Most of my life I had lived in a Black and Latino community. Neither of my parents had made it past middle school and I was the first in my family to ever set foot on a college campus. By contrast, most of my peers came from generations of college educated family and had grown up in rich, white suburbs. Instead of sharing with others how I was feeling, I isolated myself and thought I could get through it if I just focused on studying. During the weeks leading up to my sophomore year winter break, I finally decided I would drop out. Fortunately, that wasn’t the end of the story. I found strength and guidance to continue through to graduation.

Counseling(咨询) provided me a space to release and process my emotions. My counselor provided me books and other resources to understand what I was experiencing and she helped me feel empowered.

Volunteering with a campus organization that guided children in Chicago housing projects provided me a consistent reminder for why I was in college. My interactions with students who reminded me so much of my own friends back home inspired me to commit to working for access to higher education for low-income youth. I also got involved with a summer urban internship(实习生) program, where I cooperated with a group of student leaders to start a conference to dialogue about issues of race and class.

Knowledge is empowering. I read books and intentionally chose courses to learn more about topics related to immigration, race, social class and urban education. These courses and books helped me gain a much deeper understanding of my own racial experiences of oppression(压制). Most importantly, I was empowered with the knowledge I needed to work against injustice and inequality.

While looking for comfortable places to sleep in this winter, a black bear picked out a culvert (涵洞) near Wannaska, Minnesota. Unfortunately for the bear, this decision didn’t pan out.

In late February, the snow around him started melting, causing the culvert to flood and then freeze again. The poor fellow was trapped in snow and ice for three days before some kind humans noticed him and called authorities for help.

By the time experts arrived, people had already tried digging the bear out and giving him a variety of unhealthy (for bears) treats. Luckily, the bear wasn’t interested in the food as he was still in a mode in which he slept through the winter months.

A wildlife research biologist Andrew Tri arrived on the scene to assess the situation. “He tried to push himself out and kind of got trapped on some frozen water that had frozen and thawed (融化) frozen and thawed and he got stuck in place and tired,” the biologist explained.

The team first injected the bear with an anesthetic. Once he was asleep, it took five strong men to pull the bear, estimated to weigh between 375 and 400 pounds, out of the culvert. Andrew gave him a full check-up and determined he was in great physical shape, even though he was still a bit sleepy! After that, they put him in a cage and transported him to a wildlife reserve to finish out the winter.

In an online post, Andrew shared the story along with photos of the bear rescue. He summed up with a reminder to the public to never “bother” a bear, either in the wild or near its home. “If you’re ever concerned about a bear’s safety, by all means give us a call,” he advised. “But don’t try to move it or feed it! Doing so can result in a bad situation either for you or for the bear.”