Photo by Medium.com On Christmas Eve, I found myself trudging through the leftover blizzard snow, heaped into underwhelming, dirty slush piles at the edge of each sidewalk, while simultaneously admiring the holiday décor that adorned the ornate, brownstone houses in Back Bay, Boston. Marveling at the classic green and red wreaths hanging neatly alongside the... Continue Reading →

As I write, there are fireworks whistling and crackling just outside of my bedroom window, signaling a new beginning for the United States of America. I envisage the red, white and blue lights illuminating a once-somber black sky, casting hope, far and wide. Today, November 7th, 2020, is momentous for many reasons, but, for now,... Continue Reading →

Photo by UNICEF The World Conference on Women in Beijing (1995) marked the very first instance in which girls’ rights were resolutely addressed through a formal international agreement: The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. On December 19, 2011, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 66/170, declaring October 11th International Day of the Girl... Continue Reading →

Photo by The Arab Weekly In the wake of a pernicious blast that wreaked havoc and devastation across Lebanon, several international organizations have cautiously stepped in to curb the now-exacerbated health, economic and political trials of the anguished nation. As dozens of Beirut’s hospitals were deemed “non-functionable” following the explosion, a lack of medical resources... Continue Reading →

Photo by the World Bank It’s difficult to believe that more than half a year has passed since COVID-19 became a pressing global issue, and during this time, our mindsets surrounding the virus have evolved from believing it to be a temporary predicament, to recognizing it as a longstanding pandemic. Throughout the past seven months,... Continue Reading →

This past week, The United States celebrated the 155th anniversary of Juneteenth (a portmanteau of June and Nineteenth), which commemorates the day in 1865 on which all enslaved African Americans in the Confederacy were legally emancipated. This year, Juneteenth fell at an especially noteworthy moment in time, as many actively grappled with the state of... Continue Reading →

Just last week, around the world, individuals and organizations participated in Menstrual Hygiene Day, which aims to underscore and raise awareness of the importance of menstrual hygiene and dismantle stigmatism surrounding this vital function of women’s bodies. The commonplace stigmatization of menstruation leaves this critical health concern vastly untouched and overlooked, resulting in a myriad... Continue Reading →

Amidst COVID-19, many of us have fallen victim to a sort of tunnel-vision effect, in which our news and subsequent awareness of global happenings has been limited to economic losses, virus-related fatalities, vaccines, confirmed cases, closings, re-openings, and the like. Consequently, we have begun to lose sight of ongoing global crises, which have not only... Continue Reading →

Humanity has never stood more united as we universally confront an unprecedented way of life. However varied our respective experiences may be, we are innately unified, situated in the midst of a global pandemic. Societies across the world, stripped of most normality, are banded together by the emotions that the five stages of grief implicate:... Continue Reading →

Hello there. It’s been a minute (more like 86,400 to be more precise and less cliché), but I’m back and better than ever. Those readers who don’t know me on a personal level are likely unable to sense the sarcasm, but trust me, it’s there. The truth is, the start of 2020 caught me by... Continue Reading →

Just before I had set off for University, everyone I spoke with seemed to idealize their personal college experience, outwardly acclaiming how they would do anything to turn back time for a mere day, simply for one more tailgate, senior party, or a night surrounded by best friends. Much to my surprise upon arriving to... Continue Reading →

I recently listened to Rachel Hollis’ podcast titled, Why is it so hard to talk about money? The oddity of this topic is initially what had me intrigued to give it a listen. That is, money truly is a taboo and unwieldy topic to delve into, for a myriad of reasons. For starters, the economy... Continue Reading →

Upon reading the title of this piece, I’m inquisitive as to where most minds wander. Personally, upon contriving this name, Why I Don’t Say Happy Birthday, my thoughts immediately jumped to the daily appearance a red notification signaling Facebook birthdays, which oftentimes celebrate the lives of individuals with whom I haven’t spoken in years (or... Continue Reading →

This mad world in which we exist is abounding with every type of human being imaginable. From the evilest of evils, to the most angelic of angels, I have encountered cheaters, stealers and liars, alongside real-life superheroes, individuals with the utmost integrity, and those with solid, pristine, golden hearts. With the abundance of dismal news... Continue Reading →

I was strolling alongside the Charles River on a beautiful summer evening, soaking in the warm air and cotton candy sky overhead, accompanied by a friend a few years my junior, who was visibly uneasy. Shortly after we began our walk, she professed that she was seeking advice. I remained calm and encouraging, but my... Continue Reading →

If you’re a planner like myself, I’m curious: Has your life gone exactly the way you’d expected it to ten years ago? If it has, can you please direct me to the next winning lottery ticket? As for the rest of us planners, I’d guess that our lives are nonetheless different from what we had... Continue Reading →

America’s “impossible” mission to the moon successfully took place fifty years ago this week. The mission was a complete and utter triumph, living indelibly in the minds of all who witnessed it, namely because they United States had utterly outdone the Soviets’ infamous Sputnik launch. Despite other alarming Cold War events, like the construction of... Continue Reading →

I will not begin to pretend that I speak the language of sports. I am fluent in both English and Spanish, can dabble with French and Quechua (an indigenous language spoken in many parts of South America), but do not even think about asking me as to why in baseball, if the batter hits the... Continue Reading →

The status quo is immensely overrated and grassroots movements are incredibly underrated. Allow me to elaborate. If we all were to accept the status quo as an indisputable truth, change would be rare. Over the past decade, we have seen a tremendous boost in organization surrounding Women, Climate Justice, Food Sovereignty, the Refugee Crisis, and... Continue Reading →

Having been gleefully independent of romance for quite some time, I can't help but notice the pervasive obsession with dating. Its all-consuming nature encompassing apps, swipes, rules, and games is exhausting, to say the least. I have opted out of the dating game since its conception, but sometimes, that leaves little room for commonality in... Continue Reading →