The Price of Greed

By MATT WANG

Grade: 8
Enya Studio
Teacher: Hongliang (Enya) Huang

Displaced

By ELERI YOUNG

Grade: 12
Cypress Woods High School, Cypress-Fairbanks ISD
Teacher: Teri Farrell

Weathered Wear

By SARIAH VIRGILE

Grade: 9
Klein Cain High School, Klein ISD
Teacher: Kristie Lee

The Inside Joke

By MADELINE HAZEL

Grade: 11
Jordan High School, Katy ISD
Teacher: Katrina Cerk

Mass Media Playground

By EILEEN CHI

Grade: 10
Enya Studio
Teacher: Ricardo Morales Henry

Zid

By LAIBA EFFENDI

Grade: 12
I H Kempner High School, Fort Bend ISD
Teacher: Haley Grimes

There's a sting to Texas asphalt that seeps through the soles of your shoes. Normally, the discomfort would send me
back to the garage. But today, a deeper warmth keeps me rooted, eyes locked on a cardboard box of kittens, huddled
beneath a sliver of shade. I refuse to move until I see them returned to their mother.

"Come inside Laiba beta, you'll overheat," my mother stands in the garage, a cup of cold Lassi in hand. "Yaar, so zidii,"
she muses. Once, the label—ziddi—would have stung. Now, it's a badge I wear with pride.

Ziddi. A simple word in Urdu, yet difficult to translate. Stubborn? Headstrong? Persistent? It carries the weight of cultural
expectation—obedience, compliance—and the tension of living between two worlds. As a Pakistani-American, I've
learned to navigate this duality: in one world, zid is a reprimand; in the other, it's a source of strength.

I first saw zid in my father. My summers were spent bent over car radiators with a flashlight as he replaced coolant or
crouched by the jack stand, balancing a tire as he removed screws. Despite struggles to break even, I watched him
negotiate to sell a 2014 Suburban for a fraction of its price to a struggling mother, asking only for her goodwill in return.
It was a car he'd spent days laboring over.

My grandparents called him ziddi, and I understood their pain. As immigrants building our lives from the ground up, it
didn't feel like we had the capacity for grand gestures of generosity. Yet, a part of me understood that perhaps these
moments themselves kept my father going.

The core of Punjabi tradition invoked community and hospitality, and he refused to let his values fade no matter how
far from home he was. Most of my life, being called ziddi was a critique, a call to conform. For the first time, I viewed it
as strength.

Recognizing the same zid in my mother ignited my activism. For years, I watched her struggle with doctors who
diminished her struggles, convinced she over-dramatized her fatigue. Pulling late nights where I helped her research
how to better advocate for herself in doctors clinics, I watched in awe as a 5 '3 woman with heavily accented English
commanded the room when paired with the right information. It was her zid, her insistence, that finally led to finding
out she had lupus a year later.

For the underrepresented, I've learned that though zid is sometimes all we have, it is an effective tool.

Building my own zid was an arduous journey. I watched as the Texas legislature (70% of which is male) passed House
Bill 1280, banning abortion rights, though the majority of menstruators opposed it. Despite months of research on
inadequacies in Fort Bend's pro-abstinence curriculum, my proposal was shut down by stakeholders for being too
"controversial" to pass the school board. As I continued my work despite their protest, consulting with school board
candidates in Merced, California, or raising awareness over board elections and policies at my own school, I began to
take personal satisfaction in each small success.

Now, I embrace my stubbornness. It's what drives me to stay up late solving programming challenges in my CSA class
and what keeps me planning Wava coding lessons for the kids I tutor. When they struggle, I encourage them to try a
new approach because the process of learning is far more impactful than the end goal.

Like my father's generosity, my mother's quiet assertiveness, and my persistence, I'm learning that zid cannot be lost in
translation. Whether in tech, where women like me are still a minority, or in advocacy, where I work to dismantle deeply
rooted societal norms, it lives on within me. Zid isn't static—it evolves, from the steps my parents have taken to the
work I hope to continue to do, becoming a force for personal and collective change.

The City Is a Mouth That Never Closes

By LUCAS FANG

Grade: 12
Kinkaid School
Teacher: Angélique Jamail

This city, slick with oil & rain,

sings songs in sirens. Hear it

hums the foghorns at Ship Channel,

echoes through Fifth Ward & Third,

across fields of pollen-stained concrete.

