The Next Chapter

Four years of grueling high school work in preparation to head off to college begs a reprieve from the stress. Acting, taking photographs, writing, bouncing basketballs, kicking soccer balls, rowing on the Charles, and an insatiable appetite for politics became my escapes from the everyday grind

In two days my senior year switches from tests, papers, and nightly homework to a "senior project." For me that's blogging, continuing an AP art history course, immersing myself in a Polish language class, and giving my mind a chance to process things at a more natural pace than it's been running on for years.

Just as my ability to step back and pursue, think about, write about, and film the things I consider important will now increase dramatically, the campaign that has for so long been about picking apart differences among a large group of candidates has shifted to one about political philosophy and of which party's beliefs are the ones our country needs.

It's a challenge not just as a voter and citizen to think about that—and it's all the more difficult to think about it and then write about it. But hey, I've survived a freshman, sophomore, junior, and (almost) a senior year of high school analytical essays, class discussions, and debates, I'm sure I'll find a way to survive.