What should be one of the most ‘wonderful times of the year’ can be times of heartache and resentment when your family has a hard time coming together. Whether it be sibling rivalries, jealous aunts, or bitter divorces, the joy of holidays can be stripped away by the hate in the hearts of family members. The holidays should be a time of love, but instead, life happens. It may seem like this is an uncommon
One look at Penh Lenh jewelry and you know it’s something special. But for some, it’s more than a collection of colorful, vibrant jewelry, it’s a life-saver. Penh Lenh is a jewelry brand dedicated to funding opportunities in education and the work field for at-risk Cambodian women. 100% of all sales are returned immediately to the organization and help improve the lives of the artisans women who create the pieces. Affinity sat down with the
It’s hard to believe the degree of violence innocent people are witnessing every day. The Parkland shooting is only the most recent in a string of school shootings that have occurred in 2018. With 17 deaths, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School has quickly surpassed Columbine to become the most devastating high school shooting and falls second only to Sandy Hook in terms of all-time school shootings. Teenagers should be writing term papers, studying for AP tests
On February 24, I will have spent the last two years of my life in a relationship with someone who, within that time, has become one of my best friends, my most trusted confidante, and the love of my life. This relationship just so happens to be long distance, but that doesn’t make what we have any less valid than a “traditional” relationship. However, there are somethings you learn quickly being in a long distance
My personal definition of strength is to be wholly comfortable in yourself and your flaws. I have grown to accept that, and it has given me immeasurable solace in the past few months. I have learned how to hold myself accountable for certain things, and forgive myself for others. And all of these personal achievements were done with unwavering conviction. I like to delve into things head-first, and just like everything else, I dove into
All over the internet, there are posts about relationship goals. I have seen endless threads of what makes a relationship become someone else’s dream too. How relationships are depicted online goes with the consumer culture that I have seen my whole life. Extravagant dates and expensive gifts, vacations and lots of cute pictures; relationship goals. What if this isn’t what makes your relationship? What if you don’t have the money for these diamond demands? What
Nowadays, nearly everyone with a smart phone has a Snapchat. The social media forum has taken the app market by storm and is being used by parents and children alike. While the dog filter and face swap tool are seemingly innocent updates Snapchat has added to it’s arsenal, we can’t help but wonder whether Snapchat is putting its users in danger. During the summer of 2017, Snapchat released “Snap Map”, a feature where users could
I fell in love at 14 years old, with an older boy in my art class. Nearly 5 years later and we are still joined at the hip. He knows me like the back of his own hand and he has seen me flourish from an awkward, insecure freshman, to the strong, independent, self-loving woman I am today. But with a relationship that has lasted this long, we both get a lot of negative feedback.
So you can’t find your place in this world. Turns out, neither can I. It’s unfortunate that our lives aren’t like Disney movies, and the hard parts don’t just simply fast forward in a montage. The princesses only had to find their Prince Charming. But in this day and age, we can find our prince… and still have to make our own happily ever after regardless, with a college degree, financially-stable job, and affordable living
Two hundred and seventy-five years ago the Industrial Revolution planted seeds of a better world in human minds. Twenty years ago people believed by 2017, flying cars would populate the streets and childhood cancer wouldn’t exist. In 1980, a program called Superfund was created by Congress to help protect the environment from harmful and hazardous waste. In 2017, the Trump administration cut $330 million from the Superfund budget, minimizing the funding by 31 percent. Here we are, sitting at