themetropolitan

On November 11, 2024 by Kevin Day

Who Am I?

I am a graduate student at Metropolitan State University, finishing a master’s degree in cyber operations within the College of Science. With a strong foundation in cybersecurity and data analysis, my recent research project “Market Reactions to Cybersecurity Incidents: A Case Study Approach”, examines the financial impact of data breaches on publicly traded companies, offering critical insights into the business ramifications of cyber incidents. My goal is to help organizations understand the true cost of cybersecurity failures and develop proactive defenses against emerging threats. By combining technical rigor with a strategic mindset, I strive to make an impactful contribution to the evolving field of cybersecurity.

My Experience at the 64th IACIS Annual Conference

From October 2-5, 2024, I had the privilege of attending the 64th Annual International Association for Computer Information Systems (IACIS) Conference at the beautiful One Ocean Resort and Spa in Atlantic Beach, Florida. This year’s conference theme, Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Machine Learning (ML), drew together a global community of industry leaders, academics, and students eager to share and explore the latest advancements, groundbreaking research, and practical applications shaping these fields.

As both a presenter and participant, I was honored to share my research on the financial impact of cybersecurity breaches, connecting with peers and gaining valuable feedback that will shape my future work. The conference offered an inspiring environment to exchange ideas and examine AI’s transformative role across industries—particularly in the critical realm of cybersecurity. The event’s dynamic sessions emphasized how AI and ML are redefining sectors like education, business, and information security, underscoring their vast potential and profound implications for society.

One of the most memorable moments of the conference was the keynote address by Lynne Clark, Deputy Chief of the Center for Cybersecurity Education, Innovation, and Outreach at the National Security Agency (NSA). With over two decades of service at the NSA, Clark has led pivotal initiatives, including the Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity (NCAE-C) and the GenCyber summer programs, both aimed at strengthening cybersecurity education and preparing the next generation of cyber professionals. Her speech highlighted the urgency of advancing cybersecurity measures as AI evolves, stressing the importance of collaboration and innovation to address emerging challenges.

Presenting My Research: The Financial Impact of Cybersecurity Breaches

At the IACIS conference, I had the opportunity to present my research titled “Market Reactions to Cybersecurity Incidents: A Case Study Approach”, which explores how cybersecurity breaches impact the stock prices of publicly traded companies. The study focuses on high-profile incidents involving firms like Capital One, Equifax, Facebook, Google, JBS S.A., MGM Resorts International, Nvidia, Okta, SolarWinds, and T-Mobile. These breaches, often accompanied by significant media attention, provide a unique lens through which to examine the financial repercussions that follow public disclosure of such events.

The analysis utilized an event study methodology, a well-established approach for assessing the impact of specific events on stock performance. By comparing stock price fluctuations surrounding breach announcements relative to the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), the study examined whether these companies experienced significant deviations from market expectations. The methodology incorporated statistical tests such as paired t-tests, Wilcoxon signed-rank tests, and correlation analyses to measure the magnitude and direction of stock price changes. The findings revealed statistically significant declines in stock prices following breach announcements, underscoring the negative financial consequences these companies face.

These results highlight the urgent need for businesses to invest in robust cybersecurity frameworks and implement proactive incident response strategies to mitigate financial damage. Companies that fail to address cybersecurity risks not only jeopardize their operational integrity but also risk eroding investor confidence, leading to further instability. The insights from this study serve as a call to action for organizations to prioritize cybersecurity as a critical component of corporate governance

For those interested in reading the full study, you can access it here.

Networking and Collaboration

In addition to the insightful presentations and panels, the 64th IACIS Conference served as an invaluable platform for networking and collaboration. With participants from diverse backgrounds in academia and industry, I had the opportunity to engage with leading experts across fields, particularly in cybersecurity and AI. These discussions often centered on the broader implications of cybersecurity incidents—how breaches not only affect the immediate company but also reverberate throughout the market, impacting investor confidence and corporate stability. One especially engaging conversation followed the presentation of Fred Hoffman from Mercyhurst University on the importance of open-source intelligence in cybersecurity, which provided a practical lens through which to view the ongoing evolution of security measures.

