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Volume 1 Publications Fall 2025 Thy Nguyen "Human Need for Social Comparison" Click to Read Stephanie Springer "Lowering the Current Voting Age" Click to Read Sofia Su "The Other Alien" Click to Read Lauren Cody "McNeil Vs. Florida Law Enforcement" Click to Read Nandini Kondisetti "Effects of Environmental Negligence: A Corporate Analysis" Click to Read Paola Kattar "The Cost of Saving Lives: The Economic Disparities Between Doctors and Public Service Professionals" Click to Read Liam Sizemore "The American Education System" Click to Read Diana Rojas "Migratory patterns between U.S. and Mexico" Click to Read

"Migratory relationship between U.S. & Mexico" _______________________________ _______________________________ ________________________________________________________ By: Diana Rojas Introduction : When I was around four, I had a long, hard day of coloring, reading picture books, and putting my little pony stickers on anything I could reach. It was a very difficult day, honestly, and it all really tuckered me out. And while I was working on my extensive homework, I heard my dad’s boots dragging up to the front door. Excitedly, I came to welcome him home. I don’t notice how his shoulders relax once he steps through the door, and I don’t notice the relief on his face when he’s out of the unforgiving sun. Many undocumented immigrants go through the same schedule my own dad does, working in many unspeakable conditions to earn a living for themselves and their families. Today, we’ll look at the migratory relationship between the United States and Mexico. Analysis : The U.S. relationship with Mexican migrant labor is long-standing. In the year 1924, there were various ethnicities of people arriving from all over the world, trying to find their way in the land of opportunity and freedom. This included Mexicans, who sought to escape the violence of the Mexican Revolution, which claimed almost 1.9 to 3.5 million lives according to the Minnesota Population Center. In the early 1900s, Mexican workers were explicitly exempted from immigrant quotas to satisfy agricultural lobbyists who claimed a need for a docile, strong-willed labor force. This established a pattern of treating these workers as a convenient commodity rather than a protected class of employees. The farmers argued they wouldn’t have the labor needed to sow and harvest crops in time; farmers relied on them excessively. They were understood to be a temporary issue in daily life. There was a very popular notion that eventually, the migrant workers would leave. Shortly after migrants started settling, the depression came in, sweeping through the United States, and there was less of a need from an extra pair of hands. Thousands of those who came for a good opportunity were under pressure to leave or be deported due to the repatriation of Mexicans, which according to the USCIS, or the U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services, most left on their own terms, an estimated (four hundred thousand) 400,000 to a million left, while very few were deported back to their place of birth. But after the depression, World War two decided to plagued the United States, and a few Hispanics returned to the U.S. for the Bracero program (1942-1964), which according to Bracero Archive, the program consisted of mostly bi-lateral agreements between Mexico and the unites states that permitted contracted immigrant work for only Hispanic men where they worked for a short amount of time in primarily agriculture labor. This large-scale labor program, while formalizing migration, was rife with exploitative practices, including exposure to dangerous conditions and excessive deductions for room and board. On paper the bracero’s were only working in certified areas that had low domestic workers, they would receive some minimal benefits, and at the end of their contract they would be sent back to Mexico without any kind of transport fee, but the reality was that people used them as a cheap labor choice and the growers would benefit from their cheap, and bountiful work. They were exposed to deadly chemicals and absurd charges for room and board, and the obviously harsh, demanding labor. It goes without saying that they were also spending incredibly long amounts of time away from their family. Despite all the exploitive practices in the agricultural scene, they once again relied heavily on the work of the immigrants. The bracero program finally ended by congress on December 31 of 1964, after 22 years. The Bracero Program’s termination did not end the agricultural sector's dependency, however. It was effectively replaced by the contemporary H-2A temporary agricultural visa. This program continues the cycle, creating a power imbalance that enables exploitation. As reported by organizations like Polaris, H-2A workers, often arriving in debt from recruiter fees, face significant obstacles to asserting their rights due to language barriers, illiteracy, and isolation. Their legal status is tied to their employer, limiting their ability to report violations. The demand for H-2A workers has surged, with a 64.7% increase from 2017-2022, highlighting the U.S. economy's continued reliance on this labor force. While the U.S. Department of Labor implemented new rules in June 2024 to increase employer oversight and worker protections, the fundamental structure of the program continues to render workers vulnerable to exploitation and human trafficking. According to the American immigration council, this has resurfaced the concern of worker exploitation. The council also mentions the new rules implemented by the United States department of labor (DOL), to protect the workers and enforce more employer oversight to avoid exploitation. These protections were put into place in June 2024, a little over a year from now, to ensure the protection of exploitation of these workers. Conclusion : The United States has maintained a migratory labor system for over a century that is vital to its domestic food supply yet deliberately designed to maximize grower convenience at the cost of worker rights. From the Bracero Program to the modern H-2A system, the legal framework has perpetuated a cycle where economic dependency and worker exploitation are inextricably linked. True reform requires moving beyond temporary fixes to address the foundational power imbalances within these labor programs. Bibliography : - Missing Millions: The human cost of the Mexican Revolution, 1910-1930. (n.d.). (https://users.pop.umn.edu/~rmccaa/missmill/mxrev.htm) - INS records for 1930s Mexican repatriations | USCIS. (n.d.-e). (https://www.uscis.gov/about-us/our-history/stories-from-the-archives/ins-records-for-1930s-mexican-repatriations) - Home · Bracero history archive. Bracero History Archive. (n.d.). (https://braceroarchive.org/) - The expanding role of H-2A workers in U.S. agriculture. American Immigration Council. (2025, August 27). (https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/report/h-2a-workers-us-agriculture/) - Modernizing H-2 Program Requirements, Oversight, and Worker Protections (2024, December 18) (https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/12/18/2024-29353/modernizing-h-2-program-requirements-oversight-and-worker-protections%20%20%E2%80%8B) - Biden’s new H-2A rule expands protections and increases oversight for migrant workers. American Immigration Council. (2025a, January 7). (https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/blog/biden-h2a-rule-expands-protections-oversight-migrant-workers/) comments debug Commenting Forum Please keep dialogue respectful &constructive Please keep dialogue respectful &constructive Share Your Thoughts Be the first to write a comment.

