How to be an absolutely drop-dead gorgeous girl

Wake up, workout. Take your weight and a photo for your app, Diet Diary, everyday. To make sure you’re losing weight. Workout as much as you can. Start with P90X, not enough. Get into POP Pilates. Everyday, do at least a two-hour workout. 

Embracing a changing definition of being home

I went home to visit my family this past weekend. We went out to dinner Saturday night, and I ordered a chicken enchilada and a chocolate milk. Before ordering, I debated in my head whether or not to get my favorite drink. I’m 19. I’m an adult. Adults don’t typically order sweetened dairy products in restaurants, but I figured that, since I was with my family, I might as well be a kid. 

The emotional ups and downs of studying abroad

I am now writing to you all from Geneva, Switzerland (not Amsterdam) as I enjoy a few days at home. It is the end of the first half of my semester abroad and this has made me want to reflect a little on the time I have spent away from Hopkins so far.

Reflecting on my fear of losing my family ties

“Aren’t you afraid that I’ll forget?” I asked.  “You can’t really forget how to drive. It’s like riding a bike. You can’t forget how to ride a bike. You do need to get readjusted to the car, so start driving slow.”

How horror films help me cope with my anxiety

As Halloween season comes to a close and people begin to swap out their spooky decorations for more gluttonous ones, I’ve been thinking a lot about horror movies. I spent a good chunk of the last month and a half dedicated to watching scary movies, a couple of which I was able to see as revival screenings at local theaters. 

Terms and conditions of my exile from the South

1. Try not to sound too Southern. You don’t want your peers making assumptions on the first day of classes in Baltimore.

Respecting the impact of previous generations

With yesterday marking the four year anniversary of my paternal grandfather’s death and the coming of All Soul’s Day this Friday, I’ve been in the midst of a bit of an existential crisis. 

Why the language we use when talking about food is important

The last few years have been a time of admirable improvement in the world of cultural awareness around food. More writers of repute, as well as chefs, diners and others, are thinking about how the words they choose can evoke certain sentiments that degrade the foods they’re discussing. However, there’s still plenty of room for growth.

The benefits of putting more effort into less work

Hopkins is stressful. This is a cliché: something we all know and are somewhat tired of hearing, but hear me out. 

How is Baltimore City preparing to address the effects of climate change?

The latest publication from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the world’s leading body on climate science, made an urgent point: Climate change is rapidly occurring, and its consequences are dire. As a coastal, flood-prone city, Baltimore will most definitely feel the ramifications of rising sea levels and more intense weather events. Has City policy prepared us for the impacts of climate change?

Don't judge a physics major by her lipgloss

Okay. Just breathe, San. These are your people. You’re all in the same boat. Just hide your manicure in your jacket pocket so they don’t think you care too much about superficial crap.

Low-income families and ethical consumption

Earlier this month, the United Nations (UN) released a report that claimed we could be facing a major, climatic crisis in fewer than 25 years. It paints a dire picture, stating that in order to avoid catastrophe, a complete transformation of the world economy is required — at a speed and scale unlike any other in recorded history. Without change, hundreds of millions of people will be put directly in harm’s way.

Nuanced portrayals of mental illness in media

Here are a few conditions for living in my hometown

1. Your first pair of boots must be Justin Cowboy Boots or a worn-looking pair of brown hunting boots with a gold buckle from Muck Boots. You must wear them at least four times a week with light wash denim jeans marked with small holes in the back pockets to show that you help out on the farm or work in the woods.

Coming out of the closet put me in another box

Last Thursday I literally tagged myself with a label. For National Coming Out Day, I wore extra-long, half-rainbow, half-purple socks that had the word “GAY” sewn on them in white letters. Having no particular desire to wake up early for breakfast at the Office of LGBTQ Life, I felt obligated to celebrate queer awareness in another way. Wearing socks that I had borrowed from a friend for New York City Pride in June seemed like the move.

How to find beauty in solving a broken puzzle

What I've learned about embracing my femininity

When I was a kid, I prided myself on liking things that other girls my age did not. I liked skateboarding and playing in the dirt, gross-out gags and whoopee cushions. While I indulged in the occasional feminine pastime, like playing with Bratz dolls, I even turned that into something more aggressive and masculine, acting out elaborate murder scenes with my friend and filming them on the handheld video camera I got for Christmas. 

It’s okay if you feel indecisive about the future

Euclid’s first postulate of planar geometry states that a straight line can be drawn from any two points. Postulates state what is, not what may be or what can be proven. Therefore we have to accept the postulate as true with certainty. 

How I learned to see the value in my own story

When presenting a problem or flaw in a system, it is expected that you also provide a solution to fix it. Talking about a problem without saying what can be done is taken as unhelpful complaining, as if you don’t really want to fix the problem ­— you’re just looking for something to be mad at or something to blame.