In celebration of Women’s History Month and National Reading Month, we are honored to share about Adrianna Serrano, a Dos Palos High School student who excels in reading, writing, and music. Adrianna is a participant in ARC’s Rising Community Leaders Program and she graduated from our first Stepping Stone Course in the summer of 2023.
When asked about when her love of reading and writing began, Adrianna shared, “It started off with my grandma reading to me when I was a little, itty, bitty lad” she says. This early exposure ignited a passion for storytelling, leading her to craft her own stories from the age of 7, typing them out on her grandmother’s typewriter. Adrianna says, “I really liked the stories that she would read to me and it also helped me with reading and in school. It got me a lot of reading wizard awards!” Her grandmother still has Adrianna’s wizard awards displayed on her refrigerator door.
Adrianna’s passion for reading and writing has continued to flourish in the years since. She finds inspiration in women authors, especially Dhonielle Clayton, particularly admiring Clayton’s descriptive style and ability to show, not tell, through her writing. Adrianna appreciates how the author captivates readers from the very first page, tapping into each of our human senses with such ease, so they can not only imagine the scenes, but feel, hear, smell, and taste them.
As she makes her way through her third year in ARC’s Rising Community Leaders Program, Adrianna reflects back to her ninth grade year when she found writing about herself to be a little intimidating, exposing her to the deep discomfort of vulnerability. Stepping into personal narratives felt like a “stab to the gut,” she shared. Despite these challenges, she has noticed a change in herself and an increased maturity in her writing. The self-reflective journey of writing and sharing in ARC’s programs has ultimately led her to a deeper understanding of who she is. “It’s like talking to myself in a mirror, then the me in the mirror pulls me in and I realize I’m just the same person,” she explains. Through writing her manifesto last summer, Adrianna started to find greater confidence in her voice, connecting with the vulnerability she once feared. As she works on her Identity Statement this year, she is strengthening her sense of how to use metaphors in her writing to show vulnerability and strength, marking a big leap in her journey as a writer and as an individual.
Inspired by the authors she admires, Adrianna hopes to use her talents in literacy and music to make a difference in her community. As we celebrate women’s contributions throughout history, Adrianna hopes to also leave a lasting mark on the world, not through the spotlight, but as a guiding light illuminating the paths of others. ARC is grateful to support the journeys of young people like Adrianna as they find their voices and share them with the world.
If you know of a young person who would benefit from ARC’s programming, please share this link to our Summer Course application. We plan to run four courses in Summer 2024 and will be accepting applications until May 5th, 2024. If you have any questions, please contact us!