I have never been one to host extravagant birthday parties. The last one I can remember involved a massive, carefully constructed Barbie cake I devoured with my other five-year-old friends. I almost never celebrate my birthday with my family members, all of whom live outside of the United States.

How did I gain three siblings in six months, and how do I deal with them? The summer after seventh grade, my parents got a long overdue divorce. Since the need for the split was critical, they both found love soon after they finalized their separation. My dad met Adrienne in June. She had two little girls with sunshine hair trailing her the first time I saw her: 2-year-old Tegan and 5-year-old Isla.

Hard work has been ingrained in freshman Brock Freeman from a young age. When they were married, both his parents held jobs to provide for the five children in their family. His father often held two jobs...

With a single stroke of a pen, legislators used a tattered past as justification to cut $8 million from the University of Missouri - Columbia (UMC). With a single stroke of a pen, legislators tore down families they had never even met. With one stroke, state congressmen rejected students and teachers they did not know because of a series of unfortunate events that required action.

History tells the unfortunate stories of terrorist groups and their impacts around the world. From Asia to Europe, from the Middle East to the United States, the history of terrorism is one that is disturbing and fearful.