Every night when I was five, my mom would read me Paul de Kruif’s 1926 biology biography Microbe Hunters: The Classic Book on the Major Discoveries of the Microscopic World. It was my favorite book, and I asked for a microscope for Christmas. At five, nothing could stop my dreamsRead More

Stepping outside of my dorm room, still groggy with sleep, I am excited for my favorite meal of the day — breakfast. Yet, in the back of my mind, I know what breakfast will look like: half-stale bagels, sugary muffins, yogurt, and some fruit if I’m lucky. Although I amRead More

On September 21, the United Nations (U.N.) turned 75. Praised for its global peacekeeping initiatives and attention to human rights, the institution has received considerable credit for its work. However, criticism has heightened recently as people have begun more closely evaluating some of the U.N.’s practices.  While many of theRead More

“We have moved from the era of civil rights to the era of human rights,” said Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in May of 1967. This idea has endured across decades and is evident in today’s galvanized youth, many of whom have spent the past summer demanding justice forRead More

In the Chinese province of Xinjiang, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is engaged in a complete erasure of the Uyghur ethnic group. Over one million members of the Muslim minority have been forced into thinly-veiled concentration camps to endure human rights atrocities. This may be the largest religion-based imprisonment sinceRead More

Earlier this year, I was searching for a new piece to learn on the piano when my teacher suggested Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Piano Sonata No. 1” in light of his upcoming 250th birthday. Of course, I eagerly agreed, pouring the majority of my time into the music. For me, musicRead More

Dear Readers, This summer has been a tumultuous one. Set in the backdrop of an ongoing pandemic, the U.S. presidential campaign is nearing an end. Concurrently, as Covid-19 case numbers and death tolls continue to rise, the country grapples with the decision of whether students should return to the physicalRead More

My history teacher has a classroom norm that I love. If we feel the need, we can step outside the room when the class is watching a sensitive video or discussing difficult material. She doesn’t know how the subject matter might affect us.  But, what happens when a group ofRead More

Last week, on the night that former Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died, my mom and I were celebrating Rosh Hashanah with our annual serving of apples and honey: the apples to signify healing and the honey to represent our hope for a sweet year.  Just after my momRead More