The Synergy Project Magazine - August 2020

THE

SYNERGY

PROJECT

MAGAZINE

AUGUST 2020

FEATURING

A Chilling Exposé on the Silent

Despair of the Rohingya Muslims

(pg. 16)

This is a Call for Police

Accountability (pg. 20)

The Hate U Give and its

Relationship To Race: Book

Review (pg. 48)

CONTENTS

Educational

04

07

10

12

15

Thinking Like Shakespeare: Gaps in American Education

It is Time for The College Board’s Reign Over American Education to End

Online AP Exams During Quarantine

The 20th Century’s Black Death: Ebola

Why is STEM Important?

Political

16

20

22

A Chilling Exposé on the Silent Despair of the Rohingya Muslims

This is a Call for Police Accountability

The Survival of Hope: The Story of the Lost Boys of Sudan

Social

26

34

Pets During the Pandemic

Pyramid Schemes Versus MLM

02

Entertainment

38

40

45

46

48

Hamilton Releases on Disney Plus

Blinding Lights: A Memoir

Movie Review: The Hunger Games

How a Movie Can Terminate A Franchise

The Hate U Give and its Relationship to Race: Book Review

A NOTE FROM

THE TEAM

Wooden doors click shut. The wind rustles, the idle chatter that is common this time of the year

significantly diminished. The global pandemic affects us all differently, but the resulting quarantine has one

widespread effect: a reduction in social interaction.

These days, a single ding of a cellphone might be the most you hear from a friend. But it’s not enough.

As humans, we feel a need to express ourselves, through creativity and communication, and to connect

with others. The current world has seen a rise of attention in not just global issues, but human issues,

such as race as problems like police brutality become increasingly more prevalent. Social movements gain

traction with a new generation of leaders who see a myriad of problems and refuse to be silenced. We want

to debate and argue, to protest and advocate, to see change.

The Synergy Project began with students hundreds of miles apart who connected through the internet,

and it grew with a mission crucial to the current youth: to become a global platform for students to create,

connect and collaborate.

I am delighted to introduce The Synergy Project’s first magazine: an issue created with the goal of

connecting despite quarantine’s efforts to tear us apart and expressing ourselves during a time many find it

difficult to do so.

--Avani Guduri, on behalf of the entire team

03

By Julia Loritz

A growing frustration is

blooming amongst younger

generations. Although it has

become expected for today’s

youth to rebel against societal

standards, this generation is

also looking to take a stance

against the American school

system. They fear being

cheated of not only creative

needs but also the means to

explore a more multifaceted

learning experience. Many are

refusing to be passive learners

and instead, wish to become

more engaged in their personal

and educational journey. This

challenges traditional teaching

styles and prompts for fresh,

modernistic instructional

techniques. Could it be time to

reform how America studies?

Education, in this day

and age, prioritizes high marks

on report cards above creativity

in the classroom. There are

a few tactile and cooperative

activities pursued in class, but

it is undeniable that “core”

studies like English and Math

take up most of the schedule

as opposed to electives such

as art, music, computing,

or tech-ed. Although a

core curriculum provides

fundamental knowledge

necessary to shape intelligent

and informed citizens, the

skills which students master

in electives are vital. Retaining

soft skills like teamwork,

individuality and presentation

craft makes individuals more

appealing to employers and

colleges; this generates a source

of motivation for students to

do well. While students spend

most of their time in school

absorbing facts, dates, and

lengthy exams, the pressure

to get everything “right” is

prioritized over obtaining skills

essential for success.

This memorization-

equals-intelligence

phenomenon, the backbone

for how pupils learn, only

impedes actual growth. It is

common that students who

scored an A+ on the test won’t

remember the material in the

long run. The test content

is only stored in their shortterm

memory, making it easy

to cram for tests and even

easier to forget. Furthermore,

these tests are likely timepressured,

so students benefit

more from memorizing the

material instead of digesting

it fully. By doing so, they

can quickly answer questions

designed by teachers to be

easy to grade, classified by

distinctly right or wrong. In

this way, the education system

only rewards students for their

ability to memorize, rather

than focusing on cultivating

a true understanding of a

given topic. School should

not be a game of call-andresponse,

although it resembles

as such. Because it benefits

your GPA, you may take the

detour of memorization - the

“back road” for answering

without comprehension.

This includes recalling

things you may “know” but

don’t truly understand. For

example, people may be

familiar with the definitions

of Shakespearian phrases, but

cannot distinguish why they’re

used in the scene’s context.

Shakespeare is a common

example of curriculum that

teachers want us to digest

linguistically, which contradicts

the lesson Shakespeare’s

literature should encourage:

someone who reaches “outside

of the box”. Society considers

Shakespeare to be a brilliant

author, but school doesn’t

teach us how to obtain any of

the qualities (like inventiveness

04 EDUCATIONAL

THINKING LIKE

SHAKESPEARE:

GAPS IN AMERICAN

EDUCATION

and imagination) that

supposedly made him great.

To think like Shakespeare,

schools should not confine

their students to excessive

order and coordination; if

not, they will continue to

struggle. Teachers should also

not expect us to be perfect at

all times. We don’t want our

thoughts to be copies of many

others, which happens when

we are only being taught what

others have thought. We want

to avoid conformity and have

differing perspectives, so we

can produce inventions people

can admire. Nevertheless,

we need basic knowledge

to innovate; it is foolish to

disregard this necessity as

though we can model ideas

out of thin air. Therefore,

both sides of education are

important, academic and

creative. Despite this, teaching

styles have remained somewhat

stagnant and run-of-the-mill,

even though more students

value multidimensional lessons

and the freedom to explore

their own perspectives.

It is assumed many

become better readers after

being exposed to Shakespeare,

just as you become a better

student after being exposed

to simple facts. Both will

enable you to have persistence

in decoding the latest

challenges, equations, or test

questions. Shakespeare’s work

and other areas of study in

school, however, shouldn’t be

curriculum-based or testoriented.

The structure of

most lessons do not allow

students to use their minds

to contemplate the deeper

meaning of texts or lessons.

But as you may come to

find that life isn’t about the

certitudes or the plot, it’s

about what they mean to you.

Shakespeare often left room

for interpretation. Instead of

teaching learners that content

can only mean one thing,

why not leave it up to the

individual to produce their

own connotation?

“O! For a muse of

fire, that would

ascend the

brightest heaven

of invention.

--William Shakespeare

EDUCATIONAL 05

IT IS TIME

FOR THE

COLLEGE

BOARD’S

REIGN OVER

UNITED

STATES

EDUCATION

TO END.

By Alexandra Friestman

Recently, the University of California

(UC) system suspended the use of

standardized high school exams such as

the SAT for applicants in light of the

COVID-19 pandemic reducing access

to testing opportunities. The College

Board is the nonprofit organization

which administers the SAT, College-

Level Examination Program (CLEP), and

Advanced Placement (AP) exams as college

entrance or for credit. The University of

California decision is only one example

of the fight between students and the

College Board. As a nonprofit, the

College Board is exempt from laws such

as the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890, yet

they hold a near-monopoly over college

entrance and credit by exam. During

the COVID-19 pandemic, the College

Board’s decision to administer AP exams

online was a disastrous failure that resulted

in a class-action lawsuit following issues

regarding submissions and test structure.

The College Board exerts immense and

unprecedented control over secondary and

postsecondary education in the United

States of America.

Discrimination and the SAT

The SAT is one of two major college

entrance exams in the United States. It

is administered once a month at various

testing locations including public and

private high schools and it is written,

graded, and distributed by the College

Board. It is the most commonly offered

entrance exam by school districts, pushed

on students by school administrations.

The alternative entrance exam, the

ACT, is commonly something students

must register for separately and take at

an external testing site. The SAT costs

$49.50, or $64.50 for the SAT with Essay

for students (College Board). SAT prep

courses can make the true cost of the SAT

much higher and create a gap in scores

between those who can afford prep courses

and retakes and those who cannot.

UC lawsuit. A lawsuit starting in late

2019 alleged that the use of the SAT

and ACT as an admissions requirement

amounted “to deciding students’ future

based on their race and socioeconomic

status and not on individual merit” (De

La Vega). The lawsuit, combined with

the COVID-19 pandemic, led to the UC

EDUCATIONAL 07

system suspending the use of the SAT

and ACT for fall 2021 applications. In

addition, the president of the UC system

Janet Napolitano has called for a five-year

plan in which students in years three and

four would not take the SAT or ACT, and

in the fifth year, students would take an

exam specifically developed by the UC

system. The UC system is the “largest

single university source of customers

for the College Board” due to the sheer

“I just received an email saying that I

owed ninety-four dollars, ninety-four

dollars to the College Board because I

took the AP Lit exam. As in, I sat in my

bed and wrote an essay about some kid

that was in love with this girl at church.

That was a required exam [to graduate].

And the College Board says “Oh well we

need you to pay ninety bucks because

um, we need to print out all the paper

and stuff.” There was no paper involved

in this transaction. There was no paper

involved. Where is my ninety-four dollars

going? You non-profit my ass. Are you

kidding me? Ninety-four dollars. In the

middle of a global pandemic. They had

the audacity.” (Katelyn).

amount of applicants to the UC system

and the percentage of those applicants

who take the SAT (Watanabe). This plan,

or any other plan which would replace

these standardized exams for applicants

to the UC system, would strike a massive

blow to the College Board’s monopoly

over university entrance exams.

Credit by Exam

The College Board is the presiding entity

over the two main credit by exam options

for students in high school and college.

High school students may take AP classes

and exams to receive college credit for

various subjects. For college students,

or students no longer in high school,

the credit by exam option is the suite of

tests known as CLEP exams. AP classes

are typically weighted in most school

districts, so taking them provides a GPA

boost to students over those in “college

preparatory” level classes. This provides an

unfair advantage, as the AP exams, which

students are heavily encouraged to take at

the end of the year, are each $94 within

the United States or $124 outside of the

United States (“Exam Fees”). To some

international students in less economically

advantaged countries, that fee is almost

two months’ worth of groceries. Even

for US students, especially those taking

multiple AP exams, this cost is far too

high.

AP exam lawsuit of 2020. The 2020

AP exam season was, to put it shortly,

a disaster. Students had many issues

submitting work, were deeply dissatisfied

with the length of time given—45 minutes

as opposed to a standard 3 hour exam—to

answer extensive questions, and were very

disappointed and angry with the College

Board. Some students were so fed up with

the College Board’s clear incompetence

regarding the exams that instead of

submitting work, they submitted various

things from pop culture, ranging from

the “Sofia the First” theme song to the

entire script of “The Bee

Movie” (Lee). As one

student puts it:

“I just received an

email saying that I owed

ninety-four dollars,

ninety-four dollars

to the College Board

because I took the AP

Lit exam. As in, I sat in

my bed and wrote an

essay about some kid

that was in love with

this girl at church. That

was a required exam

[to graduate]. And the

College Board says “Oh

well we need you to pay

ninety bucks because

um, we need to print

out all the paper and

stuff.” There was no paper involved in this

transaction. There was no paper involved.

Where is my ninety-four dollars going?

You non-profit my ass. Are you kidding

me? Ninety-four dollars. In the middle of

a global pandemic. They had the audacity.”

(Katelyn).

This student and the many others

who liked this video believe that the

money they paid and the product they

received did not live up to expectations

or standards, and that the pricing for

AP exams is absurd considering they

are the only credit by exam option for

high school students. In addition, other

students on social media have claimed

that the College Board accessed their

cameras and microphones to record them

without explicit consent. Now, the College

Board faces a $500 million class action

lawsuit over their “breach of contract,

gross negligence, misrepresentation,

unjust enrichment and violations of

the Americans With Disabilities Act”

(Jaschick). The College Board’s legal

counsel, Peter Schwartz, claims that

this lawsuit is an unfounded PR stunt.

However, students are deeply displeased

with the College Board, and their

displeasure will likely lead to the success

of this lawsuit, or lead to further lawsuits

and/or legislation regarding the College

Board.

CLEP exams. CLEP exams are the AP

exams’ lesser-known cousins which grant

students credit for college courses based on

the score a student receives. Many students

are unaware of the existence of the CLEP

exams as an alternative to the AP exams.

These exams are offered at university and

community college proctoring centers.

