When Zakiya James attended Woodrow Wilson High School in her native city of Washington D.C., she quickly exhausted the curriculum that was being offered to her there. Zakiya, 14 at the time, was not being challenged and her mother, Shawna Malone, could see that. Malone attempted to enroll her daughter into higher-level courses at Woodrow,…
Visiting a barber shop or a hair salon may seem like a luxury, but an artist who visits shelters for homeless Americans sees it as a matter of identity. “Hair care is kind of seen as a non-essential need for people that are homeless,” says Jody Wood, creator of mobile hair salon Beauty in Transition….
It happened earlier this month when Shawn Jorden, 25, was handed his degrees in Psychology and Liberal Arts from the Community College of Philadelphia, a goal that he had initially thought was out of reach. Jorden attended Indiana University before attending CCP but because of the university’s tuition and cost of living, he was forced…
I remember when walking across the stage on graduation day, just last May, and how uncertain I was about entering the “real world” with a bachelors in journalism. Would I be accepted in the field? Would I be able to obtain a job? What challenges would I be facing next? I never expected to obtain…
Even though it happened just a few months ago, graduation for me was almost a complete blur. I do not remember much of what was said to me on that day except the word “congratulations.” That word was repeated a lot, especially by those who saw me walking to school wearing my cap and…
Janice Gable Bashman is the Bram Stoker nominated author of Predator, her first novel and solo book project for young adults. Bashman is also the editor of The Big Thrill, an International Thriller Writers’ magazine, and has had her short fiction published in various anthologies and magazines. Bashman is also a member of the Society…
The New York chapter of Kollaboration, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering Asian-American performers, will hold its annual showcase this Saturday at New York University Skirball Center for the Performing Arts.
There was never a particular moment when AJ Young felt that he was supposed to be a guy, but it was more of a continual questioning why it was he felt uncomfortable around friends and family. Not just generally, but socially. Young was born Catherine Rebecca Young. He grew up in Elgin, Illinois where he…
Carrying a stack of newspapers and wearing the trademark lime neon-green vest, Brian Belcher, a vendor of One Step Away, makes his way to the corner of 18th and Market in Center City Philadelphia. Throughout the day there are hit-and-miss chances as Belcher attempts to sell the paper, which only costs a dollar and written…
Using over a year of pictures from their iPhones, Yanatha Desouvre and his wife, Amy, started compiling images of their two children partaking in different activities together. Desouvre would eventually bring them all together on his computer with the oldest daughter by his side. Five-year-old Reanna would dictate the words to her father of what…