You Are a Gift: Unleashing What That Means

I smiled with joy when I walked into my friend’s bedroom and saw a picture I had gifted her hanging on her wall. What made that moment so special? It wasn’t simply the physical picture itself- but everything it represented. Whether a gift is a batch of cookies or an engagement ring, the way a…

What Hillary Duff taught me about breaking up

Circa 2004, A Cinderella Story. Hillary Duff & Chad Michael Murray were the love story of my childhood. I’ll never forget the moment Hillary Duff’s character (Sam) walked into the men’s locker room ready to tell Chad Michael Murray (Austin) off. And boy did she. The classic line, “Waiting for you is like waiting for…

I Like Her. Now What?

“I want you to walk up to her, give her a compliment, then…just walk away.” Gentleman, it’s that easy. Or at least that’s what Mrs. Parker-Nichols from Drake & Josh had me believe when I was just a little Erick.  As silly as that may sound, I believed this would actually work for many of…

“Do it and you’re cool! Do it and you’re cool!”

“Do it and you’re cool! Do it and you’re cool!”were the words that went across my mind when I felt tempted into falling into the peer pressures of college parties. How desperate must I have been wanting to fit in my freshman year of college? I have to admit I just wanted friends! And there…

How to Party in College: Finding the Heart of Celebration

Bass is booming. You can hear the pulse from a block away. As you walk into a dim lit house, you are greeted by the aroma of cheap beer and sweet liquor and reminded by this fact each step of the way as your shoes stick to the floor. The room is lined with clusters…

Pursuit of Friendship

I remember it like yesterday, the first day back from Christmas break standing by the softball field in a black sweater and jeans. One by one the softball girls came out in their uniforms greeting each other with hugs and screams as they reunited. There I was in the corner feeling invisible. To put you…

I Am Not the Sum of my Achievements

What’s your name? Have you ever stopped to consider how something as simple as your name can carry so much significance? We don’t choose it, we don’t assign it a meaning, but we do recognize the weight it can carry. My full name is Erick Omar Marquez. The name Erick has Norse roots and it’s…

If you aren’t yourself, then who are you

Have you ever experienced someone making fun of the way you simply are? Maybe it’s the way you dress, talk, smile, laugh, or maybe you’ve been made fun of for the things you enjoy doing?  Being disrespected can form hurtful wounds that may cause you to want to hide; not only from those who have…