By Brandon Koo ` Dec. 12, 2025 Emma Wang Art “Stay positive!” The screen flashes as the teacher monotonously reads off the Seven Mindsets slides. A student scrolls through TikTok under the table, and another races through his math homework. The Social and Emotional Learning Program, founded by author Daniel Goleman, created the Seven Mindsets curriculum and new Monday mental health activities to improve mental health and community, yet, for many students, it coll

By Melvin Najarian Dec. 12, 2025 Senior folklore claims that the final step of the admissions process involves a dramatic drumroll and an admissions officer sitting back in a large brown leather chair, flipping a two-sided coin: “Accept” on one side, “You are Not Welcome” on the other. Of course, no established university operates this way, but to many students, it sometimes feels like they might. The truth is, admission outcomes reflect less randomness; what feel

By  Srihita Madiraju  Dec. 11, 2025 Catherine Nguyen Art Although social media claims to be a space for self expression and individuality, it can often do the exact opposite. Platforms such as TikTok and Instagram have become breeding grounds for stereotypes that categorize users into narrow labels, ridiculing certain sets of behaviors or traits or dictating how people should act. When taken to the extreme, these harmful nicknames can cause self-censorship and th

By Ayush Deshpande Nov. 12, 2025 Nakshatra Arun Art On Sept. 30, over 800 generals and admirals, constituting the most important of America's military leadership, left their posts from around the world to gather in an auditorium at Marine Base Quantico. However, the speech that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth gave was far from the crucial address the officers had flown thousands of miles to hear. Masquerading as a call to defend the nation, Hegseth furthered hi

By Winston Chu Nov. 12, 2025 Leona Hung Art Halfway through a university lecture at Texas A&M, a student silently takes out her phone. As the professor projects a gender unicorn graphic to discuss gender identity, expression and sexuality, the student makes her move—pressing record, she exclaims, “I am not entirely sure this is legal to be teaching, because according to our president, there are only two genders.” After a brief back-and-forth, the professor asks

By Srihita Madiraju Nov. 12, 2025 Kira Yoshioka-Gutierrez Art The clock reads two-thirty in the morning. A half finished practice test, an unopened Quizlet and an unrevised essay glare through the computer screen beside drained energy drink cans. The following week, just like any other, brings multiple AP assessments, project due dates, college application deadlines, extracurricular commitments and sports practices while running on excess amounts of caffeine and a

By James Yu Nov. 12, 2025 Emma Wang Art Fire doesn’t discriminate. It ravages everything in its path: good or bad; rich or poor. It’s fitting then that for better or worse—and I’d say worse—revolutionaries in Nepal have employed fire’s wrath as a weapon against the country’s deeply embedded inequality. On Sept. 8th, protests led by the youth in Nepal, which for decades has been dominated by the same three corrupt political parties, toppled the political establi