Matthew Maron, 06/22/12

16-year-old high school junior in New York

Trade professions like plumbing and electrical work may not be the most glorious of professions, but they are the ones that are always in demand and always will be.

Danielle Fox, 06/22/12

High school junior in New Jersey

This is a film that has been sitting on my shelf for years; a film that I have been meaning to watch but have never gotten around to it. Well, I finally watched it, and it was a masterpiece.

Ariana Silvan-Grau, 06/21/12

Freshman at Oberlin College

A smile can mean anything -- excitement, gratitude, forgiveness and fear, and just because this chapter of our lives is ending does not mean the new one will not bring just as many smiles.

Meghan McCullough, 06/21/12

Freshman at Amherst College

Freshman year hit me like a freight truck. It was the hardest, scariest, best thing that has ever happened to me, and I wouldn't change one part of it.

Omar Abreu, 06/21/12

15-year-old student at Hudson High School of Learning Technologies

Everyone was pumped to see all the projects youth have been working on, and the awesome keynotes, from people all over the tech industry. It was time for Emoti-Con! 2012!

Joel Schocker, 06/20/12

Valedictorian, Hollidaysburg Area Senior High School

Our future is an empty book that we have the power to write. Challenging as this may sound, it's marvelous.

Hannah Weintraub, 06/20/12

16-year-old co-president of her school's women's advocacy club

My fear of a regression in women's rights is not unfounded, as the reproductive rights debates have shown. Let's honor the struggle of our grandmothers and mothers and keep working for justice.

Brian Benton, 06/20/12

High school senior in Palo Alto, CA

Political statements in music are at an all-time low. Artists like Lady Gaga and Robyn's promotion of equal rights is a start, but so much more can be done.

Elaine Vilorio, 06/19/12

High school junior in New Jersey

In middle school, one girl, who I considered my enemy at the time, made fun of the way I spoke. She used to say, "You look black and you say you're Hispanic, but you talk like a white person!"

Grace Kearney, 06/19/12

Senior at Baltimore Polytechnic Institute

The day I recognized an Alzheimer's patient's wife as the receptionist who snapped at me earlier, I learned compassion. You never know the pain a person is concealing behind their plastered smile.

Megan Lehman, 06/19/12

Sophomore at Kirkwood Community College

A baby crying is not exactly the ideal wake-up call. I know that now more than ever.

Drew Sandler, 06/19/12

High school student in Virginia

This necessity to improve, and the competitive nature instilled in traditional American values, promote American progressivism.

Shannon Carney, 06/19/12

High school student in Virginia

The American experience is one of falseness, one that can project an image of good but is undermined by the cutthroat nature of the American people.

Renee Olstead, 06/18/12

Actress, "The Secret Life Of The American Teenager"

I've had a lot of girls and guys ask me what it takes to get started in the entertainment industry. Their questions got me thinking and I decided to create a how-to guide to getting started.