The BranchOut! Blog

The 2026 World Cup is now in full swing in 16 cities across the United States, Mexico, and Canada. In my home city, Boston, the streets are flooded with national supporters from all over the world. The Tartan Army, Scotland’s fans, have made dozens of local headlines over the past few weeks, drinking bars dry, ‘coning’ statues, among a lot of other fun stuff. The actual playing has been just as exciting, especially if you’ve been following the astronomic run that Cape Verde’s

Reading through the incredible history of Tabor Academy and its unique relationship with Buzzards Bay got me thinking. It’s one thing to stand on the edge of Sippican Harbor and admire the sheer, raw energy of the ocean—the rising tides, the constant wind, and the relentless roll of the waves. It’s another thing entirely to realize that we, as high schoolers, have a massive role to play in protecting this giant "natural battery" and finding ways to safely harness its power.

Just off the New Jersey Turnpike in Newark is a fairly nondescript building, in an industrial district on the banks of the Passaic River. It is a squat, block-like grey thing, windows facing out across a sea of concrete parking lots and gas tanks. The air is smoky, and on hot days, you can smell the mixture of natural gas, animal fat, and sewage from the other plants in the area. Surrounding it are iron walls, faced inwards, resembling an umbrella topped with barbed wire. Asi

When we flip on a light switch or charge a phone, the electricity powering those devices originally comes from a natural source. In traditional energy systems, that energy often comes from burning fuels such as coal, oil, or natural gas. However, burning these fuels releases large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, contributing to global warming. Renewable energy systems work differently. Instead of burning fuel, they capture energy from natural processes that occ

On Sunday, June 14th, the vibrant sounds of music, the smell of local food, and the bright strokes of fresh paint filled Windsor Street in Cambridge. The occasion? The annual Port Arts Fest, hosted by the historic Community Art Center (CAC). For the team at BranchOut!, it was an unforgettable day of service. A dedicated group of our Asian American student volunteers—spanning from 8th to 12th grade and representing four different local schools—stepped up to support this inc