In Sickness and in Health
Valerie Lopez, Impact Staff
September 14, 2020
My palms were sweaty and my stomach tightened as the nurse revealed my positive test results over the phone. What would this mean for me; for my family? On March 16, during our wonderful return home to virtual learning due to the pandemic, my family and I had the misfortune of all testing positive...
The Ongoing Unemployment Crisis During COVID-19
Valerie Lopez, Managing Editor
April 30, 2020
Within the past six weeks, a staggering 30 million Americans have filed for unemployment as of April 27, 2020 according to the U.S. Department of Labor since COVID-19. This has been the highest rate of unemployment the country has seen since the 2008 financial crisis with 15.3 million Americans, according...
Losing Innocence
Valerie Lopez, Associate Editor
April 20, 2020
The eager bee never misses his date with a perky flower. He buzzes around the yard searching for one for the afternoon. It was not the red beauty queen rose or the proud white calla lily he longed for. It was the bright innocent yellow sunflower that caught his attention. Beautiful in her own way, the h...
If I Die Before I Wake
Valerie Lopez, Associate Editor
April 6, 2020
COVID-19 has really done a number on all of us, with the confirmed deaths in the United States alone being 10,377 and counting. Every day, Governor Andrew Cuomo gives us a new briefing on the news in New York: the number of people that tested positive - 130,689, ICU patients - 4,504, number of deaths...
Strength of a Lion on Land and at Sea
Valerie Lopez, Associate Editor
March 9, 2020
"Being underwater in a submarine for that long could really drive you crazy, but I just thought about my mother; how strong-minded she is, and it gave me the motivation to keep going." My cousin was deployed with the Navy for the past six months on the USS Colorado (SSN-788) with 140 other ...
Top Ten Breakup Songs
Valerie Lopez, Associate Editor
March 5, 2020
Let's admit it, breakups suck. The heartbreak, the tears, and the sadness is something nobody wants to go through. The painful process of decluttering yourself of old memories, the anger and resentment that comes after; been there, done that. The good news is that time will heal all wounds. Belting out...
‘Divas Have Mercy’ Take On Lincoln Center
Valerie Lopez, Associate Editor
March 2, 2020
"Hello? Your boyfriend hit you again. That's never okay. Hang on, I'm on my way!" The Mercy College co-ed step team, Divas Have Mercy, stomp, clap, and step in perfect unison during their social issues performance while competing at the UpStaged: Step and the City competition in Lincoln Center, Manhattan. Divas...
“What’s The 27 Club?”
Valerie Lopez, Associate Editor
December 13, 2019
On Sunday, Dec. 8, Juice WRLD, aka Jarad Higgins, died of a seizure from alleged Percocet overdose in an airport in Chicago. Supposedly, he did this to avoid a drug bust from the Feds who were awaiting his arrival. When I woke up on Sunday to hear the news, my heart sank. Juice Wrld was one of my favorite...
OP/ED: Why Doesn’t Anyone Talk About How Depression Causes Memory Loss?
Valerie Lopez, Associate Editor
December 10, 2019
"Why doesn't anyone talk about how depression causes memory loss?" This tweet has been recycled dozens of times, phrased in different ways and even liked as much as 97.2 thousand times, specifically from @daredeviils. This has been the latest hot topic that has been roaming the Twitter feed. Personally,...
Thanksgiving Dinner Allows Mercy ‘Family’ To Dine Together
Valerie Lopez, Associate Editor
December 5, 2019
Thanksgiving is a time to be grateful. A time to share a good meal with dear family and friends. A time to count your blesses over a lovely meal of turkey, mashed potatoes gravy and cranberry sauce. And that meal can occur with "family" members that students have made while attending college. ...
