Opinion

By Phoebe Seigel

A key part of anything is knowing when to quit, when to throw in the towel, when to give it a rest. A lot of television shows seem to have forgotten the art of quitting, dragging out storylines much longer than they have to, leading to subpar TV and disappointed viewers. A perfect example is the television series spanning eight years, “Stranger Things.” 

I was a devout fan of “Stranger Things” in eighth grade, when the show’s fourth season came out. I obviously watched the entirety of season four–and felt disappointed. The season felt like an afterthought, an add-on to the show to make more money off of viewership. In a way, that season really turned me off “Stranger Things”. The acting was pitiful, the plot holes were abundant, and the writing was underwhelming. The fan in me disappeared, and I largely forgot about the show for the four years it took for season five to come out. Gradually, for nostalgia and curiosity’s sake, I have been watching the fifth season, and am becoming more and more let down with every episode. I can’t help but feel like this show should have ended after the third season, which, unlike the last two, was actually an enjoyable watch. “Stranger Things” seasons four and five feel like empty cash grabs made by the Duffer brothers and Netflix. What was an exciting plot with engaging characters and catchy writing morphed into a finale with a feeble finish and untied loose ends.  This is not in any way a phenomenon unique to “Stranger Things”; however, so many shows continue to push on well past their prime, leaving viewers feeling bitter about pointless plotlines and useless seasons. “Stranger Things” is not at all the only show that has continued putting out seasons well past what would have been a satisfying conclusion. A quick look at any sit-com will lead you to the same conclusion–this should have ended way earlier. “Modern Family,” “Brooklyn Nine-nine,” “Parks and Recreation,” “Derry Girls,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Fuller House,” the list goes on and on and on. At some point, when watching these shows, you have to start wondering why in the world you’re still watching them. As the shows continue, the writing gets worse, the story falls apart, the jokes become un-funny, and the characters begin to fall flat. At a certain point, you get turned off from the show, as I have been to all the shows listed above. After all, why continue to watch what has just become a boring excuse for entertainment. So, what then is the point of continuing a show when you sacrifice its value as a method of storytelling? Put simply, it’s money.

Let’s say you’re a big television company like Netflix. You just got a show on your network that has blown up and created a huge fan base. You’re making millions off of the show. Why not continue it for as long as possible? You know that as long as seasons keep airing, you will likely have a solid viewer base–even if the show keeps getting worse. This constant desire to keep generating wealth leads large streaming companies to push for more and more seasons of shows that would likely have been much better off with an earlier end. 

How much art are we willing to sacrifice for profit? Turns out a lot. Streaming companies should put their viewers first–after all, that’s where they get their profits. Viewers don’t deserve bland episodes of a show that should have ended ages earlier, especially not when there are hundreds of actors, writers, and crew members who have their own unique and new ideas that deserve to be brought to screen. Quit giving us half-hearted TV.

By Kevine Liang

In a time where capitalism is booming, STEM fields are growing while humanities shrink, but with the rise of technology the study of humanities is more important than ever.

Humanities is defined as the study of all things societal and culturally human, including history, philosophy, language, literature, arts, and stories.

As capitalism peaks, businesses and people choose wealth over the welfare of others. In addition, the rise of STEM being deemed as more stable and noble further drives out the humanities as a choice in our future, lessening our ability to think from another perspective and form empathy.

Empathy is the core of humanities. The understanding of different cultures and history has paved the way for trade on routes, like the Silk Road, which expanded innovation because people took the time to learn. 

We are humans through our feelings and experience. It's been frequently told to us through movies. “Dead Poets Society” tells us to embrace art so that we are able to discover our identity and communicate our thoughts to others—we learn emotional education.

Could you imagine a world without humanities? The world would be terribly bleak. 

Phoebe Seigel, an aspiring political science major believes, “It would be George Orwell's"1984 ". Everyone would be stripped of their individuality, because humanities is so individualist in a sense that it is an individual telling their story through a film or a book. Without humanities, the world would be hopeless and you wouldn’t know yourself or who other people are.” 

In 2022, 435,506 STEM bachelor degrees were given while 179,272 humanities degrees were conferred—the latter of which has been decreasing ever since. Making $20,000 more than social sciences and history majors a year with a STEM degree is compelling, no doubt. 

