MIAMI (CBSMiami) – “When I get my heartbroken, I write a book at age 17 because I feel my pain isn’t valid unless the world there is to read it.”
That is from “The Life Cycle of a Star,” a poetry anthology by high school senior Stephanie Seraphin.
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She explained the book’s inception.
“Over the summer I got my heartbroken and it was very painful. Then over the span of two or three days, I spoke to a whole bunch of people, and they all said something along the lines of ‘you should be a writer.’”
As a lover of literature, it seemed right up her alley.
“I always loved reading and writing since kindergarten I pretty much lived in my elementary school’s library.”
She managed to do the whole thing alone and under wraps.
“I wrote it, drew all the illustrations, I edited, and I published it myself.”
For her counselor and confidants, seeing the formerly shy student deliver such raw and revealing material was eye-opening.
Kala Jones is Miami Northwestern Senor High’s college advisor and knows Stephanie well.
“It just shows who she is, and the dedication that she has, and the brilliance that is her. I am very proud of her,” Jones beams.
Stephanie is a super achiever.
She is dually enrolled in the associate in arts program at Miami Dade College, taking advanced placement classes, a poet ambassador, a volunteer for both Achieve and Breakthrough organizations, and also a groundbreaking Silver Knight Award nominee.
“Our school is very known for its sports with amazing athletes here, but sometimes our academics get a little overshadowed,” said Jones.
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“The fact that this is our first English nominee is amazing!”
Stephanie is in the school’s poetry club – the Fearless Voices – which recently placed second in the Louder than a Bomb contest sponsored by the Jason Taylor Foundation.
Her very personal poetry serves as a tribute to her support group, those she turned to in tough times.
Like in the poem “Role Models,” she writes, “The first time I have been able to look at someone who has made it out the other side of a battle I didn’t know could be won.”
Seraphin is humbled by the book’s success so far.
“I didn’t expect it to go on beyond my friend group or the teachers that I know! I’ve had strangers, people I’ve never even met, who reached out to me and said, ‘You did something – this really resonated with me,’” she said.
Jamison Brown is a fellow senior and Fearless Voices member – not to mention her biggest fan and best friend.
“Stephanie, for me personally she has had an impact of making me a better person,” he admits, adding that she has encouraged him to read more books.
No matter what she does, from here to university and beyond, Seraphin vows to spread this message of hope.
“A lot of kids do feel lost because they don’t know that reading and writing is an outlet that they can turn to. And that pretty much saved my life- and I would love to do that for someone else.”
The Silver Knight Awards are being held on May 26.
Seraphin is already a winner having been accepted to many colleges and securing scholarships nearing the six-figure mark.
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Her book “The Life Cycle of a Star” is available on Amazon.
