Around 96% of teens aged 13 to 17 are reported to spend time on social media each day. Social media is significant to today’s generation. For example, social media allows teens to connect with their friends, express themselves, and find communities of people with similar interests.
Social media is, for the most part, a good thing. But social media can also be quite harmful and can lead to mental health problems in teens. According to a Pew Research study, roughly 48% of teens say social media has a mostly negative impact on people their age, but only 14% say it harms them.
According to the same study, parents of teens are more likely to be concerned about teens’ mental health than teens themselves. Overall, 55% of parents say they are extremely concerned about the mental health of teens. In contrast, only 35% of teens make the same claim.
Women are also more significantly impacted by social media than men. According to a study by Memorial University of Newfoundland, 88% of women compare themselves to other women online, compared to 65% of men who do the same. This can lead to many problematic things, like self-esteem issues, body dysphoria, and, in extreme cases, can lead to an eating disorder.
Not only does social media harm teens’ body image, but it can also increase the risk of teens having other mental health problems like depression and anxiety.
According to a Yale Medicine study, American teens aged from 12-15 who use social media for three or more hours a day faced twice the risk of things like anxiety and depression.
Even with all these problems that social media can cause, it isn’t all a bad thing. Actually, social media can also be good in many ways.
According to a National Institute of Health study, social media can help teens maintain and build connections with their friends and peers. It also helps teens who might have a long-distance friend or relationship keep in touch. The study states that teen girls who spent time with their friends on social media made their friendships closer.
Social media doesn’t just allow teens to connect with others, but it can also give teens a place of belonging.
The same study shows that different groups of people use social media to find other people like them and create and build communities. For example, teens with chronic or rare diseases used social media to find more people like them to connect and combat isolation.
Social media is both a good and a bad thing. Yes, it can cause mental health problems like anxiety and depression, but it can also allow people to find their community and connect with friends. I believe that if teens use social media correctly, they will find it much more helpful than harmful.
Behind-the-scenes look reveals the challenge of performing and competing in marching band
Editor’s Note: Check out pages 12 and 13 of the December, 2025 print Hyphen for a photo essay on the marching band season.
by Cherish Brown
“You’re just walking, it’s not that hard.”
This is what I hear when I try to express that marching band is just as hard as a sport. I wouldn’t be too upset if people told basketball players that “you’re just throwing a ball in a hole,” or told baseball players that “you’re just hitting a ball with a stick.” But no. Instead, they get praised for their hard work, while people overlook ours. So here’s what actually goes into the halftime show that you see at football games.
The first lesson we had to learn was how to march correctly. It might look like walking to some, but it’s a little bit more than that. There’s a specific technique that we have to use going forwards and backwards. To go forwards we had to learn to walk while keeping our legs straight, and also roll stepping. Roll stepping is rolling off your foot into the next step to make it look smooth instead of robotic.
Now for backwards. We have to walk on our tippy toes, while keeping our legs straight, and we can’t look backwards. If we don’t march on our tippy toes when we go fast, we will fall.
Now that we know how to go forwards and backwards, we now have to learn how to go sideways. The weird part about it is, we can’t have our shoulders facing anywhere but forward unless we are told otherwise. So, to march sideways, our bottom half has to face sideways, but our top half is facing forwards. The only people who don’t do that are the drumline, who crabwalk, and the battery, who don’t move.
“So no, we’re not just walking. We’re working hard, competing, and most of all, performing.”
We can’t just have you watch us march, though; that would be too boring. We had to learn how to play the music. To be honest, it’s really hard music. In the first piece we all have to play 16th notes, which is four notes per beat, which means you have to be quick with the notes, even at a slow tempo. And the second piece is at 160 beats per minute, which is double the speed of the second piece. And all that is hard enough while sitting down and looking at it, but when we’re marching, we have to play off of memory.
Now, we have to learn where we’re going, and how the music relates to how we march. The thing is, we aren’t just marching to random places. If you’re high enough in the stands, you can see that we make shapes with where we’re standing. We have to march to specific places, which are called our sets. And we have to learn the entire song while only marching before we can even grab our instruments.
