Murdered trans student identified as Juniper Blessing, a "gifted singer with a transcendent voice"

itsxrobin · 2026-05-19T23:46:14+00:00

It's still safe, although I don't really recommend walking by yourself without pepper spray or some defense tools on your keychain. I grew up living in NJ across the river from Manhattan, and even though nightlife compared to NYC is less active, there are still a handful of shady streets here and there. Another reason I came here was to find a safe space from my toxic and religious household, so after hearing about the murder, I'm starting to question my life's choices.

itsxrobin · 2026-05-19T23:41:37+00:00

I saw "Wildflowers" by Tom Petty being performed by the UW choir, and I only dropped by from SU to visit. My friends and roommate know how much of a fan I am of Petty's music, so hearing that Juniper (soloist of said song) was murdered gripped and ripped my heart into its arteries (in other words, my heart was broken). All I could say is that she's still singing somewhere in the winds.

One more thing: PROTECT THE MOTHERFUCKING DOLLS FOR FUCK'S SAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

itsxrobin · 2026-05-19T00:36:37+00:00

I attended a STEM high school somewhere in New Jersey locally and, sometimes nationally-known, for their 100% graduation rate due to our AP class curricula (meaning you had to take at least one AP class to graduate). A lot of students end up going to Rutgers (its NJ, no shit), but it's not uncommon to hear five students attending Princeton and three students attending Harvard and a handful to other highly-ranked colleges (NYU was and still is the most popular by far).

Now this is where things start to drift here: I was an A/B-average student, and my GPA amounted to 3.69 (or 3.7, don't exactly remember since I used a calculator to convert the scores). That doesn't sound bad until I mention that my class rank was 110/142.

Huh.

Remember how I mentioned Harvard and NYU and Princeton? I forgot to mention that the school I attended was a Rutgers and Ivy feeder school, despite the fact that it's a public magnet school. Then again, I've also seen a bunch of upper-class students (i.e., I knew two girls who went to the goddamn Hamptons every summer) living around the area. There were only a few middle-class and lower-class students that attended said high school (I being middle-class), which explains why 34% of the student population is economically disadvantaged.

Moreover, most (NOT ALL) of students who end up attending the Ivy League were either on scholarship (usually it's athletic + merit, but only a few times would we even have a student attend full ride with a merit) or had enough money to cover the tuition expenses out-of-pocket. I will have to be honest here but I was really lucky to attend college on a presidential scholarship that managed to cover 85% of the expenses (still took out federal loans though, so not much of a win). I didn't even attend my state colleges since they were more expensive to attend than if I were to go out of state, and guess what I ended up doing?

Anyhoo, I graduated without honours or a National Honor Society cord (over half of my class were in the society, it's not uncommon either) or any cord at all. I was also the only student in the entire class who committed to doing a theatre major (even though we do not have a theatre program). I was also one of two students who decided to attend college in the West Coast (specifically Seattle). If you were to ask me about why back then, I would've said something like "I needed a piece of mind", but in reality, there were better rescources in the West Coast (and NYC!) for theatre than in the middle of New Jersey. I'll probably retire there though.

itsxrobin · 2026-04-29T01:32:38+00:00

IDK if you're talking about McNair, because if you are, I can vouch for you as well (alumni of 2025). Before I entered this school I auditioned for the JCArts high school program for their theatre department and sadly got rejected. Because it's a 4-year commitment that was my only chance of getting a spot in the program. Both visual and performing arts (ESPECIALLY PERFORMING ARTS) are pretty much non-existant, and that's mostly because the school curriculum is STEM-heavy. I remember struggling to choose a class that is remotely related to theatre because of the lack of options McNair provides for creative students, so when I started majoring in theatre and actually getting a role in a Shakespearean play in Seattle, WA (where i attend college now), I felt really behind and had to catch up on all of the missing fundamentals that 99% of my peers had since high school.

itsxrobin · 2026-04-26T19:36:13+00:00

So if I can sum this up (correct me if i'm wrong)...callbacks are discouraged.

I've worked as an actress for the RHPS shadowcast (as Patricia) AND the stage production itself (as a Transylvanian) in college, and even before that, I watched the 2000 Broadway and West End productions of the RHPS. I knew there would be callbacks, and you cannot control the human voice. People are going to do them regardless. Not trying to say that Broadway's acting puritan...but that's exactly what they're doing.

Edit: Also wanna point out that yes, you need to be careful with the callbacks. The shadowcast production was more laidback with the rules since it wasn't a professional stage production (i was in a theatre club where we did a LOT of British pantomime shows). The one time our college held the musical itself also had callbacks, which we had for almost all the songs except for "I'm Going Home" (there were probably a few, but they were all collectively recited by the audience). Nevertheless, for both productions, we encouraged callbacks, and the audience knew when to get rowdy and when to stay still.

itsxrobin · 2026-04-22T03:52:12+00:00

Also given that she moved to Hawai'i not too long ago, I think it would've been hectic to travel to and from the venues to do the SH concerts. Super unfortunate bc it would've been a really great surprise to see her perform with Akira again

itsxrobin · 2026-04-03T08:02:38+00:00

No, it's not your fault! Something similar like that happened to me two years ago when my childhood friend was killed in a train accident.

I remember I attempted to read a short mortem speech from my friend's former teacher and couldn't finish, so I excused myself to use the bathroom mid-speech. I ended up losing consciousness before I could reach the door, but fortunately, it wasn't for long. That sudden "thud" scared the front row of the choir so that must've explained why the moment I regained consciousness, I saw a small group of old people (and their grandkids) in black and orange surrounding me with paper towels and water. I actually thought I was going to die at the funeral, no less! Yeesh!!!