Our focus begins to narrow on STEM, contributing to a decrease in critical thinking, persuasive communication, and adaptability; all traits that have value in the job market, even in STEM fields. However, the humanities degrees that focus on these skills are deemed as “useless” because of its stereotypical low-income and  job instability.

How many people take on a STEM career because they think that studying humanities is unsuccessful or inaccessible? But the success and accessibility that are often seen in STEM majors can be applied to humanities too—you just have to look a little deeper. 

Humanities majors take on roles as directors, writers, social workers, marketers, philosophers, teachers, artists, and so many more jobs that are often overlooked because of their undesirability to some.

It is not that you have to study humanities if you’re passionate about STEM, but you should further your pursuit of the humanities if you have the opportunity. 

Much of the disregard of humanities comes with emphasis placed on STEM in our society, but if STEM wouldn’t exist if not for humanities, why is it one is prioritized more than the other?  

Even Jinyu Kuang, a STEM-oriented junior believes that, “Humanities has maybe played a bigger role in [his] life than he thought. [Since] philosophy and math go hand in hand, the way we go about understanding the world through math is weird. It's almost magical, but it's not tangible.” 

All the early scientists like Issac Newton considered themselves philosophers, and to a certain degree all scientists and STEM majors are philosophers. 

While humanities doesn’t cure the ill or create new technology like STEM, if this new tech fails to cure the ill, how do we find resolve in ourselves? The answer is humanities, because in the face of death, new technology will not stop the cycle of life from eventually ending, nor does it teach us how to grieve and appreciate. If you are debating between what to study, consider doubling up on majors, and have the courage to study humanities . 

The reason why injustices are called out, politicians are held accountable, sciences and museums are funded, and books are written is the humanities.

By Zoe Hong

Students hunting for AP Calculus BC on Lincoln’s SFUSD website won’t find it listed under math courses. They won’t find accurate emails on Lincoln’s list of clubs, and when clicking links on Lincoln’s website to contact faculty and staff, they are instead sent to a Canadian gambling site.

These are not just cosmetic issues. Inaccurate course listings, hidden information, and outdated links mislead incoming students and their families researching Lincoln, harming families. Lincoln's digital footprint should connect people to valuable resources such as Calfresh, formerly known as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, sports games times and locations, team rosters, and Parent Teacher Student Association grants worth hundreds of dollars. But years of errors have created widespread distrust for Lincoln’s websites, leaving these opportunities buried and unused. 

Lincoln has digital websites, such as the official SFUSD website, the athletics site, the counseling portal, the PTSA page, and the Lincoln Log website. Each contains different useful information, but these websites remain unupdated and unmaintained. For example, when fellow Lincoln Log journalists and I were searching for information on previous sports championships, we were surprised to find the history and records section of the athletics website link track and field as Lincoln's only sport. Even then, track and field’s records only display an unpublished Google Sheet. 

This year, Lincoln's interim principal Marisol Arkin hired Eric Cuentos, a new Community School Coordinator and website manager, who works to connect students and their families with social services such as housing support, legal aid, and food assistance. 

Since joining Lincoln, Cuentos has updated the World Language Department which had incorrectly listed French as an available class and also added the ALHS School Profile to the website, creating an easily accessible overview of the schools demographics and classes for families and students researching Lincoln. 

As Cuentos points out, “It's not so much a recruitment tool as it is an information tool.”

Lincoln's reputation can recruit students without the website. The website's real value is in serving families who need resources. 

“Schools with lesser resources don't have the ability to maintain their website,” Cuentos adds.

But Lincoln is the second most requested high school in the district with a large percent of its student population coming from low income households. 

Lincoln has a responsibility to maintain its digital presence in order to serve its community effectively.

 “On an equity level, having information on the website is really important for families,” reports Cuentos. 

But their website still lacks crucial information and proper links, furthered by students' communication habits. 

Students traditionally access information through Google Classroom while parents access announcements through ParentVUE, where they can check their children’s grades and teachers’ updates, making the official platforms seem optional. Teachers are able to communicate directly this way while coaches can message their athletes. For students and families on Google Classroom, the official website seems unnecessary. 