The CLEP exams are offered at a slightly

lower price than the AP exams at $89 per

exam, and are largely the only option for

credit by exam for non-military affiliated

students once they leave high school,

leading to an effective monopoly over the

industry (“Register for CLEP Exams.”).

Nonprofits and Antitrust Laws

As a nonprofit, the College Board is

considered exempt from antitrust laws.

Nonprofits by definition should not be

able to restrain trade, so are not subject to

antitrust laws (Nawalanic). However, the

College Board should hardly be considered

a nonprofit. The CEO of the College

Board made nearly $900,000 a year in

2016, and this amount has only increased

since then (Dudley). In 2018, with over

5 million AP exams given, the College

Board made nearly $95 million in profits

(“Follow the Money - College Board”).

Clearly there is a disconnect between the

word “nonprofit” and the College Board’s

profit-mongering. As the College Board

cannot truly be considered a nonprofit,

based on the profit it does in fact make

and the absurd salaries it pays its higherlevel

employees, it is time to enforce

antitrust laws against the College Board

and break the hold it has over higher

education.

Conclusion

Ultimately, it may take years for the

College Board to finally face retribution

for its unethical business practices,

participation in discrimination against

low-income students, and clear

incompetence regarding the 2020 AP

exams. The UC system’s suspension of the

SAT and proposed reform for entrance

exams may substantially weaken the

hold the College Board has over college

entrance exams. The 2020 AP exam

lawsuit will substantially weaken the

monopoly College Board has over creditby-examination.

Finally, the clear forprofit

nature of the College Board must

soon become apparent to government

officials, and perhaps the College Board

will have its status as a nonprofit revoked.

These three things will (hopefully) break

the College Board’s hold over secondary

and postsecondary education in the

United States. One thing is sure: students

are fed up with the College Board.

Works Cited

College Board. “How Much Do the SAT and SAT

Subject Tests Cost?” College Board Blog, 18

May 2019, blog.collegeboard.org/how-muchdoes-sat-and-sat-subject-test-cost.

Accessed 25

May 2020.

de la Vega, Camille. “Advocates File Suit Against

08 EDUCATIONAL

University of California for Discriminatory

Use of SAT/ACT In Admissions.” Public

Counsel, 10 December 2019, www.

publiccounsel.org/stories?id=0283. Accessed

25 May 2020.

Dudley, Renee. “College Board faces rocky path after

CEO pushes new vision for SAT.” Reuters,

Thomson Reuters, 12 December 2016, www.

reuters.com/investigates/special-report/collegesat-coleman/.

Accessed 25 May 2020.

“Exam Fees.” AP Students. College Board, apstudents.

collegeboard.org/exam-policies-guidelines/

exam-fees. Accessed 25 May 2019.

“Follow the Money - College Board.” Total

Registration. Total Registration, LLC, www.

totalregistration.net/AP-Exam-Registration-

Service/Follow-The-Money-History-of-

College-Board-Finances.php. Accessed 25

May 2020.

Jaschick, Scott. “College Board Sued over AP

Exams.” Inside Higher Ed, Inside Higher Ed,

21 May 2020, www.insidehighered.com/

quicktakes/2020/05/21/college-board-suedover-ap-exams.

Accessed 25 May 2020.

Katelyn. “THEY SAID I COULDNT GRADUATE

IF I DIDNT PAY.” Tik Tok, uploaded by @

ap_stressed, 21 May 2019, vm.tiktok.com/

wvRGWu/. Accessed 25 May 2020

Lee, Christina. “[girl with crown emoji] [dress emoji]

[high heel emoji].” Tik Tok, uploaded by @

christinaxleee, 15 May 2019, vm.tiktok.com/

wv1JVq/. Accessed 25 May 2020.

Nawalanic, Frank J. “Motives of Non-Profit

Organizations and the Antitrust Laws.”

Cleveland State Law Review, vol. 21, 1972,

pp. 97-113, engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/

clevstlrev/vol21/iss1/12/. Accessed 25 May

2020.

“Register for CLEP Exams.” CLEP. College Board,

clep.collegeboard.org/register. Accessed 25

May 2020.

Watanabe, Theresa. “SAT should be suspended

for UC admissions, Napolitano says.”

Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 11

May 2020, www.latimes.com/california/

story/2020-05-11/napolitano-says-suspendthe-sat-test-for-uc-admissions.

Accessed 25

May 2020.

SCRIBBLE.

HIGHLIGHT.

FLIP.

REPEAT.

REPEAT.

ONLINE AP EXAM

By Jessica Yan

Every year, students would spend hours

preparing for the Advanced Placement

(AP) exams in hopes of earning a passing

score. Exams typically lasted around 2-3

hours, beginning with a multiple-choice

test and ending with either a short answer

and/or a long essay response. However,

on March 23, 2020, millions of students

were startled when they received emails

from the College Board, stating that all

AP exams were to be taken online—not

in person—in response to the spread of

COVID-19.

The first batch of exams was

administered over two weeks in late

May with three different course exams

held each day from, Monday through

Friday. Once the first batch of exams

was over, makeup testing was held

two weeks after for those experiencing

issues during the exam. There was

also a final exception testing period

weeks later for those that encountered

difficulties during the makeup exam.

The organization then further supported

the decision by explaining that “91%

of AP students reported a desire to take

the AP exam” from a survey given to

students (“Students Take More”, 2020).

With this shift from in-person to online

exams, the College Board explained

that in the new format, responses to the

questions may be typed or handwritten.

Exams would only be 45 minutes long

and cover multiple topic areas within

one question. On the other hand, certain

AP courses did not have an exam at all.

For example, courses like AP Computer

Science Principles and AP Art and Design

would only need students to complete

performance tasks and art portfolios

before May 26th. Consequently, these

new policies and changes raised many

questions and concerns from students,

teachers, and parents (Ginos). Students

have raised questions regarding how

45-minute exams will accurately measure

students’ performance, how College Board

will catch students who cheat behind the

screen, and what happens if a student faces

technical difficulties before or during the

exam.

Days later, the College Board

revealed more info about online exams

that further surprised students and

teachers alike. Due to the unforeseen

circumstances that have forced students

to study from home, the nonprofit

organization announced that the newlydesigned

exams would be open notes. To

ensure that students were not cheating,

plagiarism and anti-cheating software

were implemented, and exam responses

were sent to teachers for further review.

10 EDUCATIONAL

S DURING QUARANTINE

Students who experienced technical

difficulties were allowed to take makeup

exams.

The biggest concern from students

was whether colleges would accept any

AP credits from 2020 tests. Thankfully,

the College Board had reassured students

that most colleges will accept AP test

credits despite the significant changes to

the testing format. Along with concerns

regarding AP credits, students also

questioned the College Board’s ability to

hold close to a million students in their

testing systems at the same time, which

proved to be an issue on test days.

After months of preparation,

students began preparing themselves

mentally for the online AP exams, and,

as expected, technical difficulties quickly

arose. As students submitted photos of

handwritten work, some submissions

were not accepted because they were

not in acceptable file formats. Others

experienced problems with the submit

button that caused students to not submit

their responses on time due to possible

outdated browsers (Ginos). In response

to the issue, the College Board released

a statement that would grant students a

second submission timeframe to email

their responses, but this would only go

into effect for students taking tests in

the second week. Regardless of these

responses, many were disappointed in how

the College Board managed this year’s

exams because students, who failed to

submit their responses in the first week,

would have to retake the exam. However,

the College Board felt that their online

testing format was a major success.

While the College Board boasts that

only one percent of test-takers experienced

difficulties during the exam, many believe

that the statistic underestimates the true

amount of students affected (Jaschik).

Additionally, parents, teachers, and

students are unsatisfied that students

had to retake exams even when finishing

within the 45-minute timeframe. As a

result, students have filed a $500 million

(USD) lawsuit against the College Board

in response to the glitches that occurred

during exams. The lawsuit brought

attention to the many flaws of online

exams that also cause significant stress

and anxiety for students. Regardless of

the lawsuit, students still had to face their

makeup exams in hopes of a successful

submission this time. With at least one

percent of AP test-takers who had to make

up the exam, students were even more

stressed, as they worried about another

failed attempt at submission.

Overall, testing out online AP exams

for the first time has been somewhat of

a success in knowing that online exams

are feasible, but it has also revealed many

technical issues and downsides that have

caused distress for many students. Perhaps

next time, if there ever is one, students

will be able to tackle these exams with

confidence, knowing that everything

leading up to exam day was properly

managed with minimal technical issues.

Works Cited

“Students Take More Than 4 Million

Advanced Placement Exams Online for

the First Time, Working to Claim College

Credit .” The College Board, 22 May 2020,

www.collegeboard.org/releases/2020/

students-take-more-than-4-million-advancedplacement-exams-online-for-the-first-time.

Accessed 22 June 2020.

Jaschik, Scott. “Frustrations with AP Testing.”

Inside Higher Ed, 18 May 2020, www.

insidehighered.com/admissions /

article/2020/05/18/students-complain-theycannot-submit-ap-tests.

Accessed 23 June

2020.

Ginos, Becky. “Students Across the Nation Take AP

Exams Online.” The Davis Clipper, 28 May

2020, davisclipper.com/students-across-thenation-take-ap-exams-online

-p6942-172.

htm. Accessed 23 June 2020.

EDUCATIONAL 11

THE 20TH CENTUR

BLACK DEATH: EBO

By Tara Sangal

After making world headlines

in 2014, the Ebola virus has

attracted a lot of attention with

little evidence for answers.

Much of the developed world

was lucky enough to be spared

of the confusion stemming

from this dangerous virus, but

why? It turns out, similar to

the well-known coronavirus,

most viral epidemics started

from animals. Beginning in

1976, monkeys and other

animals, originating from

central Africa, were infected

with the original Ebola virus

strain. Eventually, these

viruses mutated and were

able to infect people. From

there, the virus spread like

wildfire: through the air,

water, and especially through

contaminated bodily fluids

(“Ebola Virus Disease”).

The Ebola virus began

spreading in 1976 from

Central African bats (“Ebola

Virus,” 2014). Then in 1989,

another outbreak was detected

stemming from sharing

infected needles and blood

contamination. Unfortunately,

it was discovered that the

contamination occurred

in under-funded hospitals.

For example, imagine going

to the hospital for a simple

ankle sprain and leaving

with contaminated blood

(“Ebola Virus Disease”). After

locating and identifying the

virus, researchers noticed

how much the current virus

and the monkey strain

resembled one another; both

had similar mutations. It

was then assumed that after

1989, hospitals had carefully

handled the situation and was

no longer prevalent (“Ebola

Virus Disease”). However,

the virus emerged in 2014

when an 18-month-old baby

showed the same-reported

symptoms as the previous

outbreak. During this time,

the cause of the infection was

unknown (“What is Ebola,”

2019). Could it be from some

animal? Is it airborne? How

does it manifest in the host’s

body? These questions had

plagued medical workers across

the world in fear of another

global pandemic. With similar

symptoms to cholera (diarrhea,

vomiting, and extreme

dehydration), workers were

certain that the answer would

be found shortly; however, this

did not provide explanations

for this issue (Green &

Cooper, 2014). A few days

after the baby’s death, family

members living with him also

contracted the virus and died

shortly after.

Through further

exploration, it was found

that the virus spread much

as it had in the past: through

contaminated bodily fluids

(Green & Cooper, 2014).

In its current version, the

12 EDUCATIONAL

Y’S

LA

virus spreads through blood

products (unclean needles

or unscreened blood); by

animals, insect bites, or stings;

by touching contaminated

surfaces (blankets or

doorknobs), and by saliva

(kissing or shared drinks)

(Green & Cooper, 2014). For

this reason, in unhygienic areas

with large populations, viruses

like Ebola run rampant.

But how and why are

these viruses reappearing?

Answering this question

involves understanding how

viruses function. Oftentimes,

they lay dormant in people

or animals and become

active quickly. The mutations

that occur—without being

expressed—creates unidentified

infectious diseases, such as

Ebola (“Origins of,” 2015).

More specifically, the Ebola

mutations were discovered

to be the derivative of the

Zaire species, which is one

of the most deadly viruses in

the Ebola category (“Origins

of,” 2015). It is important

to remember that similar to

the many global pandemics

had originated from different

viruses. However, they slowly

mutated to result in hundreds

of variations of the same

parent virus. The virus has

now been proved that the virus

found in the 2014 outbreak is

3% new and 97% similar to

the 1976 Ebola virus (Green &

Cooper, 2014).

