By Chloe Nguyen
5th grade | Austin Jewish Academy | Texas
Finalist, Human Rights category
With lines from “A Crisis of Connectivity: Internet Access in Rural PA” by Jordan Wolman, a Pulitzer Center reporting project
I sit
where the bars are.
Searching
for a signal of internet.
This is my school —
a place for education.
My classroom
is a place for learning.
They say we’re connected,
But my world
moves slowly
like a sloth —
while theirs
moves fast
with each passing moment.
I try to learn,
but the page won’t load.
Sometimes I wonder:
Is it me?
Or is it because
the people in charge
forget to listen to us?
Behind the trees,
the lakes,
the peaceful roads —
there is a silence.
Not the peaceful kind.
A silence of struggle.
A silent frustration in households across the region
that are struggling to keep pace with the modern world.
But still,
I stay.
Because we need to change.
Everyone should have internet access —
wherever they live.
We deserve more than buffering.
We deserve a signal.
Not just bars —
but belonging.
Chloe is a 5th grader at Austin Jewish Academy in Texas. She lives with her parents and her little sister. She is an avid reader and passionate about art, music, and science. She also loves playing with her kittens, playing chess with her dad, and playing cards with her friends. She is grateful for the support and encouragement from her teacher, Kathleen Rosenmann.
Read more winning entries from the 2025 Fighting Words Poetry Contest.