It was still quiet, but as long as I could hold onto it, the angel’s voice, through all the doubt, through the devil’s echoes, I could get through. I could keep marching.

I couldn't help but admire her. I admired her with my eyes and through my camera lens. And when I captured her in a photo, I admired her in that, too.

I didn’t feel comfortable staying at a level of comfort, of ease, in my editing; I wanted to step higher, to open a new door, each time. I craved the asymptotic chase to mastery. 

The Musical Language and its dialects, whatever that may mean, facilitated friendships and partnerships outside of music and opened my opportunities to a wider variety of people that I otherwise would not have met.

I take a deep breath and begin: “Om Bhur Buvah Suvaha.” My mind sharpens, and I focus on the surroundings. What can I smell, hear, see, feel?

Every stroke is a step toward improvement, every practice a chance to become stronger, faster.

Does it really matter what you think when there are plenty of others who are more qualified to think about these issues for us?

Why must we simplify others? Does ease have priority over individual choice regarding identity? 

Hate is an oil lamp that shines light on the parts of myself that I haven’t yet accepted—the parts that are flawed, the parts that are vulnerable. 

We lose ourselves in the ecstasy of superiority, forgetting that our victories may be fleeting, should we not consider the preservation of ourselves and our descendants.

The strong Hispanic values that I grew up around helped me choose what I knew was meant for me.

Rutgers is no longer just a place I ended up—it’s becoming the place where I’m starting to grow into the person I want to be. 

Human rights are simply to live a long life and to be treated with worth. This is the bare minimum that society should grant. However, no matter how far this evil world progresses, it turns 1000 steps back.

To an observer, it would seem that human nature is to develop a sadistic approach when given power over others stripped of their freedom. To develop a system predicated around this environment is to not only allow but encourage humanity’s self-destruction.

In high school, walking down the halls and meeting new people with my anxiety felt like I was walking through a maze of mirrors, where every face that reflected was a blurred version of my own.

In her world, Clara is royalty. She is expected to follow the societal path laid out for young women of their class […] But Clara is completely indifferent to these expectations.