Conversations With Mom It's the first day of ninth grade. I'm nervous, yet excited, about what high school has to offer. Will there be new challenges? Will my visual mind be stimulated by previously unknown topics and keywords? World history starts with the early humans, known for stone tools and cave drawings. In class, I seriously wondered how these people first conceived the concept of art, when the concept didn’t even exist yet. I imagined prehistoric cave dwellers in...

I wake up early with a clear view of the snow-covered campus outside of my House lounge window. Bundling up in a thick coat, scarf, and mittens, I head out to my morning seminar, trekking through the Gothic winter wonderland. The desks are in a circle as classmates and professor engage in invigorating discussion, ask deep questions, and share answers from diverse perspectives. Professor Paul Soreno radiates his passion for dinosaur science, and I begin to share a similar interest....