Here I am, at the end of my career as the Highlander’s opinions editor, and rapidly approaching the finish line for my college career — all the while my man-boobs are flopping and my gut is swaying.
My heaving and gasping inability to run long distances aside, I can’t help but look back and realize that I must be either...
Whether it's 30 miles or 300 miles, living away from home for the first time can be a frightening experience. However, living away from home isn't quite the same as living on your own. For many college students, the experience of living away from home for the first time begins on move-in day, when it is time to pack...
Sometimes I thought of the other children in my kindergarten class as colors of the rainbow. Of course, I knew at the time that all of my classmates had their own distinct combination of hues, whether they be different shades of hair color, skin color or eye color. However, for the most part, all of my kindergarten peers were...
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...
As Hispanic Heritage Month comes to an end, I’ve reflected on what this month of celebration of Latine history and culture means to me as a mixed-race Mexican American.
Living in the Bay Area, I grew up in a largely Asian American community away from my Mexican American family in Southern California. Connecting with my roots and Mexican heritage was...
I sat in a Zoom lecture when suddenly an email notification flashed across my screen. It read “ESPN Next - Status Update.” I immediately minimized the lecture screen and clicked my way to the email. I had already completed two interviews for the production assistant position within the program, the latter of which was a more extensive video call,...
Every second Sunday of May, we honor maternal figures with common gifts of brunches, cards and flowers. While these are thoughtful and sweet gestures, they are ultimately not enough. In an age where reproductive rights are dwindling, public services are being slashed under the Trump administration, family deportations are escalating and mothers are chronically overworked and underpaid, appreciation for...
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...
Growing up as a Palestinian Muslim woman in post 9/11 America, I have only ever known of a government that is unkind to my people. Almost every politician has made a career out of portraying Muslim and Arab victims as the political enemy, finding a way to vilify these oppressed people.
In the safety and security of my home, my...
From the moment I stepped onto UC San Diego’s (UCSD) campus, I did not feel the butterflies that I thought I was supposed to feel. Every book I had read described a feeling of joy, of feeling at home, of possibility. All I felt was a deep dissatisfaction.
Six months later, I was again on UCSD’s campus, but now as...