Three out of the four seasons, I am jubilant, bubbly, cheery, and talkative. The spring flowers make me smile. I absolutely love the long, summer days where I can be outdoors all day and do activities with the people I love. In the fall, I love stomping on the leaves and drinking spiced cider. In the...

During my first two years of high school, I felt the stereotypical pressures of Gunn. I believed I either had to make the best grades in the class or I was not smart enough; I thought I had to be the best lacrosse player on the field and I thought I had to be involved in every extracurricular activity...

To my younger self: “You have to continue to believe that there is a reason for everything in life — because there is.” I wish I could go back to my underclassman self and tell her this, so that she could understand that life lessons are waiting to be learned with every new experience. I wish...

For as long as I can remember, people have seen me as an open book, as someone who’s quick to trust others. However, that’s not how I see myself. While I’ll trust people, it’s not in any way an instinctive decision. I’ve made a habit of joking that I’ve already experienced more fear than...

I distinctly remember multiple moments during class breaks in which someone tried to reach out to me. They glanced at me, walked toward me and...abruptly turned away. I know why they did so. I seemed nice and approachable enough at a distance, but I reacted oddly once they came near. As soon as I caught...

Time first stopped for me eight years ago. Swimming in the Pacific Ocean, I happened to get caught off-guard by a rather large wave, and after tumbling through the water for ten seconds, I tried swimming up for air when I felt another force of water toss me around before I could catch a breath. It wasn’t...

The first time I failed a test– really failed it, F for flunk and all that –I didn’t handle things well.  That is to say, I curled up in a ball and tried to pretend the world didn’t exist for a bit.  Unfortunately, sheer willpower cannot put reality on pause, but I figured I’d try anyway. That...

Compiled by Julia Cheunkarndee The Oracle: What are the Sources of Strength, and how are they beneficial to students today? Scott LoMurray: The eight sources of strength include family support, positive friends, mentors, healthy activities, generosity, spirituality, medical access, and mental health....

I have been on this planet for 49 years. I have been teaching for 24. I have been a mom for 21.  Sometimes I feel like I really know what I am doing and have this whole life/teaching/mom thing figured out.  Sometimes not.  I think I maybe I will never have it all figured out, but I keep trying and...

Compiled by Liza Kolbasov The Oracle: What is the crisis text line? How does it work? Libby Craig: The crisis text line, we provide free, 24/7 confidential crisis support by text message. SO, a person who's in crisis, dealing with anything from anxiety, to stress about a test, to being upset about...

Written by Vidur Thukral I know who I am. I’m the guy with the repetitive jokes, the guy who’s a huge aviation geek and the guy who has a weird obsession with Indian cuisine. I could keep going on and on. There are a million ways to describe me and I knew every one of them. What I didn’t realize...