Every street corner a new tongue

spitting stories of longing

& flight, where shadows of storefronts

whisper old songs, salsa & zydeco mingling

with the clamor of a broken world.

My mother hands me a bucket of water

for the garden we've started on cracked asphalt.

Seeds we don't know the names of

except by their hunger for sunlight.

She tells me, "Luôn tiến về phía trước, không bao giờ lùi bước." (always step forward, never step back.)

& in this language, I am always reaching—

the long stretch of Vietnamese breath

tangled with broken English fragments,

every word a shard slicing the sky

Here, the bayou snakes through the city's torso,

bloated with history & desire.

We gather, all of us, on its banks

with signs raised high: Freedom

& Hope, spelled out in cursive bruises.

Last night, the student read from a megaphone

beneath the glow of traffic lights—

her voice a fist lifted to the sky,

asking if the rain remembers the hands

that built this city from bayou muck.

There are days when the air is thick

with promises & protest, when we march

through streets that reflect like mirrors,

chanting names of those who didn't come home.

We speak & the city listens.

I think of my mother, who still dreams in another language,

who folds napkins in her lap like small altars,

her hands blessed by the scent of ashes & sweat,

who taught me to burn incense for those we've lost.

This is how we do it: one foot in front of the other,

side by side, chanting in tongues of fire & flood.

Our voices rise like smoke signals,

the city a mouth that never closes—

The 'Situationship' Between Popular Television Influences and Romantic Labels

By ADDISON DAVIS

Grade: 12
Jordan High School, Katy ISD
Teacher: Jonathan Frishman

Throughout history, various forms of media have been utilized to manipulate viewers’ perceptions. From political propaganda to perfume advertisements to reality television, it is evident that media possesses an incredible ability to shape how people view and interpret the world around them. Concurrent with the rise of television influence, today’s teenagers have markedly different relationships compared to those in previous decades. Specifically, in contemporary teen dating culture, Gen Z has coined unique terms to describe their relationships, such as ‘situationships,’ ‘talking stages,’ and ‘benching,’ among others. These terms are often used to describe the gray area between platonic and romantic relationships. So, why would the movies teenagers watch affect the labels they use for their relationships? How do the unrealistic portrayals of romantic relationships in popular movies and television influence the labeling and expectations of romantic relationships among teenagers aged 13-17 in contemporary culture?

The expectations adolescents have in their romantic relationships are primarily due to relationship examples they are exposed to in the movies and television they consume. Kracht, a licensed mental health counselor, and Powell, a doctor in life-span development psychology, in their study of the correlation between romantic values depicted in media and individuals’ relationship expectations, conclude that “the portrayal of romantic relationships in media has the potential to affect a viewer’s relationship beliefs.” (Kracht & Powell, 2021). Additionally, Pew Research, a research group known for cultivating data-driven social science research, in their data collection involving modern adolescent relationships found that fewer teens are dating now than in past years. Interestingly, almost half of adolescents have never been in a relationship (Smith et al., 2015). The changing ideals of what love should look like according to popular television are detrimental to teens’ relationships. Parents, educators, and media producers should work to encourage critical analyses of popular movies and television among adolescents and provide examples of healthy, secure relationships in order to minimize the influence of unrealistic romantic portrayals, ultimately fostering healthier labeling and expectations of romantic relationships for teenagers.

