Columns

My senior year in college was supposed to be filled with laughter, fun moments with my friends, and self discovery as I approach the time when I am supposed to finalize my career. I have always been one with a plan, but it is safe to say the things I have experienced due to the COVID-19 pandemic were certainly unexpected.

Usually grocery store workers hear “thank you” after helping someone find those hidden spices or something from the back. Now I’m greeted daily with “Thank you for helping everyone” during the current circumstances.

There was one thing that I looked forward to as my last semester at the University of La Verne had approached.

There is a running list of emotions graduating seniors feel at the beginning of their last year, from anxiousness about starting a new life chapter to the excitement about finally being able to hold our degree in our hands. 

As I heard the news that South Carolina removed the exceptions on rape and incest to their abortion law I could not help but be filled with anger, confusion and tears. How could the country that I live in deny autonomy to the lives of so many women?

As the nation came to a standstill when unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown was murdered in cold blood by a police officer in 2014, much of the country had no idea what was to come in regards to the issue of police brutality following that fateful day.