Writing Portfolio

Table of Contents:

Selected Original Poems                                Page 2

The Spirit of the Game: Ultimate Frisbee       Page 12

Homily: John 6: 35-40                                   Page 17

A Proposal to Address Domestic Violence in Baltimore         Page 20

Spotlight Review                                            Page 28

On Pope Francis’ Visit to the US                  Page 30

In Memoriam of a Classmate                         Page 33

The End of My Generation’s Childhood        Page 35

Selected Poems (written between 2011 and 2017)

Untitled

There’s so much you can hide with a smile, a laugh, skip down the hall.

But when you curl up in bed, wrap yourself in blankets,

There’s nothing to hide from, no one except yourself,

And that’s the hardest one to hide from.

There’s smiles in my eyes. There’s marks on my arms.

There’s laughter in my voice. There’s cracks in my heart.

There’s no reason you can think of. You didn’t want this.

If you could go back, you would put it down,

Keep the blood inside, ‘cause in the end, it doesn’t help,

It makes things worse.

Now there’s scratches to prove there’s pain

Inside, suffocating you.

But it only causes more confusion,

More pain, more urges.

But don’t bite, stay clean.

Smile- it will help, those other things won’t.

Put it down, hug yourself

Without digging your nails in your sides.

Cry because you are laughing.

Let it heal. Let it show. Let it help.

You are a song that never ends.

You are strong. You will stay so.

Stay strong, my love.

Rainy Day

Sometimes I think I’m losing myself.

The storm twists and tightens around me.

Then you save me, make me smile

As you fight away the monsters.

It’s been a rainy day, rainy year.

Weatherman says it’s passing.

I don’t believe him.

You tell me you’ll stick it out with me:

I do believe you.

It’s been a rainy day, rainy year.

I sink under the water and wind,

But you always block the branches,

Grab my hand, raise the other

And bring color to my rainy day.

It’s been a rainy day, rainy year.

But in this place, the sun always comes out.

It’s you shining your light to heal my wounds.

It’s you whose voice rings in my head

And saves me from another rainy day.

It’s rainy day, but I’m not scared.

You will share your umbrella

And make the rainy day disappear.

Remember Me

I glance through the glass and see the sadness covering the scene:

Three young kids, barely old enough to understand their mother has to go.

It’s her time. She was soothing their tears. The children love her, they need her.

She smiled and told them they would see her again,

But they must remember her, she said with a soft voice:

“Remember me with smiles and laughter, for that is how I will remember you all.

If you can only remember me with tears and sorrow,

then don’t remember me at all.”

Slowly, I flew to an old man sitting by his wife, crying with their children.

They all took hands, and he held tightly to his wife. She said to him:

“Remember me with smiles and laughter, for that is how I will remember you all.

If you can only remember me with tears and sorrow,

then don’t remember me at all.”

When I leave here and sit on a cloud, will you remember me?

But before I go, I’ll say:

“Remember me with smiles and laughter, for that it how I will remember you all.

If you can only me with tears and sorrow,

then don’t remember me at all.”

Remember me, remember me, remember me.

Twelve Years

Two pairs of socks, some glue

One big sparkly dress

One big curly mess

A massive box of make-up

Soft shoes, hard shoes

Music, judges, actions

Make an Irish dancer

Bruises and blisters, bloody socks

Are common things in our world

Sore, muscles, sweaty bodies

It might not seem worth it

But standing on that podium

After twelve years

Makes it all go away

Twelve years stronger

Fight after fight

Twelve years harder

Loss after loss

Twelve years dancer

Reel after jig after ‘pipe

Twelve years winner

Bruises and blisters, bloody socks

Are common things in our world

Sore, muscles, sweaty bodies

It might not seem worth it

But standing on that podium

After twelve years

Makes it all go away

I’ve been injured, been told no

But nothing stopped me

Twelve years of practice

One big trophy to carry home

Bruises and blisters, bloody socks

Are common things in our world

Sore, muscles, sweaty bodies

It might not seem worth it

But standing on that podium

After twelve years, makes it all go away

Twelve years past, a few more left to win.

Secret Garden

The years before her love took her away, the darkness of her past was present.

Nowhere to go, it seemed.

But nobody knew what she hid in her blue, knotted, glass heart.

Until love came alone, suddenly, the only one to get inside.

She fell so hard in love. Let her climb the wall to her secret garden

Full of wildflower dreams, thorns buds, weeds. 

Every little part of her in that secret garden within her heart.

The only one to understand care, listen, believe, love.

Driving through the highway,

Lying under the blankets, living for these times

When she comes along, beautifully, the only one to get inside.

She fell so hard in love. Let her climb the wall to her secret garden

Full of wildflower dreams, thorns, buds, weeds.

Every little part of her in that secret garden within her heart.

The lonely, broken girl, saved by one true, lively love

She fell deep in love; let her guard down, finally.

She fell so hard in love. Let her climb the wall to her secret garden

Full of wildflower dreams, thorns, buds, weeds.

Every little part of her in that secret garden within her heart.

She’s a secret garden,

Full of love and beauty.

The Sound of Sleeping

It’s 1:30 in the morning

I’m staring blankly

Sitting in a blue leather chair

And listening to the silence

While my eyes stay open

I can’t close my eyes to

The sound of sleeping.

Other people breathing softly

While my heart runs a race.

The clock, the drain, the air.

And my body curls up in pain.

I can’t even remember

The sound of sleeping.

When I was young and

my mind and body didn’t

Battle against each other

Instead I shake and tighten

While my eyes cry open

I can’t close my eyes to

The sound of sleeping.

Other people breathing softly

While my heart runs a race.

The clock, the drain, the air.

And my body curls up in pain.

I can’t even remember

The sound of sleeping.

It’s 1:45 in the morning.

The music blares into my blood.