Overall, as our

knowledge of the virus has

expanded, so have the possible

mutations leading to instability

in central Africa regarding

curbing the virus’ spread.

Works Cited

Ebola virus [Illustration]. (2014).

Emory School of Medicine

Visual Medical Education.

https://med.emory.edu/

education/vme/pages/gallery/

pf-ebola.html

Ebola virus disease. (n.d.). World

Health Organization. https://

www.who.int/news-room/factsheets/detail/ebola-virus-disease

Green, C., & Cooper, C. (2014,

October 2). Ebola virus:

Pandemic should be treated ‘the

same way’ as the threat posed

by nuclear weapons, security

officials say. Independent.

https://www.independent.

co.uk/life-style/healthand-families/health-news/

ebola-virus-pandemic-shouldbe-treated-the-same-wayas-threat-posed-by-nuclearweapons-security-9771219.

html

Origins of the 2014 Ebola epidemic.

(2015). World Health

Organization. https://www.who.

int/csr/disease/ebola/one-yearreport/virus-origin/en/

What is Ebola virus disease? (2019,

November 5). Centers for

Disease Control and Protection.

Retrieved April 13, 2020, from

https://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/

about.html

What you need to know about Ebola

[Fact sheet]. (2015, April 30).

Retrieved April 13, 2020, from

https://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/

pdf/mutations.pdf

EDUCATIONAL 13

WHY IS STEM

IMPORTANT?

Compiled By Ahmed Haj Ahmed

“STEM is a curriculum based on the idea

of educating students in four specific

disciplines — science, technology,

engineering, and mathematics — in an

interdisciplinary and applied approach.

Rather than teach the four disciplines

as separate and discrete subjects,

STEM integrates them into a cohesive

learning paradigm based on real-world

applications” (Hom, 2014, para. 1).

“The world is changing around us.

Digital technology has become a core

part of our everyday lives. Advances in

technology impact everything, especially

the working world. Entire job sectors are

emerging or disappearing, and workforces

are rushing to keep up with change.

Automation and globalization are

changing the way we think about, and

define, careers. Employment is becoming

fluid, and people will go from having

one profession to several others in their

working life. These may be entirely

different roles, across entirely different

sectors” (Australia.gov.au, 2020, paras.

1-2).

As the world of work changes, we

will need to change our skills to match.

The gap between the knowledge generated

from the education system and the skills

demanded by employers is widening.

Overcoming these limitations requires a

focus on science, technology, engineering

and mathematics (STEM), including the

development of workplace skills in STEM.

Future careers will also rely heavily on

‘21st century skills’ — for example, critical

thinking, creativity, cultural awareness,

collaboration, and problem-solving. When

done well, STEM education complements

the development of 21st century skills. It’s

predicted that future workers will spend

more than twice as much time on job

tasks requiring science, maths and critical

thinking than today.

“STEM learning is also important

for students in their everyday life in

our contemporary world, with the rise

of new technologies in biomedicine,

microfabrication, robotics and artificial

intelligence. The ability to understand

and apply data, and develop solutions to

complex problems, will be important life

skills” (Australia.gov.au, 2020, para. 5).

“STEM jobs are also abundant and

growing. The thing about STEM is that

it never sleeps. It won’t reach a point and

just stop being important. It won’t stop

evolving.

We’ve repeated a version of this same

‘there will be x amount of STEM jobs

by 2018’ stat for years. Sometimes I can’t

even believe it is already 2020 because that

statistic has forced me to feel 2018 is so far

in the future rather than being two years

in the past.

Back in 2013, ‘1.2 million’ vacant

STEM jobs felt like a very large number.

That figure eventually evolved into the ‘2.4

million’ that we reference now, which is

obviously an even greater number.

So why does it keep growing?

Well for one, filling the vacancies is

still an issue, but two, it’s because STEM

itself can’t stop, won’t stop growing.

Specifically, the umbrella under

which all of these STEM jobs fall keeps

expanding. AI and machine learning?

Cybersecurity? Sure these were ‘things’

back in 2013, but they are much bigger

things now.

Tencent, the massive Chinese tech

conglomerate, reported 300,000 AI

researchers and practitioners in the world,

but the market demand for such roles is

closer to ‘millions’.

STEM and innovation go hand

in hand. While this might be the latest

STEM job vacancy multiplier, it surely

won’t be the last. It’s not out of the

question to think that kids will be working

jobs we haven’t even dreamed of.

STEM jobs are interesting. What

makes a job interesting? Some would

argue money, while others would say

subject matter.

Whichever way you paint it, STEM

jobs are among the most interesting in the

world. I can’t even begin to scratch the

surface here, but start researching STEM

jobs, futuristic STEM jobs, cool STEM

jobs, and you’ll soon be wondering where

your day went” (Barone, 2018, paras.

18-28).

Works Cited

Hom, E. J. (2014, February 11). What is STEM

Education? Live Science. https://www.

livescience.com/43296-what-is-stemeducation.html

Barone, R., Sallay, K., Moore, J. R., P., I., Smith, B.,

Matthews, V., A., Blevins, T. (2018, January

26). Why is STEM Important? Why Do We

Keep Talking About it? iD Tech. https://www.

idtech.com/blog/why-is-stem-important

Australia.gov.au. (2020, March 19). Why is STEM

important? Australian Government. https://

www.education.gov.au/national-stemeducation-resources-toolkit/why-stemimportant-0.

EDUCATIONAL 15

A CHILLING EXPOSÉ

ON THE SILENT

DESPAIR OF THE

ROHINGYA MUSLIMS

By Tara Sangal

In a world where babies are being born

with genetically altered DNA, it is hard to

believe that countries are still struggling

with the same issues they faced hundreds

of years ago. The American Bill of Rights,

created over 200 years ago, establishes

countless fundamental rights that

many cannot take for granted. In other

countries, people cannot understand what

it feels like to have these rights. Many

can’t wake up in the morning in a bed, go

to school and learn anything outside the

four walls of their tents. Even worse, the

government of Myanmar believes some are

criminals before they’re even born, taking

their first steps, or saying their first words.

Myanmar; the Texas-sized country nestled

between China, Bangladesh, and Thailand;

is home to a dystopian-like crisis in its

Arakan state where the religious minority,

the Rohingya Muslims, live. Myanmar’s

government plays a major role in the

massive influx of Rohingya Muslims to the

nearby safe-haven, Bangladesh, and has

created what the United Nations has called

the “world’s fastest growing refugee crisis”

(“Myanmar”). Conversely to what many

media sources have depicted, tensions

between the Rohingya and the Burmese

government have been rising since the end

of World War II. As a result, Myanmar’s

government and military have adopted

arrogant beliefs, causing the Rohingya to

suffer from the crimes of genocide.

You might wonder how this

all began. Surprisingly, the Burmese

government has treated the Rohingya

Muslims unfairly since World War II

when each group supported opposing

sides. The Muslims supported the British,

who were ruling Myanmar during the war

while the Buddhists supported Japan who

The image below depicts displaced Rohingya Muslims.

Attribution: Tasnim News Agency / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)

16 POLITICAL

would help Myanmar win independence

from Britain (Weber). The war had

ended; Japan did not win the war, and the

Rohingya became an easy target for the

victors (Haque). The government tried

their best to solve their problem by forcing

out the Rohingya with false accusations

that they were illegal immigrants from

Bangladesh; thus marking the beginning

of the never-ending suppression.

The situation has escalated since then

and has now become an internationally

known crisis. The aggravation stems

from Myanmar’s two-part legislature.

Made of one part military and the other

parliamentary, this system (created even

before the violent overthrow of the

current democratic legislature) establishes

a dystopian balance in two ways. First,

it allows the military to abide by their

own rules and thus allow a government

where the president has no legal authority

over the military. Second, because the

military exerts incredible influence over

the democratic parliament, the military

effectively has the power to veto any

constitutional amendments. This system

makes it impossible to move the military

under democratic control, which creates

a dysfunctional government

(Gibbens). The only

way to repair the

extensive damage

the government

has done to the

Rohingya is if

the Burmese

government

reevaluates

its attitude

towards

them.

The

first step is

to move the

country into

responsible

hands.

Fortunately,

Myanmar’s current

and past presidential

leaders are well-known for

their humanitarian roles in the

country. In recent news, Aung San Suu

Kyi, the Nobel Peace Prize Winner of

1991, was subject to international pressure

to act on the Rohingya crisis and received

worldwide disapproval for her lack of

effort. What many do not see, though, is

Suu Kyi’s ‘lack of effort’ was because she

would undermine Myanmar’s government

and create even more instability in the

country (Gibbens; Nabritt). The last time

the country was “a democratic republic,

instability created a power vacuum”

that General U Ne Win, the leader of

the military coup, exploited in 1962

(Gibbens). During the coup, the military

used extreme force to instill power over

those who did not agree with the general’s

1

autocratic beliefs and led to the radical

ideas of oppression by the Burmese

government (Nabritt).

The vexation continued when

the Burmese military publicized the

Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, a

group founded less than 7 years ago, as a

terrorist group inflicting the deaths of

hundreds of government workers

(Head). The Arakan Rohingya

Salvation Army (ARSA)

is a group of Rohingya

people who believed that

the treatment they were

receiving was unfair. The

army was often ignored

since the Myanmar

military has so much

power compared to the

small salvation group.

In an interview with the

local ARSA commander, he

claims that though they are

futile attacks; they wanted to

get the world’s attention (Head).

He continues on saying that they

“thought it did not matter if they

died” and insists the group is “fighting

for [their] rights” (Head). The group is

conducting such attacks to gain

worldwide recognition.

The attacks that

occurred in 2012

were defensive

actions

against the

persecution

and

genocide

of the

Rohingya.

The

leaders of

the ARSA

are hoping

to gain

international

support to

recognize that the

Burmese military is

persecuting the group

and labeling the entire

religion of Rohingya as terrorists

despite murder, rape, and other forms of

torture forced upon the Rohingya people.

Despite what the Burmese military

is publicizing, the Rohingya refugees are

rejected in their own world. The Burmese

government has made it impossible for the

Rohingya people to become citizens. They

are unwelcome from a place where their

mothers, fathers, uncles, and aunts have all

grown up and made lives for themselves.

Now, they are forced to leave their homes

and endure the scorching middle-east

sun as some trek for hundreds of miles to

Bangladesh, another country where they’re

scorned away. Hundreds of children have

perished from starvation, and many will

not survive the conditions in the camps.

Another example of the gross abuse the

Rohingya faced was Operation Clean and

Beautiful Nation in 1991 - the second

military attack in the northern Rakhine

State where government officials raped

and burned

down

2

Rohingya

villages to instill

power over these minorities (Crépeau).

In 1982, the Myanmar government

released the Citizenship Law, which

established 135 ethnic groups as

minorities and granted them citizenship.

The government does not consider the

Rohingya as a minority, as they have a

population of over 1 million. Due to

their population, the Rohingya are not

on the exceptions list. The citizenship law

“denied Rohingya Muslims the status of

indigenous ethnic group,” barring them

from becoming citizens of the country

their ancestors grew up in (“Rohingya

Crisis in Myanmar”). From then on, the

Rohingya became stateless people and

have no rights as human beings in their

nation. After the Burmese government

released this law, officials expected the

Rohingya to leave, and return to their

so-called homes in Bangladesh. When

officials noticed that the Rohingya

had not evacuated the Rakhine State,

Burmese legislatures passed Operation

Clean and Beautiful “to drive out [the

Rohingya] ‘foreigners’” (“Rohingya Crisis

in Myanmar”). The Rohingya, despite

originating as sailors and fishermen

working in the Mediterranean, are still

1. Emergency food, drinking awter and shelter

to help people displaced in Rakhine State,

western Burma. Attribution: DFID - UK Department

for International Development / CC

BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/

by-sa/2.0)

2. A depiction of some displaced Rohingya

Muslims. Attribution: Tasnim News Agency /

CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/

by/4.0)

POLITICAL 17

foreigners in their own homes.

