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... PVCC NON-PARTISAN VOTER GUIDE Candidates in this guide appear in the same order as they do on this sample ballot Page 2 Voting Guidelines Voting Requirements: Be registered to vote in Virginia. Be a US citizen Be 18 by Election Day, November 8 Reside at a Virginia address Not be convicted of a felony, unless your voting rights have been restored Not currently judged incompetent by a court In-person ID requirements: A Virginia drivers license or Photo ID A Veterans ID from Virginia DMV US Military ID A US Passport A student ID issued by a Virginia college or private school Voting in Person: Early Voting: Sept. 23-Nov. 5 Vote on Election Day, Nov. 8 Need a ride on election day? Car2Vote and its volunteers are offering free rides on Election Day. Residents in Albemarle County and the City of Charlottesville just need to fill out the form on their website to set by their pick up time! Any questions? Call (434) 260-1547 Page 3 Hillary Clinton Education: Supports modernization of the teaching profession Supports the rebuilding of educational facilities Proposes that families making $85,000 or less can attend an in-state four-year public university or college tuition free Proposes the allocation of funds for students with children Opposes current interest rates for student loans. Jobs and Economy: Supports a higher standard of living, and creation of good-paying jobs Supports an economy that works for everyone Supports a $15 federal minimum wage Supports a 12 week paid family and medical leave Supports people with disabilities having access to gainful employment Social Issues: Healthcare: Supports the Affordable Care Act Supports incentives for states to help low income families receive health insurance. Supports womens access to preventive care, affordable contraception, and abortion Supports better access to affordable health care for all families, regardless of immigration status Supports assisted suicide after a psychological examination Supports additional programs for survivors of sexual assault regardless of gender, race, sexual orientation, or ethnicity Supports sexual assault prevention Opposes current immigration laws Supports immigration Supports creation of a national Office of Immigrant Affairs to help integrate immigrants Page 4 Donald J. Trump Education: Supports investing an additional 20 billion dollars into scholarship programs Proposes that states grant 110 billion dollars of their own Education Fund to scholarship programs Proposes the funding of each K12 student living in poverty with $12,000 Proposes incentives for universities and colleges to reduce tuition Proposes all students be given the opportunity to attend a two or four year college Healthcare: Opposes the affordable healthcare act Supports healthcare reform Opposes federal health programs Proposes a plan to allow US citizens to purchase health care plans across all 50 US states. Wants to work with State local leaders, ensuring them flexibility to design a medical system that will cater towards their local demographic. Jobs and Economy: Opposes the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Supports a 20 percent tax on all imported goods Supports the elimination of tax breaks for the wealthy Supports elimination of income tax for low income individuals and couples Supports reforming tax brackets Social Issues: Supports deportation of the 11 million undocumented immigrants. Supports building a wall along the U.S Southern border. Opposes immigration from countries threatening national security. Opposes detention centers for illegal immigrants. Opposes acceptance of refugees Page 5 Gary Johnson Education: Jobs and Economy: Proposes the Opposes an elimination of the Department of Education Believes schools should compete to bring improvement to public education Proposes a reduction to federal student aid. Supports state and local control of education Supports state level scholarship programs increase to the federal minimum wage Supports tax reform Supports additional controls on spending Proposes an elimination of the income tax on businesses and employers Supports deregulation Social Issues: Healthcare: Opposes the Affordable Care Act Supports state independence in Medicare and Medicaid Proposes a free market approach to healthcare Believes healthcare should have advertised pricing to keep it competitive Approves assisted suicide after a psychological examination Supports sending of aid for the Syrian refugee crisis Supports immigration for willing workers Supports background checks for work visas Opposes alien citizenship and green cards Supports term limits for governors and Congress Page 6 Jill Stein Education: Jobs and Economy: Supports free college education Supports elimination of all existing student loan debt Opposes standardized testing and public school privatization Proposes overhaul of Common Core educational standards Supports increase in federal funding for Public Schools Proposes a change to 100% clean renewable energy by 2030 Wants to invest in public transit, sustainable agriculture, and conservation Supports socialized banking and utilities Supports an increased tax rate on stock trades and large corporations. Opposes trade agreements such as NAFTA, TTIP and TPP Healthcare: Opposes the Affordable Care Act Proposes an improved Medicare for all program Supports an increase in funding for low -income healthcare Supports Union and workers rights Supports stronger label requirements by the FDA Social Issues: Proposes all illegal immigrants be giving in state tuition pricing, scholarships and grants. Proposes an easy path for illegal immigrants to gain citizenship Proposes an increase in the amount of work visas given to immigrants. Accept more than 10,000 Syrian refugees. Supports federal funding for community programs that address health disparities in gender, race and income Page 7 Evan McMullin Education: Supports reform for federal regulation of education and student aid Supports federal aid for students attending tech schools and work programs Supports regulation holding colleges accountable for high costs and low graduation rates Opposes Common Core standards Supports federal aid for K-12 students attending charter schools Healthcare: Jobs and Economy: Opposes the Affordable Care Act Supports reform in the federal funding of Medicaid Supports a uniform federal subsidy for senior health insurance or Medicare Proposes federal publication of insurance options for social security beneficiaries Opposes government subsidized abortions Opposes a raise to the federal minimum wage Supports tax reduction for the middle class and small business Opposes incentives for business elitepolitical partnerships Supports stricter standards on federal regulatory agencies Supports stricter standards for social security and Medicare Social Issues: Supports immigration laws Opposes the legalization of marijuana Opposes gay marriage Supports streamlining in Department of Defense acquisitions Supports existing gun laws Page 8 Proposed Constitutional Amendments There are two amendments that will appear on the Virginia ballot in 2016. to Virginia citizens right to not be a member of a labor union. The first is the Right to Work amendment. It will appear on the ballot as a question: The second proposed amendment is the Virginia Property Tax Exemption for Surviving Spouses of Police and Service Personnel amendment. It will appear on the ballot as a question: Should Article I of the Constitution of Virginia be amended to prohibit any agreement or combination between an employer and a labor union or labor organization whereby (i) nonmembers of the union or organization are denied the right to work for the employer, (ii) membership to the union or organization is made a condition of employment or continuation of employment by such employer, or (iii) the union or organization acquires an employment monopoly in any such enterprise?