Dec 12, 2021Why Volga Germans Settled in KansasWhy Catherine, Kansas, serves as a small community promoting religion and German-Russian heritage. — Near the end of Empress Catherine the Great’s rule of Russia, a group of Volga Germans from Katharinenstadt, Russia, had decided to immigrate to the United States. According to the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia, residents Katharinenstadt were driven to move to the United States after the ruling…Kansas3 min readKansas3 min read
Dec 5, 2021How a Rival Town Prospered Over Rome, KansasWhy Hays, Kansas, prevailed over Rome. — Rural3 min readRural3 min read
Nov 18, 2021The Diamond of the Plain’s Two ChancesHow Diamond Springs, Kansas, became a ghost town — not once, but twice. — Surrounded by bluestem grasses with a history only remembered by building ruins is Diamond Springs, Kansas. Diamond Springs is unique to other Kansas ghost towns as it became a ghost town twice — once in the 1860s and again in the 1930s. The town was first established as a stop…History3 min readHistory3 min read
Nov 3, 2021TikTok’s Fascination With Baby NamesWhy TikTok users are hopping on the trend of predicting prominent internet celebrities’ baby names — The term “cult of celebrity” is nothing new. Understanding the term is key to the public’s fascination with everything celebrity — from their lifestyles to their baby’s name. In 2021, the term celebrity has become broader. It no longer just rests on A-list actors or famous musicians. As evidenced by…Celebrity2 min readCelebrity2 min read
Nov 2, 2021From Notorious to UnknownHow Covert, KS, went from being a blossoming community to becoming a ghost town. — Covert, KS, was once home to a famed meteorite discovery in 1923, a prominent basketball coach, John Locke, and a notorious unsolved murder in 1928. Despite all of the town’s intriguing historical facts, the town has ceased to exist.Rural America3 min readRural America3 min read
Oct 16, 2021Did the Federal Government Fail Treece, Kansas, and Picher, Oklahoma?I’ve been to Treece, Kansas, and Picher, Oklahoma, three times in my life. Once, in 2008 on a summer road trip with my grandparents. An EF4 tornado had just struck Picher. I was six years old. The second time I visited was in 2018. So much of what I remembered…Travel3 min readTravel3 min read
Nov 5, 2020Waiting For Election Results Feels SuffocatingBut I worry seeing the final outcome could be worse. — If you looked at my Google search history, the top result would be “election results.” Every. Single. Hour. Every. Single. 20. Minutes. Okay, every five minutes. I search Google to see the same thing that I saw the last time I checked. For some reason, this election has my heart…Politics2 min readPolitics2 min read
Nov 4, 2020Election Day From an Eighteen-Year-Old’s PerspectiveWhat is best for America? — I’m tired of hearing candidates yell back and forth, much like most of the American population. Although I’m studying political science in college, my least favorite thing to discuss with my family is politics. Why, some might ask? Because it is very hostile, similar to this year’s debates. Voting is…Elections3 min readElections3 min read
Published inBe Yourself·Oct 28, 2020Photographs Changed My LifeEvery photograph impacts you. — I grew up in a time where taking photos was not a luxury. Camera phones were starting to become widely available and by the time I was ten, most people had a smartphone. I quickly became obsessed with taking photos, and more importantly, having pictures taken of me. Every photo…Photography2 min readPhotography2 min read
Oct 26, 2020Ghosts Of My PastHaunted by the many conundrums in life. Regrets. We all have them. For some people, regrets are a part of living life safely; however, for some, they’re a sign that they’ve been too reckless. Stupid tattoos, risks never pursued, relationships left unkindled. They all leave a mark on our lives…Regret2 min readRegret2 min read