But the convenience of emailing information to students has enabled neglect of the school websites. When students don't use the website, it doesn't get updated, leaving families without direct communication methods ? is this what you mean in the dark. Tech illiterate families, non-English speaking families, potential students, and community members are left trying to understand the school websites, with some pages having not been updated since 2019.

The website offers translation services from English to Vietnamese, Chinese, Spanish, Gagana Samoa and Arabic, making it accessible to non-English speaking families, while Google Classroom updates are normally only in English. However, the website remains un-updated leaving these resources underutilized and such families uninformed. 

Orin Yu, boys varsity volleyball player and coach for the JV girls volleyball team says he relies on his coach for information about games and practices. 

"I never even knew Lincoln had an athletics website," Yu confesses. 

Lincoln has a notorious problem with low attendance at sports games, a problem the athletics website could potentially solve. By advertising and keeping the athletics website consistently updated, more students will have easier access to game times, locations, and rosters.

Cuentos’s work has made Lincoln's SFUSD website more reliable than it has been in years. But with over five platforms, there is a lot more work to be done in order to ensure information is correct and trustworthy. The resources exist, they just need to exist on Lincoln's websites. 

By Michael Lai

Everyone has felt that New Year's motivation, the burst of energy that encourages you to accomplish great things. Often by March, that spark of motivation dies down into old habits. It is so common for this to happen that roughly 90 percent of resolutions fail. The problem is not our dreams, but the way we achieve them.

Resolutions fail because they are built on sudden changes, rather than sustainable systems. Goals as vague as “eat healthier” or “get fit” require long-term commitment and dedication. When immediate results are not seen or noticed, motivation can be lost, leading to an early exit.

It is similar to the “new semester, new me” thoughts.  After bombing the first round of tests, grades crash, and motivation follows. People aim for their goals, but do not plan out how they can reach them. It is better to focus on the process, not so much the goal itself. The experience is often more enjoyable than actually achieving the goal; the journey is better than the destination. 

A way you can reach your New Year's resolutions is to think specifically, take small steps at a time, and not jump straight to it. Some examples can be to switch out “get fit” with “walk for 60 minutes per week,” or replace “get better grades” with “study 20 minutes after school every day.” Because these goals are more specific, it’s practically instructions on what to do.

Viewing goals as a destination makes the process of reaching them much more difficult. This mindset makes the process feel like a waiting room. When we complete something, we forget all the work and dedication that we put into achieving it, including all the memories we made.

Stop waiting for the new year to change your life. Real change is built on consistency, not bursts of motivation. Dedicate this year to building a system that works towards your goal, without relying on inconsistent motivation bursts.

By Lincoln Log Staff

From within San Francisco to Washington, D.C., the limits of journalists’ First Amendment rights are being tested. 

In 1735, John Peter Zenger, a colonial journalist, was accused of seditious libel and arrested by the royal governor of New York. A jury later acquitted Zenger on the basis that the truth should be protected. This set a precedent for the First Amendment, in which freedom of the press allows a person to publish information and ideas without government censorship or punishment, setting the foundation for all journalists in our country. 

Renee Nicole Good was killed by an ICE agent on January 7th in Minneapolis, Minnesota. While the situation surrounding her death was initially debated—many had taken sides, arguing either that Good was killed in cold blood, with no motive, by the ICE agent, or that the ICE agent acted in self-defense. Notably, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and President Donald Trump sided completely with the ICE agent, labeling Good as a “domestic terrorist” and promoting claims that Good was attempting to run her killer over with her car. Claims like these directly contradict the video footage of the event. 

In a video analyzed by the New York Times, the officer who shot Good was shown to be completely out of harm's way and the direct path of her vehicle—meaning his life was not in imminent danger, as claimed by President Trump and Noem. 

So what, then, does it mean that these two prominent figures continue to deny video evidence analyzed and verified by reputable news sources? It shows a lack of care for promoting the truth in favor of political gain. It shows that the current administration is willing to deny and twist real events, which ultimately poses a threat to journalists everywhere. How can the truth be investigated and spoken about when the government actively tries to stamp it out?

The current state of our country pushes us to mull over the events taking place. However, citizens receive limited information from unreliable social media posts and opinionated voices on pixelated screens. Journalism allows each side of the story to be heard, permitting the reader to be given the various perspectives behind complex stories. Reading the news may seem outdated, yet it gives us the information that our TikTok and Instagram feeds can’t.  

