Choice: Stories about struggling to make the right call

When Misha Gajewski’s grandfather has a stroke while the rest of her family is out of town, she suddenly becomes the emergency contact, and after learning that her mother gave up on her dream of becoming a musician, Paula Croxson vows never to give up on her dream of being a scientist.

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Hubris: Stories about over-confidence

As a kid, JR Denson is determined to master the art of homemade french fries—but then his kitchen experiment goes up in flames, and faced with a looming Science Olympiad deadline, Adam Ruben is sure his last-minute “clock” made from a bag of water will do the trick.

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Best of Story Collider: A Whole New World

Sean Bearden has never been interested in education, but when he's incarcerated at the age of 19, he finds a passion for physics, and when Victoria Manning decides to get a cochlear implant, she fears losing her identity as a deaf person.

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Coasting: Stories about having it easy

After years of academic achievement, newly minted professor Stephanie Rowley is caught off guard when every paper she submits is rejected, and growing up, Kate Schmidt always thought of herself as the “smart kid,” but that identity is shaken when she gets to university and receives her first C.

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