Human trafficking is prevalent worldwide, even in more developed countries such as the United States. Around 4 million people are trafficked each year—with 50% of trafficking victims being children—taken for forced labor or sexual exploitation. Areas that have recently suffered a natural disaster are especially vulnerable to human traffickers, and this hidden aftermath caught the attention of Headwaters Relief Organization,…
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How Being Creative Can Pay for Your Trip Around the World
We all dream of travelling around the world, but how many of us actually go out there and do it? The secret is to do it when you’re young, and taking a gap year is a perfect time. The only problem is that few of us have the money or the means to pay our way around the world at…
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Banking 101: How Much Do You Really Know About Your Bank Account?
Collaborative Post with 118 Money For most of us, having a bank account is an essential part of life. Without access to one, you can’t get paid by your employer, you have nowhere to store your money, and it means you’ll be paying for everything via cash. But how much do we actually know about our bank account? If you’re…
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Financially Planning for Graduation
Collaborative Post with Fords of Winsford For a lot of people, their years spent at university are some of the best of their lives. You experience your first real taste of independence, the excitement of a new city, find friends for life, and complete your transition to fully-fledged adult. That said, coming to the end of your studies can be pretty…
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Sisters Who Changed the World: An Essay by Author Kristina Pérez
Being an only child, the complicated and passionate nature of sisterhood has always intrigued me, and it’s a theme I explore in my debut YA fantasy, Sweet Black Waves. Although the novel is a retelling of the star-crossed legend of Tristan and Iseult, my protagonist is Branwen: best friend and cousin to the princess. In my reimagining, it’s Branwen’s sisterly…
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The Performative Nature of Modern Activist Movements and Why It’s an Issue
Trigger Warning: rape, sexual assault, violence against women James Franco stood on stage to receive his Golden Globe for his role in The Disaster Artist, proudly wearing black in solidarity with the women who came forward during the #MeToo movement and bearing a “Time’s Up” pin on his lapel, a picturesque ally to the recent wave of pushback against Hollywood’s…
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Why Girls Shouldn’t Be Raised on Fairy Tales Alone
The multiple benefits of bedtime stories have long been in the limelight. Not only do these promote strong parent-child bonds, but they also have a positive impact on the cognitive development of the child. While reading is akin to a tree that bears sweet fruits, reading something productive is a matter of grave concern too. For instance, girls are mostly handed…
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Author Calla Devlin on the Importance of Journalism
I never wanted to be a novelist. When I was in high school, I saw Missing, a movie about an American journalist named Charles Horman. In the early seventies, he and his wife traveled to Chile, which had elected a socialist president. Horman had written about politics for a wide array of newspapers and magazines, and Chile was a hot story,…
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Deconstructing the Problems with James Damore’s Google Memo
When I first read James Damore’s now infamous memo to his coworkers, I wasn’t outraged, or even angry, really. I don’t believe that Damore is a misogynist or a bad person, and he was clearly convinced enough of the soundness of his own argument that he distributed his opinions company-wide. That doesn’t change the fact that I vehemently disagree with…
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Poetic Tribute to a Badass Lady in History: Sacagawea
Many facts about the famed Shoshone guide Sacagawea’s life, particularly the dates of her birth and death, are unknown. However, all records portray her as a valued member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, which first explored the land beyond Missouri and paved the way for westward expansion. She distinguished herself as brave and resourceful on a long journey, traveling…