[5] The current law states that any agreement between employer and member of a labor union is against public policy if nonmembers of the union denied their right to work. The employee has to be a member of the union to get or keep their job as declared by the employer, or the union acquires an employment monopoly. Voting for this amendment would add section 11-A to the Virginia constitution stating it is illegal to require mandatory labor union membership. It would cost $131,158 for providing public notice, but this fee will be paid for by State Board of Elections and have no impact financially on the Department of Labor and Industry. This amendment would not change any current law but just add Shall the Constitution of Virginia be amended to allow the General Assembly to provide an option to the localities to exempt from taxation the real property of the surviving spouse of any law-enforcement officer, firefighter, search and rescue personnel, or emergency medical services personnel who was killed in the line of duty, where the surviving spouse occupies the real property as his or her principal place of residence and has not remarried? The Virginia Constitution currently exempts any taxation of real property, including joint property of a spouse, of any veteran that has been permanently disabled on duty, as determined by the US Department of Veteran Affairs. It also exempts taxation of surviving spouses of members of the Armed Forces who were killed in action, as determined by the US Department of Defense. In both cases this exemption ceases if the spouse remarries. Voting for this amendment would extend this exemption through section 6-B of the Virginia Constitution, extending it to spouses of police, firefighters, search and rescue, or emergency medical service personnel who expired on the job. Page 9 Jane D. Dittmar Education: Supports promotion of computer access and training for people that cannot afford college Supports incentives to businesses who offer technical education in rural areas Supports an expansion of high quality high school and other job certification programs. Supports expansion of technical training Healthcare: Jobs and Economy: Supports regulated pharmaceutical prices Supports reform in the Affordable Care Act to cater to state-specific needs Supports advancement of technical training to boost the health care job sector Proposes incentives to public-private partnerships for job training opportunities Proposes expansion to internet infrastructure Social Issues: Supports an end to discrimination in the criminal justice system, employment, housing, public accommodations, credit, and education Supports increased acceptance rates for refugees Page 10 Tom A. Garrett, Jr. Education: Proposes $57,000 of student debt be forgiven for every year an individual agrees to defer Social Security disbursements. Supports improved accessibility for local populations in higher education Supports enhanced scholarship funding for top students coming out of high school Jobs and Economy: Supports deregulation of farming practices Supports lower federal taxes to create more jobs and economic growth Opposes an increase to minimum wage Social issues: Health Care: Opposes Medicaid Supports stronger immigration guidelines Opposes benefits and employment for illegal aliens Opposes acceptance of Syrian refugees Supports the border wall Page 11 County of Albemarle School Bond Referendum The following question will appear on the ballot. The question addresses obligation bonds to fund improvements at Albemarle County school and reads as follows: Shall the County of Albemarle, Virginia, contract a debt and issue general obligation bonds in the maximum aggregate principal amount of $35,000,000 for the purpose of providing funds, in addition to any other available funds, to finance the costs of improvements to Albemarle County public schools including designing, building, expanding, and renovating school properties, including new buildings and additions, renovations, and improvements to existing buildings, installing new furnishings and equipment in the public schools, and the related costs to issue the bonds and to reimburse the County for temporary financing? [ ] YES [ ] NO Acknowledgements Written By: Talbot Allen David Dindo Aimee Kilmer Benjamin McAfee Anna Stratos Edited By: Joe Fowler Arif Michael Vega Faculty Advisors: Connie Jorgensen Tamara Whyte Layout and Design By: Joe Fowler Arif Michael Vega Special thanks to the staff at Betty Sue Jessup Library  ...

... TJACE Helps Community Find Careers Kristofer Jones, staff writer Thomas Jefferson Adult Career Education (TJACE) @PVCC is a great resource for helping adults get a GED or high school diploma. The TJACE program is for adults who have not finished high school but want to continue their education. Programs for people at all levels of education can get help at TJACE. The TJACE has offices in Albemarle, Charlottesville, Fluvanna, Greene, and Lousia. TJACE has many programs available for those seeking help and will help you find your area of interest. From professional cooking to web technologies, there is a program for all who apply. The TJACE not only helps students from here but also abroad, helping our foreignborn citizens with classes taught in Spanish. TJACE has free programs and some that do need to be paid for. The National External Diploma Program (NEDP) for those students who want to have a high school diploma instead of a GED costs $50. A GED is a general educational development test in which you can receive help from TJACE. TJACE provides an opportunity for adults to get a GED or diploma that suits the person. TJACE also has a program to help people with their future careers. A volunteer said, I always walk away feeling that I just helped someone achieve something that she could not have achieved on his or her own. This is the goal of the TJACE: helping a community of people in continuing their education. Interlibrary Loan Broadens Research Horizons Lillian Downey, staff writer Our interlibrary loan system connects PVCC students to more works than could possibly be contained within the walls of a single library. This free service gives students access to libraries across the world. The interlibrary loan system is a reciprocal service which allows libraries to borrow works between themselves. This could be a fantastic resource for any student who has found the perfect book that our library does not have. The item will either be shared in an online format (such as with an article) or physically. As explained by Crystal Newell, the director of library services at PVCC, students will most likely be borrowing the item from one of the colleges sister schools here in Virginia. However, so long as there is no monetary fee attached to accessing the work, then it would be possible to gain access to a work from farther away than just Virginia. If students plan to use the system for something with a time limit, it is important not to wait until the last second, as it can take some time for the item to arrive. According to the interlibrary loan webpage, books can take between 2-4 days to ship. Items that are being shared electronically will be available as soon as the request has been processed. Although the librarians are always available to help with a request, it is something that students are capable of doing on their own. From the PVCC homepage, go to Student Services and then from there to the Library page. From there go to the Interlibrary Loan Request page. This page gives step-by-step instructions for submitting a request. This page also has a section detailing the rules around the use of this system; there are some limitations. One important thing to note is that the request has to be for academic work. If students want to submit a non-academic request, it would need to be done through the Jefferson Madison Regional Library. The interlibrary loan system means that the exploration of a topic can range as far as a student wants to take it. As Newell said, It basically opens up all librariesto PVCC students. Page 8  ...

... Spring 2022 Phi Theta Kappa Events Johnson Li, staff writer Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) is one of the biggest student organizations at PVCC. Alpha Epsilon Tau is the official name for PVCCs chapter. This year, the PTK President Daisy Dudley and all fellow PTK officers, including myself attended the National PTK Catalyst 2022 held at Denver, Colorado. The event started on April 7 and ended on April 9. During the PTK first general session, there were 1,233 chapters present, approximately 350,288 members. There were many great education forums including applying for scholarships, transfer sessions, and starting a college project. This year, PVCC hosted the 42nd induction ceremony on April 13 at 3 p.m. 130 new members were inducted this year. President Frank Friedman attended this event to remark on his last year serving as the president of PVCC. The guest speaker for the event was Bruce Robinson, a retired information literacy professor and a previous PTK adviser. Robinson made a speech that encouraged students to be more active members in PTK, such as holding an officer position to make PVCC a five-star chapter. In addition, Robinson encouraged all PTK members to attend both PTK regional and national conferences to enrich their knowledge of PTK and use the knowledge that they learned from it to Johnson Li with President Frank Friedman. Photography by Shazila Nadia Muzafar Shah improve their PTK chapter. My position in PTK is the vice president of scholarship. My fellow PTK officers and I collaborated to host a scholarship night on April 29 to help both current members and transfer members to apply for PTK scholarships. PVCC President Frank Friedman congratulates and addresses new Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) inductees. Photo courtesy of PVCC Marketing and Media Relations Page 3  ...

