April 10, 2024, TCC The Collegian

The TCC community stopped in its tracks April 8 as the moon passed over the sun, darkening the sky over crowds of cheering viewers.

At TCC, all campuses hosted a viewing party for those who were interested in seeing the eclipse. Though some were concerned about the weather, everyone across the district had the opportunity to watch the moon slowly crawl across the sun.

“This was a once in a lifetime opportunity and I'm glad that I was able to experience it. The last eclipse was

pretty cloudy so I wasn't able to witness it fully,” TR student Robert Williams said. “Today was spectacular and to be in Texas made it more special because we're in a prime location for viewing.”

TR student Kendra Flynt explained that she missed previous smaller-scale eclipses and was happy she could be present for this event.

“Today was spectacular and to be in Texas made it more special because we're in a prime location for viewing,” she said.

Steven Cavazos, who works with the NW IT support services, said he was in awe of the sight. “You don't ever see anything like that,” he said.

The eclipse began around 12:30 p.m., starting on the southwest side of the sun. Gradually, the surroundings began to darken. At around 1:40 p.m., the sun had nearly been swallowed. The moment that followed totality was complete darkness cascading over onlookers, then a blossoming ring of light completely visible to the naked eye. “Whenever you could take your glasses off and look at it, that was that was the coolest thing I've ever seen,” NW network administrator Owen Greer said. Local community member Terri Lacy, who was viewing the event on NE, interpreted the eclipse as a See Eclipse,

Six-color palette gallery explores shape

Artist Ralph Tobin visits NE with art that is influenced by industry

As an artist, Ralph Tobin practices intentionality, his paintings are deliberate and planned out. The exhibition showcased works where he limited the color palette to six colors.

The paintings used bright colors and bold shapes to catch the viewer's eye.

“In some areas I'll add a little white to tone it down,” Tobin said. “Some areas, I put an extra coat to establish that depth and darkness a little better. I might fade out the center. It's all about manipulating paint.”

NE Campus is the only TCC campus that does not have a gallery. The art department transformed its teaching space into a gallery to showcase Tobin’s work.

Richard Parker, an arts professor at NE Campus, said he arranged the event to give students a chance to appreciate an artist’s process.

“His work is an excellent way to show students what a work ethic is and how much work it takes to get something accomplished,” Parker said.

Tobin has been on the path of becoming an artist since he was young. He said he has always had a knack for art.

“I started when I was five years old, picked up a pencil and started struggling with it,” Tobin said. “I remember one time I did a drawing of a Mr. Smith airplane. I think I was eight or nine years old. I showed it to my mother and she said ‘You traced it’. I said ‘No I didn't’. I had to redo the drawing in front of her.”

Tobin said one of the most challenging parts of making art is wondering if it will sell.

“If nobody likes it, that's fine,” Tobin said. “I don't need to worry about finding out that it's well received.”

Tobin’s work is influenced by his 50 years of experience in the advertising industry. He said he prioritizes design and starts with thumbnail sketches.

“I work it all out so it's balanced and I know where I'm going,” Tobin said.

The event offered students to interact with the artist and ask questions. Students came up to Tobin and spoke to him about his artwork. Tobin was welcoming and gave his full attention to students and guests alike.

Jacklyn Hall said she is a friend of Tobin. She said she loves his work and has taken several classes with him.

“I've watched him diligently painting each stroke and the countless layers of paint,” Hall said “I've always loved the study of color, and I noticed the difference in dynamics between his oil work, display work and watercolors, which are more lifelike … and then the oil works are completely different and abstract. I just love looking at that.”

Betty Doke is currently taking a painting class on NE Campus. She said she found the event interesting even though she is not the biggest fan of abstract art.

“The colors are really bright, so it gives me a sense of happiness and joy,” Doke said.

Tobin’s work is full of personality, he has a clear vision of what his art represents. He said one thing that inspired him was a book on Marcel Duchamp.

