Allison Xu (she/her), a senior at Walter Johnson High School, is Montgomery County’s 2023 Youth Poet Laureate. She has also won the 2022-23 Fran Abrams Creative Writing Award from the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County and received a National Society of High School Scholars Speak Up! Award. Her creative work has been published in outlets like Blue Marble Review and The Daphne Review, in addition to several anthologies. She is president of Walter Johnson’s Creative Writing Club and an editor of Polyphony Lit and Misty Mint Magazine. Allison has performed her poems at Busboys and Poets and The Kennedy Center, among other local venues, hoping to raise awareness about societal issues like gun violence and racial discrimination through spoken word. 

Arjan Ghertner Espinoza (he/him), a junior at Montgomery Blair High School, possesses diverse artistic talents, particularly in music and video production, focusing on genres like jazz and Latin music. He is a founder of the Afro-Peruvian ensemble, Grupo Rompe Cajón, a drummer with the Blues Alley Youth Jazz Orchestra, and a member of the Tri-M Musical Honor Society. Selected for the MMEA Young Composers Showcase and recognized by the College Board’s National Hispanic Recognition Program, Arjan co-produced a documentary, The Green Solution, that earned an official citation from the Maryland General Assembly. Currently interning at Montgomery Community Media, Arjan looks forward to collaborating with his fellow artists on projects addressing social justice issues. 

Carrie Johnson (she/her), a senior at Edmund Burke School with 12 years of theater training, participates in The Theater Lab to explore the intersection of theater arts and social justice within and outside the DMV. Apart from her theatrical pursuits, Carrie serves as the co-president of the student body at Edmund Burke School, boasting numerous service awards, honor roll recognition, and a leadership role as the soccer team captain. Carrie’s passions include advocating for the rights and mental health of young Black women and addressing the nation’s racial wealth gap. With plans to pursue degrees in theater and English, she aspires to become a screenwriter, producing films and plays that question and raise awareness about the treatment of Black women in the United States. 

Daniela Martinez (she/her) is a senior in the Humanities program at Poolesville High School, with a passion for writing and theater. She has performed with institutions such as Young Artists of America, Rockville Musical Theatre, and Olney Theatre Center and is an Arts Management intern at Hope Garden Children’s Ballet Theatre. Daniela’s writing about women’s rights has received recognition from the Montgomery County Commission for Women and the Maryland Women’s Heritage Center, and she is an editor of MoCo EmpowHer’s Literary Magazine. She is the winner of a Choose Respect PSA Award, a Maryland History Day Excellence in Women's History Prize, and a BIPOC Young Artists of America Scholarship. In college, Daniela would like to publish her writing and continue her studies, eventually performing musical theater and writing for publications that educate readers about social justice. 

Eric Le (he/him) is a senior at Montgomery Blair High School, enrolled in the Albert Einstein High School’s Visual Art Center Magnet program. His artistic focus is installation work, but Eric’s creative pursuits include music and reading, and he has worked with the stage crew at Blair. Eric is a member of the National Honor Art Society, receiving Honorable Mention in the Congressional Art Competition. He believes that social justice is not just about displacement, but also about the greater goal of unity. Eager to connect with other like-minded artists in the ASJF program, Eric looks forward to sharing his ideas and work. He aspires to be a visual artist and is interested in archivism, particularly art preservation and restoration. 

Isaac Yebio (he/him), a senior at Jackson-Reed High School, is a journalist, poet, and performer whose diverse array of work ranges from critical essays to plays. His talent has been recognized by the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards and National High School Poets. As an officer for the Dialect of Prince George's County, he helped to create a space for youth to develop their writing skills. Currently, he serves as editor for his high school newspaper and is the founder of the school's writing center. Isaac wants to explore writing and poetry as a vehicle for social change, particularly in advocating for environmental justice and racial equity. He is interested in pursuing a career as a journalist, poet or writer and aspires to publish a novel; however, he is also interested in being a biologist or environmental engineer. 

Juliana Dinarte (she/her) is a freshman at The Madeira School in Mclean, Virginia, with a passion for visual and musical arts. She enjoys drawing, painting, digital art, sculpture, mixed media, and vocal art. Juliana is driven by a desire to address issues of gender equality, diversity, and belonging; she is eager to learn how to use art as a tool for social change. As a member of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee at Madeira, Juliana hopes to use her unique artistic voice to teach her peers and school community about DEI, with the greater goal of fostering a deeper understanding of how to promote social equity. Beyond her artistic pursuits, Juliana also is interested in exploring medicine as a potential career path. 

