Before I even started school, my favorite books to read were the Berenstain Bears stories. The adventures of those four bears and their interactions with the world around them—“Bear Country,” it was called— helped to shape my childhood. But the extent of the Bears’ influence on me during these developmental years wasn’t quite clear until I sat down to write this essay. Specifically, this influence came in the shape of one Queenie McBear. Here’s how her story...

English has always been my favorite subject. I eagerly take on essays and timed writings, and often finished reading assignments well before they’re due. My grades in English reflect that I excel in that subject, but when asked if I had a creative talent I used to always answer “no, not really”. Because I’m not great at drawing, singing, or playing an instrument—all of these being what I saw as “proper” artistic talents—I never considered my...

I never thought I’d be teaching a class as a high school student, but becoming the Editor in Chief (E.I.C.) of my school’s student-run magazine entailed exactly that. While my freshman self didn’t join with the goal of E.I.C. in mind, I was always aware of the unique leadership styles demonstrated by each senior in the position. When applications for next year’s leadership positions opened in my junior year, I went in...

When I enter the darkroom, I’m meet with the strong smell of chemicals that seep out of the still blackness. At first, the sulfur from the “fixer”—a solution of thiosulfate salt used to fix images on paper—is an almost offensive scent, but it slowly grows on me as I go through the familiar motions of developing photographs. The room is quiet, save for the soft ripples of water that are stirred up as I cycle my print...

As a 10 year old, the thing that terrified me the most was going to sailing practice. Each Friday night I tried my best to feign a stomach bug, strep, or anything that would allow me to stay home, but without fail I found myself walking into the sailing center each Saturday morning. I wasn’t scared of the ocean itself, or even of sailing; rather, it was the fact that practices consisted of me, alone in a small boat, fending...