“The title page had a statement that said ‘‘I don't believe in art I believe only in the artist’ Who's better to say what art is but the person who creates it?” Tobin said.

Program strives for education on overdose

saturday, April 27, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Take a tour or meet with an admissions counselor.

Arranging a timeis fast and easy through TWU’s online scheduler.

purpose is to inform people of the significance of opioid overdoses and how naloxone can save a person’s life.

An opioid overdose is caused when a person takes too many opiate drugs. All opiates are harmful. Opiates include heroin, fentanyl, morphine, oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine, etc. Each person has a different tolerance level.

"Anyone that decides to take a pill, but they don't know where it came from is at risk for an opioid overdose,” Evans said.

Many opioid overdoses occur when someone buys drugs from a street rather than a pharmacy. The issue with drugs from the street is that fentanyl could be laced in them. Fentanyl is an opioid painkiller and deadly — just a small amount can kill.

In 2023, a girl from Carrollton died from an overdose due to purchasing fentanyl laced oxycodone tablets from the street, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. She was a student at Dewett Perry Middle School and only 13 years old.

One out of three Americans are actively using an opiate, whether it is a new prescription, whether it's a chronic use or whether they have some type of pain management, according to the DEA and FDA. And seven out of 10 addicts started with pain and prescription pain management.

Every two out of five fake prescription pills seized by the DEA contain a potentially

lethal dose of fentanyl. It is impossible to know how much fentanyl could be in a tablet. It could be just enough to send someone into an overdose.

“So, you know when you make a big thing of chocolate chip cookie dough?” said Evans. “Are you going to just be precise about where you put those chocolate chips?

So, one cookie is going to have several more than this one over here, right? Same as fentanyl. So always think of the chocolate chip cookie effect. You are never going to know how much fentanyl is in that tablet.”

Symptoms of an opioid overdose are slurred speech, tiredness, confusion and slowed breathing. Eventually, the person may become nonresponsive and nonbreathing. Their eyes can roll up into their heads and their lips turn blue or purple, according to WEvans.

The NE art department opened an exhibition of artist Ralph Tobin’s works. This makeshift gallery is made of a teaching space the department repurposed into a viewing area for the art. NE Campus is the only campus without an art gallery.

Photos by Ryan Cutrer/The Collegian Artist Ralph Tobin said his process is influenced by his career in advertising.

Annual spring plant sale sprouts smiles

Crowds of community members gathered at the front of NW Campus’ yard early in the morning to browse through the hordes of plants available for purchase.

Since this January, students of the NW horticulture program have been cultivating these plants to be sold at the annual plant sale on April 5, ranging from aromatic curry plants to vibrant floral baskets.

Lauren Poster, a NW student in the horticulture program and volunteer for the event has found a passion for the plant world after the pandemic by growing her own garden. She soon realized she wanted to pursue it at TCC.

“It was very a very easy transition for myself being already a TCC student, and that's how I got started,” she said. “I've loved it ever since.”

She was shocked to see how many plants the students were able to yield since the beginning of the year and said that it was phenomenal to meet people at the plant sale who are enthusiastic about the product.

“What you're seeing here is all our hands on technical knowledge, where we really do dive into the science as far as the chemistry and biology of plant growing," she said. NW cafe employee Aliyah Thomas said she likes that this event is being held because it allows the college to experience largerscale events.

“This is not a university and I feel like universities have more events to meet everyone and get around and stuff here,” she said. “There's not always so much, I know they try their best to pick up different things, but this is really cool.”

Greta Bowling, NW dean of math and science said that being able to organize the plant sale yearly helps the horticulture depart-

There’s so much potential here with this program, and I know that what we’ve seen is a lot of success

Greta Bowling math instructor

TRINITY RIVER

ment to shine. “I think it's great for the community because it gives people who might not venture onto the campus an opportunity to do that,” she said. “It brings them here and allows us to have some conversations about what TCC has to offer.”

