Home of the Soul-less
The 18 hour drive from Virginia to Florida was exhausting but all the while worth it. I was on my way to go to Cuba. As I walked onto the plane, my heart filled with excitement. I haven’t been there...
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Ode to the Ocean
It was my first day in Little Bay (Philipsburg, St. Martin, Dutch Antilles); my first day in paradise. Clear water,...
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The Summit—Climbing the Philippines’ Highest Peak
The morning was cool and damp as I carefully stepped onto the rainy trail littered with dead leaves. I was zipped into my waterproof jacket to stay warm (and as dry as possible). FINALIST 2015...
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Popped Tire
I do not believe the sky that hangs over Wyoming is the same one I can currently see out my window. There is something magical about it, something completely unreal--it’s as if the sky was not above...
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To Fathom the Unfathomable
“2015 will be a big year for launchin’ rockets”The...
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There’s Nothing Chicken Soup Can’t Fix: An Adventure in Urubamba, Peru
Beads of sweat coated my forehead as I took a deep breath and stared at what was in front of me, eyes narrowed and concentrated. A million thoughts ran through my mind, and I glanced back and forth...
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To Honduras With Love
The bus rocked furiously. The wheels on our bus weren’t only going ‘round and ‘round. They sprung up and down and swayed side to side. The roads weren’t even roads at all, just tracks paved...
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Alaska: Weather, Whales and Waves, Oh My!
“How is it still raining? It’s pouring down harder than yesterday. We woke up at 6am, planning to paddle 10 miles up to Emerald Cove. My kitchen group ate our leftover Cinnamon-Raisin Bread before...
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Life, Love, and the Pursuit of Good Food
I wake up to the rich, reedy sound of an accordion-not something you would normally hear in the streets of America, but then, I’m not in America.I’m in the home of my Aunt Lidia and Uncle...
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An Unusual Layover in NY City
My grandfather recently died and we travelled back from our home in North Carolina to Belgium, where the rest of our family still lives. Although we weren’t exactly in a cheery holiday mood, my parents...
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Lesson Learned
Slapping yet another mosquito off my arms I sigh and trek through the small gap in the trees. Dr. B, our field botany professor, decided to get off the magnolia...
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The Taxi Driver Temper Tantrum
Paris is a city with a bite. It’s absolutely beautiful with its elegant architecture and silver Seine, but every once in a while it will bare its teeth and show its ugly side. One minute you’ll...
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Sand Castles in the Sky: A Trip to Sodus Bay
When people think of New York State, several iconic places come to mind: Niagara Falls, the Big Apple, the Thousand Islands, and the Adirondacks. Many New Yorkers have visited these places, so hearing...
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A Musician in Kenya
I’m no economist, no political expert, no social worker, no activist; I am and was a high school student with his mind-set to pursue music and science. Though aware of avoiding the naive thought that...
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Haunted Tunnel
The brilliant twinkling of innumerable lights creates a stark contrast against the dark, night sky. The radiance engulfs us, silhouetting towering buildings. Chicago beckons through the car windows...
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The Third Time’s a Charm in NYC
The white picket fences have become stained with dullness and predictability. The porches and decks have collapsed in coziness, and the SUVs and minivans have lost their new car smell and shine. Even...
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Finding Family
On the way back from cleaning out her locker senior year, she was was hit by an ambulance. This is where everything began.My father got married years ago and had children: two boys and one girl,...
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Hope For Cambiaso
In late July of 2014, I retracted back to my “home” village in the Dominican Republic for a week. By joining the Village Mountain Mission the year before with my mom, and building homes for impoverished...
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Yaritza and the Humanity We All Share
The last few decades have seen the rise of an America increasingly enamored of differences, ever more cognizant that diversity means fresh perspectives and ideas. I arrived in Costa Rica with this in...
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Bonding in the Ithaca Gorges
Traveling to Ithaca, New York in July 2014 was both illuminating and unforgettable. Although situated in upstate New York, the most un-foreign of places and only a four hour car ride from home, Ithaca...
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Time Travel in Eight Days
This summer I did not go to the sandy beaches in the Bahamas or uptown England, but in only eight days I participated in a college tour that traveled back in time through eight...
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The Inception of Perception
Flashback to July 2nd – the day before I left on the trip of a lifetime. I had 46 less friends, less knowledge of foreign cultures,...
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New York’s Most Memorable Sight: The Empire State Building
If it weren’t for the automated elevators I would have pressed every single enticing button, just to see every magical floor. It took three...
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My NYC Adventure With My Concert Choir
It’s the lights, the shops, the street performers, the attractions and the peoplethat make New York City a perfect place to explore. I traveled to NYC with the Moose Lake Concert...
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A Heroic Tragedy
The day was March 31, 2014 and all I heard was crying, screaming, and harsh stomping as the noise quickly filled my ears. I rushed towards the horrific news that my twenty eight year old brother Alfonso...
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As Far As the Eye Can See
My eyes flutter open as the smell of papaya and salt water fill my nostrils. As my vision returns after the long night's rest, I can see the dark wooden ceiling and greenish...
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When the Party’s Over, World Cup 2014
“Bro, can I get a selfie?” Never have I heard this as many times as Brazil’s World Cup this year. This simple phrase highlights something that makes my trip to the 2014 World Cup unique...
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Mid-Winter in Manhattan
I thought I’d seen New York. I thought...