... GENDER-NEUTRAL LANGUAGE: PRONOUNS AND BEYOND Gender-Neutral Language: Pronouns and Beyond Stacie Dowdy G enderqueer, gender-fluid, non-binary: these are some of the terms used in reference to those individuals who fall under the transgender umbrella, but who either do not identify themselves as male or female, or who do not identify as male or female all of the time. Using gendered words when referring to these individuals, such as the pronouns he and she, or the honorifics Mr., Mrs., or Ms., can have a harmful and invalidating effect. In modern American society where a binary gender system is the norm, it is to be expected that language follows suit and has binary elements as well. While English is not as gendered as many languages, such as Spanish, French or German, it does have many gendered words. The feminist movement can be thanked for calling attention to and changing many of these words, such as the word server being more accepted than waiter or waitress, or the use of firefighter and police officer rather than fireman and policeman. To aid in the validation of a growing population of people who identify as transgender (specifically those who identify as non-binary, gender-fluid, or genderqueer), it is necessary that gender-neutral language become the norm, a change which requires thoughtfulness and effort. In order to determine the need for a change to the English language, it is important to first acknowledge the size and growth of the transgender population. According to the article Transgender Population Size in the United States: A Meta-Regression of Population-Based Probability Samples, approximately one in every 250 adults in the United States identifies as transgender. This number equates to roughly one million transgender Americans (Meerwijk e1). Drs. Esther L. Meerwijk and Jae M. Sevelius conducted a study in the summer of 2016 to estimate the size of the transgender population in America, as well as to determine if there were any trends in the growth or decline of this population over time (Meerwijk e1). Meerwijk and Sevelius found that the number of transgender Americans was difficult to ascertain, because the US Census and records kept by other agencies such as the DMV and National Archives, reported the legal sex of an individual when reporting sex at all (Meerwijk e2). Within these records there is no acknowledgement of whether the legal sex differs from the sex assigned at birth. The records also fail to give an option to report current gender identity, i.e., if the individual identifies as a sex different than their legal sex or identifies as either neither or both sexes (Meerwijk e2). To determine a more accurate estimate of the number of transgender Americans, the authors searched for national surveys dated between 2006 and 2016 in PubMed, Web of Science, and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature. They also used Google to search for gray literature, searching for the terms survey, health, and gender under the internet domains of .edu, .gov, and .us (Meerwijk e2-e3). Gray literature refers to information produced by government entities, academia, or businesses whose primary intent is not for publication (Unversity of Exeter). Surveys were excluded from the research if they were not based on national samples, if the surveys were not based on self-reported identities, if the surveys were satisfaction surveys, or if INSIGHTS, SPRING 2022 19 GENDER-NEUTRAL LANGUAGE: PRONOUNS AND BEYOND the surveys were reviews or analyses of other surveys (Meerwijk e3). After excluding surveys that did not meet their criteria, Meerwijk and Sevelius were left with twenty surveys from five sources (Meerwijk e4). Within the twenty surveys used in the authors final analysis, 65% listed transgender as gender identity, while the other 35% listed transgender as sexual orientation (Meerwijk e4). Because transgender as a sexual orientation does not reflect the current usage of transgender as a gender identity, a separate analysis was done for each of these groups (Meerwijk e4). According to their findings, the estimated proportion of transgender individuals based on surveys that categorized transgender as gender identity was 0.39%...(where) college and university students represented the majority (58%), followed by general-population adults (24%), and adult inmates (18%) (Meerwijk e4). Meerwijk and Seveliuss findings also showed an increase in size of population from 0.23% in 2007 to 0.45% of the population in 2015 (Meerwijk e5). The numbers for 2016 show 1.79% of the population; however, most of the computations used by the authors left out the 2016 survey from the National College Health Assessment due to it being an outlier, with the number of people identifying as transgender quadrupling in comparison to the 2015 survey (1,685 in a sample size of 94,376 in 2016 as compared to 416 in a sample size of 93,034 in 2015) (Meerwijk e4-e5). The authors conclude that their estimates are likely to be conservative, as the word transgender is used as an umbrella term, but does not always capture the gender-nonconforming and gender-variant individuals within the population, and that the available evidence suggests that the size of the gender-nonconforming or gender-variant population may be twice as large as our best estimate for the transgender population size (Meerwijk e6). Meerwijk and Sevelius also state that the observed annual increase is not an increase in the true population size, but the 20 INSIGHTS, SPRING 2022 result of people feeling freer to report that they are or identify as transgender (Meerwijk e5). Recognition of the size and growth of the transgender population in America is important to realizing a need for gender-neutral language. In their 2016 article Pronouns and Thoughts on Neutrality: Gender Concerns in Modern Grammar, authors Brandon Darr and Tyler Kibbey state that slightly more than 1 percent of the 4,000 students at Harvard University have indicated a preference for gender-neutral pronouns through the universitys registrar system (Darr 72). Darr and Kibbeys article relies on research of literature in the field of linguistics to give an overview of how language plays an important role in how an individuals gender is identified, as well as delving into the historical aspects of linguistics that surround this issue in a social context (Darr 72). Although much of this article focuses on the etymology of pronouns which is not relevant to the topic of this literature review paper, the authors posit that the English language must reflect societal awareness of linguistic representation (Darr 74). Darr and Kibbeys article explains that pronouns are used to avoid redundancy, giving the example of Janet reviewed the syllabi for Janets classes. Then, Janet bought textbooks being simplified to Janet reviewed the syllabi for her class. Then, she bought textbooks to point out the repetition of the subjects name. The second statement is based on multiple assumptions: a) that based on appearance, or the name Janet, that Janet is a woman b) the pronoun she is used for women, and c) Janet identifies as a woman and thus prefers the pronoun she (Darr 74). The authors state that these assumptions are based off mainstream English prescriptions that do not reflect all individual identities (Darr 74). They go on to say that a common solution to avoiding misgendering due to these assumptions is to integrate pronoun preferences into introductions but point out that such introductions can be uncomfort- GENDER-NEUTRAL LANGUAGE: PRONOUNS AND BEYOND able for students whose preferred pronouns may not match their gender presentation and could expose their gender identity (Darr 75). Darr and Kibbey conclude their article with a call for professors and students to use the singular they as a way to not only avoid misgendering, but also to be inclusive of transgender and genderqueer individuals (Darr 82). Lal Zimman, who is also a linguist, approaches the issue in a different way. In his article Trans Self-Identification and the Language of Neoliberal Selfhood: Agency, Power, and the Limits of Monologic Discourse, he states that: Though linguists situate meaning as distributed across a (generally undefined) group of language users, trans people place definitional authority in each individual, at least when it comes to gender. From this perspective, each person determines how their identity should be spoken about and understood (Zimman 148). Zimmans observations are based on a series of ethnographic projects he conducted in online spaces frequented by trans people, as well as trans communities in metropolitan areas of the United States, including Portland, Oregon, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Denver, Colorado. Zimmans projects were carried out between 2006 and 2016 (Zimman 149). Using the subjects of gendered identity labels, body part