Zaylin Washington’s parents were in and out of jail while he was growing up. He was briefly in foster care. He was homeless. Other students made fun of him because of the condition of his clothes.

Two extraordinary teenagers who are helping to make a difference in South Florida food insecure communities are being highlighted on Local 10 News' latest My Future, My Choice segment.

Seven students’ stories are going from the classroom to the “Dear Freedom Writer: Stories of Hardship and Hope from the Next Generation” — a book that is distributed worldwide.

A program is bringing together underserved and marginalized youth and Miami and Miami-Dade police to learn about each other and improve upon what can often be a strained relationship.

There was a book party on Thursday at Stirling Elementary School in Hollywood and the Elephant and Piggie series was a favorite.

Stuart Rohatiner organized a team of personal finance experts to help dozens of students in Miami-Dade County to be prepared for their future with knowledge on how to create a budget, how to manage a portfolio, and how to invest in the stock market.

Giuliana Cabrera moved to the United States from Nicaragua when she was seven. More than a decade later, her hard work paid off. She plans to be the first in her family to get a college degree and she will be doing so at one of the most prestigious schools in the world.

MIAMI Local 10 News fifth annual My Future, My Choice Big Book Drive is delivering new childrens books to schools on Tuesday and Wednesday. This year to keep with social distancing guidelines during the coronavirus pandemic the Big Book Drive is hosting drive-thru events at two public schools. The books are being distributed to families in need who are lining up at the drive-thru event to collect food. Vera Cadillac has been the sponsor of the program to promote literacy among South Florida children in need. The 5-year-old program has already distributed more than 125,000 books in South Florida.

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MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – The My Future My Choice town hall on Friday began with a boy's rendition of "A Change Is Gonna Come." The powerful song quickly became a civil rights anthem after it was released Dec. 22, 1964. Norland Middle School's Wesley Wray performed the powerful song in Miami Gardens, before a discussion about gun violence. The Local 10 News town at Miami Norland Senior High School also included a discussion with Trayvon Martin's mom, Sabrina Fulton. Here are the lyrics of the song Wesley performed:[Verse 1]I was born by the riverIn a little tentAnd just like the river I've been runningEver since[Chorus]It's been a long time comingBut I know a change is gonna come, oh yes it will[Verse 2]It's been too hard livingBut I'm afraid to dieCause I don't know what's up thereBeyond the sky[Chorus]It's been a long time comingBut I know a change is gonna come, oh yes it will[Verse 3]I go to the movieAnd I go downtownSomebody keep telling me don't hang around[Chorus]It's been a long time comingBut I know a change is gonna come, oh yes it will[Verse 4]Then I go to my brotherAnd I say brother help me pleaseBut he winds up knockin' meBack down on my kneesThere been times when I thought I couldn't last for longBut now I think I'm able to carry on[Chorus]It's been a long time comingBut I know a change is gonna come, oh yes it will

PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. - On Friday, May 19, Local 10's Todd Tongen and Neki Mohan will be crisscrossing South Florida aboard a big yellow bus collecting and distributing books. It's all part of Local 10's "My Future My Choice" Big Book Drive. Come out, say hello and donate a book to a child in need. But, if you can't make it to one of the locations, Local 10 has made it very easy and convenient for you to give. The goal is to collect 100,000 books to make a difference in 100,000 young lives.

Dwayne Wade grew up in a crack house in Chicago. His mom, Jolinda Wade, was on welfare, and he saw her using heroine and drink herself to sleep. Wade won three championships with the Miami Heat and he will be returning to Chicago with a net worth of $95 million. Wade never turned his back on his mother, not even when she was bouncing between jail and prison. She eventually got sober and found a way to repay her debt to society as a pastor.

Miami-Dade County Police Department Assistant Director Freddie Ramirez attended the "My Future, My Choice" town hall in Overtown Friday night. Ramirez explained how social media is becoming fertile ground for most of the conflicts among teenagers in Miami-Dade County. #MyFutureMyChoice Tweets!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)? 'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+"://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");

City of Miami Gardens Vice Mayor Felicia Robinson was at the "My Future, My Choice" town hall on Friday in Overtown. Robinson promised the city will launch more programs to help students after school. One of the new programs includes guidance for aspiring rappers and music producers, Robinson said. #MyFutureMyChoice Tweets!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)? 'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+"://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");

MIAMI-DADE, Fla. – Miami activist Tangela Sears can't get over an experience in the courtroom last week. A teenager playing with a gun killed Jakyri Fleurimar in August at a home, 5321 NW 27 Pl., in Miami's Brownsville. "Last week I stood in a courtroom as the defense attorney and state [prosecutor] argued if he should serve three days for having a gun." The boy's father left the loaded gun that the teen was playing with in a drawer, police said. The activist's opinion is presented as a voice in the community during the Local 10 News' #MyFutureMyChoice campaign on the hunt for solutions to the gun violence challenge.

MIAMI – Retired NBA player Alonzo Mourning brought some musical flair to the Overtown Youth Center Thursday, bringing in some big names from the world of classical music to show off their abilities and inspire children at the center. About 20 students from Booker T. Washington Senior High School and Jose De Diego Middle School were treated to the sounds of classical violist David Aaron Carpenter and his siblings, Sean and Lauren. The trio also took some special requests from the students, playing popular pieces from Beethoven and Mozart. "If you put work, effort and time in what you want to do, it will be accomplished. All proceeds will support the Overtown Youth Foundation.

Just after Miami-Dade County buried seven-year-old Amiere Castro, the city was in mourning again. So far this year, King and 11 teenagers have died of gunshot wounds, according to the Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner's Office. There is a desperate need for psychological and psychiatric services, said Sears, who is still mourning the loss of her son Randall to gun violence. On Wednesday she met with Rep. Carlos Trujillo, a Republican, to discuss legislation to help the victims of gun violence. YOU ARE INVITEDOne of the aspects of the gun violence problem that has been concerning community leaders is that the perpetrators of the violence are making wrong choices at an early age.

MIAMI – In Miami's Overtown neighborhood, the median income for a family is just over $15,000. This is why South Florida CARES, a mentoring program, focuses on children from the neighborhood. The program is a branch of the decade-old national CARES mentoring movement. Aside from the arts, the organization's 10-week after-school program also focuses on science, mathematics and technology -- including robotics. For more information, click here to submit your questions or click here to join the team of mentors.