18 & Under 38
Antoine Coleman, Jr., 17, Aspiring Mechanic Who Treasured Connecting With Family
Through the power of Facebook, Antoine Coleman, Jr. finally met his father at age 15 after spending years searching for him. Antoine was ecstatic as the pair ate dinner at a TGI Fridays in the mall and compared notes on fashion and music. They shared the same facial features and “big ears,” Altaron Robinson remembered. […]
Trevonte Marks, a ‘man of the house’ at 15, who aspired to be a designer, rapper
Trevonte Marks never wore a bad outfit. Whether it was his school uniform or if he was dressing up for a special occasion, Trevonte, or better known as Tre, always made sure he looked good. Inspired by his dad and uncle’s style, Trevonte loved streetwear and sneaker culture, as noted by his impressive collection of […]
Shaquille Barbour, 18, enterprising optimist with a radiant smile
Shineka Crawford just knew that her baby boy would be a giant. During her pregnancy, her belly expanded so much that she looked like she was having twins. Swift karate kicks in the womb pummeled her insides. She spent seven months on bedrest. Born on April 8, 2003, Shaquille “Shaq” Barbour (named after basketball legend […]
Kahlief Myrick, 16, budding clothing designer who loved making people laugh
Growing up in South Philadelphia, Kahlief Myrick started his morning by looking out the window of his house. He loved the outdoors, and he was eager to go to the park or play on the block. “He would also sometimes go to the door, unbeknownst to me,” his mother Brittany Brunson said. “I used to […]
Elijah Dobbs-Harvey, 18, Devoted “Uncle Juicy” Who Stood Up to Bullies
By the time he was three days old, Elijah Dobbs-Harvey had already cheated death. Born with neuroblastoma, a very rare cancer that forms in certain types of nerve tissue, Elijah survived a grueling surgery only to be later diagnosed with epilepsy and a severe speech impediment. “He didn’t like it but it was part of […]
Tahj Williams, 17, tireless team player, member of JROTC
As a wrestler, Tahj Williams was tinier than all of his competitors in the lowest weight class. Teachers often mistook him for someone’s younger brother, even though he could quiet down a chaotic classroom and hold his own among a group of coaches bantering in their office. Tahj wasn’t naturally gifted at sports but he […]
Wahseem Mason, 15, athletic teen who cared for his community
Besides loving sports data, Wahseem Mason was a gamer, and his mother, Nadira Madison, remembers it almost cost her $600 to find out. Wahseem was in fifth grade, spending another afternoon playing video games and enjoying the experience, but he needed extra money to purchase more levels. The system was already set up in Nadira’s name, […]
Saleem West, 16: ‘Basketball was his whole life’
Acquanetta A. Sutton never thought she’d be a mother. Doctors told her she would not be able to bear children, but she ultimately proved them wrong. On July 25, 1999, after 30 hours of labor, Acquanetta gave birth to her only child, Saleem West. “He was my miracle baby,” she said. “He changed my whole […]
Adam Hammer, 17, ‘the realest person you’d ever met’
When he was in sixth grade, Adam Hammer wrote about how his dream was to walk onto the football field at Oklahoma State University, just like Vince Papale did with the Eagles. He was nervous because at the time, he was the shortest player on the team and only weighed about 45 pounds, but Adam […]
Tahmair Timms, 14, feisty athlete who was unstoppable on the basketball court
“If you can lose on the court, then you can understand life,” Coach Kevin Perry used to remind his star basketball player, Tahmair Timms. Although Tahmair was shorter than all the other Olney Eagles, he was a ferocious competitor who scarcely tolerated losing. During a regional playoff game in 2017, when the Eagles were getting […]
Ammar Hassan, 17, WorkReady teen who was set to graduate high school this month
Ammar Hassan had plans. He was a go-getter, his mother Shawanda Hassan said, and he was determined to help grow his family’s business, Hassan Home Improvement. He was scheduled to graduate from West Catholic Preparatory High School, then attend college. Ammar was also going to be a father, a fact he had not yet shared […]
Thalyl ‘Baby 9’ Taylor, 17, 2nd son killed, with funeral disrupted by coronavirus
Thalyl Rashiem Taylor didn’t have the easiest start in life. He was born with underdeveloped lungs, and he was hospitalized frequently with asthma. But that didn’t stop him from playing basketball. At about 5 feet 6 inches, he wasn’t the tallest on the team, but he was good, and had dreams of making it big. […]
Quantico Brunson, a smiling 17-year-old who aspired to build schools
When Quantico Mareno Brunson pictured his future, he saw himself playing football for the Temple Owls, becoming an engineer and building things. “He always said he wanted to build schools and houses,” his mother Shantice Wideman said. “He wanted to build a big old house with 15 rooms so all of my family can be […]
Jahsun Patton, 18, college-bound football player, actor who ‘had that success thing’
No matter how late Jahsun Ahmad Patton stayed up at night, he still made sure he was up in time to make the long trip from his Northeast Philadelphia home to Boys’ Latin of Philadelphia Charter School in West Philadelphia. “I would hear him still up at 2 a.m., then I’d hear him closing the […]
Emilio Lopez, 18, a humble kid who loved Spanish cooking
When Nilsa Romero had her second son, Emilio, she was a stay-at-home mom for two years, which she was not able to do with her other two children. As a result, she and Emilio had an especially close relationship. “I would never say I have a favorite child, because as a mother you just don’t […]
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