She has seen previous plant sales like this one but noted that it was one of the bigger ones she has seen in the past few years. She explained that she has enjoyed how much the horticulture program has grown.

“There's so much potential here with this program, and I know that what we've seen is a lot of success,” she said.

The money from the sale will go to the department, with most of it being dedicated to the conference a select few students get to attend, called the National Collegiate Landscape Competition.

How microaggressions affects mental health

“I could've retorted with ‘And my nickname for you is 'Homophobe'. Don't do that.’” he said.

A takeaway from Airen's presentation is the comparison between microaggressions and death by a thousand papercuts, NúñezDíaz said.

“Each offense does not seem to be harmful, when in actuality they are,” he said. “Your feelings are valid and it's important to stop someone from continuing their harmful patterns of behavior, these are things that I wish my younger self knew.”

“I could've retorted with ‘And my nickname for you is 'Homophobe'. Don't do that.’” he said.

by

Chester Pierce, Derald

Sue, Ph.D., refined the term to what it is

Microaggressions

everyday

nonverbal and environmental slights, snubs, or insults, whether intentional or unintentional which communicate hostile, derogatory or negative messages to the target person. Airen said it can happen to people of color, LGBTQ+ groups or really, any marginalized group. What Núñez-Díaz was experiencing was one of the three types of microaggressions, a microinsult. These are rude, insensitive comments that subtly disrespect a person’s racial heritage of identity, Airen said.

After the comment, Núñez-Díaz felt weird because his supervisor was a straight man joking about him being feminine and queer. “I felt pretty “othered” when he said that,” Núñez-Díaz said. “I wish people considered that joking about someone's identity, whether it be race, religion, gender, sexuality, etc., is harmful, so late in this age, and in line with something that a white supremacist would say.” He didn’t know how to react when his supervisor said that, but one thing’s for sure, he wishes he stood up for himself.

As someone who focused his dissertation on multicultural affairs, he has worked in many diverse communities. Airen said receiving microaggressive comments can affect one’s physical health because of the stress it imposes on their psyche. Because the body is connected it can affect their mental health as well.

In this event, Airen said it was paramount to speak up, respectively and letting them know that it isn’t right. A lot of times, when people receive these types of comments they retort to laughing nervously because people don’t want to be “othered.”

“But the question is, are those the people that you actually want to associate with in general?” Airen said.

During the presentation, he emphasized that people should stand up for themselves and not be apologetic by saying something.

Even if people say taking it to an authority figure is too much, or it isn’t a big deal, they should respond with “It was a big deal to me.”

“If it affects them, and it's not fair to them, then that's all that matters,” Airen said TR student Jason Wilson said the reason he came to the event was to profess his ignorance and learn to better communicate with the younger generation.

Several scenarios were given to the audience to promote discussion. Including one being how a Vietnamese American CEO of a hospital was presumed to be an intern by the chief nurse during a tour for donors.

Cameron Grant, a learning lab manager at the NW horticulture department, explained that the students of the program have been dedicated to the work of caring for the greenhouse plants. “They do a great job, they take care of everything,” he said. He said he has watched students grow in knowledge and confidence as they move through the program.

“I've seen them grow from not knowing anything about plants and calling soil ‘dirt,’ to actually calling it soil and understanding what is going on to help a plant grow,” he said. “I see a lot of knowledge learned from students that they did not know before.”

Along with caring for the plants, students also make the soil to grow them,

“They could actually come in here [the greenhouse] and grab anything they wanted, so that's all their creativity and everything,” he said.

There are longtime resident plants, as Grant explained because the greenhouses contain plants that predate his own attendance of the college when he was once a student.

To adapt to the changing agricultural industry, he said the department wants to include improved greenhouses with more energy efficiency, hydroponics equipment and introducing more crops.

“In all of our all of our classes, we talk about current trends within the industry as well so that way, students are well prepared and they know what is going on,” he said. “That's why the plan is to get this greenhouse upgraded and to keep them up with the trends that are going on.”

called coco coir, and designed the flower baskets at the sale.

