Family is the antidote to homesickness
Karena Ozier, Columnist
November 11, 2019
There is nothing quite like family time. After being away at school for a second year, I thought I was immune to being homesick. I was wrong. I missed home so much that I started to feel like I was falling behind in my classes. I was unable to focus because I was trying to distract myself from being...
October is tough for me: Here’s why
Blake Faith, Columnist
October 3, 2019
It’s October now. For most people, October is about Halloween and haunted houses. For me, it’s about trying to forget about my biological father's birthday because of our strained relationship. Last weekend was Family Weekend, and I had two days of visits. My mom and my siblings came the first...
Coffee is one influential drink
Alyssa Cravens, Staff Reporter
July 16, 2019
I didn’t like coffee—at least, not at first. It took several years of drinks littered with sugar and the slightest coffee taste to slowly build myself up to a point where I could drink it any other way. Today, I find myself craving the bitter taste, hot or cold, in the morning, noon or night;...
My dog is the greatest thing in my life
Jessica Stewart, Columnist
July 14, 2019
I never had a pet growing up. I had fish, but you can't snuggle fish. You can't really play with fish. I always wanted a dog, so when I started renting my first house here in Charleston, I decided to adopt one. My boyfriend and I had been looking around at different shelters to see if anyone h...
Get rid of unnecessary ‘clutter’
Andrew Paisley, Opinions Editor
March 31, 2019
Sometimes in life you have to really evaluate what is important and what is not. I have had to do this a lot lately, and it includes determining whether or not certain people should be a part of my life. There are people in life who want to see you fail and thrive in knowing that your life is completely un...
Family isn’t always supportive
Andrew Paisley, Opinions Editor
March 17, 2019
It truly is amazing how some of your own family members can be the ones that aim to bring you down. Unfortunately, I’ve experienced this tragedy practically my entire life with certain people in my family. I guess it really only got worse when I came out of the closet. These people thrive to make sure that ...
The honorable names behind my name
Karena Ozier, Columnist
February 12, 2019
Karen … Katrina … Korenna? My name has been said and spelled many different ways. From leaving out a letter to adding a letter, I know when my name is being called when the teacher starts to sound it out. I have always thought of my name as complicated. I would always ask my parents why they didn...
Reach out to family, friends when possible
Logan Raschke, News Editor
January 14, 2019
I’m the kind of person who hardly ever gets sick or injured. With that being said, I am quite clumsy, and you can imagine my horror and shock when I fractured my ankle in the stupidest way possible. I was just walking to my next class and tripped on a twig, or a crack in the sidewalk, or something els...
It’s not the what; it’s the who
Natalee Reynolds, Columnist
September 24, 2018
Eastern’s annual Family Weekend was this past weekend. Parents, grandparents, siblings, and all kinds of other family members came up for the celebration. Eastern had a lot of different events happening throughout Friday and Saturday. My mother and grandmother came up Friday evening—we had mad...
Don’t let fear hold you back
Mercury Bowen, Columnist
August 28, 2018
One of the most important lessons I have learned recently is to take chances when the opportunity is available even if they scare you. This lesson was a hard-learned one for me, with a significant measure of regret and wishful thinking. It is a good rule to follow in nearly any area of life: work,...
You do not have to celebrate holidays with family
Abbey Whittington, Columnist
April 2, 2018
With each passing holiday comes the strange feeling of choosing to stay at what I consider my current home: Charleston, instead of returning to what our townies like to call “Kankabourbly.” The word combines three towns in which I grew up in: Kankakee, Bourbonnais and Bradley. I have not celebrated...
Always cherish loved ones during the holiday season
Liz Stephens, Columnist
November 5, 2017
The holiday season has finally set in, and so have the bittersweet feelings that come along with them. Thanksgiving and Christmas this year will be bittersweet and emotional for me, and I am sure they will be for many other people for similar reasons. Next week, my childhood best friend Colton comes h...