Romantic Portrayals in Movies

To begin, popular television often portrays unrealistic depictions of what love and romance should look like. There are generally two common portrayals of romance in TV: first, perfect relationships that (excluding the primary plot conflict) appear to be faultless. Kracht and Powell, in the previously mentioned study, explain that “romantic comedies portray strong relationship themes, such as the concept of a soul mate or one-and-only love, idealization of partners, love conquers all, and love at first sight” (Kracht & Powell, 2021). These perfect idealizations demonstrated in popular movies often aren’t the case and can cause dissatisfaction in relationships that don’t live up to expectations. The second common theme of fictional relationships is the glorification of dysfunctional relationships. These may at least be more realistic, but still lead to skewed perspectives of what love should look like. Louis Bosshart, in his review of Mary-Lou Galician’s Sex, Love, and Romance in the Mass Media: Analysis and Criticism of Unrealistic Portrayals and Their Influence, explains that the issue with relationship portrayals in mass media is that they “rarely present models of healthy, realistic romance and love” (Bosshart, 2007). Some of the most popular movies and TV incorporate extremely toxic elements into romances for the sake of drama and entertainment value, but young viewers with still moldable ideals and values may begin to perceive these negative attributes of relationships as the norm. It is also conveyed in romance movies that finding love is an ultimate goal of sorts, and is a great achievement that everyone should strive for. Again, this is not reality, but when this perspective is shoved into young minds, it molds their perceptions. However, if love and romance are exhibited as a primary achievement in life again and again, why does data show fewer teens in romantic relationships today?

Impacted Romantic Expectations

Unrealistic portrayals of relationships in popular media have the power to influence the expectations teens have for their relationships today. To truly understand the immense control mass media has over viewers’ perceptions, we must generalize this topic. The influence of mass media goes further than one might believe. It has the power to shape perspectives on all types of topics. For instance, political views, specifically regarding cultural conflicts can be influenced easily if viewers do not have background knowledge on the issue. Lila Abu-Lughod, Professor of Anthropology and Women’s and Gender Studies at Columbia University, has worked on women’s issues in the Middle East for several years. In an interview with Nermeen Shaikh, Abu-Lughod explains that “plastering neat cultural icons like ‘the Muslim woman’ over messier historical and political narratives doesn’t get you anywhere” (Shaikh, 2019). The same can be said regarding romantic relationships; displaying flawless, neat examples of romance, while hiding messier aspects, can be misleading, particularly to young viewers who lack the necessary life experience to contextualize such depictions. The power news outlets have on viewers is immense, and this concept translates to popular movies and TV as well. The television people consume has incredible power over subconscious perceptions of all aspects of their lives.

Unique Contemporary Labels

Perceived expectations of what a romantic relationship should look like are encouraging the usage of non-committal, and often toxic terms by teens to describe their relationships. Labels such as ‘situationship,’ meaning an undefined romantic relationship; ‘the talking stage,’ which refers to the period of getting to know someone before committing to a relationship; and ‘benching,’ indicating when someone is not interested enough to commit to someone, all share a common theme: a lack of commitment. Why are teenagers in today’s culture afraid to commit to a defined relationship? When adolescents are given a limited range of representation for romance, they are led to believe in perceived standards that their relationship will not always meet. Eggermont explains that “romantic concerns are a predominant category of issues on adolescents’ minds” (Eggermont, 2004). It makes sense that teenagers should be hesitant to enter a defined relationship with another person when they are only ever shown examples of faultless romance. The non-committal nature teens have adopted in their relationships has created a destructive dating culture that is emotionally harmful to those who attempt to partake in it, and it all stems from television influence. However, some may assume teens should be old enough to differentiate fiction from reality.

Powerful Media Influences

It may be concluded that adolescents are nearing an age of full cognitive maturity and therefore should have the critical analysis skills required to differentiate movies and TV from real-life relationships. However, for many adolescents today, subconsciously drawing a line between fiction and reality may be difficult due to a few different factors. First, teenagers aged 13-17 are still developing psychosocially, meaning they may not fully understand the influence of what they are viewing. A study by the National Library of Medicine describes a “maturity gap” as most adolescents reach their full cognitive capacity well before they reach full social maturity. Cognitive capacity is said to “reach adult levels prior to age 18, but psychosocial maturity not until the 20s” (Icenogle et al., 2019). Although teenagers may be technically cognitively mature, their psychosocial maturity, which has not yet reached its peak, causes them to be susceptible to the influences of television. Second, technology today is becoming increasingly prevalent to the point that it has integrated into our daily lives, blending the line between the virtual world and our real lives. It has fused into all parts of our lives to the point in which it is reality, so not allowing it to shape perceptions may be more difficult than it seems. Finally, more often than not, media literacy is not included in curriculums at school or taught in the home. Renee Hobbs and Amy Jenson, both having a background in media literacy education, describe the American education system’s “inconsistency with their inclusion of media literacy” (Hobbs & Jensen, 2009). If adolescents are not taught how to analyze the media they consume so that they understand the influences it may have, how are they expected to simply not be affected by the perspectives displayed in movies and television?

