What is the best part of the afterschool program you attend? What keeps you coming back?

As of right now, I am not in an afterschool program because my high school doesn't have one, but when I was in middle school, I went to their afterschool program for all four years that I was there. I kept coming back every year because I felt really welcomed by everyone and I felt accepted for who I was. In addition, it allowed me to get out of my shell and make new friends with people who had similar interests as me. I was able to find new passions such as kickboxing and jiu jitsu which showed me new possibilities as to what I was capable of, and it allowed my self-confidence to blossom. Through this afterschool program, I was also given leadership opportunities and I learned valuable life skills that I will be forever grateful for.

What is something you do outside of school that you really enjoy? What do you love about that activity?

Something that I do outside of school that I really enjoy is going to the local public library. I love a few aspects about this activity. One is that I walk there, so I am able to enjoy the world around me, no matter the time of year. Another is that I am able to have a quiet place to just read for a few hours which is something I really look forward to doing. One more aspect that I love about this activity is the events the library holds sometimes. For example, last summer (summer 2021), I was able to create a mini painting on a tiny canvas and have it displayed in the library, and it was a lot of fun deciding what I was going to create!

Has there been an adult or role model in an activity outside of school who you felt connected to or trusted? What is it about them that makes you feel that connection?

My jiu jitsu professors were two people who I felt connected to and trusted. They were accepting of who I was which meant the world to me, and they became mentors who I could go to when I needed advice. They helped me become more confident in myself and grow as an individual. I always looked forward to the days their club was held on because I knew it would make my day no matter how rough it had been. They were similar to me in music tastes and interests and opinions, and it made it easier to become comfortable and connect with them.

What afterschool/​summer program or activity could be brought to your community that you would want to go to often? Why?

I wish there was a youth book club brought to my community. I think this would be a great space for readers, like myself, to be able to go and talk about something they enjoy doing and to be able to have book discussions with others. I would go to this program often because I think it would allow me to get out of my shell more and connect with others who have similar interests. I would also love to attend a group like this because it would open doors to new novels for me and then I would be able to have in-depth discussions about them with others. In my mind, this would be a more relaxed setting, and this would also be a factor that would result in me attending often.

What is it like being a youth in your community right now? What kind of support, programs, or activities are in your community and what do you wish could be added to your community?

I personally don't think that there are a lot of programs or activities for youth in my community other than sports. If there are other groups that youth can attend, they aren't well advertised or talked about enough, for I haven't heard of any for a while. The high school that I attend doesn't even have an afterschool program, and they only really have sports for afterschool activities. There are clubs at my school, but they are held only during the day and that's only on certain days. I wish that there were more options for youth in my community, for not everyone enjoys doing sports, and even if they do, they might want more options for activities. I wish there was a wide range of options that could cover many interests of youth in my community.

What experiences have empowered you to work toward or discover your goals? How did they do this?

An experience that has empowered me to work toward my goals was being accepted into the page program at the Vermont state house a few years ago. This opportunity was brought to my attention by teachers who led the afterschool program I went to in middle school, and they supported me fully through the whole process. This experience has empowered me to keep working toward my goals because hundreds of students apply each year and only thirty get selected, and I was one of those few students! Another reason this experience has empowered me to keep working toward my goals is because I was the first page selected from my town in over twenty years! Both of these reasons have showed me that good things can and will come to me if I put in the work, and it's made me more determined than ever to work hard for what I want to accomplish.

What motivates you to get involved or take action in something? Share a time you got involved in your community to make change.

Something that motivates me to get involved to take action in something is the knowledge that unless I step up, there is the chance that no one else will. Because of this chance of happening, I always strive to take action in things I am passionate about. Currently, I am at the forefront of trying to get the BLM (Black Lives Matter) Flag put up at my school, and I am gaining student support and teacher support along the way. The fact that I live in a very white area makes people think that racism isn't a big problem in our area, but in reality, the issues regarding racism tend to just get swept under the rug. I believe it is incredibly important to let the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People Of Color) people in our community know that they are welcomed and accepted, and that the community is working toward becoming anti-racist, unlearning its biases, etc.

Would you choose to live in your community when you get older? Why? If not, what would need to change about your community to make you want to stay?

I don't want to live in my community when I am older, but it has very little to do with how my community is. One of the careers I am interested in is being a marine biologist specializing in jellyfish (medusology) and that's just something I can't really do in Vermont. Another career interest of mine is being a historian, but I am not sure quite yet what I would actually be doing as one, but I want to work in a big museum like one of the Smithsonian museums. If I go down this career path, and if I were to stay in Vermont, I would like to see Vermont get more funding for bigger and better museums. While I love the community I live in, it's very small and can feel suffocating at times, and I think that while I most likely won't live here when I am older, I will visit often because of how precious it is to me.