“ 'Cause that's just the way of the world It never ends 'til the end, then you start again/ That's just the way of the world/ That’s just the way of the world.” I’ve known of Sabrina since Girl Meets World. I was a Disney Channel Kid, and I’d sit down to watch the re-runs of that show. Her character was Maya Hart, the rebellious and sarcastic friend of the show’s protagonist, Riley Matthew. From day one, I always knew she had pure talent, and was a great singer; I specifically remember watching the Disney Awards Show, and recalling her performance of ‘Thumbs,” as she strolled along the stage with a subway background. “Thumbs,” is the song that formally introduced me to Sabrina Carpenter as a singer. It gave me a glimpse into her on a different side that wasn’t acting. And her song tells the story of how good things always come to those who work, and don’t remain “twiddling their thumbs.” It speaks true to so many of us who have dreams of what we want to do, but never take that opportunity because of our fears, or lack of motivation. The thing with me is that I consider myself a go-getter, and isn’t afraid to go after what she wants. It’s like an impulse, and there’s always been that drive to do something impactful or expand my knowledge on important topics. However, sometimes it feels like I fall short, or that it isn’t enough. When you see others your age doing more, it feels like a ticking time bomb is threatening to detonate any second, right then and there. And maybe it’s always been there, but it’s becoming that obvious as you get older. Similar to Sabrina, she began her music career with Disney Channel, and left their record company for her 2019 album, “Singular Act 2.” For years, Sabrina was known as an actress and had a few good songs, but nothing mainstream. At least, not yet. After 2021, I truly think Sabrina came into herself as an artist and came out with “Emails I Can’t Send.” I still listen to “Vicious,” and “All Because I Liked a Boy.” That album is literally, and figuratively a love letter to the messiness of life, in general. It’s airing your feelings of what you’ve wanted to say for so long through music; which is deeply inspiring to me. It’s relatable and seriously catchy. Furthermore, “Short n’ Sweet” was another game changer. That was her first taste in mainstream music, and I couldn’t go onto Spotify shuffle without hearing “Espresso” at least once. (Which I didn’t mind!) The production and blend of different genres, and cheeky lyrics truly put together the growth of Sabrina as a person. I feel like I’ve grown WITH her music. Her musical journey sort of represents the small part of me that wants to make it big in what I plan to pursue in college. Some flowers blossom quicker than others, and some take more time to hone their craft; which is perfectly fine, too. I tend to be hard on myself and set expectations for myself that I struggle to process when it doesn’t work out. Sabrina encapsulates the blood, sweat, and tears it takes to get to where she is due to her developed artistry. The saying “patience is a virtue,” couldn’t be more raw for me. In a way, it makes me feel a little less alone, in the sense that even the big artists can relate to human problems. And that’s it’s okay to feel how you feel.

My favorite album from 'Brat' has to be ‘Girl, So Confusing.’ It’s a fun song and epitomizes the angst of teenagers and young adults. The song captures the relatable experience of having a love-hate relationship with someone you'd like to connect with. The context behind it is fascinating, especially considering that Charli wrote the song about her friendship with singer and songwriter Lorde. Charli’s lyrics convey a mix of resentment and irritation regarding her friend’s ghosting and the lack of mutual understanding. It’s messy and raw, which is part of why I enjoy listening to it. We’ve all encountered that one person in our lives whom we can’t seem to understand. However, Charli's lyrics, "And you can't tell what you're feeling I think I know how you feel," show sympathy and understanding the other side. Both girls are opposites, with Charli known for her party-girl persona and Lorde known for her mysterious, poetic persona. This is specifically highlighted when Charli sings, "I think we're different/But opposites do attract/Think you should come to my party," which shows Charli giving out an olive branch for Lorde to take, which she "works out on the remix." In the remix with Lorde, where she shares her own verse, she shares her perspective. Lorde reveals that she struggles with body image issues and her discomfort with being out in public. Overall, "Girl, So Confusing" is a song filled with repetition, but carries emotional weight by reflecting real-life situations of miscommunication. It highlights that even when you think you have everything figured out, there’s another side to the story.