terminology, and third person pronouns, Zimmans research frames gender self-identification as an enactment of neoliberal personhood, in which individuals are framed as the driver of their destiny (Zimman 147). According to Zimman, identification as trans does not require identification with a particular gender identity, but it does require some form of disidentification from ones assigned sex (Zimman 150). Like Darr and Kibbey, Zimmans research finds that gender attributions often derive from assumptions made from a persons appearance but goes further to say that this assumption is based on the idea that there can be only one correct gendered form for any given individual (Zimman 152-153). Zimman finds that in the trans community, the individual is the ultimate source of authority about their own gender, which is why the presupposition of others portrayed through their use of gendered words, can be seen as a rejection of a trans persons identity (Zimman 155). Through interviews with approximately 100 people over a ten-year period, Zimman would ask interviewees to define words like man, woman, masculine and feminine. The typical response within the trans community is that a man is someone who self-identifies as a man, a woman is someone who self-identifies as a woman, etc. (Zimman 157). Here again it can be seen that applying gender neutral terms such as person rather than man or woman can help avoid the possibilities of accidentally misgendering someone whose self-identified gender has not been specified. In his research Zimman, like Darr and Kibbey, discusses the third person pronouns he/him/his and she/her/hers. Zimman states that these pronouns are the most frequently occurring linguistic clues about how speakers perceive one anothers genders (Zimman 159). Zimman argues that it is this frequency of use, along with the lack of conscious thought in using a pronoun, which makes correct pronoun usage a key component in trans validation. Someone might be saying all the right things to affirm trans identities when they are putting thought into their language, but the pronouns they use have the potential to reveal more deeply ingrained patterns of thought; simply put, pronouns can reveal what you really think about someones gender (Zimman 160). In his article, Zimman concludes that gender self-identification is indeed a form of neoliberal personhood, a state where each individual is both an agency and driver of their own destiny (Zimman 170-172). Using pronouns in a new way or taking the time to use the correct pronoun when speaking to or about someone requires effort. This effort is the focus of Lee Airtons article The de/PoINSIGHTS, SPRING 2022 21 GENDER-NEUTRAL LANGUAGE: PRONOUNS AND BEYOND liticization of Pronouns: Implications of the No Big Deal Campaign for Gender-Expansive Educational Policy and Practice (Airton, The de/ Politization of Pronouns: Implications of the No Big Deal Campaign for Gender-Expansive Educational Policy and Practice 790). Airtons article seeks to prove that though using someones preferred pronouns takes extra effort, it does not take excessive effort, and it therefore does not pose a threat to free speech (Airton, The de/Politization of Pronouns: Implications of the No Big Deal Campaign for Gender-Expansive Educational Policy and Practice 790). In their research (Airton identifies as non-binary and uses they/them pronouns), Airton begins with a review of relevant literature on the experiences of non-binary people in Canada. Airton found that there was insufficient literature on the use of gender-neutral pronouns, or on the micropolitical negotiation of gender neutral pronouns in everyday interactions (Airton, The de/Politization of Pronouns: Implications of the No Big Deal Campaign for Gender-Expansive Educational Policy and Practice 791-792). Using queer theory, affect theory, and Deleuzo-Guattarian assemblage theory, Airton developed a theoretical framework to determine what would qualify as extra effort versus excessive effort, and then applies this framework to the use of gender-neutral pronouns (Airton, The de/Politization of Pronouns: Implications of the No Big Deal Campaign for Gender-Expansive Educational Policy and Practice 792-795). Airton defines extra effort as labour that is felt to be unremarkable and justifiable by the subject and excessive effort to be labour that is found to be remarkable and unjustifiable by the subject (Airton, The de/Politization of Pronouns: Implications of the No Big Deal Campaign for Gender-Expansive Educational Policy and Practice 795). They continue to say that: The distinction rests on whether I can narrate a demand for effort as an unjust demand on my time and energy, and whether 22 INSIGHTS, SPRING 2022 my narration will normalize my own refusal to meet the demand. If yes, the effort is excessive and I receive no sanction for non-accommodation; indeed, if I am successful, the sanction itself and not my refusal become the event of injustice, for example. If I cannot narrate a demand as unjust, the requisite effort is merely extra, and I am liable to receive a sanction that others find justifiable (Airton, The de/Politization of Pronouns: Implications of the No Big Deal Campaign for Gender-Expansive Educational Policy and Practice 795). Airton demonstrates that it is the combination of the demand and the sanction received for nonadherence that determines whether something requires extra effort or excessive effort (Airton, The de/Politization of Pronouns: Implications of the No Big Deal Campaign for Gender-Expansive Educational Policy and Practice 175). In their article Airton goes on to describe the political backlash within Canada regarding Bill C-16s legal protection of gender pronouns (Airton, The de/Politization of Pronouns: Implications of the No Big Deal Campaign for Gender-Expansive Educational Policy and Practice 795-796). Airton describes a video posted by University of Toronto Psychology professor Jordan Peterson, which claims that the protection of gender-neutral pronouns amounts to compelled speech, and therefore risks violating the right to freedom of expression enshrined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (Airton, The de/Politization of Pronouns: Implications of the No Big Deal Campaign for Gender-Expansive Educational Policy and Practice). Petersons speech implies that pronoun protections would require one to say things with which one disagrees, under threat of sanction (Airton, The de/Politization of Pronouns: Implications of the No Big Deal Campaign for Gender-Expansive Educational Policy and Practice 796-797). While this argument over the legal protection of gender pronouns took place in Canada, it is indicative of GENDER-NEUTRAL LANGUAGE: PRONOUNS AND BEYOND reactions to the use of gender-neutral language in the United States. Airton describes their response to Petersons allegations, an online campaign known as the No Big Deal Campaign. The No Big Deal Campaign, or NBD, uses infographics to explain not only the implications of Bill C-16, but also to highlight that though a trans persons pronouns are a big deal to the trans person, using that persons correct pronoun should not be a big deal to someone speaking with or about them (Airton, No Big Deal Campaign; Airton, de/Politization 799-804). Airton concludes that micropolitically, gender-expansive policies and practices may succeed based on whether they can change how (mostly) cis-gender institutional actors feel about and narrate their own involvement in the institutional commitments demanded by law and policy in everyday life (Airton, de/Politization 806). Airtons hope is that the NBD campaign can frame the use of gender-neutral pronouns as something that while requiring extra effort, does not require extra effort (Airton, de/Politization 806). In addition to effort, changing the use of an element of language as integral as pronouns takes time. In 2015 Marie Gustafsson Sendn, Emma A. Bck, and Anna Lindqvist wrote an article examining the changes in behavior towards the introduction of the word hen (a gender-neutral pronoun) to the Swedish language over a three-year period (Sendn). Their article, Introducing a Gender-Neutral Pronoun in a Natural Gender Language: The Influence of Time on Attitudes and Behavior, though pertaining to the Swedish language, and examining behavioral changes in a country other than the United States, is pertinent in that it gives an example of what attitude and behavioral changes one might expect in the United States if similar changes are made. Following an extensive review of literature related to gender, gender politics, and gendered language, the authors developed six hypotheses, which are as follows: H1. Attitudes towards hen will become more positive over time. H2. Self-reported use of hen will increase over time. H3. Sexism and right-wing political orientation will be associated with