Miguel Roura meets students where they are. In the classrooms of his East LA community, he asks young people about their lives. Miguel learns their stories, and he tells them the world is waiting to hear them, too.
“People want to know what the students in East LA are thinking and living,” he tells them.
After 37 years teaching at Roosevelt and Mendez High Schools in Boyle Heights, the retired English teacher returns to the classroom as an 826LA volunteer. “Writing empowers students,” Miguel says. “I want them to go to college and have a good life.”
Writing’s had a powerful impact on Miguel’s life, and that’s something he communicates with students. The lifelong writer became a published author in retirement, and he shows students his books to help students visualize what it’ll be like to be published, too.
He tells students, “This is going to be you. Your name is going to be in this. This is for real.”
Miguel reminds students that they are in charge of their futures, and that writing is a powerful tool for self-determination. “I like to tell students that their futures will be better because they’re better writers.”
Now more than ever before, students across Los Angeles need to hear that it’s not just okay to raise their voices — it’s important beyond measure. Will you help us share this message by making a charitable donation today?
With support from Miguel and community members like you, 826LA’s invaluable services will help over 9,000 Los Angeles students share their stories, publish their work, and write their futures next year.