"The Trafficked: A Global Human Trafficking Crisis" By: Prathiksha Jagadeesh _______________ Introduction Human trafficking is one of the most prominent forms of modern slavery today. Victims of human trafficking often go through severe abuse, torture, and violence from their captors. From kidnapping young children to recruiting innocent adults, individuals are lured to into the intricate system of human trafficking rings with little to no possible way of escape. Although many efforts have been put into preventing trafficking globally, lack of awareness and misconceptions about human trafficking is key contributor to the increase in victims today. Two of the most prevalent and devastating forms of this exploitation are forced begging and forced labor. Forced Begging Force begging is a global issue where children and young adults of all ages get kidnapped and sold into traffickers who often torture captives until they go blind, deaf, and/or are severely injured. Victims are then placed in crowded areas in public to beg for money. The money, however, almost never goes to those who are begging. Instead, the traffickers often steal the profit entirely for themselves. Although victims tend to fall under various age groups, the Counter-Trafficking Data Collaborative states that “19% of child trafficking cases,” are exploited into forced begging (IOM, 2017). Through this never-ending cycle, children are stripped of their freedom and turned into slaves for that beg for the rest of their lives. In addition to the increasing statistics of children being forced to beg, the Counter-Trafficking Data Collaborative also states that “the extent of family involvement in the trafficking of children is more than four times higher than in case of adult trafficking” (IOM, 2017). While it is not uncommon for children born in third world and developing countries to be sold off to traffickers by their parents in exchange for money, it is important to keep in mind the millions of lives that are ruined every year due to the desperate actions of parents seeking a temporary solution to their dire financial problems. One example of a third world country is India. According to the Times of India, “In Bihar, over 24,000 children have been found missing since 2020. The police are yet to trace over 12,600 of them…” (Mahapatra 2025). In many cases, these children are abducted at any time of the day (including broad daylight) and transported all around the country/world. They are intentionally and physically abused until grievous wounds develop, becoming visible to the naked eye. These visible wounds elicit greater public sympathy, thus increasing the trafficker’s profits. To make matters worse, once these children are no longer “profitable”, they are often put on drugs and/or sold to organ traffickers in order to always keep them in control and/or sold to organ traffickers. These innocent children and young adults lose their freedom, dreams, and futures. Forced Labor Forced Labor is the recruitment, kidnapping or selling of individuals for the sole purpose of maximizing profits through exploitation. The International Labor Organization indicates that, of the “50 million people were living in modern slavery in 2021…28 million were in forced labour” (IOM 2022). Forced labor can be similar to forced begging as the victims are often abused, tortured, and mistreated while working and are also forced to work extremely long hours with little to no pay. In many cases, victims are unable to leave due to legal repercussions. The Kafala system implemented in the Middle Eastern nations is a great example of how governments fail to protect the millions of lives forced into labor-intensive work with no chance of escape or freedom. According to the Global Slavery Index, “[a]n estimated 10.1 people per thousand people were living in modern slavery in the [Arab States] region, which breaks down to 5.3 in forced labour” (Walk Free, 2023). The Council on Foreign Relations reports that victims trying to find a better life in a foreign country are first offered sponsorship to work in the Arab States with a work visa in addition to, “travel expenses and [provided] housing, often in dorm-like accommodations or…the sponsor’s home” (CFR 2022). They are then forced to sign “multiple contracts, some in languages they don’t understand,” the Council on Foreign Relations also reports (CFR 2022). They face the confiscation of their passports, visas, and phones which means that the workers have almost no communication to the outside world and cannot walk away even if they wanted to. Finally, they are forced into intense labor every day of the week, earning extremely low and/or below minimum wages for their work. The minimal consequence for this exploitation, as suggested by Walk Free, is that “forced labour allegations are often considered regulatory violations for which businesses receive fines or lose their licenses instead of imprisonment” (Walk Free 2025). Agencies and businesses that continuously commit crimes are often not punished severely, permitting the cycle to continue with no end in sight. While this system is simple but effective in recruiting millions around the world into this trap, many believe they are engaging with “legitimate” private agencies only to later get tricked and become trafficked as a forced labor worker for the rest of their lives. Most work long hours each day with little to no rest, endure a malnourished diet, lack freedom of speech, and face physical abuse almost every day. The system’s effectiveness also allows forced labor to remain one of the most prominent ways that traffickers take advantage of their captives. Under such conditions, forced labor taking place in this system is a blatant form of modern-day slavery. Although it is the 21st century and it might come as a surprise that slavery still exists, forced labor is only one form out of many forms of modern-day slavery. Conclusion I n conclusion, human trafficking rings represent a significant, pervasive criminal industry that raises severe global safety and human rights concerns. The two most common abuses to those who are trafficked are forced begging and labor. These horrifying acts dehumanize victims by stripping away their freedom, health, and overall wellbeing. In fact, criminal trafficking rings’ involvement is often found in the most unexpected places, such as your local salon or boutique, further illustrating the far reach of this harmful industry. Because Human trafficking can occur in unexpected places and affect anyone, immediate and widespread awareness is critical to preventing exploitation and protecting potential victims in the future. Bibliography Human trafficking. National Human Trafficking Hotline. (n.d.). https://humantraffickinghotline.org/en/human-trafficking What is human trafficking? | homeland security. (n.d.-b). https://www.dhs.gov/blue-campaign/what-human-trafficking Dhananjay Mahapatra / TNN / Updated: Feb 15, 2025. (n.d.). 36k of 3L kids who went missing since ’20 untraced: Govt: India News. The Times of India. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/36k-of-3l-kids-who-went-missing-since-20-untraced-govt/articleshow/118261121.cms Family members are involved in nearly half of child trafficking cases. (n.d.-c). https://www.iom.int/sites/g/files/tmzbdl2616/files/2018-07/Counter-trafficking%20Data%20Brief%20081217.pdf Alexander, L. (2023, September 24). Risks of child begging in India . The Borgen Project. https://borgenproject.org/risks-of-child-begging-in-india/ Data and research on Forced Labour. International Labour Organization. (2024, April 24). https://www.ilo.org/topics/forced-labour-modern-slavery-and-trafficking-persons/data-and-research-forced-labour Walk free . Walk Free. (2024, May 24). https://www.walkfree.org/ comments debug Commenting Forum Please be respectful and constructive Please be respectful and constructive Share Your Thoughts Be the first to write a comment.

