Since I’ve last written, I’ve become a real yoga teacher and started teaching yoga. At the beginning of each of my classes, I encourage my yogis to set an intention for class. It can be a word or phrase, or any thought they can come back to during class when their mind wanders to ground them and bring them back to their center. I also offer a community intention for our time together, usually around one of the yamas or niyamas (the main tenets of yoga). When we hold positions for a longer time (generally when people’s minds start to wander), I say a few words about how we can live out this intention, not only in class, but also outside of yoga in our everyday lives.

My most recent intention for my class was the yama of “Aparigraha,” or non-possessiveness. While the class was getting accustomed to the heat in the room in Child’s Pose, I explained what aparigraha was and how we can embody non-possessiveness in our modern lives. Throughout class, I explained that as humans, we can be possessive over materialistic things, our expectations, and our lives as they are in the current moment. This can make us highly resistant to change, making the world and God’s true plan for us harder to reach. I then encouraged everyone to think of one thing during class that they can release possession over to become a little bit more free. When you have set a clear intention to do something, create the space to do the thing, and understand the purpose behind doing it, it is a lot easier to get done. Several people came up to me after class and thanked me for my words and that what I said really resonated with them.

I think my biggest lesson of 2025 was my new favorite motto - “Everything with Intention.” To me, this just means getting a lot clearer on why I make the decisions I make. When you have to come up with a reason to do everything you do, it’s a lot harder to regret or feel guilt for the decisions you make - because at the time, you 100% believed the decision you made had a purpose that was justified.

When we live a life without intention, it can sometimes feel like we have lost control. Our lives feel like they are happening to us. When we are able to set intentions, we regain some of that control and give our lives a direction, creating a sense of security, and maybe even motivation.

One of the most important aspects of this mindset is that the purpose of setting an intention isn’t for anybody else but you. Your purpose doesn’t need to make sense or “add up” to anybody but you. This is about being good with yourself and the decisions you make for you.

I don’t want this idea to get lost in this blog, which is why it must precede my thoughts that are to follow. A lot of what I write could be interpreted as a way to justify your decisions to others, but that is not it at all. However, I do think setting intentions for the decisions you make does ultimately benefit others. Allow me to explain.

By just thinking about what the intention is behind the things I say or do, I’ve challenged myself and many times learned to take a step back before I react purely on emotion or what my perception is of things. If I want to say something mean or snarky from my sister, I (try to) (I really do, Eva) think to myself, “What do I want the ultimate goal of this interaction to be?” I never want to fight with my sister, and I always want her to know that she means so much to me and I love her. If what I reactively want to say to her in a heated moment is not intended with that outcome, I don’t say it. This goes for interactions with friends, other family members, and even people at work. A lot of the time, I’ve learned that biting my tongue and thinking about my intention with my words has served me well. It has also made me a better listener.

I’ve also tried to stop offering advice to friends unless they explicitly ask for it. Otherwise, when they’re telling me about a situation that I would like to give my input on, I instead ask questions. My intention is always to be a supportive, loving friend. The hard truth is sometimes the advice I’d like to give would not be in support of that intention. So, I ask questions to try to help my friends think of their situations from different angles or process their emotions behind what’s happening. Most of the time, this results in a calmer and more peaceful end of the conversation.

Being intentional also does not mean that we will never hurt anyone’s feelings. And that’s ok.

We can go through life as cautiously and as lovingly and respectfully as possible, and we may still hurt someone. And that’s ok. Your intention is not always going to be perceived the same way as you intend it. And that’s ok. Just understand that everyone is entitled to their perspective and their truth. A conversation led with the intention of deeper understanding often unveils common ground. Even by speaking this intention into existence, you can create a space that feels less hostile and more welcoming to achieve your intention.

On the flip side, I find that the world seems to be a much kinder place when you also assume positive intention from all people (within reason). For example, someone gives you a strange look in a social setting. You could assume that they are judging you in some manner - maybe your outfit, your mannerisms, whatever it may be, and you let this bother you. OR: you could assume their strange look is because they think they recognize you from somewhere and are trying to figure out where so that they can approach you and introduce themselves properly to become friends. Which thought do you think creates more dopamine in your brain? Which option do you think helps you carry yourself more confidently?

I have by no means mastered this. Assuming positive intention from all people is HARD, especially in our current society where tension is high all the time. Setting intentions for every little decision you make is also not only extremely difficult, but unrealistic. In our fast-paced world of modernity, we are faced with billions of decisions and reactions to make daily and it can absolutely be overwhelming. But my challenge to myself this year is to slow down, plan, and as part of my planning, set intentions to be clear on what I hope to achieve and put myself in the mindset to achieve it, no matter how small the task.

I have a shopping problem. One thing I am doing to try to relieve some of my symptoms is to think about what my intention is with every purchase I make. How is this purchase serving me long term? If I waited a few days, would I still want this item this badly? Is the instant gratification I get when I make this purchase going to outweigh the feeling of guilt when I look at my credit card statement next month? (Probably not.)

Setting intentions isn’t a magical solution to achieve all of your goals and dreams. But it is a starting point to get a little closer and be more strategic, and, overall, happier in the way you live your life. To weave in some manifestation, hippy BS to close, I fully believe when you do everything with intention, you are fueled with positive, radiant energy that makes you a magnetic person, therefore attracting positive energy and opportunities to you. It is your choice to buy into this belief or not, but know that regardless, you can achieve a new mindset by living intentionally.

I long for noise. Having something to fill the empty air around me keeps me occupied. Being able to consume some sort of media—whether it’s a podcast, TV, TikTok, music, or even a phone call with friends and family—I love being numbed from boredom. I feel a need to … or I believe I’ll fall behind.

Behind in the news, in politics, in culture, and in what is happening in the lives of my loved ones. I feel a need to know.

Deborah Adele, author of The Yamas and Niyamas, shares in her chapter on Santosha, or contentment, that “When I find myself in a meeting feeling bored or restless, I feel tenseness inside my body as if I am trying to protect myself from the unpleasant experience” (p. 122).

When Adele described that experience, I knew exactly what she was talking about. I feel my brain racing, begging me to listen to something to fill the silence. Because, truly, boredom is such an unpleasant experience that we all avoid it at all costs.

I believe we all avoid boredom in different ways. What I don’t believe is different is how addictive these distractions can become. Whatever we do to defend ourselves from “unpleasant experiences” becomes our scapegoat from truly being present.

We may think these distractions calm us (and most do, at first!), but in reality, they disillusion us from being able to find peace in the nuances of our own lives.

Adele writes, “Santosha invites us into contentment by taking refuge in a calm center, opening our hearts in gratitude for what we do have and practicing the paradox of ‘not seeking’” (p. 119).

Finding contentment should not be about looking outward—for media, for love, for material things (we all know I have a shopping problem)—but about looking inward. The way Adele describes true contentment makes me reflect on times I have truly felt content in life. In all these memories, I can physically feel the aura of calmness around me. I can vividly describe the sensations I was feeling—the quality of the air, the noises around me, the way my skin felt.

Some common denominators of these moments: my phone was not at the top of my mind, I was in nature, and I was with people (or my dog, Sandwich) I love. Or I was practicing yoga.

When I move my body at the yoga studio, I feel truly content. I’m not worried about the outside world; I am focused on moving my body and matching my breath to my movement. My mind goes quiet, but I am not bored. I am calm, living my life to the best quality I can in that particular moment.

Karen, my yoga teacher trainer, often encourages us to be curious—to discover all we can on our mat. This could mean trying a different modification of a pose, attempting an inversion, or challenging ourselves to stay in a difficult position.

Adele writes that to find contentment, we should “meet each moment with curiosity and total presence” (p. 119).

When we are able to be present and explore, as Karen advises, we evade boredom by looking inward. We challenge ourselves to grow in ways we once thought we couldn’t.

I feel that our culture often makes finding contentment a much more complex process than it has to be, inherently making the journey more difficult. We are constantly seeking what will bring us joy, planning what will bring us contentment, when the process should be much simpler.

Be curious and live in the moment you are in.

Adele advises, “When we give the power of our emotional state to someone or something outside of ourselves, we have made ourselves helpless” (p. 124).

The key to contentment is looking inward—finding joy and comfort in ourselves and in our boredom. When we can get past the uncomfortable tightness of boredom and instead release into it, we realize not much else is needed. That void doesn’t need to be filled because we are content in our calm.

The past several months have not been easy for me. I’ve found myself at a crossroads and often feel confused, defeated, and disappointed. Because of this, I want to remind readers that these lessons are not easy. I have by no means fully learned or mastered the lessons I write about. I often go back and read my own words to remind myself when I find myself struggling.

All of this to say, as Karen reminds us, “It is a lifelong practice.” As humans, our goal is not perfection. Our goal is to get 1% better every day and evolve. We will not feel as though we have achieved contentment every day. But maybe grounding ourselves in this practice will get us a little closer.

For the first ~18 years of my life, I played tennis almost every single day. My mind has always been trained to be in a competitive mindset, needing to anticipate my next move to get a ball back over a net. So when I quit at 21, it is safe to say I was quite burnt out and, to be quite honest, had no interest in any sort of physical movement.

I had little stints where I would go to the gym everyday for a week and try to recreate my team lifts, or tried running for a week (hated it), and then would be sedentary for weeks. I could not find any movement that my body enjoyed or found sustainable for consistency. And I was NOT picking up a racket anytime soon.

When I picked up a religion minor in my third and final year of undergrad, a “Yoga 101” class became available to me. I knew lots of seniors that needed an “easier” class took it and I knew a little bit about yoga from my practicing grandmother, so I was excited to incorporate it into my schedule.

For class, we would practice on Tuesdays and do lecture on Thursdays. Discussions for our lecture surrounded the history, interpretations, westernization, and criticisms of yoga, which were all fascinating to me. I enjoyed the physical practice, but exploring my yoga practice in a room full of my peers was not the ideal place to do so.

Then, in my second semester of my final year, I was really feeling the stress of my present and future as well as the effects of being sedentary for so long and not having daily movement. So, for Christmas, in an effort to incorporate movement into my daily life and find a way to manage my stress, I asked my family for a membership to a yoga studio. This way, I would have to go.

After my first class, I was hooked. I wanted to go as often as I could. At that time in my life, it was an amazing escape where I didn’t have to think about the 20-page paper I had to write when I got home or finding a job post-grad. I could truly focus on me and my body.

When I did not have a full-time job after graduation, to make a little extra money, I asked the owner of my yoga studio if I could work the front desk at the studio. I soon after became a “wellness advisor” and immersed myself in the community at Yoga Six.

One of my favorite things about Yoga Six and the teachers at Yoga Six is that they always make it known that yoga is for everybody and every body. They ensure to incorporate modifications into their cueing, ask their students about their goals and interests to match them to the right class, and no matter what the class, announce that child’s pose is available at any time for anyone who needs it.

It is truly a place I have never felt judged, but rather encouraged to, as Karen, my Yoga Teacher Trainer frequently says, “discover all I can do” on my mat. Having a teacher instill this mindset in a class is crucial for a safe and meaningful yoga practice, in my opinion.

In today’s Western culture, when people think of yoga practice, they think of extremely fit people holding intense, strenuous, and impressive poses that they think they will never be able to achieve.

Yoga is everything but that. As Donna Farhi, author of “Yoga Mind, Body, & Spirit” writes, “Yoga is a technology for arriving in this present moment,” (pg. 5). This means different things for everybody. What may be a non-negotiable pose in one person’s physical practice may really take away energy and power from another person’s practice. Yoga is truly a practice that needs to be personalized and customized.

Another misconception about yoga is that its main purpose is “self-improvement”. Although that may be one of the many benefits, its true purpose is to connect with ourselves - more specifically, to create a union between our mind, body, and spirit so that we may be whole.

Farhi writes, “The great paradox of (yoga) is that there is no reward to strive toward, because the practice is the reward. In the very moment you focus your attention by coming back into your body, your breath, and your immediate sensate reality, you will experience a deep sense of vibrant stillness,” (pg. 5).

