A poet, author and activist.  Amanda's poetry is a mix of oppression, feminism, race, marginalization, African Diaspora, historical and social issues.

Community:
Amanda and her twin sister, Gabrielle, (a filmmaker) grew up in Los Angeles and was raised by a single mother, who is a writer and a public school English teacher.

Obstacles:
Premature babies born with special needs (speech impediment), Amanda describes herself as being sad and weird as a third grader. She started writing which was a way to combat her depression.

Inspiration:
Motivated to be a poet after watching a speech by Pakistani Nobel Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai in 2013.

Education and Hustle: 
* A junior at Harvard studying for a degree in Sociology/Government.
* Writer for the New York Times newsletter, The Edit, tailored to college students and recent graduates.
* At the age of 16 Amanda became a youth delegate for the United Nations.
* Published the poetry book, "The One for Whom Food Is Not Enough".
* In 2017, she made history by becoming the first ever Youth Poet Laureate of the United States of America.

* Prior to her national position she served as the inaugural Youth Poet Laureate of L.A. and later the West.
* The first youth poet to open the literary season for the Library of Congress.
* Modeling gigs involving being the face in two national campaigns for Eileen Fisher and Helmut Lang.
* 2017 recipient of the OZY Genius Awards.

Activist Contributions:
* Organizing voter registrations.
* Participate in Fundraising events.
* Created "One Pen One Page", a non-profit organization that provides platforms for underserved young storytellers.
* Produced "Generation Empathy", a digital virtual reality experience to explore youths various cultures and environments.

Future Plans:
Running for president in 2036. In the meantime, Amanda plans to pursue a career in writing, storytelling and poetry and becoming involved in nonprofit and governmental work in education.

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@amandascgorman

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Special Mention

On January 20, 2021, Amanda Gorman became the sixth and youngest poet, at age twenty-two, to deliver a six minutes poetry reading of “The Hill We Climb,” at the historic presidential inauguration after Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were sworn in as president and vice president.  Shortly thereafter, two of her books achieved best-seller status, and she obtained a professional management contract. In February 2021, Gorman was highlighted in Time magazine's 100 Next List under the category of Phenoms, with a profile written by Lin-Manuel Miranda.

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