Writing
The pieces collected here are opinion columns written during my time as a columnist at The Daily Tar Heel. Through my writing, I explore topics ranging from campus life and culture to politics and personal experience, aiming to challenge readers’ perspectives and, above all, inspire reflection.
Role: Columnist
Deliverables: Opinion Columns
-
![A person sitting on a bench, looking at a smartphone with a crack and lightning bolts emanating from it, while dark, shadowy figures loom in the background, suggesting a sense of fear or danger.]()
Some things should haunt us.
"When a person becomes a meme, they cease to feel real. Turn someone like Epstein or Diddy into an offhand insult, and we become detached from them."
-
![A collage with a green background featuring a classical statue bust on a stack of books, an old globe with a feather quill, and two stacks of books on each side, separated by a torn paper effect.]()
It is that deep
"But when 'it’s not that deep' becomes a blanket response, we slide into dangerous territory. It doesn’t just shut down conversations about movies or books — it conditions us to dismiss symbolism, patterns and meaning in the real world too."
-
![A person holding a pair of black dumbbells, wearing a red "Make America Great Again" hat with an American flag patch on the side.]()
Health and wellness culture is the new alt-right pipeline
"Once fitness becomes moralized, it slides easily into politics. The same logic that says 'if I can get fit, so can you' also says 'if I can succeed, so can you' — an attitude well suited for dismissing poverty, racism and inequality as mere excuses."
-
![An artistic design combining a clock and an eye, with a nature scene inside and a nighttime sky with stars, moon, and flying birds above.]()
How to rebel against the ceaseless march of time
"I’m trying — imperfectly — to hold onto a little more of the present before it rushes away. To build a life I’ll actually remember when I look back."
-
![Vegetables, a mask, a bottle of supplements, and pills on a yellow surface with a dark background.]()
Essential healthy habits can’t be bought on Amazon
"That’s the issue: the 20 percent feels easier and more accessible than the 80 percent, despite the much larger amount of money required. Buying cotton boxers requires zero willpower. Overhauling your sleep or diet does."
-
![A shirtless man with a bald head and a surprised expression flexes his right arm, dreaming of a muscular man with a mustache in a thought bubble.]()
You will never be buff enough
"Fitness should add to your life, not detract from it. When you shift the focus from aesthetics to purpose, you open up possibilities."
-
![Shelf in a supermarket with various dairy and protein products, including a blue box labeled "Protein Pastry," a carton of milk, a yogurt cup, and trays of raw meat.]()
Protein-packed Pop-Tarts are not the answer
"In this culture, eating a traditional Pop-Tart or a cookie carries with it a baggage of guilt and indulgence. But slap the word 'protein' on the wrapper, and suddenly it’s reframed as a health-conscious choice. You’re not eating dessert; you’re just 'hitting your macros.'"
-
![An image of an overflowing bottle of pills with various floating icons, including hearts, speech bubbles, arrows, and squares, on a green background.]()
My journey with short-form content
"In an ideal world, I wouldn’t consume short-form videos at all. This would leave me more time to read, watch TV and start Good Will Hunting, but this is not a realistic world."
-
![A patriotic sticker with the American flag and the text 'VOTED' at the top, and '(BUT I FELT NOTHING)' in smaller red font to the right.]()
I voted and felt nothing
"It feels like we are trapped in an era of politics that leaves us more disillusioned than inspired, and more apathetic than enthusiastic. Despite this, we will show up and vote, even if our enthusiasm is sadly absent."
-
![Illustration of a snowboarder jumping from a snow-covered slope to a platform where their snowboard is being held by a person underneath, with a green signal light nearby.]()
See the beauty in being a beginner
"Get out there and pick up that hobby you’ve been putting off. I doubt that you will be good initially, but you aren’t meant to be."
-
![An illustration of a pink melting brain with a green ear and white earbud against a background with black handwritten text that reads 'If you're reading this take your earbuds out'.]()
Go a week without your AirPods
"Whether we realize it or not, drowning ourselves in this ocean of stimulation hampers our ability to think deeply and reflect on our lives."
-
![A cartoon scene with a stage and closed orange curtains on either side. In the center, a person waving and another person dressed as a police officer standing on a crosswalk, with a dark background and streetlights along the sidewalk.]()
Make your gratitude more than reciprocal
"These crossing guards, nor any other UNC employee, should not be expected to initiate kindness to receive it in return."
-
![Digital illustration of a graduation cap with a yellow tassel, set against a peach and yellow background with a pink circle behind the cap.]()
Don’t take shortcuts. Learn for learning’s sake
"There are more methods than ever to avoid learning, and students are using them. This mass reliance on these tools is eroding the very purpose of education: learning for the sake of learning."
-
![]()
In defense of dining alone
"Last semester, against the advice of my peers and parents, I canceled my meal plan."
-
![Person sitting on a wooden bench with hands covering face, wearing a purple cap with 'Huskies' embroidered, plaid shirt, and beige pants, outdoors with trees and buildings in the background.]()
Don’t let LinkedIn make you feel inadequate
"While LinkedIn can be effective in helping individuals find jobs, internships, professional opportunities and mentors, the platform contributes to already high levels of stress among students. From my experience, it makes us second-guess our professional and academic worth."
-
![Image of Lenoir Hall, a brick building with white windows and columns, and lamp posts in front, located near Carolina Dining Service.]()
UNC has a PLUS Swipe problem
"Were you planning on using a PLUS swipe for dinner? I hope you’re okay with fried chicken."
-
![Black over-ear headphones with a coiled cord on a wooden surface.]()
Get off Genius, interpret music for yourself
"Art is rarely explained by the artist for good reason. One of the most important aspects of interacting with art is grappling with what it means."
