When President Donald J. Trump announced an executive order, banning legal visitors from 7 Muslim majority countries, Elnaz Jalali was faced with the decision to sacrifice her dream or to be separated from her family living in Iran. “After 5 years staying in the U.S., investing my money, my time, my energy and my knowledge over here, if I wake up one day and someone says: ‘what you did over here is done and you should go back home.’” Jalali said. Jalali is in her final semester studying for a masters in chemistry but hoped to pursue a doctorate post graduation. “I’m terrified it doesn’t end here. Imagine for five years I won’t be able to go back home to visit my parents and my parents won’t be able to come here. I can’t live without my parents,” Jalali said. |Alyse Young
Brandon Scurlock opens the piercing pliers for Gary Fralick during a bighorn sheep wrangle near Big Piney Jan. 25, 2017. Wyoming Game & Fish Department are putting radio collars on bighorn sheep to track where they stay for the winter. |Ashley Cooper
On his senior night in high school Pancake Thomas jumped up and cut open his arm on the backboard. Since then Thomas went on to play two seasons at the University of New Mexico then transferring to the University of Hartford and playing one season there. Thomas has averaged 13.5 points a game since joining the Hilltoppers earlier this year. |Shaban Athuman
From left to right, Hayley Hoback, Izzy Rager, Morgan Goetz and Rachel Shipp lean on one another at a vigil to memorialize their Alpha Gamma Delta sister, Stephanie Campbell, on Wednesday, Sept. 28 at the AGD sorority house. Campbell passed away Sunday, Sept. 25 as a result of a single-car accident on the Western Kentucky Parkway. “She has tattooed on her foot ‘You can breathe,'” remembered Hayley Hoback at the vigil. “And that’s what I can say to her. ‘You can breathe now.’ She’s in a better place now.” | Gabriel Scarlett
Members of the Western Kentucky Big Red Marching Band practice before an NCAA college football game with Western Kentucky University taking on Houston Baptist University, Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016, in Bowling Green, Ky. | Michael Noble Jr.
Lydia Billion, a WKU alumnus, quietly kneels during the “National Anthem” as a form of peaceful protests of the current treatment of African-Americans in the United States. Last weekend when students and members of the Major Redz knelt during the song, fellow fans attempted to shout them down. The protests were also spurred on by two recent incidents of racism on Western Kentucky University’s campus. | Gabriel Scarlett
After spotting the new moon members of Bethel Fellowship Ministries blow shofars in celebration of the Feast of Trumpets. It is a biblically commanded celebration and is observed after sighting the new moon which starts the first day of the seventh biblical lunar month. | Ashley Cooper
Members of the Major Redz file out of the DSU before Western Kentucky University took on rivals Vanderbilt on Saturday, September 24, 2016. |Gabriel Scarlett
Vanderbilt outside linebacker Caleb Peart, 9, celebrates after a win over rivals Western Kentucky University on Saturday, September 24, 2016. |Gabriel Scarelett
Arthur Woodsen, 74, becomes aggravated on the topic of civil rights in the living room of his home in Bardstown, KY. Woodsen grew up in the midst of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 1960s. “My race of people were looked at as not even being human,” said Woodsen. “And that same segregation is still around today. God’s blessed me to live seventy four years, and I’ve seen this country get worse instead of better.” |Skylar Ballard
Western Kentucky University wide receiver Nacarius Fant (1) makes a 61 yard catches for a touchdown during the second quarter of the Western Kentucky University-Vanderbilt University game on Saturday Sept. 24, 2016 at L.T. Smith Stadium in Bowling Green. |Shaban Athuman
|Video by Michaela Miller and Katie Roberts |Edited by Alyse Young
Derek Harris, the bass player for The Misty Mountain String Band, fixes his tie backstage before the start of the first Live Lost River Music Session at the Capitol Arts Center on Thursday, September 15th, 2016. This Lost River Music Session hosted a variety of folk-genres for a packed crowd, such as Bluegrass and Americana. |Weston Kenney
Skeeter Depp carries his new son, Treyson Depp, out of the c-section surgery room. Tryson is a “rainbow baby,” a healthy child born after a series of miscarriages. |Abigail Potter
William Kirby, 71, recalls difficult memories from the tumultuous 1960s in America. As a teenager in Alabama, he remembers the rape of an African-American girl by a group of white boys. After weeks of recovery, the girl and her friends went out to a movie that he was at with his friends. “They snatch this particular girl from the crowd and they hung her right out in the courthouse yard,” Kirby explains, his voice breaking with emotion. “There wasn’t about five of us, and all these white people around, we wasn’t going to try to save her. We runned for our lives too.” Three years later, he volunteered for the U.S. Army to fight for a country that did not yet guarantee him his human rights. During the recruiting process, he witnessed the riots in Montgomery from the third floor of a hotel but was ordered by his commanding officers to not take part, talk about it, or to take sides. “I watched them spray them with a hose, letting them dogs loose on people…It’s in the history books, but what I saw made those history books real.” | Gabriel Scarlett
Coney island clowns dance atop of a mobile boombox during the second day of the Electric Daisy Carnival at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. More than 400,000 festival goers migrated to Las Vegas to celebrate the 20th anniversary of EDC. The sold-out festival featured eight stages, multiple art installations, theatrical performers, and much more.|Harrison Hill
As dusk approaches, Desaire Gaddy explores the dry scrubland that surrounds her rural home outside of Thoreau. Gaddy was moved back onto the Navajo Nation Reservation from her life in Florida to stay with relatives who live without running water due to the ongoing water crisis. “Do you want me to show you where I dreamt of the water running?” she muses. “All through here, just blue water and dolphins.” Most children grow up on the reservation not knowing of another life, but not she.|Gabriel Scarlett
Board of Supervisors Malia Cohen and Ahmed Abozayd vice president of Local 87 speak before a march in support of janitors with SEIU Local 87 on Thursday, July 28, 2016 in downtown San Francisco. The janitors are in a contract fight with employers.|Michael Noble Jr.