"The American Education System" _______________________________ By: Liam Sizemore _______________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ Introduction : Have you ever been in an English class, wondering why you just read a text, write an essay about it, read another text, highlight a little bit of a paragraph, write another essay, and then read another text? It’s torture. But this problem isn’t exclusive to English class. Grades, extracurriculars, national tests, and endless lectures about seeming disconnected events in history. They all feel just like that English class. But alongside those feelings are a bit of corruption, unfair wages, and biased opinions that are added to the equation. Today we're going to analyze exactly what makes the United States of America’s system one of the most problematic education systems in the world. First, we'll open our textbooks to chapter 67 to look at the history of our education system. Second, we'll look at the impact of it on both students and teachers, as written on the whiteboard. Finally, we'll have a class discussion on the implications of school system corruption on youth and educators today. The History of the U.S. Education System: So, let's get started with the first lesson, "The History of the US Education System." The history of learning is as old as time itself, with every culture and country making it unique, through mediums like experience or communication, like today’s world. Sometimes people take it from holy books, like the Bible or Quran. Sometimes, people learn everything through the news. Now, while schools today exist for almost everyone across the world, this wasn’t always the case. For the most part in history, education was something only nobles, royalty, and the rich could afford. The first form of public education created in the US was the Boston Latin School, a school for boys founded in 1635, which is still running today. The institution primarily taught philosophies, humanities, and, oddly enough, Latin was not the primary idea there, however they did emphasize Latin and Greek as priorities among the students. The school’s purpose was to prepare boys for college, which was going to be founded shortly after in 1636: Harvard was founded in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and, according to The Harvard Library, the school taught students Puritan values as well as the fundamentals of geometry, politics, and basic logic. They were expected to arrive with a basic knowledge of Latin and were taught Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, as well as the other characteristics mentioned. Harvard’s founding marked a significant step toward formal higher education in the colonies. Moving forward 185 years to 1821, we encounter the first public school in the United States: the English High School. Here, they taught the usual arts and sciences, as well as things that would ready the graduates for the world of industry and commerce, as credited by englishhighalumni.org. It’s highly important because, as mentioned before, it was the first public school in the US, setting a path for all others after. Now, this statement might seem contradictory to the proposed argument regarding our education system, which it is, as these educational milestones discussed, set the stage for a lot of structural issues we currently face in our society today. Impact of standardized testing: Moving on to one of the most contentious aspects of our current education system. During your 4 year long stay in high school, at some point you must take the ACT, and possibly the SAT. I, personally, got a 30 out of 36 on the Pre-ACT—a score I’m proud of--but unlike me, there are many out there who are unable to or who have trouble taking the test. The mental and physical toll taken on students when it comes to the extreme high-stakes tests is often unnecessary and harmful. Let’s start by enumerating the reasons why we must take this test. It’s essentially a gatekeeper to higher education, otherwise known as college. That is virtually the sole reason many high schoolers across the U.S. are stressing themselves out both mentally and physically over these exams. As you may know, some students might not choose to pursue college: maybe they have a call towards a job that doesn’t require a college degree, or they want to join the military, or maybe they want to become an influencer or other creative careers. Either way, they shouldn’t be forced to take such a stressful test, and yet these tests are one of our school system’s main reasons for existence. The statistics regarding brain function when big tests are constantly looming are well documented. According to Edutopia, cortisol, a chemical produced in the adrenal gland that’s also known as the “stress hormone,” has been known to spike by an average of 15%. This sudden increase can drop SAT scores as much as 80 points, and occasionally, from students who already face problems like poverty or violence in their daily lives, cortisol levels have been known to spike by an astronomical 35%, severely derailing cognitive processes and distort test scores beyond recognition. It’s important to acknowledge the fact that some people just aren’t great test takers. Take me for example. I must confess; I always overthink things, and it just makes my cortisol levels rise which as one can imagine truly shocked me when I received an exceptional score on my practice ACT. I speak from personal experience: these tests often disfavor those who aren’t test-taking extraordinaries. But it’s not just the students suffering, but the teachers as well. Challenges Faced by Teachers: Most teachers I’ve spoken to say that their current job was their dream and that they genuinely care for their students. So, why do they seem so hateful towards their occupation at times? According to a 2024 Pew Research Center report, nearly 50% of teachers think their students and classes are doing fairly or poorly when it comes to academic performance. 50%, half of the nation is either decent or failing? This has a clear correlation with student behavior, with another 49% of teachers reporting that their students act terribly in class. What reason do they have to act so poorly? The system. The system is designed to get them in and out of the schools as soon as possible. And teachers are as much victims of this system as students are. It simply makes their duties even harder than they already are. Grading papers, watching students, keeping them engaged, its overwhelming even for the most strong-willed. The current educational model is emphasizing output—graduation rates, test scores—rather than student engagement and understanding. My mother is a kindergarten teacher, and I’ve seen firsthand the difficulty of her job, whether it’s battling disruptive behavior to dealing with administrative policies and low pay. It must be acknowledged that this issue needs to be addressed and resolved. We could start by making our education more entertaining and engaging, helping children learn at their own pace, and providing teachers with a higher salary. And now that we have some idea of what teachers go through, we can climb up the governmental ladder to decode the origins of this growing issue. Corruption, Bias, and Political Influence: If there’s anything to know about US education, it's to understand the sheer amounts of corruption that seep into the cracks of this broken and dysfunctional system. Whether political or personal, it’s not doubtful that bias is everywhere, not only in education, but also in the world. According to the National Education Association, there are two prominent types of bias: implicit and explicit bias. Implicit bias is what affects our actions and understanding in a manner where we don’t realize it affects us. Explicit bias is the conscious, deliberate aversion or preference to something, usually people. This resembles what I call personal bias, or natural bias. This is what is instilled in children at a young age due to a certain system filled with political bias, or artificial bias. The bias we’re analyzing specifically derives straight from politicians. According to the Transparency International Knowledge Hub, corruption undermines the quality and availability of education and distorts the already accessible parts of it. It also destroys the trust of the public, leading to higher dropout rates and lower enrollment rates than ever before. Let’s take Florida as an example. Florida had a recent purge from their school libraries, taking books, that Gov. Ron DeSantis thought was too “sexually explicit.” According to Central Florida Public Media, the DOE spearheaded the removal of a wide of genre of works ranging from George R.R. Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire” and “The Handmaid’s Tale,” by Margaret Atwood, to more liberal reads like “All Boys Aren’t Blue,” by George M. Johnson and “Gender Queer,” by Maia Kobabe. Now, when looking at it from an age-appropriate perspective, this becomes a real concern. Yes, kindergarteners shouldn’t be reading “Game of Thrones,” but when looking at it from a political perspective, it can be argued that the Florida government is just getting rid of these books to enforce a political agenda. This is unfair for the children in many ways, but the core reasoning is the inability of the children to form their own opinions. These children will potentially grow up being told that their feelings, thoughts, and opinions are wrong in the eyes of the government. Conclusion : Ultimately, the issues we face in American education are complex and deeply rooted. But after reading this, I do encourage you to do your own research on these topics, like funding schools and how it’s linked to test scores. We explored the historical foundations of the system, the mental and emotional toll it takes on both students and teachers, and the ways in which bias and corruption continue to hinder effective and quality progress towards a meaningful education system. Most importantly, I encourage everyone to read this that if there is any doubt, don’t be afraid to google things and conduct your own research, because understanding these issues is the first step toward change. Bibliography : - BLS history. BLS. (n.d.). (https://www.bls.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=206116&type=d) - Terada, Y. (2022, October 14). The psychological toll of high-stakes testing. Edutopia. (https://www.edutopia.org/article/psychological-toll-high-stakes-testing/) - History of the English high school - the English high school association. (n.d.-d). (https://englishhighalumni.org/2021/07/09/history-of-the-english-high-school/) - Central Florida Public Media. Danielle Prieur. (2024, November 14). Florida Department of Education releases list of over 700 banned books in K-12 schools. Central Florida Public Media. (https://www.cfpublic.org/education/2024-11-11/florida-list-banned-books-schools) - Lin, L. (2024, April 4). What’s it like to be a teacher in America today? Pew Research Center. (https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2024/04/04/whats-it-like-to-be-a-teacher-in-america-today/%C2%A0) comments debug Commenting Forum Please keep dialogue respectful & constructive Please keep dialogue respectful & constructive Share Your Thoughts Be the first to write a comment.

"An Analysis of Media Literacy" By: Thy Nguyen _________________ Intro Did you know that eating carrots can cure your blindness and that all your back pain is caused by you not drinking enough water? I’m serious. I’m seriously writing this and lying to you. What? You didn’t believe that did you? Well, my mom did. In fact, she once sent 3 Facebook posts to me, stressing me to eat more carrots and drink more water. But when one analyses all those videos she sent, it was obvious that many were spouting complete nonsense! However, the fact that someone actually believed that nonsense is where the problem lies. In the modern age, people are just one swipe away from reaching an endless amount of information, and for us to evaluate all this information, we need media literacy. According to UNESCO, media literacy refers to the ability to “access, analyze, [and] evaluate” online information, but of course, there’s bound to be a minority who blindly believe whatever they see. Over time, however, we’ve begun to see this percentage of minority steadily rise at an alarming rate. Therefore, it remains ever the more crucial that today’s society learns of the causes and effects of media illiteracy, the importance of having digital skills, and the possible solutions to this dilemma. Social Media The first cause of society’s media illiteracy crisis might be slightly cliché as it’s been the talk of the past century: social media. Its capabilities are obvious, but as for why it’s so detrimental for us in this case is due to its grasp on our attention spans. Unlike traditional news outlets, these platforms’ individual creators understand their audience’s main desire: deliver information as quick as possible. This understanding is what have led apps like TikTok to become so successful. In fact, a report by the BBC highlights that “TikTok users…in a study said they get more of their news from ‘other people they follow’ than from [official accounts of news anchors] (Anonymous, Teens shun traditional news channels for TikTok and Instagram)” This lack of care from people for the source of their news causes false information to run rampart, because at the end of the day, those independently owned accounts have no incentive to inform. For many, their main purpose is to entertain, and yet, we as a collective have seemingly ignored that. Collectivism What makes social media so addictive despite the clear consensus that they can be quite problematic? Simply put, it’s the sense of community it provides. When online, people begin to relate to strangers they’ve never met, learn information they wouldn’t have known otherwise: it’s a hub meant to connect people. However, many have decided to abuse this open space to begin encouraging the concept of “anti-intellectualism.” According to Hiebert, a sociology professor at University of Manitoba, in his 2023 article, “The Rise of Anti-intellectualism,” he explains these anti-intellectualists’ main arguments, with the most famous being: “Pursuing knowledge is unnecessary unless wielded for practical means (Hiebert, The Rise of Anti-intellectualism)” To put in other words, or by the more popular phrase: “just let people enjoy things, sometimes the curtains are just blue.” Honestly, that mentality is fine. Not everything has or needs meaning behind it. However, at the same time, that does not entail that nothing has meaning, and unfortunately, society has started to confuse this. This mindset that not everything has meaning has given the people an excuse to not try to know any more than what they are given. And frankly, one cannot have media literacy if people are choosing to give up analyzing in general. Lack of proper education Despite the previous issues, one stands above them both: society’s clear lack of an education for digital literacy. Education is what drives knowledge and people’s understanding of the world. Yet, it was discovered that, in a survey conducted by Media Literacy Now and The Reboot Foundation in 2022, only “4 out of 