2022

This is really how I view my America. It is hard to speak about my opinions sometimes, especially when people already have a perception about me or prejudgment because of how I look.

Currently America is going through a lot. However, the thing that every single American and truly every person on the planet is experiencing, regardless of race, religion, or gender is the COVID-19 pandemic. Through this meme I encapsulated how we as Americans, and as people, subscribe to social norms of courtesy even during the toughest of times. I noticed that I often cover my sneeze while wearing a mask and thought it was a funny way to represent America during these trying times.

Gabrielle Mills is studying English and journalism and has a passion for songwriting and recording music. She enjoys learning about politics, world cultures, and social media's impact on human behavior. Published in The Montclarion covering the Black Lives Matter Movement and online at HerCampus Media, she enjoys service work with the Bonner leader Organization and aspires to work in the entertainment field.

I wanted to do something light-hearted in terms of image, while also placing attention on what America looks like right now. America is a great country with people of many cultures, life experiences, and different walks of life that make one an American. However, right now the definition of "an American" has been a constant divide among citizens. America as a country pushes its people to want to be proud of where they come from, but right now the world and some Americans cannot say they are. These last few years have shown this division in America and like the look of the expression in my meme shows that no one is willing to bend much based on views. America as a country can say things as the meme says, but it comes to people and right now not a lot of progress has happened with Americans coming together. Politics and media branding have made us stray apart instead of seeing each other as fellow Americans. We should be able to agree, disagree, or be neutral on things but still lend a hand to our people without it being an argument. My piece shows the debate of citizens' feelings on working together and how complex something as supporting one another has become in the USA.

I hope viewers of this meme will put difference aside and recognize that not agreeing does not mean fighting and Americans do not need to feel like we are walking on eggshells on what one might take as sensitive or not. It is good as people grow and become more aware, but now in America that has turned to us pitting ourselves against one another and feeling the need to stay tight-lipped to not start more chaos.

I hope this work challenges every American no matter their gender, race, ethnicity, or political view that we all want the best in this country, and by wanting the best we cannot make things one-sided. All sides have the right to be heard without feeling they will be attacked and all should feel supported to work together.

Francesco Amore is a junior majoring in Public and Professional Writing. Other interests include comedy, building with LEGOs, and collecting license plates.

Diversity is here and so is change. I’m a first generation Mexican-America woman. When I graduate in Spring 2022, I’ll be the first in my family to graduate from university. Diversity is here and so is change. When I graduate in Spring 2022, I’ll be the first in my family to graduate from university. I’m a first generation Mexican-American female student.

Mari E. Zuniga is majoring in Communication and Media Arts with a minor in Chinese. Her interests include horror movies and rock music. She spend most of her time the campus radio station (90.3 WMSC Upper Montclair) where she is regularly featured on air.

Pain is not being used to the metric system, but realizing you have to convert the imperial system to the metric system (in chemistry classes, for example). We had freedom and used it to be special.

Jill Landicho is a biology major and aspiring physician. She enjoys arts and crafts projects and identifying good vegetarian places.

“This is my America” is a statement of boldness and pride. We all perceive America in terms of what we know, hear, and learn every day, whether it comes from politics, social media, or even comparison with other countries on this planet. We take advantage of many things in our nation and others really stop and appreciate the luck we all have with the freedom to express our words, aspirations, and options in America.

The #FreeBritney movement is an example of how hard many supporters, judicial representatives, and the nation as a whole tried to give one woman the freedom she deserved. Having a powerful nation work so hard for one person’s freedom exemplifies the true meaning of living in a free country. Supporting one another's freedom is America.

Sara Miceli is an art student at Montclair State University. She is passionate about giving people voice through art. She also enjoys a good movie and popcorn!

My idea of America is a country with a strong population, where not everyone has the same beliefs, yet all are united in calling it "home". I combined the American eagle with the MSU RedHawk mascot, because the idea of "home" to me is wherever an individual feels at home. The caption, "You're in REDHAWK Country Now" makes it clear that the population at MSU is strong as well, particularly strong in our beliefs of acceptance and equality.

SpongeBob is a huge part of American culture, especially for anyone born in the late 90s on. In my meme, I made SpongeBob the Statue of Liberty. The Statue of Liberty is an icon for America and SpongeBob is an icon for millions across this country. Many would argue SpongeBob is an American treasure and an American classic as much as any other popular content to come out of this country. Land of the free, home of the memes.

Samira Abdallah is a Visual Arts Education major at Montclair. Since childhood, she has used every opportunity to share art and creativity with everyone. Being able to mix art skills with making a meme was a great break from the usual rigorous work she creates. Who doesn't love making SpongeBob memes/art/jokes?

America is calling for generations of educated, critical thinkers to combat the rule of big corporations and shady politicians. Let all Montclair State Students lift Thor's hammer.

Alejandro Gili-Olivares is a pre-med student with a Major in Psychology in the combined MBA program. He would like to go to med school and study clinical neurophysiology to discover the intricacies of the brain and the self to better understand how we know who we are and how we function.

The faults of our current system are evident to young adults coming of age in America’s current climate. While America offers many opportunities and personal freedoms, at times it can be difficult to separate the good from the bad. It’s easy to get caught up in the social issues that are prominent in American society. For me, one of the most prominent of these issues is The United States government’s tendency to be frugal when putting money into important social programs, such as education and healthcare while they eagerly funnel large amounts of money into military efforts. I’m incredibly thankful for the opportunities that America has provided me, but these flaws nonetheless exist.

Nicole Comly is a sophomore Communication and Media Studies student with a minor in English at Montclair State University.

This is my America, where people with co-morbidities don’t matter and both parties are no longer attempting to hide their hideous eugenicist ideologies.

Melanie Tolomeo is an MA student in Social Research and Analysis graduating in May 2022. She is also a tech consultant for nonprofits. She loves America, but thinks the government can do a lot better for its constituents.