Personal Statement

As a child with an incarcerated parent, I learned how the justice system can disrupt families. I narrowly missed this cycle because of volunteers who pushed me to become the fierce young woman that I am today. Volunteering has allowed me to recreate this impact. I currently volunteer at the Lorain County Juvenile Detention Center with Writers in Residence (WIR). Through this program, I have been able to use creative writing workshops to expand my impact and help underserved children growing up in my same predicament. I also help advocate for the freedom of the residents’ voices through the publishing of their writing in chapbooks annually shared with the Greater Cleveland area. An issue that I am trying to solve is how to support youth once they are released from juvenile facilities because our writing workshops are only offered to youth who are currently incarcerated. To address this, I began planning an overnight summer camp for formerly incarcerated youth in Ohio to build community with one another. Working with WIR has given me an opportunity to use my own education and commitment to improving children’s lives to garnering existing community resources and to work towards justice for youth.