Teen Voices Online

Self Awareness

Poetry Editor: LaQueena Williams, 15 Massachusetts

Building a powerful self-identity: Why it matters for adolescents ...

It's hard being a teen. There are so many changes that we face as young women. We just have to try our best to be who we are, even if it's changing every day.

Insecure

Rachel Simon, 13, New York

Insecure, afraid to show, all she wants is to go with the flow. Her peers watch her every move, but what is she trying to prove? That she's the same and nothing more. That she's too scared to ever soar? In a crowded room she looks around. She stays hidden, not a sound. It takes a while for her to come out, but when she does she's ridden with doubt. What if I'm not liked? What if I'm weird? Oh, no, she thinks, this is just what I feared. Then he walks over and takes her hands, and in that moment she understands. You don't have to be the same. You don't have to hide behind layers of shame. You can be different, loud, and unique. Don't be unsure of whatever you speak! Whatever you are let it be what you please because what you feel is what everyone sees.

Who am I?

Deano E., 16, Florida

Identity Formation | Lifespan Development

Who am I? A face. A name. A voice. Do other people really know who I am? To my parents, I am still a child. To my teachers, I'm-well, a problem, a challenge, a grade, sometimes hope and sometimes trouble. Do people really notice me? Or better, notice the real me? Some know my name. But that's all they do. Sometimes I wonder if other people go through what I go through? I am part of many people. A teenager, but mostly an adult (and I admit it). Part child, pieces of a puzzle that I sometimes think will never fit together.

Who I Am

Shaylia Monroe

People try to find the real me, but they have no clue, for they try to paint a picture of how they see me—but if they only knew! How great I am, I'll have everyone say. What a good person I am, to be a young lady with great confidence and good sense. People will start to see the true young lady that lies within me. That person is someone I'm proud to be. I do the best that I can, but I'll always be myself to let people see how I really am.

Artwork by Salem Gebrezgi, 17, Massachusetts

Take Me As I Am

Sarah Torau, 15, Pennsylvania

What is Teenage Angst, and is it Normal? | Clear Behavioral Health

I am not a girl who is constantly on the phone. I am not a girl who hates to be alone. I am not a girl who is always on email, and I'm not the type of girl that likes to paint her fingernails. I don't have the newest, up-to-date "celly," and when I am around a guy my legs don't turn to jelly. I don't have the trendiest clothes. I don't have a piercing in my belly button or nose. I really despise boy bands that actually sound like girls, and I really don't do my hair up in those cute little curls. So take me as I am and as the woman I am soon to be, for I am the girl who has to be free. I am a girl who gazes at the stars, peering through her telescope at the Milky Way, Jupiter, and Mars. I am the girl that you cannot tie down, I am the girl that you will never catch with a frown. I am a girl that brings joy to the world, I am the rose waiting for its petals to be unfurled. Take me as I am.

Where Am I From?

Rebekah Aliyah Mastel, 13, Nevada

I am from hopscotch, candy, and the beach. I am from several divorces and many, many weddings. I am from houses filled with cousins, uncles, and aunts. I am from Aerosmith and Styx, Garth Brooks, and Garbage. I am from gummy bears, popcorn, sweaters, and movies. I am from piano, guitar, and a million types of music. I am from laughter, singing, and noise. I am from pot roast, corned beef, and potatoes. I am from knish, latkes, and cheesecake. I am from deaths and grieving, births and rejoicing. I am from individuality and a drive to be unique. I am from people who love me. Where are you from?

Looking Ahead

Renu Abraham, 15, New York

I wake up each day, my mind full of worries, ideas, plans, all endless, like shimmering stars embedded in the night sky. What to do with these thoughts, I am clueless. They are noisy, impatient little kids standing on the lunch line. My worries are common. They are insignificant questions, each popping into my mind like bubbles, interrogating my plans, doubting my abilities. You're never aware of the time's speed. Days come and go like swift cars on a highway. I am running to catch up, but time and my mind are always ahead of me. How do I reach goals so far away, like the bottom of the Atlantic? How do I put aside childish worries and start each day confident, secure of myself, of my capabilities? I'm puzzled like a driver, cautiously maneuvering in the pouring rain, not able to see anything clearly. I'm deserted with no answers, no resolutions, but only to keep looking ahead with patience, with hope.

Teen Voices Online celebrates the diverse voices and experiences of teenagers. Through self-awareness, poetry, and personal reflections, these young writers explore the challenges and triumphs of adolescence. They remind us to embrace our uniqueness, pursue our passions, and look ahead with hope. Join us in celebrating the power and resilience of teen voices!