This personal essay series features stories by high school students taking part in Chalkbeat’s fellowship program.
These six high school students from Detroit and New York City will be taking part in our signature essay-writing fellowship.
Debilitating pain turned me into a student I didn’t recognize. Here’s how I got back on track.
My grandparents raised me as a ‘satellite baby’ in China. When I returned to NYC at age 5, I got to know my parents for the first time.
The transfer process was time-consuming and full of disappointment. It was worth it.
After months of homelessness and despair, my family found a safe haven in Newark.
Speaking up while learning English can be terrifying.
I resented the expectation that I lead with my trauma. But trauma is not the only thing that defines me, and it’s not the only reason I deserve to go to college.
My NYC campus is famous for its academics. It’s also an incredibly creative, supportive, and idiosyncratic place.
I had advocated for new approaches to discipline. Then I benefitted from them.
Growing up, masculinity meant denying vulnerability. There’s a better way.
Here’s what I wish I could say when someone asks, ‘Where are you from?’
At home during COVID school closures, I consumed misogynistic content in an endless loop. My brother walked me back from the brink.
Debilitating pain turned me into a student I didn’t recognize. Here’s how I got back on track.
Post-COVID, fostering new friendships seemed like an impossible task.
After years of struggling with body image, I turned to crash dieting. It took a terrible toll.