When Google released its annual Year in Search report, it’s no wonder that Amanda Gorman was on that list.
In fact, she came in at No. 1 on the tech giant’s list of poets in 2021. Unsurprisingly, Amanda Gorman, the nation’s first-ever Youth Poet Laureate, earned the title shortly after she performed her now-world famous poem, “The Hill We Climb,” at President Joe Biden’s inauguration on Jan. 20, 2021. However, what was surprising about the search results was that Norway was the country that was most likely to search for the term “Amanda Gorman” in Google over every other country (including our own!).
No matter, though: her accomplishments are all her own.
Born in Los Angeles to a single mother, Amanda Gorman pushed herself to excellence from the very beginning — from enrolling in speech therapy classes to gaining a world-class mentorship that landed her in the halls of the United States’ most prestigious Ivy League college.
“Gorman doesn’t view her speech impediment as a crutch—rather, she sees it as a gift and a strength,” reported the Harvard Crimson.
Indeed, Gorman echoed her desire to be an inspiration to young girls just like her.
“Every now and then there will be a little girl at an event and she goes, ‘I have an auditory processing disorder too and I sound exactly like you,’” she said to the magazine.
Here are 20 essential facts about Amanda Gorman, 2021’s Top Searched Poet Worldwide.
She's the First Youth Poet Laureate
According to Glamour Magazine, Amanda Gorman was the first-ever Youth Poet Laureate. She’s read her poetry at the Library of Congress, and also read it on MTV.
“Her poem ‘In This Place (An American Lyric)’ was acquired by the Morgan Library and Museum in New York City, where it is on display alongside works by Elizabeth Bishop,” reports the outlet.
Amanda Gorman Recited One Of Her Poems At The Super Bowl
After she performed at the inauguration of President Joe Biden, Amanda Gorman recited her poem called “Chorus of the Captains” at the Super Bowl.
But Sometimes, She Has To Hype Herself Up
Before she performed at President Joe Biden’s inauguration, Amanda Gorman revealed to CBS This Morning that sometimes, she has to hype herself up before the performance.
“One of the preparations that I do always whenever I perform is I say a mantra to myself, which is ‘I’m the daughter of black writers. We’re descended from freedom fighters who broke through chains and changed the world. They call me,'” she said to the morning show. “And that is the way in which I prepare myself for the duty that needs to get done.”
She's A Twin!
Two heads are better than one, and there’s no better proof of that than Amanda Gorman. As Vice revealed, she has a twin sister named Gabrielle, who graduated cum laude from UCLA. An activist and a filmmaker, Gabrielle still lives in Los Angeles and was awarded the YoungArts award in filmmaking in 2016.
Amanda Gorman Was The Youth Poet Laureate Of Los Angeles
Before Amanda Gorman was named the National Youth Poet Laureate, she carried the distinction in 2014 for Los Angeles.
Her Books are Best-Sellers
There’s no shortage of books available by Amanda Gorman. She signed a deal with Viking Books shortly after she performed at President Joe Biden’s inauguration, and needless to say, the books she’s released have been well-received (and sold very well, too!). Some of the titles include “Change Sings: A Children’s Anthem,” which is for children, “Call Us What We Carry,” and “The Hill We Climb.”
Amanda Gorman Is The First Black Woman To Read A Poem At A Presidential Inauguration
We stan a woman who makes history, and Amanda Gorman has done just that with “The Hill We Climb.”
Amanda Gorman Initially Was A Youth Delegate For The United Nations
After hearing a speech Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani activist and Nobel Prize laureate gave in 2013, Amanda Gorman became a delegate for the United Nations.
“It really opened my eyes to the possibilities of what I could accomplish,” she said to The New York Times.
She Founded The One Pen, One Page Charity Organization In 2016
In 2016, Amanda Gorman launched the One Pen, One Page charity organization. Its mission, according to its official website, is to “elevate the voices of youth through writing and creativity.”
Amanda Gorman Is A Write Girl Alum
Boasting Amanda Gorman as one of their many success stories, the Write Girl organization helps girls and nonbinary teens by providing mentorship opportunities. They’re pleased to also report that not only do all of their charges graduate high school, but they also enroll in college, with all of them obtaining full or partial scholarships.
She's a Graduate of Harvard
Say it with us: Ivy League alum! Amanda Gorman graduated cum laude from Harvard in 2020, with a degree in sociology. She was also a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and studied abroad in Madrid, Spain for a year.
Amanda Gorman Also Has A Rising Modeling Career
Shortly after she read her inaugural poem, Amanda Gorman was picked up by IMG Models to represent her for film, television, and modeling bookings.
She Also Read For President Barack Obama!
Amanda Gorman has a huge fan of President Barack Obama, too! During his administration, she was invited to the White House to read her work for well-known figures such as Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hillary Clinton, and Malala Yousafzai, according to Hello! Magazine.
Amanda Gorman Supports Black Lives Matter #BLM
In an interview with Time Magazine, Amanda Gorman said she supported Black Lives Matter and its message.
“Poetry and language are often at the heartbeat of movements for change. If we look to the Black Lives Matter protest, you see banners that say, They buried us but they didn’t know we were seeds. That’s poetry being marshaled to speak of racial justice. If you analyze Martin Luther King’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech, it’s a great document of rhetoric that’s also a great document of poetry, of imagery, of the song. Never underestimate the power of art as the language of the people,” she said to the outlet.
She's Overcome a Childhood Disability
Amanda Gorman told NPR that she’s had a speech impediment from when she was a child, and she also has an auditory processing disorder and is hypersensitive to sound.
She Talked To Oprah In A Virtual Interview, Too
Amanda Gorman Was Named One On 'The Root's' Young Futurists of 2019
Marsai Martin was in that group, too!
Will She Be President In The Future?
Anything is possible! In 2017, Amanda Gorman told The New York Times that she’d like to run for President in 2036, when she’s first eligible to do so. We can’t wait to see her campaign!
Amanda Gorman Won A Tech Grant
In 2017, Gorman won a $10,000 grant from the OZY Genius Awards. The awards aim to support the next Albert Einstein or Mark Zuckerberg as they attempt to launch a new company.
She Has Some Invaluable Advice For Young Girls
“You really have to crown yourself with the belief that what I’m about and what I’m here for is way beyond this moment. I’m learning that I am not lightning that strikes once. I am the hurricane that comes every single year, and you can expect to see me again soon,” she said to Time Magazine.