Recently, Bangladesh has proven

to be the most natural safe-haven for

Rohingya refugees. The small country

has been graciously accepting over half a

million refugees in the past five years, even

though Myanmar has been publicizing the

Rohingya as terrorists, and the economic

disadvantages they suffer (Ellis-Peterson).

Although some speculation exists about

the situation, the UN Human Rights

Commissioner has established the

Rohingya crisis as “a textbook example of

[an] ethnic cleansing” (Gibbens). Many of

the Rohingya sought refuge in Bangladesh

since it shares a border with the Arakan

state. Because there was such an influx of

newcomers, no national or international

authority could control or organize the

crisis. Now though, there is no more space

in camps like Cox’s Bazar to allow for any

more refugees while preserving sanity, and

cleanliness (Ellis-Peterson).

Because of this, it is essential that the

Rohingya can repatriate to their homes.

But before they may do so, a major change

needs to occur within the government to

change the way the Rohingya are being

treated. For a person to feel safe in their

home, there must be a balance between

home and their comfort. The Rohingya

have no place to call home and are stuck

in a despicable situation, living life

on the run. The Rohingya crisis

is ongoing but has already had

detrimental effects on multiple

neighboring countries,

especially on Myanmar. The

truth is no matter what the

ultimate reasons are, the

number of refugees that are

being put into dangerous

hands is astonishing. The Rohingya

Muslims do not deserve the treatment

they are receiving.

Works Cited

Crépeau, François, and Delphine Nakache.

“Refugees.” Encyclopedia of Genocide

and Crimes Against Humanity, edited

by Dinah L. Shelton, vol. 2, Macmillan

Reference USA, 2005, pp. 873-78.

Global Issues in Context, link.galegroup.

com/apps/doc/CX3434600286/GIC?

u=anna70394&sid=GIC&xid=42570942.

Accessed 25 Jan. 2019.

Ellis-Peterson, Hannah. “Rohingya Crisis:

Bangladesh says it will not accept any more

Myanmar Refugees.” The Guardian, 1 Mar.

2019, www.theguardian.com/world/2019/

mar/01/rohingya-crisis-bangladesh-says-itwill-not-accept-any-more-myanmar-refugees.

Accessed 10 Mar. 2019.

Gibbens, Sarah. “Myanmar’s Rohingya Are in

Crisis—What You Need to Know.” National

Geographic, National Geographic Society,

29 Sept. 2018, news.nationalgeographic.

com/2017/09/rohingya-refugee-crisismyanmar-burma-spd/.

Accessed 8 Feb. 2019.

Haque, Md M. “Rohingya Ethnic Muslim

Minority and the 1982 Citizenship Law

in Burma.” Journal of Muslim Minority

Affairs, vol. 37, no. 4, 2017, pp. 454-

69. ProQuest, search.proquest.com/

docview/1975714884?accountid=3736,

doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13602004.201

7.1399 600. Accessed

18 Apr. 2019.

Head, Jonathan. “Rohingya Crisis: Finding out the

Truth about ARSA Militants.” BBC News,

2019 BBC, 11 Oct. 2017, www.bbc.com/

news/world-asia-41521268. Accessed 10 Mar.

2019.

Muhammad, Saleem M., and Naheed S. Goraya.

“Plight of Rohingya Muslims.” Journal of

the Research Society of Pakistan, vol. 53, no.

1, 2016. ProQuest, search.proquest.com/

docview/1805459871?accountid=3736.

Accessed 18 Apr. 2019.

Murshid, Navine. “Bangladesh Copes with the

Rohingya Crisis by Itself.” ProQuest, vol.

117, nos. 798, 04, 2018, pp. 129-34.

Current History, search.proquest.com/

docview/2020777862?accountid=3736.


“Myanmar.” Global Issues in Context,

Gale, 2019, link.galegroup.

com/apps/doc/CP3208530118/

GIC?u=anna70394&sid=GIC&xid

=22da9b00. Accessed 2 Apr. 2019.

Nabritt, Miles. “The Continuation of the Crisis in

Myanmar.” University Wire, 3 Oct. 2018.

ProQuest US Newsstream, search.proquest.

com/docview/2175567331?accountid=3736.

Accessed 1 Mar. 2019.

“Rohingya Crisis in Myanmar.” Global Issues

in Context Online Collection. Global

Issues in Context, link.galegroup.com/

apps/doc/BOMRAZ966182308/

GIC?u=anna70394&sid=GIC&xid

=4fd84741. Accessed 6 Feb. 2019.

Sarkar, Jayita. “How WWII Shaped the Crisis

in Myanmar.” The Washington Post, 10

Mar. 2019, www.washingtonpost.com/

outlook/2019/03/10/how-wwii-shapedcrisis-myanmar/?noredirect=on&utm_

term=.361e5d1b9352. Accessed 25 Apr.

2019.

Weber, Katja, and Allison Stanford.

“Myanmar: Promoting

Reconciliation between the

Rohingya Muslims and

Buddhists of Rakhine State.”

Social Justice, vol. 44,

no. 4, 2017, pp. 55-82.

ProQuest, search.proquest.

com/docview/211155

0602?accountid=3736.


18 POLITICAL

THE ROHINGYA

PEOPLE HAVE

NO PLACE TO

CALL HOME.

FOR HOW

LONG WILL THE

GOVERNMENT

REMAIN

INHUMANE AND

UNRESPONSIVE?

THIS IS A CALL

FOR POLICE

ACCOUNTABILITY

By Candace Jung

Police have long been

painted as the enforcers of

law and order. But following

countless instances of police

brutality and the deaths of

Black individuals inflicted

by police officers, trust in

the police force has declined

considerably; only 36% of

Black Americans trust the

police (Talev & Witherspoon,

2020). Most recent is the

ill-fated murder of George

Floyd, where a Minneapolis

policeman named Derek

Chauvin planted his knee

on Floyd’s neck until Floyd

took in his last breath. His

death had sparked outrage

all over the nation, with

demonstrations occurring in

all fifty states containing the

same message: condemn police

brutality. Floyd’s death has

initiated a discussion about the

police force once again, calling

for justice and accountability.

Regarding the frequency

of police brutality, these cases

cannot be isolated to a few

corrupt police officers; instead,

it is proof of a system that

allows irresponsibility and

flawed judgment. Historically,

police have been put in a

position where they are not

held accountable for their

actions. In cases of excessive

force, the police are rarely

charged or convicted. The

Federal Department of

Justice, restricted by its lack

of resources, is not able (or

sometimes unwilling) to

investigate complaints of police

brutality. Furthermore, these

cases are often confidential and

not transparent to the public,

thus preventing them

from being aware of the

events involving the

use of excessive force

by police (Ritchie

& Mogul, 2016).

In

addition, there

is the judicial

doctrine of

qualified

immunity,

another factor

that allows

the police

force to act

unjustifiably.

This doctrine

protects

police officers

from lawsuits

stemming from

the violation of

an individual’s

constitutional rights,

providing as a defense

for the police even if

they have committed

unlawful actions (Sobel,

2020). The justification

for qualified immunity, as

described by the Supreme

Court in Harlow v. Fitzgerald

(1982), is that it guards

“the need to protect officials

who are required to exercise

discretion and the related

public interest in encouraging

the vigorous exercise of official

authority”; in other words,

because of this doctrine, police

are allowed to act without

hesitation in the name of

justice (Skelton, n.d., para.

2). But qualified immunity

has allowed police officers to

escape liability when sued.

Qualified immunity has

allowed

the

police to beat

an individual senseless

and throw tear gas grenades

into a person’s house without

repercussions (Barakat, 2020).

Citizens of the United States

live in a country where there

are systems put in place that

enable police to commit actions

that normal citizens would be

arrested for. However, there is

one recent invention that has

transformed accountability in

the police force: cell phones.

There is a

deep injustice in

the police system o

this country. We mu

hold those

responsible

accountable.

Using

the cameras

of cell phones, people have

been filming police using

excessive force on Black

Americans, recording the

injustice that would not have

been reported otherwise. As

a result of these videos which

often go viral, police are not

able to silently kill Black

Americans without the outcry

of the whole nation.

Through the

20 POLITICAL

f

st

Protestors carrying a banner listing the names of Black victims of police brutality. Photo by

Tobias on Unsplash (Tobias, 2020)

proliferation of cell phones,

America is entering a

new phase where uses of

excessive force by the police

are displayed for the whole

country to see, accelerating

the implementation of police

reform and the dismantling

of systemic racism. However,

the fight for increased police

accountability is far from over

if institutions protecting police

still exist.

Works Cited

Barakat, M. (2020, March 13). Supreme Court petitioned on police officers’ legal immunity. Retrieved from https://apnews.

com/718ca862e2298e6bd3e1f65262246c9e

Chaney, C., & Robertson, R.V. Racism and Police Brutality in America. J Afr Am St 17, 480–505 (2013). Retrieved from

https://doi.org/10.1007/s12111-013-9246-5

Harlow v. Fitzgerald, 457 U.S. 800 (1982). Retrieved from https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/457/800/#tab-opinion-1954627

Haseman, J., Zaiets, K., & Thorson, M. (2020, June 8). Tracking protests across the USA in the wake of George Floyd’s

death. Retrieved from https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/graphics/2020/06/03/map-protests-wake-george-floydsdeath/5310149002/

Ritchie, A.J. & Mogul, J.L. In the Shadows of the War on Terror: Persistent Police Brutality and Abuse of People of Color in

the United States, 1 DePaul J. for Soc. Just. 175 (2008). Retrieved from https://via.library.depaul.edu/jsj/vol1/iss2/3/

Sobel, N. (2020, June 6). What Is Qualified Immunity, and What Does it Have to Do With Police Reform? Retrieved from

https://www.lawfareblog.com/what-qualified-immunity-and-what-does-it-have-do-police-reform

Talev, M. (2020, June 2). Axios-Ipsos poll: Massive gulf in public opinion based on race. Retrieved from https://www.axios.

com/axios-ipsos-coronavirus-week-11-george-floyd-db1a465c-957e-4f91-a21c-2f2aaf3600b4.html

Tobias (2020). #BlackLivesMatter. Retrieved from https://unsplash.com/photos/OXt7-h1a3Do

POLITICAL 21

THE SURV

THE STOR

B

By Emma Munro

Many school-age children view school

as more of a social activity than an

educational opportunity. When asked,

some students say that their favorite

subject is recess or lunch, and only some

are joking. But what if the education that

they took for granted was ripped from

their hands? What would happen if these

immature kids were thrown into an adults’

war and forced to flee their homes? How

would they react? Would they lose hope,

or would they keep fighting until they

found safety? Would they even attempt

to resume their

education in the

face of adversity?

Even though some

would lose hope,

the Lost Boys of

Sudan, a group of

young refugees,

fled to safety while

continuing to learn.

Their inspiring

story began with the

Second Sudanese

Civil War.

War has

been known to

tear families and

countries apart, and

the Second Sudanese

Civil War was no

different. Lasting

from 1983 to 2005,

it resulted in the deaths of two million

Sudanese people and the displacement

of four million. Starting as a rebellion

led by the Sudan People’s Liberation

Army (SPLA) in the southern region of

Sudan, the Second Sudanese Civil War

occured in response to the northern-run

government’s attempts to reduce religious

diversity and limit the southern Sudanese

people’s political power (McDermott). The

political turmoil caused by the war put

the Sudanese people in a very dangerous

situation; they were caught in the crossfire

between the government and the SPLA.

These unfortunate people were forced

to flee their homes and relocate to other

areas of Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Egypt,

and even as far away as the United States.

Refugees were faced with no choice but to

uproot their lives and go to these camps,

which were often made hastily and housed

more refugees than the camps could hold

(McDermott). These poor conditions left

the refugees desperate and in dire need of

assistance.

The chaos that forced the refugees

to flee often led to the separation of

families, notably young boys. According

to the novel They Poured Fire on Us from

the Sky: The True Story of Three Lost

Boys from Sudan, girls were “sold into

slavery and taken into northern Sudan”

when villages were invaded, while the

boys escaped because they happened

to be tending to the animals during

the invasion. These children’s parents

were then killed during the onslaught

(Bernstein xxii). Many of these boys

banded together and formed the Lost Boys

of Sudan, a group of refugee boys aged

eight to eighteen who traveled thousands

of miles in an attempt to find safety

(Walgren 40). As stated in the Africa

Report, a large population of these boys

had “no idea where their families [had]

gone” (Walgren 40). Despite fleeing

for their lives to escape the perils of the

Second Sudanese Civil War, the Lost

Boys persevered and

focused on their

education to improve

their future.

