"Saturday, the fourth of June two thousand sixteen " by Bonnie R

We were all exatic with the great news we did not expect. It was all so overwhelming and surprising but we all knew it was a blessing and it was going to change all of our lives.I have been praying for this happen for the family and it was a miracle. Just like that when I heard the news I started to plan it all in my head, the colors, the theme, the food, the location, etc. My mom and I would go to target and start buying some things she would need and it was all alluring to be able to experience the excitement with my mom. I began to start speaking to my parent’s friends to see if we could throw my mom a surprise party for this blessing. They were all as excited as we were and wanted to help out as much as possible. A few weeks passed and everything was going good, just as expected. When all of a sudden my mom on a Friday was not feeling so well and she felt like something was just not right. She told us and we just all started to research and it said to not be alarmed and that it wasn’t anything bad. That calmed down my mom so she could sleep but as she woke up that Saturday morning she told my dad that she knew something was wrong and was very nervous. Since she felt like that we decided to take her to the emergency room. I honestly felt like it wasn't necessary because I thought everything was okay and we were just overreacting. “It was a great sunny day to be stuck in a hospital when nothing is wrong” I thought. We all had to wait patiently because it was extremely packed, finally after hours, they called her in. Just like that we were all anxious and praying everything was okay. She finally came out and she told us that the nurse told her “I can not tell you anything until the doctor is present, I apologize.” With my little knowledge of watching Greys anatomy I knew deep down in my heart that something was actually wrong but I told my parents to not worry but I had to go out for a walk. I had faith that God was going to take control of everything. A few hours later they called her in again. My family was silent at this time anxious to know what was occurring and just like that we saw my mom with so many tears in her eyes. We all shared the pain with her and couldn’t believe what was happening, wondering why this would happen to us. My mom felt very guilty and she needed a lot of love from everyone of us. It was very hard for every single one of us. I know that it was tough to move on but I pray ……

My baby sister/brother may be having a great time in heaven

"One Of My Forever Time Hero’s" by Mekka J

     Growing up I was always a daddy's girl at heart. There was nothing that could
separate me from my dad. Not even the video games on PlayStation 3. I remember the nights he would leave to work and I would just break down crying. I thought my world was ending until he got back home that night and would say hello. My dad is a hero in my eyes not because he had mysterious magic tricks, but because of his love for my siblings and I. He was always steadfast and would be our savior when we got into trouble with our mom. Like the time I got into trouble by my mom and I ran from her as she chased me down the hall with her belt. I jumped in my dads bed and threw the cover over my body shouting “daddy save me!” 

My dad had always been a significant person in my life. He is the reason I push harder in class, on the track field, at work, and in any other thing that I get into. Yeah I mean he was tough on all four of us growing up but that was because he wanted better from us. He envisioned us going off to college and being successful unlike the rest of my family. I remember in the fourth grade I had received an award for “Perfect attendance” and he looked so displeased he said “i’m tired of yall getting these perfect attendance awards get something else like the other kids.” From that day on I worked super hard in the classroom because I wanted to shut him up; being the little brat that I am, I did. When I got the award that said most excelled student alongside three other awards my dad was so proud of me he even brought his video recorder. 

My most fondest memory of my dad was when I had turned 12 he took my siblings and I to Raging Waters for the very first. There was this ride called Drop Out and after reaching the top I didn’t want to get on. Of course my dad was the first one to go on the ride but he came back to the top because I had held up a line and refused to go on. At that moment my dad became my hero, he influenced me to go on the ride. I still remember his voice and the exact words he said to me. “Come on baby were all cheering for you, you can do it, you got this baby,” those were the most influential words my dad had ever spoken to me, and I will never forget them. 

Just at the short age of 12, my dad was taken away from me due to and endless act of racism. He had done nothing wrong, but walk in his skin that God had blessed him with. The day I found out that my dad was no longer, I was numb. I began to shut everyone out and turn away from everything, including school. I began to invest my time into things that made me feel most connected to him, such as basketball, and I would play Call of Duty World at War every day just shooting people up. I had so much hatred towards the world for about a good year or two. Every year as October 13th makes another year, my life becomes harder. This year has been one of the most challenging years for me because I am battling his absence and me growing up. I try to make the

most out of everything for him. I submitted some college applications on his anniversary and made it a positive act, but life is not easy for me now that he is gone. He will never get to call me his “Chocolate Baby” again, and he will NEVER get to walk me down the aisle. Each day I tell people goodby and depart from them with a hug or smile, because you never know when your last time will be. I remember the last time I gave him a kiss goodbye as I watched his car drive away from my house. I will forever remember you dad, until we meet again at the Golden Gate
~Love Your First Chocolate Baby.