A Solution

To state it concisely, relationships in television that seem to be faultless are impacting teens by imposing skewed expectations that they may consider the standard for their own romantic relationships. This is causing Gen-Z teens to more commonly use noncommittal and open terms to describe their relationships. This sense of uncertainty and dissatisfaction that is becoming increasingly common in adolescents is a more important issue than you think. Relationships are very important to development and encouraging healthy relationships among teens should be discussed more. One solution for the issue of media’s role in this scenario is to increase media literacy education as well as media literacy interventions. According to Media Literacy Interventions: A Meta-Analytic Review, Media literacy interventions can be defined as “education programs aimed at informing audiences of the effects and influences of media” and they are expected to “reduce the impact of the media on audiences’ beliefs, attitudes, norms, and behaviors” (Jeong et al., 2012). Parents can provide this type of education as well in the home. Additionally, movie and television producers should attempt to represent more realistic depictions of romance so that teens have a variety of examples of what their relationship could look like.

The collaboration of parents, educators, and television producers to promote critical analyses of popular movies and TV among adolescents in addition to actively providing examples of healthy relationships will act as a measure to mitigate the influence of unrealistic romantic portrayals. This approach will help to nurture healthier teenage relationships, a vital goal considering the recent rise of violence in young relationships. Without the proper knowledge to counter susceptibility to television influences, the issue will only grow. Media literacy interventions are critical to prevent further issues.

Across the Great Divide

By PALOMA SANTAMARINA

Grade: 10
Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, Houston ISD
Teacher: Judith Switek

INT. SALOON - 1895 - EVENING IN THE WEST

In the corner of a rowdy saloon, two men sit hunched over a table, shotglasses littering the table and both of them
nursing glasses of whiskey. One man, LAWRENCE (35), is gripping the arm of his friend, PAUL (33), but they're both
staring down at the table and barely looking at each other.

After a stilted silence filled only by bar chatter and the occasional sip of whiskey from either of them, Paul clears his
throat awkwardly.

PAUL
You think she's, uh, calmed down now? How long's it been? Gotta be almost... six hours ...

LAWRENCE
You know women.

PAUL
I do?

LAWRENCE
Women and their grudges.

PAUL
Ah. Yeah. But, you know, s'pose she's worked herself out of her hysterics?

LAWRENCE
Unlikely.
(urging)
You know women.

PAUL
I guess I do.

They lapse into silence again, alternating between sipping drinks and putting their heads on the table. It's late at night,
the stars twinkling outside the window by their table. Paul glances out of it.

PAUL
Stuffy in here.

LAWRENCE
Would you rather go back to hiding in your own bushes? Outside of the house that you built your damn self?

PAUL
No ...

LAWRENCE
The stuffiness is nice. Makes it hard to think. This is why I prefer ... gentlemen's clubs. Want another drink?

PAUL

I still have to find my way back home eventually. She'll tire out soon enough.

LAWRENCE
You know -

PAUL
Yeah. I know women.

More time passes. The moon can be seen rising through the window, but neither of them pay it any attention. Paul gets
more refills of his drink while Lawrence stays immobile, pushing his own glass away but still holding onto Paul's arm.

PAUL
(mournfully)
What if she never calms down?

LAWRENCE
That's probably what'II happen.

PAUL
I figured. Because ... uh, we know women.

LAWRENCE
Comforting thought. But it ain't hard. Not exactly the most... intelligent creatures. They are fiery, though.

PAUL
Molly ...

LAWRENCE
Her too.

PAUL
Smart as a whip.

LAWRENCE
That's why you married her. Your mistake, compadre.
There's the sounds of a struggle outside, a sharp whinny, and a few moments later a STRANGER bursts into the saloon,
commanding the less drunk people's attention. He looks around nervously.

STRANGER
Spooked somebody's horse tied up by the side. Uh, an Appaloosa, mare I think, mostly white with brown spots around
its face and flank?

Paul just slumps down against the table further, but Lawrence stands up quickly, tugging the sorry-looking man along.

LAWRENCE
His, sorry. Which way'd it run?

