Feelings Change

By Aaliyana Garcia

Meet the Pair

Mentee Aaliyana Garcia & Mentor Lauren McDermott

Aaliyana’s Anecdote: Lauren and I have a lot in common. We’re both very close with our mothers. We both are oldest children who roll our eyes at our younger siblings’ shenanigans. We are also both true ’90s kids (even though Lauren is actually the only one born in the ’90s). We often talk about pop culture from back then. Fun fact: Ariel is both of our favorite Disney princess!

Lauren’s Anecdote: Aali has been an absolute joy to work with. She always shows up to our pair sessions with a big smile on her face, excited to start working on different writing ideas she’s come up with or chat about her day. Creativity, grit, and open-mindedness come naturally to Aali. Although I am the mentor, I admire Aali’s can-do-it attitude and have learned SO MUCH from her ingenuity. I cannot wait to see the pieces that Aali creates in the future—everybody should be on the lookout for her writing!