I walk in and take a deep breath, catching the smell of roasted coffee beans as it tickles my nose. With no time wasted, I beeline towards the queue for coffee that has formed in front of my eyes. Soon it’s my turn to order. Immediately, I realize something is different—the barista at the cash register is unfamiliar. I know all the baristas here, so who is this man? I sneak a peek at the nametag: Peter. His...

I didn't realize how much the mere presence of a person can be comforting until I became a trained active listener on 7 Cups of Tea, an online counseling platform. Being an active listener means that I have the ability to chat with people seeking counseling by purely helping them articulate their feelings, not by giving them advice. Being an active listener is not about treating diagnoses, but instead about giving people an outlet to talk about their worries and fears...

8:40 AM—time for class. For the last time, I walk into my classroom full of tiny, screeching third graders. I had spent the previous two weeks teaching obnoxious little kids. Their nonstop mischievousness had me begging on my knees at the end of each day, pleading to somebody, anybody, that I would not have to spend another day dealing with devil children. Sure, I had shared many fun memories with them, but part of me was grateful I would not...

Music is my creative outlet. Playing music, listening to music, analyzing music, you name it-every aspect of music fosters my creative expression. There is something so beautiful about music that transcends time and space, unlocking an infinitude of possibilities for inspiration. I started playing music when I was seven. What I love about playing music is that it is open to interpretation, giving me a platform to tell a story. The plain notes come to life in whichever way I...

As usual, my family and I were watching NBC Nightly News while eating dinner. I was contentedly chewing my food, when suddenly I heard Lester Holt declaring the death of Oliver Sacks, world-renowned neurologist. I stopped mid-chew. Although I knew nothing about neurology at the time, anything brain-related is captivating to me, so I made a mental note to search him up later and resumed my chewing. What unraveled that evening was an all-nighter dedicated to reading works by Oliver...

"I'm going to die before I finish college." I used to tell myself this all the time. In my depression and anxiety-ridden brain, this recurring thought became an excuse to slack off. I did the bare minimum required to do well in school, I stopped practicing piano and violin as often because I didn't think it was important. I grew uninterested in learning, seeing no benefits of knowledge. I shut myself off from my friends and family, existing in a...

Standing alone onstage with the unspoken purpose of performing to impress has never appealed to me. Yet in the cutthroat competitiveness of the music world, where exquisite playing is necessary for success, it seems as if there is no choice but to stand underneath the spotlight. This spotlight mentality came along for the ride when I signed up for orchestra as a freshman. We spent the whole year preparing furiously for orchestra competitions, so when I became feverish on the...