Blood, guts and gory. Tender is the Flesh has made its rounds on 'BookTok', and become well-known as a disturbing, intense, veganism-inducing novel. What would humanity do if all animal meat became inedible? Tender is the Flesh focuses on the idea that we may begin eating each other- breeding, raising, and slaughtering genetically modified humans for meat. It is one of my all-time favorite books. Tender is the Flesh has a meaning beyond the horror of the meat industry- how misogyny will leak, like oil, into every aspect of our lives. Horror as a genre is underrated in the literary community. When we are forced to stare something in the face and allow ourselves to be uncomfortable, we allow for revolutionary thoughts. Tender is the Flesh is narrated by Marcos, a former executive in the meat industry, now in the human meat industry. The book refers to human meat as "special meat". Left reeling by the death of his child and separation from his wife, Marcos is gifted a female "head"-one human "cattle". Her vocal cords were removed and she showed no signs of humanity. Marcos quickly rapes, impregnates, and names her Jasmine. The book ends with Jasmine giving birth to a baby boy. Marcos quickly slaughters her, without allowing her to hold her son. Marcos is not only the aggressor, but the complicit, and passive participant. He works in the special meat industry and does not outright speak against the system that is destroying humanity, although he refuses to eat human meat. This book strives for discomfort. Anybody who has read it will attest that it does an exceptional job. Misogyny is a forefront theme due to the dynamic of Marcos and Jasmine. Words are a concept heavily emphasized throughout the novel. Marcos views the women in his life negatively and often describes their words as "cutting" or "black holes". Jasmine is perfect for him because she does not speak, and cannot threaten him. Jasmine represents the "ideal" woman for the male gaze. Quiet, submissive, barefoot and pregnant. This book should be read by every person for the simple fact that it is horrifying enough to shock into thought. While the message may go over some heads, even the smallest amount of people must realize how misogyny may be perpetuated in society. This gory, horrifying novel will turn heads and stomachs, and aid the destruction of misogyny in society.

I didn’t think AIM was going to accept my application. It was a week late, and the essay I submitted wasn’t necessarily my best work- talking about myself was a skill I had yet to master. I had finished online school for the day, and I was still in my pajamas at 2 in the afternoon. There I sat in my home “office”, staring at an acceptance email I never thought I would receive. My mom presented the idea to me after she found an advertisement on Facebook. “I heard about this community service program,” she said “It’s remote, so you’ll be able to do it, even though it's downtown.” The Albuquerque Involved Mentee program gave teenagers a way to start to work with their local community in a non-profit context. This year, the group would be creating, writing, and distributing a grant of 10,000 dollars to local Albuquerque non-profit organizations. The only issue seemed impenetrable: The application deadline had passed the week before. I submitted it anyway, with a little push from my mom. Which resulted in the email that I was staring at. The program had accepted me, and I couldn't contain my excitement. Perhaps that's why I showed up to the first meeting 15 minutes early. It was worth it- talking to the organizers presented me with an amazing opportunity to learn about just what this program had to offer. Throughout the year I worked with 11 other kids my age to create three grants of 3,333 dollars to three Albuquerque Organizations, and one of my top choices was selected for the grant: The Alliance for School-Based Healthcare Centers. This organization used our grant to provide hygiene packs to students in the school they visited- including clean underwear, deodorant, and period products. Knowing this plan made the year for me. Knowing that I was helping people my own age to have a better life made me feel like I would never do anything better. I was okay with that. While I still am a mentee with the AIM program, I am also a proud member of the Cibola National Honor Society. I was inducted when I was a junior and I will receive a chord upon graduating. While time management is the main challenge for me- I have greatly appreciated the experience I earned while in the NHS. I get to work with my peers and friends to provide valuable services to our community. This year, the NHS' pet project is the Cougar Closet. The cougar closet is a parent-run portable that provides free, donated clothes to students at Cibola. There are graduation gowns, prom dresses, suits, ties, and casual wear. Working with the Student Senate, I have been working alongside members of NHS in order to clean up, clean out, and get the cougar closet running. Our main goal is to get it cleaned out by the end of the year, and ready to operate by next semester so students can take advantage of it all year round. Working on these projects in the cougar closet, I get to see myself working with and for people my own age, which is one of the greatest privileges I have ever been granted. I have always thought that the best way to show love to something is to improve it- your organization, your school, and especially your community. I cannot express how close I hold my Cibola community dear, and community service is my favorite way to show it.