I had been so focused on the things surrounding my life that I didn’t stop for a second to focus on my surroundings, and how close I was to the edge. Each step taken after the other had no change to the naked eye. But slowly and surely the dirt beneath my feet was becoming more undone each time my foot hit the floor.

I was like a diamond ring flushed down a septic pipe that came out the other end somehow still pristine.

Over the past year or two, however, I have become extremely aware of how little the public education system actually taught me. A lot of what I have learned has come from my own curiosity.

Logic is the police to the crime of feeling too strongly. It’s just that the police used to take forever to get there, unfortunately, and sometimes still do.

Welcome to Azam’s literary scrapbook. While most photo albums consist of pictures, this scrapbook will be full of words. It’s not quite a diary, although in appearance it may read like one. Here remain calculated entries of memories, adolescent lessons and human experiences translated into literary meaning. There is no other place to begin such a series than with someone I know who has been there for it all. For me, she ties many loose threads together. In life friends often

It’s January, again. And in all honesty, this one may bore you. I thought it would be a great idea to return to my column this new semester and reflect on how far I’ve come and figure out where I want to go from here.

The following poem is one of many reflections and feelings that I had during my academic process. This article “The Academic Cliffhanger, My Letters from the Edge” may continue to be a miniseries of my reflections through letters and poems. The 10 Stages of My Numbness: I wear a dreaded face and walk with it on I look like a zombie, I'm turning into one I can't feel anymore, what if I bit off my tongue? Listing all my stages of becoming numb Two things I lost, work ethic and

This is a picture of a bank built in 1866 in Danbury, Conn. Compare that to a modern bank, say, your local M&T or Wells Fargo. Perhaps those modern buildings are more practical and efficient, but I cannot stroll past a brick building like this Danbury bank and not appreciate its charm with its rows of lined brick with a golden clock and adorned arches above the windows. Someone might bring up the obvious point that buildings like this cost more to create in materials and de

Photo by Emily Ranquist: By: Lynelle Fernandez When I was in high school, I took five Advanced Placement (AP) courses that transferred as credit when I enrolled in college. Having 15 credits before my first semester meant I was able to graduate in three and a half years instead of the usual four. Although I’ll finish classes this December, I will attend Commencement with the rest of my senior peers next May. This should be great news. Why am I not excited? There are plenty of

I never thought of myself as a good writer. I grew up in an artistic family, so people assumed I was naturally creative, naturally talented and naturally capable of anything in that world. My house was full of love, but it was also full of expectations. Expectations that always, somehow, pointed to me.

Photo by RDNE Stock project on Pexels If there’s one thing this Thanksgiving taught me, it’s that some family members have a time limit for how long they’ll show they love you. There’s a sweet spot. Family members will love you no matter what if you’re part of two specific age ranges: young children or the elderly. When you’re young, people adore you because you’re so cute, naive and full of energy. It’s okay to act out because you still have time to grow. When you’re a senio

Sometimes it takes a shift, or a change. Sometimes, it takes a new environment. For me, it took a trip. That’s right, it took me a trip to Baltimore to finally get my question answered. Maybe I couldn’t find the answer because I wasn’t asking around, but that’s just because I thought that the answer would have come from within. Ever since my drive and work ethic had changed toward my academics, I’ve been asking myself why did the change happen? What is so different about this