And only adds to the silence

Of sleeping, peace, night,

The gaping hole silence brings.

I can’t close my eyes to

The sound of sleeping.

Other people breathing softly

While my heart runs a race.

The clock, the drain, the air.

And my body curls up in pain.

I can’t even remember

The sound of sleeping.

It’s 2:00 in the morning.

My body succumbs to

The sound of sleeping.

The Manger

We traveled far for him. I hear the angel voices

Announcing my son’s arrival. He's just a baby, yet he’s more.

We’re holding our life, blood, joy, world, lord

Here in front of us, just the three of us.

Lying in the manger under the star.

Peacefully sleeping like an angel in the light.

Nothing different about this night.

But everything has changed. Our little baby boy

Lying in the manger under the star.

He is so little in my hands, but even now he's bigger than me.

Growing up as my son, but becoming father of all creation.

A simple carpenter holding our life, blood, joy, world,

Here in front of us, just the three of us.

Lying in the manger under the star.

Peacefully sleeping like an angel in the light.

Nothing different about this night.

But everything has changed. Our little baby boy

Lying in the manger under the star.

Bearing everyone on his shoulders, but in our arms right now.

How can we be your mother and father?

Lying in front of us, just the three of us.

Lying in the manger under the star.

Peacefully sleeping, like an angel in the light.

Nothing different about this night.

But everything has changed. Our little baby boy

Lying in the manger under the star.

We will travel far for him. I hear the angel voices.

He Loves Me Now and Forever

He loves me now and forever

I can tell in his kiss

Though you think so, he will never

Leave me never in the dirt

I love him more than anything

I can show in this song

Which through high and thick walls I bring

My love I want to give

We love each other to the end

I can put all my trust

In his desire to defend

The love you won’t allow

I love him more and more each day

And our two hearts want

To live together ‘til we’re gray

And then love even more

He loves me now and forever

I can tell you this much

With his love, I will never

Be left here in the dirt.

The First Day of Spring

On a day like today, we celebrate

Its when a girl becomes a woman

And she starts to live and bloom

Its when a girl becomes her own

And she learns to love and jump

Its when a girl learns to breathe

Without anyone’s help

But on a day like today, we warn her

Of the ways a girl can get hurt

When a man can come and suddenly

Take away all that she has

When he grabs her and ruins her

Lets her bloom fall to pieces

And traps her in his tight grasp

It’s the first day of spring

But she don’t feel the warmth around her

She’s cold and lonely and scared inside

She let him in, got tricked into thinking

He was a special one like the stories told her

But they lied and now she’s lying

Alone, naked, under bloodied and bruised blankets

It’s the first day of spring

But it was the last night of winter

And he trapped her inside the cruel howls

With only a window to the springtime

So she lays hidden in the mess he made

Because she fell too far

On her first day of spring

Emerald Necklace

He gave it to her on her 23rd birthday

With a promise he would marry her

He put it around her neck, let it fall

Across the hills of her bones

And gave her a kiss as her spun her around

She wore it to her wedding with a pretty dress

The green shined down the aisle with her smile

She let her tears fall, they landed on the rock

Sliding down, filling the cracks

And they kissed with the necklace in between them

They bought a big piece of land, a great big house

They painted the walls and their hearts green

And laid the necklace on the fireplace

So they could it together, reading, talking

And pass their green nights on

A beautiful baby girl was born

One Thursday night with the necklace

Waiting for her downstairs

Her cries, their smiles poured green over her

And morning rose a little brighter than before

The next eight years brought cracks in the stone

Lost babies, no money, storms, fights

The necklace gathered up dust, buried

After years on not being worn and danced in

After years of misplacing its love and shine

But cracks can be filled and they disappear

The two of them with their first baby

Live in happiness and green again

With flowers all around and dust gone

They dance every night in the emerald light

They dance away the years and days

And slow themselves down

To sit in rocking chairs side by side

With their emerald hugging them

As the clock ticks on by

And one night the necklace opens

The green light shines brighter

Than it has the 60 years before

And then blows out one last time

As the roses and weeds cover it.

Spirit of the Game: Ultimate Frisbee

December 2016

At 6 o’clock, at this time of year, the sun has set almost an hour already and the coldness of November cannot hide among the brightness of the day. Most students here at Loyola are bundled in sweaters, jackets, boots, and scarves, sitting in the warmth of their rooms, Starbucks, or the library. But there are about 35 students who are dressed in shorts and t-shirts, swapping their boots for cleats and their books for frisbees. They gather under the lights on the Diane Geppi-Aikens Field and two-by-two, start throwing their frisbees around and running after them. For two hours every Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, Loyola’s Ultimate Frisbee Club prepares for tournaments against other colleges by practicing offense and defense drills, scrimmaging, and sprinting, rain or shine.

Picture this: You are about to start college. You may have been playing the so-called “normal” sports all your life: soccer, baseball, basketball, hockey, track. You might want to continue these sports, but you also want to try something new. And so, you decide to give Ultimate Frisbee a try.

Ultimate Frisbee was founded by a group of high school students in 1968 in Maplewood, New Jersey. The definition of Ultimate Frisbee, as given by USA Ultimate, is “the non-stop movement and athletic endurance of soccer” combined with “the aerial passing skills of football.”  Two teams of seven, sometimes mixed, normally with 4-6 men and 1-3 women, play against each other, both trying to send the frisbee down the field to the opponent’s end zone. The frisbee is turned to the defense if the offense drops it at any point during their attempt. The game is self-officiated among the offsides, and out-of-bounds, while also deciding how many points they will play to, most deciding the winner is the first team to make it to somewhere between 12 and 15 points.