The Lost

Boys were forced

to uproot their

camps repeatedly

as the threat of

the war loomed

closer. 12,000

children traveled

across “deserts, steep

mountains, and

zones of conflict” to

Cambela, Ethiopia

in 1987 where the

SPLA’s ally, Mengistu

Haile Mariam, was

in power. A camp

for the Lost Boys

was built and run

by the Sudanese Relief and Rehabilitation

Agency along with the SPLA (Walgren

40). These young boys were simply trying

to escape the war, and they found help

in the rebels, which would cause trouble

in the future. Unfortunately, Colonel

Mengistu was overthrown in 1991, so

the boys traveled back through southern

Sudan and the Sahel, where swarms

of mosquitoes carrying malaria were

located (Walgren 40). These boys were so

22 POLITICAL

IVAL OF HOPE:

Y OF THE LOST

OYS OF SUDAN

frightened by the war that they traveled

back through the warzone in a desperate

attempt to find safety. They were able

to seek refuge in Bargeri, Uganda, but

they were bombed by the government on

October 23, 1991 and August 11, 1992.

According to the Bargeri camp school’s

headmaster, Kuol Atem Bol, the Lost Boys

“heard that they were going to bomb [the

camp] again in February,” which made the

children flee for their life (Walgren 40).

The government was so against the rebels

that they bombed a camp of child refugees

twice—possibly three times—in an effort

to hurt the rebel cause. The boys had no

desire to fight; they just wanted safety, but

their association with the rebels put many

of them in even more danger than before.

Thankfully, the Lost Boys were able

to find safety in Natinga, Sudan. 4,200

boys arrived in March of 1993 in Natinga,

250 miles away from Bargeri with “little

more than the clothes on their backs”. An

alarming amount of 1,200 children were

left to die at Bargeri because they were

not strong enough to make the journey

(Walgren 40). These young boys, who had

already gone through too much, were left

behind because any possible rescuers were

at risk of perishing themselves.

Because of their ties with the

Sudanese rebels, the Lost Boys were not

provided with the same help that other

refugee groups have been offered. As noted

in a 1994 article, the United Nations did

not provide aid to the Lost Boys of Sudan

because it could have been seen as aiding

the Sudanese rebels (Walgren 40). The

point of view of the UN was most likely

shared by other organizations specializing

in refugee aid because according to Bol,

there was a two-month stretch where

there was no food delivered to the Lost

Boys. The children resorted to eating

leaves from the forest and were given very

small rations (Walgren). How could these

growing boys stay healthy while eating so

little food? The article went on to say that

the Norwegian People’s Aid did help the

refugees, at one point sending “60 tons of

[food] to the Natinga camp… but only 27

made it into the camp’s stores” (Walgren).

Some outside source, most likely the

rebels, took the desperate refugees’

supplies. These rebel soldiers took more

than half of the food from the delivery,

essentially stealing food from starving

children. Not only were the Lost Boys’

ties with the SPLA hurting their chances

of being provided with the help that

the boys needed, but those

same ties hurt them

again when the

rebels skimmed

food off

of the

deliveries

to the

refugees.

At Natinga, the Lost Boys were given

the chance to learn. One article states

that supplies were limited, with “one book

for every 20 boys,” and when they ran

out of paper, boys “scratch[ed] arithmetic

problems in the dirt with twigs” (Walgren

40). These boys had the desire to learn

and the drive to do so, no matter the

circumstances. In fact, it was noted that

boys had asked total strangers for materials

to further their education (Walgren 40).

At times, these children were starving, yet

they still asked for school supplies. These

boys overcame the challenges that they

faced, such as

the lack

of

SPLA flag. Attribution: MrPenguin20 / CC BY-SA

(https://creativecommons.org/licensesby-sa/3.0)

23

THEY REFUSED TO GIVE

supplies and their frequent uprooting

because they wanted a better life for

themselves. They wanted a chance at an

education, a job, a life after the war ended.

One of the Lost Boys, Michael Ayen, who

was 18 at the time, stated that “in the

future I would like to be a doctor even

though I only have one hand … In 1986,

the government came and bombed the

outskirts of my village. I was only 9 years

old when I lost my hand” (Walgren 40).

Ultimately, the Second Sudanese

Civil War was devastating to the Sudanese

people. As of 1994, out of the 12 million

people living in Sudan, most of them

had been “displaced at least once by

the war” (Walgren 40). The people of

Sudan were left with lost loved ones and

a significant emotional toll. A 2004 New

York Times article outlined the provisions

stated in the war-ending accord signed

in Naivasha, Kenya, which temporarily

split the power between the northern and

southern regions of Sudan and allowed

for a future referendum if the southern

Sudanese people wanted to secede (Hoge

A3). The southern Sudanese people

eventually decided to secede in their 2011

referendum, creating the country of South

Sudan (McDermott).

However, the creation of a new

country could not mend the separated

families, dead civilians, and lost children.

During its struggle for independence, the

Southern Sudanese inadvertently split

thousands of boys from their families,

many of whom died trying to find safety.

These boys had their innocence stripped

from them and endured unbelievable

emotional trauma, yet they refused to give

up. These kids understood the importance

of their education in their future and

ensured that they continued to learn, even

though the odds were stacked against

them. The resilience of the Lost Boys of

Sudan truly exemplifies the tenacity of the

human spirit and hope itself.

Works Cited

Bernstein, Judy A. “An Introduction to the Lost Boys.” Introduction. They Poured Fire on Us from the Sky:

The True Story of Three Lost Boys from Sudan, by Alephonsion Deng et al., 10th Anniversary ed.,

PublicAffairs, 2005, pp. xviii-xxv.

Hoge, Warren. “Rebels Sign Pact with Sudan’s Government to End 21-Year War.” New York Times,

27 May 2004, p. A3. Global Issues in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A117251803/

GIC?u=anna70394&sid=GIC&xid=271943ce. Accessed 22 Feb. 2019.

McDermott, Ted. “Refugees, Sudanese and South Sudanese.” Immigration and Migration: In Context, edited by

Thomas Riggs and Kathleen J. Edgar, vol. 2, Gale, 2018, pp. 690-94. In Context Series. Global Issues in

Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX3662200136/GIC?u=anna70394&sid=GIC&xid=c71c0a23.

Accessed 16 Feb. 2019.

Walgren, Judy. “The Lost Boys of Southern Sudan.” Africa Report, vol. 39, no. 3, May 1994, p. 40. MasterFILE

Elite, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=fth&AN=9406210409. Accessed 25 Feb. 2019.

Burnett, Richard. “‘Lost Boy’ Finds a Better Life in America.” Wells Fargo Stories, Wells Fargo, 26 July 2019,

stories.wf.com/lost-boy-finds-better-life-america/. Accessed 31 Jul. 2020.

24 POLITICAL

UP.

PETS

DURING THE

PANDEMIC

By Lauren Daniels

The Coronavirus put the United States

into turmoil since the beginning of 2020,

but the concerns and lockdowns began

during the month of March. It has devastated

families due to its large death toll

and economic consequences. As school

closed, I spent more time on social media

and noticed that so many people were

adopting pets. Humans love animals,

especially their pets. There is a loving,

calming effect when it comes to caring for

an animal that could use our help. This article

discusses heart-warming pet adoption

stories, including my own rescue story and

dives into the question of why so many

people decided to get a pet during these

grappling times.

Taylor adopted Clover on May 8th.

Taylor’s dog passed away in early March.

She said she “couldn’t possibly quarantine

without a furry companion.” When Clover

came up on her feed, she knew it was

meant to be! Even though Clover is a silly

klutz, she is also very clever. Taylor has

taught Clover how to get a nose boop and

many other tricks. Taylor says that “having

something to distract me from the events

going on was key for me. She gave me an

extra reason to enjoy staying home. Being

there to help her warm up to her new

home and watch her thrive was amazing.”

Clover has kept Taylor and her family

joyous during these uncertain times.

26 SOCIAL

CLOVER

CHARLOTTE

Tarika adopted her Shiba Inu,

Chai, on May 8th as well.

Their family wanted a dog for

a while now and found that

they had the downtime during

the pandemic. Chai kept her

family busy during these times,

and she helps Tarika keep calm

during stressful times. Chai

has the same birthday as Harry

Styles and even an adoption

day twin: Clover.

CHAI

TITO

Charlotte found her new home

in April. This sassy and sweet

Labrador mix’s nickname is

The Piranha since she makes

snapping motions all the time

as a way of chatting. Allegra

took Charlotte in since they

had been looking for a second

puppy, and the pandemic

gave them some time. Playful,

little Tito also has an April

gotcha-day. Tito is a playmate

for her older rescue dog, Dallas

and together, they both keep

their mom, Melissa, company

while she works from home.

The two pups help her destress

when it comes to COVID-19

concerns and work-related

struggles.

SOCIAL 29

MILO

Meet Milo! He is a

funny story. I was begging my

parents for a dog, but my dad

refused. He wanted a cat just

like the one we had 9 years

ago. My mom’s argument was,

although she loves cats, she

would rather have a dog since

both she and I are allergic to

cats. Although she and I knew

we could have built up an

immunity to the cat’s hair and

dander overtime, the house

was in no condition for a new

pet. This all changed when it

turned 3 AM in my bedroom.

COVID-19 had turned me

into a night owl and completely

demolished my sleep cycle.

I saw something scurry across

my room. Screaming, I fled my

room, convinced I had seen a

large bug. For the rest of the

night, I slept on the couch in

the living room instead of my

bed. For the next few nights

into the early hours, I kept

seeing this scurrying. One

night, I saw a little rodent butt

scoot its way under my door.

That put a nail in the coffin for

what it was l… mice. Soon,

the couch became my permanent

home. I told my mother

about what I saw, and she truly

thought I was crazy until she

found rodent droppings. We

were able to get rid of the nest,

but I was not convinced that

my room was vacant. My dad,

frustrated by all the late-night

screaming said “you know if

we got a cat, there would be

no mice.” Suddenly, the girl

who begged for a dog became

the girl begging for a cat. We

jumped onto Facebook and

found someone was giving

away feral cats found near

dumpsters. At that time, they

were still being socialized to

humans. Since May 3rd, Milo

has been a part of the family

and all the mice are gone. He

is the sweetest little boy and

has been calming me and my

mom down so much. Who

would think it would take

mice and an unaligned sleep

schedule due to a pandemic to

get a pet?

SOCIAL 31

LUCY AND

COCOA

Avocado, the betta fish, has been happily

swimming in Riley’s home since June.

Riley found it easier to tackle world

problems since she had something to care

for daily.

AVACADO

Not only that, on July 2nd, Cocoa and

Lucy found their forever home. These

sweet guinea pigs were brought into Staci’s

home since she was bored during the

pandemic, who had been wanting guinea

pigs since February. They love cuddles and

celery.

SOCIAL 33

PYRAMID

SCHEMES

VERSUS

MLM

By Olivia Wood

During the beginning of

quarantine, I was pulled into a

situation that I was fortunately

able to get out of; however, if

I was 18 or older, I could have

been in a scenario and end

up with an insane amount of

debt.

I was scrolling through

Instagram stories one afternoon.

It was the beginning of

quarantine and I had recently

been let go from my job for

a period of time. Being that I

am 17 year old junior, I have

to start saving up for college

because let’s face it, universities

aren’t cheap. Due to the

lockdown and a stay-at-home

order, I wasn’t gaining any

money and it was kind of difficult.

I was bored at home, every

so often doing homework

to pass time. So when I saw a

post from my friend saying,

”Do you want easy money and

experience in entrepreneurship?

Slide up!”, I was more

than willing to give it a go.

34 SOCIAL

For the past few weeks,

I would constantly see posts,

comments, and Instagram

stories from a friend in my

youth group. She was always

extremely kind and willing to

assist me in any way. Obviously,

I trusted her, I put my

full faith in her, and was glad

to listen to her pitch. She said

that she recently started a business

within a company called

Monat. Monat isn’t as popular

compared to similar brands

such as Mary Kay, LuLaRoe,

Avon, and other multi-level

marketing (MLM) companies.

