by Adrian Balvuena | 15 Mar 2018 | Discovery, Personal Reflections, School Year Abroad, Student Posts, Youth Voices
My parents came to the U.S. from Mexico, and I grew up in the Bronx. They have sacrificed so much for me — a burden I need to learn to live with. Immigrants at a naturalization ceremony in New York, 22 March 2013 (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) I can’t recall a...
by Peyton Spolansky | 9 Mar 2018 | Discovery, Europe, School Year Abroad, Student Posts, Women's rights, Youth Voices
I was in Spain for International Women’s Day. It was unbelievable to see so many people fighting for the same things that I fight for in America. (Photos by Peyton Spolansky) I had not expected more than a few dozen people to participate in International...
by News Decoder | 7 Mar 2018 | Discovery, Immigration, Personal Reflections, School Year Abroad, Student Posts
By Daniela Martinez There’s something satisfying about being made for the sun. I’ve always taken secret satisfaction switching languages in mid-sentence. Or in knowing my parents can cross deserts and in checking off “Hispanic” on applications. My...
by Clio Morrison | 12 Feb 2018 | Art, Discovery, Friends Seminary, School Year Abroad, Student Posts, Youth Voices
“The darkroom is my sanctuary. I find peace in the red ambient light. I dodge and burn my images with purpose and passion.” The author, after a stint in the darkroom One minute in the developer, 30 seconds in the stop bath and two minutes in the fixer. I...
by Defne Egbo | 9 Feb 2018 | Americas, Discovery, Identity, Islam, Personal Reflections, School Year Abroad, Student Posts, Thacher School, United States, Youth Voices
Being biracial should be simple: you are composed of half of each parent’s race. But I’ve discovered the reality is anything but. A mixed race couple with their twin sons, Washington, DC, 11 June 2008. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) My parents are not of the...
by Laila Mirza | 29 Jan 2018 | Discovery, Donald Trump, Identity, Islam, Personal Reflections, School Year Abroad, Student Posts, United States, Youth Voices
I used to feel secure as a Muslim in America. This changed with Trump’s election and I do not believe Islamophobia will end when he leaves office. A political rally for Donald Trump, left, in Oklahoma City, 26 February 2016. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki) I’ve always...
by Jaeli Rose | 19 Jan 2018 | Discovery, Human Rights, Identity, Islam, Personal Reflections, School Year Abroad, Student Posts, Youth Voices
As a Jew, I can never forget the Holocaust and the slaughter of millions. But we must not persecute Palestinians for their faith. That is hypocrisy. Israeli and Palestinian women dance together during a mass protest near Beit HaArava in the Jordan Valley, Israel, 8...
by News Decoder | 11 May 2017 | Donald Trump, Europe, Future of Democracy, Islam, Nationalism, School Year Abroad, Student Posts, United States
This is the last of four articles by students on France’s presidential election. By Maxine Arnheiter Dinner parties have become an interesting staple in my life in France, mostly of a political sort. The blues, reds and whites of the television cast a dull haze...
by News Decoder | 11 May 2017 | Donald Trump, Europe, Future of Democracy, Islam, Nationalism, School Year Abroad, Student Posts, United States
This is the third of four articles by students on France’s presidential election. By Alexandra Wells My host parents and I sat with our eyes glued to the TV — unusual for a French family dinner. We were awaiting the results of the first round of...
by News Decoder | 10 May 2017 | Donald Trump, Europe, Future of Democracy, Islam, School Year Abroad, Student Posts, United States
This is the second of four articles by students on France’s presidential election. By Snow Guilfoyle “Mais c’est n’importe quoi!” I shouted across the dinner table. After nine months in France, I had come to embrace the nation’s...