negative attitudes, as well (as) a lower use of hen. H4. Age will be related to attitudes and use, such that younger people will be more positive, and indicate more use of the word, than older people. Gender is included as a control because some studies have shown that women are more positive to gender-fair language than men. H5. A strong gender identity (as either a man or a woman) will be associated with more negative attitudes and less use. Interest in gender issues will be associated with more positive attitudes and higher use. H6. Time will have a significant and independent effect on attitudes and use of hen, also when all other variables are controlled for (Sendn). To prove their hypotheses, the authors collected data from various places in Sweden at six different points in time between 2012, which marked the first use of hen, and 2015, when their article was published (Sendn). The first two sets of data were collected by approaching people waiting at Central Station in Stockholm, the third and fourth sets of data were collected from students at Lund University, the fifth set of data was collected by approaching people in Lund, and the final set of data was collected from people who were recruited through an online advertisement (Sendn). Using a series of questions including What is your opinion about the gender-neutral pronoun hen in the Swedish language, and Do you use hen yourself, ranked on a seven-point response scales with set answers for each point, the authors were able to track the changes in acceptance of and attitude towards the word hen over a three-year period (Sendn). This study found that by 2013, 95% of respondents were familiar with the word INSIGHTS, SPRING 2022 23 GENDER-NEUTRAL LANGUAGE: PRONOUNS AND BEYOND hen. Usage of the word hen caught on much more slowly, with 50% of respondents in 2013 saying they never, or almost never used hen, and 58% of respondents in 2014 saying they never, or almost never use hen, while in 2015 the group who never, or almost never use hen had dropped to 25% (Sendn). It is interesting to note that the number of people who used the word hen very often or always did not change significantly, with 13% in 2013, and 10% in both 2014 and 2015 (Sendn). The findings also showed that negative attitudes towards the use of hen decreased significantly over time, with 56.5% reacting negatively in 2012, 26.1% negative reactions in 2013, 17.5% negative reactions in 2014, and only 9.6% with strong negative reactions in 2015 (Sendn). This study also found that women adapted more quickly and were more positive towards the new word than men, and as their hypothesis suggests, that politically conservative people were slower to adapt and held more negative views of the word hen (Sendn). Adapting to new forms of language, particularly words such as pronouns which are typically used with little conscious thought, can be difficult, and as can be seen from the studies conducted in Canada and Sweden requires both effort and time. The articles by Darr and Kibbey, Zimman, and Airton illustrate the need for gender-neutral language both to be inclusive of the trans community, as well as offering validation to their self-identification. As can be seen in the first article, the population of Americans who identify as transgender is growing, making the need for inclusivity and gender validation evident. WORKS CITED Airton, L. (2017). No Big Deal Campaign. Retrieved October 12, 2021, from No Big Deal Campaign: nbdcampaign.ca. Airton, L. (2018, September). The de/Politization of Pronouns: Implications of the No Big Deal Campaign for Gender-Expansive Educational Policy and Practice. Gender & Education, 30(6), 790-810. Darr, B. a. (2016, March). Pronouns and Thoughts on Neutrality: Gender Concerns in Modern Grammar. Pursuit: The Journal of Undergraduate Research at the University of Tennessee, 7(1), 71-84. Meerwijk, E. L. (2017, February). Transgender Population Size in the United States: A Meta-Regression of Population-Based Probability Samples. American Journal of Public Health, 107(2), e1-e8. Sendn, M. G. (2015, July 1). Introducing a Gender-Neutral Pronoun in a Natural Gender Language: The Influence of Time on Attitudes and Behavior. (L. Von Stockhausen, Ed.) Retrieved October 22, 2021, from Frontiers in Psychology: www.frontiersin.org 24 INSIGHTS, SPRING 2022 GENDER-NEUTRAL LANGUAGE: PRONOUNS AND BEYOND Zimman, L. (2019). Trans Self-Identification and the Language of Neoliberal Selfhood: Agency, Power, and the Limits of Monologic Discourse. International Journal of the Sociology of Language, 256, 147-175. INSIGHTS, SPRING 2022 25  ...

... Under Pressure Finalist By Gavin Miller There I was--clinging to a thin metal cable, 60 feet underwater off the coast of Hawaii. The deep, clear, soundless blue stretched around me for what seemed like miles in every direction. But I wasnt admiring the view. I had been slowly working my way down the lifeline for ten minutes when suddenly, a pounding headache hit me. My head felt like it was blowing up like a balloon from the inside; my body was refusing to equalize! Back in 2018, I was 15 years old. My family had been planning a trip to Hawaii for five years, and the time had finally come! We set forth on our voyage in mid-October. My Dad and I had heard amazing things about the scuba experiences off the island of Oahu (where my family and I were staying), so in preparation, we had earned our PADI Open Water Diver certificates that summer. He had decided to make this trip a once-ina-lifetime experience, so he booked a diving session for the two of us with a local charter company. This wasnt any old diving session though. We were to sail a mile off the coast and dive 107 feet deep to explore the abandoned wreck of a WWII Navy Corsair. However, the drastic change in climate from chilly Virginia to sunny Honolulu was not kind to my allergies. The charter had a very strict rule--they would not take anybody with a head cold or congestion issues on one of their trips because the client would have difficulty equalizing. Equalizing is a procedure all divers must undergo. At the surface, you experience only the weight of the atmosphere resting upon you (1 atm.) But for every 33 feet deep you dive, you experience the weight of an additional atmosphere pressing down on you. To counter the effects of this massive outside pressure, you must make the inside pressure of your body equal to the outside pressure (equalizing). You do this by holding your nose and blowing into it, or by wiggling your jaw--exactly as you would if you were driving up or down a tall mountain and you began to feel the change in altitude. You must do this frequently the deeper you go, otherwise the pressure buildup inside your skull will burst your eardrums. Dad and I werent going to let a couple sniffles stop us though, so early Wednesday morning we set out on the little charter skiff to the site of the wreck. Our oxygen tanks would empty exponentially faster than they would at the surface due to the enormous pressure at that depth (3 atm.!), so our dive could last no longer than 30 minutes. As Dad and I began to descend the dive line, we could see the Corsair, half buried in the smooth white sand below. It looked as small as a Matchbox airplane. Then, about halfway down the line, my ears wouldnt equalize! I held my hand out flat and shook it to signal to my Dad that there was a problem. He waited patiently while I anxiously tried to clear my head of the excess pressure--it was very painful, like a migraine--you feel like there are angry hornets trapped behind your forehead, pushing, struggling to escape. Every second we wasted on that line was a precious second that couldve been spent exploring the wreck-but my Dad faithfully waited for me to equalize. Finally, after what seemed like hours of gulping and blowing into my face mask, my clogged sinuses cleared and my ears opened with what seemed like an explosive pop--and we were on our way! We still got to enjoy five minutes of exploring the rusted, eel-infested plane, despite having wasted so much time on the lifeline. Equalizing is a crucial skill for all divers to have--and it should be an essential coping skill for land-lubbers too. What do you do when pressure shows up in your life? How do you equalize to cope with the effects of stress and pressure at home, work, or school? Do you call up a close friend and tell them about your day? Do you go for a walk or run, or take a nap to help your body and mind reset? My exhortation to you today is to think over what you do in times of stress and hardship, and single out that relief. Single out that cure that allows you to take your mind off the bustle of everyday life. Single out that cure that helps you take the time to enjoy the life around you. Remember it, and use it to equalize your life when the pressure surrounding you becomes too great.  ...

