We Actually Do Care

Think pieces coming from a diverse and inclusive background. Nothing new or groundbreaking, but definitely authentic in a society full of superficiality.

[soyouthinkwecare]

Hannah Montana, I Love You

On March 24, 2026, Miley Cyrus made the Hanniversary a reality. She explained in the special that the reason she chose a special episode was because it was easily accessible to all. She recognized that not all have the financial means to attend a concert, and she cannot hit every city and country in the world. She, instead, took it back to what gave her the career, watching her on out tv screens. She had special guests and I like to think that some of them healed her. She was truly proud of herself and grateful to the fanbase for making Hannah who she is, an icon.

I have been a fan of Hannah Montana for more of my life than not. I was 4 when the show aired, but as a barbie doll, dress up lover, it was my perfect niche. I loved Hannah's style and the glamour. I loved singing and dancing to her songs. She was the first fan base I was apart of. I did enjoy the regular story line, as well. It was my dream to have a girl and boy best friend, just like her on the show. I mimicked the storylines with my Barbies, it was truly an inspiration for creative and imaginary play. The jokes were well thought out and easy for all age groups to understand. I watched the movie every chance I got, and eve find myself watching it every summer as an adult. She was everything to me, but as I have grown up I have come to realize just how much she really meant to me.

Growing up, my mother could not afford Disney Channel which made it hard to watch my favorite show. My mother was also a single mom and was trying to juggle raising me and her brother. Sometimes, she needed to work extra shift to make ends meet. So my Godparents would babysit me, but they would say that they invited me over to watch Hannah Montana on their television because they had Disney. They watched episodes with me, applauded my dancing, and even tried singing with me. I did not feel my mothers absents as strongly because Hannah was there to make me feel better. She was there for me when I did not even know I needed someone there. When I think back to those times, I feel happiness even though it should have been the darkest parts of my story.

My father and I had been separated by boarders before I even knew what that meant. So it was my mom and I against the world. Miley and her father made me realize that it's not the end of the world to only have one parents. The show taught me that everything would be okay. As I grew up, I realized that Miley was greiving and was able to move forward because she knew it was what her mother would want from her. When my father passed, I was 17 and watched the Hannah Montana movie again. I used it as a guide on grief. The movie shows grief in many ways. Miley goes back to her roots and reconnects to the land her mother loved, her father starts dating again, and her grandmother gets to see her daughter in Miley. It helped me see things a bit different about what I was going through. It still took therapy, of course, but having something to connect back to my childhood helped make the process a bit more clear.

Now, I am 24 years old and have the same love for the character, if not even deeper. Hannah showed us that there is beauty in simplicity. There had to be something about being 'normal' that made it worth it for Miley to create a whole separate life in order to experience it. Miley showed us that even those we view as 'perfect' have complex feelings and go through the same trials and tribulations we go through. She taught us that it matters how we treat people. She taught us that being who you are is the true success in life. So, thank you Hannah, I love you so much.

[soyouthinkwecare]

Australian GP: What Happened?

The 2026 season of Formula 1 is here, and I cannot be more excited. After an underwhelming Super Bowl, an amazing Natty win for IU, and a tragic downfall of the Colts, I needed something to look forward to again.

