The other day while heading home from the dog park with Jack, I stepped off a high curb and heard a peculiar noise.

Illinois’s very own Senator Richard Durbin is a lead sponsor and champion of a new and innovative bill, the Global Resources and Opportunities for Women to Thrive Act (GROWTH Act S.2069).

Coming from a big Catholic family, my early memories of Thanksgiving are fuzzy.

Back-to-school paraphernalia have cluttered local store shelves since July. Parents of schoolchildren are busy stocking up on pencils, wide-ruled notebook paper, folders, crayons and lunchboxes for opening day. Everywhere I go, I keep noticing the abundance of school supplies for sale, and it is strange to think that for the first time in nearly 20 years, I will not be going back to school. Though I am elated at the thought of never having to stress about grades, study or eat Ramen noodles again, I can’t help but feel strange that I am not heading back to the world of discounted movie tickets, freshly sharpened pencils and textbooks. As stressful as first days of school could be, I will always look back on them fondly.