Grades are coming out soon and it always reminds me of how fragile happiness can be. Of course you recover, but getting a bad grade, especially after you feel you’ve worked really hard, is deflating. It can kill ambition and knock the wind out of your sails—if you let it.

Have you…

“Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting a few drops on yourself.”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

I just happened to stumble upon this quote this morning and it just said something to me. Ralph Waldo Emerson happens to be one of my favorite poets.

My roommate shared…

Ever since the beginning of senior year, there has been a mantra that I’ve taken with me wherever I go.

“Finish Strong.”

I suppose our English teacher was trying to protect us from the oh-so-contagious senioritis. She reminded us that we had to be resilient no matter where we were in our lives. With her, there was no such thing as textbook trauma or the classroom coma—you should be present…

After visiting Washington D.C., I can safely say that Abraham Lincoln was by far my favorite president.  As much as I admire George Washington, John F. Kennedy, and many other great presidents, I think Lincoln had a phenomenal sense of courage and hope that was outstanding for his era. As difficult as it was to start our nation, it was even more difficult to keep it together.…