I didn’t expect much from my first year at college. Virtual freshmen orientation was enough of a deterrent, removing the clichéd first day I had spent years picturing in my head. While icebreakers, in general, are painful, something about an online introduction amidst a sea of unhappy faces peering through blurry screens had me quickly begging for reprieve.
It was...
In a speech at Benedictine College, a private Catholic liberal arts college, Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker made a host of offensive remarks about women, the LGBTQIA+ community, women’s fertility issues and the modernization of the Catholic Church. The speech drew ire online and in the media as the remarks were labeled offensive and outdated. After spending the...
In February, I am starved for love. I wait for “Good morning” texts and desperate “I love yous.” I re-watched “When Harry Met Sally” and “Before Sunrise,” analyzing their interactions and tenuous eye contact. I stare at the couple in front of me in Coffee Bean, fingers interlocked, hushed conversation and delicate smiles exchanged between the two. Though I...
My grandmother sends me a “Happy Birthday” card with the typical well-wishes and a $20 tucked inside every year. As a child, I remember squinting in confusion and re-reading her loopy handwriting to understand her message. Eventually, I would hand the card to my parents and ask them to “translate” her old-school handwriting. Similarly, in middle school, my teacher...
Feb. 9, 2023 marked the fourth week since the Glen Mor I building elevator broke down. The elevator initially malfunctioned on Jan. 12 and repairs were made the next day. About 30 minutes later, the elevator broke down again. The office has sent students a total of eight emails regarding the broken elevator, all but one of them have...
As I watched shoppers browse clothing racks at my local mall this holiday season, I noticed that only a few people wore masks. It was a stark contrast from the past few years, defined by blue hospital masks, six-foot social distancing and constant hand sanitation. Observing peoples’ abandonment of masks during one of the busiest times of the year...
As a newly eligible voter, I was thrilled to cast my first ballot in the Nov. 8th midterm election, being able to vote for the politicians and issues I care about. I studied the policy issues and candidates and even looked forward to filling in the bubbles, shading in my choices. When I was done and dropped my ballot...
When I was fourteen years old, I fully believed that I would never make it out of the Central Valley. I was blinded by a generational cycle of poverty that was reinforced by endless fields of agricultural crops. The very same food that you eat without a second thought holds my people captive. I can see the consequences in...
You might have heard before that the key to forming successful relationships in college is by being an outgoing person: not being shy when someone sits next to you in lecture and always being the one who asks questions in class. The burden of making lifelong connections suddenly now weighs on your shoulders alone. A major component to becoming...
College can be a very polarizing time for students as stepping into a new environment is always intimidating. The “college experience” is unique in the fact that it's been painted by the mainstream media as a time of pure recklessness in a young person's life. Oftentimes, college students are depicted as “party animals” who care more about getting wasted...