The reasons that a physical yoga practice is so powerful are many. One of them is psychological. It is widely known that any kind of movement is good for our mental health, but yoga poses have a specific effect on our mental health that are intentional and cannot be replicated.

Farhi explains, “Each movement demands that we hone some aspect of our consciousness and use ourselves in a new way,” (pg. 16). Focusing on flowing into and holding a pose creates a conscious connection between our mind and our body. If we were to think about anything else, we wouldn’t be able to do it.

What is so powerful to me about yoga practice is being able to notice small changes. At Yoga Six, the sequence for their hot class stays the same every time. Because of this, it is easy to notice after time where you can stretch deeper, where you feel stronger, and where you can hold a pose longer. This has taught me the power and importance of consistency.

This consistency also unveils to us our strengths - and weaknesses. Being able to recognize our own weaknesses is also a strength. Knowing where we need to work on ourselves - physically and mentally - allows us to “retrace our steps and find solutions” (Farhi, pg. 24)

In yoga, there is no pressure or timeline. We are invited to explore our bodies, practice, and mind while we flow. This creates the perfect atmosphere to learn. One phrase I’ve used in a previous blog was, “Be curious, not judgemental”, and I’ve found this to be a recurring theme in things I’ve learned from yoga.

Farhi invites us to make “inquiries”. She says, “Without these largely self-imposed presssures how delightful is it to play, experiment, and find a new the true delight of learning,” (pg. 25). You have to be able to give in to yourself.

This requires a profound amount of trust. Trust in the Earth, trust in your teacher, and trust, most importantly, in yourself. In yoga, we are instructed to move our bodies with our breath. You have to inherently believe that your body and breath knows what to do next. Not only do we need to trust, we need to “yield”.

Farhi writes, “Any surface of the body that makes contact with the ground must yield to the earth. Actively yielding to the earth creates a rebounding force away from the earth, elongating the body upward into space. Whenever the relationship of yielding to the earth is lost, breathing is restricted,” (pg. 35).

In trusting the earth to carry the weight of our person, we create energy that the earth then gives back to us to fuel our practice. “Elongating” the body is central to a physcial yoga practice. When we elongate, we can truly feel energy rushing through our body, from wherever we are grounded, typically on our feet, in to our stretched our arms. As Karen always says, “Inhale, long… exhale, strong.”

Once again, when these movements are synchronized with our breath, we feel at ease - one of the most sought after affects of yoga. This ease comes from trust, yielding, and simply breathing, one of the most powerful things you can do on your mat. When we breath with intention, we send a message to our bodies that all is well and we can be at ease even through difficult positions.

A physical yoga practice is not only good for our physical health, but also invites us on a journey of self-discovery, trust, and connection. It teaches us to be present, to listen to our bodies, and to embrace both our strengths and our areas of growth. Through breath, movement, and consistency, we cultivate not only physical strength but also mental clarity and resilience. We are consistently reminded and taught that progress is not always linear, having trust in ourselves is essential, and that true growth comes from showing up with an open mind and an open heart.

According to Deborah Adele, author of "The Yamas and Niyamas," the practice of the first Niyama, Saucha (purity), is twofold: the act of purifying ourselves and the act of living in purity.

Over the past year and change that I have physically been practicing yoga, I have found it to be a deeply purifying practice. When I am in the studio, my mind is clear and free. I am present, focused and creative. It has truly been a life-changing experience and one that has led me to yoga teacher training and back to writing via this blog.

Purifying oneself can take many different forms, as Adele mentioned. According to her, a "cleansing" practice is one that "strengthens the body and insulates the mind, preparing us for the awakening of energy within us" (p. 107). Typically, when people choose their hobbies, they pick something that brings them peace and gives them energy. They are content doing nothing other than that hobby and are fully present when they are doing that activity. Finding things that bring us these feelings is a great way to "purify" our minds, bodies and spirits.

Adele proposes that living in purity is living in this state at all times. I struggled with this notion significantly. I have always found great success in planning out my days and setting expectations and goals with myself. These things make me feel good.

Essentially, Adele asks us to throw this all away. She asks us to consider the following:

"Rather than planning ourselves, what if we practiced unplanning ourselves? Instead of striving to become someone lovable, what if we loved ourselves fiercely as we are? Instead of managing ourselves, what if we loosened the reins? The question remains for each of us to answer, 'Can you be pure with yourself in each moment?'" (p. 111).

My Westernized mind immediately rejects this. What about the idea of bettering ourselves? Shouldn’t we be striving to be the best versions of ourselves? This sounds like an excuse to let your bad habits run wild.

However, upon further thought, I don’t think this is what Adele is trying to say at all. Rather, I think she is encouraging us to find balance in all that we are and live fully and mindfully in each moment.

This includes the practice of confrontation with oneself as well as forgiveness with oneself. This is the hardest piece of this purity puzzle for me.

As mentioned in a previous blog, I have trouble being honest with myself when I journal. I fear that if I write it, it must be so. I fear the confrontations with my feelings and how I’ll come to resolve them.

Adele provides journaling in this exact way as a method of living in purity, and after further consideration, I think it may be one of the most significant self-betterment practices I can subscribe to. Confessing my mind to my brain is difficult but will clear my mind and allow me to live in fuller purity with myself.

As for planning, Adele says that purity asks us to, "Be with life, with others, with things, with the day, with work, with the weather, as they are in the moment, not as we wish they were or think they should be or expect them to be" (p. 109).

When I read closely, I realize this isn’t about not planning or setting goals. It is about not becoming attached to them, which is the focus of my previous blog on Aparigraha, or non-possessiveness.

Finding a balance between our plans, goals and aspirations and what is happening in real life is tricky. We are encouraged throughout our lives to be aspirational, and it seems that the most successful people are the most aspirational. I think it is important to be aspirational but also satisfied and content in reality, which circles back to living in purity.

In fact, I think living in purity can actually lead us to our aspirations. Adele states, "Purity asks that we make full and honest contact with the moment so there is nothing lost and no regrets" (p. 114).

I think in order to reach our aspirations, we have to suck the marrow out of every aspect of life, leaving "nothing lost and no regrets." We will only reach our goals and live our dreams if we can live in purity with ourselves and the world around us.

In my morning journal, I often write one of my intentions for the day to be present. Be present at yoga, be present at work, be present when I’m hanging out with my friends. When I’m doing these activities, I often find my mind wandering to the next thing, going on my phone or planning out what I am going to do for the rest of the day, clouding and crowding the moment I am currently in.

When I am truly present in the things that I am actively doing, these stresses and worries clear from my mind, and I am able to notice the things I am grateful for, connect deeper and laugh harder. I think being present in the moment you are currently in is integral in the practice of living in purity and something I will challenge myself—and all of you—to do every day.

Those who have traveled with me know full well that I am not a light packer. I also get very defensive when people make comments about it. "I like having options," I consistently snap back.

Those who have spent time near me know that I often hold my breath. It is very noticeable, especially to roommates and family members, because it often results in me letting out a heavy exhale or gasping for breath, especially when I am focused.

Although these may seem like harmless quirks I carry with me—and they are—they are also a subtle indication that I have trouble letting go: letting go of things, places, people, and other possessions I have accumulated in my lifetime.

Aparigraha, the fifth yama, is non-possessiveness. In today’s society, which is so focused on consumerism and capitalism, we are so focused on what we can consume and what we can have and hold that what we possess can easily become the center of all our thoughts, goals and wishes.

Deborah Adele, author of "The Yamas and Niyamas," writes, "The jewel of Aparigraha invites us to enjoy life to the fullest and yet always be able to drop everything and run into the waiting arms of the divine" (p. 90).

This sounds nice, but in practice, it is extremely difficult to do, especially in 2025. Adele acknowledges that things we possess more often than not give us nourishment, at least at first. However, when we get attached, the things we are attached to can quickly become toxic because they poison our mindsets.

Adele explains, "Our expectations keep us captive and often disgruntled, and yet we choose our attachments over our freedom" (p. 94).

Because we have expectations that our attachments will make us happy, it is typical that we will choose to hold on to our attachments with white knuckles rather than letting them go and moving on. This is something I’ve personally struggled with, especially in friendships and relationships.

I don’t want to let go because I have so many memories of when friendships or relationships made me happy, and I feel certain that if I give my everything to that relationship, I will surely experience that happiness again. However, Adele reminds us that only one thing in life is certain: change.

She says, "It is the nature of things to change and by failing to let them change or move on, they begin to disappoint us and our attempts to hold on begin to make us stale and discontent" (p. 91).

When I pack, I always try to take out things I don’t need before I leave. Emptying the suitcase is hard. But then I remember that when I’m on trips, I usually only wear half of the things I packed, and then I’m annoyed that I have to carry all this useless weight around or have it take valuable space in an already crowded hotel room. This is true physically and metaphorically.

Adele wisely states that, "Clutter in our physical space blocks our ability to physically move, while clutter in our minds blocks our freedom to expand and have space for the next thing life wants to bring to us" (p. 96).

By staying painfully attached to the past or to our plans and expectations for the future, we block ourselves from moving to the next step in our true plan. By not being open to what the world and God have to offer because we can’t get mentally past what we had, we limit ourselves and most likely prevent something better from coming along.

When we walk through our days with clear minds and open hearts, it is amazing the things we will notice. The beauty in the simple things I notice every day—the way my dog rests his head on my shoulder, the way the sun comes through my window while I’m working, the new leaf growing on my overwatered plant—helps me trust in the divine and God that life is good and what I truly need will come to me.

I have started to sell some of the clothes I no longer wear on Depop, an e-marketplace where users can buy, sell and discover unique pieces of clothing, shoes and accessories. My closet was beginning to look like an impending avalanche, and I decided it was time. When I slowly started shipping these clothes out, I could breathe a little easier seeing all the new space I created.

Adele challenges us to look inward and ask, "What if we woke up every morning and took nothing with us?" (p. 98). This refreshing and clear mindset can make all the difference and bring what we truly need to us in life. Without the weight of our attachments, we are available to accept the nourishment that comes our way and live life to the fullest.

I can’t promise I won’t always hold my breath when I have to put my suitcase on the scale at the airport, but I have noticed the number going down over the years. I hope I can continue on this trend and make more space in my suitcase—and mind—for what beautiful things are to come.

In this chapter, Adele writes the following:

“We are not only stealing from the Earth, we are stealing from the future and from our children and their children in such massive proportions it often feels like we are caught on a speeding train with no brakes and no way to get off. And yet we remain insatiable, a collective giant hole that we can’t seem to fill. The excess in our bodies, our calendars, our closets, are all signs that we are living as if there is no tomorrow and no one to live here after we are gone. We have lost our sense of gratitude.” (pg. 64)

Although lately, it seems like there truly may be no tomorrow and no one to live here after we are gone, perhaps this is something we are manifesting on to ourselves. The way we live in excess, or against bramacharya (the fourth limb, nonexcess), may be leading us to this fate of no tomorrow. On this topic, Adele writes,

“Overindulgence snuffs out the life force like too many logs on a fire that overpowers the fire. Practicing nonexcess preserves and honors this life force within us, so that we can live with clarity and sacredness.” (pg. 81).

Gratitude is a way to feed our life force. Across the world, there are five regions that are known as “Blue Zones”: Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Nicoya, Costa Rica; Ikaria, Greece; and Loma Linda, California. In 2004, journalist and best-selling author Dan Buettner set out to investigate these areas and discover what was contributing to elongated lives in this area. In the opening scene of his Netflix documentary, “Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones”, he states,

“For the first time in a century, life expectancy is dropping. So, how do we fix this? I believe it’s not by trying to prevent death. It’s by learning how to live.”

On the Blue Zones website, I found an article that spoke exactly to what I believe asteya and bramacharya are trying to teach us, or at least how we can apply it to our modern lives. In an article titled, “Can You Make Happiness a Habit?”, author and founder of Zen Habits, Leo Babauta writes that when he was experiencing frequent unhappiness, one of the most impactful things he did was sit down and write a list of what he was grateful for. He explained,

“This list was magical because I went from feeling a bit depressed about everything, and hopeless and helpless, to much happier. My mindset shifted from the things I didn’t like or didn’t have, to the things I was really happy I had. And I was in control.”

