Dog Bite
I have this memory from my sophomore year at a high school house party. In a familiar, uncomfortable moment of not quite having anyone to talk to, I ended up in an awkward conversation with a girl and her boyfriend, both a year older than me. It was early fall, so with apparently nothing else interesting to talk about, classes came up. I remember mentioning my nerves about taking AP BC Calculus the following year. The boy’s expression is still etched in my brain—not just dis
Dec 26, 20253 min read
Flowers in December
It is late December now, and a snowy blanket swathes the earth back where the roads are winding, and the hills are rolling. Your past semester evanesces, a sharpened presence of a different time settling in its place. A bustling small town at the height of festivities struggles against the quieting nature of an austere winter cloak, radio holiday regulars muffled within its envelope. The cold is foreboding, and this year it nips and bites with an unfamiliar ferocity, unrelent
Dec 23, 20252 min read
The Strange Truth of the Elevator Pitch
A Paper for Philosophy Ninety seconds. The theoretical time allotted for a moment shared with another person in an elevator. An interaction that defines your impression despite its brevity. An elevator pitch — what an intriguing concept. A speech that lasted just a minute and a half might have been the hardest thing I’ve ever had to write. How could I possibly compress the immensity of a life into such a small space? More difficult still, how does one “sell” oneself at all? S
Sep 30, 20254 min read
Opaque Purple Boxes
This morning, our professor handed out small, opaque boxes and instructed us to partner up and draw what we thought was inside. It was a...
Jan 23, 20252 min read
Locker Room Talk
“Technology, specifically the internet, has expanded in quantity, enhanced in quality, and amplified in functionality over the past two decades (Bashir, 2017).” This was the opening line of my CCIR research paper on the impact of social media on adolescent mental health and wellbeing, ironically. “The past year has prompted epidemiological studies focusing on the correlation between screen viewing, specifically that of social networking, and mental and behavioral disorders.”
Aug 3, 20242 min read
Sells Seashells by the Seashore
Limpets, ceriths, cones, and likewise cast ashore with the tide at my toes. A younger me watched with disappointment, in hopes of catching a glimpse of a conch or sand dollar as the Jersey Shore seashell natives washed up instead. They would have to suffice for my collection, and I ran after and snatched them before the whims of the sea swallowed them all over again. On walks along the shore now, I still see these same seashells, but instead of reaching down and claiming th
Jul 9, 20243 min read
Let's Be Real
Turn Off Your Phone - By Skyler The constant exposure to watching what others do in a day on social media platforms is fostering...
Feb 2, 20242 min read
