LIFESTYLE 

In all of my social media applications I get bombed by countless articles and photographs of beautiful models with perfect bodies. And not going to lie, there’ve been several times where these images affect my self-esteem. However, I’ve learned over time that it is useless to let my confidence get weakened by unreal photographs and I’ve learn to filter what shows up in my social media engines.

As an international student with a great desire to improve my knowledge on environmental and political issues, the Flint water crisis caught my interest, specifically since it is a conflict that has generated controversy socially, economically, politically and environmentally.

Have you ever been dissatisfied with the current events in your life? Do you feel like your life is miserable and boring? If you are having these recurrent feelings of dissatisfaction, it's time for a change, because your life has become stagnant. It's time to chase after your goals and those things you’ve been desiring for numerous years. Change isn't easy.

We exchanged week days for work days instead of just acknowledging that we work during the week. Working is not all we can accomplish, Monday through Friday. We should take more advantage of our week days and stop claiming them as solely work days. Here are a few things you can do during the week to take back your week day:

Unsurprisingly, however, a lot of professionals are taking to the internet to “snoop” on potential employees. Here are a few things to remember when you’re looking for jobs and know that a potential employer might be checking out your social media feed.

Change is one of the most difficult things we go through as people and especially as women. The funny thing about change is it's inevitable. No matter who you are or what stage of your life you're in, it's just that— a stage, and it's bound to change.

Hi there. Imagine, you’re getting ready for bed. It’s 9 PM, and your phone is vibrating uncontrollably. You’re stuck in a group message about a party that occurred last night that you did not attend. Why? You were too busy stressing out about the exam you have on Wednesday.  

Recently, I read an article on Vice about the power of empathy and empathetic individuals. The article outlined different personalities and examined how empathetic people feel the emotions of others. It detailed how easily some people can be influenced by different energies and carry the “weight” of others on their shoulders.

Stress is an inevitable part of life, still we so desperately try to avoid it. The most common advice when dealing with stress is simply, "do not stress" and I know first hand it is much easier said than done. Let us first get a clear understanding of the meaning of stress.

Some of us get up every morning and the first thing we think about are our setbacks, failures, and insecurities. We don’t even realize that God has granted us another day. Sometimes we spend our time envying others and complaining about the things that we don't have, rather than focusing our attention on our blessings. The next time you feel like you want to dwell on negative things, think about these questions:

The feeling of hopelessness surrounds us when we see a new post on social media of yet another innocent child that has been snatched from her home. We ask ourselves, besides tweeting and reposting, what are we to do?Social media seems to be the only place we can see and talk about this issue. With every post we make, there seems to be another missing girl following right behind the other, not giving us enough time toget the word out for the one before.

As a society, I think skinny-shaming is more “acceptable” to some people because certain people covet a certain body type. We are exposed to the much slimmer, thin waist, slightly curvaceous body on magazines, T.V screens, and in the media. When people that fit into this category are shamed, sometimes, we don’t make a big deal about it. We don’t pay attention as much, because often times they’re not the target of offhanded remarks, bullying, and shaming.

I've been visiting Switzerland for about a week now, in a small town called Monthey. The mountains are breathtaking, the scenery relaxing. It is an ideal place for meditation and for those who want to get away from the bustle of a big city. After the chaos that occurred in Nice last week, it's been helpful to have some time away from Paris and to reflect on many things. I'm thankful for this time spent away.

It was an awful day. At least that’s how my narcissistic self was perceiving that specific Friday. I had failed another Statistics exam, after studying for three days in a row. I had just started fighting with my mom through Skype because my rent was too high – I used to leave the lights on at all times in my apartment. I know, don’t judge me. And last but not least, I was having some drama with a group of friends from my floor. All I wanted was a freaking iced-latte and some sweet dessert. So, I decided to take the bus to the mall and sit in the really cute coffee shop inside.

If you’re like me, you love a good film. You may also happen to love Netflix. Recently, I indulged in a series of documentary sprees and Netflix originals. I must say though, I think we all have been sleeping on the international films.

Waking up every day to go to that place felt like a chore. I was always ready to leave. Graduating was probably one of the best experiences of my life. I recall a dreamy-eyed me sitting in the audience, more than ready for the next breakthrough in my life.

December 9, 2016, J. Cole comes out with his 4th studio album after his last studio album went triple platinum with no features, averaging 20 million to 100 million views on YouTube. Vintage hip hop, the art of recounting the details of your environment in poetic form. This is J. Cole’s lane.

Earlier this year I met someone.

This person was going through a difficult time, and in hindsight I believe that throughout most of our relationship I was just a support system to help him forget his problems.

Black women in America are problematic. Their everyday lives, challenging.  Their very existence, ambiguous. When society poses the question, whose side is she on, what should a black woman’s answer be? Should she stand by the side of a black man or attempt to work in stride with white women?

In Guatemala, the average length of schooling is 4.1 years, which places the country last in the Education Index, compared to all other Latin American nations. There are 3.2 million Guatemalan children between the age of 6 and 15 in 18,000 public primary schools, and 93% have no access to technology. The use of technology, specifically computers, can reshape power and knowledge in significant ways.