva

On being a Youth Comm writer

Emphasis is on the yellow-shirted writer holding a pencil and another person holding a pen reading the laptop screen

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