When we realize that we are grateful for the things we have, our mindset changes. Suddenly, we don’t need all this excess. We don’t need to “steal” (literally or figuratively) to fulfill ourselves. Gratitude creates a path to satisfaction with ourselves and our lives. Although not explicitly laid out by Buettner in his research on the Blue Zones, I firmly believe that gratitude is an essential habit that contributes to our longevity. I know it for a fact. I’ve seen it.

Born on July 7, 1923, my great-grandmother, GG, lived to be 100 years old. GG passed away a little over a year ago on February 13, 2024, and we lost the matriarchy of the maternal side of my family.

GG by no means had an easy life. She was born five years after the First World War, raised during the Great Depression, came of age during World War II, lost a son to a motorcycle crash, lived in a retirement home during a global pandemic, and outlived her beloved husband by 23 years. On top of all this she was the daughter of an alcoholic and a woman pre, during, and post the feminist movement in America, contributing to a lot of her personality traits and her famous catchphrase;

“Yes them to death and do as you please.”

In the 22 years that I knew GG, I never heard her complain once. On the contrary.

During COVID, to help combat loneliness and distance, my family set up a weekly Zoom meeting that included all of her two living children, four grandchildren and their spouses, and her five great-grandchildren. At this point in her life, GG was well into her nineties and struggled with memory, so she was not necessarily an active participant in these calls where we picked a new topic of discussion for every week (in true Kemery fashion). However, we always asked for her input and she always had the same answer:

“Well, I’m just grateful for my health and for all of you.”

The answer never changed. It was consistently short, sweet, and genuine. She would also typically add her quick joke, “I can’t believe I’m responsible for all of this. You know, I’m the reason you’re all here.”

Lord knows GG wasn’t doing her daily movement or eating a plant-based diet. This woman slept-walked to her freezer to eat ice cream in the middle of the night (also in true Kemery fashion). But she had her purpose (her family) and centered herself in gratitude. I believe that is the reason GG lived to be 100 years old and was able to know and love her five great-granddaughters, including me.

When we are centered in our sense of gratitude, we don’t feel the need to live life in the fast lane. I am most certainly guilty of this and am actively working on reminding myself to live in gratitude. It is not easy when we live in an age of influencers, social media, and capitalism. The algorithm and market are pushing us to always want more, to purchase more, and to live in excess.

However, when we sit down to put into perspective all that we do have and what we are grateful for out of what we do have, life tends to slow down. When we realize we have just enough logs for the fire, our life force ignites and burns so brightly, providing us with exactly what we need.

For GG

As the oldest daughter, granddaughter, and great-granddaughter on both sides of my family, I am explicitly prone to what they call “Eldest Daughter Syndrome”. When you google “Eldest Daughter Syndrome”, the AI overview that is provided is as follows:

“Eldest daughter syndrome (EDS) is a term used to describe the pressures and responsibilities that firstborn daughters may experience. It's not a mental health diagnosis.”

Signs of EDS:

• Feeling a strong sense of responsibility

• Perfectionism

• People-pleasing behaviors

• Anxiety or depression

• Struggling with same-age relationships

• Always putting others before themselves

This made me laugh. While “EDS” (hahaha) is not a mental health diagnosis, I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety while I was in High School and began taking medication during my first year of college, as is not unusual for people my age. Worry has always been a part of my daily experience.

I personally have never seen my worry as a negative. I’ve always seen it as just one of my characteristics, one that helps me get stuff done. I don’t procrastinate, I always have everything planned out, and I just get things done (pretty fast, I might add).

During my first session of Yoga Teacher Training (YTT), we learned the Yamas and Niyamas by reading and discussing the first few chapters of the book, “The Yamas & Niyamas: Exploring Yoga’s Ethical Practices” by Deborah Adele.

Adele explains that “The Yamas and Niyamas may be thought of as guidelines, tenets, ethical disciplines, precepts, or restraints and observances,” (pg.15).

The Sanskrit word “Yamas” translates into the English word “restraints”. Yoga’s “Thou Shalt Not”s. These include nonviolence, truthfulness, nonstealing, nonexcess, and nonpossessiveness. Today, I will be focusing on the concept of nonviolence.

Adele provides the following definition of nonviolence:

“Nonviolence is a stance of right relationship with others and with self that is neither self-sacrifice nor self-aggrandizement. This tenet guides us to live together, share the goods and do what we want - without causing harm to others or ourselves,” (pg. 16).

When we hear the word “violence”, we think of acts of physical violence that cause physical harm. However, what interested me more about this concept is the emotional side of nonviolence, particularly that worry is one of the most common acts of violence.

One short line from Adele caught my eye in particular: “Fear creates violence” (pg. 23), a lesson we’ve been taught through so many movies, books, and history that still continues to be relevant today. I could go on and on about broader fear that is so common in the world today, but for the purpose of this blog, I’m going to focus on the kind of fear we as humans feel on the daily.

“Courage demands our best self and that is a self in balance,” Adele writes. “Imbalance in our systems is almost a certainty for violence.”

This is a hard truth to confront in ourselves - our own imbalance and the fact that we commit acts of violence daily. I don’t think the purpose of the yamas is to demand perfection; everyone is going to commit acts that go against Ahimsa (nonviolence in Sanskrit). I do think, however, that we can certainly strive for perfection. I know that just being aware of this concept has made me more mindful of my actions in my daily life, trying in everything I do to make choices that avoid “violence” for myself and those around me.

Something I’ve struggled with in my personal life is creating space. To be truthful, sometimes I even get frustrated when those in my life create space for themselves because it isn’t what I would do. This is something I am truly dedicated to changing about myself and I believe that centering my thoughts and actions in nonviolence will help me over this hump.

Adele explains, “Like the body, the mind and soul need time to rest. We create this rest by allowing space that we can breathe in. Not more clutter, but more space, space to reflect, space to journal, space for closure, space for imagination, and space to feel the calling for the life force within us,” (pg. 25).

Those who know me know that I don’t like space. I don’t like downtime, I like to be with the people I love 24/7. I crave busyness and a jam-packed schedule. I will only rest when I am forced to.

The past few years have taught me that I do have to stop or there will be consequences (my body will make sure of that). Completing my degree in three years at a rigorous college is something I am really proud of and would not change, but it also landed me in the ER several times because I just didn’t know when to stop and drove myself to illness (I still did write two final papers in a hospital bed, though.)

It felt like Adele was speaking directly to me when she wrote,

“Spreading ourselves thin looks impressive, but in the end, we are the first to lose.”

While I don’t physically make space for rest, I don’t do it mentally, either. I often joke with my friends that “I’ve never gotten over anything, ever” and while it is a joke, there is painfully some truthfulness to that because I have never created space for myself to reflect or create closure.

One thing I am doing to combat this is starting to journal. Two of my friends got me a “wellness journal” for my birthday last year and it took me a long time to convince myself to do it. When I journal, it is hard for me to be honest with myself and write how I really feel because then it means I have to confront those thoughts within myself.

However, several weeks ago I started incorporating this journal into my daily routine. In the morning, it prompts me to write four daily intentions, assess my energy levels, track how much sleep I got the night before, plan a restful moment and a movement in the day, and write down how I feel first thing in the morning. Then before bed, I write four things that nourished me that day, one kind or inspiring moment I had in the day, my daily gratitude, and then a few sentences about what I did that day.

At first, these daily summaries were very basic and high-level. I never wrote down the emotions I felt through the day or how things made me feel. While I am not 100% there yet, I have been trying to challenge myself to include deeper analyses of my days that are meaningful and create space.

Back to non-violence.

An excerpt from this chapter that I really had to do some self-reckoning with was the following:

“We can have hearts that are full of love for others, and intentions to love that are pure. But the truth is, we will express that love for others by treating them the same way we treat ourselves. Love lies at the core of non-violence and begins with our love of self. Not a love that is ego-centric, but a love that is forgiving and lenient; a love that sees the humor in the imperfections and accepts the fullness of the human expression.”

As I said before, I have noticed that I get frustrated when my friends, cousins, and sister don’t do things the way I would do them or don’t make the choices I would make. This inherently is an act of violence. Although it certainly comes from a place of love, I now realize that I am subtly causing harm by communicating that I don’t trust or respect them enough to make their own decisions.

This is a pattern I have realized I have been extremely susceptible to and I owe those I love an apology, especially those closest to me. One example that is at the top of my mind is my cousin.

We walked to her house together every day after high school to hang out and do our homework. When we would get to her house, we would make mac n’ cheese, watch an episode of “The Simpsons”, then start on our homework. Except she would take a break way more often than 16 year-old-Isa deemed acceptable.

I would get so angry and say, “Why don’t you just finish it now so we can watch more Simpsons sooner?”

She would say, “I need a break.”

I would think, “No you don’t.”

Thinking that I knew what she needed and didn’t need, although about something trivial like how to do AP U.S. History homework, was a true act of violence that I did not realize until over five years later.

“Nonviolence asks us to trust the other’s ability to find the answer they are seeking,” explains Adele. “It asks us to have faith in the other, not feel sorry for them. Nonviolence asks us to trust the other’s journey and love and support others to their highest image of themselves, not our highest image of them.”

These ideas go hand-in-hand with the concept of worry.

“Worry is a lack of faith in the other and cannot exist simultaneously with love… Worry comes from a place of arrogance that I know better what should be happening in my life.”

There are two ways that I interpret this. The first is the obvious - worrying about someone else and their path and decisions comes from a place of arrogance that I have already explained I am guilty of through my past faults.

However, the second one is more personal and complex. I see how my worrying about my own life and future comes from a place of arrogance that I know better than God.

That is a hard statement for me to make. Although I grew up going to church every Sunday, I am not a religious person. I do not feel cemented in my beliefs, but at this point in time, I feel confident in saying that I believe in one God, a higher being, that created the universe and life.

I also have come to believe that God has a plan and purpose for us and that everything that happens leads us to something else, inevitably the next step in our path. If I’m worrying about my future and the decisions I need to make, isn’t that challenging God?

One of my favorite song lyrics from Thomas Rhett’s song, “Life Changes”, is

“You make your plans and you hear God laughing.”

And it's true. Although we can’t control what happens to us, we can control how we react.

One of my fellow trainees brought up an old Walt Whitman quote made famous in pop culture by the series “Ted Lasso”: “Be curious, not judgemental”

Rewatching this clip reminded me to ask questions rather than jump to judgement. I think that is the epitome of nonviolence.

A friend came to me with a tough situation and asked me for advice. Rather than give her my snap judgment about what I thought the best path to go was, I asked her questions that I thought might unveil deeper thinking and analysis of the situation from her perspective, leading her to her own decision that was right for her.

Karen, my yoga teacher trainer, encouraged us to support rather than offer help in situations like this to adhere to Ahimsa. I think this is a beautiful and beneficial way to go about life in a way that truly shows love for yourself and those around you.

Embracing nonviolence—toward myself, toward others, and even toward the unknown—has already begun to shift the way I move through life. I am learning to trust, to create space, and to loosen my grip on the illusion of control. While I may always be someone who plans, worries, and cares deeply, I now recognize that true love and support come not from micromanaging or fixing, but from having faith in the journey—both mine and others'. Through mindfulness, journaling, and the wisdom of Ahimsa, I am slowly rewriting my instincts. And maybe one day I will learn to let go, trust the process, and find peace in the space I once feared.

The concept of “purpose” re-entered my space a few weeks ago when I was reading the first book I’ve read since graduating college, “8 Rules of Love”, by the world-famous podcaster, author, and life coach, Jay Shetty. Not that it ever left my whirlwind mind, but it had fallen into my subconscious.

I don’t think the question of “What is my purpose?” really ever leaves anyone's mind, but there are seasons where it stays more prominent. It is safe to say I was not in one of these seasons. I was more so in survival mode.