On paper, Ultimate Frisbee seems similar to other sports. The layout of the game is reminiscent of football, the techniques of defense recall the same ideas as in any other sport, and the strategy is the same: use the field to trick the defense and move the target to the end zone. There are rules and there are fouls for breaking those rules. There is a winner and there is a loser. But there is one glaring difference, one unique part of Ultimate Frisbee that no other sport has: the spirit of the game.

According to USA Ultimate, the spirit of the game is the name for the central rule of the game, which is that the sport has no referees. Simply put, this rule means that the game is played democratically and each team has a responsibility to call out fouls and discuss the validity of them. But as Ultimate players will quickly find, the spirit of the game is so much more than that.

Co-captains of Loyola’s Ultimate team, Ned Taylor ’17 and Torrin Stokes ’17, explore this idea. To Taylor, “the spirt of the game is the overarching theme of honesty” and it is “just how you’re supposed to play the game.” Ultimate does not leave space for players to be dirty. Dishonesty and negativity may work in other sports, but in this no-contact game, this way of  playing will only make the player lose the respect of others and ruin the foundation of the game. Stokes adds on, saying that spirit of the game “reflects you as a person...it’s the culture of the game.” Because there are no referees, each team is required to be responsible and respectful to the other, no matter if they are winning or losing. Stokes says that “good players are good and great on and off the field,” for Ultimate holds a high standard for respect and civility.

Player Grady Riley ’18 believes that the spirit of the game is what makes Ultimate “one of the best sports” he has played. He says that this way of playing “challenges each player to be honest and dignified” both while playing the game and also discussing calls. Total honesty is required for all players and when this honesty is shown, a team or player proves their ability to be good people in the test of competition. Sean Mizoguchi ’20 also realizes the vigor of the game and believes that “dispute competition retains the spirit of the game.” The ability for teams to discuss problems between themselves without a referee as a third party, forces players to be respectful and mature in what they say and do.

Each team must look at a situation from both viewpoints and understand not just that they want to rule something in their favor, but also that the game can only be played with honesty and dignity. Due to Ultimate requiring democratic-style play and spirit of the game, Riley realizes that “frisbee has reached a standard of excellence [he has] yet to experience in any other sport.”

Spirit. Every sport has a certain level of spirit that every athlete exemplifies while playing. Ultimate Frisbee is no different, except that its spirit is heightened and intensified. Stokes notices that the culture around Ultimate is “just weird. There’s a little camaraderie...and [players] really really get into it in a way...people don’t get into other sports.” There is an energy on the field and on the sideline that is absent from other sports. The entire team each game is “in each other’s arms, laughing...even when it was intense, we knew when to be serious and when to have fun and they didn’t have to be mutually exclusive things,” Stokes says as he recalls a recent tournament. This balance between seriousness and fun is difficult to find in other sports. But Ultimate allows for flexibility for players to decide how they want to play. As Taylor says, players “can be out there every day throwing and really wanting to get better,” but they can also play “to have fun, [as] it’s pretty fun on any level.”

Ultimate Frisbee players?know how to have fun more than any?other group of athletes. It doesn’t?matter if their team is losing or they?are playing poorly, players will?always carry an underlying tone of?fun. This camaraderie builds a?community, and one that is extremely?close and unbreakable. Malone Mislak ’18 says, “frisbee has provided me a network of loving, supportive friends” and Mary Kate Buckman ’20 agrees, saying, “the difficulty of the sport along with the intensity of personalities and dedication, brings a uniqueness to my college experience.”

For many sports, being serious and having fun are two different things. But for Ultimate, one almost cannot exist without the other. Ultimate players play to both have fun and win, never sacrificing one for the other. At its core, Ultimate is fun; the competition is added onto a fundamentally simple sport. And this competition is built upon strong leadership, most likely by peers. Both Taylor and Stokes emphasize that any player will never be the best, but Taylor says this knowledge is “the?reason you keep playing”?for it is “driving and?inspiring.”  Stokes agrees,?adding that a player’s?potential is often hidden,?but he believes that “you?can jump higher and [run]?faster.”  This competition between players of opposite teams and more importantly between individual players against themselves gives the fun of Ultimate a meaning. No one will ever be the best and every one can continue push farther, which Stokes believes is “a challenge, but also an incentive.”

The sport itself claims humble beginnings and so does each player of the game. Most players will begin in college, never having done any more than throw a frisbee around once in a while. But the game quickly becomes all that a player stands for and all they want to be a part of. Stokes says, Ultimate is “sort of a metaphor for adulthood,” because most players are just thrown into it and are forced to figure out how to play and play honestly. It is a first step out of people’s comfort zones and the environment never stops asking for more and pushing for athletes to grow within the spirit of the game.

Picture this: You are at the end of your first semester of college. You have been learning to play the weirdest sport you can imagine for the past 3 months. You might wonder how you got here, but it doesn’t really matter. All you know is you are so glad you decided to give Ultimate Frisbee a try.

At 8 o’clock, at this time of year, the moon has brightened the sky for hours and the coldness of December sneaks into the end of November. Most students here at Loyola are full from their dinners, warm from long showers, and wide awake from their most recent naps. But there are 35 students who are hungry, dripping with sweat, giving one last push on the last play of the scrimmage. The lights go out in an instant on the Diane Geppi-Aikens Field and side-by-side, each player walks blindly towards the middle of the field. For two minutes every Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, Loyola’s Ultimate Frisbee Club huddles together, smiling and laughing as they each put their hands in the middle and shout their cheer in unison, rain or shine.

Homily: John 6:35-40

April 2016

On bright Easter mornings we often focus on finding the most eggs, eating as much candy as possible, and just getting through the stresses and trials of another holiday. What we often forget is that Easter isn’t just one day, rather each Easter Sunday is only the beginning of happier, better times in our faith. It is fifty spring days in which we can allow ourselves to open our eyes to new beginnings and see light after the darker period of Lent. Easter is the time in each of our own lives we strive for when we finally reach light and stabilize our faith in God.