Beyond the sessions, I had the chance to receive valuable feedback on my own research. Conversations with peers and industry professionals sparked fresh ideas for future work, particularly in the realm of AI’s application to cybersecurity. A session that stood out was one on dual digital twins, presented by Chase Peterson from Metropolitan State University, where the concept of digital twins enhancing a company’s cybersecurity posture was particularly compelling. Additionally, the ethical implications of AI’s growing role in security were a recurring theme. Many discussions touched on how AI can bolster security efforts, yet simultaneously raise questions around privacy, data misuse, and potential bias in algorithmic decision-making—issues highlighted in sessions such as Artificial Intelligence Applications in Education chaired by Vince Orlando of Ball State University.

These conversations emphasized the importance of balancing innovation with responsible, ethical practices. The conference reinforced the need for collaboration between academia, industry, and policymakers to navigate the rapidly evolving landscape of AI and cybersecurity. Through networking, I gained deeper insights that will undoubtedly shape the direction of my future research as I continue exploring how these powerful technologies can be leveraged responsibly to protect both organizations and individuals.

Looking Forward

Attending the IACIS conference has further solidified my understanding of the symbiotic relationship between AI and cybersecurity. As AI continues to evolve, it will not only shape how we manage data and predict threats but also how we address ethical concerns around privacy and security. I am excited to continue my research in this field, particularly in how companies can mitigate the financial fallout from cybersecurity breaches. The insights I gained from the conference, coupled with the feedback on my own research, will undoubtedly influence my future work and contribute to ongoing discussions in both academic and professional spaces.

Looking ahead, the 65th IACIS Annual Conference, set for October 1-4, 2025, at the Sheraton Sand Key Resort in Clearwater Beach, Florida, offers an incredible opportunity for students to showcase their research and represent Metropolitan State University on a national stage. Participating in this prestigious conference not only highlights the cutting-edge work being done at our university but also opens doors for networking with leading experts in fields like artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and data science. I strongly encourage students to submit papers and present their findings. It’s a chance to contribute to important discussions, gain valuable feedback, and expand your professional horizons, all while showcasing the innovation and scholarship happening right here at Metro State.

https://www.iacis.org/conference/conference.php

Acknowledgment

I would like to extend my gratitude to Dr. Queen Booker, Associate Professor in the College of Management, whose encouragement and expertise were invaluable to the success of this project. Dr. Booker provided thoughtful guidance and consistently challenged me to deepen my analysis and sharpen my insights. Her encouragement was pivotal in inspiring me to submit my work to the IACIS conference, where I had the rewarding opportunity to share my findings with the broader academic and professional community. Dr. Booker’s mentorship not only shaped the direction and quality of my research but also fostered my growth as a researcher. I am profoundly grateful for her unwavering support, insightful feedback, and dedication to my development.

Presentation

I am presenting my research to the campus community. This presentation delves into the financial impact of recent cybersecurity breaches on the stock prices of high-profile, publicly traded companies. Through detailed data analysis using Python, I examine stock price deviations following these incidents, revealing consistent financial repercussions that underscore the importance of robust cybersecurity and incident response strategies. Join me to explore these findings and discuss the critical link between cybersecurity practices and market stability.

On November 13 by Kaia Ryden

Metro was founded in 1971, under the name Minnesota Metropolitan State College. It was originally created for non-traditional students (such as working adults) whose needs weren’t met by the other colleges that were around at that time, such as the University of Minnesota. In the beginning, there wasn’t really even an official building. There were some office spaces above a Walgreens and rented classrooms throughout the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area.  

By 1975, the name was changed to Metropolitan State University. 

In 1992, Metro moved its headquarters into a vacant building that used to house St. John’s Hospital. 

The University now serves more than 10,000 students! What started as a small school that rented out classrooms has now become one of the top public schools in the state. 

Although Metro hasn’t been around for a long time, it’s served 5 whole decades of students. My great grandmother took classes here, and now so am I. I know of people that were born at St. John’s before Metro took it over, including a past Metro professor, who wrote a short essay about that. You can read it here. 

I think that this university has such a story behind it, and if we just take a little deeper look into it, we’ll see the rich history that has surrounded this school since the 70’s.  

