This post was written by a CSUCI student.

Today it is almost impossible to avoid social media no matter where you are. We are completely inundated with technology and social media platforms, and we have to wonder what the effects of that are for kids and teenagers, as well as adults. Teenagers are the primary concern when discussing what social media usage does to the brain. Most if not all kids ...

Written by Joel Brown, a Ventura County high school student, featuring artwork by Ellawyn Wood.

Every time they're reminded, so am I

But it’s wrong to remind them that I’m Black

I must feel something for the tragedies

I must cry for the rivers of blood that have been spilled

They remind us every year that there is a dream

That we have overcome

That change is happening

That the dream is aro...

By Kidra Avery, CSUCI Service Learning student.

This interview was conducted in person at the participant’s home. I received verbal consent from Andrew, the interviewee. Andrew is 27 years old and works as a barista at a local coffee shop. He and I met in high school and played on the men’s and women’s water polo teams both at our high school and local junior college. It was a beautiful sunny Cal...

By Kidra Avery, a CSUCI Service Learning student.

This interview was conducted on Zoom on Tuesday September 29th, 2020. Jonathan and I have known each other since he got out of rehab the second time, and have remained friends since. Our interview was very casual, much like two friends speaking openly, with the awkward recognition that we were being recorded. This is his story.

What if you woke u...

Written by Adriana Campos, a CSUCI student.

I hope you’re well wherever you are in this world that we live in together, for some of your life can be light and you may have never doubted anything for a second, but for some of you it could be a place of overwhelming darkness. There is a thin line between the two when you experience both, and that’s me. I had never questioned life and its purpose fo...

By Kai Yi Wang, a BRITE youth spokesperson.

“I’m gonna hang out with a few friends this Friday and smoke a little weed.”

I ignored him, working on my global paper in front of me, mumbling to myself about what I would write. I never really paid much attention to comments like these because jokes about drugs and sex were rampant at school. Despite only being in the 8th grade, it was common to hear...

Written by Xienna Yepez, a CSUCI Service Learning student in Fall of 2020.

I’m a wealthy girl 

Living in a spoiled world 

Who’d pay anything

To wear your promise ring.

I miss your ribboned gifts

Sealed with a special kiss

And it’s funny, because all the money

Couldn’t buy it in a store. 

I bought a diamond pool 

To collect the tears you stole,

Sometimes I swim in it

Because memories of...

Written by Xienna Yepez, a CSUCI Service Learning student in Fall of 2020.

Confined to the elements,

I yield to nature, 

Accepting my gifts

And thankful for the power

That lives in me.

I am a daughter of the river

With water flowing

Through my veins.

It breathes life into me 

And washes over me like a wave 

I swim against the current 

And battle the tide   

I’ve learned how to hold my...

Written by Xienna Yepez, a CSUCI Service Learning student in Fall of 2020.

Poetry is significant and can play a major role in identity. As a woman of color, identity is a big part of my life and I look for new ways every day to express that through different forms of art. Being a creative girl with the support of my family and teachers, I’ve grown to know what suits me the best and how I can conv...

Written by Madison Jaffe.

It feels like just yesterday that I was a high school freshman – unsure of where I belonged, who my true friends were, if I was enough, or what my life would be like at the end of my high school career. It wasn’t until I discovered positive psychology – the science of happiness – that I began answering these questions and accepting myself amidst the overwhelming pressure...

Written by Mackenzie Billotti, a CSUCI student.

For privacy purposes the name of my interviewee will be changed. The interview with David was conducted May 2nd, 2021 on Zoom. We discussed his background and history with prescription drug abuse.

David suffered from a rare spinal disease called Scheuermann's Kyphosis. This is a condition that affects the upper part of the back and causes it to cur...