Welcome to Grant County... our little piece of heaven nestled in the mountains of West Virginia.…
One day in a place far away from south Michigan, a kid named Evan was running in a long race. It was an estimated 26 miles. It was his first race that he has ever participated in. His nerves were racing and his relatives were too. This race was televised to the whole state of Michigan. He didn't practice and is coming into this with no running experience. The only thing that pushed him to do this was that his dad was a four time Olympic gold medalist in running.…
It was spring break,my family and I went to Galveston.It was amazing.We had a lot of fun,and these are just some things that we wanted to do.…
In my freshman year, I went to Ohio Mission Trip, which was led by Mrs. Lundquist. While I had an amazing life experience through volunteering, I was able to become closer to my friends and upper classmen. Darby and Sydney Lundquist also joined the trip, and they shortly introduced me about Washington and Lee University. I assumed the college should be very advanced since they were well-known for their excellence in intelligence and sports. This year I attended a college meeting with Mr. Webster to get to know more about the college. It was a great opportunity for me to grasp a big picture of the school as well as more specific details of admissions. I immediately fell in love with the school as Mr. Webster explained about the school in detail.…
Yesterday me and my Dad went on an 11ish mile hike on the Appalachian Trail. This hike was probably one of the coolest hikes I've been on. It went from one beautiful landscape to another. As I was laying in bed that night with my muscles aching from the extra 1.5 miles we didn't plan on, I realized I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for my Dad. He introduced me to my love of the outdoors and my passion to hike the entire AT. I hope one day ,Dad, we can stand on Mount Katahdin together and look back at the 2190 miles behind…
In 1752 I was a seventeen year old destitute living in Scotland, Ireland. I had no real skill-trade or education, but with high ambitions to learn and become a collective dependant I would earn a stable lively-hood in one of the New World colonies. I suffered losses of loved who fell sick and died with only a few remaining that were as impoverished as myself. I feared there would be no prospect of a better life in Scotland and contracted myself as an indentured servant for passage to the New World colonies. Along with many others I boarded a New World merchant ship that specialized in the trade of textiles and clothing. In exchange for travel, food, and decent health, I was sold for profit to proprietors in the New World. The voyage to New…
My rite of passage was coming to Randolph-Macon. As I arrived at Randolph-Macon College on September 1st to begin my freshman year of college, I could not do anything but shake from being so nervous. My parents kept telling me that everything would come together and I would fit right in. I had never felt so out of place. Coming from a small private school, with a graduating class of 30, I could not bear to meet a freshman class that was as bigger than my hometown or my k-12 school. It was like I was a nightmare and no matter how many times I pinched myself, I could not wake up. I was trapped here without any friends or a vehicle to escape.…
We drove in a bright emerald minivan who was older than America. The seats were a gray-blue color, the color of a stormy sea. The cup holders were half broken and the windows were covered in tiny sticky fingerprints. The sun beat down in hot and stifling waves. All the liquid in the car was near boiling and crayons were melting into the seats. The air conditioning was a blessing on my skin. When we first arrived, we stayed in a Best Western hotel by the river that made really good cheesy omelets. After two weeks, we rented a dull, brown house in a neighborhood near where I live now. It had thick fluffy jade colored carpet in the basement, petite bedrooms, an overrun backyard, and a painfully small…
The holiday season, a time meant for the celebration of chilly weather and cheerful greetings, is perhaps the most celebrated time in America. Each year, millions of high school students embrace the promises of the holidays as an opportunity for rest, relaxation, and freedom from the confines of scholarly pursuit. I, being one of many students weighed down by the stress of finals and academia, eagerly anticipated my holiday break that would begin the second week of December. For weeks, I planned out what I would do with my abundance of free time so that I would enjoy each day to the maximum capacity. I resolved to travel to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, where I would experience the scenic snow-capped mountains, bustling village towns, and adventurous…
A day in Memphis is not complete without the diversity in our community. As a second generation Memphian who has primarily lived in Midtown, I had the privilege of watching several different cultures in one place and especially now that I attended one of the largest public schools. Daily, I experience someone else’s world. The people I get to meet and see are from various backgrounds: race, religion, ethnicity, etc. that I may never comprehend, which is wonderful. In Memphis, it is normal to be an enigma, to have idiosyncrasies. I believe that is the heart of Memphis. What makes this heart surpass discrimination is the acceptance that follows years of diversity. My neighborhood has single mothers whose children play with the neighborhood adolescents.…
My Carolina story is one of perseverance. I grew up in a prominently white and underrepresented area, being a multicultural male it was very hard to fit in. However, with the backing of family and friends I was able to overcome many of the obstacles that plagued my area. Through hard work and dedication, I believe that anything is possible. It can be said that as long as you believe in yourself nothing is out of reach. For me this was the key to my success, however, upon applying to UNC-CH I was waitlisted. This greatly hurt my confidence as I felt as if I wasn't smart enough, but to my surprise I made it off the waiting list and enrolled in UNC. Nevertheless, the effects of being waitlisted lingered over me a long period of time. I found myself contemplating whether I was smart enough to attend such a prestigious university. Although soon enough I began to get involved on campus and through this I realized UNC was the best place for me and that no matter what I could make it at a esteemed university. The diversity that UNC offers was a vital key in helping to understand my place, I heard that "diversity creates identity" and this has been one of the strongest statements I have ever heard. My Carolina story is one of struggle and perseverance to fit in, yet, with hope and hard work you can accomplish anything.…
Hi, I was going on a trip to Maryland and I want to know if you will come with me. My sister, Dad, and I was looking for places to go and there is an extra bed. The reason I picked you is because there are great places to eat, Amazing parks, and the Boardwalk.…
My dad always told me that my imagination and ideas are wild. I never quite knew what he meant until a few years ago. Even though you may be terrified of certain things it is important to face them and widen your comfort zone and become fearless.…
The day of September 1, I missed class to be with my family in Memphis. My mom wanted everyone in our immediate family to gather together because my brother was leaving for the army. It was such an exciting week because I haven’t been home to see them in about year prior. My brother has recently graduated from high school and also turned 18. I am beyond proud of the person he has become, so to see him all grown up making the decision to leave home brought tears to my eyes.…
Growing up in Southern Louisiana, I was raised in a “weird” way. I was taught to call all adults ma'am and sir when I was speaking to them, and “ya’ll” happens to be a regular word in my vocabulary. Loving the bayou, and being polite to everyone who earned it, is what I guess people call weird here in Colorado. I spent most of my life in Louisiana. It's my home.Everything about that place reminds me why I love it so much, most the people, the food, and pretty much everything except the weather. Everything was going great until I got home from school one day and my mom told me that we were moving.…