I felt pangs of anxiety throughout my body as we stepped down the muddy hill toward the river community. As I clenched the plastic bag in my hand that was filled with hygienic supplies for the townspeople, my mind was racing with questions. I didn’t understand how the country of Costa Rica could let her people be living this way. Tiny shacks lined a rushing riverbank, one after the other. Scraps of metal and pieces of garbage appeared to...

The most enticing feature of Columbia is the chance to play volleyball. My whole life has been dedicated to honing my skills as a player while at the same time staying a strong student. Columbia not only offers academic extravagance but also a volleyball team on the rise with a great coaching staff and fun and motivated players. I had the opportunity to spend a weekend with the team and sit in on their practices. They were eager to treat...

Books read for pleasure in the past year One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Twilight series, Harry Potter series, Mary Higgins Clark novels, Kite Runner, The French Lieutenant’s Woman, On Fortune’s Wheel, Pride and Prejudice, Little Women, Water for Elephants Required reading most enjoyed in last year Hamlet, The Death of the Heart, Frankenstein, The Voyage of Argo, Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre, The Road from Coorain, The Power and the Glory, Fools of Fortune, A Yellow Raft...