Our Words Our City

Nawaf

Poet-Athlete

Nawaf is a 5th-grade poet-athlete at LaSalle-Backus Elementary. He made his Our Words Our City debut last year. When he is not writing poetry, he enjoys playing soccer, laughing with his friends, and sleeping!

Ellie

Poet-Athlete

Nine-year-old Ellie is a student at Van Ness Elementary. She is performing in her second Our Words Our City. In addition to writing poetry, Ellie enjoys playing soccer and softball, drawing, and snuggling with her dog, Huck!

Anya

Poet-Athlete

Anya is a third-grade poet-athlete from Excel Academy. This is her first year in the DC SCORES program and her first time performing at Our Words Our City. When she’s not writing poetry, she enjoys spending time with friends and family, trying out new hairstyles, and playing soccer.

Graham

Poet-Athlete

Ten-year-old Graham is a 5th-grade poet-athlete at John Francis Education Campus. He enjoys writing, singing, playing blackjack, and going to museums. This is his first Our Words Our City performance.

Asher

Poet-Athlete

DC SCORES alum Asher is a student at George Mason University. They have been in DC SCORES since they were 9 years old. In addition to writing poetry, Asher loves drawing cooking, and playing flag football. They hope to be a pharmacist.

Carter

Poet-Athlete

Eleven-year-old Carter is a poet-athlete at Barnard Elementary. This year will mark her fourth Our Words Our City performance. Besides poetry, Carter enjoys learning to crochet, board games, and writing short film scripts with her best friend!

Godwin

Poet-Athlete

Ten-year-old Godwin (aka "G.G.") is a poet-athlete at LaSalle-Backus Elementary. He enjoys playing soccer, games, and hanging out with friends. He wants to be a strong leader and enjoys expressing his feelings through poetry.

Kayla

Poet-Athlete

Kayla is a 9th-grade poet-athlete who attends Coolidge High School. She first discovered poetry at DC SCORES, and has since performed her original work at events hosted by the Washington Spirit, NMHAAC, and the National Academy of Sciences. She is the 2026 D.C. Youth Poet Laureate.

Makhi

Poet-Athlete

Eleven-year-old Makhi is a poet-athlete at Houston Elementary School. In addition to DC SCORES, he is on the basketball team and plays baseball, football, and hockey! He would like to be a professional athlete when he is older.

Maya

Poet-Athlete

Maya is a 7th-grade poet-athlete at Ida B. Wells Middle School. In addition to writing, she is a prolific drawer and would like to be a world-famous graphic novelist when she is older. With DC SCORES, Maya has performed her work at events hosted by the Washington Spirit and the D.C. Mayor.

Milah

Poet-Athlete

Milah is a 5th-grade poet-athlete at Neval Thomas Elementary. She made her Our Words Our City debut last year. In addition to performing poetry, she loves to dance, read, sing, and work on math problems. When she is older, she would like to be a teacher.

Princess

Poet-Athlete

Eleven-year-old Princess is a poet-athlete at Whittier Elementary School. With DC SCORES, she recently performed her poetry for members of the USWNT. She likes to dance, sing, and play soccer and would like to be a dancer when she grows up.

Veronica

Poet-Athlete

Veronica is a 6th-grade poet-athlete at Hardy Middle School. This is her fourth Our Words Our City performance. In addition to writing and performing poetry, Veronica enjoys reading, baking, spending time with friends, and making art.