Tuesday November 23rd—a day I had been anticipating for months.  Eek!  Finding the opportunity was extremely difficult. So I swore to myself I wouldn’t ruin it. It was my one shot to prove I was worthy of breathing the same air as someone who quite literally changes lives.  I walked in catching that clean scent, […]

So, where was I again? Ah yes, the tale of my high school confessions. Well you know… boring this, boring that… I’m in 10th grade suffering right now. Nah, I’m teasing, I have a better story to tell.  It all began on the day of our county swimming championship. I know right, I bet you […]

-on’t build without me” he called back, shutting the garage door. Clearly groceries were a more pressing matter.  So I waited . . . for thirty minutes before digging through the kitchen junk drawer to find a beginner friendly screwdriver and a rusted two-ton hammer. I maneuvered the oversized box up the stairs, its heaviness […]

If you’ve been wronged, know someone who’s been wronged, or want to fight against being wronged, the thing that you need is justice.  Throughout my life I’ve witnessed how many people are treated unfairly. This happens because of looks, skills, grades, financial situations and other factors.  Injustice isn’t just just a small problem that a […]

Backstage, palms sweating, legs shaking—my mind trying to play back each step. I’m paying such close attention as if I’m watching something that my life depends on.   Going on stage, I realize the audience detects every wrong move. Each mess up, my smile fades, losing grasp of the small bit of confidence I came out […]

Procrastination is a trap.  It happens when your brain is fooled into thinking you have unlimited time—but in reality, you don’t.  Trust me. I’ve experienced this. I used to cram everything (work, assignments, sign ups) genuinely minutes before it was due. This is because I thought I could fit everything in a limited time period.  […]

“Great things come from hard work and perseverance. No excuses.” The man who said this wasn’t just an ordinary person. He was an inspiration. Kobe Bryant was one of the most competitive and dedicated players in basketball history, and he is known for his forceful and relentless personality. All he cared about was winning and […]

Abraham Lincoln was an excellent man who achieved many important things during his lifetime. His nickname was Honest Abe because he was truthful in everything he said and did. Some of his strong qualities were: humility, empathy, perseverance, courage and leadership. Abe married Mary Todd from Kentucky. They had three sons. Abraham was the first president with a beard and was known […]

Living your ideal life is living in a house with bullet-proof windows and blackout curtains: it’s living in survivalist mode.  We have always been scared of change and terrified of obstacles. We look at the bullets we fired at the old flimsy film of glass that we decided was too unsafe. Yet we keep the […]

Pulchritudinous is the kind of word that feels like an achievement all by itself:  long, rare, almost ornamental.  And it means beauty so striking it deserves to be noticed.  But calling someone or something “a living masterpiece” goes a step further. It’s not just saying the beauty exists; it’s that the beauty is alive, growing, […]

Social media and high school force standards upon us which seem out of reach. Especially as a teenager, achieving these standards can be our sole purpose to fit in with society and not be cast aside as an outsider.  Attempting to meet these standards can affect your state of mind . . .  So here […]

The Galapagos Islands: the first thought that comes to everyone’s mind when someone mentions 9th grade Biology. Darwin and his theory about the finches on this island are a close second.  9th grade was two years ago for me, but the Galapagos will always be engraved in my head. Darwin’s theory shows how different species […]