Over the years, Metro has received many awards, from back in 1995, when Metro received the Hesburgh award for its continued focus on improving teaching, to Nancy J Black, a professor from 1998, winning the Professor of the Year Award, all the way to currently, where Metro was placed in the top 3 percent nationwide in the “Social Mobility Index“.  

Metro is a great school, with great people who are ready and willing to help you further your education, no matter where you are in your life.  

Let me get this straight. A man who attempted to subvert the 2020 election, and in the process incited thousands to descend upon the United States capitol causing death, destruction, and defilement of those sacred halls of democracy. He has continually used his “bully pulpit” to spread misinformation, outright lies, and disparage women, minorities, the handicapped, and others. He used the justice department to go after his critics, and even fired James Comey, the former director of the FBI who was overseeing an investigation into possible Russian interference in the 2016 presidential race. During the first three years of his previous presidency, Trump continually undermined the Mueller investigation who found in 10 episodes sufficient information to warrant criminal charges against Trump. At the end of his previous term, he used the pardoning power of the presidency to grant clemency to controversial former aids Roger Stone, Paul Manafort, Michael Flynn, George Papadopoulos, and Steve Bannon. Before Ukraine was embroiled in an unjustifiable war, Trump attempted to pressure Volodymyr Zelenskyy into announcing a baseless investigation into the Biden family in exchange for the $400 million in military aid Ukraine was owed. Furthermore, he demanded oaths of loyalty from his staff, profited financially from his first term in office, continues to withhold his medical records, and has now been convicted of 34 felonies. This is who the American people have overwhelmingly elected to be the next president? Kamala Harris may not have been the ideal candidate, and she had a limited time to campaign, but how we ended up in this predicament is beyond me. How a man with the rap sheet that Trump has can become the president-elect is just mind boggling. 

Fascism can be defined as a far right-wing autocracy with a dictatorial ruler, an ultra nationalist political ideology, who believes in a social hierarchy, and the suppression of any opposition. This definition fits Donald Trump to a tee. However, it is a difficult sell to the American public because when you accuse someone of being a fascist, likely what they hear is a comparison to the most famous of all fascists, Adolf Hitler, and comparing anyone to Hitler is always a stretch. While Trump may not have plans to murder any Jewish Americans, he does plan on deporting many millions of illegal aliens. Individuals the American people, and the American economy, have come to rely on. His wall at the southern border was a bust so now he will resort to weaponizing ICE, border patrol, the military, and local law enforcement to root out and deport all those within our borders without legal cause to be here. 

There are other parallels one could draw between Trump and fascism. On the campaign trail this year, Trump said that criminal immigrants have “bad genes” and stated they are “poisoning the blood of our country.” His rhetoric also matches that of an authoritarian ruler of a fascist regime with him stating that he would mobilize the military and send them to democratically controlled states using the Insurrection Act of 1807 as justification. When General Mark Milley stated as much publicly, Trump suggested that Milley should be executed for treason.

There is more that could be said on the subject, but one can only take so much of writing about the man. In a recent article by Alexandra Petri for The Washington Post titled “Oh, so we have to keep doing this forever,” she likens our current predicament with that of Sisyphus, another tyrant-king that was forced to continually role a boulder up a hill for the sin of cheating death twice, and for violating the sacred hospitality tradition. Most poignantly, she asks this question, “I am not above changing the ends of stories when I tell them to my child. Goldilocks and the three bears enjoy a nice breakfast together, and she learns a lesson about breaking and entering. The boy who cried wolf is a respected shepherd in his community now. How do I tell this story?” As a father of four, I too wonder.

Introduction

We are quite familiar with midlife crises where adults nearing retirement age feel that their lives start to feel stagnant and start doing something unexpected with their lives just to reignite the spark of living. However, what if a personal crisis starts earlier in an adult’s life, instead of later? When young adults just entering adulthood start questioning their life choices and become uncertain about where their futures are heading, it might be a sign that they may be experiencing a quarter life crisis. 

What is this Quarter-life Crisis?

Quarter-life crises present a period of uncertainty and questioning among young people in their mid-20s or early-30s, who feel uninspired by their current lives or disillusioned by their possible futures. The worries of whether they can build a fulfilling life will lead young adults into a spiral of sorrow and anxiety, and judging from a study showing that 75% of adults today between 25 and 33 already suffered from a quarter life crisis, this trend might get worse. 

