On October 31, 2012, I voted for the very first time. I was so excited I chose to do it the long way selecting each candidate instead of a straight party ballot. I even saved the neat little sticker with the Presidential seal and the year on it. I knew that the fact that I [...]

Diary of a College Graduate: The End of a Five-Year JourneyFor the past five years, I have been a college student majoring in Spanish and minoring in Education. This May, my journey ended because I finally graduated and received my Bachelor of Arts at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). Looking Up to a [...]

I was sexually assaulted by my father’s brother when I was eight years old.  I didn’t understand what he was doing to me at the time.  It wasn’t until I was a sophomore in high school that I told someone.  My secret was out FINALLY.  My family’s reaction was not what I expected.  They said [...]

Growing up my life has been a little different from the lives of others. I’ve grown up with a loving mother, a caring father, and a very special sister. We live in complete happiness and fight almost all the average day to day tasks that everyone else faces. What makes my life so different? My [...]

“We are going to live in El Paso in one month,” my mom told me one night in May. It was my senior year of high school and my mom decided to come move to the border town of El Paso, Texas from my hometown of Chihuahua, Mexico.  One night in May, they tried to kidnap [...]

Name: Edilsa Lopez Age: 21 Hometown: Born in Guatemala There’s nothing ordinary about Edilsa Lopez. An accomplished and heavily involved college student, Edilsa has had to endure struggles that few college students face. Arriving undocumented to the U.S at the age of 12 from her native country Guatemala, Edilsa learned a new language and adapted [...]

Guadalupe Dill was just 16 when she became pregnant with her first child, Ashley. Guadalupe’s parents divorced when she was just four-years-old. In a family of seven living brothers and four sisters, she was the second youngest of the twelve. Soon after Guadalupe’s father left the house, her Mother’s partner moved in and tried to [...]

Editor’s Note: The following is a two-part reading of diary excerpts from a German student, Josi, who came to live in Austin, Texas as part of a student exchange program. This type of international program allows high school students to live in a foreign country for a semester or two. Usually, there are organizations that [...]

There are times when I look at the Bible and cry because I know that lesbianism isn’t what you want for me. There’s times when I just cry because I know you may hate me for it. I know you want me to be a happy girl. I know you want me to grow up [...]

January 16 Yesterday was a week since I’ve had a cigarette. Dude, I screwed up! If I wouldn’t have cheated on smoking, it would have been almost four months and a week. It’s so hard to quit. Any smoker that’s tried to quit can probably relate to me. It’s not as easy as it seems. [...]