The One Time when Comparing Yourself to Others isn't Toxic

On an unexceptional summer day, one of those days that feels like it could have been yesterday, or the day before that, who knows- I reached over to my bookshelf and pulled out my high school yearbook. Names I forgot existed flooded my brain with memories I had...

Indulgence Before Getting Back at it Again

I have managed to pack everything into four boxes, type the last pages of my essay, correct and alphabetize the bibliography, send it to the professor, stuff in the remaining items into my suitcase, lock the door of, what is going to be someone else’s room, put the...

I had no friends during the first week of college.

During Colorado College’s Admitted Student Open House, an admitted student who I was playing ping pong with asked me, “If you don’t make friends during your first week of college, are you doomed?” I looked confusedly at her and thought to myself why would you be...

My Story

The years of my childhood were shaped by the experience of watching my parents work. Both came to America as young adults, my father from Portugal and my mother from Austria. Here, with tenacity, grit, and humility, they built a life for themselves and for our family....

Study Abroad Triumphs and Tribulations

More than halfway through my study abroad experience in Brazil and the lessons I have learned up until now are too plentiful to recount. I feel as though I arrived at the airport just last week, although the fact that I recognize street signs and know how to speak...