Shame, anxiety, and depression are some of the uncomfortable feelings those suffering from a quarter-life crisis will experience. Believing themselves to be failures for not achieving what is expected of them, leading them down a spiral of guilt and shame. Defeatist thoughts start to take root within their minds and in the long run, individuals might give up caring for themselves and suffer from other issues, like having difficulty concentrating or insomnia.

Why Young Adults have a Quarter-life Crisis

Many factors can send a young person towards a spiral of doubt and uncertainty. They include high expectations being placed on them, their inability to handle adult responsibilities, and being unclear about their own life goals.

Societal pressures to build a successful life place a heavy burden on young adults. Those starting out might expect they can accomplish that by following a set script like getting a stable job, finding a partner, buying a home, and then raising a stable family. If they are unable to achieve that despite their efforts, they may start doubting whether they lived their lives in a ‘correct’ way.

Young adults joining adulthood may be faced with responsibilities they might not be prepared for, especially those who had few responsibilities before reaching adulthood. Responsibilities like managing finances, researching real estate, job hunting, or caring for their elders might be manageable in theory, but attempting to handle them all without good guidance can stress young adults who are stumbling through their lives. The pressure to succeed in all of them will most likely break them and send them into a deeper crisis.

Throughout their lives, young people are expected to pursue their life goals, but there are also many who coasted through life without considering their futures. When reality hits them and they ultimately must fend for themselves, they struggle to find a goal to take their lives towards. This lack of direction soon breeds uncertainty, which then leads them to question what they should do with their lives.

How do Young Adults Overcome this Crisis?

The first method to resolving a quarter-life crisis is to reflect on what our core values are. Our core values represent what is important to us and what we want to do with our lives. Being mindful of our actions while identifying what our thoughts are at the current moment allows us to realize what motivates us and drives us forward. All in all, having a clear set of values gives us a direction, however blurry, on where to direct our energies.

Another solution is to temper expectations on what a young person can accomplish during their time. Life is a marathon, and everyone achieves success and contentment at different times. “Comparison is the thief of joy” as they say, and it would be unfair to compare your own progress with others, especially if you are comparing yourself to little Jim’s success where he had a head start in the form of a million-dollar inheritance from his parents. Living in the time where one compares their success to another, the constant lesson of “stop comparing yourself to others” remains as relevant as ever.

Finally, the last but most important method of overcoming a quarter-life crisis might be to seek help, preferably from a professional. It can be hard to admit our worries to anyone without being judged harshly for ‘laziness’, but our generation fortunately is more open to seeking mental help compared to those before. Therapists and counselors are trained to hear and help with your worries, and it would do us good to have someone to vent our frustrations and help us realize what direction our lives should take.

Conclusion

For many ‘functional’ adults, it is unthinkable that the younger generation has entered crisis mode as soon as they enter the adult world, yet here we are. Issues like high expectations, the burden of responsibilities, and unclear life goals can send young adults into a crisis, leaving them unsure on how to live their lives. To anyone who is suffering from a quarter-life crisis so soon in their lives, I say: we did our best to make something out of our lives and it can be disheartening that a crisis comes during the time when we just started out, where we are unsure of our goals in life and whether our efforts are worth something. However, we are not alone as others also questioned whether it is worth continuing to live with purpose. No matter what life throws at us, our pursuit of a stable life makes our current lives worth living.

 By: Ryan Wolfe

It doesn’t matter if it’s baseball, hockey, football, basketball, or soccer. Thousands of people come together to pack into stadiums to root for their favorite team as they collectively cheer as one unified front for a team they cherish. This has gone on for decades around the world, and it’san ever-growing phenomenon. The FIFA World Cup continues to accumulate millions of viewers globally every 4 years, and the NFL is continuing to expand its international presence by playing games in the UK, Germany, and now Brazil.

Youth sports have been an easy medium for kids to make friends and learn social skills. Interaction as a child is a crucial part of their cognitive development. There are over 60 million youth participants in sports programs around the country, and about 81% agree that sports are an important institution. Some setbacks have hit youth programs due to the pandemic when there was a 37% decrease in young participants, and while some sports like soccer and baseball have rebounded in the last couple of years, birth rates have also been down, so youth sports in the future could be in jeopardy. That shouldn’t be discouraging to the public as five of the major sports leagues in North America made a combined $51.3 billion dollars in 2023. People will always stay invested in sports because of the drama, competitiveness and the profit that can be made from it.

