Category - Student Life

“I don’t know how we met,” I say, looking at one of my best friends. We’re en route to our dorm, walking together after a meal in the cafeteria. There’s a slight pause and then Hannah responds, “Yeah, I have no idea. It was during orientation at some point.” Ah, yes. Orientation week. I have some very distinct memories of orientation week—sitting in one of the art buildings figuring out my schedule, walking the longest possible way to Hutch in order to buy a book, sitting with my O-group under a tree, and somehow finding and hanging out with the[…]

Let’s admit it. Too many of us let our grades define us. Yes, you know who you are. Believe me, I’m with you. When we get that A, we feel successful. It gives us energy and makes the day so much better. On the contrary, anything less than perfect causes us anxiety and puts a damper on the rest of the week. Recently, I wrote a paper for my Western Civilization II class, which I believed merited a good grade. Unfortunately, my professor thought differently. When he handed back the papers and I saw my grade, I tensed and felt[…]

The change feels immediate. One second we’re driving through the flat, boring Texas panhandle, and the next the bushes have changed to manzanita shrubs and the dirt is red. The land begins to bump and swell into massive mountains. Mallory and I  can’t stop grinning. We’re almost there! As the sun sets, the shadows in the mountains deepen and the harsh light turns soft and golden. We pull up to our friend’s house where we’ll be staying for a few days, the cozy adobe blending into the surroundings. In the horizon is Sandia Crest, a mountain range that juts up[…]

You could spot my friends and I from the other side of the cafeteria. We’d crammed about seven chairs too many around a round table and were laughing uproariously. I clambered over my chair into my spot and moved someone’s wallet to make space for my plate. Sometimes, we were super quiet at lunch, sitting together and just enjoying being still. This time, however, we were being obnoxiously loud. I took a drink of water and noticed there was a little too much attention tossed my way from around the table. I was quick to dismiss it, taking another mouthful[…]