In a country plagued by slave-based and Jim Crow power structures–from the police force to the filibuster to the consistent voter suppression–racism remains a hot topic in political debate. While many of these issues, consistently used to maintain the racist status quo, continue to be vital in our conversations about dismantling racism, one topic gets […]
Politics, Sustainability and why Connection matters.
In 2017, only 7 months since the Inauguration of Donald J. Trump, the city of Charlottesville, Virginia burst into Chaos. Groups of Neo-Nazis and White Supremacists flooded the streets, chanting “White Lives Matter” and “Blood and Soil.” The alt-right group was met by a group of counter-protesters, defending the choices of the left and the […]
A Trip to Donate Blood
With the new remix of my previous Sustainability Literary Narrative, I have created a short vlog of a trip to donate blood. I have retained the general base of the essay; however, I have now hyper focused the information on the process itself. This new medium is also formatted for YouTube and aligns with the […]
Manage Your Mental Health
Manage Your Mental Health In recent years, the number of mental health diagnoses on college campuses has dramatically increased. This spike has caused many psychologists to demand that colleges increase the resources on campus to address student’s mental health needs. Without proper resources to manage their mental health, students are at risk for academic failure, […]
Justice Pour Adama Stickers
For my project, I placed stickers around Charleston that insight people passing by to educate themselves on the the racial climate of France and help them recognize the importance of international consciousness especially in discussions about serious topics like race. In terms of sticker design, I used colors that were bright, so that they would […]
SUSTAINABLE FASHION LOOKBOOK
The fashion industry is one that plays a large role in our economy, allowing for creative expansion along with opportunities in the workforce for those struggling to find occupations elsewhere. Such a place has a practically infinite amount of space to grow, all through the imagination of fashion designers and businesses. What we often fail […]
The Crisis in College Mental Health
The college drop-off: a sentimental experience for many families filled with tearful goodbyes and hopeful expectations for the future. Most parents believe they are leaving their child to the best four years of their life. But the parents of Luke Tang, a sophomore at Harvard University, instead received the tragic news that their son had […]
Does Heart Disease Really Affect All Americans Equally?
Cardiovascular disease plays the role of a silent assassin; it gathers strength in the shadows until it’s ready to reveal itself. It seems that the disease’s brutal thirst for human life can never be satisfied as it continues to claim more and more lives. In 2018 alone, 655,381 U.S. citizens died from heart disease. This […]
Don’t Vote
If everyone decided to vote, the political landscape of the entire United States would change. Political candidates would no longer cater towards the wealthy, white, and older citizens- the demographics more likely to vote. Liberal policies would be more present than ever before. And most notably, representatives would truly be chosen by the people. However, […]
A Negro and an American
There’s a line from the song Carefree, by Chicago rapper Mick Jenkins that says “If your living carefree then you probably don’t look like us.” There is an understanding among black folk that every day you leave your house requires you to examine, critique, judge, and observe yourself in the harshest way possible through the eyes […]
Cracking Open a Cold One: Discovering The Truth Behind Bud Light Marketing
On October 15, 2017 actress Alyssa Milano ignited a revolution with a 15-word tweet: “If you’ve been sexually harassed or assaulted write ‘me too’ as a reply to this tweet”. What followed was a slew of high profile women and men publicly outing influential celebrities for their exploitative actions. October 18th, Lawrence Nassar, medical advisor […]
Flight of Sustainability: The Story of a Long, Long Line
As you stand at the start of the wait line for Flight of Passage, you cannot help but to look up at the floating mountains and be awestruck. It’s not every day that you see enormous boulders floating overhead! After you overcome the initial awe, you hike up a small hill, decorated with wooden effigies […]
FinalStraw: the last straw?
What comes to mind when you hear the phrase ‘Green Marketing’? Is it trees and scenes of nature that a company projects to its TV audience? Or is it serious-natured videos that highlight how we as humans have destroyed our environment? Maybe pointing out sustainable or unsustainable practices that are common among most people? These […]
Children’s Book
My DIAC paper focused on the mistreatment and under representation of women in the technology industry and steps that companies and third-party organizations are taking to change it. As of this moment in 2018, women and men in the same job aren’t paid the same, there are still very few women in STEM fields, and […]
Where are the Women? Exploring the Marginalization of Females in STEM
“In my first class at MIT, I arrived 10 minutes early to a lecture hall…only to watch wave upon wave of male students walk in behind me. I was confused and curious. Where were the women?” This narrative, found in an article from Times Higher Education, is from Irene C, an electrical engineering and computer science student […]
The Silver Lining
It is past midnight in Addlestone library. I am hunched over a computer, squinting into a rough draft of my DIAC essay on the cycle of crime which lead poisoning introduces into low-income communities of color. I hack at the keyboard, but my efforts are to little avail. Taking a break to check my phone, […]
The Cougar Guide to Better Sleep
Sleep has been a sustained interest of mine throughout the entirety of the semester and picking a research topic that was so close to home ended up being a wise choice. For my DIAC I embarked on a journey to inform people about the losses that occur when sleep doesn’t come, and about the […]
Freddie Gray and a Common Narrative of Silent Violence
The story of Freddie Gray goes a bit like this: a young, unarmed black man is arrested by police officers in a low-income neighborhood of West Baltimore, Maryland. In a video documenting the aftermath of his arrest, Gray lays on the ground in handcuffs. He is screaming and his body appears rigid. Bystanders implore police […]
Access to Your Excess: What good does it do?
For a young couple, their wedding day is meant to be the happiest day of their lives. A room full of friends and family comes to see two people profess their love for each other to the world. But little do most people know, your wedding day can also be the most wasteful day of […]
Politics and Sustainability in the Heartland
It was November of 2006 in Lawrence, Kansas. With a midwestern Autumn already well in its turn, biting temperatures made it nearly unbearable to stand outside for long. Yet, there I was: eight years old, snug in a puffy coat, bolstering a campaign sign that read “Sebelius” across the front. In Kansas, November not only […]