STRANGER
Down the alley past the general store. Look, I'm real sorry, mister, I was -

Lawrence just grunts a thanks and drags Paul along, out of the saloon. Paul grabs one more bottle of whiskey mournfully
as he's pulled away.

DIRECTOR (O.S.)
Cut!

EXT. SALOON - LATE AT NIGHT

DIRECTOR (O.S.)
And ... action!

Paul stumbles after Lawrence without too much trouble, squinting at the hoofprints in the mud.

PAUL
She's flightier than a bird.

LAWRENCE
The horse?

PAUL
Her and Molly too. I guess I like 'em flighty.

LAWRENCE
Take up birdwatching.

The two of them laugh hoarsely, that one dumb joke seeming indescribably funny between them. Lawrence pulls Paul
out the other side of the alley and they look around, both squinting in the dark night, at the dirt roads before them. The
land is flat and it doesn't take too long for Lawrence to spot the Appaloosa mare prancing nervously around, her saddle
slipping on her back.

LAWRENCE
Call her over.

Paul looks up with a groan and then whistles for the mare. Her ears perk up at the familiar sound and she walks over to
the source of it carefully, coming to a stop before her half-drunk owner. She lips at his messed-up brown hair, formerly
pomaded but long since sweated out.

PAUL
Hey girl. We should go back ... home ...

LAWRENCE
And face her wrath if she's still waving that damn gun around?

PAUL
I gotta ...

LAWRENCE
Hope you can find your way home, then.

PAUL
You ain't gonna give me a leg up?

LAWRENCE
Fine. ONE leg up. If you slip right off again I ain't gonna help.

PAUL
Some good Samaritan you are.

LAWRENCE
Some gentleman you're lookin' like.

PAUL
Can't a man have his faults?

LAWRENCE
Not out here. Ask Molly.

PAUL
(grumbling)
Devil woman. I ain't scared of her ... it's just that she can smell fear ...

LAWRENCE
I know.

PAUL
I'm scared of her sometimes.

LAWRENCE
You told me.

PAUL
Especially when she ... well, you know how she gets ...

Lawrence doesn't respond, just helping Paul up and onto his horse. He smacks the mare's flank and Paul limply picks
up the reins, probably just dead weight on her back, but she can find her way home herself.

Paul and the mare leave Lawrence behind, cantering out onto the road and following it just outside of the small town.

DIRECTOR (O.S.)
Cut!

EXT. WOOD CABIN - EVEN LATER AT NIGHT

DIRECTOR (O.S.)
Take 6 ... action!

After a little while the mare trots herself right up to the lawn of a comfortable-looking cabin and starts munching on the
grass, Paul sliding right off with a drowsy look on his face.

He goes for the door and tries the doorknob, but it's locked, and he sighs, sagging against the door for a brief moment.

A gunshot bursts out of the door and whizzes past his ear, and he ducks down quickly, then peers through the hole
made by the bullet.

PAUL
Hon, what're you doin' with the pistol?

MOLLY (O.S.)
Hunting vermin.

PAUL
Oh ...

MOLLY (O.S.)
What did I tell you, Paul?

PAUL
To scram and never come back.

MOLLY (O.S.)
And what are you doin' right now? Just what are you tryin' to prove here? I told you I couldn't be won back over this
time, you ... nasty man.

PAUL
I know, sweetheart...

MOLLY (26) opens the door a crack, glaring at Paul, face a perfect example of rage. She's holding a modest
double-action revolver, its barrel starting to rust and handle worn down.

PAUL
I brought some ... whiskey back ...

She aims the pistol at him, one eye squeezing shut to focus her aim, and Paul quickly pulls the whiskey bottle from his
satchel, passing it to her. She stares down at it, the gift clearly unexpected.

PAUL
Happy anniversary, honey ... I'm sorry I forgot.

MOLLY
(tosses the pistol aside)
Good god, you stubborn man. Finally you apologize for somethin'. That's all I ever wanted.

PAUL
Well, I know you ...

MOLLY
Dammit, I guess you do.

She flings the door open, kisses Paul roughly, and pulls him back into the house.

DIRECTOR (O.S.)
Cut! That's a wrap!

