Semaj Cowan, a 15-year-old from North Philadelphia, is a freshman at West Catholic Preparatory High School. She is the oldest of four and has a lot of big sister duties to fulfill for her two sisters and one brother.

Semaj began writing short stories at 12 years old and continues to have a strong passion for creating a world of fantasy. Also, she always has her nose in a book and this is reflected in her participation in her school’s book club.

She decided to join the Acel Moore High School Journalism Workshop because she viewed it as an opportunity to network and expose herself more to the writing world. She found out about the workshop through her high school, when her English teacher motivated her to participate because of the potential she saw in both Semaj and her writing. Semaj then made sure to take advantage of the opportunity. She has published several pieces of work in her school’s newspaper, so it was an opportunity to further her experience and skill.

Semaj is also part of Students Against Destructive Decisions, a drug-prevention club that raises awareness of the opioid crisis and hosts fundraisers. For example, Semaj sold ribbons that had the message “I am drug-free” stitched on to it, which made students at her school aware of the drug crisis.

After high school, Semaj hopes to attend Spelman College and work towards a profession in the medical field.