This was me on prom night during my senior year of high school.

The girl you see in this picture was lucky. She had good grades and loving parents who’d lavished time and attention on their only child. She’d traveled abroad, she’d already been accepted into Georgetown and although she was shy and had a lot to learn, she was confident and optimistic about her future.

Not every girl has her advantages.

Girls Write Now hooks up teen girls in New York City with writing mentors so the girls can develop their own voices and get a better sense of the many opportunities available to them.

The author Tayari Jones hopes to inspire people to donate to the group. If you make a donation, she’ll match it, dollar for dollar. She also has said she’ll donate $10 to the organization for every blogger who posts a high school picture of herself and encourages people to support GWN.

That, dear reader, is why I’m burning your retinas with this photo of young me.

And to answer your burning questions: I no longer wear sequins, and these days I do my best not to dress like a 70-year-old society matron.

[Many thanks to a friend who posted this photo recently on his Facebook account, because I didn't have any high-school-era photos uploaded.]