Thanks for the ride. Things rarely go as planned. I was never supposed to be an undergrad for five years. I was supposed to be a history teacher by now instead of writing my last column for The VN the morning we lay out the paper. (I sprained my wrist, […]
Sports
Getting a glow
Because this is my last column for the year, I decided to make it a little different. This is going to be more of an advice column and I’m just going to advise you to do things a little differently this summer so you can really glow up. Summer time […]
Social media’s unintended consequences
Social Media has been a growing industry for the past decade. In fact, the percentage of adults using social networking has tripled since 2006. Younger adults, between the ages of 18 and 29, are the most likely to use social media. Surveys show about 90 percent of that group are […]
Goodbyes get tougher with the years
Another school year is nearly in the books, and what a year it has been. I can’t believe that I’m going to be a senior in just a few months. But until then, I have a lot to accomplish. Last-minute assignments and exams are draining me, but thankfully there are […]
For class of ’16, ‘real world’ adventures await
This past weekend, I went to the UDM library to work on some final papers and projects. What greeted me when I pulled onto campus, besides the April snow, was a score of signs for Saturday’s accepted students day. Sure enough as I drove through campus, I saw many high […]
From player to coach, Jackson makes impact
As a basketball player at the University of Detroit Mercy, I was elated when the athletic director welcomed Jermaine “J.J.” Jackson to the coaching staff in 2015. The following words, spoken by coach Jackson, can be heard many times at practice: “There are only a few select outstanding individuals that […]
Confessions of a ‘side-chick’
I was a side-chick, too. Yes, believe it or not, I, Akilea McKay, the baddest chick at UDM, was a side-chick. If you read my article elsewhere in this issue, this will make sense. But if you haven’t yet, then go back, read that bad boy and then read my […]
Blues aside, small classes are ‘great’
Around this time of year, it’s easy to get sucked into the I-hate-school frame of mind. With midterms around the corner, winter still in full blast and what seems like a forever amount of time until April 30, a lot of students, including myself, are dealing with some mid-semester blues. […]
Family ties to Kalamazoo shatter routine of death
Like many Americans, I awoke to some disturbing news on Sunday. Another rash of fatal shootings had broken out. However, these killings were in Kalamazoo, an area I’m somewhat familiar with. Six people were killed and two others wounded. Given the frequency of mass shootings in just the past year, […]
Flint native understands sense of betrayal
I am from Flint, Michigan. Flint families, not just mine, are suffering from the water tragedy there because it affects their day-to-day lives. The household that I grew up in and where my family still resides has been impacted by this water crisis. My mother has to boil water to […]
