It’s a hot mid-afternoon summer day. I sit on my dock in Cambridge, Maryland, the overwhelming heat of the sun reflecting off the river and beaming onto my skin. I carefully dart a grub lure across the...

At 7:30 a.m., I make my way into Whitman, waving goodbye to my mom as she pulls out of the carpool lane. My routine every day is the same. I greet my friends, go over last-minute preparations for whatever...

As the Friday night lights beam onto the football field, the routine to aid the football players begins: filling water bottles, carrying equipment and creating graphics for social media. Hype music blares...

As my annual team banquet draws near, my pre-celebration preparation process begins: blowing out my hair, applying makeup and finally, putting on the dress. As I slip into the bright blue fabric, I ask...

At 11 years old, I sat at my synagogue’s annual Rosh Hashanah service, my eyes floating through the room, focused on anything but the bema. My feet swung impatiently beneath me as my fingers traced the...

“My favorite food is spicy cow tongue.”  My second-grade lunch table momentarily froze before bursting into a chorus of laughs, and “ew’s.” I knew that my spicy beef tongue leftovers stood...

Defenders backpedal as the soccer ball arcs above them, falling to the foot of the striker. He shoots, scores, and his teammates surround him in celebration — until I raise my flag. I signal to the...

Coming off of the fever dream that was 2020 and 2021, we were all cautiously optimistic, hoping 2022 would be a year of healing, and perhaps even a mark return to an inkling of normalcy. While 2022 wasn’t...

This story was published in print in December 2022.  The faint sound of pointe shoes echoes through a narrow walkway as I begin to ascend a set of stairs. With each step, the soft tapping crescendos...

My toes are numb, my legs bruised and sore and my eyes are burning in the bright yellow sun. But here — flying downhill against the blustery wind — is where I’m at my happiest. Waking up at 5 a.m....

A typical Friday night as a pre-teen didn’t consist of any epic function. It meant hanging out with a friend, sitting behind a computer screen on Minecraft or curling up on the couch to watch a movie...

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, which means hanging colorful Christmas lights, buying presents for our loved ones and hosting festive holiday parties. But perhaps the most important tradition...