Today’s Gospel passage is both comforting and challenging. Challenging because it asks us to trust fully in God’s will, especially when we can’t understand or know it yet. But it’s comforting because we know that God does have a will for us, a special plan and purpose for our lives. We don’t need all of the details; we simply need to trust in God. The question of fully trusting God’s plan for my life has never been more in focus for me than it has been this year. And a novel I read in English class helped me to make sense of God’s invitation for me to trust more deeply in His plan.

 This winter, in Mr. Adair’s AP Literature class, he and his twelve students would sit in a circle in the silent library, taking turns reading the novel, A Prayer for Owen Meany. We would have fun with the amusing parts, but we would also have serious discussions of the tragedies which unfolded in the novel. This novel tells a story that asks the reader to wonder if everything has a reason and if one action can affect an entire life. The novel mixes humor and childhood with these difficult ideas and creates a masterpiece. 

Owen Meany is a young boy growing up in New Hampshire during the 1950s and ‘60s. He experiences several tragedies and tests of his faith, a death of a loved one, and lost friendships. And yet, he sets himself on a path to help others and by the end, is willing to risk his life for God. Despite many challenges, he lives without any doubt that he was special and that God gave him a reason to live. For me, Owen was both an intangible, absurd character I couldn’t believe would be real and a little brother I could almost reach out to hug. Owen’s life culminates in an extraordinary test of faith. Even though Owen’s life is a unique example, I was still able to fall deep into thought over his ability to completely trust that God had a plan for his life.

Fully trusting others is not an easy task, at least not for me. Trusting God can, at times, be even more daunting because we can’t see God with our eyes or understand all of the events that happen in our lives. In the novel, Owen’s faith wasn’t deterred by these facts. He could live through devastating events and know that although he couldn’t control the outcome, he must trust God. 

In the Gospel, Jesus tells us that “whoever comes to [Him] will never hunger, and whoever believes in [Him] will never thirst.” Although these words are simple, their call is one of the most difficult lessons we face: to trust someone with our lives and continue trusting that person even after events beyond our understanding occur. Jesus isn’t just referring to actual food and water in this passage. The meaning behind his words suggests that we must trust that God will provide us with everything we need to be sustained and cared for. The first step, though, is deep and complete trust in God for our entire well-being; body, mind and spirit, whatever events may happen.

Jesus reminds us that “this is the will of [His] Father [and] that everyone who sees [Him] and believes in him may have eternal life”. Jesus doesn’t explicitly mention doubt, but sometimes faith does have doubt.  Jesus was human, and we know that on the night before he died while in the Garden of Gethsemane, he did question whether the events of the next day really needed to happen. But just as quickly, Jesus ultimately confirmed his trust in his Father to be with him and the overall plan that God had for him. It is human to have doubts, but faith can provide the light of hope amidst doubt. Jesus asks us to have faith and trust in Him despite that doubt. He asks us to try to live our lives accepting that we may not know our purpose. It takes faith to trust that God has a plan for our lives. If we let go of the necessity to know what our purpose is, we will be able to live out God’s will.

Like Jesus, we may lead lives that don't always follow our original plans. Jesus “came down from heaven not to do [his] own will, but the will of the one who sent [him].” Jesus reminds us that what we want, what we hope for, may not always be what’s meant for us. As hard as it is to let go of control, we must follow the examples of Jesus and Owen Meany who place their lives in God’s hands and trust in God’s purpose for them. In this time of Easter, even if we might not always feel the joy and light of the season, it is the perfect fifty days to remember that Easter will come for each us in God’s time. So in the times when we may have lost our faith and control of our lives, we need to remember that darkness will be filled with light, silence will be filled with love, and endings will become new beginnings for each of us in our own personal Easter seasons. God’s will be done.

A Proposal to Address Domestic Violence Against Women in Baltimore

April 2017

The outside of a house could look perfect with a last name on a door and curtains on the windows, with flowers and paint, with chairs on the porch around a table. But the inside could very well be a different picture. There’s the silence and darkness of a woman surviving on threats, cruelty, and power of a man. Domestic violence is often hidden because society sees home as one of the safest places. But for too many women who are victims of domestic violence, home is one of the worst places. Their husbands or boyfriends, while they are their most intimate partners, are also their most threatening. And almost always, the abuse is hidden. While awareness of the crime has grown, we still need to take major steps in order to decrease the number of women affected by domestic violence. My primary audience for this proposal are the people who are decision makers and leaders in these steps. They include the mayor of Baltimore City, Catherine Pugh, the chief of the Baltimore Police Department, Commissioner Kevin Davis, chairs of non-profit organizations, such as the House of Ruth and My Sister’s Place, and leaders in local communities, such as educators and pastors. My secondary audience will be the people who work under these leaders and directly act out the changes to lead to domestic violence prevention and protection. These people can include police officers, health workers, counselors in schools, volunteers at organizations, and law makers. With these people leading the way, victims of domestic violence will be able to speak up and get the help they need. My primary research question is, what are feasible solutions to address the issue of domestic violence against women in Baltimore? My most important secondary research question is, how can the combination of law enforcement, non-profits, church support, and education help victims of domestic violence? I found my research beginning with simple web searches, and then through databases, finding detailed information on the history, laws, and non-profit organizations. Through steps of more legal protection, awareness, and support from various parts of the community, domestic violence against women in Baltimore can be addressed, improved, and prevented. In the rest of my paper, I will briefly define domestic violence and discuss its history. Then I will discuss past solutions to the issue and compare their success to national solutions, for example laws, organizations, and awareness information. And while, unfortunately, domestic violence is an issue nearly impossible to end, there are ways to help victims and get communities to build awareness and act on warning signs in order to lessen the intensity of harm and bring hope and strength to victims.