Opinion journalism has also been critical in keeping the public educated—they provide analysis and context alongside the objective facts, offering in-depth, nuanced criticisms that encourage readers to reflect on and question the world around them. Opinion journalism pushes for the intellectual conversation and discourse necessary to uphold democracy. 

Khoi Nguyen, a former editor-in-chief at the Lincoln Log, shares that student journalism is largely responsible for covering local events, reporting facts, and exchanging knowledge. 

“Student journalism is a lifeline for democracy’s survival in our generation and onward,” Nguyen states. 

He goes on to explain that the First Amendment protections for journalists and publications are exceptionally strong. Although he goes more in-depth about how journalism publications are unlikely to lose lawsuits but still end up settling for one, losing millions of dollars. 

As AI circulates throughout social media platforms, Nguyen believes that should be the least of journalism publications worries. He claims that newspapers should only concern themselves with the public interest and “making sure that the ideas held by those in their community are being represented fairly, and the rest will take care of itself.” 

Over the first year of Trump’s seat in office, there have been several instances where big publications have been repressed. Most recently, the FBI raided a Washington Post reporter, Hannah Natanson, in the investigation of Natanson illegally retaining classified files. 

While the Trump administration poses this as a threat to our national security, the raiding of a reporter’s home is “highly aggressive and unusual,” as deemed by the Post. Natanson’s phones and laptops are currently under investigation, although a federal judge has issued a halt on searches. This is not an isolated incident; Trump sued CBS in 2024 for the editing of a “60 Minutes” interview with Kamala Harris, while Karoline Leavitt, the press secretary of the White House, has threatened journalists with a lawsuit if they do not follow the administration's orders. Even the New York Times is receiving abuse from this new administration, as Trump sued for defamation over reports undermining his career and the legitimacy of his election. Now, in order to maintain the credentials required to enter the Pentagon for press meetings, journalists cannot obtain information that the Defense Department doesn’t allow. It would be deemed as criminal activity and isn’t protected under the First Amendment right. 

During the beginning of Trump’s second term, Leavitt announced that the Trump administration will choose the pool of reporters that cover events and travel with the president—disregarding that the pool was previously chosen by an independent organization. Even when this decision was made to “be inclusive,” it may sound like a limitation of who can cover the media, especially covering the media of someone who runs our federal government. 

The crackdown on journalists continues, as journalists now cannot access the Upper Press Office in the White House without an appointment, which has been a space for free information between the White House and the public for a long time. 

The Lincoln Log has been a pillar of Lincoln school culture since 1940. It's essential for the faculty and students to stay informed about important school events, news affecting our district, and new movies and TV shows. Additionally, we share our thoughts on the world we live in, both serious and lighthearted. The Lincoln Log provides students with a space to share their ideas and pressing current events, raising the next generation of a much-needed field: journalism. The Lincoln Log is one of only two high school student-run publications in SFUSD, the other being The Lowell at Lowell High School. 

Lowell’s former newspaper advisor, Eric Gustafson, sued the school district for his reassignment by the school, supposedly due to letting his students run controversial stories. Some of these stories are about the verbal harassment students faced from teachers. Although this is protected under the First Amendment and California Education Code 48907, Gustafson was reassigned to teach sophomore English classes instead of the journalism classes at Lowell after eight years of being the newspaper advisor, with Lowell’s principal citing the prior article and a proposed article about teachers and AI as the reason for the switch.  Students old and new alike protested this insult to student journalists.

“We spoke out about it by going to the Board of Education meeting and the Board of Supervisors meeting,” states Yue Yi Ping, The Lowell’s multimedia editor-in-chief.

“Journalism is often the first thing to come under fire in times of instability,” says Maren Brooks, the text editor-in-chief of The Lowell, “and that is when it is so important to lean into journalism.”

A judge ruled that the reassignment of Gustafson was illegal and that the district and Lowell must reinstate him within 30 days. 

The initial removal of Gustafson affected the Lincoln Log, making us wary of exercising our First Amendment rights to free expression. Stories could be forcibly altered and toned down in fear of repercussions.

