May 2024: Part of Me, Part of Us

Help your students experience writing as a form of self-reflection and a means to authentic self-discovery. 
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Brought to you by the Student Press Initiative​​

ENTER TO WIN

​ABOUT THE BOOK
Enter into the hearts and minds of 12th grade students at the Fordham Leadership Academy in the Bronx, NY as they courageously unravel their most intimate narratives in Part of Me, Part of Us. This collection of personal essays challenges conventional boundaries, questioning the depth to which personal narratives can resonate. Beyond mere classroom assignments, these narratives transcend the typical confines of college application essays, embracing a righteous, raw, and real authenticity.

Within these pages, readers will encounter stories of roots and migrations, struggles and perseverance, triumphs and tragedies. Part of Me, Part of Us is a tapestry of human experiences, woven with threads of resilience and vulnerability. Each author generously shares a fragment of their life — a snapshot of their past that serves as a compass guiding their future.

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EMPOWER STUDENT VOICES
We invite you to use Part of Me, Part of Us to help your students explore different forms of self-expression through language. Reading this collection of personal stories can be a beautiful way for students to discover how writing can be a tool of genuine self-reflection. 

Consider using specific essays as mentor texts for your students to draw inspiration from, writing out of the language, themes, or structures of others’ stories. Invite your students to delve into their own experiences and share their unique perspectives. 

By engaging with this collection, students can develop an appreciation for how writing can do so much more for us as human beings than simply turning in a completed assignment: writing can be a means to authentic self-discovery.