OLLA MOKHTAR campus editor olla.mokhtar@my.tccd.edu

HOPE SMITH editor-in-chief hope.smith393@my.tccd.edu

Hope Smith/The Collegian

Wayne Bird and Zachary Poster volunteered to help run the annual plant sale at NW, assisting with transporting the plants.

Eclipse

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spiritual experience between the sun and the moon. “Other people are celebrating it, like I am, as a miracle in science for us to witness as a part of creation and the heavens coming together like this,” she said. “When they're always moving in the pattern for us to be able to witness this, that's a celebration right there.”

Dan Hester, a community member and husband of a NE instructor, brought his telescope, with a 10-inch diameter mirror, to the viewing. He explained that it took him 15 minutes to bring it over.

He was nervous about the clouds but was hopeful to catch the “Bailey’s beads” of the eclipse, which is the shining light coming off the totality.

“It was cool seeing the lights go out and hear the crowd go ‘oh’ and ‘ah’ about it,” he said afterward. “There were a few thin high clouds but not enough to be a buzzkill. We could still appreciate it, and it was amazing.”

NW physics instructor Emad Nimri also had a digital telescope, the Seestar S50, pre-

pared that was actively streaming the eclipse. Nimri explained that this eclipse would reveal sunspots.

“When the totality happens, we will be able to see the corona and we'll be able to see the prominence on all the radiation coming from the sun going all over the place is basically,” he said. “The eclipse is special, but this one extra special because the sun is close to what we call it the maximum.”

The maximum, according to Nimri, is an 11-year cycle where the sunspots reach a maximum and will produce a large amount of solar wind.

NE student Corey Driver explained that he was always entranced with astronomy since childhood and was in awe of this eclipse. “You forget everything you know when it's happening,” he said. “Once it was 90-95% and there was just that last little sliver we just stopped talking about what we knew, and it was just like –– let's just watch. Turn your brain off and just watch this thing.”

Olla Mokhtar, Gilbert Little and Fousia Abdullahi contributed to this story.

Fousia Abdullahi/The Collegian

Fousia Abdullahi/The Collegian

Hope Smith/The Collegian

Community member Dan Hester brought his telescope with a 10-inch mirror to the NE eclipse watch party. Crescent shadows appear on the ground during the total solar eclipse as a phenomenon due to the sun casting what light is left.

NW student Alejandro Vega observes the sun at 25% eclipse with the special viewing sunglasses given out by the NW earth science department table at the viewing party. This is his first eclipse, and he first found out about it while browsing Instagram.

Fousia Abdullahi/The Collegian

Hope Smith/The Collegian

Associate professor of physics and astronomy Raymond Benge explains the science of the total solar eclipse to attendees.

NW campus members sat in front of NW05 observing the eclipse.

The NE Neurodivergent Club and the Gaming Club at the TCC NE campus is working to disprove misconceptions about Dungeons and Dragons.

Since 2023, the two clubs came together to form a crash course for those curious about table tabletop role playing games, with Dungeons and Dragons as the focus. Players — new and old – were invited to come meet others interested in tabletop roleplaying games, learn the mechanics, create new player characters and start a new campaign.

Since the start of the pandemic in 2020, the National Institute of Health reported a steady increase in individualism and social isolation in studied societies. Participating in games and immersing oneself in roleplaying is a creative way for people to come together and develop intrapersonal skills between people that can be carried in to and used in everyday life.

“A lot of people nowadays don’t put much of an importance as they should on games, on having things be fun,” said Meyers. “But that’s how humans learn, through gamification.” Marina Maranto is the President of the Neurodivergent Club at TCC NE Campus, as well as a member of the small group that organized the campus’ Dungeons and Dragons event.