In light of these tragic attacks on journalists’ First Amendment rights, we all have a role to play: we must engage deeper and more carefully with the news. We must check our sources, approach issues with nuance, and do our own research. We must stand by student journalists and journalism as a whole, and we must become more educated, informed, and aware. Only through collective action can threats against our First Amendment rights be ceased. Educating ourselves is only the first step; to stand up against the attack of journalism, we must advocate for ourselves and others through the same form of media that is being destroyed.

By Sophie Ng

To say I’ve never stressed over college applications is a lie—over Thanksgiving break, I racked up thousands of minutes of listening on Spotify, relentlessly trying to drown out my thoughts as I worked on my responses to the UC ‘personal insight questions’. While I was in these trenches, a peer and I exchanged feedback on our writing, and we joked about our chances of getting into a specific school. 

Mid-conversation, they told me, “Yeah, but, looking at your stats, I don’t think you’d get in.” 

It was a possibility I’d considered before; with the rise of social media influencers dedicated to showcasing applicants’ profiles and results, I’d previously found myself succumbing to the pitfalls of these sensationalized videos. I went back to my essays with a different attitude: Why try at all, given my “stats?”

I spent the next hour [...] with my Google Docs, seesawing between believing my life was truly over and wondering if college applications were truly meant to be this serious, because what relationship do I, a 17-year-old American high school girl, have with these higher institutions? 

I grew up as the oldest daughter of two parents who never attended college, making me the first in my lineage to tackle this daunting application process. Despite the presumed burdens that would come with the role, my parents have never pressured me to get into top schools. Regardless, I’ve always wanted an elite education simply to prove I am capable of something incredible. Somehow, applying to college had become less about the pursuit of knowledge and more about attaching myself to the name of a specific institution.

I grew up in a world where education is guaranteed. In fact, it is a requirement; California’s compulsory education laws require all children from the ages of six to 18 to attend school. In such a society, it is easy to lose sight of what education really means. I grew up believing tertiary education was simply a requirement to live. 

I submitted my UC applications on Wednesday, November 26th, and with four more days of Thanksgiving break to myself. Getting in was the end goal, but with admissions out of my hands, I was thoroughly hollowed of my purpose.

Throughout the application process, I’ve faced questionable comments about my application, stats, and essays from peers. Almost everyone is nervous about applications, and almost everyone wants to get into a selective school. A traffic jam has formed, and people are vying to pass through somehow; and for some people, that means turning the cycle vicious.

Grade inflation has encouraged students to look outside of school for activities to stand out. Abandoned social media accounts for student-led non-profits are all too common—this is no longer a matter of academia, but a matter of embellishing your resume. The latter ends up being a neverending treadmill of improvement; a cycle where the goal post is constantly being moved back. 

This is where the cycle turns vicious; the aforementioned comments, a constant need to prove you are ahead in the race, the susceptibility to burnout—we all need to relax. The application process should not be about constant working, but about encouraging learning throughout high school in order to prepare students for college. 

It gets so easy to overlook how special post-secondary education really is, especially with accessible options like community college and direct admissions. I’ve learned to reframe my view of universities as less of an obligation and more of an opportunity; they are ultimately educational institutions made for learning.

By Angela Gin and Ella Lau

Support. Assistance. Help. These are words that describe the jobs done by members of the  SOAR program, otherwise known as, Success, Opportunity, Achievement, Resiliency, is made up of paraprofessionals, and various speech and occupational therapists. This program is part of Lincoln's special education department. Teachers in this department work daily with students seeking extra support or guidance to ensure a comfortable learning experience, a core goal in school atmospheres. 

The special education program at Lincoln is felt throughout the whole school community, but students are not receiving the full support from staff because of absences of support staff, lack of space, and only having one IEP counselor.

Vice principal Laura Langlois Rashidi oversees the special education department here at Lincoln and provides the department with resources and support. Recently a large amount of staff in the department have been absent due to illness. 

“One issue we face is when staff call out sick, especially with our paraprofessionals,” states Rashidi, “it makes it tricky because I have to shift around schedules and make that decision of what teachers are working with what students and what students are going to have more support in their class and what students are not”.

This is the ongoing issue, and according to Rashidi, even with a school as large as Lincoln and a support staff of almost 40 paraeducators, support for students in various classrooms schoolwide are still not being met. The lack of support staff in classrooms puts a dent on students receiving the necessary guidance for them to be comfortable and successful in school learning environments. 