Paul and Molly re-emerge from the house, Molly's actress smiling cheerfully at him as she picks the prop gun up off
the ground. A man steps into view, dressed in modern-day clothes, and takes it from her, turning to Paul. Molly makes
herself scarce.

PRODUCTION ASSISTANT
They got a nice shot. Of you two going into the house.

PAUL
Wrap?

PRODUCTION ASSISTANT
Yeah.

PAUL
Sometimes I think all that dialogue's unnecessary.

PRODUCTION ASSISTANT
They'll edit it out in post.

PAUL
(grimace)
Nobody ever thinks of the editors when they say that, huh.

PRODUCTION ASSISTANT
You can go home now. It's almost 1 AM, so it's one of our earlier nights ...

PAUL
Right...

As Paul rights himself and staggers off of the set, he passes by Lawrence's actor who gives him a brief wave. Paul waves
back, wandering right past the various production assistants trying to pull him in different directions.

PA 2
Hey, can you come to hair and makeup?

PA 3
No, wait, you need to change out of your costume -

PA 4
Have you been checking your email for director's notes? We have another shooting in 6 hours, you sure you want to
go?

PA 5
Paul, Molly's actress wants discuss your characters' relationship again -

PAUL
I'll - I'll be back.

Obviously Paul, the drunken sod, was just an act, but it doesn't seem like there's a lot underneath.

EXT. STUDIO PARKING LOT - PRESENT DAY - NIGHT

He brushes everybody off, heading straight for his '79 Fiat, still in his whole historical costume.
The actress who played Molly - or just Molly, for simplicity - catches him right before he gets in, her chest heaving
slightly like she'd ran all the way here.

MOLLY
You're - going home already?

PAUL
Not much left around here for me to do.

MOLLY
Well, there's me.

PAUL
(flashes her a winning smile)

Well, you'll always be here, darling. In every sense of the word. No matter what shoot, what movie, what. .. goddamn
state ... there's always gonna be a girl like you around.
Molly stares at him as he gets into his car. He rolls down the window when she doesn't immediately leave.

PAUL
Need somethin'?

MOLLY
A girl like me?

PAUL
Yeah. Like you. Everywhere. I know women. I can practically sniff them out.

MOLLY
Now that's not fair! I thought we had something, you know ...

PAUL

Had something. We had fun for sure. But I think the playtime's over, honey, and you know my wife'II get mad if I stay
here playing house any longer.
He drives off, and Molly just stares at the car as it leaves.

INT. FIAT CAR

Eventually as he gets on the highway, he sighs deeply and turns the radio up. The music fades in and out, along with
Paul's bleary vision as he's tired from the long day. The music pauses as a call is incoming, and Paul begrudgingly
presses 'answer'. Lawrence's actor comes on over the sound system.

LAWRENCE
You alright tonight? That was pretty good, I think, but I'm surprised you didn't stick around for Molly.

PAUL
Didn't feel like it. Lindsey will be annoyed enough as it is.

LAWRENCE
Oh, Lord. Well, good luck to you. And remember, just like we said in that take a hundred times -

PAUL
We know women.

LAWRENCE
Nice to pick up a little something from the character, right?

PAUL
Goodnight.

He hangs up. After a little while longer, he pulls off of the highway and into a quaint little residential area, coming to
a stop in front of a sweet-looking two-story house, its abalone exterior walls making it almost shine in the dark night.
Paul parks in the driveway and shambles out of the car, trudging up to the mahogany door and pulling it open to step
into the house, acting like he wants to be anywhere but here.

INT. NICE-LOOKING HOUSE - NIGHT

All of the lights are off in the house, and Paul kicks off his shoes. He starts to get out of his costume before he even gets
to the back of the home where his bedroom is. He shrugs the vest off, then unclips the fake pocket watch attached to
it, then slides his shirt off, dropping the clothes like a breadcrumb trail behind him.

He pauses in the kitchen. There's a note there on a lime-green Post-it, stuck to the fridge.

PAUL
Lime green? Was that necessary?

He huffs and tears it off of the fridge, reading it for a second before furrowing his brows and crumpling it up into a little
ball. He discards it in the trash can and glances back to the living room, particularly the couch.

PAUL
Always orange post-it note problems on lime-green post-it notes.

