I am Chinese, apparently. I am also American, according to my family. But I am not Chinese-American, not yet at least. My parents immigrated to the United States many years ago, and I am the first generation of my family to be born on American soil. Being the first “American” is a special position, but […]
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845 million. That’s how many active Facebook users there are currently around the world. It has more users than the population of the United States and Britain combined! I have to admit; my family and I are part of that “nation” of Facebook. Almost every country uses it, and that means that the Facebook “nation” […]
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Three in 10 girls in the U.S. will become pregnant at least once before age 20. Daughters of teen mothers are three times more likely to become teen mothers themselves. Shows like “Teen Mom,” “16 and Pregnant,” and movies like “Juno,” illustrate the overall experience. Teenage pregnancy is a global issue and among America’s youth […]
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Child labor is one of the world’s main problems today. Many children are being taken away from their families and sold into labor, which is a form of slavery. Most of the children who are forced into this lifestyle work for many long and difficult hours. I have seen what I believed to be child […]
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When I was younger, my mother never allowed me near the television because she didn’t want me to see provocative commercials. I remember being fascinated by the racy commercials I saw on the television when I was older and my mother couldn’t completely shield me from the media. The scantily clad women that I saw […]
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Most people think that Cuba is a struggling, communist country, full of bad people and no money. Technology is old and the cars are ugly. United States citizens can’t even get in without special permission from the government. To me, however, Cuba is a beautiful, special country that gives me a lot of freedom and […]
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Over the years, I have lost many friends and nearly lost family members because of gang violence. I have been to a few funerals of friends who were shot and killed simply because of where they live. Some of my others friends have been shot, but thankfully survived. Gang violence has an especially big impact […]
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Only 21 out of 50 states require students to attend high school until they graduate or turn 18. I believe all states should require students to attend high school. What I have noticed from loved ones and the people around me is that those who feel like they have an option to attend or not […]
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A few years ago, my mother and I were talking to a very concerned neighbor who had come to us for animal advice. Our neighbor and her family wanted very badly to adopt a pet—a dog to be specific—but were having trouble finding the right match. She’d been to numerous websites, she told us, but […]
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BOOM!!! went the gun that almost killed my dad in Afghanistan. People may not realize how many military people risk their lives every day. Military people go into war to protect you and your family. They know they might get shot, lose their limbs, die or have mental issues as a result of war. My […]
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Brothers face one another on the battlefield, each garbed with a uniform. A uniform consisting of different patterns; different patterns of the same colors. The colors of one family, the colors of one nation. Glaring with eyes of steel, they are blinded by material objects. Beating with hearts of stone, they harbor grievances of the […]
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The hours had stacked up like plastic cups; countless hours had passed waiting in the airport after the ten-hour delay, and ten hours in the plane itself, during which I practiced my broken Spanish in my head. My brain would not stop having conversations with itself. I had just wished that my inner Latin American […]
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