The gondoliers in striped shirts and brimmed hats floating through the canals, the flocks of swarming pigeons in St. Mark’s Square, the tight, secluded streets, and the beautifully constructed bridges and archways… the beauty of Italy was overwhelming. Prior to...
My legs were burning. My arms were aching. My skin was hot and sweaty. I wanted to cry, and yet I had never felt more alive. It was June 2014, and I stood on the rocks on the top of Flat Top Mountain in the Rocky Mountains National Park, in awe of the scene before me....
The rays of the morning sun streamed through the window of the two-story country house in Normandy, France. My cousins, my brother, and I looked at each other and back. The oldest girl spoke: “Is it true that in America you only eat burgers and fries?” To feel...
Nora Ngo Mitchell, a freshman from Booker High School in Sarasota, Florida, wrote the fourth-place essay for the 2020 Ripley Hunter “World Is a Classroom” essay contest. Mornings in Ho Chi Minh City are vibrant and reflective of the rich and diverse culture that...
Abigail Hamman, a senior from Murray County Central High School, wrote this first-place essay for the SYTA Class of 2020 essay contest. What was a favorite memory of your high school senior year? The answer to this question for many is probably their senior class...