He pauses for a moment and opens the fridge, taking a bottle of wine out of there. He pulls a glass from the cabinet -
slow, taking his time. His journey to the bedroom has been stopped by whatever was on the note.

He savors one glass of wine, then pours himself another, only pausing when he notices the bottle has lost its
condensation. He stands up in disgust, shoving the bottle back into the fridge and leaving the glass with dregs of wine
in it on the counter. It rests there next to a variety of unwashed cutting boards, cups, and bowls, mournfully abandoned
by ... somebody.

He makes his way over to the bedroom down the hall, placing his hand on the doorknob only to find it locked. Paul lets
out a long-suffering sigh. He'd expected that. He leans against the door.

PAUL
I'm back. We wrapped up early.

No response from behind the door. He squeezes his eyes shut and continues.

PAUL
I can't believe you. Dammit, Lindsey.

A female voice comes from behind the door, sleepy but sharply annoyed.

LINDSEY
I told you to not wake me up. It was on the note. Unless you're so inconsiderate that you won't bother to read that
either.

PAUL
You've locked me out of the damn room. I sleep here too, you know.

LINDSEY
You know the drill. Especially since that movie has a scene just like this, doesn't it?

PAUL
But... Molly forgives him. She forgives me.

LINDSEY
I'm not interested in your ways of begging for forgiveness. Do what your character does and go ... sleep in the dirt or
whatever.

PAUL
I know you, honey.

LINDSEY
If you knew me then you would know better than to sneak around with her.

PAUL
It ends as soon as the director says cut. I promise. When have I ever done you wrong?

No response from Lindsey, and Paul just sighs again, pushing off from the door and quietly sulking into the living room.
He mumbles to himself in annoyance, frustration, sinking down onto the couch and taking off the leather belt he was
secretly hoping Lindsey could take off for him.

PAUL
(whispering to himself)
I know women.

He pauses. Is this the sentiment of the character, or the actor? Either way, the shut door is overwhelmingly loud. Perhaps
none of them 'know women' as well as Lawrence assures him that he does.

Unwelcome Home: The Stories America Forgot 

By PETER KIM

Grade: 10
Obra D Tompkins High School, Katy ISD

One wrong move. That's all it takes for an immigrant to lose everything. In 2010, eight immigration officers banged on Howard Dean Bailey's front door before sunrise. His children woke up to shouts and confusion as their father—a decorated U.S. Army veteran—was handcuffed in their living room. Howard had lived the American dream: he owned a trucking business, raised two kids, and had passed his citizenship test years earlier. Yet, two years later, he found himself stranded in Jamaica, a place he hadn't seen since childhood, where he knew no one and struggled to survive. His children cried for him at night; his dream was shattered. For Howard, and for so many others, immigration isn't just policy—it's a matter of survival.

Illegal immigration has gained increasing prevalence over the years with the implications of governmental policies being structured around it. Even as early as the 1850s, Chileans migrated in search of economic prosperity in the gold mines across California contributing to gold rushes sprouting across America during the 19th century. In recent years, the focus has shifted to modern immigration policies addressing issues such as border security, asylum seekers, and pathways to citizenship. The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, for instance, highlights the connection between humanitarian concerns and legal frameworks. As immigration continues to evolve, its impacts continuously change various sectors of society such as the economic fields and political aspects. However, many native citizens are opposed to immigration due to the belief that the country is at its full capacity (Sassen, 1989). As the number of residents begins to rise in the US, the value of land increases. This can lead to housing being limited and more expensive for both immigrants and natives. On the other hand, the effects of immigrants towards infrastructure can be seen as a negative to try and put an end to immigration into the United States. This is due to the fact that the installment of borders is very expensive, taking money away from other valuable economic resources. Studies have shown that the United States federal government puts more money into border enforcement and security than any other law. The impact of Latin American immigration on the United States has many sides to its politics, affecting from law enforcement to national immigration policies. For example, Farris, E. M., & Holman, M. R. (2017) shows how county sheriff's decisions in immigration enforcement are affected by local political climates and demographics. This highlights the complicated cooperation between immigration and politics at various levels of government.

