Born and raised in Toronto, seventeen year old Furqan Mohamed has got the big city story mixed with the daughter-of-immigrants experience. Having identities that cross multiple intersections, she sees the world through an intersectional lens and brings that to her writing. When she’s not submerging herself in the day’s chaos, she enjoys using poetry and prose as mediums to express views on feminism and identity. Her truest love, however, is social commentary and all things political- because let’s face it, almost everything is. In a world that attempts to silence the voices of women (WoC especially) Furqan is very humbled and proud about the space she gets to take up on the internet with her work.
16 year old Lauren Cho resides outside of New York City and is constantly surrounded by inspiration in the form of independent films, new and antique books, and her ukulele. She was a participant of the New England Young Writers' Conference and Interlochen's summer creative writing program. As a writer, she hopes her work on Teen Eye will highlight minorities and promote women's empowerment.
18-year-old Chloë Gottlieb was born and raised in Los Angeles, surrounded by artists. As a native Californian, her love of Joan Didion and film noir was inborn. Having known from childhood she wanted to be a writer, most of her time is spent in journals, books, the margins of her notes, and even the occasional diner napkin. She’s written on behalf of the United Nations, the Steinbeck Institute, and the Feminist Majority Foundation, as well as having co-organized a now annual feminist art show. When not creating, she loves visiting aquariums, butchering the french language, and listening to dissonant and consonant jazz. Her spiritual icons include but are not limited to Beatrix Kiddo, The Ikea Monkey, and Zinaida Portnova.
Sixteen year old Nyah Hardmon spends the majority of her time freeing her thoughts through her writing, whether it be spoken or written word. She is an avid fan of the arts and often finds herself re-watching Tarantino movies or getting lost in endless music playlists. Nyah resides in Miami, Fl where, like many of the places she’s travelled, she has fallen in love with the melting pot of cultures. Throughout the years, she has used her online platforms to voice her countless opinions on anything from social justice to fashion week. An aspiring journalist, Nyah has learned the value of screaming what’s important to you from the rooftops, and continues to make sure her perspective along with the voices of the unheard are accounted for.
Clara Scott is an eighteen year old college student in the Midwest with a passionate interest in culture and all that comes with it. Whether that be the arts, sociology, media, or politics, Clara has always been committed to following the ripple effect that culture creates in modern society. The rich culture and history of her home in the Detroit area began this passion, and it has grown into a full-blown pursuit to share culture with the world. Her work with Teen Eye focuses on highlighting the experiences of diverse youth while giving them a platform to use their editorial voice in an encouraging environment of free thought.
Téa Lindsey is an eighteen year old college student in love with art, creation and challenging the status quo. She has a drive to innovate, and often pulls inspiration from the spirit of her generation to do so. As someone who overflows with passion, putting it to good use is her life mission. It is with activism, innovation and little bit of bad-bitchery, she hopes to accomplish this. Her divergent thinking, combined with that of her peers, is a force to be reckoned with.
Eighteen year old Jessie Gilles is a bay-area native and has lived on the outskirts of San Francisco for her whole life. Her passions include drawing, playing music, taking pictures of everything from the sentimental to the mundane, and fighting against fascist institutions. Now, by moving to New York City this year, she is pursuing her artistic dreams and expressing herself using the sidewalk as a runway for her eccentric wardrobe while also making a difference with her art. She attends School of Visual Arts in Manhattan and majors in fine arts with a small group of students. Above all of hopes and dreams, she wants to be a catalyst for change, by any means necessary.
Nineteen-year-old Montreal native Fred Sahai has always been artistically inclined. Most of her childhood was spent drawing and now, as she is getting ready to head off to college, she is planning on studying art history or journalism. Her dream is to move to New York City and work as a music journalist. Other than music and visual arts, she is passionate about fashion, history, writing, women’s rights and Stevie Nicks. Her mixed origins have made her very attuned to issues surrounding people of color and she has been known to go on the occasional rant or write an essay in an effort to express her opinions. She hopes that whatever she ends up doing with her life makes a progressive impact on society and brings her happiness and fulfillment.
Seventeen year old Ajunie Virk has always had a strong passion for art and design. Coming from a town on the outskirts of Chicago and from a family of Indonesian and Indian descent, Ajunie has always admired the blend of people from different cultures around her. Her work has mainly focused on the portrayal of human emotion, but after joining the Teen Eye team she hopes to broaden her artistic focus from singular subjects to entire communities and societies. In her free time, Ajunie loves traveling, being out in nature, and eating spicy chicken wings. She hopes her involvement in Teen Eye will be a gateway to more opportunities to talk about women’s rights and inequality, along with the life stories of women from all around the globe.
Eighteen year old New York native Em Odesser has been a teen for most of her life and feels very strongly about guaranteeing the accurate representation of her generation. She joined the Teen Eye team at it's 2014 inception as the fashion editor, citing Tina Weymouth as her main influence, and wants more than anything to have a worldwide matriarchy where no one makes Lolita jokes and everyone understands the huge range of talents that teenagers worldwide have always possessed.
Photo by Kendrick Brinson | NY Times