Some books come into your life and stay with you. For whatever reason, they strike a chord and fit right in. And while this is rare, it does happen. One book that is forever lodged in my heart is Lassoing the Sun: A Year in America's National Parks, by Mark Woods. It's a personal look at natural spaces, at family and friends, at moving and doing, at being in nature. It's a thoughtful record of exploration and listening and thinking, of love, of essence of place.

Publisher's note: Today, in Orlando, there are 170 young people coming from 20 countries, speaking 12 different languages. They are coming to compete in the World Ballet Competition. And while it is breaking our hearts to face this tragedy, we can't let that overcome the beauty in life. We welcome these young dancers, as they are the ones that will bring us forward.

Cleo Reiss is a 22-year-old University of Delaware graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing. She has spent her first year out of college teaching English as a language assistant at a bilingual high school in Madrid. In her spare time, she is learning Spanish, blogging, volunteering, and traveling around Europe. She will continue teaching next year in Madrid and is looking forward to another fantastic year filled with challenges and adventures.

Adam Lough is a senior Supply Chain Management major at the University of Pittsburgh. Aside from majoring in supply chain, Adam has also received a Certificate in West European Studies and concentrations in Spanish and German language. He has had several internships and jobs, including an internship at DHR International, working on a consulting project for the Sarah Heinz House, an internship with Bosch Automotive Steering, and has been working at the International Business Center since August 2013.

Being a teen is hard. Being a teen with a series of life changes is even harder. One new YA book that explores this theme is Avenging the Owl, by Melissa Hart.

Hi, I'm Alexandra Oetzell, I graduated spring of 2015 from SDSU and completed my degree in Studio Art in 4 years. I spent my final year abroad, studying in Florence, Italy. I love to paint and draw, but as long as I'm working with my hands, I'm a happy girl! Since I returned from my 12 months abroad, I picked up this school bus project.

So, you think you had a busy day? Consider what a typical working day might be like for composer Megan Cavallari. Start with the fact that Cavallari is one of only a very small handful of women who have established themselves as major creative artists in the professional music industry. But not even most of the men can point to a resume as diverse, eclectic, and impressive as this diminutive Jewish-Italian Philadelphia native: more than a 100 film scores as performer, arranger, conductor, or composer; the official composer of the L.A.

Please support 'This Is My Country,' a photobook by Ingetje Tadros on Indiegogo

Cassidy Davis is a recent graduate from the University of Pittsburgh, where she received two degrees, one in Communication and one in Digital Media. She also graduated with a Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies certificate and a minor in Theater. She has spent all three of her summers in college interning in the entertainment industry in Los Angeles. She first interned for Susie Farris Casting, and then worked for CBS for two summers.