My weight has always been an issue with me. Every morning, I wake up, go to the bathroom, lift up my shirt and pick at the fat I have to drop, before going off on my run. At this point, it has become routine. It’s necessary that I run every day, even if my legs are sore, if I...
I grew up in a medium-sized farming community in the depths of Northern California, three hours beyond the Bay Area. In my hometown, many families and farms use personal wells, but since the drought,, many of these wells have been running out of water. Families whose entire livelihood relied on water suddenly have dry wells and are being told...
Whenever I pictured graduate school, I imagined myself driving to campus in a flying car, sporting a tweed overcoat, smoking a cigar Tony Soprano-style. I’m not quite sure where this image of a graduate student emerged, but it’s a look I’m confident I could rock.
Now that I’m a third-year who plans to attend graduate school the fall following my...
I have a job that doesn’t pay enough.
Well, it is above minimum wage, so it’s better than most jobs I had throughout college. It isn’t much, however. Graduating UCR has given way to a new phase in my life, which basically amounts to, “You need to have a steady job and make a steady paycheck or you’ll run...
Everyone knows about the outwardly malicious form of bullying that involves overt force, harassment and sometimes violence. We’ve seen it in movies (such as “Mean Girls”), viral videos (such as World Star Hip-Hop) and even in our own high schools. It’s simply the most apparent kind of bullying because it involves a clear victim and a clear aggressor.
But,...
Growing up as a kid, I always seemed to draw more attention than my peers. I didn't act terribly different than others. In elementary school, when everyone spoke in class, often I would join in. I was the sole student to draw the teacher’s scorn. In middle school, this scorn escalated. I often found myself sitting in the principal’s...
Today, like every day for the last 18 years, I woke up white.
I sat through class today without being looked at as being the “positive” exception to my race, and was able to contribute effectively to classroom discussions without feeling like I was speaking on behalf of all white people. I walked back to my residence hall without being...
As I write this, digging up my memories of him, recalling virtually almost every instance I had in his classes, I realize that even though I miss him, he had lived a full life. And I believe he was aware of this, as he stressed the importance of having us, the future generation, keep Shakespeare alive.
I remember the first...
I’m a classic starving artist. When I first joined the Highlander in November 2013, I was living in a shitty loft suite in Bannockburn. Without a paycheck or a kitchen, my primary sustenance consisted of plain oatmeal, boxed mac ‘n cheese and Mickey Mouse-shaped waffles. I drank tap water straight from the sink. When I was elevated to staff...
In the second episode of the Netflix original comedy “Master of None,” the characters Dev and Brian realize that their parents experienced a lot of hardships as first-generation immigrants. To express their gratitude, they treat their parents out to dinner and listen to stories from their parents’ difficult childhoods. Dev even buys his father a guitar and a series...