Then we start playing. We have to go by each set (or spot we’re marching to) and learn which part of the music goes where. It takes a long time, especially because there are three different pieces we have to put together. So, we take many days of practice just learning how the music and our sets relate to each other, when we’re supposed to get where, and how big or small of steps that we have to take to make it on time.
Then, we have to make it look cool. We add what we call our choreography. It’s not actually dancing, like the color guard does with their flags. We do different things. Our choreography includes lunges, pliés, and forced arches. And we usually do those while we’re not moving, so we don’t look like we’re just awkwardly standing there. We also do these while we’re playing our music, so it has to match up with what’s happening musically.
Now we take all of this, that we started learning before school even started, and put it together for everyone’s entertainment. But there is something we do that many people don’t get to see.
We perform and represent the Jeffersonville Red Devils at our own competitions. We competitively perform in front of judges, against many bands in our district. This season our hard work led to an appearance at the state finals, where we placed 15th.
Our hard work got us there — work done over many months, and for some of us, years. I hope this season we’ve made everyone proud, especially the seniors, who have helped us all throughout this season.
So no, we’re not just walking. We’re working hard, competing, and most of all, performing.
Marching band performs its show The Devils in the Details. The Red Devils placed 15th in ISSMA state finals competition this season. Photo by Cherish Brown.
Marching band is clearly a sport
by Caitlyn Brock
Marching is a sport.
I’ve done my first season now in drumline, and it was some work. We had to learn how to march, and we stood for hours on end and didn’t get many breaks. During a typical school week, we practice for 8 1/2 hours of just practice alone, not counting all of band camp and competition days, with some Saturday rehearsals We went to scholastic prelims to qualify for finals and ended up getting 6/7 bands and went to scholastic finals, which took place in October.
Marching band is obviously a sport. First off, it requires physical exertion and skill, just like football or soccer. Next, we compete against other marching bands for a score which also can lead to finals, which other sports have, such as basketball. Finally, it’s done for entertainment, especially because of all the visuals and drill.
Initially, people would think that marching bands are laid back and easy, that all the instruments are not that big and don’t weigh that much, but that is wrong.
Drums can go from being 16 pounds all the way up to 70 pounds with gravity, which can be super difficult. Sousaphones weigh about 50 pounds, and all of those weights can be difficult depending on the person and size, with also having the marching around for 6-9 minutes (depending on the show length) while hitting all of the visuals and drill spots and playing all of the music by memory. That is a lot of expectations for high school musicians.
“Marching band is obviously a sport. First off, it requires physical exertion and skill, just like football or soccer. Next, we compete against other marching bands for a score which also can lead to finals, which other sports have, such as basketball. Finally, it’s done for entertainment, especially because of all the visuals and drill.”
Nobody talks about the demand for marching bands. We’re expected to learn music and hit the drill fairly quickly, given the limited time available, as rehearsals are often lengthy. Some days we are expected to start rehearsal as early as 6:30 a.m., going as late as 5 p.m., and marching in the heat is a whole different story.
We compete just like other sports. We have scholastic prelims — which would be called sectionals for other sports — and scholastic finals, which we get to go to. But we compete against other bands at different schools and get a score. Our scoring may be different than other sports, but we still compete.
Others may say that we don’t run around and throw around a ball or even have the same scoring as other sports, and we don’t do it for any entertainment, and that’s where they are wrong.
That comes to my final reason. Doing all of this work for one show is all for entertainment. We make the whole show look good just for the eyes of the judges and the people watching. We play music that people know for their enjoyment, too.
So that brings us back to one question. Is a marching band a sport? Yes, it is. We dedicate a lot time to it, and we march and play music for hours on end and compete for a score.
And we obviously do it for entertainment, because that is what it is all for in the end.
Wolf Alice, a familiar name for fans of the indie-rock genre.
The band is made up of lead vocalist Ellie Rowsell, guitarist Joff Oddie, drummer Joel Amey, and bassist Theo Ellis. They started as an acoustic duo in London around 2010, consisting of Rowsell and Oddie, but Amey and Ellis joined in 2012.
