My eyes were glued to the field as I watched Dallas Cowboys’ Dak Prescott throw the ball, completing yet another pass to wide receiver Michael Gallup. He would then go on to catch the ball, running...

All my life I’ve felt like a duck; on the surface I'm calm and everything looks fine, but under the pitch black water, I'm treading as fast as I can to stay afloat. I’ve been a massive overthinker...

“You’re more spoiled aren’t you? You know, because you’re younger.” When looking at my sister Anoohya and I, people often assume that we are vastly different, both physically and mentally....

The clock strikes 5 p.m., marking my Science Olympiad Club meeting, cello class and badminton practice. Five hours later, I am ready to hit the hay as a lab report, calculus homework and studying for tests...

For as long as I can remember, Mummyma, my grandmother, has been my best friend.  Like many grandmothers, she has fed me copious amounts of food, told me tales of far-off lands and supported me throughout...

Mama, how come he just left? Where is he? Why wasn't I good enough for him to want to stay? Growing up with an absent father gave me the opportunity to have a close relationship with the dazzling woman...

Twirling around in our backyard while an electric blue whale shaped sprinkler softly rains on our heads, my sister and I’s laughter rings out like the chimes of a dozen bells. The memory is etched into...

You know when you’re around 5 or 6 years old? Just tall enough to see over the kitchen counter and the dinner your parents are preparing. The helter-skelter shuffle of mail scattered around, your toys...

You two are so close. What are you going to do without her? In the months before my older sister Samhita Bondada left for college, these words were always guaranteed to be uttered by relatives, family...

“Hey, Trisha.” “Yeah?” “I know someone who’s thinking about joining The Sidekick.” “Oh really? Who?” “Me.” The conversation above is exactly how I decided to join The...

“Oh my goodness she’s so beautiful, I wish I could look like her.” “I should eat less and workout more, maybe then I’ll be as beautiful as she is.” “I need a tiny nose and straight...

The buildings are in gray and white, as if they have been plunged into some Instagram filter. But it’s not just the buildings. Clothes, food, even people have all become a desolate gray.  Everything...