Crystal, a twelth grade student at Leonides Morales Rodriguez High School in Lajas, Puerto Rico
I enjoy young people, a lot. Especially those who don’t quite “fit in.”
In City of Sorrows, my major characters are all young adults. Diego is nineteen, Catalina seventeen, Andres and Rajiv are twenty-five and twenty-six respectively.
I have been given the privilege of mentoring a group of students at the Leonides Morales Rodriguez High School in Lajas, Puerto Rico, where I live. I work with the students both individually and in a group setting, where I encourage them to express themselves creatively. Many of these students (like Crystal) feel isolated or “different” from their more popular peers. They all have been labeled something, from “Goth” to “Nerd” to other more offensive titles. And up until recently, they have, for the most part, kept silent.
But now, they are finding their voices.
The students and I have formed a group called Vox Occulta which translates to “hidden voice.” Through this group, I have met some amazingly talented writers, musicians, song writers, poets, and illustrators. Young people, all with something important to say. And here in this forum, are the voices of our youth. The voices of “la juventud de Puerto Rico.”
In this section I will post quotes, stories, artwork, and other fun things from these students. If you are a teenager or young adult, please join us. Share your stories. It doesn’t matter where you live or what language you write in. What matters is that you express yourself in a positve, creative way.
Do you have a story to share about the challenges of being diffierent? If so, leave a comment in the box below.
Do not let your voice be silenced.
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