After the curtain went down I fell to the floor while sound and color muted with each pulse of pain shooting up my leg. I frantically stripped away layers of costume on my left leg. I eased the pointe shoe off and rolled up my tights, marred by a deep red, to discover Band Aids and toe tape saturated in blood and pus. Peeling them away, I found a blister, already popped, spanning most of my heel. I didn't know...

When people hear I want to go to University of Pennsylvania, they always respond with something that ends with "But it is freezing there!" Now, this term, "freezing", is a term we Tucsonans like to think we are familiar with, but really the term we are familiar with is "chilly-in-the-morning-but-warm-by-the-afternoon". However, my response is simple - I'll just wear a fantastic coat - it's rather a small price to pay to be a part of such an incredible institution. So...

"It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door." - The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien Walking out the front door of my home to go to the airport with just a backpack stuffed with the bare necessities, the words "It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door," surfaced in my mind. Bilbo Baggins couldn't have stated it more perfectly - I was terrified. I had joked (but was often quite serious) about...

It would be easy to pick power or powerlessness and argue either side. However, I don't believe they corrupt; I believe it is fear that corrupts. Aung San Suu Kyi said, "It is not power that corrupts but fear. Fear of losing power corrupts those who wield it and fear of the scourge of power corrupts those who are subject to it." One might ask, "But what about royalty and politicians? They had power and many were corrupt." It is...

It was a well-established fact that my parents’ bed was the comfiest bed in the whole house. So when the words “family meeting” echoed off of the walls, there was a mad dash for their bed. If you were the last one, which I almost always was being the youngest of six, it was nearly impossible to find a spot. But I always found a way to wriggle my way into the tangle of brown and white arms, a proud...

Senior year was one of the best, but also most stressful years of my life. If I had to give one piece of advice, here it is: START THE APPLICATION PROCESS THE SUMMER BEFORE SENIOR YEAR. That was my plan but I was traveling the entire summer...