Why do we consistently undermine ourselves and treat ourselves less than? This is my journey to becoming the main character.
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My hair has gone from red to blue, to blonde, and back again. I’ve had super short hair, and decently long hair, sides shaved, pixie cut, you name it. My hair has also been everything from insecurity to a beacon of confidence. I’ve utilized it as a blanket to hide from the world and a tool of expression. Looking at my Instagram now, you may never guess that I had a shaved head from 10th grade till freshman year of college. In this personal essay, I’ll tell you how my hair journey allowed me to understand that my hair has absolutely no tie to my worth or confidence and at the end of the day hair is just hair.
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Elwood P. Dowd says in the 1950 film Harvey, “They tell me about the big, terrible things they've done and the wonderful things they'll do. Their hopes, and their regrets, and their loves, and their hates. All very large, because nobody ever brings anything small into a bar.” Much like the bar in which Elwood spends a depressing amount of his time, nobody ever brings anything small into the crystal shop on Meeker, where I spent my senior year of high school.
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Have you ever thought to look back on every single book you read in and before high school? We would all be familiar with a few titles: The Great Gatsby, To Kill a Mockingbird, and any Shakespeare play. There is also another thing that all of these classic novels have in common: their lack of diversity. Here is the case for diversifying America’s education literary curriculum and how students would feel more represented and safe in a classroom setting because of it.
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People often say that motherhood changes you. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a global baby boom and an exponential increase in pet adoptions. Well, as part of that statistic, I am now the mother to two fur-babies, I can confirm that this saying is true.
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Public restrooms are traditionally spaces where minimal contact with others is expected. However, in some of these public spaces, the opposite prevails and people are able to connect with one another through the art form of Latrinalia (more commonly known as bathroom graffiti). Despite the already vulnerable connotation of public restrooms, there is an elicited sense of anonymity that triggers people to stray from the norm of bathroom etiquette and prompts them to write on the stalls.
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Why are certain habits classy if you’re rich but trashy if you’re poor? In this essay, I am picking apart our bias and why money affects the way we view and respect others. The media has a role to play, but we as the public fall in line with these contradictory opinions.
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We've all spent copious amounts of time in our bedroom for the last year. You may have rearranged your space to be more accommodating to Zoom meetings and shoved your Harry Styles poster in the corner so no one sees it when you go into breakout rooms. But when Zoom classmates are gone, and other guests leave, your room should be a space that is totally for you. Here are four tips to make your room a dignified reflection of yourself so you can feel like the baddie you are each day and night.
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Camp romance is unlike no other. But what happens when you don’t fall for a fellow camper? This essay explores the pitfalls of finding yourself in isolation, the confusion that comes with sorting one’s sexuality, and the triumphs of making peace with the unknown.
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In an homage to Sandra Cisneros, this piece touches upon the importance of representation in literature and how her work has shaped me as a writer.
You’re too nice. Nice Girl is easy to take advantage of. She lets people walk all over her. Nice Girl is weak and scared of confrontation. Nice Girl is naive. But does Nice Girl know that she can be so much more?
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This article explores the author's experience of confronting loss in a variety of ways during the lockdown. From the death of Jessica Walter to the delayed grief of his mother, Louis writes about how he’s processed personal loss and how we can process collective loss caused by the pandemic. The article ends on a hopeful note about how connection can help us recover.
COVID-19 incited a great period of isolation, creating the perfect storm for people to lack connectivity for over a year. Nonetheless, young people were able to craft innovative ways of keeping the flames of their friendships and relationships burning brightly. In this article, I discuss my experience with different platforms of communication and ways to check in with friends.
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I have always been fascinated by the constant desire humans have to find and create perfection, but in an era of self-love, are the pressures of perfection still upon us? Here I discuss the real meaning of perfection, especially in regard to our skin and how, despite what the media argues, our skin should not look like glass. Instead, we should try to embrace the beautiful, constantly evolving landscape which is our skin, even though on some days, this can feel impossible.
I always believed labels were only limited to high school and the minute you left, the labels would too. But as I grow more into adult life, I understand labels are just as prominent as the lingering preconceptions are. They haunt us, and we need to learn not to be defined by them.
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Education is great. Learning is fun. Teachers working with young kids are the gatekeepers to the world of education. In my experience one teacher truly f**ked my educational career, and it was all because I was hard of hearing.
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After surviving the rigorous college application season, it is finally over. Getting into my dream schools like Northeastern University and Boston University provided a sense of accomplishment; all my hard work came to fruition. Yet, while I am very grateful for this success, if I had the ability to go back and change my experience during the college application process, I would. Since my father never attended college and my mother went many years ago, I was left to navigate this process all on my own. Despite making a few mistakes and having a couple of breakdowns along the way, I have learned a significant amount from this experience. To help others getting ready to apply to college, I hope to offer honest advice about the college application process.
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With reflection on an old essay I wrote months ago, I’ve been collecting my thoughts on how I define independence, and how I define intimacy with oneself. Understanding how the context of our lives plays such massive roles in our ability to grow has been the greatest catalyst in my journey to find myself again. If you are experiencing loss, a change of plans, or have no idea where life is taking you next, you aren’t the only one.
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Mark Zuckerberg and I couldn't be more different. But for the last month, I couldn't seem to escape his almond-shaped head on my TikTok For You Page. On social media, users also post awkward photos of his capitalist friends like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos. From afar, these posts seem weird, but this is Gen Z's way of making sense of the people who have such a stronghold in our society. So, yes, The Social Network is my comfort film — not because it has to do with Zuckerberg and the creation of Facebook, but 1) it offers a glimpse into the life of one of the most powerful men in the world, and 2) I feel bad for Eduardo. It's time to explore the "Zuck."
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Life is a funny thing. For each moment you live through, you have some association that lingers with it. Throughout my life, I’ve managed to rack up countless stories that even I wouldn’t believe. Each one includes memories that are either associated with music, movies, books or media. Compiled in a list, here is a guide to my life through books and media.
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