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Our Parents Are Cooler Than Us, Narvin Chhay Aug 2021

Our Parents Are Cooler Than Us, Narvin Chhay

UCF Forum

The other day I was out shopping, and I saw a family walking together, and for some odd reason I couldn’t help but notice how cool the father of the family looked. Sporting a pair of above-the-knee jean shorts, a retro looking T-shirt, and the signature white pair of new balance sneakers, he had everything he needed to fulfill the characteristics of “dad fashion.”


How Becoming A Professional Star Wars Sandtrooper Changed My Life, Peter W. Telep Aug 2021

How Becoming A Professional Star Wars Sandtrooper Changed My Life, Peter W. Telep

UCF Forum

In a world shaken by political divisions and a still-raging pandemic, it’s hard to find solace and self-worth amid the chaos.


Learning As A Student In The Pandemic, Narvin Chhay Jun 2021

Learning As A Student In The Pandemic, Narvin Chhay

UCF Forum

I will start my senior year at the University of Central Florida this fall. It’s hard to think about where all the time went, and it really feels like it was just yesterday when I stepped on campus for the first time.


Recognizing The Therapeutic Value Of Baking During The Pandemic, Camille Dolan May 2021

Recognizing The Therapeutic Value Of Baking During The Pandemic, Camille Dolan

UCF Forum

We are all returning to campus soon. There will be adjustments, of course, just like when we had to adjust to working from home.


Richie Grant’S Journey Is 1 To Salute, Marc Daniels May 2021

Richie Grant’S Journey Is 1 To Salute, Marc Daniels

UCF Forum

He came to UCF rated as the 357th best wide receiver in the country. He left as a champion, a college graduate and the Knights’ highest selection of the 2021 NFL Draft.


Everything In This Life Is Connected, Narvin Chhay Apr 2021

Everything In This Life Is Connected, Narvin Chhay

UCF Forum

In Hamlet, William Shakespeare wrote: “There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” His words resonate with me and I can see what he meant just by looking at my own college journey.


As Second-Generation Americans, We Aren’T As Different From Our Parents As We May Think, Narvin Chhay Feb 2021

As Second-Generation Americans, We Aren’T As Different From Our Parents As We May Think, Narvin Chhay

UCF Forum

My parents were both born in Cambodia; my father in 1965 and my mother in 1968. They spent their younger years there, but when a communist regime called the Khmer Rouge violently attempted to take control of the country between 1975 and 1979, my parents made their way out of Cambodia, escaping what went on to be known as “The Killing Fields.” Eventually, they immigrated to the United States.


Not Everything In Today’S Society Needs To Be A Competition, Narvin Chhay Dec 2020

Not Everything In Today’S Society Needs To Be A Competition, Narvin Chhay

UCF Forum

I am a competitor. We all are to some extent—some more than others. We all have something ingrained in our primitive brains: We love to win.


The Benefits Of Discovery Through International Collaboration, Seetha Raghavan Nov 2020

The Benefits Of Discovery Through International Collaboration, Seetha Raghavan

UCF Forum

When astronauts had their first glimpse of Earth from space, the effect it had on them was more than just visual. They described an intense state of self-transcendent awe, wonder and oneness, called the “overview effect.”


The Art And Science Of Preparing Today’S Students For The Real World, Keith Harrison Nov 2020

The Art And Science Of Preparing Today’S Students For The Real World, Keith Harrison

UCF Forum

How we should challenge them to get ready for a competitive and sometimes harsh future.


We Need To Make Today The New Tomorrow, Narvin Chhay Oct 2020

We Need To Make Today The New Tomorrow, Narvin Chhay

UCF Forum

If the past is inaccessible, and the future is unknowable, why must we spend so much time thinking about them? It’s time to live in the now.


If 2020 Hasn’T Turned Out The Way You Planned – You’Re Not Alone, Emma Gisclair Aug 2020

If 2020 Hasn’T Turned Out The Way You Planned – You’Re Not Alone, Emma Gisclair

UCF Forum

2020 was supposed to be an exciting year.


Seeking Quiet Solace Amid A Pandemic, Michele Gill Apr 2020

Seeking Quiet Solace Amid A Pandemic, Michele Gill

UCF Forum

Even during this awful coronavirus threat there are still gifts to be found.


Surviving The Ravages Of Covid-19, Brenda Thompson Apr 2020

Surviving The Ravages Of Covid-19, Brenda Thompson

UCF Forum

While standing on my balcony last week, I felt a great need to capture my thoughts about the recent health crisis affecting all of us. Everything around me was so still and peaceful; birds were chirping in the background and the afternoon shadows over the courtyard below helped me appreciate the contrasting sunny areas from my perspective above.


The Powerful Force Of Nostalgia, Peter W. Telep Mar 2020

The Powerful Force Of Nostalgia, Peter W. Telep

UCF Forum

When I was a kid, the year 2020 was a date in science fiction novels. But here we are in the future—and yet remakes, reboots, and revivals are still wildly popular across all forms of entertainment media. There’s even a convention called NostalgiaCon Ultimate 80s Reunion now running in its second year and growing in attendance.


