Stepping Up by Kiara Valdez (Paperback)

Stepping Up is a teen graphic novel memoir by Kiara Valdez, illustrated by Diana Tsai Santos. Kiara leaves Washington Heights for Phillips Academy Andover, the boarding school of her dreams, where she is one of only a few Black students. Between a clunky financial aid laptop, classmates who talk about vacations abroad and the pressure to fit in, she discovers friendship, community and her own sense of self.