Although it is seen that the prevention of immigrants has had a relatively negative effect on our country's economic status, it is taken into consideration that they could be bringing along poor institutions and culture with them from their home country (Clark et al. 2015, p.2). If an immigrant has grown up in a periphery country their whole life, theremay be certain cultural differences between the immigrant and their new community that may be difficult to rebuild when moving to a new area. This leads to immigrants instead taking these same qualities and implementing them into the country, causing fear that it may lead to poor economic institutions. Due to the US government's desire to keep immigration from Latin America at an all-time low, it has implemented extensive border control. This comes in ways such as hundreds of officers monitoring the border and installing physical barriers. During the COVID pandemic, many Latin Americans, mainly from Mexico, looked to flee to the US due to widespread restrictions and economic problems (Hanson, et al, 2023, pg. 7).

People in governance have been experimenting with creating their own immigration laws. Boushey and Luedtke (2011) argue that the increasing demographic impact of immigration has transformed the U.S into a federal laboratory. This decentralization of immigration policy making has led to a lot of legislative answers across different states, potentially damaging the national immigration strategies. Farris and Holman (2017), affiliated with Texas Christian University and Tulane University, maintain a political science framework that examines how law enforcement decisions are influenced by a combination of local factors and broader state level climates. This shows how law enforcement can often affect immigration as it may show bias/discrimination towards immigrants which then affects the immigration policies. The political trend is further explained by a study on county sheriffs' participation in immigration enforcement programs. They have also collected qualitative data from sheriffs and their staff to gain more insight into the decision-making processes for immigration policies. The study conducted indicates how law enforcement infrastructure has been changed to handle immigration enforcement, showcasing the reach of these changes down to the county level from a political point of view. The growing Latin American population has also wanted adjustmentsNchanges in political representation structure. These infrastructural changes have demonstrated the impacts of Latin American immigration on the structure of the U.S governance and are still continually changing to this day.

Furthermore the increasing population of Latin American immigrants entering the United States is evident in the more than 24,000 cases of successful individuals who have immigrated in the last decade (Amuedo-Dorantes & Pozo, 2014). These rising numbers have caused concern over the standard of living for those residing within the US, placing the infrastructure of states predominantly bordering the Latin American world under stress (Beaumier T., 2015). The gradual introduction of measures for the purpose of regulation has been prominent following the heightening of immigration, as a result of both precursory and recent cases (Hing, B. O., 2014). The relationship between the process of immigration and infrastructure in the measures is found within the numerous shelters and centers, inhabiting immigrants and the concerns over their proceedings is attributed to moral discussion. According to Mathias Risse, a professor in immigration and international affairs at Harvard University, subsequent to these measures, the infrastructural importance of immigration has been increasingly relevant, assessing on the treatment of both immigrants and the structure of the US (M. Risse, 2008). Furthermore deportation systems such as ICE often separates families, leaving children without their parents and creating lasting emotional trauma. This is particularly troubling in cases involving long-term residents or individuals, like Howard Dean Bailey, who have contributed to society but are deported due to minor legal infractions or bureaucratic errors. Critics argue that such systems prioritize enforcement over compassion, treating people as statistics rather than human beings with dignity and rights. Additionally, the targeting of vulnerable populations, suchas asylum seekers and undocumented workers, often disproportionately impacts marginalized communities, amplifying systemic inequities. The lack of transparency and accountability within ICE has further fueled allegations of abuse and unethical practices, such as inhumane detention conditions. Balancing national security with ethical responsibility requires reforming deportation systems to focus on fairness, due process, and pathways to integration rather thanpunishment and exclusion.

Now, Howard Dean Bailey works on his pig farm off the coast of Jamaica struggling to make a living in his day to day life. In conclusion, immigration remains a multifaceted issue with profound implications for the United States. From the personal stories of individuals like Howard Dean Bailey to the broader economic, political, and infrastructural impacts, the complexities of immigration continue to shape the nation. While concerns about cultural integration and economic strain drive calls for stringent border controls, the benefits of immigration—such as contributions to economic growth and cultural diversity—are equally significant. The interplay between local and national policies highlights the challenges of creating a cohesive immigration strategy, as varying political climates and demographic changes influence enforcement and governance at all levels. As the United States grapples with these challenges, it becomes evident that the deportation system such as ICE must be refined to balance the security while also keeping ethicality into consideration.