“It’s overwhelming for a lot of people. It’s a lot of moving parts, a lot to do and learn. And the best way to learn is to do with our event. So that’s what I want, I wanted to get started,” said Maranto.

Maranto’s goal for the event was to help the tabletop gaming community at TCC find each other through the Dungeons and Dragons crash course. And it worked — the Crash Course has seen a steady increase of interest and attendance of both players and game runners since its conception.

“I just want people to come and learn about this amazing hobby that helped me get through the pandemic,” said Maranto. “I’m insistent on having my break from reality. This is my time, and it’s so important that [Dungeons and Dragons] lets us have that.”

Dungeons and Dragons was not created to be the roleplaying game its known to be today. In earlier iterations, its primary focus was on combat mechanics. In 2014, the fifth edition of the game was released, which focused more on social connections

“[Dungeons and Dragons is] a consistent social event, where you are encouraged to try to explore scenarios and other new things […] such as exploring yourself or just learning social cues,” Max Meyers said, Vice President and Officer of Membership of the Neurodivergent Club. Meyers participated in the Dungeons and Dragons crash course as a DM, or Dungeon Master, who ran campaigns with players less familiar with the concept of the game.

and roleplaying. “It allowed [Dungeons and Dragons] to go from this narrow hole to a wider hole. People could see that audience and connect it,” said Meyers. With an interesting new way to play, Dungeons and Dragons attracted the attention of more people who were willing to give it a go. In the same year as its release, a popular podcast called “My Brother, My Brother and Me released the first episode of what would soon be the wildly popular The Adventure Zone. In 2015 a group of video game and anime voice actors created Critical Role, which would gain an equal amount of popularity as the Adventure Zone, as both would have comic books and animated series based on their respective campaigns.

“It’s just it’s so much fun being able to step into someone else’s shoes just for a little while. And be this awesome magical, sparkly fighting being that gets to kick butt and take names,” Maranto said. “Sometimes we don’t get that in our everyday life. It’s nice to have that in a space where that’s allowed, and welcome and everyone’s having a good time doing it too.” NE campus’ Dungeons and Dragons crash course is scheduled to continue welcoming players new

Many tabletop rollplaying games make use of dice in their rules.

Atlanta street party changed Black culture

Documentary shares legacy of annual Freaknik college gatherings

For many, Freaknik has been coined as the greatest Black gathering in America. Some college students had their spring break fun in Florida, but every year Black college students hopped in their friends’ cars, or even rented UHauls to be on the streets of Atlanta, Georgia.

In the documentary, “Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told,” writers, hip-hop historians and founders of the event discussed the party’s origins and influence on current Black culture.

As a member of Gen-Z, I’d never heard of the iconic street party that attracted thousands, but I enjoyed every second of the film. It was as if I were learning about a significant part of my culture and heritage that I wouldn’t have gotten from a history book.

The documentary felt as if it had two parts. The first delve into what Freaknik was and how it originated. The second discussed the ‘monster’ it became.

In the film, Freaknik founders gathered together 40 years after they graduated from college to talk about the unknowns of the celebration. They agreed that not many people know where the name came from or how it began. They explained the importance of communal spaces for Historically Black College and university students, and how many couldn’t afford to go home for spring break and needed something to do.

So the school club DC Metro, organized a picnic for students to hang out and eat.

They thought about what their theme could be for future planned events during the school year and landed on the word ‘freak’ from the popular song by Chic, “Freak Out.”

And boom. The future sensation was born. The 1983 picnic was referred to as Freaknik by students.

The founders talked about how much fun it was for students, as well as the sense of community it fostered.

Piedmont Park in Atlanta was the designated spot. In the beginning it wasn’t scandalous, the founders explained. It was simply about fun.

I greatly appreciated the context and

music to help tell the story. Without it, I’m not sure I would’ve really understood how big the party became.

Freaknik in the 80s was described as a fun, college driven event, where kids from all over the country came to the streets of Atlanta to party.

