Sorry, I'm American The sun hurt my eyes as I stepped out of the small plane and into the hot, humid air. I walked down the stairs, across the tarmac, and into the airport baggage claim. As I retrieved a cart for my luggage, a cry rang out. “Luis! [...]
Passion For Music Music defines me; it allows me to stay positive and enthusiastic, express myself, and feel comfortable and content. Music has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. My experience began with piano lessons at the age of six. Every Wednesday after [...]
Views on Feminism The first time I saw Gilda Radner was the day her “best-of” DVD arrived in the mail and my mother sat me down to watch one of her childhood heroes on Saturday Night Live. I latched on to the vigor and passion that spurted out of her [...]
Lack of Appreciation Michael Jackson passed away on June 25, 2009. Congress held a moment of silence on June 26, 2009 to recognize the singer’s unprecedented talent and his humanitarian efforts. Meanwhile, the number of casualties in Afghanistan and Iraq are amounting to numbers in the thousands. And the numbers [...]
Defining Diabetes I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in April of 2009. I stayed up that night for hours crying, clutching the bed sheets into my tearstained face, knowing that somehow my life was different; I would depend on something more than the standard necessities of life to keep [...]
A Passion To Run Running is an individual sport; a runner may be a member of a team, but in the end, the result of the race depends solely on one person: you. Regardless of the speed or strength of your body, without mental stamina, your endurance, performance, and potential [...]
A Loving Companion To me he is a friend, a loyal companion that never leaves my side, a lovable pooch that forgives without remorse, and a gullible pup that chases after every stick, but to society he is a criminal, an awful animal with a bad reputation, a cruel [...]
A Dose of Reality Growing up, I was always told to appreciate life; I was always told to never take anything for granted; I was always told to remember that things could be worse. These cliché phrases swirled around me my entire childhood, yet it wasn’t until I was fifteen [...]
Katy Wrap a rubber band around your fingers. Tighten it until you’re barely able to flex your hand. Then try to go about your everyday tasks with your hand like that: brushing your teeth, writing your name, dialing your phone. These actions, previously so simple and effortless, become difficult, [...]
Learning Through Since I was three years old, ballet has been a part of my life. Although I stopped and started numerous times, I have always loved to dance. Ballet was for fun and not competitive in any way; it was just a hobby. However, due to an unexpected injury [...]