The company claimed it was

great for women who wanted

to start a business and sell

products to earn money. My

friend claimed she would “essentially…

promote the products

(which is not difficult at

all because…” she loved them

and “would be talking about

them anyways) and help girls

get started doing the same”. At

the time, I thought this whole

experience sounded like fun

and a great way to meet other

girls with similar interests in

beauty and marketing.

My friend sent a You-

Tube video about Monat and

the stories of three leaders who

had their lives changed due to

this company. The video was

thirty minutes long! Because

I am naive and generally

curious, I watched the entire

thing and found myself feeling

energized and excited, but

still a little skeptical. First, the

women mentioned the prospect

of earning money, then

said you could earn a car for

selling products! That’s right.

After selling a certain amount

of products—this company

specialized in hair care and face

moisturizers and creams—you

could get a car. I wasn’t going

to question anything, but at

the same time, I was also a

little confused. Although this

sounded like a dream, there

was a catch. You had to buy a

starter kit before entering into

a team of girls who would train

you on branding and social

media. But, these starter kits

were anything but cheap.

The first starter kit was

called the Essentials Pack

which was full of hair care

products. The price of this

box was $199 for 9 items. The

next box, called the Success

Pack, was $349 for 15 items

(both skin and hair care). I was

informed by my friend that if I

purchased the Success Pack on

that day, I would also receive

three extra free products. Then

came the Overachiever Pack

which was $599 for 27 items,

and lastly the Optimum Pack

for $799 with 39 items. For

each of these packs, 2 of the

items were a starter kit and assorted

samples. Dropping over

$100 on hair products and

skincare products seemed a

little outrageous. I didn’t know

how to respond, but my friend

was persistent and soon set up

a call with her, her team leader,

and myself.

Before I keep going, I

want to highlight some red

flags. First, I was notified that

I would get commission for

the products I sold, but the

real money I would be making

would come from bringing

others into the company. So,

if I wanted to actually make

cash, I would have to rally my

friends together and ask them

to join Monat. MLM beauty

companies in particular can

be known for hurting female

friendships because if you

and your friend want commissions,

you will most likely

be competing for the same

audience. This means that one

person will make a sale while

the other may not make any

money. Second, I would have

to actually pay for the products

before becoming a part

of the company. While my

friend claimed the products

were miracle working, I didn’t

want to spend $349 for items

I already have at home that

were from different and more

reliable brands.

I was uncertain, but I

tried to think positively. After

my hour long call with my

friend and her team leader,

I was told that I would be

a perfect fit for Monat! My

friend texted me and told me

I should give the team leader

my info so that she could sign

me up under her account. I

didn’t want to sign up blindly

so I waited for my mom so she

could give me the stamp of

approval. While I waited, my

friend texted me again saying,

“I didn’t realize you weren’t

18! Do you want to sign up

under your mom’s name?” I

hastily went up to my mom’s

office and asked her about her

thoughts. She was against the

whole situation. She told me

that my cousin was in a similar

conflict with an MLM jewelry

company. My cousin lost hundreds

of dollars and had ruined

friendships because of her persistence

towards buying from

her business. I was fortunate to

get out unscathed.

If you search up Monat

on YouTube or the internet,

the first websites or videos that

pop up are generally negative.

Women put up petitions and

comments that warn young

girls of falling prey to the

company. Not to mention,

most women found that their

scalp began to burn after using

some of Monat’s

products and hair

loss soon followed.

Now I can’t say that

Monat is a pyramid

scheme, but it is

very well known

that numerous

MLM businesses

are actually pyramid

schemes in disguise.

So what is a

pyramid scheme?

Simply stated, a

pyramid scheme is

an illegal investment

in which a paying

participant recruits other

joiners whose money goes to

earlier promoters that are higher

in level. It is like a classic

hierarchy, but even worse. At

each level of this pyramid, the

number of people increases.

Truly, the only people that

are actually making money

are the ones who started the

pyramid scheme. It is a very

sketchy business model and

extremely dangerous, especially

if someone gets roped in. So if

someone (let’s call him Mark)

starts a pyramid scheme and

recruits 10 people, those 10

people pay him and they try to

each recruit 10 more participants.

Then those joiners pay

the people that recruited them,

but a portion of that money

also goes to Mark. This cycle

keeps repeating until millions

are trapped in a pyramid

scheme, but in the long term,

the only person truly benefiting

is Mark.

The main difference

between MLM and pyramid

schemes is that multi-level

marketing companies are making

commissions off of products.

So, for example, Monat

is an MLM company because

you can sell products straight

to customers. This means the

representatives or “business

owners” are making money

by selling and don’t need to

buy the product themselves to

sell it. Pyramid schemes differ

because the way a person earns

money is usually through the

recruitment of more participants.

Whatever product that

is being “sold” is usually irrelevant

because no commission

is being made from selling.

MLM’s sell goods whereas pyramid

schemes do not involve

selling tangible items.

While most may think it

“ Pyramid schemes

and MLM are

equally

dangerous. Don’t

be a victim.

is obvious to tell when something

is a scam, some people

ignore the red flags. Usually,

a person will be invited into a

pyramid scheme by someone

they may know, whether it be

someone from their childhood,

a friend, or a coworker. While

a pyramid scheme isn’t a cult,

it runs similarly; a group of

people finds someone who may

be naive and they welcome

them into a “loving” environment,

promising greatness and

happiness. When a person is

welcomed into a group, they

usually feel better because they

have support. This means they

are more willing to do something

they may regret or find

morally wrong. They ignore

any red flags because they are

“rewarded” if they do these

wrong things.

What happens from there

is something called cognitive

dissonance. Cognitive dissonance

is a change in behavior

where someone has a change

in beliefs and attitudes due to

an experience they had. It can

be inconsistent and is a mood

change or alteration of an original

state of being. If someone

gets involved in a pyramid

scheme, they may have a

personality change due to

the stress they may be under.

They could take on a whole

new persona to achieve their

goals. In pyramid schemes,

people desire money, but they

have to recruit people to gain

a percentage of money. This

means they have to be overly

friendly and put on a facade in

order to find willing joiners.

Recruiters actually have to go

through training about how to

answer questions and deny any

false claims.

If someone is caught in

the trap of a pyramid scheme,

there are a few

ways to seek help

and escape. Lots of

times, people are

oblivious to pyramid

schemes. The

“boss” or head of

the scheme usually

tells their story and

shares their success.

They tell joiners

of the money they

have made from opportunities

in their

“business”. Usually,

the wording is

extremely vague,

but when people hear that they

could also earn three times

their income, they ignore any

suspicious actions. They get

trained to ignore their family

members and any concerns

revolving around the pyramid

scheme. This means that it can

be extremely difficult to get

away and abandon the scam.

But it isn’t impossible to do so.

First, it is key to talk to family

members and address the issue

or conflict then, slowly step

away from any groups in the

scheme. People may try to

make contact, but it is important

to ignore it. Also, always

look at the bank account.

Participants generally lose

more money than they make

in pyramid schemes. While it

is a daunting and difficult task

to leave, it will only help to

distance oneself and leave the

toxic environment.

All in all, MLM and pyramid

schemes are very similar;

however, one is illegal while

the other isn’t. If you join an

MLM, make sure to read up

on the internet and look at

reviews and stories from other

people. Do research! It is dangerous

and can seriously harm

anyone. Especially during

quarantine, people are more

likely to get strange emails or

texts from people who want to

chat about “starting a business”

and “making money” in an

easy way. Always pay attention

and stay safe!

SOCIAL 37

HAMILTON

RELEASES

ON

DISNEY

PLUS

By Alli Alvarez

In the weeks leading up to July 3rd

of 2020, I saw and heard tidbits of

information related to Hamilton’s release

on Disney Plus everywhere. Some of

my favorite creators were talking about

it, my friends, and even their parents

were counting down the days until it

was released for their enjoyment. Some

“Hamilfans,” fans of the hit musical, have

been waiting to see the show for up to five

years. Tickets, however, got ridiculously

pricey with the best seats costing up to

$5,000 (Hamilton on Broadway Ticket

Guide); it was unreasonable for many

people to go see it live. On top of the

expenses, and besides the occasional

touring productions, the only places you

could see the performances were in New

York City or London. For many theatre

lovers, the travel and ticket expenses

were just too much. This explains the

anticipation around the release of a

professionally filmed version of this Tonywinning

musical.

The original Broadway cast star

Works Cited

BBC, “Hamilton creator: It’s a ‘story of America then told by America now’.” BBC News, 23 Dec. 2017, www.

bbc.com/news/video_and_audio/headlines/42464676/hamilton-creator-it-s-a-story-of-america-thentold-by-america-now.

Accessed 25 July 2020.

Seymour, Lee, “Broadway Community Braces For Fallout After Coronavirus Shutdown.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine,

13 Mar. 2020, https://www.forbes.com/sites/leeseymour/2020/03/13/broadway-community-braces-for-fallout-after-coronavirus--shutdown/#7ce710a610b5.

Accessed 25 July 2020.

The Broadway League. “The Demographics of the Broadway Audience 2018-2019 SEASON.” The Broadway

League, https://www.broadwayleague.com/research/research-reports/#:~:text=During%20the%20

2018%2D2019%20season,City%20and%20supported%2096%2C900%20jobs. Accessed 25 July

2020.

New York Show Tickets. “Hamilton on Broadway Ticket Guide.” NYTIX, New York Show Tickets Inc., www.

nytix.com/articles/hamilton-ticket-guide. Accessed 27 July 2020.

“ History is entirely

created by the person

who tells the story.

--Lin-Manuel Miranda,

Hamilton: The Revolution

Obama greets the cast and crew of the “Hamilton” musical after watching

the play with family. Attribution: Pete Souza / Public domain

38 ENTERTAINMENT

in this filmed musical and the insanely

talented writer of the show, Lin Manuel-

Miranda, plays none other than the

titular character, Alexander Hamilton. If

you are familiar with some of Miranda’s

other work, then you will see some

familiar faces from another one of his

Tony-winning musicals, In The Heights,

including Mandy Gonzalez as Angelica

Schuyler and Christopher Jackson as

George Washington. Another unique

element of the cast was that Miranda

chose to have people of color portray the

historically white founding fathers of the

United States. Miranda states that it’s “a

story of America then played by America

now” (00:36-00:38). The purpose of this

decision is to show how diverse America

is today compared to how it was twohundred

years ago.

The COVID-19 pandemic has shut

down Broadway until January 2021.

This leaves numerous actors, directors,

technicians, musicians and many others

working without employment. If you’re

wondering how many people this leaves

without work, Broadway supported

87,000 jobs from 2018-2019, so the

numbers from 2019-2020 would have

been more or less similar (Seymour). In

2019, more people attended Broadway

shows than games for all ten New York

and New Jersey sports teams combined

(The Demographics of the Broadway

Audience). Broadway greatly contributes

to New York’s economy, however, once

stimulus checks end in early August, the

government will be doing nothing to help

financially support actors and others who

work in this industry. Yes, it’s unfortunate

for theatre fans to miss out on the shows

they want to see, but it is much worse

when the creators you care so much about

are suffering. Many actors have held

dance, acting, or voice lessons over Zoom

for some income. There is also an amazing

foundation called The Actors Fund. Their

mission is to raise money for actors in

need with housing, healthcare, and other

necessities; this fund has been incredibly

helpful, especially during this time. If you

love the performing arts, I encourage you

to go donate to The Actors Fund to keep

the people running some of your favorite

shows on their feet.

Hamilton’s release is very exciting

for Broadway fans who were looking

forward to going to a theatre in person

this summer but now cannot. Theatrical

performances are usually consumed live

but there have been other instances where

people everywhere have had access to them

from the comfort of their own homes.

Some examples that have been televised

are Hairspray (2016), Falsettos (2017),

and Rent (2019). Unlike Hamilton, these

shows were aired on live television as one

night specials by different broadcasting

channels. With musicals like Newsies and

Hamilton on a prestiged streaming service

such as this, musical theatre fanatics

can finally watch the shows whenever

and as many times as they’d like. Many

of us theatre lovers are hoping that the

Hamilton release can pave the way for

professional recordings of other Broadway

shows being released to the public,

hopefully, very soon.

