When I first read The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily Danforth, the parts that included Cameron's crush with Coley and their secret love affair, her fake relationship with Jamie, and Coley's accusations against Cameron that led to her being shipped to a Christian conversion camp, I was reminded of a movie I watched titled … Continue reading Sexuality and Outing Culture in “The Miseducation of Cameron Post” and “First Girl I Loved” →

Of all the novels I’ve read in the past couple years, I think The Miseducation of Cameron Post is one that will stick with me the longest. I don’t remember the last time I felt so sad for characters in a book. Cameron’s story shines a light on the treatments that are prominent in our … Continue reading The Different Depictions of Cameron Post’s Story: Book vs. Movie →

I only just recently saw the movie Juno. I feel like even though it’s a relatively new movie, it’s considered to be something that almost everyone has seen. It contains one of the most highly debated topics today: teen pregnancy. Like many characters from novels that we read in class, the protagonist, Juno, is going … Continue reading Support During Adolescence →

Exploration and discovering yourself are main parts of adolescence, but in some cases, people do not get to have that experience. We are told to hide our differences and quirks. But other times we are told to embrace who we are and be proud of it. Our adolescent society is extremely hypocritical and more judgmental … Continue reading The Inability to Explore and Express Oneself in Adolescence →

https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story?language=en Growing up, I remember reading books that specifically talked about white people and their adolescence. It was perceived as the norm, and I found myself believing that life imitated these circumstances. However, these stories only follow one specific point of view. Adolescence can transcend over variables like race and gender, but there is also … Continue reading A Lack of Adolescence in Academia →

Based on the following TedTalk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fC2z69q3L0o Roy Petitfils, LPC,  attempted to answer a rather mind boggling question in his TedTalk “What Teenagers Want You to Know.” What is it that teenagers really want from adults? I didn’t have an immediately obvious answer to his quandary, despite being a teenager myself. I watched the TedTalk for … Continue reading What Teenagers Want You to Know →

I do a lot of vinyl record shopping and browsing in my free time, and the other day I discovered an album by called "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill". I am unfamiliar with Lauryn Hill, and this album was released in 1998, a little before my demographic. However, I imediately thought of the novel The … Continue reading A Comparison Between Cameron Post and Lauryn Hill →

Being twenty-three years old means I'm a little removed from the space of adolescence, and I can't say that I'm all that upset about it! If I am honest, I don't think I spent that much conscious time in the space of adolescence when I was between the ages of 10 and 19. Yes, yes, … Continue reading Changing the Discussion Around Therapy →

For my whole life, I lived in the same small town. I went to the same school with the same people for thirteen years. People came and went but we all knew each other. Our families all knew each other. We had the same teachers and coaches and religious leaders. We went to the same … Continue reading Idle Town: A Love Letter to Rural Adolescence →

If you are about to read this entry and take place in the discussion, please first watch this short clip from Stand By Me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DX2dwi3MNhY The clip above and the movie it comes from are without a doubt some of the most influential media I have ever consumed.  In this specific clip, we see four … Continue reading Stand By Me: Friendship →