Author: EMMERT

Rain drizzles down the windows of the cars parked next to faded painted parking lines, muggy clouds hang lazily over. The doors to a large warehouse open with a gust of warm wind as if to escape into the cold drafty air. An overwhelming sound of children and parents comes with it, and fills the ears.

A commotion of different people becomes visible. A line leads to the register, five people deep, purchasing bracelets for their children to play in the trampoline area.

Trampolines line half of the warehouse separated by foam cover to prevent accidents or injuries. There are two areas separated by a black net—one for bouncing and tricks, another for dodgeball. A line forms to dunk a basketball while Read more →

Nike Day started in 2003 with about 100 students.

Nike held the forum for LGBTQA youth (Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Questioning and Allied) again this year at Nike headquarters in Beaverton on the April 25. Over 500 students attended—it’s expected to grow every year.

Over 500 kids from all around the area came together to celebrate the #betrue model. Students came from schools as far as Springfield, OR.
It was a major support group, and major party.

The day started with the check in were we got our own shirts that read #betrue, a celebration to their “Be True” rainbow sneakers. Read more →

I hate you all.

You’re all leaving me!

I’m the only Sophomore in a class full of seniors. I know you’re all headed into the world to make some amazing changes. But you’ve become my family. And it’s hard to let go of your family. But I am so happy you all got to be a part of my life, and year. You have all made a change in my life whether it was huge, or teeny.

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Fluorescent lights illuminate the nervous crowd seated below them; the constant beep, beep, beep, from the computers is anything but soothing. Everyone stiffly keeps turned to the front of the room.

They murmur in different languages between themselves: Russian, Spanish, different Asian dialects. All of them clutch large stacks of papers, over-prepared, just in case. The immigration office is not a place you want things to go wrong.

“27,” a curly brown-haired woman from the front desk screams, her bark strangely feminine. An older woman stands up; a younger lady helps her walk to the front. No one smiles, few people whisper among themselves the rest just listen.

“28.” Everyone checks their number. Another gets up to disappear to the front of the room.

A TV softly plays against the wall; a wrinkled piece of paper stuck to it reads “DO NOT TOUCH.” Read more →