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An illustration of Kai's profile. He has light skin, short brown hair and is wearing a blue collared shirt with green leaves on the shoulder.

parallel universe by Kai V. '25

for those feeling dejected

Comic showing Kai at their desk thinking about failures over the past few years: failing a class, not qualifying for competitions, bringing no results to UROP meetings. Kai plunges into the ocean and resurfaces. They see a movie in a theater, walk with two friends in NYC, learn a figure skating move, and audition for a musical. Finally they look out on the colorful ocean. Text transcript below.

Text transcript:

Many times this semester, I felt disappointed in myself. It’s not a new sensation. But after all these years, I still don’t have any advice, just a feeling. A long, cold plummet into guilt and shame over a failure that feels misunderstood by others, and an emergence into a slightly parallel universe: one where everything remains the same, except for the wet sheen of dejection, weighing upon you alone.

But – look up – this parallel universe is also one where art transports you elsewhere, if only for a few hours; one where a weekend trip with friends makes you feel whole again; one where you are learning and growing all the time; one where you try new things and expand your sense of what is possible; one where the future still stretches out ahead of you, opaque, diffuse, waiting to be molded into reality.