Mekdelawit Gebreslassie (she/her), a senior at Parkmont High School, is a writer and poet. She has self-published two books on Amazon, The Amharic Alphabet with Mekdi and Thoughts Just for Another Day, and two poetry books with Day Eight. Mekdelawite is a member of Words Beats & Life Slam youth poetry team and serves as the editor of Free Minds Book Club & Writing Workshop. Recognized as a QuestBridge National Finalist Match Recipient for Princeton University, she has also been honored with the Civics Unplugged and Climate Innovators fellowships. At Parkmont, she is the founder of the Culture Club, a tour guide, and a new student ambassador/mentor. Through the ASJF program, Mekdelawit hopes to learn from different perspectives while sharing her views. Outside of writing, she is considering a future career in law.  

Rochelle Bremmer (she/her), a senior at Montgomery Blair High School, expresses herself through mixed media, fiber art, and dance. She also owns a small business, RB.Creations, selling crochet items and art. Currently serving as an apprentice at Arts on the Block in Silver Spring, she has won a Gold Key Art Award and a Jamie Raskin Congressional Art Award. At Blair, Rochelle is a community chair officer for the National Art Honor Society, and she participates as a member of the African dance team and the crochet club. She looks forward to working with her ASJF peers to create a safe space for sharing perspectives. After graduation, Rochelle plans to pursue a degree in medical illustration, while growing her small business and giving back to her community.  

Salincya Archard (she/her) is a freshman at National Cathedral School with a passion for theater, music, and social justice. She is teaching herself to play the keyboard and guitar, though her voice is her primary instrument. She showcases her musical talent as a member of Washington Performing Arts Children of the Gospel choir. In the theater world, Salincya has had the opportunity to workshop with Shakespeare Theater Company and Arena Stage, while starring in several school productions. Beyond her artistic endeavors, Salincya served as co-captain of her volleyball team for two seasons before discovering rowing. Looking ahead, she aspires to establish a nonprofit to provide marginalized teens with exposure to the performing arts. 

Wallace Hewchuck (he/him) is a homeschooled high school senior with a multifaceted artistic repertoire. He is a classical and alternative musician, a dancer, a visual artist, a poet, and a tattoo artist. In 2023, Wallace was selected to perform violin at the London Suzuki Gala in the prestigious Royal Albert Hall, a distinction reserved for the top Suzuki students in the world. With 15 years of violin experience under his belt, Wallace has developed the ability to teach himself other instruments and is also a self-taught visual and tattoo artist. His goals include opening a tattoo studio, continuing his art education at Montgomery College, and ultimately earning a degree in experiential art and music therapy. 

Yahney-Marie Sangaré (she/her) is a senior at Alexandria City High School (ACHS) and a writer, poet, director, and playwright. At school, she is president of the ACHS NAACP Student Chapter, co-editor-in-chief of the student newspaper, Theogony, and the research committee lead for the ACHS Student Remembrance Project. Her full-length play, Everything Happens at Night, premiered last fall and was the first student-written mainstage, two-act show in the school’s history. Winner of Princeton University’s 2022-2023 Ten-Minute Play Contest and serving as the 2023-2024 Virginia Young Poets in the Community Laureate, Yahney-Marie explores themes of solidarity, temporal realities, and human connection in her writing. She plans to continue writing regardless of her future profession and is considering being an author, journalist, researcher, professor, or lawyer. 

• Students in grades 9-12 during the 2023-2024 school year.
• Able to commit to the entire 6-month fellowship timeline (January-July 2024), including biweekly workshops and events.
• Approximately 6 hours of activity per month, during after-school, evening, and weekend times.
• Will include up to 2 hours of independent work per month. 
• Interest in combining the creative power of the arts with action to bring about social change AND/OR a desire to create art that addresses social issues.  
• Live in DC, Maryland, or Virginia.
• Available to attend in-person events at Strathmore (North Bethesda, MD) and Woolly Mammoth Theatre (Washington, DC). Transportation support is available. 

• The application is open through 11:59pm on October 20, 2023. 
• The application requires two short essays, several short form questions, and details about mandatory references. 
• Staff members from Woolly Mammoth and Strathmore will review applications.  
• Applicants selected for interviews will be scheduled for a 30-minute Zoom conversation with one representative from each presenting organization. 
• All applicants will be notified of their application status by December 1, 2023.