Social media and YouTubers have added to the sports world in the past decade. Most people don’t have to rely on typical sports networks like ESPN or FS1 like they used to, now they can enjoy their favorite sports podcaster or YouTuber from anywhere, at any time. One sports YouTuber I would like to highlight is Tom Grossi. He’s a football YouTuber based in New York, and he has a large catalog of videos that range from comedic skits to analysis of different NFL teams and their matchups. Grossi’s skits can bring more engagement to the NFL because people will want to see the results of each matchup and see what the next skit will be like. 

Grossi won the NFL Fan of the Year award back in 2023 due to his incredibly generous acts. In June 2023, Tom visited all 30 NFL stadiums to raise money for St. Jude Children’s hospital. He would create benchmarks and if the donations hit a certain milestone, he would have to do that task. Some of the milestone tasks he performed were jumping onto a table in Buffalo – a Bills fans tradition – going into a haunted mansion in New Orleans, and many other challenges. During his journey to every stadium across the country, his fundraiser for St. Jude raised around $500,000. This year, Grossi decided to go to every international stadium that the NFL has played at, which includes the UK, Germany, Spain, Brazil, and Mexico. He continues to do charity events on his channel by doing live events with special guests from across all sports and entertainment. Tom and his fan base are just one example of people coming together to bring positive change and be a welcoming event. He goes by the motto that they’re doing “chaotic good” for the world. Grossi is truly an inspirational figure to so many people out there and his charitable work is helping so many lives.

Sports are a place of excitement, fandom, and all out joy. It can be a place to escape from all the stresses of the world and be united in one place. Millions of people come together every 4 years for the Olympics with the opening ceremony as a symbol of what the world could be if we all came together and worked with one another. Nationalism is put aside for 3 weeks as the world’s best athletes showcase their amazing abilities on the field, court, track, or whatever plane they’reon. Over 200 countries were represented in the Olympics this past year in France, and nations like Saint Lucia and Guatemala won their first ever gold medals. It’s a tear-jerking sensation as we all lean and cheer for our favorite athletes. The ultimate underdog story, we see that individual within ourselves as they accomplish their goals. The crowd waited as Swedish American pole-vaulter Mondo Duplantis beat the world record on his final attempt in the Olympics, the crowd erupted in absolute shock and excitement. That’s the beauty of sports, a moment that we can all enjoy together. A moment we could remember forever, and a moment to motivate us to do better in the end.

By Zi Yuan Wong

Individual privacy is considered one of the cornerstones of a functioning democracy, where people have the right to live their lives without being watched. I can guess that this is something many can agree on since every one of us deserves space to do our own thing without having to constantly look over our shoulder. On the other hand, we also want to live a life where we are safe and protected from harm. To ensure everyone is safe from harm, governments must make sure people stay out of trouble and to accomplish that, they must keep tabs on what others are doing, leading to a situation where an individual’s right to privacy might be compromised in the name of safety and security. 

This debate is more prominent than ever during the digital age, where governments are conducting mass surveillance in the name of “national security”. This is made worse with personal data being uploaded and shared online, and people start to worry that their data might be leaked and used without their permission. Both large governments and tech giants, who are tasked with handling significant amounts of user data in their systems, have the responsibility of ensuring the safety of this data while avoiding violating individuals right to privacy.

Privacy vs Security Today

While the debate between individual privacy and national security has been raging since the novel 1984 by George Orwell which introduced the concept of Big Brother who constantly watches its citizens, this discussion again flared up when NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden released classified documents in 2013, detailing that the US government has been conducting mass surveillance on a global scale for many years. To say that the discovery made many people furious is an understatement and remains a sore topic among the public.

Another government accused of spying on its citizens is China, where there have been news reports of the Chinese Government conducting mass surveillance on their citizens and keeping track of their actions through a system of surveillance cameras and internet traffic. Like the US government, the Chinese government also justified the mass surveillance of citizens in the name of national security and ensuring the safety of the population. 