10…participants were taught to analyze…news stories for bias and credibility in high school (Media Literacy Now, National Survey Finds Most U.S. Adults Have Not Had Media Literacy Education in High School)” Whether from a lack of funding or care, these schools are essentially depriving a majority of the population the ability to protect themselves from the internet. If people are not even taught the bare basics, it’s no wonder so many fall victim to online manipulation. Vulnerability to Scams Media of the present is evolving beyond our expectations. With a little help from our AI buddies, mundane research that would’ve taken an hour, shrinks to a 5-minute read summary. It’s incredible what it can do to help, but due to its versatility, it’s equally frightening what it can do to harm. With Ai’s ability to quickly produce AI-generated misinformation, threats of deepfakes and disinformation continue to only grow. Unfortunately, the biggest victim caught up in of all this is none other than the media illiterate population. A 2024 article by Sainsbury, a multi-disciplinary IT journalist, explains that these individuals are “more likely to fall prey to [cyber security threats]” than anyone else (Sainsbury, Low Media Literacy: A Risk to Australia’s Cybersecurity Landscape). And it’s not just a few security threats. A CNN article last year found that “a…worker at a multinational firm was tricked into paying out $25 million to [cybercriminals who were] using deepfake technology (Chen & Magramo, Finance worker pays out $25 million after video call with deepfake ‘chief financial officer).” Digital illiteracy is no longer just a matter of security but can also impact one’s finances. Susceptible to poor decision making Let’s take a break from the present and step back to the past for a bit, most notably, Covid six years ago. Ingrained in all our memories, it was a time where we were all stuck indoors and hung out with our best friends, our phones and beds, on the daily. However, every day, as the hours seem longer from our constant boredom, there was seemingly more restrictions and more casualties by the day. While there was not much to physically do, it was mental gymnastics people had to go through. Many face a behemoth of questions ringing in their minds daily, ranging from whether their family was safe to when a vaccine will be produced. The anxiety these questions sparked quickly took people to the internet in desperation for answers, but the internet is not always honest According to a 2021 article by the Iran University of Medical Sciences, there was no end to “false, complex, and contradictory information” regarding vaccines or safety precautions (Iran University of Medical Sciences, The Relation between Media Literacy and COVID-19 Vaccination). For people who lack the ability to discern misleading from accurate news, it was a constant struggle of being perpetually scared while also being unable to make decisive choices. Ultimately, this led to vaccine hesitancy, prolonged the pandemic, and caused regrettably preventable deaths and illnesses. Solution How do we fix a problem as large of media illiteracy? We don’t have to start big. Instead, we can just start within ourselves and target our capacity to learn. Increase Media Literacy Education With how crucial schools are in our constant journey of learning, society must come together and provide a push for these institutions to educate students about the needed skills to staying safe online. We need to speak to school boards, explain the consequences, and push them to provide classes with trained educators for students to learn from. Although many have shown their lack of knowledge regarding the media literacy, there are those who are willing to learn. When Media Literacy Now asked participants in 2023 if students should learn digital skills in, “84%...agreed” (National Survey Finds Most U.S. Adults Have Not Had Media Literacy Education in High School).” The consensus is clear: only a generation that has been properly educated can hope to create a future where everyone can feel safe online. Spread Public Awareness for Critical Thinking Equal to education is our need to question what we see and do the appropriate research on said topic. Essentially, users need to apply critical thinking, something we are, ironically, critically missing. In a world where information can be published by practically anyone online, the ability to assess a work’s credibility is a need. A 2024 article on the European School Education Platform explains that one of the most crucial skills to staying safe online is one that exercises “judgement, reasoning and analysis skills” (European School Education Platform, Critical Thinking: A Life Skill in the Internet Era). Critical thinking is a strong contender for a habit that encompasses all those qualities. Conclusion Should one leave with anything from this article, it should be this one message: not blindly trusting everything online is healthy. In the end, this healthy relationship one has with online information is what will propel one’s own success in life. Bibliography Maxine Bisera. (2024, February 6). Maxine Bisera /. The Bull & Bear - McGill’s student-run news magazine. https://bullandbearmcgill.com/beyond-the-blue-curtains-the-decline-of-media-literacy/ Arellano, D. (2024, May 13). The death of Media Literacy, rise of anti-intellectualism. The Torch. https://thetorchjfk.com/6269/op-ed/the-death-of-media-literacy-and-rise-of-anti-intellectualism/ Hiebert, D. (2023, May 8). May 2023: Opinion: The rise of the anti-intellectual . Winnipeg Free Press. https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/analysis/2023/05/06/the-rise-of-the-anti-intellectual Spilsbury, L. (2024, February 28). Studies show lack of media literacy in students has negative impact. BYU Daily Universe. https://universe.byu.edu/2018/02/09/studies-show-lack-media-literacy-students-negative-impact/ National Survey finds most U.S. adults have not had media literacy education in high school . Media Literacy Now | Advocating for Media Literacy Education. (2023, May 31). https://medialiteracynow.org/nationalsurvey2022/ Ashikuzzaman, Md. (2024, July 12). The consequences of not having media literacy skills: What you need to know . Library & Information Science Education Network. https://www.lisedunetwork.com/the-consequences-of-not-having-media-literacy-skills/#google_vignette Chen, H., & Magramo, K. (2024, February 4). Finance worker pays out $25 million after video call with Deepfake “chief financial officer.” CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/04/asia/deepfake-cfo-scam-hong-kong-intl-hnk/index.html Nemati-Anaraki, L. D. O. M. L. A. I. S. S. O. H. M. I. S. I. U. O. M. S. T. I., Azimi, A., Abdolahi, L., & Gafari, S. (2021, December 31). The relation between Media Literacy and covid-19 vaccination. Medical journal of the Islamic Republic of Iran. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9419621/ The importance of media literacy in countering disinformation. EDMO. (n.d.). https://edmo.eu/areas-of-activities/media-literacy/the-importance-of-media-literacy-in-countering-disinformation/ Hobbs, R. (n.d.). Digital and media literacy: A plan of action. Media Education Lab. https://mediaeducationlab.com/index.php/pub/digital-and-media-literacy-plan-action The Importance of Critical Thinking for News Media Literacy. Thinking Pro. (2023, May 19). https://www.thinkinghabitats.com/blog/the-importance-of-critical-thinking-for-news-media-literacy comments debug Commenting Forum Please be respectful and constructive Please be respectful and constructive Share Your Thoughts Be the first to write a comment.

