The song “brutal” from Olivia Rodrigo’s 2021 album "SOUR" has a lyric that deeply resonates with me. It says, “And I'm so sick of 17, where's my f*****g teenage dream?” This lyric captures a question many 17-year-olds ask themselves as they near the end of their teenage years. With high school coming to a close and college beginning, this question comes at a pivotal time in our lives. To me, the lyric asks where the time went and why my teenage experience turned out so differently than I expected. Growing up, watching movies and listening to music painted the teenage years as a dream. Going into those years, many of us hoped our experiences would be just like the movies or songs we had come to love. Whether it was meeting someone and falling in love or going to wild parties, each story offered a version of the teenage experience that we wanted. As the media continued to create the idea that teenagers were living the dream, it became something future generations came to expect. This lyric challenges that narrative and expresses frustration that the teenage dream is difficult to find—or may not even exist. As a 17-year-old, I now understand that frustration. How could there not be more to being a teenager? Go to school, come home, placate the family, do homework, pretend you're not falling apart, and then do it all again the next day. The version of the teenage dream that happens to one in a million is the version everyone sees. I have never been to a party where the parents weren't home. I have never had a boyfriend or kissed anyone. I have never done drugs or drunk alcohol. All of these parts of the teenage dream, crafted by the media and by those lucky enough to experience it, never existed for me, which is why I relate so strongly to this lyric. The idea that high school is ending can be difficult for 17-year-olds. Many chapters are closing, friends are leaving for different colleges, and it is easy to feel alone. Some of us might even feel like we failed because we did not have the classic teenage dream. But the truth is that we are all different people. Each of our high school experiences has been unique. It is brutal that the teenage dream we all hoped for did not exist for many of us. We are allowed to be sick of the lives we're living and angry that we didn't get that experience. However, we can't let that regret hold us back from pursuing other, bigger dreams. It is okay to be sad that our high school experience was different from what we imagined, but in the end, high school is only four years. There are still countless opportunities ahead of us to create lives that are far more meaningful than the version of the teenage dream sold to us by the media. Maybe that is the answer to the question in Olivia Rodrigo's lyric: our dreams were never meant to end with high school.

Out of all of Taylor Swift’s performances, the one that moved me the most is the music video for “You Belong With Me.” Unfortunately, I was unable to get tickets to see the Eras Tour when it was in town, and I do not have the money to travel elsewhere for tickets. While I did watch the movie version of the tour, it was not the same experience. Because of that, I chose to write about the music video that I have watched hundreds of times over the years. The music video for “You Belong With Me” has always been one of my favorite Taylor Swift performances because it feels so relatable and emotional to me. Over the years, I have had to watch nearly every crush I liked choose another girl over me. The song made me feel understood, but it also gave me hope that someday, when I find the right person, they will love me no matter how different or quirky I may be. The scene where Taylor is dancing in her bedroom while singing the chorus especially made me feel seen. It reminded me that even if I am not considered the “hot girl” or the most popular person, I am still worthy of being loved. That is one of the most inspiring things about this song to me: the idea that there is a perfect person out there for everyone. While I have never been in a relationship before, I still hold onto the hope that someday I will find someone who truly cares about me. Even though this song is not about a real boyfriend of hers, Taylor had to wait for her happy ending, and now she seems to have found it. I can only hope that someday soon, I will experience my own first relationship.

