JOURNAL OF GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES FOR YOUNG SCHOLARS

High school students graduate knowing how to solve equations, analyze poems, and memorize historical dates, but many do not understand credit cards, taxes, loans, budgeting, insurance, or interest. This is strange because financial decisions begin almost immediately after graduation. Students may choose colleges, sign loan documents, open bank accounts, rent apartments, or start jobs before they fully understand the financial systems around them. Financial literacy should be required in high school because money mistakes can follow people for years. A student who does not understand compound interest may underestimate debt.…

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Green energy is often presented as clean, modern, and morally simple. Solar panels, wind turbines, electric vehicles, and batteries are symbols of a better future. They are necessary tools in reducing dependence on fossil fuels. But calling them “clean” should not mean ignoring the environmental and human costs behind their production. Many green technologies depend on minerals such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, copper, and rare earth elements. These materials must be mined, processed, transported, and manufactured. Mining can damage land, use large amounts of water, create pollution, and affect nearby…

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The Parasocial Breakup I spent three years watching a specific YouTuber every single morning while I ate my cereal. I knew his coffee order, his dog’s name, and the specific way he complained about the weather. When he was suddenly called out for some pretty terrible behavior and vanished from the internet, I felt a genuine sense of grief. It felt like a breakup, which is objectively hilarious because this person has no idea I even exist. This is the reality of the “parasocial relationship,” and when these digital bonds…

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The Romanticization of “The Grind” If you spend five minutes on campus or on social media, you will see someone romanticizing “the grind.” We see videos of people waking up at five in the morning to hit the gym, followed by eight hours of library time and a late-night side hustle. We have turned sleep deprivation and constant productivity into a status symbol. We act like being “busy” is the same thing as being successful, but most of the time, it is just a fast track to a mental health…

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The Gentrification of Thrifting It used to be that the local thrift store was the place you went when you actually needed to save money. You could find a decent coat for five dollars or a pair of jeans for three. But lately, thrifting has become the “cool” thing to do, and that popularity has come with a steep price tag. I went into a secondhand shop last week and saw a stained t-shirt from the nineties marked up to forty dollars just because it had a “vintage” look. This…

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