After several months of picking up and putting down this book, I found myself on Shetty’s Rule 5: Purpose Comes First. Right off the bat in the first paragraph of the chapter he writes, “For any of us to bring the best version of ourselves to our relationships, we have to pursue our own purpose or spiritual calling. In Hinduism, it’s called our dharma,” (pg 125).

My mind first wandered to a friend who had recently put a long-term relationship on hold for this exact reason. She was putting her partner above herself and her purpose. She needed time away to grow by herself and into herself. I have a lot of respect for her.

One excerpt that I sent her from this chapter was the following:

My intention in sending this to her was to give her affirmation that she was doing the right thing (not that she needed it, she’s the coolest). We both agreed we had felt lost recently and that finding our purpose would lead us down the right path, however hard it might be.

The thought of my purpose fell to the wayside, again.

After feeling established in a new job, I decided to pursue something I had been thinking about as my yoga practice had deepened and become an integral part of my life - yoga teacher training (YTT).

I decided to take the leap and sign up to train with the amazing Karen Cutrona, General Manager at Yoga Six Highland Park (the studio I practice at) and owner of UBU Yoga & Fitness (the registered yoga school I now study at). I was so excited to start and dedicate time on the weekends to something I was passionate about and knew would help me grow rather than destructive behavior such as drinking or spending my money on wasteful things.

I decided to pursue YTT when I noticed everything started “clicking”. During practice, I felt my breath effortlessly syncing with my movements, something that those who know me will know is an amazing feat, as I hold my breath like no other. I felt stronger and more energized during my practices, feeling like I was truly embodying the poses. My mind was cleared and surrendered to my muscle memory, flowing through the practice. Finally, I knew I had reached a new level when I was no longer falling asleep during Shavasana, but rather feeling completely rested, holding a renewed sense of energy and relaxation.

I could not wait for February 22nd, the first weekend of my training.

February 22nd was this past weekend, and the only word I can think to use to describe our first two sessions is intense. Those who don’t know much about YTT may think I mean in a physical way, which was true (I spent nine hours at the studio yesterday). But, the emotional intensity of our first two sessions took me by surprise and has left me with many unanswered questions, desperately looking for answers.

In the handbook that Karen handed to us on our first day of training, she wrote the following:

I have not been able to stop thinking about this excerpt since I first read it. I had so many questions. The first that I asked Karen was, “Do you think people’s purposes change over time?” As calmly as ever, she responded, “No, but I do think they evolve and adapt over our life to meet our circumstances.”

In my head, I asked myself, “Am I supposed to know my purpose at 22?”

Life since my graduation this past May has been challenging, rewarding, confusing, and clarifying. I often worry myself to sickness over where I should live, what I should be doing with my career, and if the decisions I’ve made thus far are the correct ones. Now I’m supposed to “find my purpose” too?

The two other women I am training with had their own questions as well, but one thing Karen told us stuck out to me the most - “If you want to know, you will know.” As simple as that.

She asked us a series of questions along the lines of “What do you love?”, “What is easy for you?”, “What qualities do you most enjoy expressing in the world?” She advised us to write the first thing that came to mind for all these questions and all of my immediate answers surrounded one word: love.

Can love be a purpose? This seems too vague, cliche, and not “purposeful” enough. However, since this conversation, the word that is bold and headlined in my brain is just “love”.

As any good parent does, my parents raised me to understand that I was loved unconditionally. Although this seems as universal as it gets, something about this sentiment grounds me to my core. What is life without love? I believe love is the driving force for all things in life.

In my previous role at GitaPR, Gita would often tell us to do things “with love”. This has stuck with me and I think she explained it beautifully in a recent episode of the Women’s Wear Daily podcast, “Voices”, where she was featured for this very idea.

In this episode, she states,

Doing anything, including business, with the intention of love is a way to make certain of some kind of positive outcome. Gita full-heartedly believes that “we just need love” and she is an incredible example of how setting positive intentions leads to positive outcomes. Her mindset has stuck with me and has guided a lot of the work I do today in my current role.

A few weeks ago, my roommate asked me what brings me peace. The only answer I had for her was “love”. The idea that my family, my friends, and people I don’t even know yet love me and I can love them back is what I think life is all about. I believe that we as people are a collection of the people we meet, the places we go, and the ways we nourish our bodies. I have such a deep love for all of the people in my life, all of the places I’ve been, the food I eat, and the ways I move my body.

Since this has dawned on me, I feel a great comfort in knowing that if I do everything in my life with the intention of love, I am fulfilling my purpose. Maybe in the future, I will have a more fine-tuned, sharpened image of what my purpose is. But for now, I am satisfied in knowing that my purpose is to love deeply and fully and I can’t wait to see the different ways my purpose, based in love, manifests itself throughout my life.

“Equality in the workplace and society between men and women.” – Libby Moog ’26, Politics Major

“Having women empowered by women. Women advocating for each other.” – Margaret Bugnacki ’25, Business Major, Concentration in Accounting

“The idea that everyone is created equally and deserves equal opportunities.” – Izzy Nordstorm ’26, Psychology and Religion Major

“The effort to attain equality and equity amongst all people, specifically looking at marginalized people and making sure they are uplifted to equitable standards.” – Anela Elze ’25, History and Sociology and Anthropology Major

“Being proud to be a woman and taking responsibility and action for our own decisions.” – Christina Hartley ’24, Business Major, Concentration in Marketing

“An appreciation for femininity.” – Lia Fiffles 24’, English Major

“Basic equality. I think it’s valuing women and their opinion and what they have to say” – Chelsea Davis 24’, Public Relations and Digital Marketing/Theatre Major

“It’s about empowering women but it’s also about empowering other groups that are oppressed.”- Ari Collins 25’, Psychology/Spanish Major

“The idea that women should be treated as people. Human beings.” – Linda Horowitz, Professor of Communication, Museum Studies Program Chair

“The belief that whatever gender you are does not mean that you are better than anyone else.” – Dr. Courtney Joseph, Associate Professor of History and African American Studies

“Equity among the sexes and genders.” – Deja McClellan 20’, Career Specialist (Science and Healthcare Pathway)

For many, it is easy to point to where these issues stemmed from – patriarchy. It’s hard to talk about feminism without talking about the concept of patriarchy. However, it is not always easy to pin what patriarchy exactly is.

According to Horowitz, “We have to make sense out of the fact that there is a system that hasn’t been treating women as equal to men. We live in a hierarchical, sexist system that places men on top of women.”

When a system is built for a specific group or identity, it is not going to work in the same ways for people who are not in that in-group or hold that identity. “I believe this institution was created for white, male, wealthy, Christians,” added Horowitz. These are the identities most commonly tied to the dominant group in patriarchy.

Patriarchy has manifested itself in several different ways on campus, some more visibly than others. Where students see this discrepancy is mainly in athletics. Bugnacki, captain of the women’s tennis team believes their coach, who coaches both the men’s and women’s team, has different attitudes towards the teams.

“He does a lot more on the men’s side of things and he’ll be way more excited for them, but when it comes to the women’s team that’s just not what he’s about,” she said. “He gets upset with us, and it’s not like we’re doing anything different. The men’s team can say the exact same thing that we are, but he gets upset with us. I feel that the same can be said for lots of other sports.”

Fiffles sees it in the locker rooms. “Looking at the [women’s softball] locker room versus the football locker room or the men’s hockey locker room. Things like that, how they’re treated with accessories and utilities, I would say men are provided more efficient utilities.”

To Joseph, being a feminist is all about finding ways to deconstruct this system that places men as the dominant players in society. “Feminism is calling out the ways systemically and historically women in particular or people who are not men, have been privileged in all sorts of ways in society,” she said. “Both things that we can really visibly see, things like the fact that we’ve never had a female president in this country, and then things like the pay gap, or the way women have to consider all sorts of things in terms of their safety or well-being in ways that people do not if they don’t identify as a woman.”

The issue that not only feminists, but all female-identifying people grapple with on the daily is a daunting one: How am I supposed to catch up? Here is where feminists say equity needs to come into play, and not just for women.

“[Feminism] is often thought of as all about women,” said Nordstrom. “But it’s also about people who are non-binary and men and women having the same opportunities. It’s about being on the same playing field, not someone having more.”

Collins would concur and take it even a step further. “I think broadly in our society, feminism is seen as something only seen for white women,” she said. “Historically, feminism, especially during the suffragette movement, was used as a tool used for white women to achieve the right to vote. A lot of time, Black women and other women of color were not included in that.”

Although many hope to see policies put into place that make more quantitative steps towards greater equity for all marginalized groups, Moog strives to incorporate more personal things to work towards equity.

“Day-to-day behaviors include inclusive language because that’s important,” she said. “This includes women, LGBTQ+, and all minority groups because being a feminist, yes, it is about women, but it is also about other groups because if we’re going to fight for women, we might as well fight for everyone.”

This sentiment is shared among many other feminists on campus as they put emphasis on the importance of intersectionality. Joseph uses the Combahee River Collective as a way to guide her way of thinking about feminism, specifically Black feminism.

“The Combahee River Collective was a group of both straight and queer Black women in the 1970s who created one of the best activist statements that I’ve ever read in my life,” she said. “I still go back to it. They named themselves the Combahee River Collective after a raid led by Harriet Tubman during the Civil War, honoring a Black woman who really revolutionized the idea of what a woman and what a Black woman could be in the United States. This group of women, who largely come together when they are rejected from white feminist movements of the 1950s and 60s … they come together to think about the ways their intersecting identities shape their politics. So, that has been a really important part for how I think about myself as a Black feminist. Nobody is free until we’re all free.”

McClellan also identifies as a Black feminist which helps guide her day-to-day behaviors. “I think in terms of advocating for people, whether that’s people who look like me, which is always great, but beyond that is also people who really don’t look like me,” she said. “I’ve definitely had experience in doing that, especially on campus when I was a student, for folks of all different kinds of backgrounds, but especially those who are more underrepresented.”

Representation is something that many think the college does well. “I definitely think in most classes it feels pretty diverse in terms of gender and also in administration,” said Hartley. “I think there’s pretty good representation of both males and females in every department. I don’t think they discriminate against gender in that way. I think it’s great now having a female president, too.”

Horowitz concurs. “I think we can see right now that we have a female president, a female dean, a female athletic director, that we certainly put women in positions of power,” she said. “I don’t think people are very scared by that… We certainly respect women on this campus. We certainly have it as a value.”

However, McClellan has a different perspective on representation from her nuanced identity as a former LFC student and current staff member. “It’s not enough just to have women leadership,” she asserted. “You’ll find that, especially in higher education, most teachers are female. That’s just not enough. We need to have women of color, we need to have women with different sexual orientations or different religions. If we’re talking about Lake Forest generally, I think the representation is lacking, but I think it’s representative of what the college makes itself out to be. Lake Forest is a predominantly white institution. Sure, you know, we’ve had a couple of athletic directors here or there, even my boss is a woman. But still, if you line them up, they’re all still white women.”

This is a sentiment that Davis resonates with. “I think that’s one of the reasons I’ve been really attracted to leadership positions, especially here at Lake Forest because typically it’s all men and getting that experience is so valuable, especially being a woman of color,” she said. “Making sure that my voice is amplified times ten because traditionally and historically, I haven’t had that opportunity.”

However, Davis also adds what many would consider an important qualifier. “I think representation is really important,” she added. “And making sure that when you have those people, that they are protected and well-paid and treated fairly. I think it starts with listening.”

Listening. Across all the interviews I conducted with women on campus, this was one major thing they all agreed on. Women just want to be listened to and believed.

This is a concept Elze spoke very passionately about. “Quite frankly, I think we are very quick on this campus to not believe stories and not believe people’s testaments,” she said. “Overall, I don’t think that’s necessarily a policy thing but I think it’s the culture of our campus that there’s a lot of things that people refuse to believe and actually care about.”

This brings up the very sensitive subject of sexual assault and how it is handled on campus at LFC. The office that handles these reports, Title IX, got less than glowing reviews.

“Everyone knows our Title IX office is the worst, so that’s not the most comforting, knowing that if I ever reported anything that has happened to me or could happen to me that it wouldn’t be received well, so that’s really disheartening,” said Nordstom.

