Author: amanda620dg
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Striving for an ‘A’
One of the most talked about news developments in March was the college admissions scandal that exposed several high-profile bribery cases where wealthy parents have been charged with buying spots at elite universities for their teenage children, which has included Hollywood actresses and business executives. In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott is urging universities to re-evaluate…
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Catch-22: A Message from a 22-Year-Old
Aside from escalating political tensions, recently furloughed paychecks for 800,000 government workers highlighted that too many Americans live paycheck-to-paycheck without an adequate savings account. A recent podcast from NPR’s Austin branch on the government shutdown highlighted that “[a]lmost 60 percent of Americans have less than $1,000 in savings, meaning an emergency expense would put many people…
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Lessons from “The Gatekeepers”
In a lot of ways, 2017 and 2018 blurred. Maybe it’s that I’ve mentality adjusted to the biennial session of the Texas Legislature. Another contributing factor is the fall-spring-summer academic semesters bridge across calendar years. Undeniably, the constant stream of headlines since President Donald Trump’s inauguration in January of 2017 has also played into this…
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Stone-Cold Racism, Strong Reporting and Self-Reflection
Two weeks ago on a busy, mid-50 degrees Wednesday morning — chilly by Texas standards — I was attending a policy briefing at the Texas State Capitol. Afterward, I joined a Capitol staffer for a two-block walk for some coffee. Two things happened to me that morning within a minute of each other that highlighted…
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Legends | FAREWELL: Editor-In-Chief closes with a sentimental feature
This piece was originally published in Hilltop Views. My four-year routine of reserving Monday nights for contributing to weekly print editions of Hilltop Views ended this week. Crowded together on computer screens, my staff and I work through writing, designing and editing. Around midnight, the majority start dwindling out of the office. Tuesday around 3…
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