"Vanishing Libraries" By: Sofia Su _________________ Introduction The argument that physical books should be replaced by digital books is one of efficiency, and on that metric, it is flawless. Digital texts are searchable, portable, and cost-effective. Yet, this logic mistakes the function of a book for its purpose. A book’s purpose is not merely to transmit information, but to facilitate a particular state of mind—one we cannot afford to lose. Analysis A physical book is a temporal anchor. Its weight in your hands, the texture of its paper, and your progress through its pages create a relationship build on time and thought. You cannot, with a frantic flick of the finger, skim Pride and Prejudice. You are forced to reckon with its scale, to feel the heft of its digressions. This physicality imposes a patience that digital media actively subverts. The hyperlink, the notification, the seductive ease of switching tabs—these are the architecture of a distracted mind. The codex, by contrast, is a technology for sustained, deep attention. It builds a silent, sacred chamber for thought in a world of cognitive noise. Furthermore, a physical book is an historical artifact of a singular intellectual journey. My used copy of The Prince is not the same as the one on a screen. It is scarred with my own frantic marginalia, but also with the faint, penciled-in notes of a previous reader—a stranger with whom I now argue and occasionally agree across decades. This creates a palimpsest of interpretation; a community of readers bound in a single object. A digital file is sterile and universal while a physical book is unique, bearing the material evidence of its own life in the world. To replace the physical book with the digital imposter is to believe that the medium is a neutral vessel. It is not. The medium shapes the conversation we have with the text itself. Conclusion By substituting physical books with online imitations, we are not just phasing out paper and ink; we are phasing out a specific, irreplaceable ecology of the mind—one that cultivates depth, patience, and a connection to the lineage of human ideas. In our rush toward a more efficient future, we must be careful not to optimize away the very conditions for positive association and concentration. Bibliography MiddleWeb. (2025, December 9). Reigniting the magic of reading physical books. https://www.middleweb.com/52885/re-igniting-the-magic-of-reading-physical-books/ Barshay, J. (2022, August 29). Proof points: Paper books linked to stronger readers in an international study. The Hechinger Report. https://hechingerreport.org/proof-points-paper-books-linked-to-stronger-readers-in-an-international-study/ comments debug Commenting Forum Please be respectful and constructive Please be respectful and constructive Share Your Thoughts Be the first to write a comment.

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"McNeil vs. Florida Law Enforcement" _______________________________ By: Lauren Cody _______________________________ ________________________________________________________________ Introduction : On February 19, 2025, 22-year-old college student William Jr. McNeil was stopped by officers from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office on the road in Jacksonville, Florida. Sheriff's deputies reported that they pulled Mr. McNeil over for failing to turn on headlights and failing to buckle his seatbelt because it was raining, which does not add up because video footage released by his lawyer showed it was daylight at the time he was pulled over. Deputies also stated that his seatbelt wasn't on either. Law enforcement then asked Mr. McNeil to exit the vehicle, but he refused and locked his doors, asking the deputies to call their supervisors. He ignored about a dozen lawful commands before the officers proceeded to smash the driver’s side window, demanding him to exit the car, punched him in the face and then asked him to put his hands up to which he obliged to. This is when the situation escalates as the officer pulls him from the car, punches him repeatedly, and throws him on the ground, causing a fractured tooth, a concussion in the arrest, the need for stitches, and suffering short-term memory loss following the incident. Analysis : Officers reported that Mr. McNeil reached for a knife at the floorboard of the vehicle, however the video footage and McNeil’s legal team disputed this narrative, citing no visible threat. The State Attorney's Office for the Fourth Judicial Circuit of Florida declared in August 2025 that there will not be any charges pressed against the officers involved in the crime because their conduct was essentially not “harmful” enough to be considered a crime. I do not agree with this because the video evidence clearly portrays William McNeil as not aggressive with the officers, as he raised his hands in a form of defense and repeatedly asked for their supervisor, which they would not comply with either. Instead of the officers attempting to de-escalate the scene, they went further by engaging in a critical physical altercation and forcibly dragging him out of the vehicle. McNeil’s attorneys stated the officers had used an excessive amount of force on McNeil that was disproportionate to the crime, resulting in severe casualties and an unlawful decision regarding the enforcement personnel’s sentence, which was ultimately nothing. Since this event unfolded, Crump and Daniels have filed a federal lawsuit against the officers involved. This can be argued as a violation of McNeil’s civil rights and the 14th Amendment, as he resisted officers without violence yet was dealt with their brutality and a disgrace to the law enforcement system in their unconstitutional and excessive method of handling the situation. McNeil states that he is still recovering from the incident, stating, “I'm still afraid of police. I'm still frightened at night. I don't sleep still as much as I used to” (CBS News). Conclusion : Even in the instance that Mr. McNeil wasn't complying with state regulations of recording the altercation and refused to exit the vehicle, that still does not give the officers the right to justify such violent and excessive physical force when Mr. McNeil posed little to no threat, resulting in numerous charges on Mr. McNeil and not a single charge on the enforcement officers involved. This decision can be considered as disproportionate to the crime and the circumstances of the situation and can also be argued unlawful in honoring McNeil’s civil rights as McNeil's lawyers have voiced regarding this outcome. Bibliography : - CBS Interactive. (n.d.). Black Student Files Federal lawsuit after video shows Florida officers hitting him, dragging him from car during traffic stop. CBS News. (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/black-student-video-florida-officers-hitting-dragging-him-federal-lawsuit/) - Halpert, M. (2025, August 14). Prosecutors clear Florida officer who punched man in traffic stop. BBC News. (https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cq68z8e0v50o) - Scanlan, D. (2025, August 14). State attorney explains why Jacksonville deputies were cleared in violent arrest. WUSF. (https://www.wusf.org/courts-law/2025-08-14/state-attorney-explains-jacksonville-cops-cleared-violent-arrest) comments debug Commenting Forum Please keep dialogue respectful & constructive Please keep dialogue respectful & constructive Share Your Thoughts Be the first to write a comment.