Decisions for student support should not be based on availability but on student need. Support for students is not only from paraprofessionals, but also from counselors. Here at Lincoln, the programs are only managed by one counselor, Ian Enriquez. IEPs otherwise known as Individualized Education Programs are legal documents provided to support and help students be successful in education. Individualized Education Programs can be diverse depending on what the student needs. Some students require help from paraprofessionals in classroom environments or in SDC, otherwise known as Separate Day or Special Day Classes, whereas others simply have a study skills period. IEPs require legal action and management which must be monitored by a case manager. With almost 2,000 students here at Lincoln, one teacher dealing with legal paperwork and accommodations for every student shows a clear example of lack of support for students.   

Comfort in a school environment can be essential for students with IEPs, it is essential when it comes to giving each and every student a space in which they have enough room to have functionality and be at ease. In the high-functioning, semi-stressful environment found in schools and classrooms, physical space is necessary but limited for the special education department. This is not ideal. 

Department chair Devin Walker, an IEP case manager and SCD teacher who runs the special education department here at Lincoln has emphasized the lack of space for the students. In previous years, according to Walker, the administration prior to the 2025-2026 school year allowed “more real estate room” for the department when it came to classroom space. Now with the current administration, this battle continues and contributes to the issues within the special education department. 

By Elise Dunn

Cold. Dark. Depressing. These words define the early spring semester of high school. As we exit the festive season, the spooky vibe of Halloween and the spirit of the “happy-happy” holidays, we enter the familiar pace of deadlines and school work. Many students return to school and encounter feelings of stress from events such as AP exams, SATs, and semester deadlines. Although sunny spring days may be ahead, the pressure of school can be heavy and unavoidable. 

Handling these weights, plus a six hour school day and seven classes can be a lot, and in some cases, cause burnout or workload exhaustion. The stress and weight of seven classes, homework, outside extracurriculars and navigating college prep is rough on a 17 or 16 year old high school student. The burnout is real—by the end of January we are already stressed, sleep deprived and drowning in mountains of homework, a constant struggle. Stress and burnout do not always have to be problematic, they can be something that students can conquer. 

Parents and academic supervisors will tell us that the reason we are not productive or focused on our academics is because of our phones and media distractions such as video games and social media apps like Instagram or Tiktok. This argument may seem true, but there is a different side to the story.. Social media may be an outlet for procrastinating assignments and avoiding due dates; however it can also be a platform for advice on how to study effectively. Videos titled “Five study methods proven to work” or “How to study productively” can help convince you to put down the phone and pick up the homework. Watching videos of people actively completing their work can motivate you to do the same. 

Recently, I had a large assignment due and instead of working on it, I spent three hours scrolling through TikTok. It was a dire situation considering that the assignment was 20 pages long and incomplete; until, a video popped up of someone filming themselves doing their homework. Watching the girl in the video sit down and complete her homework motivated me to get up and complete my own.We approach homework and schoolwork  with feelings of dread and boredom. Nobody truly wants to spend their free time doing a math assignment or writing four pages of detailed history notes, and when we approach our work with negative emotions we tend to want to do something that will make us happy like watching a movie or playing a favorite video game. 

Rewarding yourself for doing the hard stuff such as that long homework assignment you have been avoiding can be a helpful tactic. Once we get home from school we want to lie down, relax and do something that will take our minds off of that huge assignment due. Relaxation and laziness after school makes our motivation lower and causes us to start avoiding our homework. Instead of lying down or doomscrolling for hours on end, we should be completing assignments due in less than 12 hours. 

Reliable fan favorite sources such as “Atomic Habits” by James Clear describe successful ways to become productive and build up habits. One method that has been proven to work is doing a current enjoyable activity, then doing something academic and countering that with something fun you have been wanting to do. This is similar to the reward system as it uses a reward to persuade yourself to complete homework. For instance, sit somewhere comfortable, do a page of notes or math homework and then reward yourself by having leisure time on your phone or TV. 

The simple satisfaction and feeling of finishing homework is another motivator to do academic work and menial tasks. Writing a to-do list is a generic but straightforward and successful way to avoid procrastination. Simply taking a 0.7 gel pen and dashing an X or checkmark over something as simple as an overdue homework assignment can make you feel accomplished and motivated to keep going. 