Moog can speak on this idea from first-hand experience. “I think there is a big idea that Lake Forest College wants to support women and wants to stick up for women, but I think they speak more than their actions here,” she commented. “Being a victim of sexual assault, it was kind of bullshit how I knew the school wasn’t going to take action and expected other people to just go to the police, and so I don’t think the school is necessarily as supportive as they claim to be.”

Stories like these have caused many women on campus to report feel unsafe and the faculty feel this as well. Joseph shared, “Being a professor, you’re told things. I’m a mandatory reporter, so I have examples in my head of things that just make me [wish for] safety. There’s enough of us here, we’re a small enough community, that we should be able to think about why safety hasn’t been achieved in a real way.”

For many female students on campus, it’s professors like Joseph who inspire them and give them feminist role models to look to for guidance. Hartley names Professors Ariana Gammel and Kate Jackson as some of her personal mentors.

“Everything they do as educators, they definitely will go out of their way to make sure women feel included and are supported, and if they don’t, they’ll make sure to find resources that are available to help.”

Others find this kind of support from their female peers on campus. “I have seen it when people come to the places like the writing center and they come and even though they’re meant to be an only academic space, we find moments of comradery,” shared Elze. “We find moments of believing each other and supporting each other.”

Hartley hopes that all women on campus can find something like this. “My wish for women on campus is just to feel a sense of community and belonging and to feel safe and supported in all aspects of their academic and college career.”

The organization advertised this event on social media, mainly Instagram, with a graphic that described the workshop as a way to “learn about harmful narratives surrounding the culture of victim blaming and slut shaming and help foster support for survivors.”

“We are also doing workshops about secondhand trauma and supporting survivors,” said Emilia Guilhermina de Paula Fonseca, “It’s On Us” secretary. “This is a part of our supporting survivor’s series.” She also organized “The Vagina Monologues,” a play put on by the organization last year to talk about gender and sexuality.

Zu Smilnakova, Health and Wellness Collaborative Coordinator for “It’s On Us,” also noted that the organization commonly works with the Health and Wellness department on campus. “We have done workshops on STIs and healthy relationships, for example,” she said. “We want to make sure we are conveying proper information, so, we have an interview with a counselor and when we prepare the materials, we run it through with them as well.”

Guilhermina de Paula Fonseca’s aim for the organization is to reach more students on a wider scale. One way they are doing this is by going to first-year studies classes. “The professors have their own calendars and they have already organized the class schedule, so not all of them have been able to give us space,” she shared. “We haven’t had many of them answer us, but the ones that did are very much willing to have us go [to the classes]. They’re willing to leave the classroom and just let us give the workshop, so students feel more comfortable.”

However, “It’s on Us” is looking to have these consent workshops become mandated for all first-year studies classes through the college. “Right now, there are currently conversations in College Council to maybe make this a formal thing and actually have mandatory consent workshops for every first-year studies class,” said Guilhermina de Paula Fonseca. “The conversation is very much in the beginning stages, but it is something that I very much want to happen.”

At the Nov.  14 workshop, 14 attendees sat in a half circle around the presenters on the many couches in the Skybox. Both men and women were present, a lot of the men coming from the Delta Chi fraternity.

The Victim Blaming and Slut Shaming workshop was led by Smilnakova and Guilhermina de Paula Fonseca. Both students work as Resident Assistants on campus and therefore, are mandated reporters of sexual assault and harassment. Both presenters made it very clear that they are always open to talk to people experiencing either of these crises, but they would be required to report any instances they are told. Both offered alternative people that attendees could confide inthat are not require to report, including the “It’s On Us” Instagram inbox, managed by board members.

The presentation began with Smilnakova and Guilhermina de Paula Fonseca giving some background on the history of the organization. They shared that “It’s On Us” was a national organization started in 2013 by Joe Biden, when he was Vice President to Barack Obama. However, this is not a politically-affiliated organization Currently, there are over 300 chapters around the country, all guided by the idea that it’s on students to do sexual assault prevention and destigmatize it.

“Recently, our chapter have been very present and active, so they see us as one of the best ones in the country,” said Guilhermina de Paula Fonseca about the national organization. “They offered to have a speaker come from their national organization fully for free to talk with athletes because the speaker is a former college football player that works with “It’s On Us.”

As mentioned previously, the focus of this workshop were the concepts of slut shaming and victim blaming. The presenters defined slut shaming as “ridiculing someone because of their sexuality in terms of preferences and activity.” They then defined victim blaming as “putting blame on a non-consensual party or for not conforming to their gender norms.”

When on the topic of slut shaming, the presenters explained that this act has been something that has been prevalent in society for many years due to the purity culture that has become the normal for us.

The presenters also wanted to emphasize the idea that these things do not happen by choice, they happen because these things are so embedded in our culture. This has to do with the idea that girls can sexually mature beyond their age, which is not true. Ideologies like this have contributed to the weaponization of women’s bodies from a young age, especially revolving around the concept of purity culture. Despite what someone looks like, the age of consent is the same for everyone.

Both victim blaming and slut shaming have serious repercussions for the parties that fall victim to these behaviors. Smilnakova and Guilhermina de Paula Fonseca explained that when this happens to someone, it creates negative emotions for the recipient, they begin to see sex as something that has more consequences which in turn limits their sexual expression and puts the accusing party in an undeserving position of power.

Guilhermina de Paula Fonseca is proud of the work “It’s On Us” is doing and the information they are spreading. “Students think (these workshops are) very impactful, so having that on a wider scale that reaches more of campus would be awesome. I would love to have more connections with other organizations on campus. Not only organizations, but also departments as well. Having some more support in general from Health and Wellness, administration, etc. so the work that we’re doing can reach more students.”

Smilnakova also looks forward to collaborating with other student organizations on campus. “Right now, our goal is to build more relationships with athletics. We are trying to push for consent workshops to be mandatory when it comes to athletics teams. We also want to make better relationships with Greek life as well because we also want to get people from Greek life to make the workshops with us based on the topics they think need to be addressed.”

“It’s On Us” is a beloved organization by its members. Smilnakova believes that it is a special group because of how “free” it is and how they collaborate with others on campus. “Everyone has their own niche and explores topics within that niche,” she said. “I also really like that people are very open to helping each other, taking over things, as well. I really enjoy that we want to collaborate with other student organizations. The best part is that people from different student organizations tell us about the topics that they are interested in and we relate that to our topics. We find somewhere we intersect [with other student organizations] and make a workshop about it and because it’s a collaboration, we have more people show up and it’s really nice.”

In the first of three hour-long episodes, titled “God Doesn’t Call the Qualified, He Qualifies the Called”, Bach describes how she felt called by God after high school to fly to Uganda and become a volunteer. In this opening scene, she is pictured cooking Ugandan food for her Ugandan daughter in her American home.

She describes her homesickness for Uganda. She then explains that she cannot go back because she is labeled as a serial killer there. This narrative is followed by montages of several young adult white women exploring Africa and cooking food for masses of African children, presumably the type of work that Bach did herself when she first arrived on the continent.

After this montage, almost comically, an African woman is interviewed and says “White people love coming to Jinja.” An interesting note she makes is that these white people that come believe that they were bringing Jesus to Africa when in reality, he had been there all along.

This interview is followed by a brief feature on a group called “No White Saviors”. The almost-mission statement that the spokesperson of this group gives is, “We never said no white people, we just know that you shouldn’t be the hero of the story. Africa is not your playground.”

This group emphasizes the idea of how white saviors are portrayed in the media and how America always comes out on top. The group centers this on the “myth of sacrifice’ that the media feeds into.

After this group feature, we are transported back into Bach’s narrative. We discover that she adopted her daughter, pictured in the opening scene, at the age of 20. Her daughter, Salah, was orphaned as a baby, and Bach, as a recent high school graduate who had just arrived in Uganda, decided to adopt her.

After working at various missionaries in Uganda, Bach describes how she felt called by God to open up her own charity after seeing all the malnourished children around her. However, this is where the episode turns darker than the common “white savior” story.

After Bach launched the charity, she began blogging about her experience. This blog gained a lot of traction in the States and resulted in a lot of financial support. Bach’s mother began leading fundraising efforts shortly after.

With this newfound support, Bach began buying medicine in bulk, based on what she would see the local hospitals prescribing for children who were malnourished. Bach blatantly states that she has no medical degree or experience. However, she starts treating children and her charity slowly turns into a treatment center.

In this episode, the director of the local hospital is interviewed. He reports that Bach did not once defer her funding or donated equipment to the hospital. He also asserts that he felt like he “could not compete with her”.

Now incomes Jackie, a nurse that “Serving His Children”, Bach’s charity, hires a few months after its inception. She describes what she calls the “red room”, where children were given lots of medicine and oxygen.

Jackie described this room as a “very intensive care room” that was “way over her head as a nurse. The things Renee was doing was at a doctor or practitioner level of care.”

Jackie goes on to explain, in medical terms, what refeeding syndrome is. The Nation Library of Medicine describes it as “the potentially fatal shifts in fluids and electrolytes that may occur in malnourished patients receiving artificial refeeding”.

“There was a child that died, and I went through his chart and his dosages were way too high for his weight,” Jackie explained. “Children that die, die within a five-day time period of entering the building.”

This cliffhanger is where the episode ends. However, as this is a true story, it has been reported by the National Public Radio that “Over the five-year period from 2010 to 2015, Bach says the center took in 940 children, of whom 105 died.”

This docuseries takes on an immensely serious topic that is not often touched upon in popular media. Several families have taken legal action against Bach and her organization, which are still in process.

I believe that HBO did a fantastic job in this first episode of finding sources, and balanced ones. Although I personally believe that Bach is clearly did wrong and illegally provided faulty medical care to hundreds of children, for the purpose of this popular text, it was significant and meaningful that the episode featured Renee Bach herself, her family, other white missionaries, the “No White Saviors” group, the director of the hospital in Jinja, and volunteers and staff at “Serving His Children”.

The last two episodes have been released at the time of publication and are available on Max.

Kristen Graham describes herself as “a very ordinary person who came to have an extraordinary life.” Graham’s path to her extraordinary life started at Lake Forest College, a place to which she accredits a lot of her success.

Graham came to LFC for this year’s Forester Day and gave a presentation called, “Yes, And”. In this presentation, she shared that she comes from a military family in Phoenix, Arizona. She also shared that it was LFC’s Spike Gummere who had opened this door for her early on.

Graham and Gummere met at a college fair in a hotel ballroom in Phoenix. Graham’s parents had just split and filed for bankruptcy. She had no idea how she would be able to afford college, despite go to college out of state. Graham writes in a LinkedIn post that she told Gummere that she didn’t know that she would be able to afford to go to LFC. He told her that LFC offers lots of scholarships and aid. She told him that she wasn’t smart enough for those. He then told her, “I bet you are.”

Graham wrote in this post, “A door opened. One conversation changed the trajectory of my life.” Graham came to LFC the next year and became the first female in her family to go to college. She shared at her Forester Day presentation that she felt special for the first time in her life on campus in 20-person classes at LFC.

In her time at LFC, Graham, as an English/Creative Writing Major, stopped by the Stentor office and asked if they needed help. “I had never taken journalism classes, so I just went to volunteer because I didn’t think I was a good writer,” Graham said. “They said sure, don’t worry so much about the writing, we’ll have an editor, just go get the story.” After time, Graham became an editor, and then got to have her own regular column.

Graham shared that while she had her column, a friend that had graduated ahead of her told her that all she wanted for her birthday was for Graham to write her a story. Graham said, “It was weird to write with a purpose and the idea that this was a gift for someone. My column was usually editorial content related to the school. It was the first time it wasn’t an assignment; it was around the idea that words can be a gift.”

This idea that came to her from her friend’s request helped lead Graham to what she does now. “It was the first time someone asked me to write just to write,” Graham said. “And now I do that. I write, I podcast, but at the time it was almost like someone needed to give you permission to shine. You can’t see your own shine when you’re in it.”

