When Hooyo (“Mother” in Somali) picked me up from school in our Ethiopian refugee camp, we’d walk the long way home so people wouldn’t know… Read More
College Essay: ‘Changing the world, one girl at a time’
Student Reporting Articles
College Essay: Overcoming homelessness
Homelessness can happen to anyone. I know because I experienced it. One day in fifth grade, my parents sat my siblings and me down together… Read More
College Essay: A visit to Thailand and a new outlook on life
I stared at the red dirt stain on my Nike shoes. My throat dried up and sweat trailed down the side of my face. Despite… Read More
College Essay: On the right path, after tragedy and turmoil
Bam! Bam! I heard this sound early in the morning. People screaming, “Mungu nisaidie” (God help me). My body shaking and numb. My face hot…. Read More
College Essay: ‘Hard work does pay off’
Sweat dripped down the faces and bodies of the 14 exhausted teen dancers and scattered onto the slippery hardwood floor. Several stifled yawns. “Let’s do… Read More
College Essay: Grappling with – and overcoming – a tough decision on the mat
Class starts at 8 a.m. But I have been at school since 6 a.m.—running stairs over a puddle of my own sweat and pushing my… Read More
College Essay: Determination and optimism from ‘Mama’
Blood ran from Mama’s—my grandmother’s—arm and through the IV as the nurse said, “We will have the results in a couple of weeks and have… Read More
College Essay: Conquering a new language and a new home
Fear and happiness hit my face. I was “home.” Finally. I had been traveling for two long days, from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to Louisiana, wondering… Read More
College Essay: ‘Your shield, protector and defense’
While I was cleaning the living room at the age of 10 years old in South Africa, my sister, Halima, ran up to me and… Read More
Recognizing – and addressing – white privilege: A reflection on how society can treat people of color differently
I place a bag of Peanut Butter M&Ms in our shopping cart, without asking my dad first. As our cart’s wheels squeak down the aisle,… Read More