Camp 8 brush fire squad members take a break as a valley catches fire in Duarte, California on June 20, 2016. As temperatures reached triple digits, more than 1,000 firefighters deployed to fight two fires that raged just miles apart from each other in Duarte and Azusa, California. Together, the fires burned around 5,000 acres and forced the evacuation of at least 770 homes according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.|Harrison Hill
Robert Mims of Bryan, TX competes in the bull riding portion of the National Senior Pro Rodeo on Tuesday July 5, 2016 at O.L McMains JR. Arena in Grants, Nm. Mims finished second.|Shaban Athuman
“Coach Lederhouse always tells us ‘we are free to swim’. God has made us free and already redeemed us. We don’t have to earn anything, and we can have peace that He is in control,” Wheaton swimmer alumni ’16 Kirsten Nitz said. “Do your best, and leave the rest up to God.” Through practicing and competing with broken ribs and illnesses like the flu, Nitz never stops. Her dedication and strive to do her best over the years has led her to earning five individual national NCAA titles – a first for any Wheaton athlete in any sport. She is also the first Wheaton swimmer to go undefeated in all of her 12 CCIW individual events and earned the title of a CoSIDA All-American athlete three-times.|Erica Lafser
“Any time I think about it, I speak about it, I get angry”. A retired uranium worker of over two decades reacts in frustration and anger as he explains the harmful practices he took part in during his years as an employee of the United Nuclear Corporation at their Church Rock Mill. His name is withheld for the safety of himself and his family. In the past when he has spoken out, his family was threatened and once a coworker came to his house and threw a brick through a window, nearly hitting his infant grandson. While working at the Church Rock Mill, he remembers taking part in chemical dumping, burning of official medical documents, and he vividly remembers the faulty practices that led up to the Church Rock Spill, the largest spilling of radioactive material in North American history. “Love got stories about what we did, about what was done by the companies, about how they don’t care about the people… A lot of times I shed a tear. I think about the elderly, I think about the kids.”|Gabriel Scarlett
James Copas, 52 (left) and Harold Copas, 62 (right) sit on the front porch with their mother Mildred Walker, 89 as they enjoy the summer breeze and making their mother laugh. 23rd June 2016. Tompkinsville, Ky.|Srijita Chattopadhyay
A group of protesters gather to demand D.A Gascòn to bring charges to the police officers that shot and killed unarmed Amilcar Perez-Lopez on June 22, 2016 in San Francisco, California.|Michael Noble Jr.
The Suffer’s singer Kam Franklin performs at BottleRock 2016 in Napa, Calif. on Sunday, May 29, 2016.|Michael Noble Jr.
