My Home I used to be furious at the advertisement that represented Ethiopia as a grimy boy begging for food; on the summer of 2011, when my mother, my younger sister and I flew to Ethiopia to visit family, I understood its accuracy. Although that unparalleled interdependence between the citizens [...]
Headstrong and Passionate One of the traits that I value highly in myself is my ability to make my decisions, no matter how much pressure I face. I have never been able to let others choose what is best for me. Throughout my entire childhood, I have found this aspect [...]
My Origins I can remember everything as far back as preschool—when life was as simple as the colored building blocks I used to play with, and when stress and sleep deprivation weren’t even factors that came into play. The world I come from is a planet like everyone else’s but [...]
I'm Not a Statistic Today, society portrays the black man as: a rapper, a thug, someone who only cares about brand names, and someone to be feared. The media constantly portrays the African American male as a monster as they are constantly seen as criminals. All of the statistics about [...]
Back to Basics Many of my friends ask me why I take film photos. They state: “Lauren, it’s so much easier to just take a photo on your iPhone,” and “Why would you wait so long just to see a picture?!” Film photography is a time honored tradition, one that [...]
No More Reading Consumed by high school--social media, social life, and of course, homework--I must not be alone when I say that I no longer have time to read. At all. I used to be the biggest book junkie that ever walked the earth (or at least, that walked the [...]
The Bench “So, knowing what you know now, would you have sat on the bench?” “I dunno. Maybe.” “Well then I’m afraid I’ll have to give you a detention.” In sixth grade, I was obsessed with Nelson Mandela after writing a report on his struggle to bring racial equality to [...]
Genius Brother My brother is a genius. You probably wouldn’t think so if you look at his grades—above average for a normal person’s standards, but extremely disappointing compared to my report card, decorated with an obnoxious abundance of “A’s” and “Advanced Placement”, almost as if my life depended on it. [...]
Chaotic Kitchen “No that’s not how you hold a knife, like this, c'mon put your knuckle against the blade.” There are many things in life that we let pass by unnoticed, and there are thousands of things everyday we tend to unconsciously push towards unimportance. Today, it seems that food [...]
Waving Goodbye Since I was old enough to peer out the car window, I can remember my grandmother standing by her curtains as we pulled away in our car, waving good-bye, her fingers fluttering gleefully. Every time, as we piled back into the car, I would immediately buckle my seatbelt [...]