How Growing Up Means Realizing Your Parents Are Human, an article by Aaliyah Sharma

 How Growing Up Means Realizing Your Parents Are Human

 When you’re little, your parents feel untouchable. They’re the ones who know everything, who fix every problem, who seem to have it all figured out. You grow up thinking they’re strong in every way, that they always know what to do. But somewhere along the line, that illusion fades. You start to see them not just as parents, but as people. People who get tired, make mistakes, and carry their own worries quietly.

  It’s strange the first time you notice it. Maybe it’s when you catch them sitting alone after a long day, or when you realize they’re stressing over bills, work, or family issues they never talked about before. Suddenly, the person who seemed unshakable when you were younger feels more real. It’s not disappointing; it’s just different. It makes you see how much they’ve been holding together all this time, often without saying a word about it.

  I think realizing your parents are human changes the way you love them. You start to notice the small things — how they try even when they’re exhausted, how they put others first, how they sometimes apologize even when they don’t have to. You begin to understand that being an adult doesn’t mean knowing everything; it means doing your best even when you don’t.

  It’s easy to judge our parents for not being perfect, but growing up means realizing they were never supposed to be. They’re learning, just like we are. And once you see that, it becomes easier to forgive, to listen, and to love them not as superheroes, but as humans who’ve been trying their best all along.

Thank you, 

Aaliyah Sharma

Why Being Real On Social Media Isn't Real, an article, by Aaliyah Sharma

 Why Being Real On Social Media Isn't Real

  Lately, everyone seems to be obsessed with being “real” online. Whether it’s blurry photo dumps, unfiltered selfies, or posts on the BeReal app, it’s all meant to show authenticity. The idea sounds refreshing, a break from the perfect feeds and polished poses. But if we’re honest, even “being real” has become a kind of performance.

  Every post still involves a choice. We decide which pictures make it in and which ones don’t. Even when people post their “messy” moments, there’s usually some editing behind it, a certain angle, lighting, or timing that still makes it look put together. It’s not that anyone is being fake; it’s just that the internet is never completely unfiltered. Even honesty looks better with a little effort.

  I think part of the reason people want to look real is because social media can make life feel staged. Everyone wants to prove they are authentic while still being liked. But there is a difference between sharing reality and performing it. Sometimes, trying too hard to look genuine ends up being just another version of pretending.

  Maybe being real doesn’t mean showing everything. Maybe it means being okay with what isn’t shown, the parts that don’t need likes, captions, or proof. Real life doesn’t always need an audience, and maybe that’s what makes it real.

Thank you,

Aaliyah Sharma 

Why I Love the Common App, an article by Muhammad Raza

 Why I Love the Common App

by Muhammad Raza

One of the most staple, difficult, and perhaps dreaded features of every student's college application process is the Common App. The Common App is an online college application portal that allows you to apply to multiple colleges at once using the same information, and lets you organize your top choices in one place. It is also used by many colleges as the primary way of receiving applications, illustrating its value for both students and the colleges they want to attend. Although many detest the application portal, with its blue and white color palette and seemingly infinite amount of categories and information to fill out, I believe that it is one of the greatest assets for ambitious students with dreams of attending prestigious institutions. 

The Common App is useful to the college application process because it simplifies everything for students. Imagine having to repeatedly fill out information about grades, standardized tests, and extra-curricular activities for 10 different schools, each with its own requirements for how to do so. The Common App not only provides students with a manageable way to provide this information but also standardizes these steps for colleges. 

Another reason why the Common App is great is that it provides college-specific information and supplemental essays. For college-specific information, the Common App separates sections in the portal for each of the colleges that you are applying to, highlighting all the different types of information and letting you see how each college differs from the others. Furthermore, supplemental essays are simple to write on the Common App as they are usually under either the “Writing” or “Academic” category for each college, which saves you the trouble of having to go find supplemental prompts and writing them on your own. 

The last reason why the Common App is beneficial, in my opinion, is that it provides a great way to compare your application with other students. Without a standardized means of filling out information, if you had a general question, you would have to ask someone applying for the same college and the same program rather than just asking any student who is applying through the Common App. This uniformity directly benefits students, counselors, and college advisors by ensuring that everyone is answering the same questions and can properly express their proficiency and uniqueness. 

As a whole, while the Common App may seem like an unnecessarily laborious and inefficient process to apply to college, students should recognize the benefit it provides to them and how their applications would be extremely different without it. The Common App not only ensures uniformity and fairness for all of its students, but also shows how standardization, even in other sectors, is beneficial as a whole. 

Falling for Fall By: Aditi Anumolu

 Falling for Fall

By: Aditi Anumolu

My favorite season is fall. It has always been falling for as long as I can remember. I love the slight chill in the air, telling me that I can start switching my wardrobe to my sweatshirts and sweaters. I love the changes in the color of leaves, where all the green turns into a vibrant orange and yellow with a mix of red. I especially love the fall drinks and decor that take over the menus at cafes and decorations outside of a house. These factors create the aesthetic environment of fall and make me excited for September. I always feel cozy around this time, and I always want to feel comfortable with my favorite show and favorite drinks. I love watching Gilmore Girls during this season since it is the ultimate fall TV show and encapsulates the vibe of the whole season. Combine that experience while eating pumpkin-flavored treats, and it makes for the perfect fall day. There's clearly a lot to love about this season, and there is so much I appreciate about it.

The Joys of Travel By: Aditi Anumolu

 The Joys of Travel

By: Aditi Anumolu

Suitcases packed, flip flops on

Breeze in my hair while we sing songs

We leave our worries behind

Our beautiful adventures in our mind

The world is full of light

Laughter lingers in the air

Our smiles are so bright

We flee with no care

The joys of travels are forever

Memories weaved in every mile

Our hearts will always remember

As we paste a happy smile

Dreaming of Venice By: Aditi Anumolu

 Dreaming of Venice

By: Aditi Anumolu

I have always wanted to visit Venice, Italy. The beautiful city with its waterfronts and architecture combined with its art and food has always appealed to me. I believe I started to dream about this city when I was in the fifth grade when me and my family went to Las Vegas. This connection sounds random but there was a reason this spurred this dream. We visited the Venetian Resort which is a small replica of Venice within a hotel. This hotel had very elaborate art on its ceilings and gondola rides that helped simulate the experience of being in Italy. I thought the hotel was amazing and it made me wonder what the real Venice would be like. Ever since then all my dream boards and aspirations have aligned with visiting Venice one day. I really hope I reach this goal and make myself proud.

Miles and Mind , poem By: Aditi Anumolu

 Miles and Mind

By: Aditi Anumolu

Hands on the wheel, eyes on the road

My hands stiff as a board

The hum of the engine is like a friend

As I try to make my mind mend

I feel the freedom 

As I move in motion

In moving forward

I have survived