Since then, they have released four albums; their newest release, titled “The Clearing,” came out in 2025. However, one album of theirs has remained a favorite among their fans: “Blue Weekend.”
Released in 2021, the album explores themes of love, heartbreak, past experiences, and new places, all wrapped up in 11 songs lasting 40 minutes combined.
It opens with Track 1 named “The Beach.” The song begins with a faint guitar solo and references Shakespeare’s Macbeth, which sets a tone of impending drama and questions like “When will we meet again?”
The song then gradually fades into a verse voicing Rowsell’s frustration with inconsistent relationships that involve a push-and-pull trope, speaking of her experiences with trying to keep her friendships without ego. “We don’t need to battle, and we both shall win.”
Following right after is Track 2: “Delicious Things.” This song features heavy themes involving the disillusionment of fame and the feeling of being alone in a big city such as Los Angeles, describing Rowsell’s experiences with trying to fit in with the superficial crowd while also wondering where she truly belongs. “I don’t belong here, though it really is quite fun here.”
The band covers the heavy themes with a catchy beat, featuring a lot of building drums and dreamy bass guitar, accompanied by Rowsell’s ethereally wistful vocalizing.
The track fades out with a hazy, pensive repetition of a lyric describing the underlying theme, filling listeners with a sense of existential dread. “Don’t lose sight.”
One of the most meaningful songs on the record is Track 6, a heartfelt plea for happiness, titled “How Can I Make It Ok?”
The song features lyrics about trying to heal ourselves and the people closest to us, using a memorable rhythm and beat to get the point across. The whole album has an underlying sense of love, whether platonic or romantic, but especially this song. The music slowly builds from an anxious-sounding introduction to an almost desperate, angry ending, which symbolizes the growth of a selfless love.
With lyrics such as “How can I make it okay? Nothing else is as important as that to me.” and “How do we sell you the world?” the band makes it clear that they are so desperate for a close friend or significant other’s happiness that they would do just about anything, something that can resonate with people all over the world.
The album closes out with “The Beach II,” a sort of sequel to the opening number, which ties the record together in a perfect ending.
The track opens with a contrasting introduction to its predecessor, a breezy, lighthearted combination of string instruments. Unlike the themes of anxiety in previous songs from the album, “The Beach II” focuses more on closure and acceptance of the life we’re living. Through the lyrics and the softer melodies, it offers a sense of peace and solace in our friendships, rather than trying to keep hold of the stressful, contradicting experiences going on around us.
With the final lyrics being “Happy ever after” and “It’s okay,” the song closes out the album on a lighter, happier note, giving the listener a respite from the heavy heartedness laced in all the tracks.
Wolf Alice, the band as a whole, leaves listeners with a sense of fulfillment after ending the record. Their distinct, memorable style influences their fans greatly, whether they realize it or not.
Teenagers shouldn’t be forced into choosing a career before they even know themselves.
Freshmen, especially here at school, are encouraged to select a career academy and are required to be in the college and career program.
Indiana added readiness seals to the diploma last year, “to better prepare Hoosier students for the future.” Out of the three, one seal is required to be on our diplomas when we graduate. One of these seals is the employment seal.
The employment seal requires students to complete a market-driven credential of value aligned to a specific occupation, three courses in a Career and Technology Education (CTE) pathway, an approved career preparation experience aligned to Indiana’s CSA program, or an approved, locally-created pathway.
With the employment seal or the plus version, students need 150+ hours of pre-apprenticeship or moderate youth apprenticeship of work-based learning. This can cause a lot of stress, as it requires choosing a pathway and completing all these hours to obtain this seal.
Chart by Liddia Waterbury.
Teens often feel pressured to choose a career path early due to expectations from parents, society, and schools, which include programs such as college and career readiness initiatives and seals of approval. This pressure can lead to anxiety, burnout, or regret later, especially if our early decisions don’t align with our evolving interests.
Many teenagers don’t feel they have enough information to make such a big decision. According to an OECD report, a large number of students feel unprepared. 47% agree “I worry that I am not prepared for life after… school.” 34% say they don’t feel well-informed about possible career paths.
