Math is one of my favorite subjects. I love the magic of numbers and how they effortlessly apply to physical scenarios. I’ve explored this passion through high school with high-level classes and my school’s Math Team. However, the wondrous nature of numbers, with their infinite possibilities, was not reflected around me. My STEM journey progressed alongside only a handful of other girls. My 28-person BC Calculus class had 5 girls. In my Chemistry/Physics classes, my female peers and I aren’t taken seriously by the boys. This revealed a gender gap that few around me acknowledged. What’s worse is that it isn’t for lack of knowledge, but a lack of belief that STEM was achievable for us. Realizing these gender barriers, a friend and I created Math Team Buddies (MTB), a group for female-identifying and non-binary teammates to share their experiences in male-dominated environments and close the math gender gap in our community. Since starting Buddies, we’ve seen increased female participation, progressing towards this goal. We also launched Girl Math Evanston, an outreach initiative with local middle schools, to destigmatize the pursuit of high-level STEM classes/extracurriculars in High School and give young students the resources needed to do so. We hope for similar results to MTB, showing that difficult STEM is achievable for all students. My dedication to bettering my community goes beyond STEM, though. I’m involved with Musicians Uniting to Support Education (MUSE), a student-run nonprofit that strives to provide easier access to music education for children in all wards of Evanston. We’ve raised money for scholarships, provided free performances, and held “instrument petting zoos” that let kids try out instruments while providing their parents/guardians ways to make music education affordable. Even beyond local communities, I work to make positive impacts. For a little over a year, I’ve tutored free SAT boot bamps for 5-12 students through the digital Schoolhouse.world platform. Each boot camp consists of eight 75-minute sessions leading up to SAT dates. The program provides access to high-quality tutoring that many people can’t normally afford. To be able to lead these boot camps, I dedicated my time to getting certified in both SAT Reading and Writing and Math, as well as going through training to ensure Schoolhouse remained a safe platform for all. As of now, I’ve tutored 25 peers from all over the US (and a couple in Canada) through my boot camps, bringing people of all backgrounds and experiences together so they can achieve their goals. I don’t know exactly what I want to do after college, but each of these experiences formed the notion that no matter what, I want to help others and work to create community. Going into undergrad, I plan to study sociology, particularly the way that society can bring together groups of people based on common identities and experiences. I’ve observed it happen everywhere. From girls in STEM to kids in music to campers (and counselors) at my Jewish overnight camp (an extremely meaningful job I’ve had), everyone wants to belong. I’m fascinated by how society has formed these ideals and want to look at them from a scientific point of view, allowing me to make impacts while understanding their role in society. This scholarship would mean the world to me and make my dreams of higher education significantly easier. As these dreams get closer to reality, I’ve dedicated myself to achieving my own goals alongside helping others. This scholarship is just a small piece of that puzzle, but every penny will contribute to getting an education and becoming more educated in the complicated world we all live in.

On September 7th, 2023, I stayed awake in bed, staring at my Spotify screen, counting down the seconds until the track titles changed from gray (unavailable) to white (ready to listen). Like many teenage girls around the world, I was waiting eagerly for the midnight release of Olivia Rodrigo’s sophomore album, GUTS. Olivia has been my favorite artist since the first time I heard SOUR. I couldn’t believe that after 2 long years, I’d finally get to hear what would undoubtedly become some of my new favorite songs. As soon as I saw the timer reach zero, I pressed play, listening to the entire album before I went to bed. I was hooked right from the start. I loved that she was experimenting with style while still delivering her signature power ballads, but what I’ve always appreciated most is her lyrics. She encapsulates her experiences perfectly, and in doing so, resonates with my own experiences as a teenager. This has never been as true as in the final song on GUTS, “Teenage Dream”, when she says plainly and honestly, “I fear that they already got all the best parts of me.” This line (and the whole song) was a very personal punch to the gut that I was not prepared for. It describes the feeling that you’ve already peaked at an early age. As someone who spends more time than I’d like to admit worrying about the future, this is something I think about often. I constantly ask myself if I’ll ever be happier than I am now, if I’ll go to a good enough college, if I’ll ever discover a job that I want to do for the rest of my life, or the absolute worst: “What if I can’t live up to my own expectations?” Even as my friends and family tell me to “stop worrying” or that “everything will turn out okay,” I can’t help but wonder if my teenage years have already seen the best version of me. What happens if I can’t figure it all out after high school? All of these questions flew through my mind on that first listen until a tear fell to my phone screen during the 2nd chorus. That lyric in “Teenage Dream” gave description and validation to something that I’ve feared for so long, and the fact that it came from the mind of someone who I admire so much made it even more impactful. At the end of the day, though, I think the best thing that’s come out of the line for me is seeing so many other people resonate with it, too. The song made me feel validated, but knowing that people all over the world have the same thoughts as me made me realize that my fear isn’t uncommon. I’ve even been able to talk to close friends (who are also huge Olivia fans) who feel the same. If it weren’t for GUTS, I never would have realized how many common fears we all share. So, along with the brutal string of emotions that the album brought me, it gave me a pretty big realization. It isn’t about “my” teenage experience at all. It’s all of our teenage experiences. Getting older isn’t a linear path, and I know that someday I will look back and realize that my best days were only yet to come.

