Welcome to the Moth podcast. I'm Anna Stern, your host for this episode.

As the senior manager of the Moth's education program, one of the best parts of my job is hearing the stories of the young people we work with.

Some kids come in with a million stories to tell, and others find their story throughout the course of our workshop. But however they come to the Moth, they can all end up in front of a mic,

hearing the applause that thunders from the crowd once they finish telling their tale.

The Moths education program creates spaces where young people can listen,

celebrate each other's voices, and tell their own stories.

Through crafting and sharing true personal narratives,

participants gain a deeper understanding of themselves,

their peers, their community, and the world around them.

In this episode, we'll be featuring two stories that come from the Moth Story Lab.

If you're a high school or college student from anywhere in the country

looking to tell your own story or know a kid who might be into that opportunity, stay tuned.

We'll have more information on how to get involved later in the episode.

First up, we've got Aarva Chakin.

She told this at an education grand slam in New York City, where the theme of the night was out of the blue.

Here's Arava, live at the hall.

I was entering high school at a progressive religious school, and it was considered progressive because they were mixed gender classes.

I walked in on my first day with a brand new dress that went below my knees and a boatload

of optimism.

I was really excited for this school because this was the only Jewish school in the tri-state

area that offered BC calculus.

And I decided, because I knew someone who did it, that I was

...