EVERY HOOFPRINT

I vividly remember my mom telling me to flip my head over and applying Aussie Sprunch Spray in my hair when I was a kid. I had brown ringlets with blonde highlights because my mom would also spray Sun-In all over my curls. Everyone called me Shirley Temple and people with naturally straight hair would tell me that they wish they had mine. I felt the same exact way. All I ever wanted was their hair. You can only brush curly hair when it’s wet, or else you’d look like a circus

As the world recovered from the Covid pandemic, the West Haven Veterans Hospital allowed 25 youth volunteers back into the building in the summer of 2022. I was one of them, three years ago. All masked up at the tail end of the pandemic, I initially got the gig to get community service hours for my high school. I eventually racked up about 130 hours that summer. Most of the patient escort job involved waiting for elevators, sitting at the front desk and taking phone calls, pu

An open letter to the campus community, by Sheraud Wilder, President of the Gamma Alpha Tau Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., I, Sheraud Wilder , would like to thank Patch Bowen for allowing me to speak on my thoughts as a student leader on campus. Individuals like Patch fuel my drive to speak out against the injustices faced by students and minority communities. They have these platforms to share the message and our voice for something greater. In my four years as

Pawfluencer Pip Iguana Pinto is making headlines again after trying the men’s litterbox at Pinto Tower. “It’s new and stainless steel. Mine’s plastic. Sexist,” she says. Known for viral antics like licking PetSmart treats without paying, Pinto isn’t phased by fame. When paparazzi appeared, she flashed her middle paw pad. “I want movies, shows, a podcast—everything,” she declares. Asked about Grumpy Cat, she shrugs: “Who?” There’s only one Pip—and she’ll pee wherever she wants

Resilience isn’t something you’re born with—it’s a choice. It’s the mindset that keeps you standing when life tries to knock you down. Being resilient means knowing your strengths, controlling your emotions, and adapting when things fall apart. Even the smallest effort—the mustard seed of “I won’t quit”—can carry you through. It’s not about being perfect; it’s about refusing to give up, no matter how hard it gets.

I’ve decided my life is a sociological experiment run by a bored grad student in heaven. My schedule defies logic; my coffee intake defies science. People say I’m “high functioning,” but really, I’m 47% competent, 38% guessing, and 15% strategic nodding. I am not a person—I am a concept powered by caffeine and chaos.

I wandered through a world of noise,  Where silence used to scream.  Each echo told a tale undone,  Each shadow held a painful wound. My heart longs for belonging and safety. The faces I pass blur into one endless crowd. Everyone seemed to know who they were and where they were supposed to be. Here I stood still, unable to move a muscle. Letting the world rush past me, wondering whether I will learn to move like them. In the end, the noise never became familiar. I remained a

It’s 2:19 a.m., and the world is quiet—the kind of quiet that makes you hear everything. In that silence, I start thinking about the person I am when no one’s watching. Not the version people see, but the one who exists without pretending. The one who feels everything, questions everything, and just… is. Maybe that’s who we really are—the quiet version we meet in the dark when the noise fades. And for now, that feels like enough.

It all began on September 9 at 8 p.m., when I discovered what I thought was a leak in my bathroom ceiling. Standing in a puddle with wet socks, I looked up—only to meet the beady gaze of a squirrel peering through the air vent and politely introducing itself by peeing on my freshly cleaned floor.

Throughout human history, people have always been curious about stories involving ghosts, spirits and the supernatural. Cultures around the world have their own version of these tales and stories of the unseen that linger between life and death. A ghost is often described as the soul of a person who died but can’t move on for some reason. Sometimes they appear like shadows or figures, other times they are heard through noises, whispers or footsteps.

It’s 1:38 a.m., and outside my window the wind sways softly, making the trees sound like they’re whispering. In the dim glow of the screen, my mind drifts past this house and this world, reaching for the edges of reality where the multiverse might begin.

When I first met you, it was the kind of unexpected meeting we read about in romantic books.  It was never about looks.  It was the way...