On October 13th, 2024, I will have completed my life’s goal. At least, the one I’ve jokingly said hundreds of times to my friends: I’ll have watched The Big Three. Everybody has three musical artists they would kill to see live above all others, and I’m no exception. For me, seeing The Big Three is about three things: music, experience, and proving a point. Who are The Big Three? Olivia Rodrigo, Sabrina Carpenter, and Joshua Bassett. Anyone familiar with these artists knows their fanbases don’t always get along, but I believe if everybody truly listened to what each offers, we could bridge that divide. Fittingly, my first-ever concert was Joshua Bassett. Seeing him at House of Blues Chicago in March 2023 introduced me to the wondrous world of concert-going, which now, only 17 months later, is one of the greatest loves of my life. I’ll never forget watching the lights dim before he made his entrance. Wide-eyed with excitement, I soaked in every detail as panels of light flashed. What I didn’t realize then was that I was about to embark on a journey-one that would change how I experience music forever. Suddenly, Joshua appeared, sprinting out and launching into “Feel Something.” I sang my heart out during the first chorus, feeling waves of pure joy as he sang about finding happiness. In that moment, it felt as though he was singing not to a a crowd, but directly to me. That feeling stayed with me for nearly two hours. The emotion behind each song, portrayed through his setlist’s rise and fall, left me knowing I needed to experience this again - with as many artists as possible. That night ignited my love for concerts and sparked the idea of seeing The Big Three. Walking out of the show, tour shirt in hand, I said, “Wouldn’t it be crazy if I saw him, Olivia, and Sabrina?” Six concerts later, I’ve seen Joshua a second time, Olivia on her GUTS World Tour, and have tickets for Sabrina. Completing this goal will do more than just prove a point to my friends - it will show that music has the power to unite people, even when fanbases are divided. Joshua made me fall in love with concerts, but ever show I’ve attended since, most of them outside The Big Three, have deepened that love. For my favorite concert memory, however, we actually outside The Big Three to my favorite band, X Ambassadors. Despite what my previous words might suggest, I listen to more than just pop singers. X Ambassadors, a Rock-Alt band, has been on my playlists for years alongside Olivia Rodrigo. At their Townie Tour in May, I experienced the thrill of being at the barricade for the first time, mere feet away from the band. I was immersed in the performance from start to finish. I saw my favorite love song, “Half-Life,” that night with the woman it was written about somewhere in the audience. I could feel the emotion and realized that concerts are not only unforgettable experiences but also powerful tools to bring people together. As I move forward, concerts will be something I always look forward to. Even if I don’t have tickets at a given moment, I will always find my way back to the magic of live music. Whether it’s seeing a favorite artist or discovering someone new, I’ll continue to “Feel Something” amazing every time and create unforgettable memories to remind me how music connects us all and fills life with joy.

I was nine years old when I started going to overnight camp. I was horrified to leave home, spending a not-insignificant amount of time crying about what I would miss while I was gone. Eight years later, I still cry when I leave home, except now my “home” is the campus of a Jewish overnight camp four hours away. Throughout the years, camp has always been there for me. No matter what happened during the year, it was a community I could return to and be unapologetically, authentically myself. This year, I am returning as a paid counselor, but have the same love for the place and people as before. As everyone in my Junior class prepares for college admissions, I often receive snide remarks when I tell my peers about my summer plans. While everyone else gears up for pre-college programs and (as they affectionately call them) “real summer jobs,” I prepare for something that, eventually, will require more university education than just a pre-college course: becoming a full-time overnight camp staff member. My name is Talia, and my dream is to recreate the empowerment of overnight camps for the next generation following my college education. To the untrained ear, my aspirations sound unrelated to getting an education and boosting female empowerment, but I know this isn’t true. My now co-ed summer camp was initially opened as an all-girls establishment in 1923. Those origins remain the foundations of camp today. Girls at camp no longer view themselves as the minority in any field, but the lifeblood of whatever they do. As a camper, I learned to be a leader, speak up for my beliefs, and enjoy empowering others while remaining unapologetically a Jewish woman. This spirit remains with me year-round. Despite my desired career path, I’ve always had a passion for mathematics that many girls get dissuaded from. Math for me transcends numbers, providing a larger understanding of the world we live in. It’s painful seeing how many girls think they “can’t be good at math.” With this in mind, I initiated communications with middle schools and local math communities (including my math team) to address the gender gap in STEM classes at the high school level. Partnering with a student with similar experiences, I began an empowerment initiative called Girl Math Evanston. We have worked with middle school administration to begin outreach programs to young girls, showing that they can excel in STEM. Additionally, we created a group within the math team for girls to voice their experiences of feeling overlooked on a predominately male team. Empowerment comes from different places for different people, but I wouldn’t be who I am today if not for the experiences camp gave me. Throughout my years there, I got help with funding from local grants and donations. Camp might not have been doable for my family if not for that help, but I know many people aren’t able to go at all. I want to ensure that as many as possible can experience the empowerment that camp brings. Running an overnight camp takes grit and effort. It requires understanding how various mindsets think. I want to study sociology to understand how qualities like gender, religion, and class impact the functioning of society, including smaller “societies” like a summer camp. I want to study hospitality to learn how to best fulfill peoples’ needs in the place I call home. With how much empowerment camp has given me, I can’t imagine a path more suited for me than getting an education to learn how to become a full-time staff member myself.