Domestic violence, as defined by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV), one that is widely accepted as a coherent and complete definition,

Domestic violence is the willful intimidation, physical assault, battery, sexual assault, and/or other abusive behavior...by one intimate partner against another. It includes physical violence, sexual violence, threats, and emotional abuse...One constant component of domestic violence is one partner’s consistent efforts to maintain power and control over the other (NCADV par. 1).?

This definition covers a broad amount of abuse and therefore, does not forget any kind of abuse. This specific, yet general definition allows for domestic violence victims protection and lets others see that violence is more than just physical. A definition of domestic violence is only a recent development, because “it was not until the 1970s with the rise of the feminist movement, that the issue of domestic violence began to receive deserved attention” and no longer “went?unnoticed” (Drouin par. 8, par 2). Even before then, laws stated at violence towards wives from husbands was acceptable because “the husband has to answer for his wife’s behavior”; and beating was thought “reasonable” (Drouin par. 3). Finally in the late 20th century, women began to speak out against domestic violence and society’s acceptance of it crumbled. Bills against domestic violence began flooding local and federal government offices and the first laws were passed in 1980 and “by 1989, all fifty states and the District of Columbia had civil protective order statutes” (Drouin par. 8). From these dates to the present time, domestic violence prevention and protection has increased.

There are a few more terms that need to be defined in order to clearly understand the issue of domestic violence. There are at least two people involved in these situations: the abuser and the survivor, or victim. The abuser, according to the University of Michigan’s resource page on domestic violence, is “the individual who is inflicting the abuse” (University of Michigan par. 3). They define survivor, or victim as “the individual who is being targeted for abuse” through coercive behavior, which is “force [of survivor, or victim] to comply through pressure, threats, or physical restraint” from his or her abuser (University of Michigan par. 4). If taken to extreme measures, intimate partner violence (IPV) can result in murder, which is sometimes given the term “femicide” (Campbell par. 4). A relationship becomes unhealthy when one person attempts to gain power by taking control through fear and threats and if it gets that far, violence.

Nationally, intimate partner violence accounts for about 15% of violent crimes (NCADV par. 2). And in Maryland, in 2013, 16,817 crimes were reported, not to mention the many cases that are still hidden (NCADV par. 3). Because of the high statistic that 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men have or will experience violence from a partner in their lifetimes, I propose a few solutions to help address this issue against women (NCADV par. 4). My solutions are spreading awareness of warning signs through educations in schools, churches, and offices, creating stricter laws for protection and prevention, and using the domestic violence survivor assessment.

According to the Census Bureau, domestic violence cases have declined 67% from 1994 to 2013 (Planty par. 2). And while this statistic shows great improvement, domestic violence is still a serious issue. Awareness that domestic violence occurs and is a serious crime has grown and should continue to do so. People should be taught about the warning signs of domestic violence. These signs can include, but are not limited to, isolation of the victim from family and friends, bruises, attempts to cover injuries, manipulation of victim, intimidation, and control by abuser of money, children, or other parts of the victim’s life shared with his or her abuser (House of Ruth par. 1-3). Schools can teach their students first the rights and wrongs of how to treat people, and then as they get older and can understand what abuse means through warning signs. Churches can also teach through their sermons what is and is not acceptable in intimate relationships. Places of employment can look out for warning signs in their workers and also post information on domestic violence to educate their employees.

Building up awareness can help in two ways. First, a victim of domestic violence may not even realize that she is being abused. If she is taught at an early age what a healthy relationship is, then she is less likely to fall trapped underneath an abuser. But if she does end up in that situation, then knowing the definition of domestic violence and that her relationship fits that description. Second, friends, family members, coworkers, neighbors, among others will be able to also see the warning signs and help intervene. In many situations, victims are either unable or too scared to get help for themselves, but if other people can see the situation from the outside and step in, then the victim may be able to get help easier. Awareness is a pretty simple, relatively cost-effective way to improve the issue of domestic violence. A small budget to make posters, videos, or social media posts can spread quickly and effectively to many groups of people and communities.

A second step that natural follows awareness is better laws that give more protection to victims and enforce stricter punishments and penalties on abusers. Since the 1980s, more and more laws have been created and the detail of what is domestic violence has increased. Current laws in Maryland are capable of filing protective orders and peace orders, which help victims legally force their abusers to refrain from contact with them. Nationally, there have been many laws put in place throughout the past few decades to protect not only women, but also families and anyone who is a survivor of domestic violence. Most notably is the 1994 Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) that Congress passed that allowed for law enforcement to be able to get involved in domestic violence situations and treat the actions of an abuser as a crime (NCADV par. 6). As the years went on, the flaws and loopholes of laws were discovered, leading to even more laws and more protection.

But there are still no laws that completely protect victims from what are legally called “third-parties” (Drouin par. 4). For example, an abuser can be required to move out of the couple’s house, but he can still have control over plumbing, heat, and phones by disconnecting them. These actions will force the victim to lose necessities to live and therefore still suffer from the control of her abuser. Laws need to be made in order to protect victims even more. There should be no loopholes for abusers to be able to continue their control of their victims. The problem with third-parties can resolved by a victim’s protective order and the abuser’s restraining order clearly stating what each person can and cannot do. Proving that one still lives in the house should be required as well to protect those who actually do live there. This change will protect victims of domestic violence from becoming homeless or still be under the control of their abuser.

And laws should even help abusers. Counselors should also work with abusers to help them realize the wrongness of their actions and teach them what a healthy relationship looks like. This part of the issue would fall under prevention as abusers be more likely to not continue abuse towards future partners. Laws should require that abusers “be mandated to go through treatment program which should be long enough to teach the batterer to respect human beings” (Kakar 426). With this solution, laws would not only protect victims, but also help abusers find the right path again and prevent potential future instances of domestic violence. Help for abusers is just as important as for victims because they need to be able to stop the cycle of their actions and fix their own lives after the abuse.