Arguments for Security & Privacy

There have been arguments in favor of either security or privacy with both camps arguing that one should be prioritized ahead of the other. 

Arguments in favor of privacy indicate that the government has overstepped their bounds by spying on their citizens since personal privacy is a right protected by law. In addition, government agencies like the TSA, are also accused of implementing tightened security measures to avoid transparency, where these “security theaters” infringe on the privacy of citizens without improving national security whatsoever. Thus, with privacy being a protected basic right and reports of additional security measures having no effect, there is an argument that individual privacy should be prioritized more than overall security.

Security proponents, however, argue that some circumstances warrant tightened security at the expense of personal privacy in the name of citizen welfare. Circumstances like wartime and the pandemic mean that the safety of citizens should be prioritized to prevent further loss of life. Hence, security is deemed more important than individual privacy as they are done in the name of the “common good” of ensuring citizen welfare.

Conclusion 

The debate between privacy and security has long been raging with no clear answer. On the one hand, citizens are guaranteed the basic right to individual privacy and should remain as such. On the other, to ensure the safety and well-being of a country’s citizens, tightened security should be prioritized at the expense of individual privacy. Everyone values their own privacy and Americans especially, with the revelation that their government has been spying on them for years. But they also value their personal security and the ability to live their lives free from dangers or worries. Hence, it is important to strike the right balance to both options, where security can be guaranteed without jeopardizing citizens’ right to live their own lives without being spied on.

On October 21, 2024
By Zi Yuan Wong

‘Giving up’ can be one of those ‘unacceptable’ phrases no one wants to hear when chasing their dreams. I mean, they pour their heart and soul to accomplish something and now you are telling them to stop. Who has the heart to tell them that, especially when all of us are taught to persevere, endure, and not give up when faced with problems in our lives?

Despite what many might think, sometimes, giving up on something is just what people need given their circumstances. Maybe the person decides the thing is not worth fixing, or they are done living up to people’s expectations, or they decide to be the bigger person and start making decisions for themselves. Whatever the reasons, giving up should be seen as a viable action, not something that should be condemned.

Giving Up means cutting our losses

We are constantly taught that persevering and overcoming challenges is helping us grow as a person. That is until we encounter a challenge that ends up consuming more of our lives than we expected. After spending countless hours and resources getting it to work, our efforts still ended up leading nowhere, leaving us poorer in resources and emotionally drained.

If something demands too much of our lives and no longer brings any satisfaction by achieving it, cutting our losses by giving up is always an option. Sometimes the sacrifices and effort needed to fix the problem outweigh the benefits, and the satisfaction of completing it does not seem worth it. By giving up, we remove ourselves from the burden of pursuing a doomed path and are free to move on with our lives.

Giving Up means letting go of expectations

We all wanted to impress and repay the people who supported us while growing up. That means we strive to meet the expectations placed on us, to prove that their faith in us is warranted. However, other’s expectations will continue to increase, soon expecting us to achieve what they did back in the day. They might soon think, if they can succeed at building a stable life at a specific age, then so can we.

Despite their encouragement during hard times with phrases like “keep going” and “you can do it” to keep my spirits up, the words ended up becoming increasingly hollow and condescending since it came from those that have succeeded in another time with different circumstances. For the people that tried meeting those expectations but are unable to do so, they will feel bad about not achieving the same level of success as them.

By giving up, it means letting go of other’s expectations of you and no one’s voice but your own will influence your opinions and values. Advice from others is appreciated but the recipient of those words must have the final say, whether that decision leads to either good or bad outcomes. If giving up means releasing oneself from others expectations, then so be it.

Giving Up as a Sign of Maturity

Another reason we refuse to give up is because we think we have no choice. Even when continuing is no longer worth it, despite the facts, we still feel that giving up means all our efforts will be wasted and are worth nothing in the end, so we continue anyway. We were taught to overcome every obstacle in our way in pursuit of anything, sometimes blindly, and we never considered stopping and reflecting as a valid option.

Choosing to give up means finally deciding that stopping is what’s best for ourselves. The decision has a chance of not leading to anything good in the long run, but we are at least mature about that and accept the consequences our decision brings. Hence, choosing to give up is another sign of personal maturity, where we accept the outcomes of our decisions and decide to live with that fact.

