Being a female firefighter comes with unique risks — and rewards By Mariyah Matthews and Sarah Gandluri September 18, 2026 Youthcast Media Group® Firefighters are known for running into danger to save lives, but they may face another danger after the fire is out. Studies on firefighter health point to rising concerns about cancer risk, mental health struggles, and exposure to toxic "forever chemicals" (PFAS) found in firefighting foam and protective gear. Nearly 40% of firef

The new popularity of all things Asian in food, music and fashion, the author argues, warps the view of multiple cultures. By Lily Brugman August 28, 2026 Youthcast Media Group® As I was growing up, my parents often shared stories about how they were bullied when they were my age, just for being Asian. My mom is Cambodian and my dad is “Wasian,” Chinese and white. Students teased them for their looks, their homemade lunches and treated their traditional holidays as jokes. I o

By Cara Kelly, Preontee Barua, Alice Cheng, Mariamawit Nega, Ximena Puican and Maria Romero August 7, 2026 Youthcast Media Group® Sly Young doesn’t always believe in “woo-woo” medicine. But she comes from a long line of traditional healers predisposed to trust themselves over conventional Western medicine. Which is one reason why, when she felt her treatment for her neurodivergence and chronic post traumatic stress become less effective during the pandemic, she started explor

A majority of LGBTQ students in D.C. say they do not feel safe in school. The homophobia that I see at my school is troubling.

This story was published May 8, 2026 in The Courier-Journal. By Sarah Gandluri April 16, 2025 Youthcast Media Group® When Meghan Schanie felt a lump in her breast at age 31, she was juggling a full-time job and two young toddlers. Cancer was the furthest thing from her mind. Her primary care doctors initially told her it was likely nothing - a blocked milk duct or an infection, which are common among young women who have recently been breastfeeding. Because of her age and a

By Gabriela Mejia Tejada April 16, 2026 Youthcast Media Group® Aisha Ortiz is living her dream. Aisha Ortiz at a booth promoting her brand, The Babygirl Vintage (courtesy of Ortiz). Ortiz is a Puerto Rico-born entrepreneur who turned her lifelong love of history and fashion into a thriving business. She works for herself and on her own time, selling vintage clothing pieces at pop-up events and conferences. Before moving to the U.S., she wrote for a fashion segment in a Puer

Learn how to prevent false arrests and harm By Henry Dyer April 10, 2026 Youthcast Media Group In the rare but possible case that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) attempts to detain you or approaches you with the intent of making an arrest, there are specific Constitutional rights meant to ensure that you cannot be arrested without following due process. Understanding these rights can make a major difference during a scary and intimidating encounter. Knowledge of you

By Zoha Tahir April 8, 2026 Youthcast Media Group ® Recent actions by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), such as raids and detentions, have created fear and uncertainty for students and families in many communities - including Annandale High School in Annandale, Virginia. For years, Americans have been protesting ICE actions across the country, advocating for change and mobilizing support through social media and live demonstrations. Despite many An

When Abdallah Sulaiman, a Muslim immigrant, set out to buy his first home in America, he was determined to avoid riba – the Islamic term for interest, which is strictly prohibited in Islamic law, or Sharia. After exploring Islamic financing options, he felt skeptical.

This story was published June 2, 2026 in The Washington Informer. By Sreehitha Gandluri and Jayne O'Donnell November 20, 2025 Youthcast Media Group® By his mid-20s, Ivan Taylor had been shot, stabbed, lost his best friend to gun violence and graduated from juvenile detention to prison for selling drugs that he used to treat his undiagnosed mental health disorder. Taylor’s story is one of how guns and drugs took hold of Washington, D.C. in the 1980s and ‘90s, undoing what lit

Madeleine Voth and Winnie Chan July 11, 2025 Youthcast Media Group® This story was published Aug. 25, 2025 by Greater Greater Washington . Reginald Bynum was riding his dirt bike to his mother’s house in Southeast DC in 2021 after a memorial ride for a friend who had died in a motorcycle accident when the 24-year-old himself was killed in a car crash. His mother, Fatima Lewis, has been reeling from the loss since, and accepts the fact that riding his dirt bikes was “what to

Michelle Collins June 27, 2025 Youthcast Media Group® In a dimly lit gym, the sound of heavy breathing and the slap of sneakers against...

Michelle Collins June 27, 2025 Youthcast Media Group® Wrestling is no longer just for the boys. In May, Virginia added girls wrestling...

By Eyitemi Odusola, Alanna Nicholson, Piper Mangold, Gabrielle Garcia and Natalie Spina June 27, 2025 Youthcast Media Group® On a Tuesday...

By Rossy Soto, Grace Wang and Amaya Manzano June 10, 2025 Youthcast Media Group® Ever since she started taking lessons at four years old,...

March 30, 2025 By Michelle Vargas Youthcast Media Group® This article was posted to the Latino News Network online publication on May...

October 8, 2024 By Hannah Henderson Youthcast Media Group® This story was published in MindSite News on October 11, 2024. Hannah...

August 5, 2024 By Paloma Munoz, Rossy Soto, Armani Bailey and Angely Pena-Agramonte Youthcast Media Group® Abigail Soto came home every...

But magnet schools, nonprofits are helping June 10, 2024 By Sarahi Lovo, Melanie Cabrera, Veronica Martinez, D’arin Floyd-Baldwin and...

April 11, 2024 By Zoe Ligairi and Sophia Sewall Youthcast Media Group ® This story was published in MindSite News on October 11, 2024. C...