MY STORY

Javier Sarmiento is an Afro-Latino writer from Harlem in New York City. He wrote about sports and social justice topics as a staff writer for The Tack Online, Buena Vista University's online newspaper.

He is a graduate of Buena Vista University with a degree in Digital Media. He is a graduate of Guttman Community College with a degree in Liberal Arts.

Sarmiento won first place in the collegiate sports writing category of the Robert L. Vann Media Awards for his article “The Impact and Influence of LeBron James.” 

He was awarded the certificate of merit, which is given to students who contributed to collegiate journalism.

Last summer, he was selected to be a part of the NABJ’s Student Multimedia Project and produced two articles pertaining to race in the teaching and book industries.

His Poem, A voice from Harlem, was recently awarded an Honorable mention in the rhyming poetry category in the 90th Annual Writer’s Digest Writing Competition.

He is also a recipient of a Harlem record 14 scholarships he has earned over the last year.

He earned $13,000 through 14 scholarships he sought out, funds that allowed him to graduate debt-free. 

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Living in Harlem, New York where there is crime, homelessness, and poverty,  Javier overcame the odds to become a college graduate, an award-winning writer, an award-winning poet, a published author, and a Harlem record 14-time scholarship winner.

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