"Last Pick: League of Legends (How to Play) " by Daniel M

Hey you! Yeah the person reading this blog post. Have you run out of interesting games to play in your free time? Do you like playing a game where you can establish your dominance whether it’s through mechanical skill or through game knowledge? Do you like playing a game where you can invite up to nine of your friends and play together? Well I’m about to change your world! With this! 

League of Legends! League of Legends is a MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena) that has a huge casual fan-base and an extremely large competitive scene, so there’s something for both competitive and casual players.
To win, you must destroy the enemy’s nexus by destroying the towers and inhibitors that stand in your way. I will be teaching you how to play to the fullest extent of my ability so that you can fully enjoy the game (keep in mind that I am not the best at this game and these are only guidelines for new players).
1. Download the game
You can’t play the game if you haven’t downloaded it yet, so fire up your computer and go to Riot’s website called “ https://na.leagueoflegends.com/en/ ” (depending on where you live the website name will change, but a quick search for “league of legends” on google will show the correct link at the top of the page). To the run this game, you need at least a 2 GHz single core processor, 1 GB of RAM (2GB for Windows Vista or newer), 8 GB of hard drive space, and a graphics card that supports DirectX 9.0c or above and shader version 2.0. Most computers and laptops can run this so you should be fine (I have a computer with an i5 processor so anything stronger than that should run the game).
2. Make an account and log in
After downloading League of Legends, open up the game and the login screen should appear. If you haven’t already made an account, click on the link in the bottom right corner of the client that says “Create an account”. The link will lead you to Riot’s website and they will guide you

from there on what steps you need to make an account. The summoner name is what everyone will see your account as and is key for others to add you to their friends list.
*DISCLAIMER*
Although League of Legends is a fun game at times, there are some people on the internet that take this game way too seriously to the point where they start cyberbullying. This is much more clear in the game’s ranked mode where you compete with the enemy team to become the best at League of Legends. THIS GAME IS NOT FOR THE FAINT-HEARTED OR THIN-SKINNED. You can mute people when you’ve entered a game by pressing enter and typing “/mute” or “/muteall”. You have been warned.
3. Play some bot games
Now that you’ve downloaded and logged into your account, it’s time to play against some bots! OK, so playing against computers isn’t the most fun thing in the world but this guide is also for the new people who want to become decent at this game, so starting with bots is the best way to get better at this game. To play against bots, click the play button in the top left corner of the client, click the co-op vs. AI button right under the play button, choose the beginner difficulty, and click confirm (bottom center of the screen). After that, you can choose to invite your friends (you can add friends by clicking the person with the plus button in the top right corner of the client and type in their summoner name) then click confirm (bottom center). This will put you in queue for a game until Riot finds four (or less if you have friends) other people who want to play the same mode as you. Once a game is found, click accept (will appear when a game is found) to go into champion select. Call out a role in the chat in the bottom left corner of the client (top, mid, bot is short for bottom, jg is short for jungle, and sup is short for support). Not a lot of characters, also known as champions, will be available to you at first, but as you play, you will receive more and more champions. Once you have chosen your champion, lock it in (bottom center). Depending on what role you’re playing, certain runes and summoners spells should be taken, which will be covered later. Most of the summoner spells will be locked, but as you level up your account, you will gain access to more summoner spells. The game will start shortly after every player locks in their champion.
4. Game Knowledge
There is a lot of knowledge behind the game to make it easier to win each game. So much that this step will be organized differently than the others. Fortunately, you queued up for a bot game so it’s much easier to apply the knowledge that you’ll learn from me. Basic controls on how to play should’ve been covered by the client itself through its tutorial. This knowledge focuses more on what to do in each lane and when to apply it (although not all of this information is applicable to a AI match).
● Terms That Will Be Used

○ The Map: supports go into bot lane

• ○  Tower/Towers - These defend the laners from junglers and prevent the game from becoming too simple
  
• ○  Lane/lanes - What each player occupies throughout the game. Ex. “I am in top lane.” (see map to find top lane)
  
