Every Monday night, Maria comes with a smile and only speaks of the talks that her class and her instructor Amy had. She has built a fantastic community at Writopia Lab and made friends with her classmates and instructor. She has had the chance to submit her writing to multiple places, learning the lesson of what rejection feels like as well as acceptance. She won a Gold and Silver key at the Scholastics Art and Writing Awards, and she thanks Amy because she supported her with the submission process allowing Maria to come out victorious. She was then chosen as a student speaker and wrote and memorized a speech to give at the Gold Key Awards. Amy was a great support throughout her journey, helping Maria with the foundation of her speech and giving her pointers to guide her towards success. Maria was very nervous, but with the congratulations and aid of Amy, she felt encouraged to push through...I thank Amy for her dedication to these teens. She instantly clicked with Maria, and from there, their friendship grew with writing as their shared love. Maria now wishes to minor in poetry in her college career. She, too, was chosen by the creator of Ellipsis to take summer writing classes online to develop her skills. She could not have been more excited. So, thank you all for allowing so many teens to have the chance to create their fondness for writing. Maria would never have known this side of herself without the support of Writopia Lab!

Vilma DeFelice