Dina Lusztig Noyes is honored to be the first Youth Poet Laureate of Santa Cruz, picked from among many talented poets and her peers in the youth poet laureate program. She is committed to telling the story of those who struggle to be accepted and communicating the communal experience of growing up queer and anxious in the modern age. She wants to give a voice to her generation, and is dedicated to creating spaces for her peers to speak volumes. Her writing centers largely around the themes of mental health, gender, and growing up in her generation.