Hoosiers

Benjamin Wilson, commonly known as Benji, was not only an all American basketball star, but also the greatest basketball player to ever rise out of Chicago. Playing for Simeon, he was named the top player in the country as a junior in the ‘83-’84 season. He carried the team to the state finals his junior year and won; claiming Simeon’s first Illinois championship but would never make it to the Professional league or even college basketball, his life greatly changed the city of Chicago in more…

Merriam Webster (n.d.) defines obesity as “a condition that is characterized by excessive accumulation and storage of fat in the body and that in an adult is typically indicated by a body mass index of 30 or greater.” Internationally, the World Health Organization (WHO) realizes the need for global change. WHO (n.d.) started public awareness campaigns in the 1990s, when an estimated 200 million adults were obese. Within five years, that number increased to 300 million. Recently, the number…

social life plummeted, something that I truly didn’t mind too much. I enjoyed my newfound freedom, and many of the stresses of high school no longer applied to me. The next year I switched schools again. I was placed in another online program called Hoosier Virtual Academy a K12 program which every state has. This program was more difficult than the last and I enjoyed the challenge. I did well here as well, though I didn’t enjoy how limiting this program was. While at the other school you had…

INDIANA SENTENCING REFORM: TWO YEARS AND STILL NOT WORKING In an article I published this past January (“State Sentencing Reform: Reducing Recidivism OR Costing Indiana Counties More Money?”), I argued that the new sentencing reform bill, which radically changes the way criminal courts sentence offenders, could actually cost local communities more money without doing much to prevent recidivism. Under the new guidelines, offenders sentenced to a year or less in criminal court would not see a…

The elections of 2016, taking place in just about a month from now, are monumental for the hundreds of millions of people who consider themselves American citizens. A new president will be inaugurated and take office in January of the new year for the first time since 2009, and both major political parties will be vying for crucial seats in the United States Senate. Both races have been brewing for quite some time, but it has become evident who the options for each seat have become. Obviously,…

WyldLife leader, which is an extension of YoungLife for middle schoolers. Aside from these leadership roles, I was selected to attend the Best Buddies Leadership Conference, the Colts Leadership Challenge Kickoff, the Harbor Back to School Tour, and the Hoosier Crossroads Conference Leadership and…

I’m incredibly tired of seeing myself bastardized and killed on TV. As an avid connoisseur of pop culture and popular television, the practice queerbaiting the audience and/or killing minority characters is a distressing trend that contributes to the continuing prejudice against LGBTQ people across the United States and around the world. Pop culture influences the citizens (and leaders) of our nation, who then vote and promote policy, which shapes the future citizenry, who then vote...and the…

“Push yourself again and again. Don’t give an inch until the final buzzer sounds,” was quoted by the most famous NBA basketball player around Dubois County, Larry Bird (Top). The “three point king” did not always live the greatest life. In fact, the beginning of his life started rough. Even though Larry Bird may have had a rough childhood, he kept working hard and never gave up to become the person he is today. According the Salem Press, a publishing company, Larry Joe Bird came into this world…

Nelson Mandela once stated, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” The education system is constantly evolving and changing in Indiana. New ways and new ideas are put into play in general education classes, but special education classes could be improved. For example, each student that is within a special education classroom does not have the same disability as another student. Even if their diagnosis is the same, the spectrum is huge and one child…

Although Indiana is not a border state, people from many other countries decide to emigrate to Indiana for a better life. The largest ethnic groups who come to Indiana to live, originate from Asian and/or Spanish speaking countries. “Roughly 1 in 12 Hoosiers are Latino or Asian” (New 1). Typically immigration to Indiana from other countries results from the native countries having poor living conditions, wanting better education and occupations and declining economic systems from these…