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Articles by Hailey Rodriguez
Column: This Thanksgiving, seek to understand your family history
Opinion Senior Writer Nov 24, 2025, 10:23 PM For many, the holiday season comes with the expectation of forced, awkward small talk between distant relatives and utilizing the practiced skill of dodging divisive political topics. Family gatherings don’t have to mean uncomfortable silences or relentless, pressing questions about what your plan is after you graduate, though. Another topic of conversation, seemingly relatively unexplored and too often forgotten about, awaits us — the past.
Column: Every student filmmaker at UNC deserves greater access to equipment
Opinion Nov 18, 2025, 5:05 PM On Nov. 14, the UNC Student Film Association hosted its yearly Pitch Party where students share their short film ideas and assemble their crews. The premise is simple: accepted script writers bring their stories and leave with possible collaborators. Events like this are meant to broaden participation in filmmaking on campus. The issue isn’t whether UNC has talented student filmmakers — it does.
Column: Middle-class college students can't afford a degree
For millions of middle-class students, the American dream of higher education is slipping away. Not because of grades, ambition or effort, but because of a financial aid system that limits those who make just a little too much. Higher-income students often benefit from 529 plans or college investment accounts that cover most essential expenses, allowing them to focus on school without financial strain.
Column: Gen Z’s overspending won’t get us any closer to buying homes
Opinion Nov 7, 2025, 1:04 PM I come from an incredibly open family, but there’s one topic my parents never broach with me: how little they paid for their first home. While I find it frustrating that the economic circumstances they entered the market in were different from what mine will be, I am always amazed by their fiscal responsibility. My mom laughs every time I tell her I buy a coffee to study.
Column: Our elites would benefit from a stint in menial work
Opinion Nov 3, 2025, 11:12 PM Some roles in our society are viewed as soft prerequisites for success, building the professional networks and skills that young people need to reach positions of affluence. They often come in the form of cushy summer internships or admission into elite universities — proxies of one’s ability to fit into one of the white collar jobs that support America’s upper class.
Why are recent graduates struggling to find jobs?
Lifestyle Oct 22, 2025, 9:51 PM Graduation season is intended to mark the transition from student life to careers, but for many college students and graduates, the next step feels unfamiliar. As they prepare to leave their college campuses and enter the workforce, this year’s seniors face a job market that looks far different from what their parents might have encountered. Increased competition and a changing economy have made the path from getting a degree to a career less predictable than ever.
Column: It's time to start talking about money
For some students, college is four years of independence funded entirely by their parents. For others, it’s a daily juggle of work shifts, financial aid and tuition payments. These differences often get brushed aside, but they quietly reveal themselves in conversation. When someone says they’re in a sorority, it signals not just membership but access to the thousands of dollars it takes to join and stay active.
Column: Music does more for my mental health than any study tip ever could
Printing news. Raising hell. Since 1893. Thursday, April 10, 2025 Newsletters Latest print issue Campus feels like it’s on the verge of collective collapse. The libraries are packed, the Pit is unusually quiet and students are surviving on iced coffee and anxiety. Finals, projects, group presentations, they’re all hitting at once.
Column: The war on science and funding cuts at UNC are gutting innovation and progress
Printing news. Raising hell. Since 1893. Wednesday, March 26, 2025 Newsletters Latest print issue “...
Column: Environmental injustice in North Carolina is often racial injustice too
Printing news. Raising hell. Since 1893. Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025 Newsletters Latest print issue Although environmental activists have been fighting for change for more than 40 years, environmental racism persists. No matter where you look in the world, marginalized and low-income communities are disproportionately affected by environmental hazards.
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