Girl on Fire
This is my bi-weekly column at Creston News Advertiser
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Girl on Fire: Valentine’s Day is approaching
[As seen in Creston News Advertiser, January 21, 2016] Everyone who hasn’t been living in a hole the last month may have noticed the shiny red and pink packaging glaring from that first Hy-Vee aisle. The dreaded day of love is fast approaching. In 2015, Valentine’s Day spending was expected to reach about $19 billion, […]
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Girl on Fire: Excited for more learning opportunities
[As seen in Creston News Advertiser, January 7, 2016] My first-ever shift in an emergency department was not the best experience I’ve ever had. Several weeks ago, I spent the weekend in Centerville with my parents. That Saturday, I scheduled a 12-hour shift in the Mercy Medical Center emergency department, followed by an eight-hour shift […]
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Girl on Fire: Benefit to be held for local firefighters
[As seen in Creston News Advertiser, December 3, 2015] Every day is a trying time at Creston Fire Department, but recently, it’s been more challenging than usual. Two of my fellow firefighters are battling severe illness and injury, and we as a department have been doing all we can to help them and their families […]
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Girl on Fire: You only live once
[As seen in Creston News Advertiser December 31, 2015] Tonight marks the final of the past 365 days in 2015. At midnight tonight, we will ring in a shiny new year. And with 2016 comes all those things people try to achieve, but may not actually accomplish: resolutions. Resolution: /reze-looSH(e)n/: noun, a firm decision to […]
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Girl on Fire: It’s what we do
[As seen in Creston News Advertiser December 17, 2015] The staccato of Darwin West’s voice reverberated throughout the room as he pointed to members of the crowd holding up little white cards. The tension rose, a steady thing you could practically feel in your chest. Then, it was over. But the tension remained. This tension […]
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Girl on Fire: How NYC and Princeton compare to Iowa
[As seen in Creston News Advertiser, November 5, 2015] I walked out of the glass doors onto a large piece of triangle pavement and a sudden wave of the smell of garbage, grime and pollution slammed into me. The smell, however, was accompanied by a view of stories-tall buildings with lights flashing and painted words […]
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Can anonymous really accomplish something?
[As seen in Creston News Advertiser, November 19, 2015] The devastation of France has been written in blood all over the newspapers and cyberspace. The horrors that have occurred in that country, just one in a vast world of war, have brought out the true nature of humanity. The United States and the world stand […]
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Girl on Fire: Dolores to the rescue
[As seen in Creston News Advertiser, October 29, 2015] It was the screeching noise as I turned onto the highway that caught my attention. My car had been making funny noises for awhile, but nothing that made me wonder if I should take it in to get fixed. That is, until the moment I turned […]
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Girl on Fire: Mother nature can be so breathtaking
[As seen in Creston News Advertiser October 15, 2015] The sunlight was warm on my face as I trudged up a steep incline, little clouds of dust forming around my Nikes with each step. The dirt and grass were dappled with light until I reached an opening in the trees at the top of the […]
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Girl on Fire: Back in the classroom
[As seen in Creston News Advertiser, September 17, 2015] I walked into the hospital, unsure where the conference room was. There were two men leaning against the wall, and one asked if I was with the class. I said yes, and he led me down a long hallway and pointed at a door with frosted […]
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