Graham consistently calls herself a “recovering perfectionist”. To others with the same diagnosis, she advises, “Do fewer things better. Perfectionists want to show and collect all these little stars. They want to show that everything you give them, they’re going to do well.”

Instead, this is the advice she offers: “Really narrow down and go deep. It takes a lot of courage to go deep into something.” However, she later says, “I’m never going to say do one thing and do it 100% because that doesn’t leave room for other experiences. Whatever you’re starting out with, I hope that ten years from now you could be doing something completely and wildly different. Chasing perfectionism, you don’t leave room for beautiful beginnings.” Finding balance between going deep and getting uncomfortable and trying new things is key for Graham.

After LFC, Graham found the courage to dig deep and find another beautiful beginning when she applied to Northwestern for grad school. “I took five years from LFC before I went to grad school for many reasons,” Graham said. “I didn’t even know if I could get into Northwestern. Part of it was just having the courage to apply, I just figured I'd give it a go. I had graduated and I was working, and I started to see my natural skills— communications. I started seeing that there were pathways that I hadn’t had the formal training for. I remember thinking, ‘Now I know that I want to do words for a living.’ I could write the email faster, I could do the work faster, but I didn’t know that was a skill until I was in the business world. That’s why I like when people take a break in between school because you get to try it out.”

After Northwestern, Graham’s plan was to go to New York and become a journalist. However, that plan never came to fruition because 9/11 came right when Graham graduated from Northwestern. Instead, she entered the corporate world. “When I was in corporate, that’s when I was surrounded by all this business stuff,” Graham said. “Then I realized that if I wanted to bring my words into corporate more, I should understand business more.” This idea led Graham to get her Executive MBA at the University of Illinois, Chicago.

Graham has worked for many big-name companies including Expedia and Amazon. However, her most impressive endeavor has been starting her own company, “Unlock the Brain”, in 2021. Graham writes, “I launched Unlock to explore how brain science, psychology, and cognitive capacity can unlock our brains to improve our communications, productivity, and habits. Through interactive content, Unlock brings smart, simple solutions to busy individuals, companies, and universities on how to do fewer things better.”

Graham first learned to be an entrepreneur by being what she called an “intra-preneur”. “You do it within or on behalf of a company that you work for,” Graham explained. “I think a lot of people have an entrepreneurial skill set but are working in traditional roles or companies, so we don’t see it as an additional skill. It took a while for someone to come up with that intrapreneur idea that brings the innovation and creativity but within the dynamic of a traditional position. I really liked that because you have the stability of corporate and a paycheck, but you can also be disruptive.”

However, Graham eventually decided she wanted to do this to create a company of her own. “One of my favorite quotes is, ‘Leap and a net will appear.’ It’s all about faith,” Graham said. “Are you willing to be uncomfortable? That is absolutely what being an entrepreneur is about. But I have never felt more authentic and excited every day.”

When asked how she came up with the name “Unlock, Graham said, “I was out walking my dog one day and I literally saw the logo as it is today in my head. I think it was marinating and permeating in my brain for a bit kind of like popcorn before it starts popping.”

Because the business launched right after COVID, the idea of Unlock also took on a whole new meaning. “When everything seemed so restricted, there was something really liberating about the idea of Unlock,” Graham said.

The idea of “the hustle” is very important to Graham as well. “What shaped me (at LFC) was how hard I was willing to work for something,” Graham shared. “Once I got there, it was how hard I was willing to work to stand out. It’s really tempting to want to watch and observe and figure things out. Discomfort is where growth is. How uncomfortable you are. That can be negative experiences too.”

Graham would want you to know that her goal is to make it to all seven continents and she has two more to go. She would also tell you that she has run three half marathons and has jumped out of airplanes twice. These things are just as important to Graham as career successes because for her, experience and character growth is not all about work, but also life experience.

On January 22, 2023, several students from Lake Forest College attended the national women’s march, “National Mobilization on Madison—Bigger than Roe” in Madison, Wisconsin, a two-hour drive from campus.

“When I heard there was going to be a national march in Madison, there was no question. Our rights are on the line, other people's rights are on the line, so we need to go,” said Ari Collins, a sophomore at the college.

Several of these students, the majority of them members of the Delta Delta Delta sorority on campus, attended together. “We were all in the car and were excited. We were talking about our beliefs and how important we thought it was to be doing this,” said first-year Sydney Foulon.

The group was mixed about their activism experiences prior to the national march. Some had been to several marches prior to this one, but some had never been to any protests of any kind.

“My first women’s march was in October of 2021 in Chicago after coming to campus,” said Collins. “I also attended a rally in Charleston, South Carolina, in May 2022, and I attended another march this summer in July 2022 in Davenport, Iowa.”

On the other hand, first-year Grace Miller has a different background in activism. “I’ve always wanted to go to a march and thought it sounded really cool and something I should go to,” Miller shared.  “So, when Ari sent me the text, I said definitely because I thought it was a good way to go with people I know so that I'm not going alone.”

Sophomore Katherine Mikna’s first was a Women’s march in the Fall of 2022. “It was definitely a topic I cared about (before going to the march), but you don’t see the magnitude of it until you go to a march or a place where there are people with a common interest,” she said. “You can really see how passionate everyone is about it and it’s an emotional experience.”

The consensus of everyone who attended was that marches for things you care about evoke a feeling like no other. Sophomore Maggie Murphy did her best to share how she felt.

“I almost cried once. It was very… not overwhelming, necessarily, but touching I guess would be the word,” Murphy explained. “All these people chanting the same thing all at once and people being there for the same cause. It’s kind of like when you hear the national anthem and you get goosebumps.”

Seeing people all rally for the same cause was very reassuring and empowering for the women who went. Mikna commented that “It’s always cool to see people who have the same ideas about the same topic because it shows you that you’re not alone in your dissatisfaction with laws.”

Roe v. Wade getting overturned was also an extremely emotional experience for these students. Several of them shared their thoughts about the moment they found out about the supreme court decision.

“I knew that Roe v. Wade was threatened, but I didn’t think that it was actually possible for them to overturn it,” Collins explained. “I think I cried for four hours. It just felt like such an attack. I was naive, I thought that 2022 was a year where social progress was celebrated, but apparently not.”

Murphy shared that she was sitting in a children’s music class in Connecticut when she got the news. “I was with this little two-year-old girl, and I just thought, ‘Wow, her whole life has been decided by people who are going to be dead by the time she can start having children. I cried; it was very emotional.”

Foulon is originally from Toronto, Ontario. Moving to the United States after this decision has been a major change for her.

“Everywhere in Canada it’s legal to get an abortion,” she explained. “I remember the summer before I came here was the summer when abortion was banned in certain states. I remember thinking ‘Thank God, Illinois is fine’, but, if I was coming to a state where abortion was illegal, I don’t know what I would do. I wouldn’t really feel safe or represented.”

Upon arriving in Madison, the students met at a street corner and joined in with the march that had already begun. They were immediately immersed in the energy the protesters had created through the chants blasted through megaphones, signs held proudly in the air, and the marching band.

“I think the marching band was there just to get people hype,” said first-year Elise Kuiper. “It was uplifting and happy music.”

The students walked six blocks with their fellow protesters until they reached the Wisconsin State Capitol building, where the march ended. However, the protest did not end there.

Mikna believed that this location was a powerful choice. “It was very compelling to be in the actual capitol building because it’s where the actual laws are made,” she said. “Where actual government officials work.”

In the capitol building, the women’s march hosted three speakers. The one that stood out the most to all the students I talked to was Mx. T Clearwater, of Madison, from the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin.

“(She spoke about) Native American women having illegal adoptions,” Murphy told me. “That was what they tied it into which was interesting to hear. So, I left wanting to learn more about that.”

This group of students emphasized the importance of women’s rights for everyone. The slogan of the march was “Roe was the floor, not the ceiling”.

“I think it’s a powerful statement and it speaks on the fact that yes, Roe. V. Wade did protect the right to abortion, but it didn’t protect the right to abortion for everyone,” Collins shared. “Abortion was and is not very accessible to everyone, especially marginalized communities, so I think that slogan speaks to the fact that yes, we do need to re-establish Roe, but we also need to do more.”

The students who attended the march had several ideas about what students at LFC could do make a difference.

“I think people should be aware of how they can vote,” Mikna said. “Especially on a college campus, it can be hard because you’re away from home.” Murphy’s ideas were along the same line.

“Talk to your local political candidates,” she encouraged. “I know there are a ton of offices in Highwood and Highland Park.”

Lastly, Kuiper had the simplest, perhaps most impactful advice. “Talk about it. Care about it. Talk to your friends. If someone disagrees with you, be polite about it and try to come at them at an angle where you can make them understand the situation” 

“Roe v. Wade was established in 1973 and the fact that people were living under that for 50 years and now we have this huge step back, it’s just crazy to us,” Collins said. “We need to recognize that but also recognize that that’s why we went, because the fight’s not over.”

The popular social media site, Twitter, was launched in March of 2007 by former Google employees, Biz Stone and Evan Williams (Britanica). However, under new ownership, users are speculating that the platform may not get to celebrate its Sweet 16 next year.

After a lengthy saga of back and forth between Twitter and billionaire Elon Musk (which included Twitter suing Musk and Musk countersuing back), Musk purchased Twitter for $44 billion on October 8, 2022 (ABC News), setting in motion one of the craziest and most confusing undertakings of a company in history.

This change in ownership caused a mass exodus of Twitter employees. Musk reportedly gave all employees an ultimatum; Be prepared to work intensively for long hours or accept three-month severance pay and leave. It is estimated that Twitter has lost almost 4,000 employees just this month (CNN).

Why did Musk decide to make these extreme cuts? It is rumored that Twitter has not turned a profit for eight out of its last ten years. By cutting employees, Musk was taking the easiest route to cut expenses, but at potentially serious costs.

Musk has also eliminated all remote positions at Twitter, which has many disability activists fired up (Reuters.com). Since many disabled people are given accommodations to work from home because of their disabilities, this action seemed blatantly discriminatory to many. 

Many concerns have also been raised about the talent that the company has lost since Musks’ acquisition. Since the engineer and worker deficit the company has experienced, it has been reported that there have been multiple site outages, less control over misinformation, and an even greater profit loss than before of $4 million dollars a day (Wall Street Journal).

Twitter users also have new safety concerns due to the lack of people monitoring the site. People fear that hackers will have easier access to personal information and account information that could cause serious damage. This has caused many users that were previously very active on Twitter to delete their accounts.

In an attempt to revitalize Twitter, Musk also took the initiative to give users that were previously banned from their accounts for various reasons access to their accounts again. This action has also proved harmful for members of marginalized groups.

An example given by an analyst at BBC news is that Musk has granted access to accounts that were banned for misgendering trans people. By allowing inappropriate behavior such as this, Twitter is now a harmful place for trans people and anyone who is susceptible to hate speech that will now be allowed by Musk.

As the fear of bankruptcy looms over Twitter, Musk has also implemented a subscription system, “Twitter Blue”, that allows users who pay $7.99 a month to get a blue checkmark next to their account that was previously only given to celebrities and people who had at least some sort of importance.

Notably, author Steven King tweeted complaining about having to pay to keep his verification. Musk defended himself by tweeting back, “We need to pay the bills somehow! Twitter cannot rely entirely on advertisers. How about $8?”. He also followed up with another tweet that read, “I will explain the rationale in longer form before this is implemented. It is the only way to defeat the bots & trolls.”

In true Twitter fashion, users are having a riot with this whole situation. After Musk tweeted out, “Comedy is now legal on Twitter,” many users purchased a tick to make their account appear verified and proceeded to make Elon Musk parody accounts in response to his Tweet, saying outrageous things as Elon Musk.

This apparently crossed Musks’ line, as he quickly shut down the whole situation by, once again, tweeting, “Going forward, any Twitter handles engaging in impersonation without clearly specifying “parody” will be permanently suspended.” Comedy’s legality on Twitter seemed to be extremely short lived.

Only time will tell how long Musk’s rule on Twitter will last before the company goes bankrupt or there are no users left remaining on the platform. At this point, experts are speculating that it will not be much longer.

