As my alarm sounded at 6:45 a.m. on September 9th, I felt unusually energetic, rather than the normal feeling of grogginess when waking up early for school. I sprung out of bed, took a quick shower, brushed my teeth, threw on my first day of school outfit, and jumped into my car to take the short...

   For most of us, the year of remote school was almost a “freebie” year. There were open note tests, snacks, and extra sleep. The other half of us dealt with missing assignments piling up, absences, and getting our work finished right before that 11:59 P.M due date.    I was somewhere in...

   6:00 A.M. came earlier than usual on Thursday, September 9th. The dreary weather outside seemed like an all-too obvious omen for the day ahead. Due to the abysmal combination of pouring rain and clueless parents, the drive from my house in Berlin, which normally takes fifteen minutes, took nearly...

   For many people, COVID-19 came in like Miley Cyrus on a wrecking ball.     Lives were overturned, many family members could no longer gather and enjoy themselves, grief covered the world like a wet blanket, and schools shut down. Enduring the era of COVID-19 was like trudging through a battlefield...