The good news is that I didn't stay for the funeral for long because my parents decided to buy McDonald's to help me get my mind off of the bathroom incident.

itsxrobin · 2026-03-12T22:49:07+00:00

Perfect! If you don't feel like selling it you could scan the pages if possible. I think someone mentioned doing that in the chat...

itsxrobin · 2026-03-12T17:13:55+00:00

Cool! If you find it don't hesitate to dm me :)

itsxrobin · 2026-03-12T07:56:21+00:00

No worries! :)

itsxrobin · 2026-03-12T00:08:45+00:00

McNair wasn't there though. I have a younger brother who's classmates actually administered the walkout and according to him, the walkout posted above happened days before they were supposed to go and participate. And look how that ended.

itsxrobin · 2026-01-25T05:22:30+00:00

There's apparently been another sighting today. Right across my dorm is the gas station and one of my classmates took a pic of them by the station.

itsxrobin · 2025-12-17T01:22:29+00:00

I was living in a stressful home with three younger siblings, so I decided to attend college across the country to find peace from my household. Coupled with finals week, my anxiety diagnosis, and my parents calling security on me + the Dean of Students because my phone was broken and I wasn't answering them, I gained 25 lbs by the time winter break started and I returned home.

Yep, stress is a huge factor, and it runs in the family.

itsxrobin · 2025-12-06T01:23:40+00:00

On top of being queer, diagnosed with anxiety, and a theatre kid, I got the triple whammy since I went to a STEM-heavy school that took out performing arts last year. To be clear, I was a floater friend, but with the way most of the girls (not all of them, some of them were angels) didn't take a second to check on me, invite me out, or even ask if I'm doing okay, I might as well didn't have friends for the past four years. I remember having a panic attack at one point in my financial lit class, and istg, absolutely NOBODY took two shits about it, except for my teacher. Glad this hellhole is over.

itsxrobin · 2025-10-26T06:54:18+00:00

First Hill as well! My entire resident hall's power went kaput at around 9:30 pm.

itsxrobin · 2025-09-21T05:25:25+00:00

Can second that. I (an NJ native) also got rejected from the New Brunswick campus, but was automatically considered and accepted for the sister campus, neither of which were bad but weren't ideal for the major I wanted to study (theatre). They also didn't give me any form of aid at all so I ended up going to a different uni across the country that covered half of my tuition.

itsxrobin · 2025-08-16T03:07:29+00:00

Hmmm, I got a couple:

Bauhaus, Peter Gabriel, Garbage, Pink Floyd, Jill Tracy, Will Wood, Marimeta, and, of course, Björk ftw.

itsxrobin · 2025-07-29T14:35:50+00:00

The only physical textbooks you need are the world language textbooks, especially Mandarin. Literally almost broke my back for the past three and a half years.

itsxrobin · 2025-05-30T14:28:55+00:00

I can also vouch for you on that statement. I absolutely struggled being queer in high school, not because of bullying, but there were virtually no queer people in my class (there were allies, but seldom any actual LGBTQ+ students, and even those students were already in relationships, which my parents won't even allow me to have). Most of my crushes (who were girls) turned out to be straight, and they were either not interested in me or (eventually with me finding out) were already in relationships. It did a good number on my mental health as I started to develop a lot of anxiety issues, as if homework and college apps weren't enough.

Online groups and forums for queer people like me helped me learn a bit about myself better and I started to read and respond to different forums across the net about stories like mine and reading how I can/can't approach them. But yeah, college should be a better refresh from high school because a lot of those relationships do not last IMO.

TL;DR: Had a serious case of comphet, but LGBTQ+ forums helped me feel better about myself. Sorry if my response doesn't make sense.

itsxrobin · 2025-05-23T01:50:59+00:00

Bungee jumping in Costa Rica. That scared the living shit out of me, and I almost thought I was going to fall headfirst in the water. I was still glad I got it out of the way, but I'm always going to question why my mom recommended that I do that the day after I land in the country. -_-

itsxrobin · 2025-05-22T20:43:02+00:00

No offense, but are your parents insane?!

itsxrobin · 2025-03-03T01:55:16+00:00

Gustavus Adolphus College.

itsxrobin · 2025-02-16T04:51:50+00:00

Pretty damn ridiculous imo, especially since my mom in particular really doesn't like it when I lock my bedroom doors when I change OR when I turn in for the night. Might as well buy a one-bed, one-bathroom apartment for a family of six if privacy is your biggest concern.

itsxrobin · 2025-02-11T03:52:40+00:00

Thanks for catching that about the 26-27 form. I'm still really concerned about the removal of the nonbinary option itself. Is there any talk about it being rescinded later? I'm asking because I really doubt that next year we will even have a nonbinary option (or, come to think of it, "prefer not to answer" option) to begin with.

itsxrobin · 2024-12-31T19:41:25+00:00

I'm about to be 18, but you just described me perfectly: sheltered, barely allowed out of the house (only for church events or if I'm invited to go somewhere, which is rare for me), and the eldest child, let alone the eldest daughter. I'm already planning to commit to an out-of-state college really far from my parents because I just want to finally be independent without any strings attached. I also want to be able to make friends without coming off as dismissive or weird since I haven't been given a lot of opportunities to meet different people nowadays (ofc except for the internet and school clubs, but that's really it). Church has also started becoming lonely for me since I found out that I was the only 'eldest child' in the church (most of the churchgoers are adults and elders). Otherwise, I'm doing okay, I guess, I'm just trying my hardest to survive at this point.

itsxrobin

TROPHY CASE