Volume 2 Publications Winter 2026 Srishti Mulgund "Children’s Online Privacy and COPPA" Click to Read Rashmi Surineni "CyberBullying in America" Click to Read Sofia Su "Vanishing Libraries " Click to Read Prathiksha Jagadeesh "The Trafficked: A Global Human Trafficking Crisis" Click to Read Nandini Kondisetti "Reviving the Humanities: Cultivating Critical Thinking in the Age of AI" Click to Read Thy Nyugen "An Analysis of Media Literacy" Click to Read Emery Benson "The Future of Horse-Drawn Carriages" Click to Read Devin McNeil & Nandini Kondisetti "The Evolution of the Diamond Industry" Click to Read

"The Future of Horse Drawn Carriages" By: Emery Benson __________________ Introduction Horse-drawn carriages have been around since 3000 BCE. They were used as a mode of transportation before technology advanced, allowing for a quicker, less grueling travel experience as opposed to walking. Much like horse-drawn carriages, washboards haven’t been commonly used since the 1800’s; however, unlike carriages, washboards have been eradicated from daily life, replaced with a newer form of technology as have butter churns, typewriters, and even payphones, which were all invented long after the horse carriage. Continuing to have horses pull carriages around a city when so many other old fashion ideals have been superseded over the years is nonsensical, especially considering the severe weather conditions horses must endure, the mental strain that comes with being a wild animal surrounded by high-speed vehicles, and numerous other factors that should prevent horse-drawn carriages entirely. The Dangers Horse-Drawn Carriages Pose For instance, in New York City, Ryder, a 26-year-old carriage horse, who had been working since 9:00 AM, collapsed in 84-degree heat. He had been working for nearly seven hours in Central Park, and despite his exhaustion and old age, was forced to continue laboring until he was physically incapable of doing so. Onlookers were horrified at the horse’s condition, and the video of the event went viral, collecting empathy for the situation from around the globe. The driver, Ian McKeever, was accused of “ignoring the warning signs” and “relentlessly… driving the horse,” exploiting Ryder instead of allowing him to recuperate and regain his energy (Savage 2025). Due to the health issues Ryder faced, the horse had to be euthanized shortly after his collapse. The incident even made it to court, where McKeever escaped persecution, claiming he had “never, ever abused a horse in [his] life” (Savage 2025). Whether the horse had been abused or not, at 26 years old, one year from retirement, and in such hot weather for so long, Ryder’s safety was at risk, and so were the bystanders, cars driving by, driver, and any passengers who might have been in the carriage. Three years later, a young horse named Lady passed away from a similar experience on the streets of Manhattan. After working for only two months, Lady’s fatal aortic rupture caused by a small tumor led to her spontaneous death (Campanile, Propper 2025). Lady’s sudden fall endangered oncoming drivers, traumatized the bystanders nearby, and injured the driver of the carriage, proving the safety risk horse carriages pose. Similarly, another accident occurred in Memphis, only this time, it was the passengers who were injured rather than the horse. The passengers were already in the carriage when, seemingly unprovoked, the horse took off, riders in tow. Through a heavily crowded area and without a driver, the horse could potentially have caused significantly more damage than it did. There could have been fatalities, car wrecks and even damage to public property. Additionally, there was an irreversible trauma endured by passengers, drivers, and bystanders (Giannotto 2018). Conclusion Considering the situation with Ryder, Robert Holden, a member of the New York City council, suggested enforcing Ryder’s Law (a bill to replace horse carriages with electric ones). While the idea was shut down in New York, Illinois saw danger in horse carriages after 334 violations of carriage rules and put a stop to them (Cherone 2020). Biloxi, a city in Mississippi, also banned horse-drawn carriages, as well as Brussels, Montréal, and San Antonio just to name a few. Taking into account all of the risks associated with horse-drawn carriages and the constant debate on the ethicality of it, replacing the practice with more modified and technologically advanced options, such as electric carriages, is a justified and wise decision to make. Bibliography: Evans, M. (2025, December 6). The history of the horse-drawn carriage. Horse Journals. https://www.horsejournals.com/popular/history-heritage/history-horse-drawn-carriage Savage, C. (2025, July 21). Carriage horse driver Ian McKeever acquitted in Ryder Animal Cruelty Case. W42ST. https://w42st.com/post/ian-mckeever-not-guilty-ryder-carriage-horse-trial/ Campanile, C., & Propper, D. (2025, August 8). Cause of death revealed for NYC Carriage horse lady, who died on street this week. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2025/08/08/us-news/cause-of-death-revealed-for-nyc-carriage-horse-lady-who-died-on-street-this-week/ Cherone, H. (2020, April 24). City Council unanimously bans horse-drawn carriages starting Jan. 1 | chicago news | WTTW. WTTW News. https://news.wttw.com/2020/04/24/city-council-unanimously-bans-horse-drawn-carriages-starting-jan-1 Giannotto, D. C. and M. (2018, July 21). Carriage horse runs wild through downtown, injures at least one person. The Commercial Appeal. https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/news/2018/07/20/horse-carriage-runs-wild-downtown-memphis/811153002/ comments debug Commenting Forum Please be respectful and constructive Please be respectful and constructive Share Your Thoughts Be the first to write a comment.

