Jul 30, 20207 minTo Have a Fighting Spirit: A COVID-19 Story“You can only meet him on one condition,” He replied. “You never show your face around us ever again.” My heart stopped. I couldn’t believe
Jul 28, 20205 minTrue Heroes: A COVID-19 StoryMy father used to tell us that a person who gets put on a ventilator seldom survives. And that was the miserable fate my father met.
Jul 21, 20206 minGive and Take: A COVID-19 StoryHer condition was so serious that they had to put her on a ventilator. We all prayed for her day and night, but she wasn’t improving.
Jun 5, 20208 minOn Shaken GroundI even felt my dad betrayed me. Why did he even bother to sit and draw with me if this is what would happen in the end?
Mar 18, 20208 minNo, Really, Can You Run in Those?I was the fastest boy at Whittier Woods Elementary School. When it was time for the races for the Presidential Physical Fitness awards...
Mar 17, 20206 minThe Girl Who Fought Her Own BattleI remember the fear in my mother’s eyes...I remember the pounding of my heart. It was the first night my father came home drunk...
Mar 6, 20208 minTo Explain the UniverseIf uninterrupted, I could talk to you about optics (which is the study of light and its properties) for the rest of my life...
Feb 26, 20207 minA New Way to LeadI could have easily had a very normal life, had a 9-to-5 job, live paycheck-to-paycheck, and dream of big things without acting...
Dec 6, 20198 minDebora Niwa, Wife of the Elephants...As a child, I spent most of my time outside. The more time I spent in it, the closer I grew to it, and my love reached further...
Nov 20, 20199 minBehind Every Dark CloudMy father was a police officer, and my mother ran a small shop. My life started out normal...
Oct 28, 20197 minI Feel My RootsMy city, Karachi, is simply magical. It’s one of the largest, most populated cities in the world and it is the economic hub of Pakistan...
Oct 17, 20197 minTo Find HappinessWhat makes a happy life? Wealth? Success? Passion? For many years, I tried to figure out how to be happy. Turns out...
Oct 8, 20198 minOnce a Passive Passenger I shouldn’t have taken all those pills, I didn’t want to die. I needed to get to a phone to call 911, but it was so hard to move...
Jun 12, 20198 minIt Starts After the FallI fell on my face so many times I lost count, but the thing that made my life different was that I refused to stay down...
May 18, 20196 minAll the AdventureFrom an early age, I showed an interest in becoming a police officer, or rather, I became interested in adventure and excitement...
Dec 28, 20188 minForeverTimes in the southern US during the 1940s and 1950s were trying ones, indeed. We were poor. I guess you could say “dirt poor.” I remember...
Dec 21, 20187 minBeyond Our BeginningsHowever, one piece was always missing: my mother. She committed suicide when I was just eight months old, so everything I know about...
Dec 10, 20189 minEach and Every JourneyMy parents—my father especially—were very liberal for the society in which we lived. A retired army officer, my father was well-educated...
Nov 16, 20186 minA Life That Is WorthyWhen I was a child, I would walk the streets of Lahore, Pakistan, while staring at the dusty pavement below. I did not want to look...
Nov 14, 20187 minA Climbing Spirit“I’m kicking you out. Come get your stuff.” I was 16 when I read this devastating text from my stepfather. No money. No job. And now ...