... Swim Lesson Finalist By Roger Newman My mother once told me: "If someone is willing to teach you something, go ahead and learn it. Especially if it's free. You never know when it might come in handy." When people learn something new, they often ask: "When in my life am I going to need this?" I heard it when I was going to school and many times as a GED tutor. What I tell them is: "You can't tell the future, You don't know what's going to happen the rest of your life. I don't know when you might need this and neither do you. Isn't it better to know than not? What does it hurt to learn?" After my mom and dad divorced, my mom needed a job, and she got one at a place called the Jewish Community Center (JCC). The JCC is like a YMCA for Jewish people. Even though my family isn't Jewish, one of the perks of the job was free childcare. Everyday after school, I went to the JCC for daycare. Daycare offered specialized classes on different things. Mom signed me up for three: Gymnastics, piano, and swim lessons. Gym was fun. We used some pretty cool equipment, and we learned how to do flips and tumbles. Piano was fine. I learned to play music, and the teacher was a musicloving hippy, so I had fun there. Swimming was the hardest. It was a lot of work learning the different strokes and practicing constantly. You even had to learn a special way to breathe. Mostly, I just didn't want to do it. I think my bad attitude about it made me hate it even more. I begged my mom to let me drop it. She explained to me that she had always wanted to learn to swim and regretted never having the opportunity, So, because I did (and it was free), I had to do it. I thought it was a worthless thing that was not going to help me. But she wanted me to do it, so I did. Fast-forward five years to my Junior year of high school. The year was finishing up, and I needed to get some money for gas and girls and having fun. Some of my friends were getting jobs in retail and fast-food, but I didn't want to do that. I heard about this place that had a pool, some basketball courts, and a picnic area. They needed lifeguards for the summer, and I figured it would be pretty easy. I'd be hanging out in the sun, looking at cute girls, and making some money. The only problem was that I had to be lifeguard-certified by taking a ten week class, and I wasn't. I told my mom what I wanted to do, and she told me that her work offered a certification class that was just starting, so I signed up. In this class, we learned things like CPR, and how to get someone out of the pool while protecting their neck. After ten weeks, I passed the class without a problem. I got the job, and was looking forward to summer in the sun. The place where I worked hosted parties for businesses. For a fee, a company could rent the place for a get-together of its employees. They would hire a caterer, have food and drinks, and swim and play basketball. I got hired in May, and my first couple of days were training. Then, I had to lifeguard one of these parties. It was a hot day in late May, and the party was a few hours in. There were a few people swimming, but most were eating, playing ball, and having a few drinks. The company had hired a beer truck, so the booze was flowing. It got hotter as the day went on, and more people were getting in the pool. The water was cold because it hadn't been hot for many days, so the pool hadn't warmed up. A group of guys had been playing Basketball, and decided to cool off in the pool. This one fellow came into the pool area looking red as a tomato. He had been drinking beers and playing ball. He was going at it like he thought he was Michael Jordan, and he had overheated in the hot sun. He walked into the pool area, kicked off his shoes, stripped off his shirt, and jumped into the pool. He sank like a stone. The water was so cold, and he was so overheated that when he jumped in, he went into shock and passed out. He had been loud coming into the pool, yelling and carrying on, so the other lifeguard and I were already watching him. He was closer to me, so I blew my whistle and dove in after him. The other guard cleared the pool out, called 911, and helped me get the guy out of the pool. He had to be taken out in a certain way, so, if he has spinal damage, you don't make it worse. It's easier with two people. We got him out, and laid him down to check and see if he was still breathing. He wasn't, so we started CPR. About two breaths in, he started making a funny gurgling sound, and began throwing up beer and pool water. We turned his head, so he wouldn't choke. He started breathing on his own. The paramedics came and took him to the hospital, and the police came to fill out a report. The party was stopped, and we closed the pool, cleaned up, and went home. The next day, our boss told us the guy would be fine. The rest of the summer passed uneventfully. Because I learned something I didn't want to, I ended up with a pretty fun summer job, and probably saved someone's life. Life takes us places we can't imagine. Learn all you can, especially if it's free. You could end up having fun with it, or doing something important.  ...

... Running and the Effects that it had on my Life Finalist By Stephanie Murran I have never been a runner in fact I thought running was a senseless exercise. How could someone enjoy running anywhere for no reason? It seemed hard and unnecessary. That is until my world collapsed. From seemingly nowhere I had an intense desire to go outside and start to run. I know now where that desire came from. It was my internal drive to feel good and to stave off the depression that pushed me out the door. It was my intuition. Running has restored my happiness, calmness, sanity, and self. Beginning in November of 2019 my life as I knew it began to crumble. For the previous 20 years I had spent my life as a mother, wife, and entrepreneur. After my partner and I unexpectedly decided to part ways, the ground fell from below me. I was lost. Suddenly, I was a single mother, but a mother only half of the time, prior to this I was with my children every day. I needed to figure out so much; where was my life headed, what do I do when my kids are with their father. What about meeting new people and dating? And then there was all day-to-day things. The places where my ex fit in, now I had to figure out how to do the things that he did. Which admittedly wasnt that much but it was still something. I was overwhelmed, depressed, confused and just broken. For the first year and almost a half I cried a lot. Probably more than I have ever cried in my life. The pain that I felt every single time that I had to hand my kids over to my ex was unbearable. I tried many vices to help me get through the devastating implosion of my family and my dreams. Many of which did help, including therapy, yoga, massage, acupuncture, and a lot of other self-care. And some which seemed to help but did not, like spending way too much time out with my friends drinking. I called it the year of Stephanie. And fortunately, I was able to indulge. But with all of that, I still felt broken. I was suffering, and, even worse, my kids were suffering, which made my suffering infinitely more. I absolutely needed to get through this for them and for me. Although I did the best to hide it, sometimes it was impossible. I couldnt continue to show them the broken me. I had to rise up, be strong and be an inspiration for them. Through the years I had a gym membership. Mostly as a place to go and walk on the treadmill, binge watch something and zone out. One day in March 2021 yes very recentlyI decided to step it up and run a bit. It was a struggle, but I knew that it was what I needed to do. The first run that I have recorded on my phone was March 22 with a pace of 16.34, a cadence of 130 and 2.72 miles. I cant really explain it, but I was hooked. It felt good I felt powerful. On March 25 I went to Ragged Mountain Running Shop, Charlottesvilles oldest running shop and invested in my first pair of running sneakers! I walked in the store, explained that I have never run before but have started running to feel good. She asked me what I run in, I said these and pointed down to my adidas (not running sneakers by any means) she laughed. She fitted me with the perfect pair of running sneakers and I have not turned back since that day. I have run through the breakup of my family. As the saying goes, you cant go under it, you cant go over it, you must go through it. I am happy to say that I am on the other side. I attribute it to many things but mostly to my running. I never know what is going to happen emotionally during each run. I almost get excited when its time for my runs to see what will happen that day. I have had days where I write complete stories in my head, and days where I get so incredibly angry at my ex and about my situation that I run with my middle fingers out the whole time. Ive had days where I have just broken down and cried, sometimes so hard that I had to stop my run. Whatever emotion needs to come through comes through, and sometimes with a vengeance. It is an incredible feeling, to know that I have control over my emotions in a healthy and effective way. Its not always easy in fact its mostly never easy. A lot of my runs I question why am I doing this, I cant do this, I am not a runner, what are you doing? But 100% without fail my after run feelings answer all of the questions wholeheartedly. In July I ran 100 miles to raise funds for St. Judes, I ran my first 5k race in September and am running a 10 miler in October. My 5k time was 9.47 minutes per mile. Considering that just 6 months ago I was at 16.34, I would say I am proud of myself. I am super excited to research this topic and to discover the mechanisms behind how and why running has been such a blessing for me. Running is my new best friend; it is always there for me when I need it and it always makes me feel good. If I begin to feel like I am not fast enough or run long enough, I remember why I began this journey and run!  ...