I find comfort in TV shows. Whether exploring new stories or watching the same ones over again, my favorite shows offer an escape from everyday life and allow me to become equally invested in the lives of fictional characters. Specifically, the vast realms of Netflix have been an absolute gift. One series, however, stands out from the rest. “Alexa and Katie” has repeatedly captured my heart with its powerful portrayal of struggle through relatable characters. I’ve rewatched the entire show at least five times, with my streams of favorite episodes towering high above that. While this might sound excessive, each viewing deepens my appreciation for the show’s approach to life’s challenges. I truly believe anyone who gives this show even an hour of their time will find it a welcome addition to their streaming. The series begins with two lifelong friends, Alexa and Katie, entering their freshmen year of high school with a horrifying reality; Alexa had been diagnosed with leukemia. With Katie and her family by her side, Alexa realizes that while the diagnosis is hers, she doesn’t need to face it alone. The deep connection between the main characters is crucial from the very start, with the pilot episode featuring Katie shaving her head alongside her friend as she undergoes chemotherapy. What sets this show apart is its ability to tackle such a heart-wrenching experience with warmth, humor, and a focus on the individuals facing it. Rather than dwelling solely on the diagnosis, “Alexa and Katie” emphasizes the lives and aspirations of its protagonists. It presents the perspective that a diagnosis is defined by a doctor, but the reaction to it is defined by those who experience it. Alexa refuses to let herself be defined by her circumstances and dedicates her mind to resilience and friendship during her treatment. When the final season was released, I retreated to my basement and binged the entire thing in one day. This was not just a testament to my love of the show, but a reflection of the emotional rollercoaster it takes its audience on. Watching the characters navigate life’s challenges together creates an emotional punch that leaves you wanting to know what happens next. It captures the essence of a true friendship that everyone dreams of. Despite the extreme adversity they face as the plot progresses, they provide unwavering support for each other. Their friendship reaches beyond the screen and into your own heart. Beyond character interactions, “Alexa and Katie” tackles the subject of internal acceptance. One of the show’s achievements is its portrayal of Katie’s anxiety. Throughout the show, we see her condition develop due to what Alexa is going through. At first, she is ashamed to be taken down by “everyday life” while her best friend battles cancer. After risky on-screen panic attacks, Katie realizes she is experiencing something nobody should have to go through, and begins a path to self-acceptance with Alexa by her side. This representation of mental health makes it apparent that the characters are crafted specifically for today’s teenagers. People like me everywhere are facing a spike of mental health struggles, and “Alexa and Katie” refuses to shy away from it. In an age where stories are a crucial part of our lives, “Alexa and Katie” serves as more than entertainment. It has become a source of inspiration, fostering an understanding of the challenges life can throw at anyone. By diving into this extraordinary series, you will realize that everyone, regardless of circumstance, deserves friends like Alexa and Katie.