So, should we just give up?

From juggling our studies to our jobs while hoping for a better tomorrow, the future seems increasingly bleak, and the thought of giving up becomes all the more tempting. We can continue to fight against the struggles, but when our efforts no longer result in anything meaningful, by choosing to give up, it lets us cut our losses, release ourselves from others’ expectations, and display our maturity by owning up to the consequences of our decisions.

Let me end this sermon by saying that giving up does not mean neglecting to take care of yourself. Giving up on pursuing something is fine, but completely giving up on yourself means giving up on living and pursuing what makes you happy. When no one else is there to make you happy, who else can do that but yourself?

On October 21, 2024
By Ryan Wolfe

Thousands of students across the country take part in some sort of music education either in elementary, middle, or high school. It turns out that learning an instrument, or learning music in general, has plenty of positive effects on human development. When a child learns an instrument, it can help their fine and gross motor skills, and these motor skills typically help with smaller movements like picking up food or drawing. Gross motor skills help with overall bodily movement such as running, riding a bike, and climbing.

Music can also benefit someone psychologically. Listening to and playing music can reduce anxiety and ease stress levels and the skill it takes to play an instrument requires strong lungs for being able to blow into the mouthpiece or reed. The buildup of strong lungs can improve breathing and better breathing techniques ease the heart and blood pressure.  It doesn’t just have to be playing an instrument or even singing, music can release the chemical dopamine which can improve the mood and overall mental health.

The community that comes with being in a band, orchestra, or choir is quite beneficial too. Kids of many diverse backgrounds come together to make something magical, and people who would never meet otherwise come together to create music. Sports and clubs have similar results as kids can find a place to belong to. If the home is a troubling environment, a musical group can be an escape for the child to do an activity that makes them happy. A sense of creativity takes over all the students as they work together. Their bond with one another and their passion for music affect their lives. Some students may spend 3 to 6 years together making music in class, and that’s a lot of precious time that cannot be taken away.

Beyond making music with others in a class environment, skills from music can translate to other fields as one gets older. Valuable communication skills are required in many different jobs, and teamwork is another essential skill one can learn from being a part of a musical ensemble. A student must find a way to blend in with other instrument groups in the band as each puzzle piece helps execute the togetherness of the composition. One individual playing off key could derail the entire performance.

Another important skill that comes from being a part of a musical ensemble is work ethic. A lot of students must take time to practice and perfect a particular piece. It takes hours upon hours and days upon days to master a certain composition, and a perfect performance is never a guarantee. As long as the effort is put into getting better and improving, that’s all that matters in the long run. From job to job, and life in general, adaptability is needed to survive in any environment.

Such skills could be on the decline due to schools cutting music education programs. Every school has their own reason why cuts are made and some of the more popular reasons boil down to budget cuts and how much money is going to each program. It becomes a game of economics deciding what programs matter more compared to others, and typically most of the money goes towards other subjects or sports. One main reason budget cuts to music programs came to so many schools were due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The proper funding to pay teachers had to be carefully distributed, and some schools couldn’t afford it. Over 70,000 fewer teachers and other school employees were hired during the time of the pandemic due to a budgeting nightmare. Without these programs in place, a lot of students could lose a medium to express themselves and might be unable to properly focus on academics.

Music education can bring a lot of people together for one common goal; to make the best possible music and awe the audience. Many skills from communication to adaptability can be attained through music. The poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow once stated, “music is the universal language of mankind.” It truly can bring people together no matter what race, religion, class, gender, or sexual orientation the person has. The musical classroom is a place for all people to work together and feel comfortable with one another. The world is a crazy and chaotic place already, but music transcends everything and can soften the soul. Music is a beautiful substance, so let us hold onto it as long as we’re around.   

By Kaia Ryden on September 15, 2024

The Minnesota State Fair is one of the biggest attractions in the entire country, bringing in an average of around 2 million visitors each year. People from all over the US come to enjoy themselves at the fair, bringing their cars full of family and friends with them. With all the ruckus and entertainment inside the fair, the world around the fair is often drowned out. Here is a look at life outside and behind the fair, coming from a local.  

