Appendixes are known for causing trouble. While these tube-shaped sacs are usually harmless, an infected appendix can disrupt an otherwise functioning system and if ignored for too long, take a life. Mental illnesses such as depression can be dangerous as well, often going untreated for months, years, or even lifetimes. Failing to acknowledge the significance […]

I wanted to be short when I was younger. No, seriously. I wanted to be the 4’6”, missing-growth-spurt 7th grader who walked down the middle school halls in her size 3 Converse, maybe wearing jeans from the Macy’s kids section. It had always been a dream of mine, I even asked Santa Claus to stop […]

As a nine-year-old visiting the University of Pennsylvania for the first time, I stopped in front of one of the many statues that dot the campus and peered into its face. I studied its nobility, its deep contours reflecting knowledge, intellect, even wisdom. My father told me it was Ben Franklin, reminding me that I’d […]

Corinne walked into the house and I followed close behind, but ran into her when she suddenly stopped at a worrying sight. Our mother sat at our kitchen counter, crying, while holding her cell phone in a fist. Corinne stayed frozen a few feet from the entryway while whispering, “What happened?” My sister and I […]

Summer jobs are a rite of passage for all teenagers, and my first summer job initially was no exception. Last June I joined the lifeguarding staff at Wild Island Water Park. My motives were tanning, talking, and texting prospective boyfriends. In addition to passing my Advanced Lifesaving course, I received training in pool chemistry, bathroom […]

“We will be getting a new student next week, and we would like you to help her around the school,” my fourth grade teacher said. And I agree happily. Excited about being asked, I imagine a fourth grade friendship. Painting nails. Sharing secrets. Being best friends. Next week came quickly, and I raced from the […]

A large, imposing crowd stands before me, some stand with their heads bowed in reverence, others stand staring into the far off distance, looking as if they have nothing in particular on their minds yet their hearts are saluting the fallen heroes of America’s past with solemn, dutiful respect. I wait in painstaking angst in […]

As I mopped sweat from my forehead and onto my already flooded shirt, I realized I could not lose this game. It was fourth and goal, and the he was only three yards away from the end zone. I looked back to see my smiling parents watching from a window inside. They were smart and […]

There was something about Mary. I would often watch re-runs of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” with my mother. From what I saw, Mary sat in her office talking to Murray while Ted occasionally reported the news and Lou walked around tossing off an insult or two. There were neither any real work done at […]

The premise of this work Is that rock ‘n’ roll matters, and that It means what it says. It seems that rock ‘n’ roll music has seldom been given its due as an art form, that It Is somehow relegated to a category of less “mature” or “serious” artistic pursuits by the media and the […]