Midnight Plane to Georgia

I walked down the terminal, bag in one hand, papers in the other. The ticket said Georgia, but I couldn’t have cared less where I was going.

The flight attendant smiled at me, a cheap yes-I’m-getting-paid-for-this smile, and took my ticket. Row 18, seat D, right behind a group of soldiers returning home. They were comparing stories from the war; I lost 6 friends, how about you? Like some kind of twisted hand clapping game from elementary school.

 I sat down in my chair and one of my better visions appeared, altered by the situation and the sepia glass screen that covered my eyes ever since I got on the flight. He crawled out of the baggage compartment and asked me what I was doing here. I told him I was visiting my family in Georgia and that he should know that already.

The plane pulled out of the depot and began its routine take off.  It reminded me of my friend, and I could almost see her in front of me, half-man half-plane, pulling the needle out of her arm and sitting back in her chair, waiting for the shit to come and take her away. Anyways, I was sitting in my chair, watching this metaphor unfold, when the lady sitting next to me offered me a Baby Ruth, fun sized. It was one of those moments where you know you’re being offered paradise for your soul. She was the prototypical grandma and that was a major red flag. I said no thanks, picked up an emergency booklet, and began the 2 hour ordeal of distraction.

I touched down in a brighter state.

word count: 274

Higher Education

My worst learning experience was my Algebra Class in high school. My teacher, one of the smartest mathematicians at Annapolis High, couldn't understand why many of her students dropped or failed her class. I'll take some credit, I'm about as mathematically inclined as pocket lint. But I think it has something to do with her 1:35 student: teacher ratio, or that she taught 3 to 4 lessons a day, or the fact that she never let anyone use the bathroom. It’s difficult for me to learn math in any environment, especially one where questions are met with impatience and bladders are met with denial.

My best education came not from school, but from experience. When I think about what moment in my educational career stands out, or which teacher taught me lessons that I carry with me today, I honestly can't think of a single one. What I do remember are the times in my life where I had to learn without instructors. I’ve learned how to manage money and prioritize by coming from a low income family. I’ve learned how deal with stress, handle my emotions, and be compassionate. These things can only be learned by yourself, in a dynamic environment that gives you the freedom to improvise.

Word count:200

The World We Live In

Samantha Engel

Word Count: 236

I believe in the cycles of Earth, in natural climate change and loss of resources. But I also believe that those who inhabit this planet should work against these events to preserve life. Recycling, using less fuel, and using the remaining land economically are just a few ways a person can help the environment. These actions are not hard to do and in most ways can actually save a person money. Walking or biking to work or the grocery store saves money on gas and increases the health of each person. Better land use allows people to live in a healthy ecosystem. Recycling limits the amount of trash that ends up in a landfill, leaving more land for public use.

 I believe that each person is part of a larger whole that it needs to recognize. Many people today see themselves as an individual with little effect on the planet. No matter what a single person does, their actions have repercussions that affect humanity and the planet as a whole. People are able to choose if their actions are for the good of the world or if they harm the environment. It is clear to me which kind of actions are the ones I want to take in my life.

I believe that each person has a responsibility to help preserve the world in which they live.

Generation Globalization

Technology and the Internet

Our generation is one of mass produced goods and services from around the world. Anyone with a computer can connect and purchase almost anything online. Online stores like EBay, ITunes, and Amazon allow the consumer easy access to goods from outside their normal physical limits. This is strongly affected by the resurgence of shipping companies such as FedEx; companies that historically have not been marketed in the same way as services marketed to the public. It is also affected by technologies and practices such as outsourcing, Internet, television, and increased factory use. Therefore, our generation is a generation of globalization, where nearly everything purchased is made or in part created in a non regional location. This exposes us to other cultures, but assimilation may serve to endanger those same cultures.

Viewing the Past

The Charles Theater

The Charles Theater is culturally important because it exhibits independent and underground films, and because it has historical significance. It allows small filmmakers to display their work to the people of Baltimore. For example, my friend and I annually go to the Baltimore Artscape. Many of the exhibits are on the Charles Street Bridge and the surrounding area, including the theater. It has become part of our summer break tradition to visit the theater on this day to see short movies. The Charles’ largest theater is made available to the public for free, and local filmmakers provide entertainment.  It is also the oldest theater in Baltimore, and should be preserved as a historical site. Charles Street, where the theater is located, is a cultural hotspot. Many small shops surround the area, and people gather here after dark in an open and friendly manner uncommon in other parts of Baltimore. The old railway building still retains the style of the 1890’s when it was built, a style distinctive of Baltimore during the 19^th century. The theater features classic movies in its Revival Series that are not on display in other theaters, which is important to me because I love old movies. It also attracts business to the restaurants that line the Charles Street, and many people have dinner and a movie. The Charles Theater is historically and socially important; two elements that help create the culture of Baltimore and its surrounding area. This place matters because a large percentage of people visit this site for social interaction and exposure to art.

Word count: 250

Viewing the Past



Picture taken from the Charles Theater Wikipedia page



The Charles Theater is culturally important because it exhibits independent and underground films, and because it has historical significance. It allows small filmmakers to display their work to the people of Baltimore. It is also the oldest theater in Baltimore, and should be preserved as a historical site. Charles Street, where the theater is located, is a cultural hotspot. Many small shops surround the area, and people gather here after dark in an open and friendly manner uncommon in other parts of Baltimore. The old railway building still retains the style of the 1890’s when it was built, a style distinctive of Baltimore during the 19^th century. Due to popularity, it has been renovated to accommodate a larger audience. The theater features classic movies in its Revival Series that are not on display in other theaters. It also attracts business to the restaurants that line the Charles Street, and many people have dinner and a movie. The Charles Theater is historically and socially important; two elements that help create the culture of Baltimore and its surrounding area. This place matters because a large percentage of people visit this site for social interaction and exposure to art.

Word count: 200

Walking Billboard, Take 2

Today’s youth culture is just as expressive as the culture of the 1960's. Clothes are usually the medium of choice when presenting oneself to peers and society in general. People today can have shirts customized at reasonable prices, allowing a social or political group to use these shirts as a way to express their message. A person can be a billboard to their own cause using clothing. Many college and high school students use t-shirts to convey their strong beliefs, whether it’s a political, social, or personal statement. A person can see their ideas on the shirt and recognize a shared interest. This group of people with a common interest was smaller in the 1960s than today due to lack of globalization. Culture was more regional and ideas did not move as far as they can today. Today’s youth are able to use the canvas of t-shirts to display their style and their personality because the technology and the desire to mass produce printed shirts has increased.


Shirts in the 1960’s were often striped or one solid color. If they had print it was usually in the form of a simple logo or sports jerseys, such as the ones depicted in Skipjack. This was the simple way to express ideas on t-shirts that was available at the time. In the 2000s, t-shirts have a wider range in the content that they bear. Advertisements, music, logos, quotes, images and many other forms of expression on shirts are increasingly common among young adults. Many production companies sell t shirts to their fans, such as the “Super Mega Foxy Awesome Hot”
t-shirts from A Very Potter Musical. These t-shirts usually contain a line from the movie, play, or TV show that all fans can read and remember.


Young adults from the 1960 onward have been depicted as being opinionated, and t-shirts offer them a way to display their inner thoughts and feelings. This is due to the innovation of robots that produce clothing. A computer can design an image and program a robot to create the same image onto the t-shirt faster today then a person adhering letters or sewing on a logo in the 1960s. Globalization has made obtaining these mass produced t-shirts easier than before, allowing a young adult to express themselves and be a part of the greater social group.

Word count: 375