The sun is beating on my skin while I kayak upstream. A turtle sits on a tree stump that’s protruding from the water’s surface. He stretches his neck to look around, he takes a few steps and jumps....

Growing up never seemed like it would be difficult. There was always the soccer games we never took too seriously and bike riding until dusk without the slightest care what time we had to be home for dinner....

I’m sitting in class and I have my notebook ready to go along with my pen and full attention. The class begins and as the clock ticks away, I come to realize we aren’t going to be using the “mandatory”...

The spring semester has just began, yet I can’t help but wonder what it will feel like when the last few weeks of school arrive. I envision no more stressing about exams or trying to finish five assignments...

I’m a senior in my last semester of college and decided now would be the perfect time to make an extravagant purchase of something I should’ve invested in five years ago – a laptop. I’m only a...

The constant beeping of the alarm clock on my night stand signaled a new day to start a different schedule. The familiar yet new atmosphere lifted me into the semester carefully and calmly. Being a senior,...

Eat breakfast. Go to school. Eat more food, if there’s time. Go home. Work on assignments. Complete assignments. Go to a meeting. Eat dinner. Submit a story before deadline. Go to bed. It’s an endless...

Alex Garcia was only 19 when he heard the life-altering news that his mother developed lumps in her breasts. Being naive about the diagnosis process and hating doctors and hospitals as it was, Garcia automatically...

I was watching the Eagles game and finding some serenity in my final night of vacation until an email reached my inbox. The message from Southwest Airlines read, “This is a flight status change regarding...

Recently, I had family visit from California, which meant a big get-together of all the cousins, aunts and uncles who I seldom see. The amount of food, conversation and laughter we all shared brightened...

Every semester reminds me of the typical winter storm that jumps out in the fall. It begins slowly until eventually a mild South Jersey blizzard shows up unannounced and you find yourself white-out blind,...

It's a typical Monday morning. The car is packed with clothes overflowing in plastic boxes alongside a comforter, sheets, an array of obscure posters, picture frames, textbooks and other necessities for...