But by the mid to late 1990s, things had drastically changed. Thousands were coming into the city and the “freak” part of the name was fully being expressed.

The party more so became about daring sexual acts and hooking up with people, and creating dangers for the Black women of Atlanta.

During the transition of Freaknik shifting from a picnic to a massive street party, bold sexual acts were a part of the gig, but the

time was described as a liberating period for young Black women. It was time away from home, family and people from one’s town that would recognize them.

Part of the appeal was traveling to Atlanta to wild out in a fun and consensual way.

However, by the late 90s, Black women in the documentary expressed that Freaknik simply wasn’t fun anymore because of how the men would treat them.

Oftentimes, Black men are portrayed as sexual predators in the media, so I appreciated the deliverance of an honest and nuanced conversation about what went down on the streets of Atlanta in a complex way.

Now, Freaknik is in its early phases of being revamped in a way that’s dedicated to holding onto the positive aspects of the gath-

Four years after “Positions,” a very public divorce and honey blonde hair, Miss Ariana Grande has returned to bless the world with her angelic vocals with her latest album, “eternal sunshine.”

I suffer from the auditory disease that does not allow me to like an album on first listen. But after a month of marinating, I am thoroughly delighted by her newest release. Coming at a lucky 13 tracks, “eternal sunshine” is lemon meringue pie — tart on the inside sprinkled with confectionery sugar. Disguised by a catchy pop tune, her lyrics are often raw and profound — as expected on a

I wouldn’t call this your mother’s divorce album, however. While it does maintain a sense of yearning for what was, Grande is prophetic and sings to a future love in “the boy is mine.” And boy is the song catchy. Grande’s current lover is rumored to be actor and costar on the upcoming “Wicked” movie Ethan Slater, who bears an eerily shocking resemblance to her brother, Frankie Grande. And after seeing Slater’s whole ass on display at the Broadway show Spamalot, I hope she was talking about someone else in “the boy is mine” because I can assure you, we don’t want him.

I’ve been a long time Grande fan stemming from her run on the Nickelodeon show “Victorious.” Her singing instantly struck me and many others, with her then deeper vocals. It’s what attracted me to songs from her earlier albums like “Almost Is Never Enough” and “Honeymoon Avenue.” Though I love this album, I feel like this album is missing her darker tone quality. This realization came when Grande’s performance of “imperfect for you” on Saturday Night Live popped up in my recommended page the morning after. Grande is bathed in sunlight center stage in a tulle dress that feels reminiscent of her 2018 Met Gala look.

At the time, I had only listened to about a quarter of the album and hadn’t gotten to “imperfect for you” yet. The song starts with a guitar strumming, far different from the pop electronic sounds in the start of her other sounds. A dissonant ad lib echoes in the chorus, singing the song’s title, contrasting the

ering. Carlos Neal, the founder of the new age street party just wants to bring the fun back, he said. The documentary as a whole exposed me to a part of Black culture that I hadn’t been previously exposed to. The film included popular, older rap songs and video clips of the actual annual event itself.

I bobbed my head from side to side, enjoying interludes of hip hop, and watched intently during other parts of the film. Whether or not you’re from Atlanta or an enjoyer of hip-hop, I strongly recommend it.

simpler harmonies of some of the tracks on the album.

It felt like old Ariana.

But when I was listening to the studio recording, it was missing that darker, deeper and frankly nostalgic tone quality I needed. And then I had realized: All my favorite songs on the album were songs that were sonically similar to past songs. “intro (end of the world)” felt like “pete davidson” (such a poorly aged song title) off of her fourth album “Sweetener.”

Since boarding “Wicked,” Grandes voice has become brighter, presumably because musical theater requires that particular timbre. I almost couldn’t believe how different Grande’s voice sounded on her feature for “Die For You” by the Weeknd, but it paired perfectly for that song.

Obviously, different songs require different tone qualities. I just wish that Grande embraced her lower register a little more. She has a whole new generation of fans who haven’t been exposed to her soulful side and it’s time for it to reappear.

