2011 PYPM Slam Team Member

Alana Gooden, 19, is a poet, emcee and community activist.  She has been rapping and writing poetry since the age of eight and attributes her inspiration to her late older brother, Robert.  She is a senior at Germantown High School. In the fall, she will be attending Temple University where she will study Media, Business & Entrepreneurship. To her, being successful means promoting and encouraging positivity, breaking down barriers, living past the expectation of stereotypes, seeing change manifest, and having those who are impacted pay it forward.