• ○  Last hit/last hitting - Hitting the minion/monster/champion last before its death
  

■ Last hitting will grant gold to spend at the shop

• ○  Leash/leashing - Help the jungler clear the first camp he will be doing. Don’t last hit the camp
  
• ○  Shop/Fountain - The place where you first spawn and buy items
  
• ○  Back/backing/recall - Going back to the shop/fountain
  

■ Backing will fully restore your health and mana once you reach the shop and will let you buy items

• ○  Push/pushing the lane/pushing power - Destroy the enemy minions to get your minions to the enemy tower faster
  
• ○  Cooldown Reduction - In a percentage form. Reduces the cooldown on all four abilities
  
• ○  True Damage: Damage that isn’t decreased by armor
  
• ○  Sieging - the ability to put pressure on a lane/tower
  
• ○  Full build - you have bought enough items to fill up your 6-slot inventory
  
• ○  CS- Creep Score. How many minions have you last hit?
  
• ○  Split pushing - having 1-2 people push one lane while the rest stay and push
  another lane
  
• ○  Ward/warding - an item that grants vision of a small part of the map
  
• ○  Large Monsters-Dragon, Rift Herald, Baron Nashor
  

■ Dragon - grants permanent buffs (except Elder dragon) based off of what type it is
● Cloud drakes makes you move faster

• ●  Mountain drakes lets you destroy structures/large monsters faster
  
• ●  Ocean drakes increase your health and mana regen
  
• ●  Infernal drakes increase the amount of damage you do
  
• ●  Elder dragons cause your auto attacks to burn and cause other
  dragon buffs to become 50% stronger
  

○ Spawns after 35 minutes when there are no dragons in the
pit near bot lane

• Rift Herald - Shortens 1 player’s recall to 3 seconds and gives the player
  an “Eye of the Herald” to place down to help push/siege their lane.
  
• Baron Nashor- Shortens the whole team’s recall to 3 seconds, gives a buff
  to the team that buffs their attack damage and ability power, and players
  empower nearby minions
  

○ Neutral Monsters - Crimson Raptor, Raptor, Greater Murk Wolf, Murk Wolf,
Ancient Krug, Krug, Lesser Krug, Gromp, Rift Scuttler, Blue Sentinel, and Red Brambleback

• Crimson Raptor and Raptor- 1 Crimson Raptor and 5 Raptors on each side of the map
  
• Greater Murk Wolf and Murk Wolf - 1 Greater Murk Wolf and 2 Murk Wolves on each side of the map
  
• Ancient Krug, Krug, and Lesser Krug- 1 Ancient Krug/3 Krugs/6 Lesser Krugs on each side of the map
  

● Ancient Krug splits when killed into 2 krugs

• Rift Scuttler- Grants vision in the middle of the river when killed (see
  Map)
  
• Blue Sentinel/Blue buff - 1 Blue Sentinel on both sides of the map
  

● Grants increased mana regen and 10% cooldown reduction when killed
■ Red Brambleback/Red buff - 1 Red Brambleback on both sides of the map ● Grants increased health regen and auto attacks cause a set amount of true damage per auto while also slowing the target when killed

• ●  First 5-15 seconds of the Game
  ○ Buy items off the recommended page in the shop, which is accessed by pressing
  “P.”
  ○ These items power up your character and you will be able to buy more as the
  game continues. For now, you should always buy the starting items.
  
• ●  Before minions spawn
  

○ Once you have bought your starting items, walk to the lane that you called in
champion select (Support goes to bot lane and jungle goes to the jungle. The map from earlier should help).

○ If you are the jungler, ask for some help from one of the people in lane to help you kill either the red buff or the blue buff
● First 10 Minutes of the Game

• ○  Last hit the enemy minions to gain an advantage over the opponent. Perfect this
  skill. If you are jungle or support, you don’t have to worry about last hitting as
  
  
  much.
  
• ○  Balance last hitting with damaging the enemy champion with your
  spells and with managing your mana, which is used to cast spells.
  

■ ■

If you have no mana (obligatory T1 reference -->), then you
can’t cast spells, thus giving a distinct advantage to the
enemy team.
If you have no mana, you can go back to the fountain (where
you first spawned) by pressing “B”, but make sure you are in
a safe space before going back because the enemy can interrupt the animation, which stops the backing animation.