This season of Formula 1 is unpredictable due to the regulation changes. Since the regulations were announced, there was speculation on which teams would thrive and which would suffer an opposite fate. Mercedes was the favorite to have a competitive car this season, but during the preseason testing it seemed like maybe it was premature to assume. There was some back and forth in the media from drivers, teams, and team principals. It looked like the same teams would dominate the front of the grid but the middle and back of the grid would be fighting for a better position. For example, Ferrari looked strong during testing, with some drivers expressing that they believed Lewis Hamilton would thrive under the new regulations. The McLarens, Mercedes, and Red Bulls were also putting top times on the board during testing. While teams like Aston Martin, who all expected to do much better this season, kept having trouble with the vibrations of the car. Aston Martin hired Adrian Newey, the engineer responsible for designing Max Verstappen’s championship-winning Red Bulls, to build their 2026 challenger. However, drivers quickly complained about severe vibrations in the car, making it difficult to complete full practice runs. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Kick Sauber switched to Audi F1 team and was looking promising during testing and free practices. Many excited to see Niko Hulkenburg in a competitive car, and happy that Gabriel would be able to show his potential in the highest level of motorsport. Williams was looking like a higher midfield team during preseason testing even after they did not participate in the testing in Spain due to the car failing the crash test. They have a strong driver pairing, with Carlos Sainz working with Ferrari before moving to Williams and Alex Albon working with Red Bull for a little while as well. They have many years under their belts and both drivers have their strengths inside and outside of the car. Racing Bulls signed the only rookie on the grid for this season after promoting Isack Hadjar to the sister team, Red Bull Racing. The switch made many fans nervous due to the amount of drivers that have failed to perform in the second Red Bull. So far it seems as if Isack is comfortable and learning the ropes. During pre-season testing, Haas was also looking like a strong midfield team, with drivers Oliver Bearman and Esteban Ocon setting times in the top 10 during some sessions. In the 2025 season, Oliver Bearman scored some points for the team and was doing a lot better than the previous season. This year, we welcomed a new team to the grid. Cadillac has joined Formula 1, and while we are excited to have an American team with Checo and Bottas, we knew that expectations should be low for the team. A new team with no data to go on is not going to be competing for podiums, but competing to stay in the race at all. After a few weeks of pre-season testing in Bahrain, we moved to Australia for the opening race of the season.

I was able to tune into FP1, FP2, qualifying, and the actual race. FP1 was the first time that we were able to see some of the cars trying to pick up real speed. It felt like when peacocks show their feathers for intimidation. All eyes were on Ferrari and Red Bull as both drivers from the teams were able to set times right next to each other. This is where we start to see the Ferrari really come to life and show us what they got. People were impressed that Max Verstappen was setting good lap times after his negative review of the new regulations, once again proving that he is a one of a kind driver. Then we have the 4th second Red Bull driver in 2 seasons, Isack Hadjar, setting a similar pace to Max. Fans were worried that Hadjar would face the same fate of those before him, where he would not be able to perform and his Formula 1 career would be over without a fair shot. That does not seem to be the case, though. The McLarens struggled to find their rhythm with Lando Norris, the reining world champion, only able to complete 7 laps.

During FP2, we are able to see the top teams setting close times at the front of the grid. Oscar Piatri set the pace for the grid at his home race. Norris was one second behind his teammate, but placing P7, with P2-P6 having a margin of less than a second from the leader. We saw major lock ups during the session, with one causing George Russell to go through gravel. The Australian circuit is known for its grass and gravel traps, making it vital for drivers to keep their cars on the track. Rookie, Arvid Lindblad, impressed in FP2 with being only .170s behind Hadjar in a Racing Bulls. Verstappen was stalled in the pit lane, but was able to make it out on track for a few laps, but ended up going off track on turn 10 and damaged his floor. Williams was experiencing problems with Carlos Sainz's car and he was not able to finish FP2. Then, Checo Perez in a Cadillac stopped on track due to a hydraulics issue. With all of that the session was over and we had a good understanding of who would be dominating in qualifying.

While I was not able to watch FP3, I will give some of the highlights. The session starts and Stroll was still not out, after some time Aston Martin announced that he would not be participating in FP3. Both Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas had lock ups on turn 3, but Hamilton still manages to place at the top of the time sheet later on in the session. Alex Albon's Williams was stalled but he was able to get it going, it did cause a yellow flag to be deployed. The biggest incident came from Mercedes, which caused a red flag. Kimi Antonelli crashed his car after hitting some kerb at turn 2, causing him to lose the back of the car. The crash made qualifying look questionable, after a strong weekend for the Italian driver. The crash was in an area that had no grass or gravel to reduce the speed of the car before impact, it looked like a big job for the mechanics.

