Opinion + Voice
Gauging the Gaps
Dec. 4, 2019: "Gauging the Gaps" is an opinion piece about the health disparities among the black community in Washtenaw County. I got the opportunity to talk to local public health officials at the Washtenaw Health Department after school. Along with seeing health officials offices and workspaces, I got to hear about the different disparities and issues each official specializes in. For this article, I won second place in the 2019 Michigan Interscholastic Press Association (MIPA) conference in the Environmental, Health or Science category. Additionally, I won second place in the 2020 Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA) conference in the Person Opinion, Off-campus issues category.
An Artist's Impact
Dec. 4, 2018: "An Artist's Impact" is a narrative about my experience as a citizen artist. Over the summer, I had the opportunity to go to a dementia center at a hospital in Northern Michigan to make art with the patients. With dementia patients, creative tasks like listening to music, drawing, painting, or even being immersed in artistic settings stimulates the brain.
Where's the Allyship?
June 6, 2020: In the wake of George Floyd's death, my awareness of my racial identity has been catapulted into my everyday life even more. While scrolling through Facebook to get information on upcoming protests in the Ann Arbor area, I came across an unsettling picture my aunt had reposted. I had always known that the white side of my family had little awareness of the repercussions that came with what they say about Americans of color. But when I saw my aunt's post about her preference of a police horse over black lives, I began to seriously question the allyship of my white peers and family.
What Dream Project Do You Wish
to Launch in 2021?
Jan. 9, 2021: In response to a writing prompt published by an Instagram account, I decided to write a column reflecting on 2020. Undoubtedly, it was an incredibly hard year for many, and as I started to think of a New Year's Resolution for 2021, I decided it would be valuable to reflect on how what the previous year brought. Although I ultimately set a New Year's Resolution of learning to cook, I decided that this was more of a catalyst to get me to cherish shared moments with others than to better myself. This piece is a light, reflective narrative discussing my own memories with food, encouraging me to cherish every moment spent with others when times become unpredictable.
An Even Playing Field
April 15, 2020: This was an opinion piece I published in April of 2020 during Michigan's state-wide lockdown. As it was becoming apparent that the impacts of the pandemic would extend far beyond the spring, many colleges were coming forward and announcing test optional applications for the class of 2021.
In this article, I took a stance to argue that all school should adopt test optional policies. This application option should have been available despite the pandemic, as I cited the unequal college admissions process for many students throughout the country.
The Pandemic is Not Over — and It Is a Privilege to Exempt Yourself From It
Jan. 26, 2021: This piece was the staff editorial for The Communicator Magazine's first edition of the 2020-2021 school year. My co-journalist and I, Dan Gutenberg, decided to take a position to highlight the privilege that has arisen from the pandemic. We argued that, while the pandemic has impacted everyone in some capacity, Covid-19 has been far from the "Great Equalizer." And because all of us have endured the hardships of the virus for so long, it is a privilege to exempt yourself from the atrocities while others cannot.
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