Adolescence is a period of “storm and stress,” marked by emotional changes, identity formation, and uncertainty about the future, particularly in school. This is because teens’ self-identity and interests are still developing. Forcing a career decision too early can limit our exploration and lead to a poor long-term fit.
Long-term stress in adolescence doesn’t just affect well-being now; it can also impact participation while doing work in early adulthood.
Teenagers might lock into a career choice too early, only to realize later we don’t enjoy it. This can lead to switching majors, careers, wasted time, or regret. As our interests and identities evolve, early commitments can limit our future options.
College and career programs, as well as readiness seals, play a crucial role in shaping our future in college and the workforce. However, schools should emphasize exploration over commitment.
As teens, we need time to understand ourselves before making significant decisions about our futures. When we are rushed into choosing a career, we are only pressured and confused. Giving us space to explore helps us choose a path that truly fits who we are.
Americans must learn about modern humanitarian crisis
by Ameerah Gbadamosi
Sometimes there are problems that exist on the other side of the world that we don’t know about or pay much attention to. For example ,Sudan.
Sudan is facing one of the worst humanitarian crises in modern history due to the ongoing conflict happening between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the parliamentary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) plunges the nation deeper into turmoil.
The war, which started in April 2023, has devastated communities, displaced millions and worsened an already dire humanitarian crisis.
Even before the war erupted in 2023, Sudan was already experiencing a severe humanitarian crisis that left 15.8 million people in need of aid. Now over two years of war have drastically worsened the living conditions, displacing over 12 million people and leaving 30.4 million people, more than half of Sudan’s population in need of humanitarian support.
More than two years of the civil war going on in Sudan, the civilians are subject to frequent attacks and human right violation, while the country’s health care system has collapsed as life-threatening famine sets in. The attacks on humanitarian aid workers have made it difficult to deliver life saving aid to some of the most fragile and vulnerable communities in the world.
The famine spreading around Sudan as violence hinders humanitarian’s ability to deliver food. Meanwhile soaring food prices and collapse of food supply left families starving.
Between December 2024 and May 2025, over 26.4 million are trapped in a health deteriorating food insecurity, over 630,000 people including in the country’s largest camp for displaced people are experiencing extreme famine conditions and a very high risk of death, the severe food shortage also leaves people vulnerable to illness and infection due to lack of essential nutrients.
Children are among the most vulnerable to famine. An estimated 15 million boys and girls require humanitarian assistance in Sudan, nearly double the 7.8 million at the start of 2023. More than 2.9 million children in Sudan are acutely malnourished, and an additional 729,000 children under five suffer from severe acute malnutrition.
Despite the threats of the famine ongoing in Sudan, both the SAF and RSF are actively restricting aid delivery across Sudan. International organizations like the World Food Programme say they cannot access 90% of the people facing emergency levels of hunger in Sudan.
As if the famine and their suffering isn’t enough, there is an increased risk of sexual violence and an alarming rise of gender based violence against women and girls during times of armed conflict.
In war torn Sudan, rape is likely being used as a weapon of war, and in less than two years, the number of people at risk of gender-based violence has more than tripled.
An estimate of 12.1 million people or 25 percent of the population are at risk of gender based violence with frontline responders and survivors reporting alarming rates of rape, abuse, coersion, and child marriage, trafficking, while survivors struggle to access support.
In Darfur alarming rates of sexual violence underscore the immense suffering endured in those dire situations, which reveals the exceptional vulnerability of women and girls that live there.
As of April 2025, nearly 13 million people living in Sudan have been forced to flee their homes in search of safety. 8 million have been internally displaced by the conflict in Sudan, 1 million refugees lived in Sudan prior to the current conflict-the second highest refugee population in Africa.
The war and genocide in Sudan has not been talked about enough, with what they go through each day. People fear for their own lives because they never know when the war will end or what will happen to them. Women and little girls being raped, famine spreading everywhere, People fleeing their homes because of bombings.
What we can do to help the people living in Sudan is donate anything to a charity cause that helps Sudan, make videos or posts about what’s happening so others can know or donate.
