Evenlyn Atieno founded a magazine that tackles the real-world issues teens face.
High school: Towson High School, Baltimore, Maryland
Though she’d loved reading teen magazines for years, Atieno found she couldn’t really relate to them anymore when she entered high school — so she created her own. In 2013, when she was in 10th grade, Atieno began publishing Affinity, a lifestyle magazine that covers real issues, such as immigration and sexual assault. Atieno writes, designs, and photographs everything herself, learning as she goes.
She didn’t stop at a magazine, though; Atieno will self-publish a children’s book later this year. The book, “Where Did Daddy Go,” explores how deportation and immigration laws affect immigrant children.
As a teen journalist for ABC 2, which is broadcast all over Maryland, Atieno also writes, produces, and shoots her own news stories, including everything from one about a Miss Maryland contestant who struggled with body image issues to a story about a new mural for Freddie Gray.Â
Plans after graduation: Atieno will attend the University of Baltimore in the fall where she’ll study international relations. Eventually, she hopes to become an immigration attorney.
