Darren Li '29 Picture this: In school, Bob could prioritize his unique strengths more, though that is yet to be discovered. Or, he could follow whatever clubs that his friends are joining and constantly enroll in those competitions valued as “Ivy League pass”. In these crossroads, whether Bob should “be himself” has become a point of contention. This essay will examine the effectiveness of that advice and argue that “being yourself” remains more valuable than abandoning the

Kaelyn Yu '29 In 2023, approximately 18 million households in the United States experienced food insecurity. Of these, 6.5 million were families with children. For a 16-year-old, this is one of the hardest moments of their lives, one where they feel unsafe, unstable, and are desperate for a sense control. Standing in a grocery store’s aisle, the choice wasn’t between right and wrong, but between starving or curing hopelessness. When metal doors clang shut, the moment would s

Ikhee Lee '26 *Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author. Ask yourself this: why should you love your country?  You may not have an immediate response. You may not love your country. You may disagree outright and hate your country altogether. After all, no individual was able to choose their nationality at birth. This begs the question: if nationality is arbitrarily assigned, why should we be patriotic?  Patriotism denotes a feeling of

Tim Tai '26 Edited by Caridee Chau '25 A few days ago, the suicide of 14-year-old Sewell Setzer reached international headlines. A...

Charlotte Hung '28 Edited by Jennifer Xu '26 In 2024, one in seven children from age 10 to 19 are impacted by mental health conditions...