In honor of the United State of Women Summit: June 14, 2016 https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1800/1*FdkDb7kfTlKNv1WTPATIyQ.jpeg “Who is a woman that inspires you in your life?” I paused, mid-way through the completion of my Ohio University Women’s Mentoring Program application, to ruminate on this question. It was a good question, to be sure; I always appreciate hearing about …
My path to dietary veganism
A life of sacrifice and separateness — and sanity. https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/2000/1*St7W0if8Di8tjlA3dpC0Eg.jpeg I’ve been what I would call an ‘ethical vegetarian’ for my entire existence in this modern life. Around the age of 4, I made a realization: the frozen hunks of chicken nuggets on my dinner plate equated to the fuzzy little furballs I had seen hopping around …
A Mother and a Leader
Can a woman really be both? https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1440/1*4mpqcd1eRouuIGqZ9-JzHQ.jpeg I asked this question recently to a room of bright, female scholars—all of whom are destined for greatness after their college careers: “Can a woman really be a great mother and a great leader? Is it even possible to be both?” I’ve been contemplating this question, stirring it around …
A Meditation on Time
“It was the end of a decade, but the start of an age.” –Taylor Swift, “Long Live” https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/2000/1*mizAdaQhsCXYW-xmukpD1g.jpeg The afternoon sunlight streamed in through the rafters, as person after person — student, faculty, family, friend — crowded together in this hallowed gathering space to honor Kyra Kurt Willner. I had never known her. She was a young woman who …
COP21 Reflections
It’s time to light the flame. https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/2000/1*8j6oyPmZI-GWk5J7sN8bXQ.jpeg Closing Ceremony of COP21, Paris. Copyright United Nations Photo “I look at the room. I see that the reaction is positive. I don’t hear any objections.” My nose hovers just inches from the screen, transporting me hundreds of miles across the Atlantic Ocean to this panel of flashing cameras …
Conscious Living
Eight vows for renewed living and understanding. CONSCIOUSNESS — it’s not just a meditation; it’s not just a mind game; it’s a way of life. It is important that we stay mindful individuals — examining every shred of evidence, of information — with a critical eye. https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/2000/1*IVPhjeCOactIyUBfqb9h5A.jpeg Conscious about the money we spend, who we pay, and where it goes. Conscious …
Bethany N. Bella 
