I owe my career to Newsweek magazine. Long before it launched a tablet format—or any online format for that matter—the iconic news magazine published on its “My Turn” page an essay I wrote when I was 16.
I was 16 when publishing an essay in Newsweek magazine landed me an appearance on “Good Morning America” with Dana King.
When that issue hit the stands in May 1993, my entire high school suddenly knew my name—and face, as the article included my picture. The essay centered on the fact that students at my ethnically mixed campus self-segregated themselves by race as they got older, and offered ideas of what schools could do to improve race relations. Teachers across the country assigned the essay to their classes and debated its merits. Two local TV stations interviewed me on campus. Next thing I knew, Good Morning America flew me to New York to discuss racial issues with then-Senator Julian Bond. I came home to find hundreds of letters sent from around the world. I was never popular in school, but for a week I came close. That was the same week I knew I wanted to earn a living as a writer.
Brian Jarvis 
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