If my 2023 had a soundtrack, it would undeniably be reminiscent of the passage of time and its impact. In the ever-evolving melody of my life, the song “This Love (Taylor’s Version)” from 1989 (Taylor’s Version) plays a pivotal role, serving as an anthem that encapsulates this odd and circular passage of time. In 2023 specifically, I’ve discovered multiple passions stemming from impactful experiences. Rather than interpreting the lyrics of “This Love (Taylor’s Version)” in the context of romance, I find resonance in the song’s ability to evoke the positive emotions tied to these experiences. It allows me to remember that even in moments of fear, the happiness I felt then will return. In the spring, I auditioned for and got into my first pit orchestra. As a violin player and musical theater fanatic, I’d always wanted to do something that combined both. I knew going into my freshman year at Evanston Township High School that pit orchestra for the school musical was a possibility, but the time commitment terrified me as a freshman and I never auditioned. Immediately regretting it, I knew I had to audition in sophomore year. When the time came, I jumped at the opportunity, even though I had doubts about the quality of the chosen show, “Urinetown.” The experience, daunting as it was, ended up giving me a sense of pride and joy that no extracurricular ever has. As the first notes of “This Love (Taylor’s Version)” begin to play, I am transported to the vibrant energy of that pit orchestra. The music, a medley of highs and lows, mirrors the flow of that experience. The pit became my sanctuary, a place where my passion for music harmonized with the camaraderie of like-minded students. Much like the song itself, the orchestra became a timeless entity, a source of joy that persisted even as the tempo of life changed. The lyrics of the song portray a love that endures despite the passage of time. This resonates even more with my experience, particularly the cyclical nature of our rehearsals and performances. The community formed during lengthy rehearsals persisted into live shows, with each moment as exciting as the last. The music became a testament to the enduring nature of passion regardless of what phase it’s in. The passage of time in 2023 took me right from pit orchestra to the crescendo of energy that came with being a Staff in Training (SIT) at my overnight camp, Camp Chi. I had gone to camp since 5th grade, constantly anticipating SIT Summer. The fact that my love of camp has persisted so long is in of itself a testament to the endurance of passion. My summer at camp brought a different melody to my life. “This Love (Taylor’s Version)” became a bridge between the hustling school orchestra and the serene nature surrounding me at camp. The lyrics took on a new meaning as I reflected on the deep connections formed with fellow SITs and the impact we had on campers. The song specifically says, “This love left a permanent mark,” mirroring the lasting impression that pit orchestra and Camp Chi have left on my heart. Both have become an undeniable part of who I am. With these experiences behind me, “This Love (Taylor’s Version)” serves as a reminder that our passions are constants. Even in the face of uncertainty, I find joy in having discovered so much love in what I’ve done. I never could’ve imagined the impact 2023 would have on me. Taylor Swift truly puts it best: “In wildest dreams, I never dreamed of this.”

I’ve always said that Zendaya is the actress that’s grown up with me. I first saw her as Rocky Blue in Shake It Up and have watched her evolve ever since. As I started growing up and consuming different things, she started working on different projects, each seeming to fit perfectly with whatever I was experiencing at the time. The thing I admire the most about her is that even with all she’s achieved, she doesn’t forget any of those projects that got her there. After Shake It Up, she was brought on to slightly more “mature” Disney Channel projects like KC Undercover and Zapped, the former of which is still a masterpiece in my mind. Towards the end of KC Undercover, she broke out into mainstream films with her roles in The Greatest Showman and the MCU Spider-Man Trilogy, eventually making it to her absolutely heartbreaking and gritty roles in Euphoria and Dune. All of this happened exactly as I was growing into each genre. Plus, it wasn’t just her acting. The rest of her career seemed to do the same thing. I listened to her 2013 self-titled album and watched her become an absolute fashion icon. The first time I noticed this connection was during Spider-Man: Far From Home, which came out right when I became a Marvel fanatic. It goes without saying that Zendaya’s work has meant a lot to me over the years. Having grown up with them, nothing would hurt more than if people were to forget that any of those earlier shows and movies existed. A lot of former Disney Channel stars seem to pretend that they never started out there. I’ve seen countless celebrities erase any trace of their beginnings from social media platforms and tense up whenever something like Disney Channel gets mentioned in an interview. They seem embarrassed about where they started. As someone who has looked to media as “trivial” as Disney Channel to get through countless hard times, it pains me to see that the very faces of my safety shows are ashamed of them. Zendaya, however, recognizes the joy that her projects have brought people, regardless of how early in her career they were. This is refreshing when you see so many others who forget that their biggest fans might have emerged during their teenage years. She started off on the right foot right when KC Undercover, and her Disney Channel contract, ended. You can still scroll back on her Instagram page and find that she’s kept up her post from February 2nd, 2018 which shows her younger self with the Disney Channel logo and a caption that reads: “The end of an era. On to the next. Thank you for continuing to grow with me.” She has kept up this gratitude to this day, regularly thanking fans who have supported her at any time in her career. I admire so much about Zendaya’s current life, and I can’t wait to see what comes next, but it warms my heart that she doesn’t look down on what she’s already done. Not only does it show a wonderful gratitude for her fans and the opportunities she has, but it also shows an incredibly healthy relationship with herself. To be able to find joy in your younger self is something everybody needs more of, and that very few celebrities have. This quality allows me to admire my favorite actress for more than just her many achievements.