In Maryland specifically, “there’s no separate crime of domestic violence,” instead an abuser’s crime would be stalking or assault, and not “indicate that when the crimes were committed, [that] they were...domestic violence related” (Surkiewicz par. 1, par. 4). This lack of enforcement allows for domestic violence abusers the ability, through loopholes, to own firearms and potentially use them against their victims. In a 2015 news editorial, The Washington Post found that out of “126 convicted domestic violence offenders” only one was banned from access to firearms (The Washington Post par. 3). A solution to this issue would be two changes in laws: one, ‘domestic violence offender’ must be included in an abusers list of crimes, and two, it must be illegal for those with domestic violence offenses to have any access to firearms. Federal laws state that anyone who has committed a felony, has a protective order against him, or has committed a domestic violence offense, he cannot legally obtain a gun. But if domestic violence does not proceed misdemeanor in his file then he may still be able to obtain a gun (NNTEDV par. 3). Therefore the specificity of crimes involving domestic violence must be increased and clear to law enforcers and community leaders.

A third step would to increase the use of the domestic violence survivor assessment. The assessment of someone’s situation and options. This assessment aims to “increase effectiveness of survivors’ safety practices, increase survivors’ knowledge of the ‘healthiness’ of the relationship or lack thereof, increase the effectiveness of survivors’ coping skills with life situations, rebuild survivors’ self-identity, increase survivors’ self-sufficiency, and decrease survivors’ trauma and stress symptoms” (Dienemann 223-4). The assessment attempts to move victims along through the five states of help, which are “committed to continuing” the abusive relationship, “committed but questioning” the abuse, “considering and preparing for change,” “breaks away,” and “establishes new life—apart or together” (Dienemann 224). The steps of the assessment make sense and follow the natural order of abusive relationships. This assessment can be run through hospitals, nonprofits, and community organizations. The program would require trained workers, such as doctors, counselors, and law enforcement. Just for medical costs to help victims alone, it costs nearly $6 billion each year nationally, while in total it costs $8.3 billion with productivity loss (Pearl par. 7).

With additional aid to domestic violence victims a large portion of the $8.3 billion lost each year could be saved. The average state bill costs between $717 and $890 to become a law (Time par. 1). While this does seem like a large sum of money, it is almost nothing compared to the amount of money the country loses every year. Stricter laws can be relatively easy created, therefore leading the way for less domestic violence. Along with these laws, programs, such as non-profits, depending on their sizes could cost anywhere between $125 million and $650 million each year (SAFE 3). Altogether, domestic violence prevention attempts cost roughly $4 billion each year, a tiny portion of the country’s multi-trillion dollar budget (SAFE 1). And finally, awareness would generally occur in schools, hospitals, and community buildings. This budget could be flexible, depending on how people spread awareness.

And so while domestic violence is an issue that has been around for centuries and would be nearly impossible to end completely, there are ways to decrease its severity. Today, roughly one quarter of all people suffer from domestic violence, but with better laws, more awareness, and more programs to help victims. With a more welcoming and helpful society, domestic violence victims will be able to overcome their suffering.

Spotlight Review

February 2016

Though I was by far the youngest person in the audience, sitting in the middle of the last row of the movie theater with my M&M’s, I was more than excited to see Spotlight after a month of trying to organize a time to see it with one of my friends. Since I write for this newspaper, planning to major in Journalism in college and then move into a career with “journalist” besides my name, this movie was almost like heaven for me. 

Going into the movie, I didn’t know too much about the subject at hand. If you don’t know what Spotlight is about, here’s a quick summary. The Boston Globe’s “Spotlight” team is group of journalists who investigate issues around the Boston area and bring the issues into people’s conversations. The film tells the story of one of the team’s most famous stories, published in 2002. At the start of the film, the journalists pick up a claim that young boys had been molested by some priests in churches around the city of Boston. As research continues, the group of four journalists, played by Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, and Brian d’Arcy James, assisted by the Globe’s editor, played by Liev Schreiber, spend endless months tracking down victims to narrate their accounts and find priests named in those stories. While the timeline is not too specific at first, viewers can assume it took almost a year before they eventually published the first of over 600 articles about boys molested by priests in Boston, publishing it right after New Year’s 2002.

The movie, over two hours long, followed the fictionalized version of the spotlight team as they spent hours upon hours searching for names of priests through dozens of books, interviewing victims over and over, and finding the right clues and facts that would support their story and start to change the way the priests in debate were punished for their actions. Each character completely immersed him or herself into the investigation, as suggested by the fact that the movie rarely focuses on their personal lives. Three of the writers were married and one had two kids, yet we only meet two of the spouses and the only interaction with family is conversation about the investigation. There are no romantic scenes, only one silent scene with the kids, and rarely ever do we see any other sides of the characters. While this may seem like a flaw at first, practically deleting life out of the movie shows how intense their jobs were and emphasizes the amount of stress they were under to help the story break out.

It seemed like they had an endless pile of work to do, with one part being resolved as another part added another dimension to the problem. Their desks and office were buried under newspaper clippings, letters, and other documents that held secrets and major details about the issue. Their constant research made me fall in love with journalism and feel more excited to explore the field on my own. Rarely do we ever see a final product’s beginnings and rough drafts. Just as with music, movies, and even athletes, we never know how journalists begin their stories, yet there is more work put into research than the small column written at the end. To many, the idea of spending almost a year researching one specific topic sounds daunting and boring, but to me, it also sounds like the coolest job ever. These four journalists, as their name suggests, shined a light on a terrible pattern of pain and manipulation. But even more importantly, they moved the first rocks to make the tsunami that would bring cases like the ones found in the Boston Archdiocese’s all over the country and world. These kinds of articles only come once in a lifetime, but this movie proved that journalism is a vital part to society and can be used to help people in the shadows of their culture and lifestyle.

