When I was 4, my parents, sister and I left West Covina, California, for Virginia, 2,234 miles away. We ended up moving to the city of Lynchburg — a name that seemed to figuratively foreshadow our...

Growing up, I didn’t have any siblings yet. It was pretty dull with no other person my age at home. My parents weren’t around during the day because my dad was at work, and my mom was still in college. I...

 The day I turned 18, my parents kicked me out of the house.  I had been gone for two days. I was making an attempt at a good gesture for my parents. My mistake was asking my aunt for a haircut, while...

I faced many challenges as a kid in martial arts. These obstacles included transitioning schools, relearning techniques — and the one event that ended my martial arts journey.  New school, new...

Enamored with the idea of independence and being able to make decisions about my own future, I entered college at Cal State LA through the Early Entrance Program. Due to COVID-19, I was never able to...

It happened about one year ago, Jan. 7 — the loss I never imagined facing, at least not for decades to come. My mom woke me up that morning at around 8 a.m. “Brian, I think something is wrong...

As a little girl growing up in Germany, I loved playing around with my mom’s makeup and high heels. I would tell my mother how I wanted to be on television one day, and she would just laugh. A...

I used to be an objectively worse student than my peers in elementary school: I got lower grades, was worse at physical activities, and was immature for my age.  Three years later, I got into Cal State...

Growing up, I never prioritized academics. My weighted grade point average was 2.7 when I graduated high school.  I thought baseball was going to take me far in life. Unfortunately, I was wrong. The...

I will never forget the color of the sky that day: A vivid blue flecked with clouds. It was a slightly cool day Nov. 18, 2020, at the outdoor skatepark my friend and I frequented. But on this day,...

In high school, I didn't have many friends. I was shy, a bookworm and simply was the person who didn’t speak much. That was until I met my best friend, Robert Canales, in senior year. It would change...

Some of the toughest battles I have faced in life came from within: Not feeling accepted, doubting my self-worth, feeling angry and depressed. It all seemed to hit me at once in a series of unfortunate...