10 facts about Sudan
Sudan is located in Northeast Africa sharing its border with seven countries.
Sudan is home to more pyramids than Egypt.
The capital of Sudan is Khartoum, with an estimated population of 9.3 million in the city.
Arabic is the main language of Sudan.
The majority of Sudan’s population is Muslim.
Sudan hosts over 500 ethnic groups.
Sudan was once home to the Kingdom of Kush, an African kingdom.
Sudan was the largest country in size until 2011.
There are over 100 indigenous languages spoken in Sudan.
The Arab population makes up approximately 70% of the country.
In a non-stop motion world that just keeps speeding up, we can be tempted to let screens take over every aspect of our lives – even our reading. E-books are convenient, and our phones are always in reach; it might seem like the easier option. But there’s a reason physical books are still around and continue to hang on, even when the rest of our world and routine has gone digital. A real book does something a screen can not replace, and pretending they are the same experience is selling reading short.
Graphic by Chloe Newton.
Firstly, a physical book forces you to be present. When you’re holding a book, you are not constantly checking the time or flipping to another app every time our mind wanders to something new. There’s a kind of focus that only physical media can give you – it requires you to sit and stay for a moment without thinking about all of the other distractions in our lives. That kind of slow attention is getting rare, and it is worth protecting.
There is also something physical about the memory of these moments. People often remember where something happened on the page, whether it be in the middle of the chapter or the top left corner. That spatial awareness helps us absorb and recall information better than reading on a glowing screen. Reading books physically helps our brain build a map of the story, not just a trail of scrolling or hitting the turn page button.
“Reading is supposed to be more than content consumption. It’s supposed to be an immersive experience. While technology can have a place in our lives, there’s still nothing better than the feeling of opening and closing a book, turning physical pages, and letting the rest of the world take a backseat.”
Honestly, there is the simple pleasure of the book itself. A book has weight. It ages with the world. It can be loaned, shared, annotated, or thrown in a bag without worrying about a charger or if you will have internet access. A shelf of books tells a story about the kind of person you are in a way a Kindle or tablet never will. When you finish a book and can close it, there’s a sense of accomplishment-something real in our hands, not just a digital checkmark or finish line.
Finally, physical books give us a break from the constant digital noise. We spend so much time on screen at school, work, home, and even in communication that reading becomes one of the only chances to unplug. It’s healthy to step away from the fluorescent light and algorithms and just let our mind wander through our thoughts and through a story that isn’t competing for attention.
Reading is supposed to be more than content consumption. It’s supposed to be an immersive experience. While technology can have a place in our lives, there’s still nothing better than the feeling of opening and closing a book, turning physical pages, and letting the rest of the world take a backseat. That is something worth keeping in mind.
In the United States, a government shutdown occurs when Congress cannot reach a deal to pass a funding bill before the deadline. After the deadline, the government shuts down, and some federal employees are laid off, while others work without pay.
This may not seem detrimental to students and families, but the 2025 Government Shutdown, the longest ever at 43 days, put a hold on many necessities.
The Trump Administration planned for mass firings, despite the illegality in doing so, mainly for governmental positions; the firings were planned to be permanent even after the shutdown ends. Over 900,000 federal employees were laid off, and another 2 million worked for 43 days without pay. The Trump Administration stated their goal was to downsize the government and cut costs, but what isn’t taken into consideration is that many families lost their only income.
The government also funds food programs, such as SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), commonly known as food stamps. These programs are protected by contingency plans, but those become strained in later stages of a government shutdown, and even afterwards. Benefits do not come back immediately.
On Oct. 24, Brooke Rollins, The U.S Secretary of Agriculture, claimed in a memo circulated through the Department of Agriculture, that the contingency funds for SNAP are for natural disasters and not for government shutdowns. This put over 42 million Americans at risk of losing their benefits during the shutdown.
National school lunch and breakfast programs will suffer a similar fate, as they are on contingency plans as well. This will affect anyone who needs government assistance for food, and will leave many families hungry through any shutdown.
