Throughout my life, I have seen many of my friends fall by the wayside. They have struggled, stumbled, and fallen all too comfortably into the stride of mediocrity despite what they were capable of. One person in particular breaks my heart each time I see her. Renee and I were best friends for the bulk […]

The scorching August sun beat down on the sidewalk as I held my fathers hand tightly, afraid to let it go. We had just gotten off the T and the sweat was already pouring down our foreheads. Everyone around us was in a mad rush, all going to their own destinations and not acknowledging anyone […]

It seems that every day you hear a child has been diagnosed with Autism. It’s the catch-all, trendy term. My brother Lee was diagnosed when I was four years old. Then, we didn’t understand what it really meant, only that it would have a profound impact on our family. We learned to embrace Lee’s disorder […]

“I regret to inform you that you were not chosen as one of the 18 students to go on to the Emerging Youth Leadership trip,” said Brady Rhodes. I could feel my heart plummet into my stomach. My mouth went dry and I completely froze, not knowing what to say or think. “However, you are […]

Home is where my heart is. It was a hot July afternoon. My sister and I were walking through the busy streets of New York City, making our way to the Museum of Modern Art. Though my sister had been to every museum in New York City at least twice, I had never been inside […]

I am a teenage girl. But I am not an average teenage girl; I do not participate in the sleepovers where we paint each other’s nails, talk about boys, and watch Legally Blond, I do not go to the mall hoping to find those fabulous shoes on sale, and I do not get manicures. I […]

It was Saturday October 21, 2000. I was ten. I decided I wanted to play with my dolls hair, but for some reason I wanted to be outside. I walked out in my pajama’s holding my American Girl Doll and sat down on the familiar cement walkway that lead up to my front porch. I […]

My only source of light I had was a flashlight clutched in my small hands, flicking around the pink tent in which I was holed up inside. I heard a small ruffling coming from outside the tent and I jumped, facing the flashlight towards the sound. It was only my small teddy bear, falling over […]

I picked up the phone, slowly dialing the number to her house. All I could think was, What could we possibly have a conversation about? Nothing! I didn’t think I could have anything in common with someone who is 50 years older than me. “Your grandmother won’t be around forever,” my mom said. So I […]

“Miss. Devin, watch this! Miss. Devin! Miss. Devin, watch!” “Yes Tegean, I’m watching,” I say as I turn to watch the little, two-foot-nothing girl in the black cheetah leotard attempt, once again, a forward somersault. And, once again, I watch her splat flat on her back on to the floor mat. I have been doing […]