Finally, we make it to my favorite part of the weekend, qualifying. Qualifying is made up of three sessions, with 6 drivers getting eliminated in the first and second rounds, and then the last 10 try to gain the best positions on track. Ultimately the drivers are competing to obtain pole position, which is the very front of the grid or referred to as P1.

Q1 starts with Antonelli, Sainz, and Stroll in the pits while the rest of the grid is starting to set times on the bored. Antonelli was able to make his rounds later in the session, while Sainz and Stroll did not participate in Q1. Perhaps the biggest shock of the session came from Max Verstappen. While on his first lap, he had a major lock up of the rear tires and went flying towards a barrier. The commentators referred to it as if you are driving and someone pulls the e-break out of nowhere. While exiting the car, he took off his gloved to check his hands. It was later revealed that this was due to the fact that he did not let go of the steering wheel during the impact. This could be a career changing incident, such as when Daniel Riccardo crashed and hurt his wrist in 2023 Dutch Grand Prix when trying to avoid a collision with Oscar Piastri. He was later cleared and fans were reassured that he would be okay to race the next day, but he would be starting P20. While it was not the best circumstances, the last time Max started at the back of the grid, he ended winning the race so he was not out of contention for the race win.

We moved into Q2, with Fernando Alonso, Checo Perez, Valtteri Bottas, Max Verstappen, Carlos Sainz, and Lance Stroll exiting after the first round. Kimi Antonelli managed to stay in the conversation, giving major thanks to his mechanics for putting his car back together in time and making it able to fight for a good position. Lewis Hamilton found himself in the drop zone at one point, but was able to set a time later in the session that allowed him to go into Q3. When discussing the 7 time world champion, that should be a given but after the 2025 season we got used to seeing him eliminated in Q3 and Q2 sometimes.

Finally, qualifying is rolling to an end with the top 10 shoot out. Nico Hulkenberg, Oliver Bearman, Esteban Ocon, Pierre Gasley, Alex Albon, and Franco Colapinto were all eliminated in Q2. Audi was excited to get one car into Q1, but the good fortune did not last very long. Bortoletos car inched its way back to the pits, only to come to a complete stop right before the white line of the pit lane that would allow mechanics to help get the car in the garage. This meant the departure of the Audi for the remainder of the session. Liam Lawson was behind the Audi as troubles ensued but was able to slow down behind, the situation was not communicated to Lindblad in the second Racing Bulls. He was making his way into the pits at regular speed and nearly collided with his teammate but was able to save it before disaster struck the team. We later get a red flag due to a Mercedes incident with a fan being attached to the car after launch. This caused race control to note the incident and Antonelli was faced with a possible penalty for leaving pit in unsafe conditions. To make things worse for Antonelli, Norris ran over the fan on track which caused a lot of debris and possible damage to Norris' car. Despite the incident, later in qualifying, Kimi was able to put a time that launched him to the very top of the leaderboard. Unfortunately, it was short lived as Russell took the position away from his teammate. Despite Mercedes being the favorite to win, Oscar Piatri was the fan favorite as it was him home race. What better than to have an Australian start front row at the Australian Grand Prix? It's almost Shakespearean. Unfortunately, Piastri was unable to find the pace needed to get pole position, best he could come up with was P5 with his teammate in P6. George Russel ended up with pole position, with Antonelli in P2. Isack Hadjar was able to land P3, Charles Leclerc ended P4, with both McLarens right behind. Then, it was Liam Lawson, Arvid Lindblad, and Gabriel Bortoleto making up the rest of the top 10.

