Two Fortis Academy students are embracing the opportunity to put their voices on display in front of a live audience. Jerry Garza and Crystal Leal were invited to Casa Ramirez on Dec. 4 to read poems they wrote through the campus’ recent partnership with Nuestra Palabra: Latino Writers Having Their Say. Through the collaboration, students use writing to reflect on their journey to sobriety and perform their work publicly.  

Garza’s piece explores the weight of emotional exhaustion and loneliness while still striving to move forward. It illustrates the struggle of carrying pain in silence, masking emotions in public and fighting an internal battle that no one else notices, while highlighting one’s determination and resilience in searching for purpose and wholeness. Leal’s poem tells the story of someone whose childhood was quiet but filled with trauma, causing unspoken pain that followed into adulthood. Despite seeking comfort in harmful substances, she describes a journey of survival, healing and finding the strength to reclaim themselves.  

Fortis Academy staff and HCDE’s Director of Construction, Joe Carreon, who serves as a mentor to participants in the Nuestra Palabra program, attended the event to support the students. Through poetry, students are not only healing but also reclaiming their voice and power as they learn to speak their truth, connect with others and recognize their own resilience, one verse at a time.