But perhaps I need to say “bye” to my opinion and save my tears for another review.

Photo courtesy of Hulu Freaknik began in 1983 and continued to grow every spring break. The documentary premiered Mar. 21 on Hulu.

Photo courtesy of

Having children is desired, but unrealistic

Childbirth rates among young American adults have been on the decline for many years, and there’s a host of reasons why.

Many young adults in America are living in a confused state of mind. There’s so much being thrust upon the upcoming generation that it’s made the act of living as one an exercise in unhealthy habits and ambivalence, let alone living with kiddos.

There are many young adults out there who find joy in the idea or possibility of having children. However, many feel it isn’t worth going through the trials and tribulations that come with having kids at this point.

Young adults forging their own paths across the whole of America have their hands full with trying to navigate around the hurdles life throws at them. It’s a difficult process, but a necessary one.

Though, narrowing it down may be helpful, so let’s break it down. One of the biggest hurdles among up-andcoming adults that are affecting the whole baby-making shebang is priorities.

Birthing a whole human being into the world is an amazing, gross, joyous and potentially troubling ordeal. Raising a baby is not only a responsibility, but a rite of passage.

It’s a special moment. A moment that can’t be fully appreciated by one or two of the many stress-induced 20 or 30 something year olds out there.

Another key aspect of why the birth rates is on the decline is the political landscape that America has found itself helplessly waddling in,

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like the oil-covered ducks in those Dawn Ultra commercials. In a country plagued by political outrage and uncertainty, it’s no wonder why so many young adults don’t take their chances with having a child right now. It’s a complicated

Being a non-traditional student can be challenging.

Non-traditional students either have a large gap between when they either graduated high school and then started college or they attended college many years ago and have decided to go back to school to complete their degree or get a new degree to further their career. These students are usually much older than their classmates.

For me, the decision to return to school was difficult. I have a 20-year gap between my first time in college and my now. Older students often face obstacles during their return to school. Many are usually working and raising a family simultaneously and balancing that and school can be difficult.

Financially, returning to school can be stressful, especially if you come from a singleparent household or only one spouse works. Many want to finish school as quickly and efficiently as possible to make the best use of the money from their families’ pockets. These students should be looking at financial aid options and scholarships. If they have a career, some companies have educational benefits to help employees return to college to bring the skills they learned back to their jobs.

Time is another factor. Many students like me also work part-time or full-time, have a family and have a full course load. Sometimes, challenging isn’t enough to describe the juggling that gets me into the classroom or the

system at a complicated point in its complicated life.

Additionally, let’s talk about money. One doesn’t simply go around popping out kiddiewinks all willynilly with nothing in their pockets except for lint and gum wrappers.

level of fatigue I am experiencing because I had to stay up after the kid went to bed so I could do assignments.

All the multitasking a non-traditional student does in an eight-hour day can be difficult. It’s usually a 12- or more-hour day. There is a lot of guilt about the time spent away from home, especially since kids grow up so fast. One of the first things I realized was that my time management skills had to change significantly. That included discovering my learning style, which can be broken up into three types: visual, auditory and kinesthetic or a combination of them and making a flexible class schedule with the help of an adviser or taking some online classes.

Non-traditional students also face an isolation factor. Only a few, if any, events, or clubs on campus help facilitate building community with people who are also dealing with the same issues.

Making new friends on campus is one of the best parts of college. If you don’t have people to socialize with, the experience can be very lonely.

Finding a support system is significant. You may need to find someone to do school pick-ups for your kids, help make meals or hire someone to do a deep cleaning of your house.

Getting your partner or spouse on board with the return to education plan will help you navigate all of that and you must have conversations with your kids to make sure they understand there will be some changes. Still, if everyone works together, then things will go more smoothly.