On September 8, I attended the campus forum for faculty, staff, and students in McCormick Auditorium. This forum was originally intended to discuss sexual misconduct at Lake Forest College and the school’s protocol. While this was a hot topic of the evening, in which newly inaugurated President Jill Baron and Dean of Students Andrea O’Connor answered students' questions on stage, the conversation shifted to many other issues facing the student body.

What stuck with me most after the forum was a student’s question that I had personally never considered: “The college continues to celebrate having its largest freshman class in history, but at what cost?”

I think we’ve all noticed the effects of the increased volume of students at the school this year, good and bad. While it is great to live in a growing community that continues to become more diverse and unique, the school does not seem to have the resources to accommodate this influx of residents.

The first change I noticed when arriving at campus this August was my room situation. Previously being home to two only students, the school managed to double the number of inevitable-splinter-causing desks and wardrobes they could fit into the room. Packing four people into a room meant for two people has definitely been a comfort downgrade from last year.

Several dorm lounges have also been turned into living quarters due to the over-enrollment of students as well. There are not enough rooms on campus to house the students admitted to the college.

However, I cannot say comfort is my only complaint. I must admit I have gotten used to my “cozy” space and have learned to live with my closet of a bathroom. However, it is difficult to grow accustomed to the sleepless nights I know myself and many others have had due to the lack of air conditioning in the school’s dormitories.

You may think, “Well, you only need air conditioning for about a month while you’re at school in Illinois.” You may be right, but the lack of modern technology is not the only temperature problem in the school’s buildings.

This semester, students on South campus have complained that their heaters have not been turned on / haven’t been working if they have been turned on. It is undeniable that not having heat is unacceptable in Illinois.

Basic resources in these buildings are either outdated or simply out of order. This past week, I went to the laundry room in Gregory to do my laundry to find that two out of four of the washers were out of order. The other two were in use. This is the laundry room for the whole building.

The next day, my roommate went to get her laundry out of the dryer and came back with her clothes still dripping wet. Especially when many other schools include the cost of laundry in tuition, the machines we pay to use should at least function.

Perhaps an even larger problem is the cafeteria. There is often a lengthy line, sometimes even 20 minutes just to get into the cafeteria, not even to get food. It is often a struggle to find a table, a fork, or even a bowl.

The students are aware that the Parkhurst Staff are extremely hardworking and doing the best they can, but the LFC cafeteria and the Parkhurst Dining Staff simply cannot physically handle the volume of students that will come to lunch between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on the daily.

In my own personal experience, there was a night I went to dinner at the cafeteria later than usual, and after about 15 minutes of wandering around the stations, there was no food to be found. The dishes were empty and the options lacking. No pizza, no salad ingredients, only a few could pieces of chicken and some crusty rice from the bottom of the dishes.

When the sticker price to live and study at LFC is $64,800, this should NEVER happen.

For years, students have complained about the lack of appointments with counselors available for mental health in the health and wellness center. If the school could not accommodate its students prior to over-enrollment, how will health and wellness meet the needs of their students this year?

I can only imagine the horror that will be class registration this year.

“Civility is the grease of democracy,” said the former Coloradan congressmember, David Skaggs, on his trip to Lake Forest College last month.

He was accompanied by another former congressmember, Arizonian Jim Kolbe. What was interesting about this pair? Skaggs served as a democrat and Kolbe served as a republican. However, they both believe that our country’s democracy is in grave danger.

Jackson Sawyer, a senior at LFC who was able to have dinner with the congressmen after their presentation, appreciated their dynamic.

“I thought it was cool that they could bounce off each other’s ideas,” Sawyer said. “They may have been from different parties, but their ideas were not entirely different.”

Their mission is simple- as a pair, they are looking to “Restore Civility in Washington D.C.”. They have travelled together to several college campuses to share their ideas with college students and faculty because they believe that our generation will be the one to undo the problems our parents created for us.

One of the main points that they made is that today’s congressmembers don’t spend their time in Washington. They believe that this is a problem because congressmembers are not building relationships with each other, so civility is a difficult thing to accomplish.

Clare Green, another senior at LFC who attended the dinner, was interested in this idea.

“I really liked their concept of having members (of congress) stay in D.C. throughout the month,” Green said. “I understand that it’s a problem that they don’t talk to each other because it’s so divisive right now. I think that their idea of building friendships, that could really help.” 

Skaggs shared an anecdote about how his wife and another congressmember’s wife (of the opposite party) became very good friends because both of their families lived in Washington D.C. What did this mean for Skaggs? He knew that if he was not civil with the congressman, he would be hearing about it from his wife.

However, this does not mean hard conversation should not be had. Green felt that one of the main things she learned from the congressmen is that hard political conversations should be had.

“Don’t shy away from hard conversations,” said Green. “I know that it’s hard because you don’t want to hurt people’s feelings or maybe lose a friend, but you have to come at it rationally and logically, and ultimately, you have to build foundations with people when you are disagreeing with them, so that it’s not like you’re attacking them, you’re just disagreeing.”

Another skill the congressmen emphasized as very important was listening and being able to receive criticism. This stuck with Sawyer.

“I think that the best points that they hit on is that no opinion is necessarily a wrong one, you just have to be able to back it up,” Sawyer said. “But more importantly, you have to be able to listen to others and be able to receive their criticism too. Otherwise, you won’t be able to refine your argument and improve it.” 

However, this does not just apply to Washington D.C. The congressmembers' final point was that it is important that this happens at all levels of humanity, including on our very own campus. Our generation are the next congressmembers and politicians, so perhaps if we build our civility now, we can change our political climate for the better.

As the children continue to read, the dogs' behavior begins to shift. The overwhelming barks begin to decrescendo as the dogs slowly make their way towards the glass of their cages and begin to lay down. After a few minutes, the only sound in the kennel is the sweet voices of the children reading their books aloud to their favorite dogs. It is observed that the riled-up dogs have done a full 180, some sleeping, and some even pushing their floppy ears up against the glass.

“My favorite part about going to see the dogs is that when I read to them, they go to sleep,” said Yamaries, a fifth grader in the program.

Lisa Swet, an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher at the Marion C. Seltzer school in Cleveland, Ohio, has been determined since 2019 to turn her dream into a reality. The kennel opened in 2018 just around the corner from the K-8 school, one of several in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District.

“I started reaching out to the kennel in 2018 when they opened,” Swet recalled. “They were very wary about kids coming, there was a lot of negotiation. I had seen a story on social media about somewhere in Texas where kids were doing that and I thought ‘Well, why can’t our kids do that?’”

Because CityDogs was not so convinced the program was a good idea at first, Swet decided she needed to prove herself and show how passionate she was about the program. “I started signing up to be trained to be a dog walker the summer of 2019 because I thought ‘I need to be here, I need to be familiar with the building and I need to show my face, so the manager and the staff knew I was serious about getting this program up,” Swet said.

Isabella Esler, a staff member at CityDogs, works closely with Swet to run the program. “I think we were a little bit nervous just thinking through the logistics, when we got started it was 2019 and it was pre-COVID,” Esler said. “There can be a lot of foot traffic from the public and volunteers getting dogs in and out, so we were trying to figure out where to put the kids, do we shut some areas down, and just making sure everyone would be safe and have a smooth experience, but I think we figured that out.”

The kennel only asks volunteers to commit to being at the kennel for two hours a month, but Swet is usually there for four hours a week. “In time, I learned to do some other tasks to help with the kennels, so I can clean kennels, I am now a trainer, and I also have mastered the art of google sheets, so I run the sign-up sheet,” Swet said. “I am currently training to learn how to be an adoption councilor, so that I can help match people with adoptable dogs. That part makes me a little nervous because it is a big responsibility, but I can try it.”

After 14 months of Swet proving herself and backing her idea with research, CityDogs Cleveland finally agreed to partner with Swet and get the program running. “Because it was a Cleveland Field Trip, we would be the ones responsible if anything happened because that was their only concern, the liabilities. There was a lot of fenagling and promising before we finally went in for our first visit in October 2019,” Swet said.

However, Swet had more leg work to do on the other end of the program; the kids. “I tell the kids that they have to be exemplary because if one of our kids does something wrong and somebody gets hurt, we won’t be allowed back,” Swet said. “It’s a big responsibility to make sure I take kids who are going to do the right thing. So far, we’ve been really good about that.”

Esler commented on Swet’s determination and passion for the program. “It was her brain child, she really did the leg work to design the program, train the kids, and work with us and into our schedule to figure out logistically what it would look like.”

When Swet was searching for students to be a part of her program, she was very selective and went through several steps to make sure she chose the best-behaved kids. She received 75 applications from students in grades two through five.

“What I do is go through the pile and sort [the applications] out and I talk to their homeroom teacher and both the administrators to see how they are when they’re in lunch or in music,” Swet explained. “Sometimes kids act differently when their regular teacher isn’t there. Sometimes if it’s close between two great kids, we’re not looking for kids with the highest grades, just students that are good kids. If there’s a kid who is already in four different things, we’ll pick a kid that maybe this is the only thing they get to do because it’s during school. But it’s very competitive.”

Out of the 75 applicants, Swet hand-picked 17 students, many of them English-language learners. “It’s a great opportunity for the kids to read and no one cares if you say the word wrong, so it’s a win-win,” Swet said.

Willenies, a third grade English-language learner in the program, always reads her favorite book to the dogs. “It’s called Sampo. It’s about a dog that teaches students. It has many chapters,” she said.

“It is a judgement-free zone,” Swet explained. “Beyond the fact that kids get to work on being familiar with dogs, because some of them have never met a dog, they get to build their confidence because it is a judgement-free way to read. They also get to read aloud, which is helpful to language learners who maybe don’t want to do that. They may be reading a baby book, but it doesn’t matter because they’re reading to the dog. The dog doesn’t care if you say the word wrong.”

Jedsael, a third grade English-language learner at Marion C. Seltzer, was one of Swet’s first applicants. “When they did the announcement and said you could read to dogs, I was like ‘Oo, I want to help the dogs to get adopted. I want to join,’” Jedsael said. “So, I applied and then they called me, and I was like ‘Oh my God!’ So, then I got to read to the puppies.”

The kids are very passionate about helping the dogs. “My favorite part about reading to the dogs is helping them get adopted,” said Nasir, a fifth grader at the school. “Some of the dogs I’ve read to have been adopted.” 

Swet, through her research, has learned a lot about the benefits of reading to dogs. “Dogs that are read to tend to get adopted quicker and its truly a stress reliever for dogs,” Swet said. “It gives them a little bit of enrichment. For a dog in Cleveland, where the majority of the dogs in the kennels are strays and we don’t know their history, this might be the first time someone was kind to them.”

Esler has watched over the years how the program has affected the dogs. “It's really cool to see, I think they really just enjoy the company, people talking to them, and to have something new and interesting to break up the day,” Esler said. “I definitely think there is a benefit for them.” 

This program has also helped the Kennel improve the image of CityDogs. “Whenever we get to share the pictures of the dogs and the kids on our social media, they always spread pretty widely,” Esler shares. “It helps to boost our program. It shows the public that we take care of these dogs, they have the potential to be family pets.”

However, the field trips are not the only thing that Marion C. Seltzer does to help the CityDogs kennel. “This year I really extended the program,” Swet said proudly. “This year we did a giving tree. I got a little Christmas tree and printed up pictures of the dogs and made them into ornaments, so if the children brought in an item of high need from the list from the kennel, they got to take home an ornament of a dog.”

Some other projects Swet has conducted through the school are letters from Santa from the point of view of the dogs. Students wrote these in hopes of getting the dogs adopted. They also had a K9 valentine drive. If kids brought in donations, they were given a dog-friendly valentine. For another donation drive, if kids brought in donations, they were given a raffle ticket and the chance to win CityDogs gear.

“I always want kids to know that you don’t have to have a lot, but you can always go and do something kind for an animal,” Swet commented. “Instead of buying candy or pop, buy something for the dogs at the dollar store. Our most generous families are probably the ones that have the least.”

