There’s a reason your voice lies halfway between your head and your heart. For me, I found my voice at Carmel Clay Public Library’s outreach program dubbed Teen Library Council (TLC). Whether it was at the closed Marsh grocery store while renovations were underway, the Joyce Winner West Branch, or the main location, being a part of TLC has been my favorite way to engage with my community. I’ve been able to use my voice to organize events like Dreamscapes, the Yule Ball and Nerdfest, as well as interact with other teenagers I never would have met otherwise at the monthly meetings and volunteering opportunities. 

I first learned about TLC when I saw a poster for the Yule Ball on my middle school library’s bulletin board in 2020 and was instantly intrigued. I was less intrigued when, due to COVID-19, I had to do an interview over Zoom on the last day of summer, but regardless, Caroline, the administrator, was infinitely welcoming (as well as infinitely more fashionable) and assuaged my worries of not knowing anyone else in the program.

As a reluctant member of National Junior Honor Society, I had believed I was familiar with service and volunteering opportunities and believed that it was a resume grab and nothing more. Try to imagine how gobsmacked I was when I realized that TLC didn’t only cater to the library community but the teenagers involved as well. I experienced building mini-library tins, a fortune teller machine for an arts event and decorations for a culture festival when everything finally clicked; TLC was an outlet to which I could gain autonomy over my own life. Every read-in, Yule Ball and monthly meeting was a way I could communicate and interact with people that were similar (and different from me). but all shared the unique quality of loving the library. Having that safe space has set me up for success in so many different ways. It was because of TLC that I was able to collaborate with the library to lead a library-sponsored teen book club and express myself at card-trading or book sale events throughout the year. 

In 2023, I ran for an officer position in TLC and learned more responsibilities after being elected. I would facilitate book discussions and observe meetings once a month, teaching me how to behave in a leadership role, something which I had never experienced before. I also began to write book reviews; one of which was posted on the Library’s website (under The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue) and another featured on the TLC’s Choice Picks book displays at the entrance of the Teen Section.

It felt so empowering to see my voice and my opinions presented in a safe space where I could not only earn hours for my participation, but be among other reviews done by my fellow members. In 2024, I helped set up the CCPL’s semi-annual book sale (twice) and found fulfillment in the reward of free books upon completion as well as the reward of peer-pressuring my friends to join TLC as well. In 2025, I was introduced to Nerdfest, which is essentially a Carmel, Indiana version of Comic-con, where I was able to volunteer at trading card events throughout the day. Interestingly enough, it served as a beneficial networking opportunity on top of volunteering since I was able to gain two new clients for babysitting and childcare simply by supervising the activity.  It felt as though my voice and my service was helping me engage with even more people outside of the library’s community. 

As of March, I have accumulated 97 hours of volunteer work for TLC, and by the end of 2026, my goal is to pass 100, not simply for the hours alone, but just because I know that I will have put my voice out enough to find fulfillment in my community, which is ultimately what TLC is all about.

If you are in grades 8-11 for the 2025-2026 school year and interested in becoming a member of the Carmel Clay Public Library (CCPL) Teen Library Council, please visit the CCPL website for more information. The application will be open from May 1 to May 31, or until all spots are filled, whichever comes first. There are limited spots available.

Ava Reita is a junior at Carmel High School and a member of TLC. The views in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of the HiLite staff. Reach Reita at [email protected]. If you would like to contribute to the HiLite’s guest essay series, email your pitch to [email protected] or [email protected].