Born and raised in Philadelphia, 16-year-old Siani Williams has always been a motivated and creative personality. As a child, she split her time amongst various activities, such as dancing and acting. Now, she can be found participating in a variety of clubs at Cristo Rey Philadelphia High School.

One such club is the Slam Poetry Club, which, in addition to reading and creative writing, has been a great form of self-expression for Siani. Additionally, she finds great comfort in a variety of music genres ranging from rap and R&B to alternative rock and show tunes.

Although she has many interests, Siani is most strongly compelled by a future career in journalism, specifically in broadcast journalism. Coming from a single-parent household, Siani has found that her mother and sisters are the greatest motivating factor behind her work.

“I want to be a big motivation for my sisters and an inspiration for them,” hoping to “lead the pathway that they can get out of Philly,” she said.

Siani’s family and life experiences have also pushed her to address certain topics — social justice, inadequate court systems, and domestic abuse being some of the more prominent issues. Through rigorous study and application, it’s Siani’s hope that she can one day leave Philadelphia and develop a successful career in journalism. It’s through this goal that she hopes to address the issues that she finds most pervasive in society, reaching out “so people who go through [hardships] don’t feel alone.”

While she maintains that minorities have been suffering for a long time, Siani takes an optimistic stance, saying, “I believe that America is a mess, but we’ll get it together.”