• ●  Depending on how much gold you’ve collected from the minions or how well you’ve damaged the opponent (or how badly you’ve been damaged) determines when you should back.
  
• ●  You’ve got a lot of gold but your enemies are full hp? Clear all the minions until your minions hit the enemy’s tower and back. You have low hp and the enemies could potentially defeat you under the tower ? Back.
  
• ●  Destroying the enemy’s tower is key to freeing up pressure on the map. This puts more pressure on the enemy while giving you more options on what to do.
  
• ●  10 - 20 Minute mark (or after you destroyed the enemy’s tower in your lane/they destroyed your tower)
  
  • ○  You can go to other lanes to help destroy other enemy towers or to help defeat the enemy champion in that lane or you can get other objectives like the dragon, Rift Herald, or Baron Nashor.
    
  • ○  Make sure to keep killing the minions throughout the game to get more gold
    
• ●  20-30 Minute Mark
  

○ Past the 2nd tower in each lane, it gets harder to siege so
getting the dragons early, getting rift herald, and getting baron become more important for sieging

• ○  At this point you and your teammates should be grouped most of the time and usually teamfighting makes getting to the enemy’s nexus easier
  
• ○  If there’s an opportunity to get more gold from the minions, you have to make a choice between getting more gold or missing out on a teamfight
  
  • Get the wave if you're not the main one stopping the siege or if the wave is about to hit a tower
    
  • Go teamfight if the wave is super far away from a tower
    

• ●  30+ Minute Marker
  
  • ○  By this time, you should be near full build and need just a
    little more gold to get full build (although this is assuming that you have decent cs, about 200 cs or more for a new person)
    
  • ○  Staying grouped together is one of the main strategies to end the game at this point if you have a large lead or if you and your team are going even with the enemy team
    
  • ○  Other strategies include split pushing and abusing the lack of vision on the map
    
• ●  Warding and Paying Attention to the Map
  
  • ○  Remember the map I showed you earlier? Well you don’t
    get to see the whole thing at once without wards
    
    • The only part of the map you can see is what’s
      around you and what your teammates see
      
    • Wards will tell you what is happening in a certain
      area of the map without a teammate being there
      
    • Warding will protect you from enemies trying to
      flank and kill you as long as you PAY ATTENTION TO THE MAP (in the bottom right of the corner of the game)
      ● Roles
      
  • ○  Top is usually filled with tanks (defensive people who are
    hard to kill, usually slow champions who can barely catch up to their target) or bruisers (more mobile and have more damage than tanks, but less tanky)
    

■ Top laners usually take flash and teleport as summoner spells when available and either go into the resolve tree or a more offensive tree as their

main tree and the resolve/inspiration tree as their side tree for runes (Depending on the champion, the player can nearly take any keystone and make it work)

• ○  Mid is usually filled with mages (kill you from a distance, harder to land spells) or assassins (kill you closer up, easier to land spells)
  ■ Mid laners usually take flash and either ignite, barrier, heal, cleanse, or exhaust and usually either go into the sorcery or domination tree as their main tree and either the other one they didn’t take or something in the resolve/inspiration/precision tree as their side tree for runes
  
• ○  Bot is filled only with ranged carries who buy items with attack damage attached to them
  

■ Bot laners usually take flash and heal and usually go into the precision tree as their main tree and can take any other tree (resolve, inspiration, sorcery, domination) as a side tree for their runes
○ Supports are usually tanks that focus on protecting, healers, damage supports
■ Supports usually take flash and either exhaust or ignite and go either into the resolve/inspiration tree combo, the sorcery/resolve tree combo, or the sorcery/inspiration tree combo
○ Junglers are filled with all kinds of champions from tanks to assassins to even healers
■ Junglers either take flash and smite (to secure large monster buffs) or ghost and smite and can go into any tree
5. Repeat
That was a lot of information wasn’t it? Took me forever to type all that up. Anyways now that you know the basics, you need to expand upon this information. Keep playing more games and you’ll learn more about what you need to do in each game (who knows, you might even discard this information because it could be wrong). Now that you’ve been properly educated on the game, go out there and have fun!

