I don't know why, but the hijab became a huge deal for my dad. He told me that if I didn't wear it he would send me back to Africa. I thought this was an unfair threat.  more>

Interview with Gladys Carrión, a lawyer from the Bronx and commissioner of the state's Office of Children and Family Services. Carrión talks about necessary improvements for New York's juvenile detention centers more>

It's not the genes but the lack of access to education that allows STDs to run rampant in racial and ethnic minorities. more>

There is a good poster in my school that says: A baby costs $471 a month. How much do you have in your pocket? Good question, huh? I think all teenagers should have that poster in their rooms on the ceiling over their bed so when they lie down, it's a reminder. more>

It happened so fast, with no warning. It came and hit me just like that. My first day in foster care, I was so confused, so lost I didn't even know what was going on. I only caught a glimpse of my grandmother's downhearted look as we were leaving. more>

A 19-year-old African-American man writes of his voting experience, race, the issues, Barack Obama and his young friends' attitudes to voting. more>

Dyhalma Anaya, 16, walked into the United Puerto Rican Organization of Sunset Park's (UPROSE) office on a mission. She went straight to the community organization's executive director, Elizabeth Yeampierre, and told her, "I want to change the world." Six years later, as an UPROSE youth organizer, Dyhalma has helped to fight off a power plant the city wanted to build in her neighborhood. more>

I didn't see what was so great about being Greek. I was ashamed of my background and wanted to be anything else. I hated Greek music, which sounded like barbaric screams to me, and Greek dancing, which consisted of breaking plates and everyone dancing together in one uncomfortable circle. It all seemed overly dramatic and insane. more>

When you grow up caught between two cultures, clear definitions don't come easy. more>

My abuela is always talking about how to save a dollar. She brings home 99-cent juice, sodas and junk foods that taste like complete crap and have no nutritional value. But if I complain to my abuela, she looks at me with disappointment and says, "Well, you don't know what it is to not have. It's called survival." more>

Seventeen-year old Stephanie Perez was proud when her boyfriend joined the Army Reserves. A year and a half after the start of the war in Iraq, her fears about him being sent over started to fade, but then she got a call saying he was leaving for Iraq in September, for a term of two years. more>

My friend Sarah got pregnant about two years ago. We were both 15 at the time. Getting pregnant at 15 "wasn't in the plan." She'd always dreamed of college and a career. She also realized that she wouldn't "be able to offer the child the attention that is so needed, especially in the beginning, a proper environment [and] proper parenting." more>

How do today's youth relate to the Republican Party? Interviews with young Republican interns for the RNC reveal support for Bush's "War on Terrorism," but not necessarily for his stance on abortion. more>

With all that is going on, the military has been criticized for giving a high-pressure sales pitch to young men and women who are struggling financially by promising them a better life. I wanted to see if this was true, and if so, how they'd do it. It was not a happy encounter. more>

Our schools are supposed to teach us about HIV and AIDS. While I've learned about them at my school, Brooklyn International HS, many New York City students haven't gotten the required lessons as mandated by law since 1996. more>

When I was in 7th grade, our principal asked me, my best friend Tatianna, and another friend if we wanted to ride on a float in the Puerto Rican Day Parade. The three of us had the highest grades in the entire 7th grade, and since we were all Hispanic, we were given this opportunity. "I don't think I want to go," I told the principal. "Why not?" he asked. "Well, I'm not Puerto Rican, so I shouldn't be on the float if I'm not Puerto Rican." more>

Jordan Yue, a Chinese-American high school student in the city reflects on the stress of having to live up to the expectations imposed on him by classmates, teachers, his parents and society. more>

When I was 12, my mom, my sister Lina and I moved to the United States to join my father. He had left us when I was five to come here to work and give us a better life back in Colombia. Ever since we arrived, I see mostly our differences. We have problems getting along and we argue, especially about guys. Sometimes I feel disappointed that my father is not who I thought he would be. more>

When I was 5 years old, my family moved to Iraq. Baghdad was beautiful. My house was big, and outside we had a garden filled with the beautiful smell of jasmine flowers. Our lives were good until Iraq started a war with Kuwait. more>

One girl's journey from growing up Christian in Ukraine to attending yeshiva in Brighton Beach, to accepting both her heritages as a public high school student. more>