I Carry This Memory With Me is a collection of identity writing from
10th grade newcomer students at THURGOOD MARSHALL
ACADEMIC HIGH SCHOOL. In these pages, student authors
reflect on childhood homes in Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua,
Mexico, and El Salvador; on Christmas tamales and soccer fi elds;
on airport reunions and painful goodbyes; on grandparents, siblings,
and parents whose love crosses borders.

With the support of 826 Valencia’s volunteer tutors, students
brought honesty and courage to writing about migration, memory,
language, and belonging, honoring where they come from while
imagining who they are becoming. This volume features a foreword
by Javier Zamora, acclaimed poet, memoirist, and author of Solito.
Across this collection, these pieces remind us that even across
distance and change, the memories we carry continue to shape who
we are and who we will become.