"I'm the First"

Being the first person to do something—whether it’s in your family, your school, your community, or the world—is never easy. You might feel like you have no path to follow. You might even have people telling you the thing you want to do can’t be done. But breaking barriers and challenging perceptions is totally worth it: Just ask the four teens on the following pages. These amazing trailblazers ignored naysayers, overcame their fears, and found the courage to forge new paths. Their “firsts” range from undergoing an experimental medical procedure to challenging stereotypes about what a dancer looks like, but they all have one thing in common: They believed in themselves and their power to make the world a better place. Read on to learn how they did it— and be inspired to break some barriers yourself.

Angelica Torres, 15, from Texas, was the first young person in the U.S. to have an untested heart procedure

All of her life, Angelica’s heartbeat has been faster than most kids’. Usually it’s a little bit faster—140 beats per minute (bpm), compared with the average 70-100 bpm. But sometimes it’s a lot faster—up to 300 bpm. When this happens, Angelica feels a sharp, stabbing pain. Even worse, all the extra beating can weaken her heart muscle over time, leading to a heart attack or stroke.

Doctors have tried different things to correct Angelica’s problem, including medications and surgeries, but none of them worked. Then, two years ago, Angelica learned about a heart loop monitor, a device the size of a thumb drive that could be implanted in her body. The monitor wouldn’t stop her heart rate from spiking, but it would help doctors track when and why it happened. The only catch? Angelica would be the first kid in the U.S. to have a heart loop monitor implanted.

“I was nervous,” Angelica says. If something went wrong, she’d have to stop playing sports. But if it worked, it would give doctors information that could bring them closer to a cure for her condition. That felt like a powerful possibility—so she decided to have the surgery.

The procedure was a success, and today, Angelica wears a device around her neck that receives signals from the monitor and sends them to her mom’s phone. If her heart rate gets too high, she takes medicine to control it. This allows her to look toward a future as a pediatric cardiologist, so she can help other kids like her.

Logan Schommer, 18, from Minnesota, is the first boy on his school’s dance team

In reality, though, Logan had nothing to worry about. He made the team. (“I started jumping and going crazy when I found out,” he says.) But being the first boy meant there were plenty of details to work out that no one had thought of before—like what to wear for competitions and where to get dressed, since there was no boys’ dressing room. The fixes included ordering dance shoes in a women’s size 12, which, he says, “I’ve basically been doing my whole life.” As for what he does to get competition-day glam? Slicked-back hair, yes. Makeup, no.

For Logan, the best part of being on the team is getting to do what he loves. But being a role model also feels great. “At my first competition, I remember seeing people’s faces: Some looked surprised, some looked happy, and some looked confused.” Afterward, he was approached by a few guys from another school. “They said I did a really good job and they’d never seen a guy dance like that,” he recalls. Last year, when the team gave lessons to kids, one boy made a beeline for Logan and gave him a high five.

“I felt super honored,” Logan says, “knowing that other little boys want to be like me.”

Diego Chavez, 19, from California, is the first in his family to go to college

Diego’s parents always urged him to do his best in school. That’s because they want him to have an easier life than they’d had. Growing up in Mexico, his mother went to work at a young age and wasn’t able to finish high school, while his stepfather— who raised him—never made it to college. After moving to the U.S. when Diego was 4, his parents took jobs with long hours and low pay. He remembers being woken up at 4 a.m. to go to a relative’s house before they had to start work. “They always said, if you don’t do well in school, you’re gonna end up like us,” he recalls.

For a long time, Diego struggled to live up to his family’s expectations. He was convinced he just wasn’t cut out for studying: “I’d tell myself, ‘If you can’t learn, you can’t learn, and that’s it.’” It didn’t help that his accent made him self-conscious about speaking English in class.

But everything changed in junior high, when Diego checked out a book from the library and realized he loved reading: “I thought, ‘Why haven’t I been doing this all along?’” He soon revised his image of himself as a bad student and discovered a gift for learning, eventually moving up to AP classes and joining a local program that helps prepare him for his dream job working in law enforcement.

Last spring, Diego graduated from high school with a very impressive 4.3 GPA and a spot at a local university—a first for anyone in his family. At his graduation, “there were some tears,” he recalls. Now that Diego’s in college, his parents continue to motivate him to work hard. “They risked a lot coming to the U.S. so I could have an education,” he says. “I want to show them that I am grateful.”

Elise Sampson, 16, from Delaware, started her high school’s first Black Student Union

Elise was in middle school when she first became aware of the racism in her school. After a white student called her a racial slur, he was suspended for just one day, while Elise wound up being cyberbullied for reporting the incident. In high school, she says, the racial discrimination was worse. Although her school’s student body was 30 percent Black, there were few Black teachers, and Black history was barely covered in class. “We needed a space where students of color could feel worthy and appreciated, and also be seen,” she says.

Elise knew that change could happen only with the school’s support, so she scheduled meetings with Black members of the administration to discuss closing the racial divide. Even though she was only a freshman, she wasn’t intimidated. “As a student, you have to use your voice and be confident enough to speak up,” she says.

The next fall, she headed back to school with a written proposal for a Black Student Union (BSU), a student-run organization that helps raise racial and cultural awareness and build community. “I felt like that was exactly what my school needed,” she says. The administration agreed, and the BSU was up and running in a matter of weeks. One teacher told her, “This is so overdue.”

Some students, however, were less enthusiastic. While Elise was advertising the club in the cafeteria, a kid yelled out, “I’m creating a White Student Union!” But Elise believes the whole student body can benefit from her organization. “The BSU serves the Black teens,” she says, “but I’m also doing it for the white students who want to bridge the gaps in our community.”