It was rainy and chilly and for some reason I was carrying my umbrella under my jacket like a sword, gripping the handle in case the gray-cast skies decided to ruin my day and pour. This was not...

When asked to give words of wisdom, people often say “Live life to the fullest” or “Each time you fall, just get back up” or “Hardships make us strong.” I never really...

72 colors. The square tin of colored pencils, shed of its holiday wrappings, sat heavily in my hands. I peered at it reverently, but I wasn’t really seeing the tin. The countless combinations...

I used to love those little stands full of touristy pamphlets and maps in hotel lobbies. They were a myriad of brightly colored advertisements for tour buses, plays, and “family friendly” restaurants—an...

I was not nervous. The walk down the impossibly long corridor wasn’t a detriment to my resolve. I was not perturbed by the curious—yet wary—faces of rivals and their parents. My...

On July 10 my family packed our bags for our annual family trip. With my sister having just graduated from my college, my brother going into his sophomore year at college, and me still attending high...