"Reviving the Humanities: Cultivating Critical Thinking in the Age of AI" By: Nandini Kondisetti _________________ _______________ Introduction: "Class we'll have an essay analyzing the rhetorical choices the author uses to develop her argument due tomorrow." A melancholic wave of groans flutter across the classroom as your English teacher turns toward the whiteboard. Your classmate next to you opens a blank Word document, then immediately spilt screens it with the latest Al technology. And a reoccurring process begins: paste prompt, generate ideas, copy text, substitute a few words here and there, and submit. What could have been a genuine struggle with a text, a moment of wrestling with meaning, became a jargon-filled analysis of something never even read. But this is more than simply a classroom annoyance, it’s a frequent symptom of a deeper issue. This problem has created an entrance to a paradox of effortless success; the easier in which thinking becomes, the less we learn to think. And this is precisely why we must re-implement the humanities into our school system. The AI Paradox Students today are being brought into a world where Al can generate thoughts, arguments, and analyses for themselves and concepts like creativity, innovation and collaboration are being eroded in favor of convenience and accessibility. College Board recently released statistics noting a surge of “79% to 84% between January and May 2025” reported high schoolers using some form of generative A.I. for schoolwork (College Board). But this issue goes far beyond AI. Our ability to thoughtfully engage, critically think and meaningfully debate with abstract concepts is also diminishing. An understanding of other diverse cultures around us, familiarizing ourselves with our nation's history and faults, and having a general knowledge regarding contemporary issues is fading. We must be able to acknowledge and reflect upon the consequences of human innovation and ambition and obtain basic skills to think for ourselves which is essential in the progression of humanity. Education Redefined Renowned philosopher Martha Nussbaum once wrote: “The humanities teach us critical thinking, how to analyze arguments, and how to imagine life from the point of view of someone unlike yourself” (Nussbaum 2017). The pursuit of education lies within the values of seeking to understand the world around us and the people within it while also re-visiting ideas and beliefs of those before us including the ancient philosophers, the artistic masters, and the writing virtuosos. What truly shapes thoughtful citizens are often the disciplines that are ignored by the current education system. We must shift our focus to literature, history, philosophy, and culture. Reviving these arts in schools would not inflict a financial burden or require grand re-inventions. Schools should implement productive seminars throughout the school day, structuring discussions during class time on current issues, and prioritizing genuine interpretation of material over AI regurgitation. We must return to reading before summarizing, thinking before searching, and forming an argument before asking technology to create one to establish a pertinent, productive society. These changes are the first step to cultivating students who can critically and independently think rather than conveniently and superficially conform. Frequent Misconceptions Inevitably, an education centered on humanities faces predictable objections, from parents wanting “practical” majors, to administrators prioritizing test scores, and students trained to equate rigor with quantifiable answers. However, employers across industries often seek critical thinking, communication, creativity, analysis, and problem-solving, all core aspects of humanities. Journalist Melissa Russell from Harvard notes that the top 10 skills job employers seek according to the WEF (World Economic Forum) report and a Linkden survey “have nothing to do with technology” and that “Human intuition, relationships, and decision making are crucial” even in today’s workforce (Russell 2024). While standardized testing like ACTs offer a quantifiable certainty, they cannot measure ethics, empathy, and moral character. Humanities cultivate these qualities not by providing a single “correct” answer but by inviting multiple interpretations and perspectives. Their very subjectivity is their rigor: one cannot simply Google their way to a universally accepted truth about justice, identity, or historical memory. One must think their way there without the continuous dependence of AI. And this is what society urgently needs most: a generation capable of wrestling with “it depends” rather than defaulting to “generate response.” Introducing a curriculum encircling arts, music, culture, and literature is pivotal to developing a generation of critical thinkers, effective communicators, and informed citizens. Conclusion These aspects remain the very principles that teach us how to face a blank page, how to listen, how to build arguments, and how to empathize with people whose stories differ from ours. But most importantly, it teaches us to experience satisfaction and genuine curiosity within this fundamental process of obtaining information and developing a well-informed character. This is why we must revive humanities in schools, as it reminds us not to resist advancing technology but to remain human in the midst of it, both improving and preserving the educational experience. Bibliography: New research: Majority of high school students use generative AI for Schoolwork . Newsroom. (n.d.-a). https://newsroom.collegeboard.org/new-research-majority-high-school-students-use-generative-ai-schoolwork Lparsons. (2024, October 3). The top skills employers seek have nothing to do with technology - Professional & Executive Development: Harvard DCE. Professional & Executive Development | Harvard DCE. https://professional.dce.harvard.edu/blog/the-top-skills-employers-seek-have-nothing-to-do-with-technology/#The-Critical-Need-for-Developing-Durable-Skills Adams, W. D., Lifson, A., Tonguette, P., Levin, Y., Hanson, A., & Leach, J. (2017). Martha C. Nussbaum talks about the humanities, mythmaking, and International. National Endowment for the Humanities. https://www.neh.gov/humanities/2017/spring/conversation/martha-c-nussbaum-talks-about-the-humanities-mythmaking-and-international-development comments debug Commenting Forum Please be respectful and constructive Please be respectful and constructive Share Your Thoughts Be the first to write a comment.