“A shutdown is more than just a disagreement on funding. It’s an emergency that needs proper attention and action taken.”
In addition to SNAP losing funding, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children will also be in trouble, even with the attempts from the Trump Administration to keep it afloat. This will put over 7 million pregnant women and new mothers in danger of not being able to feed their infants and buy necessities for their families.
The longer a shutdown lasts, the more programs that the nation relies on will fall. The Trump administration did the bare minimum to keep funds for necessary programs, and flat out refused to work with Democrats to fix this issue. They also didn’t tap into contingency funds to help keep food aid for millions of families.
A shutdown is more than just a disagreement on funding. It’s an emergency that needs proper attention and action taken. Some people live off the programs that were and still are currently at stake, and as President, Trump needed to address the issue before it’s too late.
The Trump Administration came to an agreement to pay active military personnel, but still did not find a way to feed people who cannot eat. The priorities of the Trump Administration do not align with the problems that we as people are facing.
I personally have family members who work in government who are struggling financially because they had to work without pay. Making people work normal hours and maintain the same level of integrity even while receiving nothing in return is disrespectful.
Even after the government shutdown has ended, the aftermath still lingers. SNAP funding is slowly making a return, but not in a timely fashion. Funding is still going to suffer long-term and families will still experience issues at the end of the year.
Republicans claimed that the shutdown is due to democrats wanting to protest against republicans instead of making a compromise with them. This is simply just false. Now that an agreement has been reached to end the shutdown, it’s very clear that the democrats were being as cooperative as possible without hurting the needs of families.
Republicans planned on cutting funding for certain programs, including health care. They say the subsidies for the Affordable Care Act should not be tied to the immediate funding bill, and should be discussed later. However, Democrats were not being uncooperative as a power play. This was a move to try and save millions of families and give them the life they deserve.
It’s Nov. 5, 2024, and to many, that day was a countdown to tragedies for many immigrant families.
I come from an immigrant family, like many children in America. Many come to America because it’s known as “The Land Of The Free.” They leave everything they know behind, everyone they love, their homes, and their culture for a better future for themselves or their children.
“I kept thinking: this is for my baby. This is for my family. I want to help them live a smoother life,” stated a Filipino woman in a 2025 Reuters report.
“Aliens,” that’s what they’re called. Living human people, no green skin, just people who look different and have a different shade than the “American Ideal.” However, these “aliens” have significantly contributed to the U.S. through science, business, and culture, supported by studies on their economic and educational impact.
Graphic by Dana Romero Regalado.
For example, immigrants are highly represented in STEM fields, with 86.5% holding at least a bachelor’s degree in 2019, compared to 67.3% of U.S.-born STEM workers. Data also shows that immigrant-founded companies, such as Google, and 40% of Fortune 500 companies, were founded by immigrants, highlighting their entrepreneurial drive.
“The high-skilled immigrants we have in the U.S. are incredibly productive and innovative, and they’re disproportionately contributing to innovation in our society,” said Larry Diamond, a professor of economics at Stanford Graduate School of Business and senior fellow at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR).
Being born as a Gen Z has helped me see how cruel the world is if you don’t fit the “ideal” image in America. I remember being terrified that I would go to school like any other day and come to find out that my mother was taken away — a hardworking woman who has her own business, hardworking employees by her side, and most importantly, a woman who would do anything for her two kids.
To many children, that has become a reality. In 2018, it was estimated that 4.4 million U.S. citizen children were living with at least one undocumented parent. A significant number of these citizen children have been separated from a parent due to detention or deportation. A 2025 American Immigration Council report highlighted that nearly half a million U.S. citizens under 18 had at least one parent deported between 2011 and 2013.
“Government, please show some heart, let my parent be free with everybody else, please…” she said through sobs. “…My dad didn’t do nothing. He’s not a criminal,” stated 11-year-old Magdalena Gomez Gregorio, who tearfully begged for her father’s release.
Many say that politics shouldn’t be part of conversations, that they shouldn’t be talked about because it doesn’t affect “anyone.” That’s beyond the truth; it just doesn’t affect them. Politics isn’t just about what you believe is “right” or should be “done.” It directly affects people and their lives.
