Cancel culture or accountability?

Earlier this month a peer of mine was called out on Twitter for racist, white supremacist statements made in his biography on Twitter. This was the result of a contentious episode of a student-run political talk show on-campus, The Waynesburg Effect, that was removed from viewing after going semi-viral amongst alumni and current students in … Continue reading

The meaning of the universe

Recently in my college literature class we read The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. It’s a book I’ve read many times before, mostly because I’ve always loved the absurdity throughout the book, but taking a deeper dive into it for my class has opened my eyes to new meanings within the words. In the book, … Continue reading

Reverie

My capstone class, COM 466 Practicum, recently all shared their last lectures. The theme of presentations was inspired by the late Randy Pausch’s last lecture and the subsequent novel “The Last Lecture.” I was absolutely enthralled by my peers’ stories. In typical fashion, I decided to end my own presentation in spoken word form. Poetry … Continue reading

Collection of poetry

The Taming of Fire  When winter came too close to call,   when it seemed that even more would fall  to the chilling blackness,  who dared awake  the beast with glowing orange hide-  released from desperate friction  and wooden sacrifice;  who did regret   the yellow teeth and sap-stained claws  that devoured them and sealed their eyes.  … Continue reading

Dreaming of the birthday of a lifetime

Growing up, my birthday wasn’t celebrated the same way my friends celebrated their big day. When I was younger, I was fortunate to have the family-type birthday parties, where I didn’t really get to have fun. It was more or less my job to make sure my family was having fun celebrating my birthday.  For … Continue reading

Let Freedom Sting

I wrote this spoken word over the summer as the keynote address at The Bonner Foundation’s annual Summer Leadership Institute. The theme was Uncharted: Reimagining Your Work, and I wanted to share my encouragement to them with this campus community. I hope it speaks to you!   *** I am not a procrastinator. My capacity … Continue reading

Fulfillment and how it looks different for everyone 

According to vocabulary.com, fulfillment is the “feeling of happiness and satisfaction.” To be fulfilled is to be proud of the work you’ve done no matter what form it comes in.  For me, the path to fulfillment begins with being creative. From oil paints to crocheting, being able to create a physical object has always been … Continue reading

Too young to remember

Sept. 11, 2001. A woman drives down a Pennsylvania road to get to a Bible study at a friend’s church. Her baby boy, who turns one in just a few days, sleeps in the backseat of the car. She can’t believe it’s been almost a year since he came into this world. She arrives at … Continue reading