... Once Bitten Finalist By Benjamin Marcus I have never been an especially zoophobic person. Even as a child, I would feel compelled to take a closer look at almost any arachnid or reptile that I encountered. I would often entertain the idea of keeping five-foot snakes instead of more traditional house pets. On rarer occasions, I entertained the fantasy of keeping a giant tarantula for a pet. I have never actually owned any such creatures and so have yet to achieve that stereotype of the teenaged entomologist with entire rooms of his parents house devoted to keeping his insects and arachnids. Nor is that something I find desirable now if I ever did. I have, mostly, shed these interests with age. When looking back on my childhood fascination in arachnids specifically I find myself perplexed that it took me so long to get over it those interests when I really should have learned some amount of arachnophobia when I was much younger. When I was three, my parents were still outsourcing my education (I was homeschooled for most of my life) to the International School of Charlottesville. My most vivid recollections of the school are of the playground out back where we would have recess. My activities there varied, from trying to eat the lawn to hiding inside of a large plastic flower pot to digging around in the mulch under the play structures. I was doing the last of these that I found the spider who by all rights should have given me several years of arachnophobia. I was sitting alone underneath one of the play structures, pretending to be a chef and using the mulch to represent some condiment or other. No other children were around to be make-believe restaurant-goers, but I liked to give some story to my actions no matter what. After a little time, I grabbed a handful of mulch and revealed a small, black spider. My parents had always been quite accommodating toward my love of snatching any tiny creature that caught my fancy and bringing it over to show them. The only real concern they ever seemed to have about it was the effect I was having on the unfortunate victim of my interest. It felt only natural to me on that day to catch the black spider and bring it to the nearest equivalent of a parent: the teacher responsible for keeping an eye on the children during recess. I scooped the spider up in one hand and waddled off to show the teacher, whom I could see standing some distance from the playground. I wanted to show her the interesting-looking spider I had found so as to receive the standard forced enthusiasm and pat on the head. I thought the spider looked interesting simply because of how uniformly dark it appeared; I did not see the telltale red hourglass on the underside of its abdomen. It took the black widow until just after I managed to get over the concrete border of the playground to have enough and bite me. I had felt pain before as a child several times at that point. Nor was it the first time another living creature had attacked me. My parents cats, while sweet most of the time, were not creatures of infinite patience. Still, that was the first time a spider had ever attacked me, and it was agonizing. I cannot describe the feeling brought on by the venom; my memory of events becomes rather broken after that point. The clearest thought I can remember is my panicked attempt to figure out what to do. I am not sure why dropping the spider wasnt my immediate reaction, but I did not let go. I realized I was in serious need of an adult, and so my journey across the grass toward the supervisor continued no longer hoping to show her something I had found, but in the desperate need of help. When I reached her, I opened my hand to show her the spider, much as I had been planning to before being bitten. I found this, I said. I think it bit me. I do not remember how she reacted to my showing her an extremely venomous spider and saying I had been bitten. I, in fact, remember little between then and being taken into an ambulance. I was taken to the hospital and treated for the bite. I remember being in great pain during that time and still aching when I spent the night in a hospital bedroom. I do not remember much else after that except for what happened when I asked after the spiders fate. I was informed that my teacher had trapped it in a zip lock bag and crushed it under her foot. I felt overcome with guilt that I had brought about the execution of a creature whose only crime was fearing me. The agony and fear that I felt because I had picked up that spider were not enough to make me repent, nor was the guilt I felt that my curiosity had killed it. I still grabbed interesting-looking spiders almost every time I found one, although I was more careful to choose defenseless targets. I have only seen one black widow since that day when I was around seven years old. It was living in a cracked concrete wall that I passed, and I stopped to look at it. Unlike that first black widow, this one was displaying its hourglass in full view, so I knew immediately that it was the same sort of spider that likely almost killed my threeyear-old self. It looked small. I watched it for a while feeling nothing but a detached interest. It occurred to me I should be scared of this creature. Even if I wasnt scared of all spiders, its dead predecessor should have at least taught me some respect. I did my best to pretend to be frightened as I repositioned myself to get a closer look.  ...