A few references and pictures were used in the making of this blog post. Here are some links.
Intro and Title reference:
https://youtu.be/04c9NftU1M0?list=PLdTHqhwHiO5FslOf-WzanxucdMRpxNFUZ&t=6
League of Legends picture:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/League_of_Legends
The Map:
http://dicerz.co.uk/dicerzs-guides/a-step-by-step-newbies-guide-to-league-of-legends-in-2014201 5-part-2/
Tyler1 picture: https://www.redbubble.com/people/skycustoms/works/24348118-tyler1-selfie?p=poster
...Teemo is suffering...

My Sunshine by: Tee Ali (Tiana W)

NOW
I held too tightly, it began to sizzle my fingertips and burn my palms and bruise my arms, and then it burst... I saw what it contained, and it all made sense.
6 Months ago
I found it, I’ve found what I’ve been looking for, I asked the universe for a sign, an object, a thing. Something to make me happy. And I found it today, an orb of light tucked underneath the bushes by the Willow tree down on Arrow street. It glowed and it was beaming, with a shimmer that sparkled, it was compelling to the point of drawing me in, almost like it found me instead of me finding it. It brought me joy with its pastel palette that it changed to fit my moods and comforted me at night to resemble the moon. It fit in the palm of my hands when I needed it most and hovered over me, protected me. It was my greatest light and it replaced the sunshine. Until one day, it began to turn dark gray on a sunday afternoon and crawled back under the willow tree where I found it. When I tried my damndest to return a favor, it shot lightning from its orbs and shocked me; it was an accident, I shouldn’t have touched it, I had no business dealing with it, something I knew nothing about. Weeks later, it would come back with a knock on my door with the same beautiful colors I originally found it with. Weeks later,... it leaked dark clouds that surrounded me while I slept and when I awoke it felt like just a bad dream. In the mornings, it would resemble that beautiful sunshine, so I let it be “just a bad dream” because after all, it was my little personal piece of sunshine... more often than not, it began to shock me more, coming back with apologetic pastels. Until one night, I shocked it back. All the charge I received I threw back at it, it stayed dark, it had longer periods away before I saw those pretty pastels. Gradually, I wasn’t me any more, I was this electric girl, with lighting strike burns. Out of hurt, pain, sadness and this intense love-longing for my once perfect piece of light, I held on to it, I held it tightly, I held too tightly. It began to sizzle my fingertips and burn my palms and bruise my arms, and then it burst. I saw what it contained and it all made sense. It wasn’t sunshine at all, it was fire, fire that was good at looking and feeling like sun, but none of what I thought it to be nor none of what it sought to be.

"How to Make an Accordian Photo Album!" by Eliana R

"Assignment 2398" by Travis L

Assignment 2398

Date: 14 April 48 (Post Machina)

Time: 23:47
Location: Memphis, TN, Continental American Regime

            The earpiece implanted by the biotechnician rang loud and clear. His voice sounded desensitized, like always. “Miss Cassandra, please remember there is a 96% chance that you will be injured if not dead – do be careful.”

            “Anton, you underestimate your abilities,” my enhanced voice reverberated atop the buildings of Memphis. I walked across the reinforced bars of the crane in which I had positioned myself, with every step giving a soft clank. The three lithium-ion rings on my right hand glowed faintly, charging the surrounding air. They held pressurized wire with a silver tip, packed with enough voltage to paralyze and cripple a large Western lowland gorilla. “I will do things my own way,” I said with a disarming smile.  “After all, I was created only by the best.”

Dr. Anton was repeatedly concerned every mission. The valued possessions that allowed him to get so far in life could be destroyed every test run. Worst of all, the inner workings that powered each movement, would be deciphered and modified.

My face had locked up from the repulsive thought. The night was cold and my heating systems had gone into high gear. The Internal Monologue Mechanism for Engineered Robotic Species (IMMERSe) created by the doctor provided me with the task. “Collect the cores hidden inside the bodies of the Lifeless. Approximately two hours until arrival, Cassandra.” Arriving early was an important social etiquette.

Making use of time, I began to sharpen the blades that were once lower legs. They were made of manganese steel alloy with synthetic diamond to power each cut. The weight of the edges were sustained with high tension springs and twisted carbon fiber, providing extra strength and durability. There was no need for muscles if machinery can do the work for you. I remained standing on the crane – sitting would consume energy.