My favorite athlete to cheer for on Team USA is Jordan Chiles. I still recall the feeling of waking up at eight, or even nine in the morning to catch my recaps of one of my favorite Olympics sports: Gymnastics. She was at the previous 2021 Tokyo Olympics, but I wasn't fully familiar with her at that time. The summer of 2024 was the year my sister and I agreed to watch the Olympics at a more consistent pace than years prior. Gymnastics was at the top of our roster, and once I saw Jordan Chiles effortlessly dominate the floor, it was easy to root for her due to her resilience, and teamwork with the surrounding athletes on her team. One aspect I admired of her attitude was how she handled her bronze medal being stripped away. Chiles was awarded a medal for floor exercise during the gymnastics portion, which placed her in third place. This was a major accomplishment for Team USA, but the medal was taken on August 10th, thus placing her fifth instead. A Romanian appeal led to the CAS panel switching Chiles' score since her score was supposedly marked four seconds past the usual one-minute limit. Chiles, however, claimed her routine was done within the correct time limit. As a result, Jordan took to social media to share a statement and expressed her disappointment with grace, and humility. In her statement, she emphasized values such as celebrating other contestants from different countries, excellence, and upholding the values she's maintained for her entire gymnast career. Along with that, she further vowed she'd make the effort to ensure justice is done correctly. Jordan exemplified grace, and class in spite of her shortcomings. Nonetheless, it doesn't diminish her talent as a gymnast, and athlete. She established herself as one of the strongest athletes in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics after being selected to replace Simone Biles in the uneven bar and balance beam lineup. Chiles won her first silver medal in the Olympics and continued her career from there. Every time she shows up on screen, Chiles dominates it with sheer dedication and adds her flair to her performance. She's not afraid to be feminine in her routines, and her attitude, which is very inspiring for many of us to look up to. Her genuine relationships with her teammates were endearing to see, and it's impossible to not recognize how deserving she is of her position on Team USA this most recent Olympics was. She has made her mark as an athlete, and one can only hope to see more of her success in the future.

The Hunger Games. It's a movie so many of us know all too well, on top of the movie series released during the Young Adult Dystopian craze of the 2010s. The Hunger Games series resonates and reaches an understanding of hope and rebellion amongst many people, even nearly twenty years since the book's release. The first movie is a faithful adaptation I believe many directors or writers should look up to when adapting a beloved book series to the big screen. movie. The first movie; directed by Gary Ross tells the story of a girl named Katniss Everdeen who, after being chosen to participate in her country's 75th annual Hunger Games, wins them alongside her partner, Peeta Mellark. That shows the consequences of exerting control and oppression on those you choose to oppress. first movie without a doubt, bridges the gap between the book, and being translated into real life. It brings District 12's inequal and controlling district to life, along with bringing the remainder of the District 12 citizens, and the rest of the people of Panem. The movie nails Katniss' character to a T. She's not a natural fighter who gives people sass for no reason like most feminist heroines of these dystopian stories. Katniss Everdeen is a regular girl in District 12 who is singlehandedly helping raise her sister and feed her alongside her mother following her father's death in a coal mining incident a year prior. She has one best friend, Gale Hawthorne who she hunts with on a regular basis. Katniss is also selfless, and so much so that she makes the ultimate sacrifice that is rarely done in the games: volunteers for her sister as tribute instead. Jennifer Lawrence delivers a painfully brutal scene where she tearfully begs to be tribute instead of her twelve-year-old sister, Prim. The movie showcases more of Katniss' personality in the movie with her slight sarcasm over the situation she and thousands of other district members have been born into, also balanced with maturity and calmness for the sake of her little sister. We also see this softer side of her with people like Peeta, and Rue. When she is not displaying a version of herself for the cameras, we see that Katniss is a genuinely kind person who got placed in a bloody situation. The movie characterizes Peeta's character very well. Peeta, in the books, is a kind, and softhearted boy. However, we quickly learn that he is also tactful and knows how to win sponsors so he can get ahead in the Games. This is seen in the way he puts on a show by showing charm with people like Caesar Flickerman and developing a story between him and Katniss in which he is supposedly in love with her despite being paired up to kill each other in the Games. Like Katniss, he cares for the well-being of other people. And Katniss and Peeta's personalities, while they attract each other like in the books perfectly contrast the way they view the Games. Peeta doesn't want to become a pawn in their Games, while Katniss sees it as a bit inevitable. In conclusion, Gary Ross' Hunger Games shows us the cruelty and ruggedness of District 12 with its main characters, costumes, and closed-off settings. The movie also does a tremendous job of showcasing the vanity and extravagance of the Capitol; the complete opposite of what Katniss and Peeta are used to. It also shows the nature-y and frightening landscape of a simple forest turned into a bloodbath and violent zone where you're every move is being watched.