The fact is, procrastination is an issue students face every day, when stress can come to a point where it's simply too hard to deal with. Students like you and me just want to crawl up into the hole of avoidance and never leave. However, when we do that, we lose the war of the spring semester slump. Overall, with the right mindset and study habits, your success improves each time you hit that submit button or put that paper in that turn in the box. 

By Ariana Lopez

On January 3rd 2026, Nicholas Maduro, the President of Venezuela, and his wife Cilia Flores were taken by the U.S. Delta Force during a military operation in Caracas. According to US congress Maduro and his wife were apprehended on charges of drug trafficking, narcoterrorism and money laundering. However, both Maduro and his wife pleaded not guilty in federal court in Manhattan on Monday,  January 5th. 

The U.S. government has claimed that before becoming president, Maduro provided passports to drug traffickers and facilitated diplomatic cover for planes used by money launderers to repatriate drugs from Mexico to Venezuela; however, these claims are just allegations. The kidnapping of Maduro was preceded  by airstrikes on alleged drug trafficking boats from Venezuela in the Caribbean and Pacific, Venezuela is a sovereign country meaning it has the independent authority to govern itself and control itself or its territory without any interference. The United States interfered with Venezuela. 

President Donald Trump violated the United States law by attacking Venezuela with airstrikes, killing over 100 people and capturing their president without Congressional approval. This means that article 2/4 of the United Nations (UN) Charter prohibition of law was violated.Article 2(4) of the UN Charter is a cornerstone of International Law, obligating all UN members to refrain from the threat or use of force against another state's territorial integrity or political independence, or being in any way inconsistent with the UN's goals. Article 2/4 Essentially, it bans aggressive warfare, protecting state sovereignty and promoting peace, though debates continue over what constitutes "force," especially regarding cyber or economic pressure. The United States had no right to attack Venezuela and it was a breach of the United States policy because it was not an act of self-defense and it required the use of the United States military force which is not allowed under International Law. The United States president has attacked a country accused of drug smuggling without proof. However it can be argued that Trump had the power to start the Maduro operation because the president is in charge of federal law enforcement and is also the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. President Trump may have the power to start off the Maduro operation but it does not change the fact that he has threatened and attacked another country without congressional approval. As a president he should abide by the United States Laws. 

Despite the capture of Maduro being a breach of the United States law?, Venezuelans are filled with hope yet with fear. Venezuelans in Florida celebrated what many have called a historic turning point for their country. Venezuelans see Trump’s actions as a sign of freedom from dictatorship and not as a threat. Venezuelans living in the U.S. have expressed their hope in being able to see their family in their home country after decades. In the city of Doral, Florida the streets were filled with Venezuelans celebrating their freedom from dictatorship finally being able to use their voice.For instance, Abraham Lincoln student Anddy Wu Feng states, “My family is excited and I am too, most nights we would hear people protesting.”His family moved to the U.S from Venezuela because of how dangerous the atmosphere was and because his family wanted a better future. Although he states that his living conditions were not as bad as other Venezuelans’, he mentioned that at times “Water and electricity would be completely off.” 

Over 40% of the residents in Doral, Florida have Venezuelan roots. The reason for the celebrations in Florida relate to the poor conditions Venezuelans faced living with Maduro as their leader. Maduro took office in 2013 and soon after the economy collapsed and inflation rose. Maduro was a brutal leader; he silenced the voices of his political opponents by jailing them. Maduro caused human rights violations by repressing descent and using brutal force against protestors. During the elections of 2018 and 2024, Maduro won by what observers said were fraudulent methods. Maduro’s corruption and mis-management caused the state-run economy to fail and made living conditions horrible.

Even though Maduro had Venezuelans under his dictatorship and caused the country to live in poor conditions, it did not give Trump and the United States the right to use military force to remove him. Trump may have power because he is in charge of federal law enforcement and is also the commander-in-chief of the armed forces; yet, he still had no congressional approval to take action against Maduro. Arresting Maduro was against International Law and violates Venezuela's sovereignty by interfering with their country. The attack from the United States against Venezuela cost the lives of over 80 people over allegations without proof. Venezuela may be happy that they are finally free from dictatorship but they also live in fear of what could happen next.