Week 1: YouTube Live Chat with College Partners

This week, I’m First! and Strive for College hosted the first of a month long series of YouTube Live Chats with Colleges! Week 1 featured the following schools: 1. Carnegie Mellon University (PA) 2. Grinnell College (IA) 3. Monmouth College (IL) 4. Warner...

Mentors & Magicians

If they wanted to fly, they flew. If they wanted to disappear, they disappeared. I wasn’t just their mentor; I was their magician. This past summer, I had the opportunity to mentor 8-11 year olds in a special effects filmmaking workshop in Charlottesville, VA. I...

The Worst Voicemail I've Ever Received

It’s probably just some phony call about winning a fake trip to Florida. I’ll let it go to voicemail. I hit play to half-listen to what I thought would be a robot speaking. Oh how wrong I was…Turns out, the voicemail was to inform me that my apartment’s water heater...

Finance for Dummies (College Students)

I was ruthless when it came to making money as a kid. My brother and I used to stroll a little red wagon full of our “drawings” around the neighborhood, hoping to use our 5-year old charm to sell them for $1 a piece. A few years later, we opened up a snow cone stand...

Why I Wanted to Miss my Flight: Adventures in Old San Juan

I secretly wanted to sprint through the airport and just barely miss my flight, lose my luggage or have 3 unexpected layovers. While these sound like complete disasters for frequent flyers, to me, they were thrilling mishaps that only happen to the adventurous-the...