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Silver Key, Jane Cui,Grade: 12,Boston Latin SchoolPhotos by: Artists for HumanityGold Key, Pamela Arroyo,Grade: 12, Boston Arts AcademySilver Key, Elyse Roddy, Grade: 11,Boston Latin SchoolSilver Key, Luis John Bonilla, Grade: 12,Boston Arts AcademyGold Key, Quyen Nguyen, Grade: 8, Boston Latin AcademyGold Key, Amy Sun. Grade:12,Boston Latin SchoolSilver Key, Lina Kong, Grade: 12,Boston Latin SchoolSilver Key, Andrew Berggren, Grade: 12, Boston Latin AcademyGold Key, All Bertrand Pierre,Grade: 8, Boston Latin AcademySilver Key, Chloe Prahl, Grade: 12,Boston Latin SchoolGold Key, Francesca Fontin, Grade: 8, Boston Latin AcademyGold Key, Junia Ryan, Grade: 8, Boston Latin AcademySilver Key, Roger Creel,Grade: 12, Roxbury Latin SchoolGold Key, Michelle Ihediotta, Grade:8,Boston Latin SchoolSilver Key, Grade: 12,Pamela Arroyo, Boston Arts AcademySilver Key, Louisa Gag, Grade: 12, Boston Latin SchoolSilver Key, Anson Frazier, Grade:12, Boston Latin Schooli.
July 4, 2003, was the saddest day in mylife. That was the day I lost someoneI loved. That was the day I lost mybrother Ericher.One year before on the same date, myfamily went to Cochituate Beach. Wehad lots of fun. It was so much fun we didn’t want toleave. They had lifeguards take everyone out of thewater every 20 minutes so they could check to see ifanyone was missing or if anyone drowned. I felt safe.On July 4, we tried to return to the same beachbut one of the lifeguards who worked there did notlet us in because it was too full. My family was madbecause we didn’t know what to do. As we weredriving around to look for another beach, we foundCochituate Lake. We decided to go there instead.After we unpacked the car, my two younger brothersMalvin and Ericher and I went to the lake to swim. Myyoungest brother Ericher was scared of the water sohe only stayed in the shallow area. My mom was lookingat us the whole time, and then, when she turnedto look at Malvin and me, she didn’t see Ericheranymore. Mom and I looked for him for 10 minutes,but we didn’t find him. Finally, we heard a man yell,‘Who’s this kid belong to that I found in the water?’He was standing up, holding my brother with his twohands, shaking. He lay my brother on the ground andgave him cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR, butit was too late. Ericher was already gone.They didn’t let my mom in the ambulance becausethey knew it was too late. He was already dead. MyArtwork by: Shisha Kingfather drove us to the hospital in his car. They made uswait in the waiting room for 15 minutes. Then the nursecame and said that it was too late and he was gone. Weall cried. We didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t believeit. It was like a nightmare, only true. Then we wentback to Boston. Everybody was in our house. Somepeople were crying and some people couldn’t believewhat happened either. It just made me think about itand cry more.This affected me during the school year; when Iwas in class, I would put my head down and cry. Irepeated the year because it was too hard to study and Icouldn’t concentrate. I had never lost anyone in my life.Sometimes I asked myself “why didn’t I help him?” butpeople tell me all the time it wasn’t my fault. Still I thinkI should have been with him the whole time. Maybenothing bad would have happened. I feel like I’m missinga piece of me. Every time I think about him, my littlebrother on the ground dead, tears come out of my eyes.Every story has an ending. Everyone has to die oneday, but I also think God should not have taken mybrother from us. He was only 4 years old. He didn’teven get to experience life like other people. There aremany people who are a waste of time like crack heads,alcoholics, and some people in jail. These are thepeople who deserve not to live because they’re wastinglife. Now I receive counseling so I’m not as stressed asI used to be. Now I can concentrate better in school.But there’s a piece of me missing and I’ll never get overmy brother’s death.Artwork by: Kelvin TrinidadIt’s December 2003 and I am sitting in my socialstudies class in Haiti. The principal comes andknocks at my classroom door, asking for me. Idid not expect this and the first thought I have isthat I’m in trouble, but I am not. The principal takesme to his office and tells me my father is coming topick me up from school. I am again surprised. I askthe principal if there is something I should know andhe replies “no.” Twenty minutes later, my father hasarrived, and I repeatedly ask him if everything is OK.He says ‘yes,’ and I feel relieved. He says he’s takingmy siblings and me to the US Embassy. I am 13 yearsold and I don’t know much at this point, but when Iarrive at the embassy, everything seems to go well.After a week passes, my father comes to me athome and tells me to get ready because I am leavingHaiti for Boston. I am so excited at that momentbecause it is a dream come true. Now it’s midnightand I cannot sleep because of the news. I feel happyand sad all at once. I am starting to question whetherI should leave or stay. It is a confusing moment forme because I love my parents so much and I do notwant to leave them behind but I have no choice but toobey my father. The next day I ask him why I am theonly one leaving Haiti for Boston. He tells me it is asecurity issue.I am confused because I thought he loved me, so Iask if he loves me, why is he sending me away? Hisreply is that he never wanted to but there is no otherchoice. I wish I could spend every second of my lifewith my father. Even now, I know he misses me, buthe doesn’t express it to me. I can feel it in his voicewhen I am talking to him on the telephone. I talk to myfather almost every day; there isn’t a day I don’t spendthinking about him. Since the day I arrived in the US, Inever understood why he made such a sacrifice.I remember Haiti in 2003. Homicide and kidnappingis rampant. The government and some supportersare killing innocent people and robbing the rich. Thechimers (thugs) are armed and they appear not tohave any feelings; they are hurting anyone they canfor their needs. They try to take my brother away butour neighbors stand up for him. The thugs have onlyone choice: to let my brother go free. The chimerspersecute my family. We are never safe around them.My father did not want any of his family to be hurtagain. My father never wanted us to be away fromhim, especially me, because I am the youngest and heknows I need him. My father made the best and worstsacrifice when he sent me away. Now I finally understandwhy he made such a sacrifice. It is because heloves me and his actions demonstrate how much Imean to him. My father is the most influential personin my life because he showed me how much he caresfor and loves me, so I can do better in life than he has.He is my hero.I write this story not only because of what I wentthrough leaving family and Haiti for the US, but alsobecause of how this experience continues to affectme. Education is what I am looking for: to go to collegeand graduate with a bachelor’s degree in pharmacyand a major in business. My dream is to be successful,to make my father proud of me.i.
Page 3 and 4: CARLA GUALDRÓNYear in school: Seni
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Page 9 and 10: Right next to Faneuil Hall is a res
Page 11 and 12: We’ve passed the midpoint of the
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Page 16 and 17: SPORTS ANDRECREATIONOut with the ol
Page 18 and 19: (March 21-April 19)Symbol: The ramS
Page 20 and 21: ImagineBy Ashley Cotton // T.i.P. W
Page 22 and 23: Jam’n 94.5 radio DJ Ramiro Torres
Page 24: Have you ever done somethingyou now

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