WEST ORANGE, NJ – At 18, West Orange High School senior Makayla Rivera is already an award-winning poet, non-profit business owner, and a Youth StoryTeller for Georgetown Law Center. Not one to rest on her laurels, Makayla has now released a book of poetry entitled “Prayers to Catch a Butterfly.”
Rivera’s journey began at Roosevelt Middle School when she joined the Poetry Club and participated in a poetry slam.
“I realized I could use poetry as a tool for Black activism – to cultivate change through people’s emotions and reactions,” Makayla began.
Rivera became involved in what was to be a life-changing mentorship with New Jersey NAACP ACT-SO (Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics) Achievement Program.
The website states:
“Each year, high school students across the country start a journey to sharpen their skills through the Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO). From visual arts and business to performing and culinary arts, participants work with community-based volunteers for a year to develop projects and performances.
ACT-SO is a year-long youth enrichment program that culminates in a local and national competition where students compete for scholarship awards, and prizes totaling over $300,000.
Often referred to as the “Olympics of the Mind”, ACT-SO centers around the dedication and commitment of community volunteers and business leaders; to serve as mentors and coaches to promote academic and artistic excellence among students of African American descent.”
“I can’t say enough about the program and how it helped me accomplish so much,” Rivera said.
The program is free.
In May, 2022 Makayla received a NJ Governor’s Award in Arts Education for her poem “Beneath the Mattresses.” Since then, she has won two additional poetry competitions and shared her work at churches, galas, the Board of Education, and churches, where she is requested to perform. On Oct. 19, she was featured at the NAACP of the Oranges/Maplewood Gala.
Georgetown University contacted her to become a Youth Story Teller at the Georgetown Law Gender, Justice, and Opportunity Initiative. Rivera utilizes their statistics about issues like sexual abuse, prison, and inequality and creates poetry that gives an emotional voice to them.
When asked about the genesis of her recently published book of poetry, “Prayers to Catch a Butterfly,” Rivera explained:
“As a freshman, I had big dreams. I had so many poems and thoughts and ideas collected, and I decided to put them into a book of poetry.”
Her work reflects a wide range of emotions, from growing up as a teenager, black pride, eating disorders, and sexuality, commemorating high school and going through her own metamorphosis.
Her decision to title her work “Prayers to Catch a Butterfly” stems from her connection to butterflies and what they represent.
“Butterflies are not meant to be caught, but we learn from them," she explained.
The first part of the book is called ‘Chrysalis,’ and her poems represent the ‘first cracks in the shell.’ The second section is called ‘Emergence,’ celebrating love and loss, and the final section ‘Metamorphosis’ shows Rivera’s journey of growth and self-discovery.
“The book has been so much fun,” she noted.
“I’ve never been prouder. It was nerve-wracking because it’s so intimate and real – like reading my diary. I have family and friends reading about the intimate details of my life.”
In January, Makayla started a non-profit called Black Butterfly Rising, Inc. to “uplift black girls and their voices.” In addition to this, Rivera is the President of the Black Student Union at WOHS, Vice-President of the Escriptus Honor Society, a member of Rho Kappa and the National Honor Society, and a member of the Unity Club. She recently completed an independent study project researching art programs in low-income schools with Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer and Harvard Medical School professor Dr. Stephanie Pinder-Amaker. She plans to become a lawyer and focus on advocacy. She knows she could be accepted at Georgetown University but would really like to attend Spellman College, an all-female HBC.
“If I had to describe my mission, it would be ‘advocacy’ and ‘art’ in a nutshell,” Rivera concluded, “and I really love that.”
To find out more about the ACT-SO Program, check it out on Naviance or go HERE.
To purchase “Prayers to Catch a Butterfly” on Amazon, go HERE.
Author Makayla Rivera
Rivera and friends read through "Prayers to Catch a Butterfly"
