Jose Retana Carrillo

Jose Carillo Retana, 17, is a rising senior at Widefield High School. Jose came to the U.S. from Mexico as a teenager and lived in Los Angeles where he struggled to acculturate. Jose came to YDA to explore bullying in light of taunting and harassment he experienced as a new immigrant in the U.S. His film brings together a myriad of teens who have experienced bullying in their schools and who give voice to the experiences of the suffering (often silent) that accompanies it. By allowing students to speak candidly with each other, Jose’s film provides an educational model for anti-bullying campaigns in high schools throughout the U.S.