Everything we know today has been impacted by technology, including our relationships and human connections. Through technology, we can build relationships by sharing posts on social media, communicating through messaging apps, or even finding career opportunities on platforms such as LinkedIn. Although technology has created many positive opportunities for communication and connection, it is also common knowledge that, as technology continues to grow, feelings of loneliness and disconnection have increased as well. While technological advancements can be used for good, they can also create negative side effects when used without intention. However, if we are mindful and intentional with our use of technology, we can preserve and strengthen authentic human connections. One intentional and positive use of technology that has become especially prominent in recent years is maintaining connections over long distances. Families and friends separated by distance can stay close through video calls, messaging apps, and social media. This became even more important during the COVID-19 pandemic, when technology allowed students to continue learning remotely and employees to continue working from home. During such a difficult and isolating time, technology gave people a way to remain connected despite physical separation. It provided comfort, communication, and support when face-to-face interaction was not possible. However, as the pandemic ended and technology remained an even larger part of daily life, some negative impacts became more noticeable. While online communication was once a temporary necessity, it has now changed the way many people interact both online and in person. Because much of online communication is quick and surface-level, it can create feelings of loneliness even when constant communication is present. Technology has reduced the depth of many conversations, making authentic communication more difficult. Online, people are easily distracted and can spend hours scrolling through updates without truly engaging with others. Unfortunately, this behavior can carry over into real-life situations as well. It has become increasingly common to see family members or friends sitting together while each person focuses on a separate screen instead of interacting with one another. A dinner table filled with silence and phones has become a familiar image in modern society. An authentic human connection depends on emotions, empathy, and shared experiences. Even though artificial intelligence and algorithms can imitate conversation and emotional responses, they cannot truly replace genuine human interaction. Real connection is built through honest conversations, vulnerability, and meaningful moments shared between people. Preserving these qualities requires intentional effort. Families can create screen-free times during meals or gatherings to encourage meaningful conversations. Friends can prioritize face-to-face interactions instead of relying entirely on texting or social media. Schools and workplaces can emphasize emotional intelligence, collaboration, and communication skills alongside technical abilities. Technology should support relationships rather than become a substitute for them. At the same time, artificial intelligence represents the next major step in technological advancement, which means society may need to rethink how technology is used to preserve authentic human relationships. While artificial intelligence can provide assistance, information, and even simulated emotional support, relying on it too heavily may weaken genuine human connections. To prevent technology from replacing the relationships that make us human, it is important to remember that artificial intelligence may appear to “express” emotions, but it does not possess real feelings, experiences, or understanding in the way humans do. No matter how advanced technology becomes, people still need the empathy, compassion, and support that can only come from another human being. In the long run, preserving authentic human connection will require balance, awareness, and intentionality. As long as society remains aware of both the positive and negative effects technology can have on relationships, people can continue using it in ways that strengthen rather than weaken human connections. Ultimately, the future of our relationships is in our own hands. If we remain mindful of how technology shapes our interactions and prioritize meaningful communication, authentic human connection can continue to thrive even in an increasingly digital world. (I have no clue what you wanted for the photo, so you got a picture of a ceramics piece I made to represent being unplugged and returning back to nature.)

Over the past 12 years as a student, I’ve gotten to see how much teachers truly impact their students. Teachers deal with challenges every day, from missing assignments to behavioral issues, yet they continue showing up for their students. Even though teaching is often an underappreciated career and comes with many struggles, I still want to become a teacher. I’ve had teachers who completely changed the way I viewed school and learning. Some of my teachers have had such a positive impact on my life that I still remember them and what I learned from them years later. For example, I am still in contact with my kindergarten teacher because of how kind she was and how much she cared about her students. Even after I left her class, I would still go and visit her throughout elementary school. Even years later, after she retired, we continued to meet up for coffee and chat about our lives. I also had a 7th-grade English teacher who made learning relate to the real world and helped me see different sides to books and their themes, which I never thought much about before. This teacher also showed me how much impact leaders can have on our lives after reading the book Animal Farm by George Orwell. This specific teacher's analysis of the book has impacted my beliefs on the different roles that the government plays in our lives. On the other hand, I’ve also had teachers who made learning more difficult or caused me to lose interest in certain subjects. But even those experiences taught me something important about the kind of teacher I want to be. Every teacher I’ve had has shaped me in some way. Teachers do more than teach the cirriculum their given, they influence students’ morals, work ethic, and outlook on life. Because of this, I believe teaching takes a special kind of person. Teachers need to be patient and kind, respectful yet authoritative, but most importantly, they must be dedicated to helping their students succeed. I believe I have those qualities, which is one of the reasons I want to pursue a career in education. I want to become a teacher because I want to help students learn life skills both in and outside of the classroom and grow their personal belief system. If I can positively impact even one student’s life, then I will know I chose the right career. The students who pass through my classroom could become future leaders, artists, business owners, or anything else in between. Whatever these students dream of, I will strive to ensure that they get there. A positive impact will be left by my career in education, as it will impact the future generation. The students who emerge from my class will not only have gained the school education but also have aquired life long skills, morals, and opinions. This is why I believe my future career as a teacher will make a positive impact on the world.