Date: 15 April 48 P.M. – Tax Day

Time: 01:57

            My enthusiasm for this assignment was already gone. “Approximately three minutes until arrival, Cassandra.” The heating system functioned well, with a smooth axe kick showing no signs of locking up. I tied my hair up and engaged myself from STANDBY to PURSUIT. Elegance is important, but function must come first. Customized shielding kept the hair behind the ears, for the likely chance that the hair tie would come undone.

            On cue, a trail of black sedans sped past the crane. “They are heading approximately towards the direction of The Pyramid of Mercatorum, Cassandra.” The Pyramid of Traders was commonplace for business with the Dependencies of New America. It’s heavily regulated – but nothing stopped brokers from paying through bribes and the favor of an unexpected death ray.

            The streets were empty for the upcoming event in the southeast part of town, perfect for the black market. It was Tax Day, when everyone celebrated the advancements of the world Post Machina, following the creation of cutting-edge artificial intelligence. The Lifeless creators of A.I. suffered unimaginable deaths, foolishly believing higher intelligence would follow treaties and laws established on . Anton is one of the few Lifeless in hiding, sending cyborgs such as me to fulfill necessary duties. Reproduction was prevented by surgical removal of gametes in the XX. In the XY, the reproductive organs were cut.

            I headed towards the direction of the Pyramid on rooftops, with pistons powering every leap. Lunging 50ft at a time allowed me to outpace the cars, which moved like rooks on a chessboard. There were five vehicles, four of which held an accompanying Lifeless and mercenary. The vehicle in the center drove the Imperator with four Cores, removed from the Lifeless. He was undoubtedly on the way to meet the Tax Collector. Those Cores were poached from the European Bastion, the alliance of Lifeless in the Dependencies of New America. They had to be retrieved for Anton’s projects.

            Dropping from the last building, the blade surged through the asphalt, forming a large crack. I could feel the strain on the leading left leg, which suffered the impact of 200,000 Joules, as much as a moving vehicle, but training with the rest of Anton’s creations prepared me for such a fall. I headed inside and made my way to the stairs. The Pyramid had many levels, perfect for vertical free running.

Time: 02:09

Location: The Pyramid, Memphis, TN

            “Approximately 500 meters until arrival, Cassandra.”

            …

            “Approximately 300 meters until arrival, Cassandra.”

…

            “Approximately 100 meters until arrival, Cassandra.”

            ...

            How IMMERSive. From the stairwell, I could hear three pairs of footsteps climbing into the elevator which made their way upwards. Two mercenaries were put on guard; one with a third mechanical arm which held death rays and another with a large steel fist with knuckles that substituted as death rays.

I jumped into the entrance hall and threw a hook kick and punch, energized by the rings which shot waves of electricity down the steel blade into the nape of the walking tripod, short circuiting and beheading. The juggernaut turned and threw a fierce looking punch at the still charged leg, easily ending its warranty.

Anton’s voice rang through the earpiece again, “Cassandra! Abort the mission, now!” There was fear in his command, and I was about to find out why. A heavy force pushed down on my chest, making it hard to breathe. It became hazy and dim – I was on the ground, unable to lift my legs. Gravity was being distorted and broke the communication device. The pistons could hardly maintain the pressure and the springs had been broken. A dented head belonging to the Imperator rolled from the elevator. The connections were stripped and held an orange glow … a forceful ignition.

 The Collector stood before the entrance. “His parts served his purpose, and so will yours.”

“My Angel” by: Andrea D-P

     October 2009 my mom was diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma, in other words CANCER. A word no human being wants to hear. This disease had grew so quickly. Before we had received the horrific news life was amazing. We were a family of five, we constantly took vacations, went out to eat, and so on. We were living in Fort Irwin, California at the time, and we were really enjoying our lives as a family. The bad news had really caused a drastic and sudden change in our everyday life. My mom had got admitted into Loma Linda University Hospital on January 7th, 2010 for surgery to get her right kidney removed. During this process my dad, brother, sister, and I had temporarily moved to Montebello, California to accompany my grandma and grandpa. My dad was constantly visiting my mom while she was in the hospital just so he can give us updates on how she was doing. My sister, and I were at the age of nine, and my brother was at the age of four, with that being said we had a difficult time trying to understand what was really going on. Imagine hearing, “mom just went on vacation.” We were confused, curious, there were just so many questions to be asked. “Why did mom leave us?” “When is she coming back?” “Is she going to be okay?” I experienced a numerous amount of sleepless nights at just the age of nine. I went from sleeping with her every night to being in a cold, empty bed well at least that’s what it felt like. 