I have always prided myself in being a pretty creative person and having a strong interest in music. When I first picked up the clarinet as a sixth grader, I was the odd one out of my class. It was my very first time learning how to play any instrument, and it took me a while to get a hang of the ropes. For the remainder of my middle school years, I played my instrument and got better at my craft as a musician. Once freshman year hit, it was a completely new, and daunting environment to be in after I'd decided to do Marching Band. When I first joined, I faced challenges such as learning how to play different types of music, more specifically; stand tunes, learning how to march on a field, and branching out of my usual environment in middle school by befriending people who had different backgrounds, or were older than me that I could look up to. Before the summer of my freshman year, I'd never done Marching Band. Sadly, due to the COVID-19 virus that plagued the entire world to remain in house lockdown prevented me from being able to don my middle school's uniform, and march in any parades. Luckily, in 2022, I finally got the chance to branch out by joining my high school's Marching Band classroom. The weeks leading up to band camp were nerve-wracking, as I was constantly checking the dates, the times, and what materials I'd have to bring over there. What I was exposed to was an experience I'd never forget. Once I got to the high school's main campus, I realized I'd have to pull more of my weight than I thought I would. Most of the people in the Marching Band had been in it way longer than I had and were older. At first, I felt like a lost lamb trying to keep up with the rest of the flock and felt a bit discouraged at times. I hadn't played a lot of these notes and had to ask those around me how to play a certain note or its rhythm. It was a bit embarrassing to feel behind when everyone else was far wiser than me. Within the first few days of the first week, I'd stressfully told my sisters that I wasn't sure I wanted to do Marching Band, but my sisters insisted I shouldn't give up so early and helped me learn the music I needed to know. I took their words of motivation and practiced some marching techniques I'd learned by looking up videos, or photos on how to perform these steps. Before I'd realized it, I was getting the hang of it, and I felt so accomplished and proud of myself. The other people in my section were also willing to help me out and clear any questions I had, so I felt even more welcome and more secure. Once band camp concluded, I'd brought my music home and made sure to practice the music I was struggling more with. By the time September rolled around, I felt as though I'd come very far, and felt confident about my abilities. With this lesson of ambition, and determination, I want to fuel this energy to study at a university. As a result of my learning experience, I've learned that you can hone any ability you put your mind towards and to try and put your best foot forward for new changes, despite the challenges and difficulties that may lie ahead.