On September 7th, 2023, I stayed awake in my bed, staring at my Spotify screen, counting down the seconds until the track titles changed from gray (unavailable) to white (ready to listen). Like many teenage girls around the world, I was waiting eagerly for the midnight release of Olivia Rodrigo’s sophomore album, GUTS. Olivia has been my favorite artist since the first time I heard SOUR. I couldn’t believe that after 2 long years, I’d finally get to hear what would undoubtedly become some of my new favorite songs. As soon as I saw the timer reach zero, I pressed play, listening to the entire album before I went to bed. I was hooked right from the start. I loved that she was experimenting with style while still delivering her signature power ballads, but what I’ve always loved the most is her lyrics. She encapsulates her experiences perfectly, and in doing so, resonates with my own experiences as a teenager. This has never been as true as in the final song on GUTS, “Teenage Dream”, when she says plainly and honestly, “I fear that they already got all the best parts of me.” This line (and the whole song) was a very personal punch to the gut that I was not prepared for. It describes the feeling that you’ve already peaked at an early age (your teens). As someone who spends more time than I’d like to admit worrying about the future, this is something I think about often. I constantly ask myself if I’ll ever be happier than I am now, if I’ll go to a good enough college, if I’ll ever discover a job that I actually want to do for the rest of my life, or the absolute worst: “What if I can’t live up to my own expectations?” Even as my friends and family tell me to “stop worrying” or that “everything will turn out okay,” I can’t help but wonder if my teenage years have already seen the best version of me. What happens if I can’t figure it all out after high school? All of these questions flew through my mind on that first listen until a tear finally fell to my phone screen during the 2nd chorus. That lyric in “Teenage Dream” gave description and validation to something that I’ve feared for so long, and the fact that it came from the mind of someone who I admire so much made it all that much better. At the end of the day, though, I think the best thing that’s come out of the line for me is seeing so many other people resonate with it, too. The song made me feel validated, but knowing that people all over the world have the same thoughts as me made me realize that I don’t have an uncommon fear. I’ve even been able to talk to close friends (who are also huge Olivia fans) who feel the same. If it weren’t for GUTS, I never would have realized how many common fears we all share. So, along with the brutal string of emotions that the album brought me, it gave me a pretty big realization. It isn’t about “my” teenage experience at all. It’s all of our teenage experiences. Getting older isn’t a linear path, and I hope that someday I look back and realize that my best days were only yet to come.

Ever since I first read Harry Potter, I’ve resonated with Ravenclaw above the other houses. Even before I took the Wizarding World (at the time still called Pottermore) sorting hat quiz, which subsequently sorted me into Ravenclaw, I knew it would be my house if I was a witch. Right from the start, something about it drew me in. Perhaps it was due to the phenomenal verses about Ravenclaw that the sorting hat wrote into his songs. Maybe it was the way I saw Flitwick conducting the frog choir right when I was discovering my love of music (albeit that the choir only existed in the movies). Regardless of the reason, it was so definitive to me that I’d never once lie to tell anyone I was in Gryffindor, despite it being the house everyone wanted to be in when I was younger. What my younger self didn’t know was how accurate the Ravenclaw values would become to me later in life, or that they would create a permanent bond between myself and the wizarding world. Whenever one thinks about Ravenclaw, they immediately think of textbook intelligence. This is only natural of course, as the sorting hat tells us outright that “those of wit and learning will always find their kind” in Ravenclaw, so of course everyone there only cares about fundamental intelligence. Right? Well, that’s not exactly how I think about it. The core value of learning is there, but I believe it goes deeper than just grades and schoolwork. Just as there are different kinds of intelligence in the real world, the values of Ravenclaw extend past the halls of Hogwarts classes. Think of Luna Lovegood, a fan favorite Ravenclaw, for example. She isn’t exactly considered to have the most conventionally logical mind. Yet, she is in Ravenclaw nonetheless. Luna is a character who loves learning about the quirky wonders the world has to offer. Even as people mock her for wearing Spectrespecs from The Quibbler, she carries herself with confidence, truly believing that she is getting more out of the world than anyone else. She quite literally doesn’t see the world in the same way as her classmates, and yet she is in Ravenclaw; The house people think only sticks to the books. In a house focused on wit, Luna reminds us that not all intelligence appears in the same way. As much as I care about and strive to do well in school, that isn’t the reason I identify with Ravenclaw. Just like Luna, I want to see the world from different perspectives, educate myself, and discover what I want to achieve in life. I want to walk with her same confidence knowing full well that my knowledge is completely unique. Most importantly, though, I value the discovery of self. Luna knows exactly who she is and that she belongs in Ravenclaw even though she isn’t the same as everyone else. The immense knowledge she has isn’t related to her studies at all. It relates to the pure understanding of herself, which is even more important. I don’t by any means see the world in the same way Luna does, but our values couldn’t be more similar. After all, a Hogwarts house is based on values, not personality. At the end of the day, I am a perfect fit for Ravenclaw because of those core values. No matter where I am, I always want to discover more about myself and the lives around me, connecting me to Hogwarts even from the muggle world.

