Twenty-two-year old poet Amanda Gorman received some very exciting news via a Zoom announcing that she has been handpicked to read her poem at President-elect Joe’s Biden inauguration. Incoming first lady Jill Biden has been a fan of Gorman for quite some time and convinced the inaugural committee that she would be the perfect fit.

 In kindergarten Gotman was diagnosed with an auditory speech impediment later in third grade a teacher introduced her to poetry and by writing and delivering her poetry she finally found her voice. While discovering poetry she found Maya Angelou, another poet and she soon became her role model. Angelou’s autobiography ”I Know Why the Caged Birds Sing” reminded Gorman of her life by saying in an interview “Angelou overcame years of not speaking up for herself, all for the love of poetry.” 

 Just at the age of 16, Gorman became the youth poet laureate of Los Angeles in 2014 and the first national youth poet laureate three years after that. Gorman is one of the youngest poets to write and recite a piece at a Presidential inauguration on Wednesday alongside Lady Gaga, who sang “The American National Anthem” and Jennifer Lopez who sang “My Country ‘tis of Thee.” 

Gorman recited her original poem “The Hill We Climb,” which covered what she believed to be some of the struggles that Americans face. “We’ve seen a force that would shatter our nation rather than share it, Would destroy our country if it meant delaying democracy. And this effort very nearly succeeded. But while democracy can never be periodically delayed, it can never be permanently defeated,” said Gorman. 

Truer words were never written from a mind so young. People should take these words close to their hearts and try to live by them in their daily lives.