Returning to school isn’t all negative. The skills and topics I’m learning in school positively impact my life, and I’m looking forward to using these skills in my career. It also gives me self-confidence and a sense of accomplishment, knowing that even though it’s been decades since I was in school, I can reach my goals. EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Adults need living wages to care for said kiddiewinks. Not to mention, nowadays, it’s become quite difficult for parents to feel safe having their children run out and about. Having a child means having acute senses and perception of what’s happening

all around us. Needless to say, it’s imperative to be focused on providing young kids with a safe space where they can feel comfortable.

There’s an alarming lack of safe or immediate third spaces available for children as well as adults. Many modern social settings are not the safest places to hang around in for even grown-ups, let alone innocent, young kids.

A fair number of reasons play a role in why the decline in child births has become a talking point. However, it’s worth mentioning that just like any other discussion, there is nuance.

On the opposite side of the discussion lies the young adults who simply do not want to have kids. This is another crucial factor in why people are having fewer kids – they may not want them. Well, not as soon as previous generations anyway.

Children take a lot of time and a lot of work, and for some, that’s time and work that could be spent elsewhere. There’s always the thought of generational and societal guilt looming overhead, but as we inch forward into the future, it seems that guilt has slowly started to subside.

The prospect of having kids isn’t something that a sizable number of young adults actively have on their minds. It’s just not the right time for many people. Many people are focusing more on getting in the right head space and right physical space. Now more than ever, people are prioritizing their wellbeing and trying to become the best versions of themselves they can be.

Being the youngest sibling can often feel like you’re a tumbleweed. Always looking to see what other people are doing so that you don’t feel like you’re lost as well.

At least that’s what I feel I was conditioned to do. Growing up, I had five older siblings. That’s right, five. I was the typical younger sibling, following my brother and sisters around because I had nothing better to do.

When my parents noticed, they kept saying the same phrase: “They made mistakes so you better not make any.” What they failed to understand is that no matter how much I Iearn from other people’s mistakes, I am bound to make my own. Parents pressuring their children, especially the youngest ones to excel without preparing them for the human aspect of failing is a recipe for their children’s lasting and harmful failure.

I was born in the U.S. but from seven to 14 I lived in Sudan. I came back just in time for high school which is when my parents’ saying was amplified by 100. I was immediately put into Advanced Placement and PreAdvanced Placement courses and was forced to excel, not taught to. The week before school started I went into my counselor’s office to solidify the classes I was taking, this is when I found out that volleyball was switched out for AP Physics.

I didn’t say anything because I was afraid of disappointing my parents. My mom was just admitted to the hospital for cancer that she

wouldn’t survive, so I kept my head down and tried to focus on the class. Except I couldn’t. It didn’t matter how long I studied or how much time I went to tutoring, it didn’t work. I was so focused on performing well in that class and figuring out how America runs.

I was too overwhelmed with everything, too busy trying to make friends, learning how to do small talk, learning American customs that I forgot, all the while acclimating to my new environment and processing how I felt about my mother dying.

I was so afraid of failing and making a mistake or two that I mentally barred myself from asking for help. Whether it be because I wasn’t used to the American education system or it was because I wasn’t ready for that class level, I knew for sure that it was because I was afraid to make a mistake. One that I inevitably made.

Don’t get me wrong, I understand the need for parents to push their kids to success. Unfortunately, I think parents in the future will be a little pushy too when it comes to their students’ success.

A small amount of encouragement is good, but too much won’t build character. Instead, it’ll break it and it’ll be a minute before it’s fixed again. Just like I could’ve asked for help when I so obviously needed it, more understanding could’ve done wonders for my GPA.

I love my parents, and I’m so happy they decided to immigrate here, but understanding where I came from would’ve made my reality different.

So, if you have younger siblings or know younger people that are approaching a new stage in their lives, maybe don’t fearmonger them.

I have a good feeling had I been in regular physics the rest of my re-entry into American society would’ve been smoother. I would’ve been a killer volleyball player too.

Tj Favela/The Collegian