By Neya Krishnan, New Canaan HS Senior
Since her performance of ‘The Hill We Climb’, the public has fallen in love with Amanda Gorman, and it’s not hard to see why. I think that the public’s reaction to Gorman speaks to the unique ability of poetry to unify, shed light on challenging topics, express shared sentiments in a profound way, and bring us all closer together.
2020 has been a year of firsts. The election of Kamala Harris as Vice President is just that: a first. She is not only the first woman to hold power as a Vice President in the White House, but more specifically, the first daughter of immigrants, the first African American woman, as well as the first Indian-American woman to ever fulfill this leadership position. Many women and girls nationwide have seen Harris’s nomination as a symbol of hope and strength.
If you were to meet my mom, it might come as a surprise that behind the pink suits, pearl earrings, and perfectly painted nails is a woman who isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty. Underneath the sparkle loving, fur coat wearing fashionista is not a woman with an affluent upbringing, but rather a frugal one in Montville, CT, with her chickens, and pigs, and the influence of her “nothing is impossible” parents.
by Sydney Santos, LiveGirl Marketing Intern, Sacred Heart University ‘20
I have learned that although having a plan is always good, there's only so much we can actually rely on. Going with the flow is something I haven’t always been good at, I like structure and certainty. But 2020 has taught me to live in the moment and take each situation day by day, prepare for the future- but if an expectation isn’t met it’s not the end all be all. After all, I’m 22, this is my time to learn and experience everything I can. Here’s to the last four months of 2020, and whatever learning opportunities come our way.
By Dr. Vida Samuel, PhD. LiveGirl Board Member and Professor at University of Connecticut, Stamford
A sustainable world depends on our ability to have this conversation often, reasonably and acknowledge, that even when we may not share similar narratives, our standing as human beings demands mutual respect as a human obligation. We must force ourselves to do equal amounts of the emotional work required for a more racially-just world.