Politics has a huge impact on immigrants and their everyday lives. The laws and policies created by political leaders often decide whether immigrants feel accepted and safe, or isolated and unwanted. Immigration policies can determine who gets the chance to build a better life, reunite with family, or even stay in the country they now call home.
When political debates turn harsh or unfair, immigrants often become targets of discrimination and fear, even though most of them are just trying to work hard and create a future for themselves and their families.
The system is failing the people they swore to protect, holding people illegally, and for a sum of money. Even local law enforcement officials, including Clark County Sheriff Scottie Maples, are holding ICE detainees at the Clark County jail.
So yes, who you support or follow does matter to me because it affects a community that is close to my heart, and it directly reflects the person you are and your morals. If the roles were reversed, would you still believe in your morals? Would you still say or think that they deserve this if they were your family? Or if they were your kids?
“Our attitude towards immigration reflects our faith in the American ideal. We have always believed it possible for men and women who start at the bottom to rise as far as the talent and energy allow. Neither race nor place of birth should affect their chances.”
In this day and age, all we focus on is ourselves. But if you just took the time to stop and look around, you would see the beauty of people. The beauty of community.
During the pandemic, when people stopped using federal transportation and other infrastructure of economic importance the government put the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (or CARES Act) into place in March of 2020.
Graphic by Rain Gresham.
This act was a 2.2 trillion economic stimulus, and 25 billion of that was allocated to the protection of public transportation; it was followed by the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act later in the same year with 14 billion more dollars.
Then in March of the following year the “American Rescue Plan Act of 2021” was put into effect via a giant 30.5 billion dollar relief fund to the same cause.
Though over the four years since this, that 69.5 billion has been exhausted. It wouldn’t necessarily be a problem except for the fact that they never truly recovered from the pandemic rider-ship wise. Without the funding it is truly impossible for public transit to continue running effectively and fruitfully.
I’m sure you’re wondering “Why should I care?” I mean we go everywhere with our parents, we have our own cars. What does public transportation have to do with us?
Everything, because public transportation isn’t just about buses or trains; it’s about the people.
The dad going home to his kids, the nurse on her way back from a long shift, the student just trying to get home early enough to eat dinner with her family. Without these little things, these quiet connections that bring us together, what are we? If not held together by the glue of these everyday moments, we are a shell of a community.
We need to fight for this because who else will. So what can you do?
You can give it your attention. Take the bus instead of calling an uber or door dash. Every ride counts even if it’s just once in a while. It may seem silly and useless because what can one person do? But that’s how change starts with one person taking initiative.
Showing that you care, care enough to help the drivers keep their jobs, enough to help systems stay funded, and enough to show the people in power that this isn’t a lost cause
Sure, we can’t vote. We’re not adults? But we are not children either, we can use our voices as little as it might seem. It makes a difference.
Bring the problem to the forefront of people’s minds. If you can’t make them care, at least make them think.
Navigating life as a teenage girl is already hard enough, trying to control all of our emotions. Losing my brother to drug overdose has added layers of feelings I never thought I would have to feel. Drug awareness isn’t just a cause to me. It’s a personal mission I set upon myself . I’ve seen first hand how the shadows of drugs can just pull you under, and I want to shed light.
Growing up my brother was light and joyful. He was my protector, the person I would run to. Growing up we would lie for each other. Tell on each other. We just did things only siblings would understand. We would play and get mad at each other. Everything was perfect. It was just me and him and my mom against the world.
Everything changed whenever we got older. The once happy spirit I saw with bright eyes, was now replaced by sadness and dull eyes. I never pushed myself to know what was going on, unaware of the battle he was struggling with behind his faded smile.
The turning point was the first time he overdosed. A 15 year- old boy lost his life that day and he was never the same again. The paramedics saved him and I had never seen my brother cry like he did. The strong person I would call whenever I needed was no longer him.
Everything changed after that. It was a constant cycle no matter what. It was a life of fear for everyone around him not to know if he would be here the next day. My mom would beg him to go to rehab. She would do everything that a mother can to make it better for him. I know he saw that.
