Reading The Absolutely True Story of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie made me feel empowered. Even though I’m a 37-year-old white woman and not exactly the book’s “Young Adult” AKA 12-18-year-old target audience, I could still relate to Junior. I grew up in a poor neighborhood in inner city Philadelphia. The neighborhood had (and still has) a reputation for being a “bad” part of town. Every morning I took public transportation to attend an all-girls catholic high school in an even worse part of town. While I could have gone to a nearby public high school, my parents wanted me to have what they considered a better opportunity and since I’d won a scholarship it seemed like a no brainer. I had my first multicultural experiences in that school and the relationships I formed there helped make me who I am today. Since I’m taking a YA writing class and we’re focusing on multiculturalism this week, I thought it would be fitting and fun to dig out and share something I wrote on the topic back in high school.