After a weeks of surgeries, and lonely nights sleeping in the hospital bed my mom’s doctors had confirmed that she was CANCER FREE. That’s right the deadly, horrifying disease was no longer taking over her body, mind, and soul. The hospital’s visitation restrictions had prevented my siblings and I from seeing our mom, but after a total of twelve days that all changed. The hospital had allowed my mom to go down to the lobby to see us. The visit was only thirty minutes however it felt like five seconds. It came time to say our goodbyes unknown to us that, that would be our last family gathering. Two days later my family and I were informed that my mom would not recover. Her visit with us had caused her stress because all she wanted

was to be with her family and unfortunately that had caused her to have a sudden brain aneurysm. 

The aneurysm was to far into her brain which prevented the doctor’s from saving her life. Unfortunately, my beautiful, strong mom had passed at 6am during sunrise on January 23rd, 2010. The way my dad delivered the news to my siblings and I was just heartbreaking. He went into the room and had woke us up. I could feel my stomach turning before he had even said anything, and then with tears falling down from his eyes the most heartbreaking words came out of his mouth, “Mommy went to heaven.” I lost all feeling in my body to the point where I couldn’t even cry, I was in complete shock. However, my brother and sister reacted differently. They were screaming their heads off, literally. I mean, can you blame them? I then ran to the restroom, I sat there and thought, what do I do now? How am I going to help my dad with my siblings? Who’s going to do my hair? I was hoping it was all a bad dream, but no my nightmare had really become a reality. 

What was next? We had to plan and prepare for a funeral. They say no kid should ever have to bury their parents. You can probably assume that at this point many questions were being asked. Why her? God, why would you take my mom away from me? We were sitting in the church, trying to celebrate her life. No kid should have to view a cold, unusual smelling corpse inside of a casket. However, I did. All I kept saying was, “Wake up mommy. Please wake up” Suddenly, two men had rushed into the church closed her casket and left the church. My aunt had to hold me back because all I could yell was, “give me my mommy back!” Just like that she was gone. 

To say this experience was life changing would be a complete understatement. I had nine short years with her but in time she had taught me how to fight, how to love, and how to be strong. Eight years later, and I refuse to take anything for granted. I try to live everyday like it’s my last because you never know what the next day will bring. I took my mom for granted because I had always thought that nothing would happen to her. My life is forever changed, and my best friend is now my angel. 

"How To: Get Ready for College! " by Brianna B

So, with less than 50 school days left in the year, we must all start thinking about something very important, college. Even if you've committed to a university or not, there are some things you can start doing NOW to help you get ready and not feel so rushed one week before school starts. I have watched an ungodly amount of college prep videos and I am here to help! I have separated things you can do each month from now until August. Good luck with all your future endeavors!
March:

• ●  Now is the perfect time to just enjoy yourself, high school only happens once!
  
• ●  College acceptances begin coming out for UC schools from March 1s t to March 31s t . Your acceptance isn't very far away!
  
• ●  College acceptances for Cal States will be given out until April 1st
  
• ●  While waiting for an acceptance, don’t stress yourself out! Enjoy the process. April:
  
• ●  Depending on your acceptances, you get to decide where you want to go for the next four years!
  
• ●  Some things to help you decide on the college for you:
  

○ ○ ○
● If your ○
○

Choosing the school with the best program for you
Location that fits your lifestyle
A school within your financial means
acceptances didn’t go as expected, here are some options:
Even if it is not your dream school, if it has your major, it is still a good option!
If you are extremely set on a certain school, remember you can always transfer from a community college
■ Assist.org can help determine if a certain community college's credits will transfer to a 4 year you're interested in

• ●  Tour the college of your choice! Fall in love with the campus
  
• ●  Remember to study for AP tests! If you pass they may count for college credits.
  May:
  
• ●  Graduation! This is the month it all becomes real, don't forget to enjoy every minute
  of high school.
  
• ●  Senior finals are going to sneak up on you, don't forget to study hard and finish
  strong.
  

• ●  If you finish strong, you will have a great start to an unforgettable summer.
  
• ●  Make sure your housing plans for college are in order
  

○ Roommates, location of dorms, etc.

• ●  Make sure everything is ready for graduation: cap, gown, shoes appropriate for the
  field (thick heels, comfortable heels, etc.)
  
