Meet the 2025 Long Beach Youth Poet Laureate

Pictured above, Ezequiel Correa, Youth Poet Laureate, at Long Beach Forward in Long Beach, Monday, Nov. 18, 2025. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova from The Long Beach Post.

McBride High School student Ezequiel Correa has been proudly named as the 2025 Long Beach Youth Poet Laureate (LBYPL) by the City of Long Beach.

In Correa’s award-winning poem, “My Ballad,” he draws on his passion for immigration rights, using motifs that represent his Mexican ancestors and his life in Long Beach. Utilizing both Spanish and English in his poem, Correa’s words meld into a powerful statement about his Latino culture, noting, “our story is sung in every language, and it cannot be silenced.”

Lucy Salazar, Director of Equity, Engagement, and Partnerships at LBUSD, praised Correa’s poem. “It was deeply moving. When students share their experiences, and we have the opportunity to hear their voice, we become better educators, leaders, and partners in their success.”

While Correa has a variety of passions and interests, his focus remains on being a community champion and addressing literacy inequalities to ensure information is more readily available to all. As the city’s laureate, Correa will serve as a representative for literacy, the arts, and youth expression, inspiring change and demonstrating strong leadership within the Long Beach community. He will additionally receive a $1,500 scholarship along with access to mentorship and resources while engaging Long Beach youth in literary arts programming over the next year. Upon the conclusion of the program’s current term, Correa and his cohort will serve as mentors to the next LBYPL cohort.

To read Ezequiel Correa’s powerful and inspiring poem, visit the Long Beach Public Library webpage.