If there’s anything I’ve learned over years of reading, it’s that the most impactful stories come from unexpected places. This has never been as true as when I first read “Paper Towns'' by John Green. “Paper Towns” follows the story of Quentin; a Floridian teenage boy who falls for his mysterious classmate, Margo. One fateful night, Margo enlists Quentin to help her pull off a series of pranks to get back at friends who betrayed her. For Quentin, it was the best night of his life. The next day, however, Margo disappears, and the remainder of the book centers on Quentin desperately trying to find her and regain the magic he felt that night. I recommend this story to everyone in the world. When I picked up the book, I wasn’t expecting anything special. I’d read most of Green’s other novels, and enjoyed reading them, but I had never discovered something about myself because of them. “Paper Towns” changed that. Throughout the novel, I couldn’t help but recognize similarities between my life and the mystery before me. While Quentin spent his every waking moment dwelling on Margo, I spent my time dwelling on the past. Instead of being open to change, I wanted so badly for everything to go back to the way it was when I was younger, to the moments when I thought I was happiest. I didn’t realize the connections right away, but as the story progressed they became increasingly more obvious. In the end, Quentin finds Margo in a non-existent town in New York. He begs her to come back with him, thinking he could no longer live without the joy she brought him. At this point, you expect the perfect happy ending will ensue; Margo returns and they stay together forever. But “Paper Towns” subverted my expectations. Quentin accepts that she was a thing of his past. He leaves her behind. It was at that point that I realized Margo doesn’t represent a person at all. She represents a concept; The concept of letting go of the past I’d clinged on to. In order to grow, I need to accept change. I can smile back at the good times, but shouldn’t be consumed by those memories. If everyone read “Paper Towns” and got out of it what I did, everyone would be more prepared to let go of their weights and accept the ever-changing world.

The Fall is simultaneously my favorite and most stressful season of the year. The former is due to the weather. Fall brings in such beautiful colors and smells, and has the perfect temperature to bounce between short sleeves and sweaters whenever I want. The latter, however, isn’t the most preferable. Just like the leaves change colors, my mindset changes drastically in the Fall. It’s when classes are at last in full swing and I worry about my workload going into the 2nd quarter of the school year. On days when I have especially heavy amounts of work, I use a reward system; I promise myself something to look forward to when I finish. Sometimes the rewards include watching a new episode of a TV show or reading magazines about my favorite celebrities, but my favorite reward to cash in on is a drive to Starbucks to order a grande Pumpkin Spice Crème. As someone who doesn’t necessarily like coffee, I’ve tried pretty much every non-coffee item on the Starbucks menu. When it’s hot out, I enjoy a Refresher or a shaken lemonade, but when the fall drinks are in season my treat to myself is (in my opinion) one of the most underrated items on the menu. The Pumpkin Spice Crème is a steamed milk beverage that most of my friends had never heard of prior to me ordering it. It’s the perfect Pumpkin Spice Latte alternative for the non-coffee lover. It always comes out at just the right temperature: freshly steamed and warm to the touch, but never hot enough to burn your mouth. Plus, the flavor blend ensures that right as the pumpkin settles in, you get the aftertaste kick of nutmeg and cinnamon. It provides the perfect excuse to destress and replace any lingering tension with warm fuzziness as I drive back home. The best thing about my little Starbucks reward is that it gives me permission to separate from my classwork and focus on taking some time for myself. Whenever I’m able to the closest Starbucks, it has to be early enough that the stores are still open, meaning I have a good amount of time left before I need to go to bed. I then get to use that time however I wish, free of any stress-inducing responsibilities. While I happily sip away, I mark the beginning of time that lets me refresh and get motivated for the next day. That’s exactly the kind of environment I look forward to at this time of year. When people imagine the Fall, they think of things like slow-falling leaves, peaceful weather, and apple picking. Those are all my favorite parts of the season, too, but they are often hard to find when I have so much to focus on. When I finally get to take a breather after a long day, the Pumpkin Spice Crème reminds me of the wonderful things that Fall has to offer and makes me realize that even when I’m stressed, the season is a reward of its own.

