Emily Le

"I want to live in a world where I can imagine, create, and express. So instead of looking back like my father still often does, I look forward to the opportunities I'm given. I embrace my Vietnamese side- the customs and habits like passing something with two hands, the tradition of celebrating Lunar New Year, and the beauty of the Phuong tree in the summertime- but, I also embrace new cultures and being able to bridge communities." 

Universal Hunte                                   

" I am Universal Hunte, a black, about-to-be-18-year-old from Harlem. I like drawing, painting, theater, video games, movies, and every genre of music except Country. For some people as young as I am, this is all they have to say when someone asks them who they are, and until a few years ago, I was one of those people. I've come to a fairly satisfactory understanding of who I am right now."

"Before I made my journey to the U.S. my dad patted my back and left me with a weighty message: I needed to integrate into the new environment in order to learn fully. The verb 'integrate' seemed to stress the significance of stripping away all the elements that made me who I was, by installing foreign software and redecorating the hardware. I used to think the louder I was, the more American and extroverted I would appear to be and consequently, I would be part of the community." 

Sam Iacavazzi

Angie Pompilio

Will Bates 

"I tended to tell the wallabies all my problems because, after all, who else would actually listen to me? In addition, they could not tell me to shut up and focus on cleaning their poop instead."

"People who have grown up with siblings or have more than one child might find it strange that I consider being an only child a crucial part of my identity. What many people don't understand is that in the same way that a relationship between siblings can be deeply influential, so can the absence of siblings."

"Understanding that I can better direct my energies in learning; I can more clearly attempt to improve myself, to make myself a better friend, a better son, a better student. Recognizing how I live to learn, I better understand my world, my position in it, and what I seek to do while I am here."