This is what Swet believes sets this program apart from other programs that the inner-city school district offers. “Sometimes Cleveland kids show up to sing at a promotion or do something, and they’re kind of like props. I don’t want our kids to be props,” Swet said. “I want our kids to be active members of our local community.”

“Going in and reading to dogs helps them build their own confidence, but it also helps them build empathy. It helps them realize that there are other living beings out there and that they can make a difference,” Swet continued. “Sometimes our kids don’t feel very empowered so if you’re a language learner and you’ve been afraid of dogs, what a win-win for them.”

Esler, Swet, and the students in the program are gearing up to do their last visit of the school year this month. However, Swet is looking forward to the future of her program. “I would love to do a summer program where the parents could drop them off and I could be there,” she said.

Rating: 3/5

“WHO CARES,” is Alexander O’Connor, also known as Rex Orange County’s, fourth album. Being the first album released by Rex Orange County since 2019, fans, including myself, had extremely high hopes for this release.

This album contains about a 50-50 mix of easy-going love songs and self-deprecating songs about struggling with mental health. The most entrancing thing about this album is its orchestral instrumentals and piano intros and outros to almost all the songs.

The album opens with a very upbeat instrumental and we are introduced once again to Rex Orange County’s unique and alternative voice. “KEEP IT UP” has the classic message of feeling down but remembering to keep moving forward.

One thing fans are sure to be excited about is a Tyler the Creator feature in the song “OPEN A WINDOW.” This song is more staccato rather than the smooth orchestral instrumentals that flow through the whole album.

Many of these songs are very upbeat, which contrasts starkly with the tone of the lyrics. Rex Orange County is being known for singing very casually about depression and emotion, so this phenomenon is nothing unusual for veteran listeners.

Some of the main themes and emotions of the songs featured in this album include imposter syndrome, holding on through change, questioning self-worth and self-evolution, shame, and aspirations. These themes can be found in the lyrics of the songs “OPEN A WINDOW,” “WORTH IT” and “7 AM”.

Although these songs and themes are very on brand for Rex Orange County, I found them to be more shallow than previous songs. Poetic lyrics are a trademark for O’Connor and Dutch musician Benny Sings, the duo behind all the songs, but I felt this album fell short of his usual depth and emotion.

In particular, the more casual, “vibey” love songs seemed very basic and mainstream to me. In comparison to previous love songs by Rex Orange County such as Pluto Projector, Apricot Princess, and New House, the love songs on this album such as “AMAZING,” “ONE IN A MILLION,” and “SHOOT ME DOWN” remind me more of The Weeknd or something you would hear on the radio because of the relaxed, easy-going vibes.

The last song on the album, “WHO CARES” has more of a 90ish beat and takes a turn in message. After a whole album about love and emotions, O’Connor sings about not caring what others think. He expresses his hope for happiness in this song, leaving the album with a somewhat optimistic tone.

In general, this album seemed to be more people-pleasing than the raw and authentic emotion we have previously gotten from Rex Orange County. However, none of the songs were bad. These songs are often described as “bedroom pop” and I feel that is a perfect way to describe it.

Although I do not feel that this album is very memorable, the songs are very catchy and will get stuck in your head. Because of its generality, my rating is 3/5.

Teenagers all around the world are choosing TikTok as their social media platform of favor. TikTok has a wide array of content on the app but coming up on top as the genre of choice is food-tok. Trends from influencers, advertisers, and everyday people whose recipes went viral are influencing what viewers put in their bodies.

Sara Lopez, a freshman at Lake Forest College, can attest to the impact watching food videos on TikTok has had on her. “Food videos show up on my for you page very often, way too often,” she said in an interview. “I’ve tried lots of different things. I tried the pasta with feta cheese and tomatoes, I’ve made pasta salads, and I’ve tried different desserts like the cookie brownie.” This is very common story among college students, especially due to early quarantine, when trying new foods and recipes was something fun to do inside your house with siblings.

However, it is not just fun recipes that are broadcast to the 1 billion users on TikTok as of September 27, 2021, according to TikTok. Influencers post “What I eat in a day” videos displaying all the different meals and snacks they eat throughout the day. To get these videos noticed, influencers use #Whatieatinaday, which has 9.3 billion views as of November 2021. When asked her opinion on these types of videos, Lopez said, “It depends on which ones, Lexi Hidalgo eats a lot and encourages people to eat a lot and fill your body with what you need, but then there’s girls who only eat a salad and a granola bar and those are very discouraging.” Along with these types of videos, some influencers also share videos about their diets to attain a specific kind of body. In regards to these types of videos, Sara has had first-hand experience.

“I’ve tried fasting, which I saw on TikTok. I think it helped me. It was eating dinner at 6 and then not eating till 12 the next day. My family was not on the same schedule, so I stopped.” Lopez is not alone in experimenting with these different types of diets such as fasting, as it has become a big trend on college campuses, specifically among teenage girls.

Nutritionist at Lake Forest College, Kathy Salinger, has seen these diet trends in effect over her 13 years at the school. When asked about weight-loss diets from TikTok, she responded, “My thoughts are that it is very hard to maintain a diet that can work in the short term but is not sustainable. I advocate a well-rounded diet with all the food groups in moderation rather than going for one particular diet.” Many of these online diets give specific calorie numbers which are not designed for all body types and can be unhealthy for certain people. In regards to daily calorie recommendations, Salinger says, “It is totally dependent on how active they are and what their body mass is. We try not to focus on calories so much as healthy eating.”

New college students are often away from home for the first time and struggle with adjusting to new eating habits. “I recommend balanced food groups, try to eat a protein and a grain with each meal. A lot of time students that come in to see me only eat carbohydrates for breakfast and get very hungry soon after. I think everyone should add a protein to sustain themselves. There are extremes in diets on college campuses like junk food or very low calorie. It is ok to have a cheat meal, it’s hard for new college students to adjust to having access to food all of the time.” Salinger’s advice aligns with MyPlate, the U.S. department of Agriculture dietary guidelines for Americans which suggest including fruits, vegetables, grains, protein, and dairy in every meal. Even though mothers usually try to instill this in their children’s minds growing up, making their own food choices as they grow up may cause them to stray from this advice.

Parents have become aware of new food TikTok trends through their children’s newfound interest in cooking and perhaps some obscure items added to the grocery list. Alane Krumbine, mother of two teenage girls in Bay Village, Ohio, has experienced firsthand the effects of FoodTok on her kitchen. “I have very frequently seen my child create meals from TikTok. Keira (sophomore) did some sort of ‘world’s best Mac n Cheese thing’. She also did a rainbow crepe cake, and some sort of honey in a water bottle in a freezer so she could just pull it out and have a taffy kind of thing. When she tried it, she made everything sticky in my freezer.” But once again, we see that the content shared on TikTok food-wise is not all fun and games. On the content her child is viewing, she commented, “I have concerns that she’s getting the wrong messaging. If she clicks on a yummy recipe she might see something that encourages fasting or binging and purging.” Due to the vastness and diversity of content on TikTok, anyone can post anything that can reach just about anyone whether you have a platform or not. This concern is very plausible and has affected many teens in the past few years by creating stress and discomfort around eating and possibly even leading to eating disorders.

As with anything else we see on the internet, people will learn that you cannot trust everything on the internet. There are two sides to this coin of FoodTok, that can be a fun cooking activity or a dark spiral of eating habits. As one of the most common pieces of nutritional advice says: everything in moderation.

You are a student at Lake Forest College, which has one of the biggest advantages a school could have: proximity to Chicago. You’ve seen the bean, what else is there to do? Although the weather and current covid surge may prove difficult this winter, there are still many ways to take advantage of the city, explore, and make good memories. However, it may be wise to wait until the copious COVID cases drop before enjoying these activities.

1.     Skating in Millenium Park

Going to school in the Midwest is a guarantee for many winter experiences, so why not take advantage of the conditions and go ice skating! Millennium Park is found in the heart of downtown Chicago and can be easily accessed by a Metra ride and a quick walk at Millenium Park Ice Rink, located at 11 Michigan Ave Chicago, IL 60601. Skating underneath the Bean with your friends is a great memory to make and get exposure to the city. Due to the outdoor nature of the park, this is a more Covid-friendly activity. The rink is open through March 6 and has free admission. An online reservation is required, which you can make at

https://millenniumparkiceskating.showare.com/

. Rental ice skate prices are $13 Monday through Thursday and $15 Friday through Sunday and holidays. Including a Metra ticket, this experience should total around $25.

2.     Sporting Events

If you are a sports fan, the United Center is the place for you. Located at 1901 W Madison St, Chicago, IL 60612, they are the home of the Chicago Bulls NBA team and the Chicago Blackhawks NHL team. Currently, the Bulls have a record of 27-14 and the Blackhawks have a record of 15-18. The United Center also requires proof of vaccination and mask wearing at all times. Typically, the cheapest tickets to a Bulls game are around 32 dollars plus ticket fees. They are available for purchase on the Bulls website: https://www.nba.com/bulls/tickets/individual. Blackhawk tickets start around $20 plus ticket fees, available for purchase on the Blackhawk website: https://www.nhl.com/blackhawks/tickets/single-game-tickets. Including a Metra ticket, for a Bulls game the total would be around $50. A Blackhawks game would total around $40.

3.     Shopping on Michigan Avenue

If retail therapy is your thing, Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago will look like heaven. The “magnificent mile” has over 450 retailers, including big brand names such as Patagonia, UGG, Nike, Zara, Vans, and Disney. Practically any clothing store you can think of can be found on Michigan Ave. Although mask wearing is required and some stores do monitor store capacity, there are always large groups roaming the stores of Michigan Avenue. If you are just interested in window shopping and people watching, your only expense will be the $10 Metra ticket. Otherwise, the total cost of this experience is in your hands. (https://www.themagnificentmile.com/shopping/)

4.     Navy Pier

If you just can’t take another day of the Chicago cold, the indoor option of Navy Pier is a good escape. One of the biggest tourist attractions in Chicago, Navy Pier holds a multitude of activities such as shopping, restaurants, rides, and special events. Some of the featured restaurants at Navy Pier include Billy Goat Tavern, Giordano’s, Garrett’s popcorn, Margaritaville, and I Dream of Falafel. Rides include a carousel ($9) and the Centennial Wheel ($18), the famous Ferris wheel. To check out what free public events are coming up, go to: https://navypier.org/events-and-public-programs/free-events-and-public-programs/. Navy Pier requires proof of vaccination and mask wearing. Similarly to shopping on Michigan Avenue, the total cost of Navy Pier is up to you, excluding a $10 Metra ticket.

5.     Field Museum

Chicago is home of the Field Museum, one of the world’s most famous and largest Natural History museums. The Field Museum is most known for SUE, the largest and most complete T-Rex ever discovered. According to the museum’s website, the museum holds over 40 million artifacts and specimens. The museum also hosts travelling exhibitions, so there is always something new to see. For an out of state adult, general admission tickets are $26 dollars. However, with your student ID, there are discounts available when presented in person. Some of the museums current ticketed exhibitions that cost extra are “Wild Color”, “Biomechanics: The Machine Inside”, “Cyrus Tang Hall of China” and “Underground Adventure”. For more information on any of these exhibitions, visit: https://www.fieldmuseum.org/exhibitions. The Field Museum also requires proof of vaccination and mask wearing. For a general admissions experience, the total cost will be around $36, including a Metra ticket.

6.     Sledding at soldier field

Although sledding may seem elementary, I guarantee the rush and childish joy will make for an afternoon of fun with your friends. The hill at Soldier Field, the iconic stadium and home of the Chicago Bears, is 30 ft. tall and 220 ft. steep for an exhilarating drop and guaranteed speed. It is located at 1410 Special Olympics Dr, Chicago, IL 60605 and is an easy Metra/CTA ride away. Another outdoor activity means that you can remain social distance and be more Covid-friendly. The only thing you need is a sled, which you can find on Amazon for around $20. Including a Metra ticket, this experience should total around $30. (https://www.chicagoparent.com/things-to-do/outdoors/sledding-hills-chicago/)