Grade 8 student Somto U. is from Somalia. He spends most of his time playing basketball and badminton, taking photographs, and hanging out with his friends.
What follows is Somto’s story, in his own words:
I play badminton and basketball, and I guess I do a little arts and crafts. I started badminton and sports stuff when I was a little kid, and then I started playing basketball because of my brother. And I’ve been drawing ever since I was five years old.
The transition to 8th grade is still really similar to 7th grade. My favorite childhood memory is getting my dad’s old digital camera and using it to take photos. It gave me the opportunity to keep memories since I was moving at the time.
People ask me questions about where I’m from all the time. Yes, I have experienced racism, but I just ignore it sometimes, or I talk back sometimes.