JAMESTOWN, N.Y. — Jamestown High School students spent an afternoon reflecting on identity, creativity, and the power of storytelling during “Walk in My Shoes,” a collaborative workshop featuring award-winning author Kwame Alexander.

The experience brought together students involved in the district’s My Brother’s Keeper program and Betsy Rowe-Baehr’s Justice for All class in partnership with UpTwn Kix, the downtown Jamestown sneaker and streetwear shop founded by Jamestown High School graduates Christopher Saldarriaga and Roberto Martir Rosado.

Held at UpTwn Kix, the workshop combined writing, art, and mentorship as students explored their own stories through poetry and custom-designed sneakers that will later be featured in a student visual gallery at the Robert H. Jackson Center on June 9. Throughout the afternoon, students were encouraged to reflect on identity, belonging, dreams, and the experiences that shape who they are becoming.

The event began with a conversation led by Saldarriaga about entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and the realities of owning a business before local artist Jerry Lee demonstrated techniques for painting and customizing sneakers. Students were then invited to begin designing their own shoes based on their personalities and lived experiences.

Alexander — a Newbery Medal-winning author best known for his novel “The Crossover” — later challenged students to think more deeply about the symbolism of a sneaker and how everyday objects can become powerful storytelling tools. 

“My writing has been the thing that has made me who I am today,” Alexander, a frequent visitor to the Chautauqua County region, told students. “Writing has been the thing that has allowed me to publish 47 books. Writing has been the thing that has allowed me to travel to six continents. Writing has been the thing that has allowed me to send my kid to college and pay for it. Writing has been the thing that has allowed me to deal with grief.”

Alexander explained that opportunities to work directly with students are deeply meaningful to him, recounting his early morning trip across the country to spend the day in Jamestown.

“This is why I woke up at 5 a.m. this morning to get to the airport, to fly to Buffalo, to have Danielle [Nebre] pick me up, to drive here, to spend time with Betsy’s [Rowe-Baehr] students,” Alexander said. “Any chance I get to show young people the power of words, to control your own destiny, to build your confidence, to find your own voice, to remind you that you matter — that you are the most important person in your mind — that you do not let anyone define who you are, that you define yourself for yourself.”

Alexander emphasized that storytelling can emerge from both profound life experiences and ordinary moments, encouraging students to see writing as a pathway to confidence and self-expression.

“And the way that begins is through words,” he said. “It can be something as significant as the loss of a parent, and it can be something as interesting and whimsical as a pair of kicks. You write about it, so it is written, so it shall be, and it becomes a thing.”

As part of the workshop, students also participated in one of Alexander’s signature “community poem” exercises, where individual words, phrases, and ideas are woven together into a single collaborative piece. Together, they explored the prompt, “If I had the right shoes…” 

“It’s like a puzzle,” Alexander said. “Take something from my man here; take something from her over there, a line, a word, a phrase, and we put it together into one pool, into one thing. What we’re really doing is building community.” 

The poem will be performed and the students’ shoes will be on display as part of the creative showcase on June 9.