In the 5th grade, Geovani approached his teacher at the McKay K-8 School in East Boston and asked to join America SCORES Boston. Geo, as he is known to his teammates, joined a team of his classmates to play soccer and express himself through poetry. His teacher expected the physical activity to benefit his health. However, she had no idea that Geovani would find his voice through poetry. The written word was Geovani’s way of expressing his feelings and finding strength from a difficult childhood. It was not easy for him to share his experience, but he needed to share; he needed to find his voice. SCORES provided Geo the opportunity to share his feelings. His poetry was so powerful that he was nominated by his teacher to represent New England at the National America SCORES Poetry SLAM!. According to Geo, poetry through SCORES, “lifts up my pressure and blows it away and helps him fight back the tears.” Geovani continues to be part of SCORES as an 8th grader at the McKay K-8 School.
His poem and story can be seen in the video above.