“Drugs were my first love.” Those were words my brother said in a letter he wrote while in jail. Drugs aren’t a joke. They are an addiction and they take you away from people who love you.
At the end of the cycle after over a dozen overdoses, he lost his life on June 8, 2025. I know he felt pain and I know he felt struggles. Maybe by reading my story you will take the lesson as this. Don’t do something that may make you not live to see another day. There is always a chance and you don’t get lucky every time.
You could ask me the simplest question, and it might take me a few minutes to answer. And I always think of the worst that could happen. Sometimes I jinx myself because it does end up happening. That’s why I stick to activities that are within my comfort zone — so I don’t have to stress myself out. Still, sometimes I think that my anxiety is what holds me back from gaining new life experiences.
But that’s not even the worst part about it. My anxiety has also caused me insomnia, which has played a big part in my life, especially when I was younger. I remember my fourth-grade year. My grandmother had passed away, and that really took a toll on me because she was my best friend. So that summer was the first time I started having sleeping problems, and that was also the year I had my first depression episode.
I can remember it like it was yesterday – the long nights, the feeling of nothingness, and the worst part of it all was that I lost interest in activities that I used to enjoy. For example, I didn’t go outside anymore to play with my sisters or friends, and I just stayed in bed all day, even though I couldn’t sleep. I had no motivation to do anything else. However, after a few months of feeling that way, I finally got the help I needed, and I went to talk to someone.
But the crazy thing is, to this day, some people believe that teens shouldn´t have anxiety because they think that teens don’t have enough life experience to be unhappy or stressed. But according to the World Health Organization, “One in six people is aged 10–19 years. Adolescence is a unique and formative time. Physical, emotional, and social changes, including exposure to poverty, abuse, or violence, can make adolescents vulnerable to mental health problems.”
This proves that out of all people, we teens have the most to worry about. We have to worry about our looks, grades, and social life while also planning for our futures.
But if we don’t worry about these issues, then we’d be irresponsible and unlikable, which causes us more stress because everyone wants to be liked, and if someone tells you they don’t, they’re lying because every person wants to feel loved or cared for by someone.
In the end, my experiences with anxiety have taught me that it’s okay to feel overwhelmed and that it’s a common struggle for many, especially during our teen years. While I often overthink and worry about the worst outcome, I’ve been working on trying to see the better side of life.
It’s important to remember that everyone faces our own battles, and that reaching out for support is okay. By doing this, I’m starting to try new experiences, one step at a time.
In today’s society, the growing amount of hate directed at Christians is a troubling issue. Many people, especially younger individuals, experience discrimination and unfriendliness based on their faith.
This bitterness often stems from misunderstandings and stereotypes that paint Christians in a negative light. Whether it’s derogatory remarks in schools, exclusion from social circles, or targeted harassment on social media, the impact of this hate is profound and damaging. It not only affects the mental well-being of those targeted but also contributes to a culture of division that undermines our collective humanity.
Furthermore, the picture of Christianity in mainstream media often extends negative narratives that fuel the hate. Exaggerating stories that focus on radical behaviors overshadow the values of compassion, love, and acceptance that are central to the Christian faith. As a result, many young Christians feel excluded and isolated, battling a struggle to claim their identity in a society that sometimes seems unaccepting.
“Let’s commit to supporting one another, embracing our differences, and creating a culture where kindness overrules hate. Only then can we hope to bring a future where everyone feels safe and valued, regardless of their beliefs.”
It’s essential for all of us—regardless of our personal beliefs—to challenge these narratives and promote a more balanced understanding of what it means to be a Christian today.
To counter this growing hate, we must build an environment of open dialogue and mutual respect. Schools, communities, and even online platforms should encourage discussions that promote understanding and empathy. By standing together against intolerance, whether it’s directed at Christians or any other group, we can build a society that values diversity and encourages acceptance.
Let’s commit to supporting one another, embracing our differences, and creating a culture where kindness overrules hate. Only then can we hope to bring a future where everyone feels safe and valued, regardless of their beliefs.
thehyphennews.com 