Amanda Gorman’s journey to the inauguration and Super Bowl came with the help of a unique group of mentors

By Gabriel Kinder

In 2014, Amanda Gorman was a budding young poet in Los Angeles.

As the then 16-year-old practiced reciting her poem “We Dragonflies” on video, little did she know her journey would lead her to deliver one of the standout moments during President Joe Biden’s inauguration — and to become the first poet to perform at the Super Bowl.

The 2014 video clip of Gorman — which offers a glimpse into the early days of that journey –was recorded by the non-profit WriteGirl, a Los Angeles-based creative writing mentorship program founded by CNN Hero Keren Taylor.
Gorman joined WriteGirl when she was 14. She attended the group’s monthly creative writing workshops throughout her high school years and was matched with volunteers for one-on-one mentoring. Read the full story at CNN.