On Pope Francis’ Visit to the US    

October 2015

Sitting in a chair around the table in Sr. Roger’s bright, yellow-walled office, I can hear the squeals of middle schoolers easily heard from the lower field. The wind blows softly through the open windows as Sister Rogers recalls her adventurous days in Washington D.C. visiting with NCDS alumni and being present for an historic event—the arrival of the Holy Father, Pope Francis.

At the annual school auction in March 2015, Sister Rogers was surprised with a ticket to sit in the gallery above Congressmen and women when Pope Francis spoke to them. Sister Rogers experienced a range of emotions after receiving a chance of a lifetime, from being “embarrassed” (her first reaction as she was among so many people) to being “very grateful” and “humbled.” She added that since she found out in March, her excitement “[has grown] more and more over the summer as articles were being posted about Francis’ visit”.

So, just as a little kid waits for Christmas to come, Sister Rogers eagerly looked forward to the day she would be in the same room as one of the most powerful and inspirational people in the world. The next morning, Sister Rogers not only sat twelve rows back from where President Obama and Pope Francis spoke on the White House lawn, she was also on the White House lawn when Obama and Francis had met. She recalled the feeling of amazement she had as she was “standing only a few feet from two of the most powerful people men in the world”. That night, before Francis’ famous Congressional address, Sister Rogers attended an NCDS alumni reception that Tuesday (9/22) night. There were “about forty alumnae there, ranging from women in their twenties to their seventies”, all living and working in and around D.C.

While we were lying on our stomachs in Barat Commons or curled up in the Theater watching Pope Francis’ address eagerly awaiting to hear what Francis had to say to our country, Sister Rogers was behind the cameras seeing Francis in person. In seat 47, row A of the gallery of the Capitol, she made it past the “sobering” presence of security, as there were military with machine guns on every rooftop and stair landing, and sat about our country’s politicians awaiting the wise and inspiring words of the Holy Father.

After waiting an hour in the gallery, Sister Rogers finally heard Pope Francis speak, covering topics from immigration and climate change to poverty and the Common Good. While recalling Francis’ speech, Sister Rogers points out a picture to me on her mantle of Dorothy Day, a woman who greatly influenced her and was one of the four Americans Francis emphasized in his speech. Sister Rogers recalled almost jumping out of her seat in excitement when Francis said Dorothy Day’s name.

“Dorothy Day had said ‘don’t call me a saint. I don’t want to be dismissed so easily’,” Sister Rogers said. “She opened her doors to people who needed food at any time of day. She wasn’t doing it for recognition, she was doing it because she was compelled by the Gospel.” Sister Rogers believes highly in this belief as does Pope Francis, who called Americans to help others out of the goodness of their hearts. This is one of Francis’ calls to action that Sister Rogers wants to be implemented in our own community. It relates directly to Goal Three. As we live goal three this year, actions are the ways we can show our love and kindness, just as Pope Francis calls us to do.

Sister Rogers emphasized that this belief is important, but two other calls to action from Pope Francis are equally important. The first is the act of compromising. Francis was talking face-to-face with Congress, so of course he had meant it for them to find common ideas. But Sister Rogers saw more than just that; she saw that he was talking to all people who had to work together, including parents and colleagues. “Everyone wants the same things, but everyone must work together to find common ground,” Sister Rogers said. Everyone wants the same foundational values— “most importantly, love”—and people just have “different ideas of how to get them”. Compromise “is how decisions are made” and as Sister Rogers said, is an important skill to have for all aspects of life, from the huge diplomatic decisions, to small everyday actions.

The second call to action was not from Francis’s address to Congress, but rather from his later visit with prisoners. Francis’ message was “warm, inviting, loving…and really moving”. He let them know that their past does not affect their future, and Sister Rogers wants us to listen to Pope Francis’ words and put them into action in our own lives. She said, “the past things we have done exist, but we have to move forward to a better life”.

In Memoriam of a Classmate

In Memory of Erin Marie Van Flandern; One Year Later

January 2016

One year of unity and love among 66 girls

One year.

In the eyes of history, one year is a blink of an eye. 

In the eyes of those who mourn the loss of a loved one, one year is forever. 

In the eyes of the class of 2016, one year is enough time to learn who we are and to transform into a family of 66 girls united by the love and laughter of our angel.

In my eyes, this past year has been the hardest year of my life, but it has also been a really good year. I’ve been blessed with a front row seat to see how much 2016 has grown. Even though every single day brought new life and love to the class of 2016, there are a handful of days on which 2016’s magic really shown through:

January 16, 2015

The day we will never look at the same again.

It marks the end of one life.

It marks the beginning of something even more magical.

The start of confusion.

Confusion about how to feel.

Anger, sadness, loneliness covered most of our hearts.

Memory, love, and unity emerged stronger than before.

May 19, 2015

Junior Ring Ceremony:

In the middle of the split between the two sides of pews sits Erin’s candle: 2016’s most prized possession. The one constant we all look for. The one thing that held us together through Kairos and will hold us together during our 50th class reunion.

June 3, 2015

Goal 4 was never more fully embodied.

In 6 months, Erin brought the class of 2016 closer than anyone before her.

She lived Goal 4 and continues to strengthen our understanding of the goal.

July 23, 2015

Erin’s 18th birthday. 66 girls drew the letters “EVF” on their hands and celebrated a beautiful life.

September 9, 2015

2016 started their senior year without Erin’s smile and jokes. Yet they started school again with new support found within each other and Erin- who, during this senior year, will be glued to the hearts, minds, and actions of 2016.

September 28, 2015

Blue-Silver Induction: the sun shone at the last minute because our angel was watching over our performance and bringing even more energy and joy to 2016 than what was there before.