Friendship, Forgiveness And Fences: Healing A Past Hurt, Camille Dolan Mar 2020

Friendship, Forgiveness And Fences: Healing A Past Hurt, Camille Dolan

UCF Forum

Even if you made some mistakes, hopefully they can be forgiven.


From My First-Hand Experience, Unhealthy Sugar Habit Is Hard To Break, Syretta Spears Nov 2019

From My First-Hand Experience, Unhealthy Sugar Habit Is Hard To Break, Syretta Spears

UCF Forum

Hidden sugar has kept me on and off the health and fitness wagon for most of my adult life.


I’M About To Graduate – But I’Ll Never Stop Learning, Nicole Wills Sep 2019

I’M About To Graduate – But I’Ll Never Stop Learning, Nicole Wills

UCF Forum

I have been a student as long as I can remember. My earliest memories are being with my childhood friends in our kindergarten classroom.


Mom’S Key To Longevity: Oatmeal And Prayers, Camille Dolan Aug 2019

Mom’S Key To Longevity: Oatmeal And Prayers, Camille Dolan

UCF Forum

My mother turns 88 this November. She is still working at a department store where she has been for more than 30 years. Her customers ask her two things: Why hasn’t she retired yet and how does she keep going?


Let’S Stop Glorifying Tribalism—It Doesn’T Serve Us Well, Michele Gill Jul 2019

Let’S Stop Glorifying Tribalism—It Doesn’T Serve Us Well, Michele Gill

UCF Forum

Yet again, one of my Facebook groups has erupted into an often mean-spirited debate about whether someone really is (fill in the blank).


Yes, I Adopted A Cat—But She’S Done Her Share Of Taking Care Of Me, Too, Nicole Wills Jul 2019

Yes, I Adopted A Cat—But She’S Done Her Share Of Taking Care Of Me, Too, Nicole Wills

UCF Forum

Growing up, I was one of the only kids I knew who never owned a pet. Well, I did raise a couple of betta fish over the years, each named after players for the New York Giants. Nonetheless, I always longed for a furry friend to call my own.


Learning History Helps Us Understand Who We Are In Different Ways, Anjella Warnshuis Jul 2019

Learning History Helps Us Understand Who We Are In Different Ways, Anjella Warnshuis

UCF Forum

Confession: I hated history class. Thought it was boring. The only class I liked less was geometry. At least history was just facts. I didn’t have to search for the answers.


Lessons Learned From Monopoly (And My Brother), Camille Dolan Jun 2019

Lessons Learned From Monopoly (And My Brother), Camille Dolan

UCF Forum

I was introduced to Monopoly as a child by my older brother, Damian. He must have been desperate for an opponent, and as I was the only one in the house at the time, he proceeded to teach me the game.


Frequent Misconceptions About Charter Schools, Michele Gill May 2019

Frequent Misconceptions About Charter Schools, Michele Gill

UCF Forum

As a charter school founder, I hear many misconceptions about charter schools. Though I do not believe charter schools are necessarily the solution to the low student engagement and out-of-date curriculum and pedagogy that is the hallmark of many traditional schools, they are an option for some kids, especially underserved kids or those who do not thrive in regular public schools.


Looking Back As An Adult On My Parents’ Advice, Nicole Wills May 2019

Looking Back As An Adult On My Parents’ Advice, Nicole Wills

UCF Forum

I imagine I was like most kids growing up when it came to my parents’ advice: dismissive at best. As a typical angsty pre-teen, I was convinced that I was always right.


Our Community Is At Its Best When We Lift One Another Up, Anjella Warnshuis May 2019

Our Community Is At Its Best When We Lift One Another Up, Anjella Warnshuis

UCF Forum

A few weeks ago I was watching TV when I received one of those calls that you hope never to get. You know, the kind where it feels like the earth has skidded to a stop and your mind goes numb.


Why Dogs Are (Sometimes) Better Than Cats, Camille Dolan Apr 2019

Why Dogs Are (Sometimes) Better Than Cats, Camille Dolan

UCF Forum

In my life, I have known some cool cats. “Some” might be an overly generous amplification. Four. I’ll go with four.


Internet Has Helped Spread Information, But Not Necessarily Knowledge, Stephen M. Kuebler, Jonathan Beever Mar 2019

Internet Has Helped Spread Information, But Not Necessarily Knowledge, Stephen M. Kuebler, Jonathan Beever

UCF Forum

How many of us know how to ground an electrical circuit, or what the difference is between a volt, an amp or a watt? Probably very few.


The Unexpected Joys Of Bird-Watching, Michele Gill Mar 2019

The Unexpected Joys Of Bird-Watching, Michele Gill

UCF Forum

As I write this, there’s a male goldfinch pecking at the feeder outside my home office window. A cardinal perches nearby, cracking safflower seeds. And tiny chipping sparrows dart in and out of my cage feeder. Earlier, a red-bellied woodpecker selected a whole peanut and flew off across the yard with its prize.


Facing Journalism’S Challenges When Many Often View News As Fake, Nicole Wills Mar 2019

Facing Journalism’S Challenges When Many Often View News As Fake, Nicole Wills

UCF Forum

When I tell someone that I’m editor-in-chief of an online magazine, people generally are either impressed, ambivalent or concerned. Impressed or ambivalent used to be the most common, but increasingly their reactions have been mostly of concern.