Elon Musk and his company SpaceX recently announced their first all-civilian-crewed space flight. This will be the first mission to space where the passengers won’t be NASA-trained astronauts. The crew for the Inspiration4 mission will be trained on site to be prepared to go to space. SpaceX has launched two crewed flights to the International Space Station comprising U.S. and international astronauts....

When the pandemic began, online learning became the new normal for students across the globe. Instructors have been loading on extra work for their students, trying to fit the entire curriculum into the new online format. Some teachers don’t realize that a lot of students are struggling to keep up with the pace, affecting their understanding of the material. Depression, anxiety and stress have...

Standardized testing is one of the most well-known instances of institutional power in the United States. Every year, millions of students take college entrance exams such as the SAT and ACT. In 2019, 2.2 million students took the SAT, and 1.78 million took the ACT. However, a growing number of accredited 4-year universities are test-optional, considering students on metrics such as GPA, essays, recommendations...

The pressure of diet culture and “clean eating” play a significant part in American culture. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the obesity rate is 42.4% nationally and 34% in North Carolina. Diet is the first line of defense against obesity and the health issues that come with it, like heart disease and stroke. According to doctors, a balanced diet with lots of fruits...

The SAT is not biased. It is an objective measurement of intelligence that is highly correlated with student success at a four-year university. Don’t believe me? No problem, just follow the science. But first, let’s define intelligence. Intelligence is an abstract concept that captures different cognitive abilities called general intelligence. There are two types of general intelligence, fluid...

Millennials and Gen Z are very familiar with economic instability. Many millennials and “zoomers” grew up amid the Great Recession and both generations are familiar with the economic hardship COVID-19 caused. Today’s economy is drastically different from the economy our parents and grandparents knew. Education is more expensive, it’s harder to buy a house and the job market has become highly...

Did anyone have any of 2020 on their 2020 bingo card? A pandemic? Killer hornets? Nightly fireworks to no end? No? Me neither. But this is where we are — a pandemic, presidential election year, societal unrest — all while moving to Appalachian and starting classes. We are living in a time that, literally, is unparalleled. How do we navigate this, you may ask? Together. We are all in this together...

The November election will undoubtedly determine the fate of our nation and, subsequently, the fates of future generations. While all of us may never fully agree on what this path should be, what we can agree on is fundamental change is desperately needed. Unfortunately, I must take responsibility for my part in contributing to the tumultuous and dangerous political climate originating from Washington....