Welcome to The Wildling Story Booth. Your story matters, and we want to hear it. The Wildling Story Booth is a special project in partnership with filmmaker Maribeth Romslo to capture youth audio stories that shape who we are.Our first season of Story Booth, "Growing Up in a Pandemic," showcases storytellers, ages 7-18, sharing their personal thoughts and experiences from the heart of the pandemic. The stories range from tear-jerking tales of worry to triumphant social relationships and wacky isolation memories. You can listen to stories from the “Growing Up in a Pandemic†showcase.To learn more about the project and to contribute your voice, visit https://thewildling.org/story-booth.
"Placing another life at the center of my little solar system, reshapes my need to be perfect into a desire to be helpful." - Isabelle, 12th grade
"Making history should be defined as the moments in life when we've struggled and overcome, cried, smiled, fallen, gotten back up, made mistakes, and learned from them." - Bukunmi, 11th grade
"I hope I will contribute to the development of a theory that applies all four forces to quantum mechanics. This motivates me to continue to learn and discover because of the possibility that I could further humanity's knowledge of the fundamentals of our universe and existence." - Kate, 11th grade
"I believe the odds of how realistic a dream can be are determined by how much you believe in yourself and are able to think outside the box." - Margaret, 10th grade
"My dad has always been the biggest supporter of my dreams." - Estelle, 12th grade
"My passion in the fields of technology and healthcare makes me dream big as the world is shrinking, with rapid changes in technology." - Anushka, 12th grade
"This is what imagining bigger looks like to me — encouraging others to be involved in new things that you think they will enjoy." - Sierra, 12th grade
"When I was watching the news about Russia taking over Ukraine, it struck me like lightning." - Kummal, 4th grade
"My parents are always there for me and always proud and willing to support my goals." - Mathias, 6th grade
"The world has been continuously ending since I can remember. Not even just the pandemic, but politics, climate change capitalism." - Benny, 12th grade
"Frida Kahlo is a trailblazer. I look up to her. Frida shows me that I can do anything I put my mind to. She shows me to be fierce when things are tough." - Josefina, 5th grade
"I sought to connect with those who may have faced a similar battle, reassuring them that they were not alone. And for myself, I learned to understand and forgive my dad." Jorja, 12th grade
"In order to imagine a better would mean working towards a more just an inclusive society, where all other individuals have equal rights and opportunities regardless of their background." - Sammy, 11th grade
"I want to use my voice to convince people that war is bad. Everybody deserve fairness and peace." - Htee, 12th grade
"Interacting with strangers on the subway is one of the simple joys I found in life because it reminds me that we're all in this together." - Sunde, 9th grade
"Growing up there have been times where I felt small felt as if I didn't matter. I still think like that sometimes, but I believe it's worth considering how we matter as people." - Murwat, 11th grade
"Whoever you have around you depends on how you're gonna be in life and how you're gonna act." - Fojay, 12th grade
"I want to make sure I can pave a positive way for myself, and having stability for myself." - Joseline, 12th grade
"I will show the world there's more than just black and white. And I will use my degree and voice to make sure that people are seen in this world and heard." - Amyeir, 12th grade
"Practice makes progress and never perfect." - Fatima, 5th grade
"We have the power to make a difference." - Catherine, 12th grade
"My favorite sport is basketball. I have a hoop on my garage, so I can get to practice a lot." - Jeriah, 5th grade
"Dear nature, I love climbing on your trees. I love doing parkour in the forest." - Najohn, 4th grade
"I am me and that's all I need. I feel like me the most when I'm outside." - Darrell, 4th grade
"I like to ride my bike outside because it feels refreshing, fun and adventurous." - Octavia, 4th grade
"I like to ride my bike outside because it feels refreshing, fun and adventurous." - Dezarae, 4th grade
"Sharpen your pencils, choose your new outfit and wait for snow." - Shy, 4th grade
"Dear nature can you pick a weather? One day you're raining and the next it's sunny. Please pick one." - Takarionia, 4th grade
"One time, we were having a birthday pool party next door with a jumpy house. My brother went to down the slide so fast, he fell off." - Asia, 4th grade
"Nights were warm but not sweltering and clear, marked with hours spent around a campfire or at the center of boat, listening to country and rock music from crackly speaker." - Elinor, 12th grade
"We walked out in a very crowded urban area and there's just a peacock walking in like the one plot of grass." - Kenna, 12th grade
"Nature brings a lot of thrill of the unknown." - Evan, 12th grade
"It just made me happy knowing that after a long day of school, I would be able to spend some time outside." - Allison, 12th grade
"One step forward, two steps back. So many obstacles along the way." - Yohanis, educator
"Sunrays battle with frost dusted winds and small green buds are eager to emerge from underneath the cold and cracked, sometimes even snow dusted earth." - Basanti, educator
"Earlier this year, I determined that I would live by a phrase I'd stumbled upon: be where your feet are." - Mia, age 19
"I take those simple steps outside on my first walk in months and I see everything that nature provides and I breathe in the fresh air and I know that I'm going to be okay." - Isabel, age 20
"When I go out and I see a plant by myself, I can identify it without having to search it up or anything." - Rashad, 11th grade
"The dog looked at me and started chasing me. And I ran. Keep in mind, I play soccer as well. So I ran really fast." - Ahmed, age 14
"I trudged through the curb with a water spilling over my boots. I looked down and saw leaves roaring through the water." - Noah, age 18
"Being with people, and being outside allows me to grow and be active." - Kee, age 14
"Something I did this summer was going to the Mississippi River to catch dragonflies." - Charlie, age 15
"I was just peacefully sitting trying to eat my blueberry muffin and a seagull stole my muffin out of my hand." - Maya, age 14
"The outdoors open many opportunities to me and give me lots of time to think to myself." - Chouamon, age 16
"When you set your hook and you finally catch a fish and you can feel the adrenaline pumping through your body." - Billy, age 14
"Sometimes if I like lay outside in the winter, it's too quiet. I can and I hear my own heartbeat." - Rose, age 16
"I don't like the great outdoors but I still like being outside." - RW, age 16
"The water at the Boundary Waters was really clean and clear." - Gauchong, age 16
"I love the flowers, the smell of flowers when going through gardens. I love the bees buzzing around those flowers." - Gailthavhan, age 17
"It was in winter and it was very cold out but we were very excited to go skiing." - Eli, 5th grade
"When we finished that trail, we decided to grab some lemonade because we were very hot, even though it was only 75 degrees out." - Fritz, 6th grade