We make it to RACE DAY! The day before Aston Martin predicted that they may not be able to finish the race due to the troubles with the car. We have Max Verstappen in the back with Sainz and Stroll, two Mercedes in the front, and two Ferrari's that are going to be fighting for P1 and P2. Nico Hulkenburg was not able to start the race and Oscar Piastri crashed during the formation lap. The grid goes from 22 to 20 drivers in a matter of minutes. When the lights go out, George Russell does not get a good launch off the line, and Charles gets aggressive trying to gain positions and obtains the lead. Hamilton tried to squeeze into P2 but happened to go off track and fall to P3, while Russell stayed in P2, Hadjar fell to P4 with Antonelli falling to P7 due to having very little battery at the start. By the end of the first lap, Max Verstappen climbs to P15, navigating his way through the back field. At the front, we have lead switches from Russell to Leclerc, and back to Russell, and back to Leclerc, and back. By the fifth lap, Hamilton joined the mix, fighting for the win against his old teammate and recent teammate, all while Max climbs to P12. (When asked who I thought would win the race, I said either George, Lewis, or Max, because Max is never out of contention until the very last lap.) In true Russell fashion, we hear him complaining about a "dangerous" move from Charles, but if you know Russell you know he is the biggest tattle tale on the grid. Charles could have done everything right, and Russell would still find something to complain about.

Just when things are looking good for Ferrari, there is. a Virtual Safety Car and it is up to Ferrari to pick the best strategy so they do not lose their place on track. So while most teams pit, Ferrari decided to be the team to play the different strategy and keeps both of their drivers out. Hamilton was confused by the call and expressed his concerns on the radio, where the team explained that they were sticking to plan A. We could only assume this meant they were planning a one-stop for the whole race. The problem with that is that now the drivers who are behind have fresher tires and can go on a longer stint than the Ferrari's. If you are a Ferrari fan, I am so sorry because this is not the first nor the last time that they mess up a strategy that costs them a race win. Now, you may be calling me a hater, but I love Ferrari so trust me I understand the pain. What makes it worse? a few laps later, we get another VSC and THEY STILL DO NOT PIT!!! At that point, I understood that while the Ferrari's had the car and the pace to win, they would not because they let a perfect pitstop opportunity go to waste. Now everyone has fresher tires, and saved time while pitting due to the safety car. While Ferrari is ruining their race, Max Verstappen makes it all the way to P6 and is fighting with Lando Norris for some time to gain a P5 position.

In the midfield, there is a battle between Perez and Lawson and Ocon and Gasly. Both pairing have rivalries that go back a few seasons. Lawson and Perez have not been each others greatest fans since the 2024 season, when Lawson flipped the bird to Perez. Then, Ocon and Gasly used to be teammates at Alpine, but resentment grew between the two during their time together. Perez and Lawson were fighting for P16, when Perez made a move that made Lawson go wide. The incident was later noted by race control as forcing a driver off of the track. In a similar situation, with a much deeper seeded rivalry, Ocon and Gasly battle, elbows out, for P10. Gasly was able to overtake Ocon, but not without some contact and damage to the Alpine.

Back at the front, Charles finally pits and Hamilton takes the lead. The issue is that Hamiltons tires are graining and he's losing time, while the two Mercedes behind are faster with fresher tires. Once Russell is close enough to his former teammate, he activated his 'overtake' mode and was able to take the lead of the race once again. Antonelli was trying to catch up, but did not have to for long as Hamilton pits and gives up his P2 position. When he returns to the track, he lands behind Leclerc in P4 while the Mercedes make it a 1-2. While the Ferraris and Mercedes battle it out for P1 and P2, the McLaren of Lando Norris and the Red Bull of Max Verstappen fight it out for P5. It is crazy to think that this time last year, they were fighting at the very front. They were fighting for a world championship after the 2024 season. Now, both are lucky to find enough pace to stay in the top 10. While battling they fall almost 20s behind the leads, something that seemed unacceptable last year. For these exact reasons, Norris worked hard to win the drivers championship last year, he knew that the new regulations would mix up the grid order.

The race ends as the Mercedes battle for P1, the Ferraris for P3, and the McLaren and Red Bull for P5. George Russell crosses the line first, with Kimi in second, and Charles in third, making up the first podium of the season. Then, Hamilton ended P4, Norris P5, Verstappen P6, Bearman P7, Lindblad P8, Bortoleto P9, and Gasly P10. All earning points for their championship standing and the constructors championship, as well.

