While to some people this piece may seem like a disarray of chaotic doodles, to me, it is an illustration of me and my personality. Every character is unique and individual, and all of them coexist to display who I really am, no matter how unorganized, weird, and strange it may seem.  

  RBC Flaunt It Award: Writing Finalist     Statement   My piece deals with the struggles of a young girl growing up, trying meet her father’s expectations in every way and pushing herself until she cannot do anymore. She’s different than what her father wants her to be like, a different daughter than who […]

This piece was created to show that a victim can overcome bullying even if it’s relentless. I was bullied in High School and now that I’m a senior I have changed my outlook on people. I will no longer allow myself to be a victim, and I don’t let bullies bother me anymore. This piece […]

I was born with a brown birthmark on my left ear lobe. When I was little I didn’t mind it and didn’t think much of it. But that changed one day in kindergarten. I remember one girl from my preschool told me I had brown paint on my ear and another one said I had […]

“Self-Portrait in Door Mirror” is a piece about understanding and reconciling the disparities between my own gender expression and identity.  The pink skirt the subject is wearing in the painting is a powerful symbol–pink–generally a color symbolizing Barbie princesses and being “girly.” This is something I was ashamed to admit any preference for a long […]

I chose to film this music video at the skate park because one, its where I work and two, its a great environment for the community. I like filming this because its an upbeat song talking about my confidence in myself.There are not many young female rappers and this is something I do want to […]

Well, if cancer wasn’t bad enough, now my arm won’t work. I just learned how to walk downstairs again, which was really hard when my feet would barely come off the floor before they dropped again. Neuropathy is the fancy word the oncologist called my diagnosis when I couldn’t run, descend stairs and ramps, tie my shoes, […]

I spent this past Christmas in the hospital. I had one tube in my left wrist, keeping me hydrated, and another in my back, filling me with an anesthetic that numbed my abdominal area. A month earlier, I hadn’t anticipated spending my Christmas this way, but there I was anyway, serenaded by the whirr of […]

When I was very little, I would go to a prayer meeting, or minyan, with my dad every morning.  I remember munching on rye bread and bagels at the small breakfast afterwards, while my dad talked with the others in attendance.  My mom says that the junk they fed me for breakfast at the shul […]

My name is Fahima. I am from Afghanistan and I was born in Farah province, an insecure region here and I am 16 years old. When I was just one year old, during the war the Taliban government blasted a rocket in to our house. In that accident I lost my face beauty and 3 fingers […]

When people first notice me they see a charismatic, personable, studious, normal senior.  Those who don’t know me would assume I am a completely healthy young individual, who acts just like every other teenager. Those who are close to me will know that I am not like everybody else; that I am not completely healthy. […]

 “Do you want to play ninja turtles? This time you can be Rafael.” My three-year-old brother’s insatiable appetite for action struck once again, and here I was, presented with the highest honor in his world. Rafael was his favorite turtle by far. “Sure, where should we play today?” I’d been to the secret lairs of […]

I was the secret result of an affair. My father cheated on his wife with my mother and left us behind while he raised his real family. I think he was embarrassed for bringing shame to his family by means of adultery, so I was kept a secret for about 12 years. Not knowing one […]

If you were able to go back in time and change one moment of your past, what would you choose? For many people, this question might seem a little silly, or it might stump them completely. “Only one moment?” Yes, only one moment. “How long is a moment?” However long seems reasonable. For me, it […]

Starting high school is probably one of the most thrilling yet terrifying experiences you will ever have. You have a preconceived idea of what it will be like, the memories you’ll take from it, and lastly, but definitely the cherry on top, the friends that you will make. This was how I approached my grade […]