While I was slinking into my late teens, the playlist of that low-budget station felt like it was stuck in my middle-school years.

CNN: Who needs radio? I'll take the Web

My counselor in middle school at the time, Ms. Artson, took time to listen to my arguments, maybe my hurt and defense mechanisms.

WHITEHOUSE: Champions of Change Blog

The news, and so I grew up - there was a point in my life, like in middle school, where I just wanted to fit in and I just didn't want to be an Arab because I thought, you know, it was a terrible thing.

NPR: Rapping About Land and Identity

In the middle of high school, my parents moved to Houston, Texas.

CNN: Your e-mails: Defining the Asian-American experience

So in sixth grade I played goalie for my Princeton middle school team.

FORBES: The SSAC Interview of Chris Anderson & David Sally

My own story of service began in middle school.

WHITEHOUSE: Serving the United States Through AmeriCorps

I'm a bright enough guy, but all the great books I'll ever read I read in college and graduate school, and my musical tastes are straight down the middle: Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Mostly Mozart, the Brandenburgs, a little cool jazz, a few show tunes.

NPR: Excerpt: 'The Practice of Deceit'

As a middle school English teacher, most of my reading material lies in the land of YA fiction (I must admit, I LOVE the likes of Eragon, Inkheart, and of course, Harry Potter).

NPR: 'A Walk in the Woods' by Bill Bryson

"Of course I don't want any of my kids shot in school, " said Claudia Schreiber, 52, whose son attends middle school there.

WSJ: Town Divided Over Schools and Firearms

But my goal is to challenge more schools and more communities to take part in this, particularly middle and high school students, because right now those 635 students are at the elementary school level, and we need to take this challenge up to kids in middle schools and high schools.

WHITEHOUSE: The First Lady Urges Healthy Diet and Exercise