I have lived just a couple blocks away from the fair grounds for my entire life. While the neighborhood is normally a cozy, friendly, and mostly quiet area for most of the year, it changes drastically during the fair.  

Many kids will set up lemonade stands to earn a couple extra bucks from the incoming visitors. One of my favorite memories as a kid is setting up a soda stand with my brother and some neighborhood boys at the end of our block every year. We always earned a little money and created a lot of good memories.  

Something I have always dreaded about fair time is parking. For the entirety of the two-week period, we can only park on one side of the street to make space for the extra cars that are coming through the neighborhood. For people that have their own driveways, this doesn’t cause too much stress, other than the increased traffic. For people like me and my family who park on the street in front of our house, this creates a big problem. People that are coming in from out of town, or who live too far away to walk, bring their cars into our neighborhoods looking for a good parking spot. This causes us to have to compete with others for a chance to park in front of our own houses.  

Luckily, the neighborhoods surrounding the fair can use their own yards to park cars when the parking situation becomes dire. My dad has been parking cars in our yard for as long as I can remember. It brings in a little money and gives the people coming in a safe place to park their cars.  

The fair brings people together, more than just inside the fair grounds. My neighbor invites my family and other neighbors to hang out around a bonfire in their front yard every year. We laugh, eat and chat until the fireworks go off and the fair closes for the night. We create community in every interaction we have with each other.  

Many people love the fair for the fun games, prizes, and food. Many businesses get more exposure by setting up in the fair. The fair is, all-around, a great opportunity for many people to do many things. While I personally don’t enjoy the fair that much, it is a great place to go at least once in your life. Unfortunately, Labor Day was the last day of the Minnesota State Fair, but the actual fair grounds hold many other events year-round. Other attractions held can be found here. 

Find something you might like and go have fun! 

By: Zi Yuan Wong

While surfing the net, we come across a series of unfortunate events that, by and large, color our thoughts and reinforce our negativity towards the state of the world. Reading news like constant wars, reoccurring disasters, and younger generations faring far worse than their elders, we felt that the world around us has somehow gone downhill. Seeking some kind of comfort, we thought back into the old days, where everything felt simple and just and right. Remembering the good times where we were happy and content with our lives, we cleanse the negative thoughts that our minds continue to harbor. Before long, we might think of our pasts as better compared to what we are feeling now. However, is that really the case for everyone?

For older folks that have fallen on hard times, they might remember their glory days; perfect career, supportive family, or the days living without a care in the world. For them, life is certainly better and maybe more enjoyable in the old days, and they wish to go back to how it once was. However, some might rather forget the old days since those times are anything but glorious. They might have grown up suffering from poverty or domestic abuse in their households while others in even less fortunate might experience traumatic events like poverty, war, and famine, which they wanted to forget after entering adulthood. Thus, while some might agree that the past is better than the present, those who experienced more traumatic pasts will likely answer ‘no’ to the question on whether to relive their pasts.

Remembering my younger days, I recall warm and familiar memories of the days I spent with my friends after school, relaxing at home, or getting along with my family. Compared to now, my problems back then seemed minor and insignificant. However, if you tell younger me that he had it easy, he will deny that while looking at you like you were crazy. Firstly, as a student, education is everything to me and my fate will be decided by how well I do in school; my college of choice, my scholarships, my future. In addition to my studies, my individual freedom as a child can also be considered restrictive. Since I was still immature, I was not trusted to go anywhere by myself and I was limited in my ability to travel anywhere compared to now, where I can stay in another country despite my current struggles.

Compared to today, are our pasts any easier to live in? While it is true that the younger generation might not have to worry about adult responsibilities when they were younger, they still have roles to play as children navigating the world like going to school, getting good grades, and taking care of their siblings. The lives of children are also dictated by a schedule that must be followed, and they do not have the luxury to do anything they like. As for adults, many might think that their lives were better back then, but for adults that suffered prior trauma, they would rather forget those memories ever existed.

Nostalgia can be an addictive drug during uncertain times by turning our attention to the past. While it can be comforting to relive the good times of old, it shields us from experiencing the present that we are living in. Not to mention, many others do not have comforting pasts, and it also does a disservice to the people around us that exist today by ignoring them. For all of us, while it can be seductive, the past shall always remain the past, and we should be more present in the lives we are living today.