A Note From The Editor

A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR By Issa Muvunangoma

The production of this book, from the birth of the idea to final publication, required an army of people united toward a common goal. For me, the first of those people is Stefani Page, as a great human being and a notable friend that she is, for her remarkable support during the revision and editing process of the book and by pushing me to make it the best it can possibly be, regardless of our time differences. Thank you, Page.

On the basis thereof; I would also like to express my sincerest gratitude to the principal of the school, Mr. Juan Pablo Caicedo, and our senior coordinator, Ms. Edith Valencia for approving and believing in our project. This activity would not have been possible without their guidance and enormous support throughout the process. Thank you very much.

The writing process of this book was fun, from creating characters, puzzling around the plot development, and devouring the last final drafts with my students was undeniably a divine experience, One that I will cherish forever. To that end; I would like to thank all the sixty-eight authors of this book for their astounding work and patience. Most importantly the students’ committee, chaired by Antonia Gable, Germán Figueredo, Sebastián Sluga, and Sebastián Gómez representing the promotion 2020. For their collaborative work filled with creativity and passion which enabled this book activity to be a success. You’ve made us all proud.

In addition to this; we were also joined by a group of professionals who showed immense support and care throughout every step, Ms. Claudia Ampudia and Stephanie Hernández. They were always there for me, period. As well; my debt of

gratitude goes to Miss Natalia Pérez Penagos, the designer of this book, for her meticulous attention to each detail. I will forever be indebted to you all.

My last and most special acknowledgment goes to all the eleven editors and reviewers involved in this project: Fiacre Innocent, Lauryn May, Paul McDonald, Natasha Alexander, Florentine Gihozo, Cédric Laurent, Andrés Hernández, Eric Wiley, Diane Franz, Lewis Marco, Thierry Nicolas. All those who devoted their personal time by solving all the technical problems in this book, many of them during our sleepless late-night meetings on Zoom. Any mistakes you may find are the results of questions asked while we were on our last legs. Without those people, this task would have been vastly more difficult.

Lastly, and certainly by no means least, I would like to thank everyone else who contributed in some way and I may have forgotten to mention.

—Thank you.

“ The creative vibrancy of youth. At once the easiest and most difficult energy to capture. This is what life felt like before the compromises.” JAMES DAVIES, EX SUNDAY TIMES, UK

“ This group of short stories will live long in the memor y and the variety of writing styles is astounding, it will keep you entertained for hours on end.” KEVIN MC CAFFREY, ENGLISH TEACHER, SENIOR

“More than just stories, this book is an argument that literature must bear witness. A valuable account of what it means to be a young adult of the 21 st Century.”

STEFANI PAGE, INDEPENDENT BOOK RETAILER, USA

“ The stor ylines are beautifully paced and the characters are drawn with a careful hand... Th e Aw k e n i n g o f Yo u n g Ad u l s is a fine book.”

FLORENTINE GIHOZO, BOOK CRITIC, RWANDA

This book was digitally published on the 12 th of June in the year 2020 by Colegio Jefferson. Edited by a group of reviewers and editors under the guidance of Issa Muvunangoma. Graphic design was done by Natalia

Pérez Penagos. The typefaces used in this edition are Crimson Pro and Peace Sans.

THE AWAKENING OF YOUNG ADULTS A Collection Of Unorthodox Short Stories

This is the final capstone work from the most highly reputed promotion of 2020 of Colegio Jefferson. It is a collection of unorthodox short stories served as a rallying point of hope for all those who share the weight of being misunderstood by the world.

This book is written in lyrical prose style. It essentially discusses topics related to the concept of innateness as it relates to the transitions of young adults to adulthood. It gives the reader a full intensity of emotion of the characters; an intriguing sensory peeks into how they experience the world as young adults. The written techniques used in this book made an enduring debut in the world of literature.

“ The creative vibrancy of youth. At once the easiest and most difficult energy to capture. This is what life felt like before the compromises.” JAMES DAVIES, EX SUNDAY TIMES, UK

PROM 2020