December 17-18, 2015

Vespers, Senior Sleepover, Christmas Celebration:

There was no need for anyone to even mention her name, for Erin was in every senior’s mind throughout the night and morning. We celebrated our last Vespers with her candle lit and shared the stage with her. We were given an undying energy from her during our sleepover’s sleepless night. We shared our Christmas story and sang our favorite Christmas songs with Erin right next to us. We sang “Night of Silence”, wrapped in each other’s arms and held together by Erin’s memory.

January 16, 2016

One year. Sometimes it seems like a million years ago. Sometimes it seems like an hour ago. The class of 2016 is wearing pink- from head to toe and from the bottom of their hearts. “EVF” is written on our hands again. Our ribbons are a little frayed and worn from the past year. But our love and unity and energy is only stronger. We begin again with Erin’s memory, sass, and laughter in our hearts. Her light shines through us and through all of the candles lined up with the seniors on the side pews of the chapel. The fire burning from the altar brings us hope and love of Erin and her life.

And onward:

Graduation will come. Erin’s candle will be lit once again. “EVF” will be written on our hands again. Our pink ribbons will shine against our white dresses. And Erin will be with us through the sun, the flowers, and the joy.

College will come. The 66 of us won’t be able to go to school together. But we will all put a pink ribbon somewhere in our dorm, on our backpacks, or as a bracelet. We may be on our ways to different paths, but we all know that every single reunion and break, all 66 of us will unite again. 

We may still cry and may always cry. We may not still understand and may never understand. But from this one year as a member of the class of 2016, I can say with full confidence: we have built an unbreakable bond between all of us from the start to the end of the alphabet. Only one person had the power to do this: Erin.

The End of My Generation’s Childhood

October 2016

At four years old in the winter of 2002, at seven years old in the fall of 2004, and seven other times in my nineteen-year-long life, I saw a Boston sports team win the Lombardi Trophy, the Commissioner’s Trophy, the Larry O’Brien Trophy, and the Stanley Cup. For the past decade and a half, I, along with every Bostonian in my generation, now at the end of their high school careers or in the midst of their college careers, have seen time after time, the almost endless wins of our city’s teams.

At nineteen years old, this generation of winning and winning is beginning to end. It’s not about to end because our four teams are struggling; on the contrary, the Red Sox were one of the final four teams in baseball, and the New England Patriots have started another dominant season. It is the end of this generation of winning because the children, who were woken up in the middle of the night to screaming parents when the Red Sox broke the curse of the Bambino, are now legal adults and well on their ways to becoming the city’s newest workers. It has been more than an entire generation since Tom Brady began his Hall of Fame Career. It has been a generation since David Ortiz, our beloved Big Papi, dominated the baseball diamond. It has been a generation since Boston wondered when their beloved teams might start winning again.

The Celtics and Bruins have recently slipped from their high rankings. Kevin Garnett and Ray Price have announced their retirements. Tom Brady is reaching the end of his career. And now, David Ortiz’s career officially ended, causing me to think about the amazing feats I have seen in my lifetime and what could happen to the city of champion in the future. And while there is always hope of a new reign of success: Boston sports are in the midst of changing eras.

I am honestly not the biggest sports fan; I am certainly not even close. I had to look up the names of every trophy except the Stanley Cup, and I am not like my two brothers, who can list off statistics and facts from the past few decades of every sport and player. I cannot say I have religiously watched every team; I am far from it, only watching playoff and championship games and only recently watching the regular seasons of football and baseball. But like every citizen of Boston, I have felt endless pride in my city and its teams when we wear our jerseys, watch celebratory parades, and laugh off the shrewd comments of Yankees, Giants, and Lakers fans. My childhood, like the childhoods of my brothers, friends, and classmates, has been defined by Boston championships. I look back to the early 2000s and up to 2015 when a fondness and happiness that far exceeds the feelings I have towards even my high school prom, my Irish step competitions, and my acceptance into college. Those moments are not any less important to me for they will stay with me for the rest of my life.  I look back at them with a full heart and pride, but driving to Dick’s Sporting Goods at midnight on a school night with my mom, brothers, and sister, will take the cake. There is something about walking into that store with every other ecstatic person and picking out my newest t-shirt. There is something about sharing the same bliss and pride as every Boston citizen that reminds me that we are connected.

The championships we have won have brought together Boston in times when we needed it most—in 2002, after 9/11 and in 2013, after the Boston marathon bombings. The championships define each year, allowing us to think about our pasts in certain periods based on each championship.

And now, at nineteen years old, this past year has made me realize that I am no longer a child, and six weeks into my college career, I know that my life has officially shifted. I am no longer in Boston and won’t be during potential championship games; I am in Baltimore, where I am one of a small handful of Boston fans who now have to stick together against the rival teams’ majority.

Things have changed. And by the time my generation is out of college and starting our new careers and lives, who knows where Boston sports teams will stand? All we know is that we in at the beginning of a change—it could be good, it could be bad. All we know is that the next generation and the many that follow will only hear of the past decade and a half as stories told by their parents of when they were kids. We will be those parents, and luckily for us, our stories will end in trophies and confetti, unlike our parents whose stories ended in tears and disappointment. And hopefully, the next many generations of Boston kids will not know the feeling of sitting on a couch after a major loss, rather, I hope they know the surprise of being shaken awake with the joy of another Boston championship like all 17-21 year-old Bostonians have been blessed to know for our entire childhoods. I hope that I can wake my children up with the news that a Boston sports team is about to win a championship. I hope that I can buy my children t-shirts at midnight and see them walk off to school the next day with them proudly on. I hope that even if I don’t live in Boston in the future, that my children will still root for them and that our home can be filled with the joy and nervous excitement as Boston wins again and again.