Once upon a time, a girl plopped down on her couch and decided to watch what would happen to become one of her most treasured movies ever. "Ever After: A Cinderella Story" is based on the well-known Cinderella story. You know the one: a poor girl works as a servant for her wicked stepmother and stepsisters, only for her to find a fairy godmother who grants her the wish to go to the ball. There, she meets the prince, and they fall in love and live happily ever after. It's a story that's been tried and done into several adaptations but never fails to inspire and resonate with me. "Ever After" however, does something different to the game. It's not just a story about a girl falling in love with a prince, and no longer being a servant to her family, but it's also a story about standing up for yourself against your abusers and self-respect. Danielle de Barbarac is compassionate, kind, and spirited; even following the life she's dealt with. She's also smart, and intelligent, which balances her other qualities. She loves her father and uses his wisdom to guide her throughout the movie, and even respects her stepmother despite her harsh, and emotionally manipulative treatment against her. Aside from that, the romance between Danielle and Prince Henry is so wonderfully made that I see it as one of the best versions of Cinderella and her prince. Henry falls in love with Danielle thinking she is a peasant, but falls for her strength, wit, and ability to challenge all he believed before. His proposing to her at the end of the movie is so well deserved; not only for them as a couple, but for Danielle who's gone through thick and thin. The banter between them is so fun and endearing to watch, and there is one specific scene in which she encounters him again and pretends to dress as a nobleman to buy back a family servant. When Henry encounters her and implies how he knows every courtier in their province but her, it leads to a hilarious discussion over how she's visiting her cousin. When asked to elaborate, she stalls and keeps repeating and re-explaining how she's related to her cousin and thus being ridiculously cryptic about her identity. Furthermore, the stepmother, Baroness Romilla in this movie is also perhaps one of the most nuanced versions of this character I have ever seen, as well. Ever After doesn't start the movie off by showing us a yelling, and bratty stepmother ordering Cinderella around. Her stepmother isn't always the primary aggressor and often uses her daughters to make fun of her, and eggs them on. Instead of being JUST the abuser, she is also the enabler of her struggles. The funny thing is, is that she never yells at Danielle directly, but a chilling moment where she calls her, a "pebble in her shoe," after all Danielle has done. So, Ever After: A Cinderella Story stands out as one of my favorite movies and adaptations of the Cinderella story because it holds a beating heart, and is a movie full of romance, and hope. Danielle is someone many young girls can relate to and have probably been in similar situations as well. She also serves as an inspiration for me in light of the difficult challenges, and moments in which I feel underappreciated as she feels in the movie. It's made me always hold on to hope that no matter how hard things may seem, you will be rewarded for your acts of kindness towards others.

'Pretty isn't pretty enough, what do you do? When everybody's keeping it up, so you think it's you,' makes me think of my sophomore year of high school. It was a very trying year for me, and a year of self-discovery at the same time. That year, I'd gotten my heart broken. Not once, but twice by two different boys who I'd put on pedestals and referred to as 'the one.' Soon enough, it dawned on me how I was one of the few of my friends who had never been asked out or ever dated. Girls passed me in the hallways with their new sweatpants, full faces of makeup, and their hair. So, what did I do? I tried doing everything I could to make myself look prettier, from makeup (which I wasn't good at in the slightest) to wearing different clothing and wearing my hair differently now and then. In a way, it was nice to look prettier for once and try new things with my appearance. But deep down, I was a hurt teenage girl trying to feel better about her self-esteem. This lyric: yet simple, resonates with the slight comparison to the other girls in my school who seemed ahead of me or had boyfriends themselves. That feeling of eyeing a girl's pants and immediately thinking I want that, too. The sense of jealousy glancing at a girl's thick, curly hair and wondering how they managed to make it look so good with the school's dingy air, and the feeling that something will always be missing, no matter the shade of lipstick you put on or the new cardigan you wear on a Tuesday morning. Sometimes, if I came to school without looking all made up and ready, similar to the surrounding girls around me, my perfect facade would start to crumble, and I'd pick up the pieces and tell myself to do better the next day. Olivia Rodrigo's lyrics from 'Pretty Isn't Pretty' perfectly describe the societal pressures, teenage girls face in high school, which is probably one of the most vulnerable years of our lives. These lyrics are raw; yet rooted in the reality and reliability of thoughts so many girls have at a young age about their self-image. We as girls from a young age are taught how to sit correctly, smile the right way, and look. Our bodies and appearances are a constant revolver door of trends that come in and out and are nearly impossible to keep up with. Luckily, these lyrics have had the power to raise awareness on these issues from the perspective of a girl herself to the world. And not just for young girls like me, but for women all around the world who share the same sentiments.