What do I Think?
Recently, I have come to the conclusion that my opinion matters and that my voice is heard. This realization sparked some pieces about pretty heavy topics that I hadn't had the courage to write about before. You can read about them below.
After the 2024 presidential election, I was feeling a lot of emotions. At the forefront was anger and a sense of helplessness. So I decided to do something about it, and this piece is the result of that decision. I wanted it to be based in facts, statistics and expert opinion, so I reached out to Barbara McQuade, a professor from practice at the University of Michigan’s law school and former U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, and used our interview as a building block to start this article.
Bullet by Bullet
I don’t care about gun violence. ​​
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At least, that’s what my reaction — or lack thereof — might suggest. When news breaks of another shooting, my response is limited to a clenched jaw or a momentary dropped stomach before I return to worrying about tomorrow’s homework or next week’s big game. In a world where violence feels like the baseline expectation, I have learned how to compartmentalize our seemingly regularly scheduled tragedies.
In the wake of a gun tragedy, I had a moment where I realized how numb my reactions have become to gun violence, so I decided to write about it. This is a piece that went through at least four or five different re-workings and title changes. In the end, I was really proud of it.
This was my first article that picked up some national attention and by landing itself in "Best of SNO" and being syndicated by The SUNN Post.
Aside from journalism, high school field hockey is the thing that has most shaped me into the person I am today. Without my this program, I wouldn't be anything close to who I am. The love I have for my coach is unparalleled and I hold my teammates in such high regard. Throughout high school, so many things change. But not this. This team anchored me in a way that I will never be able to fully vocalize — even with the communication skills it has given me.
Dear found family,
As the whistle blows repeatedly and salt slowly accumulates on our bodies, I think about how we have grown up together. As the sting of the cold echoes through our hands while we hit the ball back and forth, as we jump around in the falling rain, I think about how you have raised me. I think back to when we first met — I had no idea you were about to change my life. I was different than I am now: I didn’t speak unless spoken to; I disappeared into crowds; I watched as the world went on without me. That was, until you pulled me out.
A love letter to the team that changed my perspective
​​It was a Jamaican tour guide and his weathered glass-bottom boat that sparked the idea in Captain Jennifer Dowker that her childhood passion could become a bonafide career. ​
But the path to Dowker’s current success was rife with hardship; for months, she would lie awake at night researching business fundamentals, and by day Dowker crafted her business plan with her three sons as part of their homeschooling education. Her dream propelled her through a difficult period in her life: a tumultuous divorce.
Everything's on the Line
We are our own worst critics.
As I open the door and walk out of the bathroom stall, I’m greeted by a mirror staring back at me. In it, other girls are washing their hands, fixing their makeup, gathering for a picture while I’m picking myself apart. My hair is greasy, my shirt isn’t sitting right, I ate too much for dinner last night. The list never ends. As the warm water rushes over my hands and the soap machine plays its familiar squeaky song, I avoid my own gaze in the reflection ahead.
Never Good Enough
I wrote this piece with a girl who nowadays knows me better than I know myself. Then, it was sophomore year and we were taking a class at the University of Michigan together about water and society within the Great Lakes. She was going to write an in-depth feature article on the topic and so I hopped on board. I think not a lot of people realize that water rights are going to be a big deal moving forward, especially with the increasing effects of climate change.
As a high school senior, I know the complexities of teenage girlhood inside and out, namely issues with body image and eating disorders. While I myself have never struggled with an ED, I've had many conversations with friends about how these concerns feel so individually universal — how everyone is silently struggling through similar problems. In this piece, Paige Plavnick and I explore one student's experience and ED numbers post-pandemic. This piece won first place for MIPA bylined opinion article.​
For Now
On the first day of school, I was listening to “Forever Young” when I pulled into the parking lot. Before this year, my car had only ever occupied a CHS parking spot after sundown for a random production or two. Now, my morning drive is one of my most cherished daily routines. I’ve found that setting intentions for the day ahead through the songs I play has become an intentional centering exercise.
Staring down my final semester of high school, I was feeling overwhelmed by the rate at which the clock was moving. Never before had time felt so scarce. There had to be something I could do to slow it down. In an effort to fight the clock, I wrote this piece, and I came to the conclusion that the clock's hands aren't gonna change their pace just because I want them to. So, I might as well just live in the present moment.