Writer, Reflections (2006 Maywood, IL)

"...I think my film is going to help a lot of people. In the characters and dialogue I’ve created, people can easily see themselves. We can all relate to those moments when we’re not being as strong as we need to be or as smart as we thought we were."

- Keyana Ray

Keyana wrote Reflections to examine how young African American women handle the threat of HIV/AIDS. Though an increasingly relevant issue, stories about African American women and HIV/AIDS have remained unexplored in film and television. But in Keyana's life, that particular story has been front and center, and she has a passion to share it with her peers. From her family's experience with the disease, Keyana was determined to shed light on the complexities of how women in her specific community have experienced HIV/AIDS.

Keyana grew up in Maywood, IL and graduates from Proviso East High School this Spring. Keyana originally constructed Reflections from a poem written by her late aunt, an HIV/AIDS education activist who passed away from the disease in Keyana's childhood.

Click here to learn more about Keyana, view more pictures, and read some of her poetry.

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