SNAP SHOTS

Illustrations by Iryna Presley

I love my job

I work as an education assistant at a high school, and I mean it wholeheartedly when I say I love my job and everything it entails. From seeing students have their aha moments to providing wisdom on their social conflicts, there’s a special sort of joy I feel. When I get to help a student work through their struggles and grow as a person, I can feel myself growing as well. The teens I work with are the upcoming generation that will continue to shift this world into new directions. My hope is not that they have luck or endless financial success, but

How are you, really?

that they are happy and content with who they are as people. The world is full of trials and tribulations, but that doesn’t mean we can’t make an impact. Regardless of age or whatever clause people put up, we are all capable of growth in positive directions.

I suspect many of them, if not all of them, will never read this snippet. If one of them chooses to Google my name and stumbles upon this piece, please never bring it up.

Sincerely,

Ms. Spencer Emmaline Spencer

I’ve seen a lot of posts going around on social media talking about June being Men’s Mental Health Month. I mentioned to my boyfriend yesterday that I find the concept a bit odd. May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and certainly men are included in that, too. But, my boyfriend pointed out that prior to our relationship, he was rarely, if ever, asked about his mental well-being by those closest to him. He said that from his perspective, it never seemed like anyone cared about the mental health of men. This information rattled me. I grew up as an only child in a family of psychiatric nurses — mental health and mental illness were always talked about. I check in with my boyfriend on a near daily basis about how his mental health is, but why is this not a societal norm?

Although the patriarchy benefits men tremendously, it also backfires, resulting in men dying due to a lack of mental health awareness. Our patriarchal and binary world is harmful to all genders. While there shouldn’t be a difference between the mental health of men, women, and gender non-conforming people, we treat it differently. So, check in with men.

Aasha Khoyratty

Bucket

lists

Be Bygones

I spent hours carefully crafting lists at the beginning of every summer — fuelled by Pinterest inspo photos and coming-of-age films. In big bold letters at the top would read, “100 Things to Do This Summer.” I was creating the perfect season; a way to make sure I made the most of every minute, written down in various brightly coloured markers. Go to a Drive-In movie and Build a Fort were yearly staples. Something in the intentionality of making the list solidified my determination to make memories — good ones — even if the lists were never fully completed.

Over the years we lost the intentionality of walking into a new season. I find people cruising through their summers: working, studying, seeing friends, but not truly experiencing summer. Or we find ourselves planning those moments, only to view them from behind a camera lens instead of being present. Letting go of summer bucket lists caused us to let go of the simple pleasures and unending adventures summer has to offer, allowing ourselves to be sucked into the daily motions until we’re drowned out by the rain. Instead of capturing moments for our socials, number 100 on our summer bucket lists should be cultivating memories for our souls.

Alyssa Roth

Snapchat has finally made me snap

Over the years, Snapchat has proven itself to be a very useful tool. You can text without using data, send photos instantly without cluttering up your phone, and the layout is pleasing and intuitive. Snapchat has been my go-to method of communication for years, and I’ve never felt the need to go back to SMS — until now.

The addition of that smug little AI bot at the top of my chat feed angers me to no end for reasons I can only half explain. At least ChatGPT doesn’t pretend to have a personality; “My AI” has a friendly demeanor but absolutely nothing of value to say. The moment you prompt it with anything even slightly controversial it stonewalls you. Not to mention its knowledge is outdated — it still thinks Queen Elizabeth II is alive. How exactly is this helpful again?

The whole thing smacks of corporate greed and eagerness to shove AI software where it doesn’t belong. The most annoying part is you can’t remove My AI without paying for Snapchat+. Perhaps all of this is a sign that I should stop whining and delete an app primarily meant for high schoolers? Nah, couldn’t be.

Matthew Iddon