An excerpt of an article I wrote where I interviewed eight students from across the city, country and world on their sex-education experiences.
Persuasive
To Go or Stay
“To Go or Stay” uses drawings and images to describe an apocalyptic world suffering from climate change. The people in that society have to choose to stay on or leave Earth as disasters affect different parts of the US. This choice will affect how they can contribute to society and improve the environment.
Your Weekly Dose with Mareesa and Abena
In this podcast, I give you a taste of my love for South Korea and present two delicacies of South Korean culture in a fun and calm way!
Our Words, Our Voice
You read and write everyday, whether it involves your favorite song lyrics, a grocery list, crafting a text to your best friend, or projects for school or work. In fact, we use our literacy so much that we often take it for granted. What about the centuries of people who were denied this powerful tool?
Becoming Manar the Star
I walked into Dunkin’ for one of our pair sessions, and I told my mentor Jaime that I wanted to run for school senate. But I needed a speech. The speech below is a result of our collaboration. This speech motivates me to pursue my dreams.
In and Out of the Struggle
I tried to be different this year and not make a piece about me or my family but I failed terribly. This piece shows how I am no different from anyone and how I can make my mark in my community by creating awareness of the issues in NYC.
Beautiful Skin
This piece is meant to call attention to racial problems that don’t exist only in the United States. Just because people’s experiences might be different doesn’t mean that they aren’t cut from the same cloth. People should take pride in who they are because everyone is beautiful, not different.
Beyond the Scenes
The Korean pop group BTS is known for having a devoted fanbase, but very few people are interested in the important messages found in their versatile and lyrically profound music. In my podcast, we will listen to BTS’s refreshing, eclectic, and well-produced bops one at a time and explore the layers of meaning behind the lyrics.
Fragments: The Need for Attention
My stop-motion poem is inviting, and it gives good advice on how to live your life: try to be more open and express how you feel to others, so that you are not bottling up your problems and keeping them to yourself. The found poem was inspired by words that stood out to me in a few used books, and as I highlighted many words, it became easier to pinpoint the topic of the poem.
Sex Is Her Identity
This graphic design accompanies a poetic performance about sexual identity and traditional expectations of young women.
News Flash: You Are The Love of Your Life
At the start of making this piece, I had just finally found myself again.
For The Culture: The Black Hair Edition
This is a trailer for a podcast episode that will tackle the appropriation of Black hair in America. Kim Kardashian, a woman of major influence, appropriated Black hair when she wore box braids and called them “boxer braids.” I found it so offensive that I wanted to explore it and open up a conversation about it. I wanted to dismantle the cultural significance that was being ignored— and potentially lost. This podcast was my chance to be truthful about what matters to me: the intersection of hair and my identity.
pink
“pink” is a poem rooted in social commentary. In this poem, I examine my own internalized misogyny, and how it influenced my actions as I was growing up. The history of “gendered” colors is a fascinatingly peculiar one, as blue was once considered tame and feminine, while the “blood-resembling” pink was gallant and masculine.