Okay, yes, I have been telling myself for the past too-many-to-count years of my life that I would expand the scope of the books I read and resist my natural gravitation towards your average, teenager-geared, realistic fiction novel. But I couldn’t stay away from Normal People. How could I? Since it was published in 2018, Normal People …
‘HAMILTON’ REVIEW: A History For Us to Write
It’s Friday, July 3 at 3 AM, but I’m anything but tired; “Hamilton” has just been released. My Disney+ account is my ticket into the Richard Rodgers Theatre, and my living room couch becomes a front row seat. The lights dim and I hold my breath as Aaron Burr steps onto the stage. I haven’t …
MOUNTAINS WORTH CLIMBING: Reflecting on My Junior Year of High School
In mid-March, my junior year of high school came to a screeching halt. We were out of school for two days due to “cleaning” that had to be done as a safeguard against COVID-19 (just a few days ago, it had been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization). Two days became two weeks, …
COVID-19: THE SCIENCE BEHIND THE PANDEMIC
We all have different ways of coping with the stress and anxiety of COVID-19. For me, reading up on the science front of the pandemic has been helpful in taking away a little bit of the largely uncontrollable feeling of uncertainty. Coronaviruses are a family of viruses. The family itself is not new to scientists …
THE REALITY OF THE TRUMAN SHOW
In the final scene of The Truman Show, Truman Burbank bangs on a massive painted wall in tears. He feels helpless as he is overwhelmed by the realization that his entire life has been staged; hidden cameras have followed and recorded him since birth, broadcasting his life on a 24/7 television show for the whole …
PAINED, BUT POWERFUL: CHANGEMAKERS, ALL OF US
In one of my final assignments in middle school, I wrote that “armed with determination, optimism, and focus, I’m prepared to take on anything. As a high schooler, I’ll push myself as much as it takes to reach my goals. I believe that if we work hard enough, we can accomplish anything.” I’ve clung stubbornly to this …