In a way, my sexuality has always been tied to my faith. My first romantic inclinations occurred during mass. I was in the pew, holding my parents’ hands and sneaking glances at the boy on the altar, holding a candle. Even...
Read MoreI have always been the type of kid who would rather do puzzles than watch television or play video games. For as long as I can remember, I have found that puzzles are the most captivating and interesting way to keep myself...
Read MoreEcuadorians underwent a national census back in 2010, and one of the questions involved self-identifying as one of the cultural ethnicities. Families were unveiling their family trees to determine their ethnic group. When it was...
Read MoreWhen my favorite Chinese reality show, Happy Camp, skipped an episode in August, I started reading uncensored rumors of the Chinese media crackdown, watching famous celebrities disappear from the public eye due to their...
Read MoreI remember vividly two of the worst events of my life. Both irrevocably shaped how I perceived myself and interacted with the world. I became riddled with self doubt and the irking sensation that life wasn’t worth living. In...
Read MoreFor most of my life, identity was a concrete, one-dimensional concept, a mere list of facts about myself. My name is Sara. I am a sophomore. I am Hispanic. If someone asks who I am, this is likely how I would respond because...
Read MoreWhen I landed in America in 2019, the first thing I noticed was the smell. Atlanta smelled different from Mumbai: Something about it felt streamlined and sanitized, yet still full of opportunity. I didn’t know too many people...
Read MoreI moved 12 times before the ripe old age of 20. My entire adult personality—what I act like, how I present myself to others and how I view change—is shaped by this fact. For every move where I have been a self-aware being, I can...
Read MoreI am not a spontaneous person. I hate surprises, dread last-minute plans and show up 30 minutes early to a manicure to pick out a nail color. But at my brother’s graduation party, I somehow found myself sitting on top of our...
Read MoreWhen people ask me where I’m from, I have a split second to decide what answer they get. For the sake of oversimplification, I’ll often say I’m from Miami and leave it. If I’m feeling particularly conversational, I might mention...
Read MoreGrowing up, I distinctly remember that I rarely saw a face in my neighborhood that looked like mine. When Christmas came around every year, I would see beautiful trees adorned with unique ornaments from our neighbors’ windows....
Read MoreIn 2004, the late journalist and author Joan Didion wrote: “As I walked I kept my eyes on the window, half blinded by its brilliance but determined to keep my gaze fixed until I caught the moment in which the window as...
Read More
