Some people look at their reflection in the mirror and say, “You are beautiful” or “you are amazing.” On my first day of school here in the United States, I spent ten minutes staring back at the face I knew …
The only man-made light was the bright orange glow of my father’s cigarette. Cutting through the balmy summer air were the sounds of bullfrogs and crickets happily chirping away. The bench where I sat was hard, but I did not …
“The movie was filmed in Arizona.” My mother began to tell another story about him. We were in the kitchen making pasta with the tomatoes that we collected from our garden. “They asked him to make a buffet table for …
I’m sure that we have all had compelling moments that stick out to us. Sometimes it’s more than that. Sometimes these moments become like scars; in a way that is most lovely. Like a tattoo with a better story. We …
I understand that you might not be a Yankee fan, and you might not agree with anything that I am about to say, but I ask you to at least give me a chance to explain myself. I revolve everything …
“Attention. you are now on a four-year direct flight to Mars.” This is how I felt after moving from a New York City suburb to a small Vermont town when I was 14 years old. Imagine it yourself – it’s …
Describe a “first” that had a powerful impact on your thinking. I wouldpoint to one of my first concerts as something that greatly affected me. Thisparticular concert was a complex light show synchronized with Pink Floyd’s 1973masterpiece “Dark Side of …
Ten years from now I could almost be anything, ranging from those lost souls roaming the streets or the lost souls trapped in a cubicle. But my aspirations must always remain high, no matter the amount of darkness clouding my …
In 1989, Xiao and A Jun arrived in LaGuardia Airport. They carried four suitcases filled with nothing more than a few sets of clothes and Chinese snacks. Xiao and A Jun had recently married and wanted the first years of …
Everyone has his or her own struggles to deal with, which is why I don’t really like to talk about mine. However, the struggles I had did indeed help shape me as an individual. When I was younger, I was …
Junior year of high school has the reputation of being the toughest academic yearfor a high school student. The pressure of succeeding academically, and choosingcolleges and universities can leave a student drained emotionally andphysically. In my case, academics had always …
Graduate. I will graduate. I will be a graduate. Verb. Noun. Verb:to graduate. To turn away from the comfort and security of my home, myown bed, whose bulky, floral comforter envelops me even in the summer, when I get lost …
Twenty-three girls. Four cabins. Two weeks. One village. Going to a sleep-away camp for eight years of my life has been a wonderfully fun experience for me, and over the past two years, it has also been very eye-opening. You …
Life itself is delicate, almost like a flower; one minor change and it can be swept away forever. I will never forget that beautiful summer day July 5th, 2010 when heaven gained a new angel. The smell of early summer, …
Life can be simple, complex, or somewhere in between, but it always has a lesson to teach us. Some are passed down to us through our parents, such as the fact that the stove is hot. We are lucky enough …
“My parents are freaking out… but I’m fine.” These are the words of my best friend just after being told she had a brain tumor. The tumor began growing off of the Schwann cells of her facial and hearing nerve, …
Sophie You can always tell the days that Sophie is here because if you lay in my bed you can feel the Chex crumbs. When I roll over all I hear is crunch, crunch. When I hear that I just …
A soft contemporary gospel graced the air as the youth pastor began his monologue to the audience of teenagers. They raised their hands in both anticipation and in attempt to grasp the words as they left the delicate speech of …
With every step I take, with every breath, and with every movement, there is a little more weight on my shoulders. Included in that is everything I carry around with me, like my ability to recognize the gifts of life, …
I am a very powerful wizard, the most powerful one of the century. Well, at least I was when I was eight years old. But trust me, boy was I powerful! I conjured spells, articulated curses, and whizzed around the …
I peer through the viewfinder. The camera focuses, and my eye takes in the promising image in front of me. Through the crystal clear glass I see an adolescent girl. She is dressed in a coral pink tank top and …
Perhaps, it was a sign from the heavens. “Ne plus ultra,” my Latin teacher repeated. I put down my pen and looked up the meaning of the Latin phrase in the handout. The phrase means “nothing more beyond” or “perfection.” …
From my bedroom I heard them talking, my mom and stepfather. I knew what they were talking about, too. They wanted to move to Philadelphia where my stepfather was from. This was exciting for me, but at the same time, …
According to a study done in 2012 by the United States Humane Society (United States Humane Society), around 47% of households owned at least one dog. As we all know, there are many sicknesses and diseases that can hurt our …
Public education in the United States has become one of the largest and most dynamic quality control problems in our modern society. Despite our access to the technological advances of our time, we have been unable to maintain our preeminent …
Boom boom. Boom boom. Boom boom. The steady rhythm of my heartbeat. It increases as my knife-edged spikes emerge into the track. It’s state. This is what it all comes down to. I bounce to keep my muscles loose. That’s …
That curtain is awful heavy. It looks alright from the audience, I suppose. When you’re sitting in row EE, seat 20, the red velvet looks as soft as can be and the folds of the fabric, as gentle as a …
One hundred twenty two. One hundred twenty three. One hundred twenty four. The curser continues blinking as I stare like a zombie at the blank screen. WHAM! The idea finally explodes in my head like an unapproved science experiment in …
During adolescence, we are faced with numerous challenges and situations daily.Although some trivial, they begin to shape who we are, what we stand for, and can provide insight as to what values we represent.One of my beliefs was challenged, and …
I grew up believing I could attain anything. There were no rules. As a 12 year old whose grandfather was the mayor of a small town, in the Philippines, I was convinced I was royalty. The continual vocal lessons, dance …
“Many things catch your eye, pursue only those that catch your heart.” These words come back to me as I listened to the purr of an engine.The type of deep rumbling that makes the hairs on the back of your …
When you grow up, you believe everything people tell you. For the most part, they tend to turn out true, but as soon as we find out something is not, we feel like our world starts crashing down. The summer …