Charlie Kiernan says the students, some of them his friends, would point their fingers like a gun at him and yell,“Hands up, don’t shoot.” Kiernan, class of 2017, would say, “Oh, you got me,”...

As May’s Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month comes to a close, there’s no better time to reflect on the many ways the month has transformed my life. Or rather, the lack of ways. I...

As an American Hindu growing up in the United States, my faith and my identity have gone hand in hand. Living in San Ramon, and seeing hundreds of other kids who are like me has definitely helped me feel...

As late May approaches each year, we grow closer to a day of remembrance, honor, and pride—Memorial Day. Beginning in the late 1800s, Americans have remembered the millions of lives lost in battle for...

India is in the midst of a devastating COVID-19 crisis, and any words used to describe it fall short of the horrific reality that millions of Indians are witnessing. The uncontrollable nature of this second...

Over the past year, Instagram changed from a platform for social media to a platform for social change. Hashtags like #blackouttuesday encouraged Instagram users to spread awareness about racism and police...

Following a year of xenophobic rhetoric and racially charged attacks, the Asian American community has faced a terrifying increase in violence. Stop AAPI Hate is a coalition dedicated to tracking reports...

While politics and school are generally able to be kept separate, history education blurs the lines between education and political beliefs. This crossover is what makes the lack of bias in history instruction...

Last year, I wrote an article about how beauty standards impact teenagers in their day-to-day lives. A lot has changed over the course of that year, but the images that follow me from the cover of magazine...

What is mutual aid? Mutual aid was a term coined and popularized by philosopher Peter Kropotkin in his magnum opus, a 1902 essay collection entitled “Mutual Aid: A Factor of Evolution.” But what...

I remember my first encounter with the Pledge of Allegiance. A five-year-old Sage sat cross-legged before her Kindergarten teacher. The woman sounded out each line; the class recited. Could we even pronounce...

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, I had no idea how different my life would become. I didn’t expect classes to remain online for the rest of the school year, and I certainly didn’t expect the normalization...

This third part of the series, We Will not be Your Yellow Peril, covers the unique threats facing Asian American women, and the role that media, specifically entertainment media, has played in creating...

Translation available below Los estadounidenses tienen fama de sentirse el centro de la tierra, algo que es evidente en ciertos términos populares. Usamos los idiomas para expresarnos, comunicarnos...

Two years ago, I, along with countless other Armenians, stood in front of Congressman Adam Schiff. As he walked onto the stage, the crowd immediately became silent, but we continued to keep our flags raised,...

In May of 2017, a 20-year-old woman took five shots of vodka and prescription pills outside a bar in Minneapolis, Minn. As the young woman stood outside with her friend, a man with the last name of Khalil...

There was once a little girl obsessed with the Disney movie The Little Mermaid. Though lacking in red hair and a tail, Ariel was reflected in her through curiosity: the defining trait of the princess and...

A year without Patrick: It’s an unreal sentence to write. On Mother’s Day last year, only a couple of days after he passed, I met with Patrick Roemer’s mom, Fronzie, who agreed to share her first...

In mid-April, following the police shooting of Daunte Wright and the ongoing Derek Chauvin trial, journalists covering protests in Brooklyn Center were assaulted and detained by police officers. They showed...

The human body naturally reacts to the environment it’s in. When we’re relaxed, our muscles untighten, our breathing slows, and we emotionally feel like we can take on the world. When we’re stressed,...

Labels aid in categorization, based upon what are, more often than not, surface level attributes and assumptions. Practically every person, place, or thing can fall under a label for better or worse. And...

In the extended essay, "A Room of One’s Own", writer Virginia Woolf makes a claim that even if William Shakespeare had a sister who was “as adventurous, as imaginative, as agog to see the world as he...

An 84-year-old man was killed in San Francisco. A 55-year-old woman was left unconscious after an attack in Oakland. A 61-year-old man was slashed across the face on the subway in New York, left unable...

Every year, my family and I load up our car with freezer bags and make the one hour trek to Carrollton to stock up on Japanese food. The bulk of our haul is done at H Mart, a Korean supermarket, where...

This year, roughly 4 million Americans turn 18. They will be free to become their own person, chase their dreams, and start their lives.  But will they get the chance?  Going out into the world...

