More than 15 years ago, I worked out at the gym four days a week, two hours each day. Despite moving around in a wheelchair, my arms and upper body were so strong I could easily move myself in and out...

Although I was older than him when we met -- I was 11 and my rescue dog, Hunter, was five months -- it’s the opposite now. I’ve reached my prime at 21 and he is an aging 65 in human years. Every...

In 2020, I was a fairly optimistic, ambitious senior at Mira Loma High school in Sacramento, California. Now, I’m a third-year Cal State LA student slowly working to rebuild my social skills and my...

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...