Meet Akira, LISTEN 2024 Scholarship Recipient

Akira Martin celebrated as one of five recipients of the My Story Matters LISTEN Scholarship at LISTEN 2024.

Akira Martin was at school when the email arrived. She had applied for the LISTEN scholarship on her guidance counselor's recommendation. When she learned she had been selected as a 2024 recipient, she kept the news to herself until dinner.

"I got it," she announced to her family—mom, sister, grandparents. "I’m going to share my story at LISTEN."

For weeks, Akira had wrestled with what to write. She drafted stories about different parts of her life, asked friends and teachers what resonated, revised again and again. She chose to write about her disability. "It’s going to be with me forever," she said. "I felt like I needed to be proud of it."

LISTEN brings five LA high school students on stage each January to share their stories and receive $1,000 scholarships. Backstage that night, the recipients gathered in a small room. As showtime approached, they supported each other through their nerves. "We were all encouraging each other," Akira remembers.

Then came her turn.

Standing before hundreds of people, Akira shared her story. "Certain parts, when you say them out loud, make them come true," she said.

Afterward, she found her mom in the crowd. They embraced, and Akira felt the weight of what had just happened—her story had been heard.

"After that night, I felt more comfortable with myself and my disability," Akira said. "I felt that my story matters."

Now studying business economics at UC San Diego, working toward her dream of starting a photography business, Akira carries that truth forward: Every story matters. Including yours.

Are you a high school student in Los Angeles? Apply for the 2026 LISTEN scholarship by November 25.

Want to help students like Akira share their stories? Sign up to be a volunteer essay reader by November 18.