Mental illness doesn’t stop for any occasion. 

I never thought by the age of 20, I’d be at my worst mental state, trying to and care for my bipolar boyfriend. 

When I arrived in Canada for fall semester, I never expected a series of adventures would follow meeting a wonderful travel buddy.

Getting too comfortable in your environment is a sin. After a run-in with a local Kingston resident, I realized that’s for good reason.

When I was first diagnosed as a diabetic, I thought my condition was a burden to carry alone for the rest of my life. It took me a few years to figure out I had it backwards.

While some students are lucky enough to head home early for winter break, others spend most of December getting exam-ready in the library.

When you’re already pressed for time, it can be hard to decide where you want to live and who you want to live with.

I can’t a time where I was unaware people in the world would harm me solely because I was Jewish.

Turning the corner onto Lafayette Avenue, I looked at my arm. It was covered in goosebumps for the sixth time in the last 50 minutes.

When I set out looking for a summer job, I didn’t plan on living in a postcard. As it turns out, pleasant surprises are a reality. 

In 2017, five of my friends and I moved into our new house to find we weren’t the only ones living there.

Whether it’s running down Aberdeen Street or connecting with past generations of Gaels, Homecoming is an unforgettable experience in the Queen’s community.

In September 2016, I came to school with a truck full of boxes and a mind cluttered by expectations.

Growing up, I was under the impression mental illness was the result of some trauma or difficult upbringing, leaving me safely unaffected.

As an avid Instagram and YouTube consumer, I’ve noticed social media personalities commenting on fitness, diet, and the student lifestyle. Their messages seem positive, but leave no room for error. I wanted to see if this picture-perfect existence is actually attainable. 

In high school, I had nightmares where I was horrifyingly buried alive. A few years later, I was asking Kingston’s Immerse Spa to drop me into a pitch-black sensory deprivation tank. You can imagine my internal shock.

I’ve always wanted to be a veterinarian—at least I tried to remind myself that when I shadowed a racehorse fertility vet.

As the first days of classes close, some students already feel at home already while others are doubting their choice of university. The Journal asked students to share when they knew Queen’s was the right school for them.