Inez Grace is held by her brother Leo Gomez as they watch their homes burn on Saturday June 26, 2016 in the Gamerco neighborhood on in Gallup, Nm.|Shaban Athuman
Russell Gardner, 5, holds plungers he used as paintbrushes during the Big Art Everywhere activities Wednesday, July 6, 2016, at the Children’s School.|Michael Clark
Annie Herring, 16 of Graford, Tx, will competes in Pole bending and Barrel racing in the Best of the Best timed events rodeo in Churchrock, NM. “I came for the experience, I wanted to a new rodeo” Herring said.|Shaban Athuman
LOUISVILLE, KY – JUNE 08: Roddrick Woods, 5, visited the Muhammad Ali Center and I Am Ali festival on June 8, 2016 in Louisville, Kentucky. Woods did a Kindergarten project on Ali. “He was a boxer from Louisville. Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee!” Woods said.|Justin Gilliland
|Video by: Alyse Young
|Video by Michaela Miller, Ashley Cooper, Madihah Abri and Alyse Young |Edited by Katie Roberts and Alyse Young
Abby McPeak, 7, and her siblings Jazmine, 9, and Dathan, 3, play in the front yard of their trailer home outside of downtown Brownsville, Ky. “I like this place because we have a trampoline and friends that play with us,” said Abby. April 17 2016, Brownsville, KY. |Skyler Ballard
Shaun Bridgmohan celebrates his 1st place victory riding four-year-old Miss Pink Diva during the Maiden Special Weight horse race at Keeneland Racecourse on April 17, 2016. The win was a first for Miss Pink Diva, earning $36,000. |Alyse Young
Dr. Erika Brady has not had a formal haircut since she was 12 years old, after her first trip to the salon. |Justin Gilliland
Keyshawn Brown, left, and Isaiah Brown, right, swing on a part of their porch on 14th Ave. and Stubbins St. These boys were with their uncle waiting for their mother to come home from out of town. “I’m doing well in school, I have A’s and B’s in all my classes unlike Keyshawn, he has all D’s and F’s,” Isaiah said. “I hope Isaiah and Keyshawn do what you’re doing, go to college,” said their uncle Junior Lancaster. April 12, 2016, Bowling Green , KY. |Ebony Cox
The final race of Sunday, April 17, of the 2016 Spring Race Meet at Keeneland Race Track finishes on the turf. Kasaqui (6) won, ridden by Paco Lopez. |Justin Gilliland
Jockeys relax in the Jockey’s Quarter’s before their races at Keeneland Racetrack on April 16, 2016 in Lexington, KY. |Harrison Hill
Rafey Wahlah models an Oyster Perpetual gold black faced Rolex Watch retailed at $12,550. The watch was a gift from his grandfather and matches the gold ring he wears from his grandmother that symbolizes eternal love. |Alyse Young
WKU professors Rita Meredith and George Kontos dance during the weekly Corvette City Bop and Dance club in Bowling Green, KY. Both Kontos and Johnson have been dancing with the club for over two years. “I love coming here because I am able to socialize and dance with other professors and Bowling green natives,” said Kontos. |Harrison Hill
SUNDAY APRIL 17, 2016–LEXINGTON, KY– Jockeys and horses are up early morning warming up and prepping for the last day of races for the weekend at the Keenland race tracks. |Tyger Williams
Former two-time Olympian and Army wrestler Spenser Mango, of St. Louis, walks off the mat retiring from wrestling after losing to Jesse Thielke, of Germantown, Wisconsin, in the Semi Finals match of 59 KG in greco roman during the US Wrestling Olympic Team Trails Saturday, April 9, 2016, at Carver Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. “When I first started trying to take my shoes off I thought I was just going to take them off real quick and get out of there because I knew I wasnÕt going to be able to hold my emotions back. I heard everybody cheering for me. You know, you go through your whole career I guess hoping that when youÕre done you feel like youÕre appreciated and the crowd was great,” said Mango after his match. Mango competed on the US Olympic team in 2008 and 2012. | Jeff Brown
Nashville Predators center Filip Forsberg (9) is congratulated by teammates after scoring a goal against the Colorado Avalanche during an NHL game at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee, on Tuesday, April 5, 2016. The Predators beat the Avalanche 4-3, disqualifying Colorado from the playoffs. | Nick Wagner
Jennifer King models the class ring that she never removes, “It’s a reminder of the success of finishing something,” King said. | Alyse Young
Soup and Nickel take a nap in the sunshine while waiting on a southbound freight train out of Bowling Green, Kentucky. | Emily Kask
Runners fly high as they leap the water obstacle on the women’s 3000m steeple chase at the Hilltopper Relays in Bowling Green, Ky. on April 9. They must complete eight laps of the track, overcoming multiple hurdles and the water trap like in some horse races. Miami University (Ohio) took the first place honors with a time of 10:52.68 by Alesha Vovk. | Gabriel Scarlett