ENTERTAINMENT 39

“

Right then, I

forgot about

the blinding

lights, the sea of

people, and the

silly word. Right

then, I realized

how grateful

I was for the

journey.

BLINDING

LIGHTS:

A MEMOIR

Ammaar Mohammed, 12, nervously awaits his word in Round 2 of the National Scripps Spelling

Bee (Edelheit)

By Ammaar Mohammed

I stood there, my eyes blinded by the

lights. Three thousand people stood before

me, awaiting the word. My palms sweated

profusely as Dr. Jacque Bailly looked

down at his list of words. “Alpargata,”

he enunciated. My brain immediately

transcended into a frenzy. Every second,

my heart beat faster and faster. “May I

have the definition please?” I asked the

esteemed pronouncer, with no intention

of using it. Rather, I had inquired only

to buy me precious time; a trick every

speller knew. I racked my brain for even

a single memory of this word I had ever

seen. I scrolled through my catalogue of

millions of words, my confidence slowly

being replaced by fear. The search for this

mysterious word came up empty. I began

to panic, beads of sweat now forming on

my forehead. I looked into the crowd,

which only increased my panic. I tried to

regain my poise unsuccessfully. My heart

raced faster than ever. Through my peripheral

vision, I saw the red light counting

down behind me, like a doomsday clock. I

tried to concentrate as my mind bounced

between a million thoughts all at once. I

began to envision the word in the air. A-L-

P-E-R-G-A-T-A, I thought to myself. I

guess that’s my only option, I assumed, It’s

the only possible spelling. I turned around

to see the timer’s shades of red darkening..

As the color increased in intensity, so did

my panic. Alright, this is it, I told myself,

preparing to spell the word. “A-L-P-E-R-

G-A-T-A,” I said with uncertainty. The

next few moments felt like ages. I stood

there, looking into a sea of lights and peo-

42 ENTERTAINMENT

ple from all over the country. All I wanted

was to hear “That is the correct spelling”.

Right then, I realized that the journey

that I had traveled was far greater than

the end result. Right then, I forgot about

the blinding lights, the sea of people, and

the silly word. Right then, I realized how

grateful I was for the journey.

It all began in the Bayaan Academy

Spelling Bee. In all honesty, I expected to

win as none of the other students seemed

to care enough to try in the competition.

Still, I toiled and studied all the lists. In

the end, I cruised to victory after only six

rounds. The next step in my journey was

the Regional Bee. This was where it really

began. My sisters had made it to this stage

already, but none of them had achieved

what I had set out to do. None of them

Brig a dier

had won first place at the regional spelling

bee. As I drove to Admiral Farragut, where

the bee was to take place, I couldn’t get

myself to focus. A million thoughts drifted

through my mind. I tried to concentrate

on my task ahead. The early morning rays

made their presence known, splashing

onto my face. My mind was filled with

“What if’s?”, constantly popping up like

spam ads on a computer. A couple of my

friends had accompanied me on the hour

drive to Admiral Farragut. We talked and

laughed for a while. They understood the

nerves I was feeling and tried to distract

me from the task at hand. As soon as we

got there, I rushed inside. I entered the

building and tried to get comfortable.

There were rows of wooden benches on

either side of me. In the middle was the

pathway to the stage. I spoke to my family

and friends before walking up to the

stage, brimming with confidence and a

touch of nervousness. The lady in charge

of showing the students where to sit was

extremely kind. She gave me my number

and I walked over to my allotted seat. I

sank into the metal chair. My attempt to

concentrate, like those before it, was futile.

I thought to myself, This is it, this is what

you worked for. Now go and get it.

Before I knew it, the rounds were

underway. The first round, I waited for

my turn as I shifted uneasily in my seat.

Just watching the participants make their

way to the podium made me extremely

nervous. Eventually, they called me to the

podium. Comedically, I was too short to

reach the microphone on my own. The

organizers were forced to improvise and

provide me with a stool so I could read

the microphone. I stood on the stool and

waited for my word. “Finesse,” the pronouncer

enunciated. I immediately knew

the answer. Still I asked for a definition,

and promptly spelled, “F-I-N-E-S-S-E”.

I heard the pronouncer say, “That is

correct.” This allowed me to breathe a sigh

of relief. With every

round, I grew in confidence.

Eventually, after

around twenty rounds,

I was cruising through

the words from the

lists. There were eight

participants remaining.

The stakes were getting

higher and higher. This

was where the hardest

part began. This was

the dictionary round.

I was scared out

of my mind. My brain

couldn’t stop thinking

and worrying. My

first dictionary round

was an easier word, allowing me to calm

my nerves. I was given “brigadier” and

proceeded to spell it correctly, interestingly

enough due to my familiarity with

a character from the mobile game, Clash

Royale. Who knew such a futile game

would aid me in my time of need. Relief

flooded every inch of my body. Just then, I

felt the intense need to use the bathroom.

Should I ask right now? I asked myself,

I should probably just wait. I ended up

choosing the latter in this time of great

distress. A few rounds later, and there were

three participants remaining. By now, I

couldn’t sit still. My legs shook uncontrollably.

The first participant, an Indian

8th grader, stepped up to the podium.

He seemed to be overflowing with surety,

something I greatly lacked at that moment.

He proceeded to spell his word, and

I was surprised at the end to hear the bell.

This bell was the signal of loss, an audible

manifestation of failure to all spellers. His

mask of confidence was replaced by the

disappointment he wore as the judge informed

him that he could leave the stage.

As he walked past me, I wondered, Will I

be joining him next?

The tension in the room was

mounting. If I was nervous in the previous

rounds, I had now completely lost my

bearings. The next participant, an Indian

girl, proceeded to the podium, impressing

me with her self-confident stride. As

she spelled her word, I could sense her

breaking, the self-confidence displaced by

fear; a fear of messing up, a fear of disappointing,

more than herself, her parents,

but more than ever, a fear of failure. After

nearly running out of time, she awaited

her judgment; her brows scrunched and

her fists clenched. I sat up in anticipation,

hoping to hear the bell, a golden opportunity

for me and defeat for her. I wasn’t

sure which was worse, the waiting or the

reckoning. This was my chance to bring

home what I had worked so hard for. Just

then, the judges decided to huddle up to

confirm the rules of the championship

word. Simultaneously, I felt the pangs

of nature calling me

to use the bathroom

that I had felt just a

couple rounds ago.

My lack of action was

coming back to bite

me. Should I just ask

to go? I found myself

asking again. Nah,

we’re almost done, was

again the answer. I

waited for two minutes

for the judges to finish

up their huddle, still

debating whether or

not I should ask to go.

But, boy, did those two

minutes feel like hours.

The pain I went through was indescribable,

both emotionally and physically.

Still, I held on in the hope that it was to

ENTERTAINMENT 43

Val-e-tu-di-nar-i-an

A person who is unduly

anxious about their

health

be over soon. Finally, the judges returned

to their seats. “This is the championship

word,” the judges announced, “If he spells

this word correct, he will be named the

2016 Tampa Bay Spelling Bee Champion!”

The pressure was mounting, as was

my biological need to use the bathroom. I

just wanted it to be over so I could relieve

myself. I ran up to the podium. The

stage lights shone on my face. A group

of photographers aimed their cameras at

me, hoping to catch a moment of victory.

My family sat there, praying for me. My

friends looked me in the eye, increasing

my confidence. The pronouncer eventually

gave me the word. “Valetudinarian,” she

said. Instantly, my mind froze.

Valetudi-what? I remember asking

myself. What happened next was nothing

short of a miracle. As quickly as I could,

I wrote the spelling of the word on the

podium using my fingers. In a hurry, I

began to spell the word, “V-A-L-E-T-U-

D-I-N-A-R-I-A-N.” As soon as I completed

my spelling, I waited for the judges to

confirm its correctness. However, I cared

more about being able to use the bathroom.

To be completely honest, I didn’t

care much about the Spelling Bee in those

deciding moments. Time seemed to stop

at that moment. Just when I needed it to

hurry up, it decided to slow down right

in my face. The seconds felt like hours

on end. Finally, the judges confirmed

that my spelling of the word was indeed

correct. And just like that, I had just won

the 2016 Tampa Bay Regional Spelling

Bee. I beamed from ear to ear. Right away,

however, I ran for the bathroom, not my

family or friends. It was then that I had

just realized the feat I had accomplished.

I looked into the mirror after relieving

myself and saw a champion. I couldn’t

believe it. Six months of hard work and

tears had finally earned me an outcome I

was proud of. I walked out to the attention

of the entire building. I ran to my

family and friends and embraced each one

of them, sharing a moment of happiness

I will never forget. I spoke with the other

competitors, offering my commiserations.

Still, I was as happy as a leprechaun at the

end of a rainbow. I was still in shock. The

Tampa Bay Times photographer wanted to

get a picture with me and multiple news

outlets interviewed me. People from all

over came to congratulate me. Later that

44 ENTERTAINMENT

day, I realized that I had just made history.

This was unheard of in my community. I

had just become the only speller from an

Islamic school to ever win the Tampa Bay

Regional Spelling Bee.

It was truly a day of happiness and

honestly, quite overwhelming. This event

gave me a sense of fulfillment. It allowed

me to taste the sweetness of accomplishment.

It showed me how far hard work

can take you. Before I knew it, the entire

Tampa community knew my story. An

article describing my winning word was

published in the Tampa Bay Times. Most

importantly, however, it showed me the

power of God, or Allah. It showed me that

when Allah is on your side, He will make

anything possible. It showed me He will

open up avenues from places you never

even thought of. If it wasn’t for my need to

use the bathroom, I probably would have

ended up spelling it wrong. I would have

thought more about it and switched the

fourth letter, “e”, with an “a”. This showed

me the beauty of Allah’s plans, how He

had evidently taken care of my matters

in such a trivial occurrence in the grand

scheme of the world, but it meant the

world to me. As a young boy, this championship

impressed a sense of humility and

gratitude to Him and Him alone. Furthermore,

the experience of competing on the

national stage was daunting, yet eye-opening.

It showed me that I had the ability to

achieve extraordinary things and that if I

worked hard enough, the national stage

would still be there waiting for me.

Works Cited

Edelheit, Eve. “Nervous Speller Nails It.” Tampa

Bay Times, Tampa Bay Times, 24 Aug. 2019,

www.tampabay.com/news/humaninterest/

nervous-speller-nails-it/2269132/.

MOVIE REVIEW:

THE HUNGER GAMES

By Dhruvin Kamani

So unfair! Kevin the Teenager

is far from alone in feeling

that. It’s a normal part of

adolescence to find what

grown-ups expect of you is

unreasonable, if not actually

incomprehensible. The Hunger

Games ups the ante on this

common experience. This is

a movie that shows teenagers

being really unfairly treated.

Could that have anything to

do with why real ones think it’s

so great?

Post-apocalyptic North

America is ruled by a decadent

hub called the Capitol, where

the rich prance around in

ridiculous clothes and lurid

make-up. To punish a past

uprising, each of the 12

impoverished outlying districts

are required to send a teenage

girl and boy each year as

“Tributes” to compete in a

savage fight to their death,

broadcast as the ultimate

reality TV show. So unfair!

When, in the starving

mining region of District 12,

formerly Appalachia, 12-yearold

Prim Everdeen is selected,

her 16-year-old sister Katniss

at once bravely volunteers

to go in her place. She has a

chance at least, being a skillful

hunter, a dab hand with a bow

and arrow, and the all-round

coper in her family. Her cotribute

turns out to be the

local baker’s son, Peeta, who,

though she doesn’t know it yet,

has a total crush on her.

Off they go to the distant

Capitol, to be primped and

briefly feted, before being sent

out into the arena, to slaughter

or be slaughtered, using the

random selection of weapons

supplied, all on live TV. Only

one of the 24 teenagers will

survive.

Lionsgate, the company

that has made this film, is now

hoping to duplicate the movie’s

success. Collins’s young-adult

novel is a skilfully calibrated,

highly readable concoction.

There seems an almost limitless

appetite at the moment for

stories about plucky teenagers

fighting for survival, after

being abandoned by adults, in

dystopian futures. Although

Collins has thrown in some

future technology, she’s

judiciously eschewed magic

and the supernatural, while

carefully reproducing that

captivating dilemma for a girl

that’s at the heart of Twilight

— having two doting hunks

on hand, so hard to choose

between.

