Jaqueline Ramos

October 15, 2026 On May 9, 2025, New York State students saw their governor, Kathy Hochul, sign a statewide phone-free school law. From the first bell to the last bell, students are not allowed to use their devices on school grounds. Those who disregard this newly signed law could face extreme consequences, like out-of-school suspension. Predictably, this law received major pushback from students.

With inflation surging and the prices of college education following, it is vital not to let it scare you away. Letting it scare you away is only giving more power to a corrupt system that thrives on uneducated citizens. When a system is corrupt, and its citizens are left uneducated, it allows for more exploitation of the people to occur. Throughout history, the first thing tyrannical systems attack is education.

This is the season of reaching. The one where you place your hand into the closet to grasp at the just-in-case jacket— the light one that has never failed you, even after a thousand cool breezes. The one where you open your palm to catch a brilliant red leaf as it drifts, ever gentle, to the earth. The one where you take up a hot drink with both hands to cradle the warmth. Autumn is the time to reach out. And sometimes, something reaches back.