Chadrick Wigle teaches students at his newly-opened BGKY Boxing Club in Bowling Green, Ky. on April 6, 2016. His experience as a coach at the NCAA Division I level has brought him dozens of new clients who were waiting for a boxing gym to open close to home. Whether or not it is school-sanctioned, Wigle will be leading a Western Kentucky University boxing team in the coming years. | Gabriel Scarlett
Kent State’s Caroline Sauers jumps an obstacle in the 3000-meter steeple chase during the Hilltopper Relay April 9, 2016 at Charles M. Rueter Track and Field Complex in Bowling Green, Ky. Sauers finished 5th overall with the time of 11minutes 3 seconds. | Shaban Athuman
Joe Gray is in his third year of ROTC at Western Kentucky University. “I’m not really sure what I want to do. Maybe aviation or infantry,” said Joe when asked what he wants to do during his time in the Army. | Josh Newell
Drag Queen Geneva LaDiva dances to a performance of “Sweet Dreams” by Brooke Lynn Hytes at Play Dance Bar in Nashville, Tn, Saturday April 2, 2016. | Abby Potter
Entertainer Aurora Sexton kisses an audience member after receiving a tip from him during a performance at Play Dance Bar in Nashville, Tn on Saturday, April 2, 2016. | Abby Potter
Chirag Ar, a sophomore from India, sneak attacks Saudi Arabian student, Mustafa Almarhun with handfuls of brightly colored holi powder during the 2016 Holi Festival hosted by the Indian Student Association on South Lawn at Western Kentucky University on March 19, 2016. Holi is a Hindu celebration of good over evil that is traditionally celebrated in India and southeast Asia. | Alyse Young
Hip-hop duo, Waco Bell, was formed in January 2015 by Scott Gardner (left), and Reuben Bynes (right) in Bowling Green, KY and has gained a strong following locally. Gardner lays down a synth beat and sings vocals while Bynes raps. | Alyse Young
Players compete for a jump ball at a pickup basketball game at Roland Bland Park in Bowling Green, Ky. on March 26, 2016. “It’s my way to get exercise,” said Anthony Hart (21). “I love watching it on TV, playing it myself. I have always loved the sport.”| Gabriel Scarlett
Jasmine Mayes, left, waits for her brother Rydell, right, to finish his training at the Boxing Resource Center in Nashville, Tennessee on March 30. She has witnessed his transformation and 80 pound weight loss over the last year as he has made boxing his priority and begins the transition to the professional level. The next fights throughout this year will determine his path as he attempts to drop more weight and be able to fight in the 175lb weight class. | Gabriel Scarlett
Rap duo of Alex “Lougz Gee” Gee, left, and Matt “Rosario” Vicente pose for a portrait. The Duo recently returned from The South by Southwest (SXSW) in Texas. | Michael Noble Jr.
Nicky raises cocks for fighting in Mingo County, West Virginia at his family’s trailer and usually bets between fifty and a hundred dollars on each fight. This is his main income source, but he stays clear of fighting in the big derbies in Kentucky because the bets are made in the thousands not just in a few bucks. “There is a real sportsmanship to this. It is a real sport,” Nicky explains. | Gabriel Scarlett
Hudson Sitzman of Ferdinand, 14 months, middle, pointed to a 3-week-old turkey while his dad Wes and grandmother Debbie Kerstiens of Ferdinand watched him interact with the animals in the brooders house at Kerstiens Farm in Ferdinand on Tuesday. | Erica Lafser
Dawson Newbold,16, of Housespring makes a call while taking a break from sandbagging on December 30, 2015 in Fenton, Missouri. The Meramec river is expected to crest at 43 ft late Wednesday. | Michael Noble Jr.
Ray “Raisin” Jones of Bowling Green helped his third cousin, Carleigh Frost of Bowling Green, 7, left, put her hat back on after it fell while she was feeding the ducks at Basil Griffin Park on Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016. Jones used to go to the same park with his own son, who is now 23. | Erica Lafser
Rachel Cranor, 17, of Bowling Green, lies on the floor after walking the runway at the fashion show during the third annual Southern Kentucky Bridal Expo at the WKU Knicely Conference Center in Bowling Green, Kentucky, on Sunday, Jan. 31. “I didn’t pass out, I’m just tired” said Cranor. | Emily Kask
WKU president Gary Ransdell prepares to announce his resignation at the Regents Board meeting at the College & Career Center on WKU’s Elizabethtown campus on January 29, 2016. Ransdell’s retirement from his presidency will be effective June 30, 2017. | Emily Kask
At six in the morning, when Judy’s Castle opens it’s doors, faithful tenants make their way inside for a warm breakfast and good conversation. Rita Porter has dined with her father, Fred Oliver since her mother’s passing in 2014. At the diner, Porter befriended Jerry Blankenship who sits in the booth behind Porter and Oliver. “We come here every day” said Porter. | Alyse Young
Family, friends, students, and staff gathered in the Chandler Memorial Chapel on Western Kentucky’s Campus on Monday, January 25, 2016 to mourn the loss of their friend and loved one Tammy Jeffries, Assistant Professor in the Department of Communications. | Lex Selig