The first Taylor Swift album I ever listened to was “Folklore.” I had heard many of her songs before, but I had never by any means classified myself as a “Swiftie.” When “Folklore” came out in the heat of the COVID-19 pandemic, I decided more out of boredom than anything that I should sit down and listen to it. I had no idea how much of a life-changing decision that would be. I immediately fell in love with the album. I felt (and still feel) so heard by the transparency in her lyrics, as if they were written just for me. “This is me trying,” halfway through the album, is what forced me to listen to her entire discography. Since then, I have found so much comfort and love in Swift’s music. My favorite part is that all the different genres she has explored provide songs for any occasion. Whether it’s having dance parties to “1989” or crying on my bed to “Evermore,” she has been with me through thick and thin. She crafts her lyrics in such a way that anybody can find themselves within them. For every song like, “This is me trying” that expresses my thoughts perfectly, there are thousands of other people who find that solidarity in the same way I do. I always heard that music could bring people together, but I never understood what it meant until I discovered Taylor. I had become a part of a community made up of all different walks of life, connected with a stronger bond than I could have ever imagined. All from an admiration of Taylor Swift’s artistry. In a way, her music normalized things that we never thought were so widely experienced. She has explored topics like the fear of growing up, desire to get revenge, loneliness, hopeless romanticism, and conflicting feelings about someone close to you, just to name a few. To have such raw emotion conveyed in a song is something truly special, especially when it’s an emotion you can’t put into words yourself. She makes my joy, anger, fear, and love feel seen. Plus, I know it isn’t a unique feeling. There is nothing better than looking up a Taylor Swift song and seeing so many others connect with it, too. You can imagine my excitement when the Eras Tour was announced. I really wanted to see her live to not only hear her, but also experience the songs with an entire stadium of people who admire her as I do. I remember my disappointment when I realized I wouldn’t be able to go. The Chicago dates were during a week when I would be out of town with plans that I couldn’t change. As much as I would’ve loved to, I just couldn’t spend thousands of dollars (with the ticket and hotel/transportation) to see her in another city. Regardless, watching the Eras tour unfold digitally has given me a lot to be happy about. I’ve seen videos of it everywhere, and I can’t help but smile when I see how happy she is to be performing again. With every proposal video to “Love Story,” I realize that the swifties I love so much haven’t disappeared because I couldn’t attend a concert. I already have tickets to see the pro-shot release of the tour. It might not be in a massive stadium, but I know that I’ll be overjoyed when I’m finally able to experience her music with a room full of people who love it as much as I do.

Before the blockbuster movie “Barbie” existed, there was another universe of Barbie films. These direct-to-video animated Barbie movies are still being made, but anyone who watched them growing up knows that their golden age occurred between 2001 and 2013. During that time, multiple movies were released every year, each of them a perfect fairytale. In the late 2000s and early 2010s, there was a young girl growing up with these movies. Whenever one was released, she went to the nearest Target with her parents, dragging them to the DVD section and picking out the new disc. This was a vicious cycle. Every time she watched a new feature on her mini DVD player, trailers for the next films would play beforehand, and they were only four months away! Even though Barbie was primarily a doll brand, she arguably loved those movies more than the dolls. The dolls she owned were always released with each feature. Whenever she finished a movie, she used the dolls to act out her favorite scenes. That girl was me. While it’s been a while since I actively tracked the release dates of animated Barbie films, they still hold a special place in my heart. As a kid, I wanted nothing more than to step into each world and live beside Barbie as she became a musketeer, designer, princess, or professional surfer. She really could be anyone she wanted to be. Plus, she did it all in style. In each movie, she had a special location that was unique to the character she played. It could be anything from the quaint cottage in “Barbie and the Diamond Castle” to the dazzling Paris boutique seen in “Barbie: A Fashion Fairytale.” While many palaces appeared in the movies, Barbie never needed a giant castle to achieve her goals. It’s that very thought that I’ve kept in mind when fantasizing about my own Dream House. I never owned a Dream House, but I always loved the concept of using them to step into your own magical Barbie movie. If I had my own, that’s exactly what I would do. The outside would look like Barbie’s classic Malibu beach house, a structure so open that anything could be inside. At the front door, you would see two staircases, each marked with a flower emblem. On these, I would joyously recreate “Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses.” Walking up the stairs, you'd be met with various rooms. One would contain unlimited access to instruments and sheet music. There, I could not only harness the magic Barbie finds in music, but also fulfill my real-life adoration of it. The room would be connected to my bedroom, which would have views overlooking the ocean. That way, I could wake up in a fairytale every day, and watch the gorgeous sunset from my bed every night. In my mind, those things would mean I was already living the dream. With the addition of basics like a closet and kitchen, I would have my perfect dream house. However, I know that throughout my life, I’ll change. Just like Barbie in her various roles, my dream house needs to be able to change with me. For that reason, I would add one more room. The room would contain a single paintbrush; The paintbrush from “Barbie as Rapunzel,” which can create anything you imagine. When I think about it, a true dream house would give me the ability to live my dream no matter where I am in life. If my dreams change, shouldn’t my dream house be allowed to change, too?