While the regulations may have changed, the love of the game has not. The drivers are just as aggressive as they have always been, even with the uncertainties that the new engines produce. Every position is worth fighting for, with the mid and back field teams proving that with the battles produced on track. I cannot wait to see if the Mercedes dominance lasts the whole season or if we will see upgrades from other teams that produce better results. If the opening race is any indication, the 2026 season may be one of the most unpredictable championships Formula 1 has seen in years. With Mercedes starting strong and rivals already chasing upgrades, the battle for both championships is only just beginning. Next up is China, where we are bound to see some crashes and strategies for keeping the batteries charged for a whole stint.

[soyouthinkwecare]

The Only Thing More Powerful Than Hate Is Love

Bad Bunny has stayed true to his roots and the culture for the entirety of his career (excluding the time he dated Kendall Jenner, but we do not talk about that). He is where he is because of his culture, not in spite of it.

On February 1st, Bad Bunny took the Grammy award of Best Album of the Year. An album that is deeply rooted in Puerto Rican culture. He talks about his land, his family, and his people on the album. The whole album is in spanish. It is an album that would not have even been in the running a few years ago. In the year where hispanic people are facing discrimination and prejudice from the government of the United States, a spanish album by a Puerto rican artist beats out the rest. It was not a 'political ploy' but an appreciation for art. Art that communicates culture and history. He did not win because it was 'rigged'. He won because people from all over the world listen to him. He has a message of love and he gives people hope. He used his time on stage to talk about love, not about hate. He used his time on stage to make it clear that what hispanic and latino people are being portrayed as is not true. He used his time to make it clear that we are not backing down from a fight we did not agree to be in.

In spite of it all, the NFL decided that Bad Bunny would also be the Super Bowl Half Time Show performer the the 60th Super Bowl. With the political tensions, I knew this was not going to be a regular performance. The stage was set up to look like the greenery in Puerto Rico and he brought his iconic "Casita" that was used during his recidency in Puerto Rico. It was jam packed with celebrities and influences. Pedro Pascal, Young Miko, Cardi B, and Karol G were all seen dancing on the porch of La Casita as Bad Bunny sang on the roof. Bad Bunny danced through fields of tall grass with call backs to his island, such as food stands, desert stands, and professions. He gives homage to the Puerto Rican culture in New York. He shows this with bodegas, dancing, and braiding hair outside. He raises his flag high and invited Ricky Martin to sing about their love of Puerto Rico. He brought attention to the blackout that have affected the country for a long time. The biggest message of all was the message on the Jumbotron and the football. The board read "THE ONLY THING MORE POWERFUL THAN HATE IS LOVE" which would seem like a message that anyone would appreciate and find hard to find a couterpoint to is. The football he held up projected the message, "Together, We are America". He closed the show with the flags of all the American countries whilst singing "DtMF".

Outside of United States politics, the show is an appreciation of cultures and countries that make up the Americas. It was a message of unity and remind people to love their neighbor. In the United States it created a foreseen divide. Hispanic people were speculating that Bad Bunny was going to use his time to throw indirect insults about the President of the United States. They thought he would make it somewhat political. He did not. He turned it into something much deeper than politics. He turned it into respect. None of his songs changed, but he connected the references in his songs to real people and places. His dancing did not change, but showcased the different styles of dances in Latin America. His overall message did not change, we must love each other, only then will we win.

I believe that if we all took a step back and looked at the situation with a new pair of eyes, we would see just how fast and bad things have gotten. For example, since when has it been a big deal that a non-American artist could perform at a sporting event? Why is this an argument? What are we doing about the more serious issues? When are grocery prices going to reduce? Will we lose healthcare services? Will children be able to receive free/reduced lunches? There are much bigger topic that we should be banding together to get answers to.