What Collins significantly adds

to these familiar components

is the way the whole thing is a

reality TV show, just like The

X Factor and Big Brother, only

more extreme. The film in fact

only reaches the arena when it

is more than halfway through,

feeling slow and over-emphatic

up until this point, but

perhaps to a generation raised

on the rituals of talent shows it

feels more pointful.

Collins herself has been

heavily involved in the film

and the result has something of

the ponderous earnestness such

authorial participation often

yields, yet it is well cast and

well acted!

Jennifer Lawrence,

superb as the tenacious

country girl Ree in Winter’s

Bone, is excellent again as

Katniss. She’s a light and

plausible runner, which is

what she does half the time;

strong faced, narrow-eyed,

self-contained, and often

quite impassive. Unlike the

heroine of Twilight, Katniss

is independent, capable, and

fierce when she needs to be

proving tougher than the boys,

a welcome change. However,

although Lawrence is still very

young by most standards (21),

she seems already quite mature

to be playing a 16-year-old in a

scenario in which every year of

age counts quite physically.

As Peeta, 19-year-old

Josh Hutcherson (the boy in

The Kids Are All Right) isn’t

her match in charisma but

has a nice line in wounded

devotion. The other Tributes

are less differentiated, allowing

the cynic to guess without

trouble who will still be there

at the end.

Woody Harrelson,

complete with blonde wig,

is unpredictable and devilish

in an almost Jack Nicholson

style as the drunken trainer,

Haymitch; Donald Sutherland

romps away as old but still

mightily evil President Snow,

while Stanley Tucci camps

it up tremendously, in a big

blue hairpiece and scary teeth,

as a wildly over the top TV

presenter.

It’s a 12A, though. The

violence, therefore, remains

unclear, kept that way by

a juddery, blurry handheld

filming style borrowed

from Twilight, where the

violent jerking of the camera

substitutes for the action.There

is no sexuality even hinted

at from beginning to end,

perhaps because the producers

were fearful of it, given the age

of the characters.

The Hunger Games absolutely

delivers for its target audience:

younger teenagers. In my

opinion, I think it can be

highly recommended.

RATING: 7/10

ENTERTAINMENT 45

HOW

A

MOVIE

CAN

TERMINATE

A

FRANCHISE

By Toan Nguyen

The Terminator series used to

be one of the most notable

franchises in Hollywood,

generating a total of $3

billion by the end of 2010

(“Terminator (franchise)”,

2020). However, that has

now drastically changed. Its

newest release, Terminator:

Dark Fate has lost more than

$100 million for its studios

including but not limited

to 20th Century Studios

and Paramount Pictures

(McClintock, 2019).

Where did it all go wrong?

Why did Dark Fate get

terminated? Here are a few

reasons why.

It has a fault storyline.

Right from the getgo,

the movie kills off fanfavorite

John Connor, played

by Edward Furlong from

Terminator 2: Judgement

Day, a decision in which

the audience doesn’t take

very well. After being

mercilessly executed, he was

quickly replaced by another

protagonist. The new hero,

Dani, has the potential to

become a compelling character,

but she doesn’t quite form that

special bond with the audience

the same way John Connor

did (Marcus, 2019). From an

interview, Tim Miller explains

his choice to remove Connor

from the story:

“You’d think it [killing

John off] was probably

a controversial decision,

but it really wasn’t.

There was a lot of talk

at the really early stages

of should this new

savior be someone who

was connected to the

Connors? Should it

be John’s daughter or

something like that?

Which I was always

against, because I’m just

not a fan of the Chosen

One sort of movie as

much as I am of a hero

sort of rising to meet

adversity, who could

be an everyman or an

everywoman. I identify

with those people much

more than I do with Neo

in The Matrix or King

Arthur or something like

that. So I was all for this

being some new person

that wasn’t connected

to the Connors and had

been chosen by the hand

Fans simply stop caring.

The rights to the

franchise have been sold to too

many studios and companies

(“Terminator (franchise)”,

2020). This decision resulted

in the creation of too many

films and universes within

the franchise. Due to this,

the Terminator fan base also

began to diminish over time.

(Lee, 2019). At this rate,

the universe has become

too confusing to attract

newcomers, but it’s not a

surprise. Previous films, such

as Terminator 3: Rise of the

Machines and Terminator

Genisys, were also rejected

by fans (Mendelson, 2019),

which is why the timeline

has to be constantly changed.

The producers are essentially

of fate.” (Miller, 2019)

Here, Miller explains his

choice for choosing the new

protagonist in Terminator:

Dark Fate but doesn’t really

go in-depth as to why he

believes Connor’s death wasn’t

considered as controversial.

Even if the producers chose to

keep Connor alive, the story

isn’t exactly original anymore.

The first two films, The

Terminator and Terminator 2:

Judgement Day, released back

in 1984 and 1991, respectively,

are still currently more

successful than their more

recent counterparts because

back then, the plots were seen

as original. Now that so many

films have been released, the

constantly rehashed idea has

now become a dead concept,

and this brings us to the next

point.

attempting to satisfy their

audience but are failing to

do so. However, it’s unlikely

there will be a new Terminator

movie that will impress the

audience because a formula

can only be used so many

times before it becomes old

and diluted.

It will always get compared to the

originals.

No new Terminator

movie will ever be able to

excite fans simply because it

can never beat the originals.

In fact, the whole concept

wasn’t necessarily flexible to

begin with. You can only go

so far with future killing robot

assassins before repeating the

same story over again with

time travel, which means that

Dark Fate was already doomed

to fail from the start. It’s also

not a surprise that the budget

for making a Terminator movie

costs more than $150 million

to produce (Mendelson,

2019). The highest-grossing

movie in the franchise is still in

fact Terminator 2, grossing at

$520 million worldwide, and

no new installation has ever

surpassed that since. Most fans

now agree that the franchise

ended at the second movie,

and maybe it’s best to keep it

that way.

ENTERTAINMENT 47

THE HATE U

GIVE AND ITS

RELATIONSHIP

TO RACE

BOOK REVIEW

By Ameya Mulay

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas has been on my reading list since it was

released in early 2017. I finally got around to reading the book this month, and

I was definitely not disappointed! The book is based on the fictional story of

Starr, a young African-American teenage girl who witnesses the murder of her

best friend, Khalil Harris, at the hands of a law enforcement officer. The author

helps the reader explore, and better understand the perspective of African-

American families who grow up in poor neighborhoods. In lieu of the senseless

killing of George Floyd at the hands of police this past April, this novel helps

offer critical perspective to our society on the issues and causes of systematic

racism. For example, after the killing of Khalil goes viral and becomes a national

story, rumors begin to spread that Khalil was a drug dealer and gang member.

However, towards the end of the book, it is revealed that Khalil was selling

drugs to help his single mother, as it was the only way he knew of making

money.

48 ENTERTAINMENT

Through the book, Angie Thomas

is able to enlighten the reader of the

unfair stigma and stereotype against

African-Americans. For example, Khalil’s

story goes on to show the injustice

and flaws of our society, as African-

American communities are portrayed as

communities who choose to be overrun

with gangs and drugs. But this could not

be further from the truth, the reality is

that our society and government simply

do not do anywhere near enough to help

these marginalized communities. Khalil’s

story is a perfect example of how African

Americans in marginalized communities

are simply not given the same

opportunities to take care of their families

- families in which fathers have left, in

prison, or dead. The oldest male must

accept the entire burden of supporting

the family and as such, is usually forced to

drop out of school to help provide for his

family, or does not attend school from the

beginning. One thing I have noticed and

would like to point out is many noticeable

and famous African American people in

our society who have ‘made it out’ such

as LeBron James, Allen Iverson, or Kevin

Durant, say that ‘they shouldn’t be here.’

As a society shouldn’t we ask the question

why they weren’t supposed to make it?

Why were their parents unable to receive

some help/benefits from the government?

Why are extremely difficult childhoods

almost normalized

at this point with

famous or relatively

successful African

Americans? Why

is ‘I grew up in

poverty’ such a

common phrase

among African

Americans, but not

other races? Why

is it significantly

harder for an

African American to get a college degree?

The Hate You Give shows us how the

problem begins with us as a society. We

must do more. For one, we must overhaul

and reform our judicial system, which

allows and fosters systematic racism

through its prejudiced juries and judges,

inconsistent sentencing, and greed for

money. Since I was a kid, I have wondered

how people who have committed crimes

are able to get away by paying money, as

it seems counterproductive in terms of

reforming people and deterring people

from committing crimes.

Personally, I firmly believe that those

who commit any crime should be held in

jail until their trial and not be able to pay

bail for freedom. As a result, this would

also force the United States to reform

its court system, which forces people to

wait MONTHS for a hearing. In fact,

the average wait time in San Francisco

for the month of June 2020 for a hearing

Why is “I grew up in

poverty” such a

common phrase

among African

Americans, but not

other races?

is currently 14 MONTHS - and the

fact that the judicial system ACCEPTS

MONEY to set people free, through

bail shows how corrupt it is.

We are completely unable

to adequately serve

justice by failing to

create a fair, even

playing field for

all defendants

from the start. By

allowing people

to pay their way

out we cannot

pride ourselves as

having distributed

justice, as it simply

serves as a minor

convenience to many;

whereas, people from

marginalized communities

get the short end of the stick

from the start. It goes against the rule

of law, which as defined by The Free

Dictionary says, “No written law may

be enforced by the government unless it

conforms with certain unwritten, universal

principles of fairness, morality, and justice

that transcend human legal systems.” (2)

In this sense, the rule of law is not being

fulfilled, as a rich person who posts bail

for a crime can be set free buta person who

lives in poverty will be forced to stay in jail

until their trial for committing the same

exact crime. I simply

do not think that

my example qualifies

as something which

conforms with

‘universal principles

of fairness.’ It just

does not make sense;

these types of cases

are also in blatant

violation of the

6th Amendment,

which guarantees

individuals the right to a fair, and speedy

trial. (3) The 6th Amendment is included

in the Bill of Rights because of the idea

that “delayed justice is denied justice.”

(4) If this is really the case then how

can we delay cases for months and then

claim that justice has been served?

A certain event can only remain

in the eye of the public for so

long. By delaying popular

cases the court can wait until

public interest subsidies,

which could potentially

allow our already flawed

court system more

opportunities to make

biased decisions.

Furthermore,

many of these biased

decisions may not come

to light as the cases are

done quietly, and by the

time the trial is finished

everyone will have likely forgotten about

the incident. This would have a large

impact on marginalized communities, as

in most cases these cases never

reach the glare of the public

and by the time they

do it is too late to do

anything.

For these

reasons, I truly

believe that

a thorough

overhaul of our

judicial system

is in order.

The book helps

foster necessary

discussions our

society needs to have,

while enabling people

who are not African-

American to see life through

the eyes of someone who is. Finally, the

book makes us ask important questions

about the fairness of our judicial systems.

How can a trial be fair if a person from

a marginalized community is forced to

stay in jail because they are unable to post

bail, whereas, someone else charged with

the same exact crime is able to leave after

paying a fine? How is waiting 14 months

for a trial speedy? Is our current judicial

system even following or carrying out

our Bill of Rights and 6th Amendment?

Is our government doing enough to help

marginalized communities? Is it really

morally wrong/unethical to deal drugs and

join a gang if it is the only way someone

can feed and take care of their family?

Works Cited

“Social Security.” Average Wait Time Until Hearing

Held Report | Public Data Files, www.ssa.gov/

appeals/DataSets/01_NetStat_Report.html.

rule of law. (n.d.) Collins Dictionary of Law. (2006).

Retrieved July 31 2020 from https://legaldictionary.thefreedictionary.com/rule+of+law

LAWS. “Bill Of Rights Overview.” Constitution

of United States of America 1789, 22 Dec.

2019, https://constitution.laws.com/bill-ofrights/bill-of-rights

Smentkowski, Brian P. “Sixth Amendment.”

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Whitney Le

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Alyx Mye

Esther Ajayi

Pratush Rai

Whitney Le

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51

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Coming together is a beginning;

staying together is progress;

working together is success.

--Henry Ford

The Synergy Project Magazine - August 2020

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