The annual Teen Perspectives Contest from The Immigrant Learning Center highlights the voices of the latest generation of American high school students. Immigration is a topic outside of their control that also very much affects their lives, and we think these students have something to teach us if we give them a chance.
In 2025, students at Everett, Malden and Medford high schools submitted essays, videos and works of art expressing their perspectives on the theme “the cultural impact of immigrants on American society.” Scroll down to see winning submissions, and click on the image of the 2025 magazine to see all of this year’s submissions.
Out of the 59,675 people living in Malden as of the 2020 nationwide census, 42.7% are immigrants (“Malden”). This is over twice the number of foreign-born residents in 1990. Malden has quietly become the leading destination for new members of this nation, meaning that almost half of the people we see on a daily basis were not born in the United States, and this plays a vital role in our city. Immigrants from Haiti, Morocco, China, Pakistan, India, and a collection of other nations, come to Malden because of its exceptional schools and safe neighborhoods (Sachetti). This has helped build a strong community in the workplace, in education, and in a variety of other places. The embracing of others has been a prominent characteristic of this city for decades.