About the Author

Dakiyla a.k.a The Wordmith is a 16 year old spoken word artist. She started writing in the 5th grade at Meadow Park Elementary. She got her start through “Seven of Arts'' in 2019 when Drekkia Writes came in to teach poetry workshops to her 5th grade class where she ended up winning the poetry competition at the end of the week. 

From there on she continued to write and compete. In 2023, she won first place in the Ivory Tillman Black History Speech Competition. She has competed four times and has won first place each time. 

Every time she writes or performs, her goal is to give the people something they can relate to. She believes she has accomplished her goal because by writing about real life experiences, she stands out. She is always going out of her way to stick beside her belief of being a voice for the people. She was voted most likely to succeed by her peers and works towards that everyday of her life. She continues to be active on campus and in the community.

In all, Dakiyla is a skilled user of words and she uses her gift to advocate and connect with people.