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Stressed But Blessed: London and Paris 2014
“No, I’m not too old to be a Girl Scout,” I told the man sitting next to me on the plane. I get tired of saying that. Before you ask, we do more than sell cookies, too. Way more in fact. At that...
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New York – A State of Mind
The Big Apple, The City that Never Sleeps, Gotham City. Whatever you call it, New York City is dazzling and unforgettable. The Statue of Liberty stretches her arm upwards, her torch pointing to the...
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Cars, Stars, and Road Trips
The plan for “Roadtrip 2k14” was brilliant, in my opinion. My little green Honda Accord got excellent gas mileage and had proved itself to be a reliable car over the past year it had been in my...
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Simple Joy
First time out of the country and I was petrified. My parents weren't accompanying me, I had no idea how to fill out the customs form (what is a customs form anyway??), I was bound to forget to take...
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A Hawaiian Hike to Remember
Through my finals, meetings, and extracurricular activities the idea of basking in the Hawaiian sun was one of the only things keeping me going.I enjoy keeping myself busy. I am on the youth...
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I’ll send you a postcard, dear.
July 4, 2014, and New York seemed to go hand in hand.My family and I arrived in New York to be kissed by light rain and embraced by dim sunshine. Our disgruntled taxi cab driver could have cared...
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Awakening Adventures
I was 14 and blinded. When my family and I landed in Roatan, Honduras, I was looking for romance, relaxation, and a tan. I was not looking for a life changing, mindset altering, adventure. Little did...
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Be Sure of the Unsure Step
Amusement parks, fancy hotels, beautiful resorts - these are the places I like to visit. Everything is provided for me, and I can just go around doing what I want. So when my parents said that we should...
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J’aime la France: A Story of Escargot, Lots of Walking, and the Best Two Weeks of My Life
When I was ten years old, my mother told me, “When you’re twelve and Andrew is ten, we’ll go to Paris.” When I was twelve years old, she told me, “We’ll go when you’re fourteen.” And...
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A Journey Through the Holocaust
Over the February break of my junior year, I took a trip with a select number of students to Austria, Germany, the Czech Republic, and Poland on a Holocaust tour. Whenever I tell people about my decision...
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Great Adventure… I Don’t Think So!
Hurling through the air at speeds defying logic, twisting, turning, flipping upside down, then careening down terrifying heights, screaming until your lungs burn, is not my idea of fun. Roller...
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Traveling in the Mountains ROCKS!
On June 24, 2014 we began traveling to Princeton, West Virginia to see family and surprise them with a chihuahua puppy. By we, I mean my Dad and I. It’s an 8-hour drive so we had plenty of time...
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Victory at the Giant’s Causeway
As soon as we stepped off the tour bus, our guide apologized. "We don't normally have weather like this," He said. "It's usually so foggy you can't see four feet in front of you." The forty of us, all...
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World Beauty
?Something about standing alone, thousands of miles away from home, a certain beauty embracing my very being; I am gazing upon something that will remain a vivid picture in my...
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A Life Changing Trip to Europe
For almost all of my seventeen years, I have had the privilege of visiting a beautiful little country in Southeastern Europe called Albania. When I was younger, I dreaded when the words “Ilira, we’re...
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Becoming Part of the Landscape: Inisheer
I looked very hard at a stone wall in the distance. I blinked once, then twice. “Is that a TV?” I asked my parents and sisters, just to make sure that that small, boxy shape sitting...
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Italian Escapades
The amount of forethought and preplanning one does before embarking on a family vacation to a foreign country can mean the difference between a perfectly enjoyable trip and a disastrous one.When...
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Here Be Dragons: Filling in My Map
I had never ventured abroad before. Arizona had been at the edge of my travel map; beyond that, 'here be dragons'. I knew nothing about flying, passports, baggage checks, or customs.And...
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New York City: Getting Lost and Finding Myself
Traveling to (and around) New York City is a daunting task. Writing about it is even harder.What’s there to say about New York that hasn’t already been said? From the Jazz Age to modern day,...
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Percussion Ensemble trip to Austin, TX
The trip to Austin was exciting, funny, loud, emotional, and hot. After working our way to the top in Area, our Percussion Ensemble received the gold medal and the green light to advance to State....
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Living in an El Greco Painting
My name is Mackenzie and in the summer of 2013, I was lucky enough to travel to Spain, England, and France...
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An Epic Vacation to Egypt During Unrest and Crisis
On August 13th, 2013, we exited Egypt just in time to narrowly skirt the beginning of a week of violence in the streets of...
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Making the Impossible Possible Since 3000 BC: Visit the Most Ambitious City in the World- Dubai
I'm falling fast. I can feel myself accelerating as my equipment rides up into uncomfortable areas. But, I don’t care. I glance upwards to see the aircraft I was on just...
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Valley in the Hills
I live in a small town in southwest Pennsylvania; the population is around 2,000 and at first glance, there isn’t much to do. In fact, if you pass on the highway, we are practically...
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Timeless: A Cottage on Laurel Lake
Laughing. Smiling. Crying. Throwing family members off the dock. Swimming into the late hours of the night. Dazzling Fourth of July fireworks. Hundreds of picturesque memories...
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Alaska is Sexy
In June I traveled to Alaska, expecting to only build houses, but I got much more than that. From atop mountains I relished in magnificent views of the Gulf of Alaska, ate delicious...
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