[soyouthinkwecare]

IU wins the Natty

On January 19, also Martin Luther King Jr. day, Indiana University won the National Championship in football for the first time in the schools history. This was probably one of the most talked about games of the football season outside of the NFL.

People were lined up outside of bars in Bloomington, Indiana. The freezing temperatures did not deter anyone from celebrating and rejoicing to what seemed impossible once. There were some prominent figures present at the game as well. First an foremost, there were IU students and alum who traveled and spent good money to support this team on another other teams home turf. Commentators and spectators said that the stadium was 60% IU fans and 40% Miami, which is unbelievable due to the game being IN Miami. There was also an appearance from Lil Uzi Vert and their partner JT. While rooting for opposing teams, they managed to keep it fun and light, and even made the quarterback's, Fernando Mendoza, dream come true. A video had gone viral of Mendoza asking Lil Uzi to attend if he made it to the National Championship, and lo and behold both goals were met. Mark Cuban, a IU alum, was also present and was greeted by 'boos' from the Miami fanbase. This definitely got a chuckle out of me. Notre Dame Head Coach, Marcus Freeman, was also in attendance but instead of coaching on the sidelines, he took a new role as a commentator. I do not know if it was because he wanted to keep Notre Dame as the top football school in Indiana or what but he predicted a Miami win. And now the big, fat elephant in the room...Donald Trump was also in attendance. That's all the attention I will give that mess.

Aside from celebrities, there were also pro-football and retired football players in attendance. Indianapolis Colts Safety Nick Cross was in attendance, and was even amongst the crowd of Hoosiers. Nothing says loyalty like taking time out of your off season to root for one of the biggest schools from the state you play in. Tom Brady was also there, and no he wasn't there to get more botox, he was there scouting the new Raiders quarterback. Tom Brady has a small percentage of ownership with the Las Vegas Raiders, and they are set to have the first round pick in the draft. Who is set to be a first round pick, you may ask? Well none other than Carson Be- oh sorry no. Not him. Fernando Mendoza.

This road to the Natty was not easy, especially with a football program like IU's. Head coach Curt Cignetti has talked about the conditions in which he received the team. He mentioned that it felt like the whole program had given up hope, and they demonstrated this by neglecting their facilities. So, he had to start this program by gutting everything on the inside and setting a new standard. Only two seasons later he delivered what he was hired to do, bring the first ever National Championship title to Indiana University.

Bloomington did not disappoint even though they were hundreds of miles away from where the game actually took place. Bloomington, obviously, took precautions that may seem ridiculous but extremely necessary for Indiana. Such as removing fish from a pond so that they would not get stolen. Yup, that is right. Not worried about them getting hurt. They were worried that students and aficionados would try and steal the fish. Want to know why? Because it had happened before in Bloomington. But thats a conversation for another day. There was chaos in the streets, some climbing lap posts and street signs and others burning a couch. So, nothing out of the ordinary happened, that's just another Monday in Bloomington.

All in all, Indiana University brought some spark back to Indiana after loosing their rising Colts quarterback, an injured Caitlin Clark, and a devastating fall during and after the NBA Finals last season. As a Hoosier myself, I can wholeheartedly say that it brought a sense of pride to me and my home. Not to mention that Fernando Mendoza has given shoutouts to his Hispanic heritage on one of the biggest stages of American sports.

Did you watch the game? Who did you root for? and why was it not Miami?

[soyouthinkwecare]

So You Think We Care

I believe that with the growth of social media, people have gotten this idea that we care what their opinions are. And I have to agree. I do think that forming opinions and being able to hear those that differ your own, helps us grow as human beings. Where society gets it wrong is the belief that just because opinions differ it does not inherently make one right and one wrong. The saying "two things can be true at once" can be used to understand why some people have different opinions as us, especially when we are so sure that what we believe is the one and only logical idea. I created this blog to talk about MY personal opinions and open up the discussion for all. I want to help bring back healthy discourse and ferment new ideas.