Aryan's A-Z

  To Belong in this World By: Aryan Mukherjee “ You Belong”. “Love Yourself”. “Be Yourself, Because Everyone Else Is Taken”. I see these words strewn from poster to poster, plastered along the walls of every classroom and sprung to life from the vapor of the teenage breath on the mirrors of their school bathrooms. But just like vapor, those words of feigned encouragement are chiseled into your brain for just a few moments before disappearing along with the rest of the day’s grievances, and belonging acts as myth portrayed only in the most fanciful of legends that you hear before being tucked in to sleep at night. Splash! The water curls its arms around me and I am lurched forward into a spiral of lightning fast strokes, as thunder chants my name from all sides. As I just barely snag the gold medal, a rush of paparazzi spawns in, from mobs of clout-hungry stans to clusters of random civilians whose piqued interests morph them into my number one fan despite not even knowing my na...

 The Environment at Stake      I saw the snake and I became a statue. Petrified, it was like Medusa had laid her cold, degrading stare upon me and it was all I could do but pray I would survive. Inch by inch, I braved myself to step back, until my foot caught hold of a twig on a tree and I was instantaneously sprung into motion, a single twinge sending thousands of volts of adrenaline down my back and compelling me towards taking decisive action. The velvet red kingsnake’s beady eyes batted in curiosity, and its black and white rings danced hypnotic mazes through my eyes. I screeched like a newborn who was deprived of his favorite toy, and my reaction beckoned the chuckles and forward strides of an administrator who was watching over us that day. “Don’t worry, he’s harmless,” the director spoke with a warm smile made warmer by the fact that only a handful of kids were present to witness my utter cowardice. At the time, that was like telling a vegetarian that tortur...

“How Stereotypical Of You 🫵 ” “Watch out, that man might try to rob you.” “Why?” “His skin is as dark as night and his pockets look vacant. Even a few crisp dollar bills brought within his vicinity are a death wish and a half.” “Have you even met the guy? Do you even know anything about him to thunder out these bold allegations?” “I know enough just from looking at him.” But the thing is, you don’t. People don’t. And as much as society has tried to squander stereotypes over and over again, one sole factor has kept them planted in our membranes like a tree sprawling out its octopus-legged roots in a lawn of fresh soil. Enter: implicit bias. To keep it brief, implicit bias is a type of subconscious bigotry in which people, using the media and their own personal experiences with the world around them, form biases regarding different groups and elements that can build up over time and stir directed responses which would normally be exempt from their behavior towards peers.  Implicit b...

 No, it's about giving people the education they deserve . Adversity Scores: The Last Ditch Effort to “Achieve” Diversity The age-old question is back once again, but this time it has coiled itself rigidly around the sheath of the blade and is not showing any intention of budging. What is more important for the future of education: competence or inclusivity? Medical programs in schools the likes of UC Davis are leaning heavily towards the latter option, but ever since the Supreme Court passed their Affirmative Action legislature in June of 2023, that goal has been sunken into a ditch and buried under piles and piles of civilian opposition. Until now. Enter: adversity scoring- the last ditch effort from colleges to swerve around the black hole of achieving diversity and tackle the problem through a different lens- one that deals with the how more than the who. Adversity scoring is as simple and unexacting of a process as the name suggests: colleges determine precisely how challengin...

Hunger   It started with a pit, No bigger than a pea, Rooted deep within my stomach, A seedling from the dying tree. Dried to its core, It was suppressed by good fare, All motives for my demise, Were gone, stripped bare. But as the days grew wiser, My diet unarmed, unleashed, Satisfaction grew stark, The pit’s malice was released. From a glower on my face, To a grumble in my stomach, I sensed a sinister force at work, Head rocking to and fro like a hammock. My recliner descended The soft touch of my couch, The angel and devil both spinning, To stay idle, or stuff the kangaroo’s pouch? I was in comfort’s claws, Sleep was dawning in, But as the pit folded its hands round another, Its burgeoning was only just to begin. A potato chip crunched, Under the pressure of its steps, A growl with the tenacity of a thousand bears, My stomach was crumbling from these constant reps. I forced a belch, To no avail, As the time drew longer, My skin wrinkled pale. Now as the pressure, Drew closer to ...

The Prevalence of Implicit Bias The World Has Shaped Us To "Know Who We Are". But Do We?           About 40% of white Americans have friends who are exclusively of the same race as themselves. Yet racism rates amongst whites have dropped significantly in the last century, so the question remains as to how such outwards racism and discrimination can still withstand as prevalent an issue as it is. Implicit bias is a type of mental and subconscious bigotry in which people, using the media and their own personal experiences with the world around them, form biases regarding different groups and elements that can build up over time and stir directed responses and habits towards those things to which they hold bias towards. Implicit bias severely restricts and segregates human relationships, and can be easily avoided through its acknowledgement coupled with the utilization of counteractive methods that can combat its effects.         ...

                 This is the truth of the legendary land of Wocasti, a place so mystical that its roots came as a shock to the few who were fortunate enough to discover them. Just as a disclaimer, this story is a bit abstract and fantastical, so you will really need to pay close attention to the details so you know what's happening. Now, put away those earbuds, toss out that second tab, stop arguing with your mother about how your sore muscles negated you from washing the dishes, and buckle up for a journey about the origins and expeditions in this magnificent tale through the eyes of young Levi. How We TRULY Came To Be “Let me tell you a story, young ones, of a land so magical that all the fairy tales in the world bowed down to its glory and mystique. It is the story of our land, the place we’ve all held so close to our hearts since birth, the story of Wocasti,” a warm chuckle mixed with a hint of booze ushered a chorus of giggles and e...