If there’s anything I’ve learned over years of reading, it’s that the most impactful stories come from unexpected places. This has never been as true as when I first read “Paper Towns'' by John Green. “Paper Towns” follows the story of Quentin; a Floridian teenage boy who falls for his mysterious classmate, Margo. One fateful night, Margo enlists Quentin to help her pull off a series of pranks to get back at friends who betrayed her. For Quentin, it was the best night of his life. The next day, however, Margo disappears, and the remainder of the book centers on Quentin desperately trying to find her and regain the magic he felt that night. I recommend this story to everyone in the world. When I picked up the book, I wasn’t expecting anything special. I’d read most of Green’s other novels, and enjoyed reading them, but I had never discovered something about myself because of them. “Paper Towns” changed that. Throughout the novel, I couldn’t help but recognize similarities between my life and the mystery before me. While Quentin spent his every waking moment dwelling on Margo, I spent my time dwelling on the past. Instead of being open to change, I wanted so badly for everything to go back to the way it was when I was younger, to the moments when I thought I was happiest. I didn’t realize the connections right away, but as the story progressed they became increasingly more obvious. In the end, Quentin finds Margo in a non-existent town in New York. He begs her to come back with him, thinking he could no longer live without the joy she brought him. At this point, you expect the perfect happy ending will ensue; Margo returns and they stay together forever. But “Paper Towns” subverted my expectations. Quentin accepts that she was a thing of his past. He leaves her behind. It was at that point that I realized Margo doesn’t represent a person at all. She represents a concept; The concept of letting go of the past I’d clinged on to. In order to grow, I need to accept change. I can smile back at the good times, but shouldn’t be consumed by those memories. If everyone read “Paper Towns” and got out of it what I did, everyone would be more prepared to let go of their weights and accept the ever-changing world.

@bahar.talia

In November 2010, when I had just turned 4 years old, my parents took me to see the newest Disney Animation Studios film in theaters. As young as I was, I knew that experiencing the cinematic masterpiece that is "Tangled" was something truly extraordinary. I vividly remember sitting at the back of the theater, wearing 3D glasses too large for my face, and feeling completely awestruck by what was unfolding. I was entranced right from the Sundrop Flower, transported to a world vastly different from our own, and yet so close. Whenever I think back to that day, I consider it as the first time I experienced the coveted “Disney magic” everyone hears about. I remember reaching out my hand to stroke Rapunzel’s glowing hair, feeling confident that if I stretched far enough, something would be there. I knew this feeling was special, but I couldn’t quite tell why. As I got older, the joy Disney brought me never dimmed. As peers at school slowly “grew out of it”, I continued to consume everything Disney. I switched easily between watching adult sitcoms and my favorite Disney Channel shows. I’d watch war documentaries followed by "Mulan" just to balance myself out. Or, on particularly difficult days, I’d yet again watch "Tangled" or "Descendants" in my room; both of which remain my favorite comfort movies. No matter where I am in life, Disney has always been there to help me when I need it most. Anyone who knows me knows I’m a film geek. I show up early to theaters and watch previews for the anticipated new movies. I wait patiently for a glimpse of upcoming Disney films accompanied by flashing release dates. I get chills as montages of noteworthy clips play to the climaxes of soon-to-be-released scores. As excited as I get for new releases, the real sensation of a Disney movie doesn't start until the lights dim and the iconic Disney logo shows. Particularly this year, where everything has the breathtaking “Disney 100” logo preceding it, I feel a wave of calm bursting from the screen. “Disney 100” made me realize why I love Disney so much. The celebration’s tagline is “100 Years of Wonder”, a concept that keeps me coming back every time. After watching pixie dust coat the castle, I almost don’t care about the quality of film to follow. All I know at that moment is that I’ll be taken somewhere magical; somewhere where my worries fade away and I can be a kid again. I am brought back to the same sense of joy, bewilderment, and wonder that I felt watching floating lanterns light the skies in "Tangled". Now as a junior in high school, I constantly wonder what the future holds. I wish I had the foresight of Raven in "That’s So Raven" (another childhood Disney Channel classic) to see what’s coming next. Unfortunately, for us all, we’ll never know what’s lying “just around the riverbend”. We remain as the Disney version of Pocahontas does, unsure of the correct path. We remain, as I did in that theater, reaching out toward the future, feeling that it lies just out of our grasp. As I contemplate my many decisions for the next few years, I can feel trapped in the present, needing a magical escape from my own mountain of pressures. Disney is more than a brand to me. Through its stories, I not only relieve the stresses of life but also enter a world of wonder. It might not be real, but it’s a world I love all the same.