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BACKGROUND <br /> In August 2012, the City began a formal process to recruit and appoint a Teen Poet <br /> Laureate to expand poetry and literary arts to youth in Pleasanton. In January 2013 the <br /> first two students, one from Amador Valley High School and one from Foothill High <br /> School, were appointed to serve as the City's first Teen Poets Laureate for the 2012/13 <br /> school year. <br /> Past Teen Poets Laureate include: <br /> • Arany Uthayakumar (2012-2013) <br /> • Diana Fu (2012-2013) & (2013-2014) <br /> • Nive Raghavan (2013-2014) <br /> • Nicole Tsuno (2014-2015) <br /> • Maya Lyubomirsky (2014-2015) <br /> • Frances Tang (2015-2016) <br /> • Kyler Juarez (2015-2016 and 2016-2017), <br /> • Kyle Mular (2016-2017) <br /> • Irene Sha (2016-2017 and 2017-2018) <br /> • Nithya Swaminathan (2016-2017 and 2017-2018) <br /> • Yasmin Ghaemmaghani (2017-2018) <br /> • Varsha Vaidyanath (2017-2018) <br /> • Sandra Chen (2018-2019) <br /> • Kanchan Naik (2019-2020) <br /> • Nikita Jayaprakash (2021-2022) <br /> • Tho Nguyen (2022-2023) <br /> In 2022/23 school year, Teen Poet Laureate Tho Nguyen engaged in the following <br /> activities to provide original poetry: the Hometown Holiday Celebration, the Paws to <br /> Read 20th Anniversary Celebration, the Firehouse Arts Center's Fresh Works Gallery <br /> Reception, and the Epiphany Poetry Contest hosted at the Firehouse Arts Center. Tho <br /> shared with staff the following experiences from her role: "Working with Pleasanton's <br /> community as the Teen Poet Laureate was an incredible experience. Not only was I <br /> able to work with an amazing support system through Ms. Delang and the library team, I <br /> met people of all ages and backgrounds, from professional writers to elementary school <br /> students. Organizing events like open mics and poetry workshops allowed me to <br /> engage with the community and form meaningful relationships. Those moments of <br /> connection and inspiration through writing have transformed how I write and interact <br /> with others." <br /> DISCUSSION <br /> Library and Recreation staff began the formal recruitment process for the Teen Poet <br /> Laureate position for the 2023/24 school year in March 2023. Incoming high school <br /> juniors and seniors who enjoy writing and inspiring others and have interest in <br /> contributing to their community were encouraged to apply. <br /> Page 2 of 3 <br />