Welcome to the 2026 issue of Northern Light
Dear Readers,
Welcome to the 2026 issue of Northern Light.
This year’s issue features three essays that reflect the range and strength of student scholarship. These range from medicine and diagnostic reform to religion and moral inquiry, and include research on psychology, sleep, and anxiety. These pieces show how undergraduate writing can engage serious and meaningful questions.
I am grateful to our editorial team for helping bring this issue together. Thank you to Beloved, our Publicity Coordinator, Lily, our Content Editor, and Arlene, our Copy Editor, for their time and care. I also want to thank Alyssa, our faculty supervisor, for all of her hard work, guidance, and help throughout this process. As this is her last publication with Northern Light, we are especially grateful for everything she has done for the journal.
Thank you to our authors, and thank you to our readers for supporting student work.
Sincerely,
Ryan Ismail
Editor-in-Chief
A Review of the 2026 Issue of Northern Light
By Ryan Ismail
The 2026 issue of Northern Light brings together three very different essays, but they all share one thing. Each piece asks readers to think more carefully about the systems, beliefs, and habits that shape people’s lives. Some of these questions are medical. Some are philosophical. Some are directly tied to student health. Together, they show the value of student scholarship at North Hennepin Community College.
A Review of the 2026 Issue of Northern Light
Bone Age in Modern Medicine: Urging Clinics to Replace Old Standards
By: Ryan Ismail
In a world of ever-changing technology and medical advancements, medical bone-age assessment should not be stuck in the 1950s. In many settings outside the United States, clinicians use alternatives to the Greulich and Pyle (GP) hand atlas, including the newer, more precise Tanner-Whitehouse-3 (TW3) method.
Why We Should All Study Religion
By: Casey Hjelmstad
Most people either grow up following a religion without question or reject one without really looking into it (“Who Knows What About Religion?”); however, if a concept is supposed to shape our beliefs, values, and even our purpose in life, should we not be taking the time to understand it? Exploring religion is not just for the deeply faithful; it is something everyone should do. After all, if we do not, we risk basing our entire worldview on assumptions instead of actual understanding (Stavrova). Whether someone sticks with their faith or decides they do not need one, they should at least know for sure why they made that choice. We all owe it to ourselves to genuinely reflect on and explore why we hold the beliefs we have. Therefore, religious or not, people can still find great importance in exploring religion.
Why We Should All Study Religion
Problematic Internet Use and Influence on Quality of Sleep and Generalized Anxiety
Aubart, A., Velasquez, D., Bursch, A., Lee, P., Shaw, E, Robertson, J., Cedergren, H., Chang, E., Duopu, B., Adam, S.
Abstract
Problematic internet use (PIU), or internet addiction, is a growing concern, as research shows that various types (i.e., gaming, social media, reels, etc.) can lead to issues with sleep and anxiety among other health related issues (i.e., substance addiction, self-esteem, depression, loneliness, etc.). We focused on the 2 most common issues - sleep and anxiety - related to PIU. Participants were 41 students from a diverse community college campus (mean age = 24.75 years): 19.52% male, 65.85% female, and 14.63% trans/nonbinary; 26.83% White, 19.51% multiracial, 14.63% Asian, 12.20% African Black, 9.76% African American/Black, and 7.32% Hispanic/Latino, with 73.17% born in the U.S. Our hypothesis was supported by both poor sleep quality measured by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (r = 0.43, p < .005), and generalized anxiety disorder measured by the GAD-7 (r = 0.44, p < .003), which are significantly related to PIU measured by the Internet Addiction Test. Future research will examine if reducing PIU in college students will improve anxiety and sleep.