“God can’t bless sin.”  This is how the Vatican responded when asked if the Catholic clergy have the authority to bless same-sex marriages. When this message was announced on March 15, Catholics...

Gunfire echoes as screams flood through the streets. Confusion and chaos surround the scene as eight victims lie wounded. That event happened in March. On Tuesday, May 18, the U.S. House of Representatives...

When we think about what defines Asian Americans, usually a couple of key traits will stand out: hard-working, well educated, on a path to Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) or professional...

Photo Credits: Ted Eytan from Washington, DC, USACC BY-SA 2.0 Music Credits: Royalty-Free Music from Bensound This story was originally published on Scot Scoop News on May 4, 2021.

My grandfather has this joke. It’s most likely not his and I can’t remember exactly how to tell it, but it goes something like this: “A Chinese man, a Russian man, a Turkish man and an Armenian man...

This article represents a response to this other Best of SNO story.  First and foremost, I’m not writing this response because I’m a Tower blogger or member of the Masters community, but because...

The labels associated with the Asian American community are fraught and ever changing. At times we are the so-called “model minority”: a role model of success and diligence, and at other times, we...

I hate Mother's Day. A day dedicated to honoring the mother of a family. A day where teenagers post collages on their Instagram stories praising them for all they do. A day where families dress up, go...

I am angry. I am fed-up. I am offended. But most of all, I am exhausted. I am tired of being called sensitive when I tell non-Jewish people that Holocaust jokes aren't comical. I am tired of being told...

In 1986, Jeanne Clery applied and was admitted to Lehigh University; she was painfully naive of the culture of sexual assault found on its storied campus. During that same year, a classmate of Clery’s...

To listen to this story, click on the box to the left.  Dear Reader, My name is Akhila Gunturu. That’s 13 letters total. Six and seven in English, three syllables each in Telugu. A-khi-la....

What does it mean to be Asian American? I got the technical aspect down cold (an American of Asian descent), but I’ve spent 16 years struggling with the details. Must I be a straight-A student or speak...

When you get to Austin, keep heading down Guadalupe Street towards West Campus until you hit a small white building with purple accents; and unlike the rest of Austin, actually decent parking availability. As...

Let's face it. Social media is awful. It is clear that social media is a huge part of most people’s lives. Sure, it connects people from all over the globe in a place that spreads ideas, delivers...

"That's so OCD of me." "I feel sad; my depression must be kicking in." "Haha, I just had a mental breakdown." "Are they psychotic?" "That's so crazy." Terms that describe or are related...

Don’t judge a book by its cover. An age-old adage passed down between generations and the moral of countless children’s books, this lesson is ingrained in our minds from the day we can comprehend...

America is obsessed with youth. We fund billion-dollar industries that help people cling to their younger days through Botox, cosmetic surgery, hair dye and retinol. In 2019, we spent almost 17 billion...

The month of May is recognized as Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. With the recent rise of hate and racism targeted towards the AAPI community, now, more than ever, we need to come together...

Misinformed opinions on social media are fanning the flames of antisemitism, as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict escalates once again.  In recent days, tension has risen in Israel for a host of reasons,...

As the older sibling to a brother with mild-to-severe Down Syndrome, I’ve come to be acquainted with the techniques that are used to help teach the cognitively disabled. Despite my basic knowledge on...

Derek Chauvin was found guilty on April 20 for the murder of George Floyd. While Chauvin being put behind bars is a necessary step in addressing police brutality, it’s not enough just for guilty police...

To Foster Perseverance, Look To The Past Christa Katsenes' life struggles are full of lessons for young people today, and she demonstrates the importance of perseverance, courage, and kindness. Enter keywords ...

Being the child of immigrants is amazing, until it’s not. We have twice the culture, twice the languages and twice the cuisines. But we also have twice the expectations and twice the gatekeepers. A gatekeeper...

They say a picture paints a thousand words, but I’m beginning to believe that no amount of words can do justice to what I have to share. As I gaze around my dimly lit bedroom, the trinkets and troves...

A new trend has arisen. One that is neither dancing nor pet related. It mocks sexuality and identity. TikTok user Kyle Royce made a video in early March claiming to be “super straight,” a new...