“Don’t blink, you might miss it.” I have a lot of trouble with this phrase. The fear of missing out is a crippling one, and “don’t blink” only empowers the anxiety we naturally feel about not being able to do everything. While the phrase is supposed to encourage us to live in the moment and…
I love prospective students. From my dorm window I can see the soon-to-be college freshmen huddling in small tour groups, listening to the obscure facts rapidly spewing from their guide’s mouth and trying to discern which slivers of information makes my college more special than any other medium-sized liberal arts college in the mid-Atlantic region.…
I have a lot of day-to-day expectations. Some are basic, like having adequate food and water and a place to sleep. Others are higher-level, like that I can communicate with people around me and they will understand and respect me. I rarely consciously think about these day-to-day expectations, and that’s because they stem from various…
One of my favorite involvements on campus is writing for Buzzsaw magazine. Right now, I’m in the process of writing an article about equal opportunity for disability in the workplace. Every interview I’ve done for my article has been thought-provoking, but I especially enjoyed my visit to the Finger Lakes Independence Center. I spoke with Program Director Larry…
Dear Sabina, for future sad days or scared days or self-critical days, Sometimes you may feel disappointed in others or yourself. You may feel like you aren’t good enough, or like your failures are constantly being scrutinized. You may feel uncomfortable in your body or self-conscious about a strange bump in your hair. It’s okay to…
Ignorance is not bliss. At least when it comes to your health. The past few days for me have been characterized by no appetite, fairly severe exhaustion, and confusion about what my body is trying to tell me with its bizarre and painful symptoms. The fatigue is at levels you would expect from a mono patient,…
Every now and then I get asked how I got the name Sabina. The question doesn’t bother me: it’s an unusual name and people often assume that it has an interesting background. The trick is knowing whether they want the short answer or the long answer. The short answer is that my parents first heard the…
Dear Logan, Preemptive disclaimer: you’re not going to believe any of this. You’re 11. You’re highly concerned about what other kids will think of you. Psychologically, you have a hard time realizing that everyone is too worried about themselves to think about you and your imperfections. That’s not your fault, but in 5 years you’ll…
UNICEF has been on my radar for a long time. Almost my entire life, in fact. I attended a private Episcopalian school for the first three years of my schooling, and come Halloween our teachers gave us the classic orange boxes and expected us to ask our neighbors to donate a little change to help…
One of the things I love most is learning about both my own perspective and the perspectives of others who aren’t like me. I like reading texts and getting into discussions that challenge my existing beliefs and cause me to either defend or reconsider my point of view. On Thursday I found myself thinking about…
Victim to Charm 