• ●  Enjoy Graduation take lots of photos
  
• ●  Have fun at Grad Night!
  
• ●  If you are having a graduation party, consider starting a college registry with Target
  or other stores so you relatives can help you out!
  June
  
• ●  Find a summer job, saving for college is an extremely important step.
  

○ Even saving $1000 can help to alleviate some extra costs in college such as books, food, and dorm supplies

• ●  If you can't nail down a job, try an internship! Experience is also important
  
• ●  Try to stay active in the summer, keeping fit is important before college
  

○ Avoid the "freshman fifteen" by forming healthy habits

• ●  Make sure your housing plans are definite
  
• ●  Go adventure around home, enjoy the things around your city
  July
  

• ●  Enjoy July 4t h !
  
• ●  Now is the time to start thinking of things you will need to buy for your dorm.
  

○ Bedding, Décor, Microwave, Coffee Maker, School Supplies, Laundry Supplies, Bathroom Cleaning Supplies
● Think of things you can also bring from home ○ Bike, Pillows, Décor

• ●  Remember there are lots of "Independence Day" sales! Try to snag some deals
  
• ●  Also remember to check out thrift stores and yard sales!
  
• ●  If you are moving far or out of state, you can always buy some of these things in that
  area, as it will make it easier to move.
  
• ●  Also, you may be able to buy some things online and have them shipped to the
  location of your college! Check with your college for mail and package standards.
  
• ●  Start to go through your clothes and look to donate or either sell some clothes that no
  longer fit or interest you. Use some of the extra money from selling them to buy some
  new pieces! Think of the weather around your campus.
  
• ●  Start to make lists of things that you use every day and need to bring to college, this
  

will make it easier when it comes time to pack. August:
● Depending on the start date of your college, you will be moving in soon!

• ●  Start to pack all your clothes, toiletries, and any other items you're bringing with you.
  
• ●  Move in day will come sooner than you think!
  
• ●  Try to have zero stress during this time, there will be plenty of time for that in
  college!
  
• ●  Make sure your dorm is a stress-free place that you can relax in and focus in
  
• ●  Enjoy your time in college!
  
• ●  Don’t forget to be a respectful roommate, and friendly to new people. These people
  could be some of your longtime friends!
  

"My Best Friend" by Aaliyah W

   Walking into my seventh grade year everything was so unfamiliar to me, except my best friend. I had known him forever. As I walked around the campus, I hadn’t seen him yet. All of a sudden, I hear a deep voice behind me say, “Hey Liyah, what have you been up to.” I quickly turn around and give him a hug. I couldn’t believe he was standing right in front of me. After my excitement had worn down, we started to walk toward our first class. Along the way, there were many things to laugh and smile about. We talked about our summer and reminisced on old times. Suddenly everything became familiar to me. After that day, I knew that with my best friend by my side, seventh grade was going to be a success. Many months passed. I saw my best friend every day. We would talk about our teachers, our classes, homework, basketball, movies, television shows, our favorite food, etc. When the last day of school arrived, I was feeling great about this year. I had survived the very place I once thought of as being strange. My grades were good, I had met some new people, and I still had my best friend, so I thought. Everything changed between us over the summer. We barely hung out, we barely talked, and every time I seen him, he wouldn’t even look at me.  What did I do? What could I do to make things right between us? I thought that   he just needed some space and when school begins, things would be back to normal. Boy was I wrong. Was this going to be the end of our friendship?

    Eighth grade started, but this time my best friend and I didn’t talk to each other the whole day. He treated me like he had in the summer. What did I do wrong? How can I make things right? Before the school year ended, I finally asked my best friend why he wasn’t talking to me. I wish I could say his answer made things better, but our friendship was now in shambles. He said that he felt like I wasn’t being there for him when he needed me to and he didn’t know if he could count on me as a friend anymore. That was the last time I would ever talk to him or see him. As the years went by, I found myself thinking about my first day of seventh grade again. Everything was so simple back then. It was just me and my best friend against the world. We had a bond so tight that I thought would never break. I guess the saying is true, everything doesn’t last forever, not even friendships. After reflecting back on our friendship for a moment, I suddenly heard that very deep voice I had heard a million times behind me say, what are you doing?” I immediately turn around and realize that my best friend had been standing there all along, but his real name was Dad.