... Nahor Finalist By Austen Coogan Its 8:20 at night and I rush out the door through the cold winter air. As usual Im running late for band practice at my friend Bradys house, which starts 20 minutes ago. I cant afford my own car yet, so after a quick sprint down the driveway I jump into my Moms Toyota Rav 4. Being a teenage guy who drives his mothers car is already embarrassing, but it doesnt help that her license plate proudly says WHIMZCL (unlike her, I dont have a very whimsical personality). I hit the ignition and after a moment of shivering, the engine coughs itself awake. I quickly put on a generic Spotify playlist, and the car and I start speeding to Bradys house for band practice. This routine drive is different than usual because we arent coming from our house. Instead, were coming from the home of the Basingers, a family in our church that leads a home group Bible study. Since were coming from there, the GPS says a shortcut through the nearby Nahor road will take us to Bradys about 10 minutes faster than usual. The drive just started and Im already 20 minutes, so this shortcut seems like a no-brainer. We exit the driveway, and at the next turn the car and I pull onto Nahor. Aside from the shortcut, everythings normal at this point: the musics at full volume, WHIMZCL is driving fine, and my running-more-late-than-last-time anxiety is breaking another record. But after roughly two minutes of driving, a large white sign comes up in the headlights. END STATE MAINTAINENCE it says, and beyond it the road narrows to a single lane of gravel. Now Ive only been driving for a few months, so I dont have much experience. I know every driver has moments where their wisdom and skills behind the wheel are put to the test, but I havent had any such moments yet. However, upon seeing that white sign, my instincts immediately suggest we turn around. Under normal circumstances we could, but right now were too late; theres just no time for another route. Plus, the GPS says in three miles well turn off Nahor onto a more familiar road close to Bradys house. We can press on. For the next mile or so the gravel road stays tight with a few potholes, but then we pass by a few houses running close alongside the road. Their lights are off, only illuminated by Whimzys faint headlights. Honestly, Im starting to wonder if the GPS led us onto private property. I seriously dont want tired, angry country folk to burst out their creepy off-the-grid cabins and shoot me for trespassing. Whatever we cant go back now, or Ill be 45 minutes late to practice. Only two more miles until we turn off Nahor anyway; we can make it. As we drive the road becomes increasingly foreboding. Eventually, we stumble into a little clearing in the woods. Past that Nahor turns extremely narrow, with just enough room for little WHIMZCL to crawl on through. The GPS says 1.0 miles now, and again my instincts recommend we turn around. 0.9 miles and the gravel fades into a trail of dirt. 0.8 miles: the ground begins rising on both sides of us. 0.7 miles: the ground climbs high enough that were now driving in a car-deep trench. 0.6 miles: the malevolent trench is now too narrow to turn around. 0.5 miles: I lower the musics volume to help me focus. 0.4 miles: sinister tree limbs in the trench reach out and claw poor Whimzys windshield. 0.3 miles: the road turns muddy. Very muddy. Too muddy Ahead I see a menacingly large mud puddle threatening to swallow WHIMZCLs tires. We stop briefly so I can stare at it and think. This is it. This is the moment where Im tested. Despite the alarming circumstances, something surprises me: I feel calm. Im running incredibly late and Im three miles deep on a clearly forsaken road with no easy way out, and yet I feel calm. I feel focused. I feel confident, even. With this peace of mind, I start weighing our options: Little Whimzy is only front wheel drive, and its quite possible shed get stuck in the mud if we went forward. But on the other hand, turning back now would be incredibly difficult and make us nearly an hour late. Should we risk the puddle, or back out and accept being even later? After a moment, the right choice becomes clear: we cant risk being stuck. Getting out would require I either call me parents to come, or walk a mile in the dark to the nearest haunted cabin. Honestly, Im not sure which is worse. Plus, by the time WHIMZCL was free, practice would be over anyway. Even though Im 0.3 miles away, I reluctantly text the band saying Ill be an hour late. The trench has no room to turn around, so Whimzy and I must drive in reverse for several minutes. Only her reverse lights illuminate our path backward, but after narrowly dodging trees for a few minutes, we eventually reach the clearing we passed earlier. With room to turn around, we can finally drive out the rest of Nahor. Good riddance. Eventually, we arrive at Bradys house after taking the normal route. Upon entering, the band gives me a round of applause for being so prompt. I start telling them what happened, and Bradys father suddenly says, Oh yeah! Ive been on that road. Some mean people live back there. Its a good thing you turned around; you definitely would have been stuck. You might think I was frustrated during practice. Actually, I was rather proud. Sure in the grand scheme of life, that 40-minute drive may seem rather insignificant. But in that ominous trench my driving maturity was truly tested for the first time. And I wasnt proud because I passed the test. I was proud because I passed it calmly.  ...

... Burnt Toast Finalist By Thomas Caven Everyone has failed in pursuing their dream, even if it was just a minor setback or a hiccup and not a total failure. No matter the reason for the failure, whether it was because you were overconfident, underprepared, or just an old-fashioned whoopsie, being able to overcome the failure is the path to success. I still remember what I thought to be my first big failure This was what I knew I wanted to do. Maybe not exactly, but my foot was in the door. I was sixteen and had gotten my first job in a kitchen. I was only making salads and plating desserts, but you have to start somewhere. The restaurant was named Obrigado, which means thank you in Portuguese, but I dont think anyone in Louisa would have known that. The restaurant was completely out of place. It was a retrofitted store room turned into a kitchen. Jade and Debbie had taken a big risk in spending all that money to open the restaurant where they did. They were also taking a chance in hiring me. I had taken the culinary arts classes in school, but I had no real experience to speak of. Making something to eat for my little brother really did not count. He was almost three and he would have eaten anything. It was my first friday night. Anyone who knows anything about restaurants, they know that this was primetime. I honestly thought it would have been an easy night. How many people in the backwoods town are going to come out to eat calamari and brazinni at a restaurant in the middle of nowhere? A lot of people, thats how many. I was completely overwhelmed. I had salads stacked everywhere. Most of them were ready and waiting on other appetizers, but some of them were big salads that were waiting on the entres. I thought I had everything in order despite all the chaos going on around me. Bread!, yelled Lydia from around the corner. There wasn't any time for pleasantries, let alone full sentences. I had to warm up the bread for the servers along with everything else that I was responsible for. That meant I had to leave my station to get the bread from the back. Sunny south and a caesar!, Jade yelled as soon as I entered the pantry. Once again, there was no complete sentence. I got the bread and quickly put it straight in the oven. Dessert ticket, Debbie said as she put the paper on my station. It was a big table and they were all getting something different. I pushed out the desserts fairly quickly while getting Jade the salads she had asked for. I finally had a moment to breathe. Wheres that bread?, screamed Lydia. Not only did she sound pissed, she had used a complete sentence. I rushed to the oven and opened it up. Thick black smoke smacked me in the face and choked my lungs. That bread was toast. My first big night and I had screwed up. The rest of the shift had gone relatively smooth, but the smell of the burnt bread lingered in my nostrils as a constant reminder that I had messed up. Nothing else had gotten burnt that night, except for my pride. Later that night during clean up, Lydia pulled me to the side and gave me a pep talk, but it didnt make me feel any better. Jade and Debbie didnt say anything to me about it before they went into the back office. You always know you did something really bad when no one chastizes you for an obvious mistake. I just knew they were going to decide that they had made a mistake in hiring me. How good of a cook could I have been if I was burning premade bread? Jade made her way out of the office on her way home. This was it. I knew I was about to get fired. Go home and get some sleep. We have a band coming to play tomorrow night. It should be even busier than it was tonight, was all she said to me on the way out. She didnt fire me. I was going to come back the next day, and there was going to be a live band. I loved music. I had hoped I would get a chance to hear them play. I didnt. I ended up working there for the next two years until I graduated from high school. I had burned more than just that first loaf of bread. Every time I had failed, I had learned. Every time I learned, I got better. Eventually I wasnt burning anything. It all depends on how you bounce back. After all, there is no point in giving up over some burnt toast.  ...