My Scariest Moment

by Santiago Orellano, Age 10, 826LA

Ten-year-old Santiago (aka Tito) was assigned to write a short story about a scary moment in his life. Little did he know that retelling this chilling memory was going turn into one of his proudest moments yet! Tito’s My Scariest Moment story was published in a Halloween issue of the New York Times for Kids, a section of the paper created just for our 8-14-year-old readers.

Tito claims his story is true. He said “My brother really did see the girl!” He feels good about his published story and thanks 826LA for letting him write it. He said, “I feel happy about it. My favorite part of 826LA has to be the writing. And everyone is nice.”

AST Program Coordinator Cynthia said, “I asked a few students [to write a story] and Tito was really excited. After getting parent permission to share their contact info, the reporter called them and transcribed his story.”

Tito has been an 826LA student in Echo Park for a year, and is fully invested in the mission of this organization. He participates in various workshops at 826LA and even created his own club that meets during decompression time at AST. Tito has also developed the role of announcer of upcoming workshops and events. Cynthia said, “He loves drawing, writing, and creating. His favorite TV show is Adventure Time and he would like to a graphic designer when he grows up.” All 826LA staff members and volunteers are very proud of him.