Senior Issue 2020-21
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A2
Senior Issue
Some students go overseas for university
Seniors head to Spain,
Israel and Germany
Shannah Saul
Staff Writer
After a year filled with coronavirus
uncertainty, political division, and a
record-high competitive college
admissions season, I think it’s safe
to say the Class of 2021 is ready to
move on.
Some of us, though, are moving
farther than others. This year, there
are a handful of students from Cal
High going abroad for their entire
undergraduate degree, including myself.
Among this year’s graduates, Layla
Duran will be attending St. Louis
University - Madrid in Spain, Jack
Clemons will be attending TU Munich
in Germany, and Aryan Chhabra
is planning on enrolling at a Canadian
university after a year of community
college. As for me, I’m attending
IDC Herzliya in Israel.
The choice to study abroad fulltime
isn’t an easy one to make, but
many factors can influence students’
interest in attending college outside
the United States.
“Between its amazing location,
good price, several major options,
interesting internship opportunities,
and Jesuit values, SLU Madrid was
the perfect match for me,” Duran
said. “I also applied for the school’s
Director’s Scholarship - a full tuition
scholarship - and ended up receiving
With the school year drawing to a
close, the Class of 2021 is gearing up
for the next step in their lives.
But while most students will attend
traditional colleges in the fall, some
students found that more specialized
programs better fit their passions.
Senior Jessica Laurente will study
advertising/marketing communications
at Fashion Institute of Technology
(FIT) in New York City. Laurente
said she always knew a traditional
university wasn’t the right fit for her.
“I didn’t want to go to a normal
college... that’s not my thing,” Laurente
said. “I want to create, start my
life, start my future job, my journey.”
Laurente had always been interested
in art school, but she did not want
to devote her time to traditional art. In
her senior year, she found that fashion
school was a perfect fit for her.
“I like being creative and doing a
Photo courtesy of Jessica Laurente
Senior Jessica Laurente is heading to
Fashion Institute of Technology.
Photo courtesy of Shannah Saul
Senior Shannah Saul will be attending
IDC Herzliya in Isreal this fall.
Students pursue art, fashion, flight and faith
Angela Deanne Paloma
News Editor
it, so the decision was even more
clear for me.”
Chhabra was drawn to schools
abroad because of their unique majors,
including one for bio informatics
that he plans to pursue.
“If I must study while traveling
abroad,” Chhabra said, “I may as well
study a subject that greatly intrigues
me and sparks my fascination.”
For myself, an aspiring communications
major, IDC Herzliya offers
a program more tailored to my academic
interests. With a professional
radio station on campus, guaranteed
internship programs, and specialized
tracks designed to help students focus
their majors on specific skills, I’m in a
better position going abroad to study
communications than staying in-state
within a more generic program.
Another benefit of going abroad
to school is the cost. Many schools
overseas have reduced or free tuition,
which eliminates one of the biggest
hardships of college.
lot of arts and crafts,” Laurente said.
“I don’t see myself doing that, but I
see me and my art skills incorporated
into fashion through advertising.”
Similarly to Laurente, senior Julia
Sung hopes to pursue a more creative
path. Sung will be studying illustration
at the Rhode Island School of
Design (RISD) in Providence, R.I.
Sung grew up with quite a few
artistic figures in her life, with her
mother being a graphic designer and
her grandmother being a traditional
Korean calligrapher. Ever since her
first art lesson as a child, Sung has
been an artist as well.
During her sophomore year, Sung
expanded her artistic skills and made
the decision to pursue the arts.
“I started doing regular art just to
get credits in,” Sung said. “Then I
went to an outside studio and started
taking summer classes.”
Regardless of her passion and experience,
Sung had some difficulty
making the decision to pursue art.
“It was kind of hard because I
don’t know if art was a stable career,”
Sung said. “I just decided to [pursue
art] because you should just do what
you want to do in life.”
Senior Charlie Max Reynolds,
who will be studying Christian Ministries
at Azusa Pacific University in
Los Angeles County, also struggled
to decide on his next steps.
“It was like a long process for me,
choosing a college, because I had aspirations
of playing college football,”
Reynolds said.
Reynolds received offers to play
football from Division I schools, such
as Dartmouth University, while Azusa
was only a Division II school at the
time of his decision.
READ THE CALIFORNIAN ONLINE AT WWW.THECALIFORNIANPAPER.COM
Photo courtesy of Layla Duran
Senior Layla Duran is heading to St.
Louis University-Madrid in Spain.
“With U.S. colleges, I‘m not exactly
sure why I’m giving an arm and a
leg to attend, and where that money is
going,” Clemons said. “For a full six
years of school, it’s roughly €1,000,
as most countries in the EU don‘t
have tuition fees.”
Another perk to an education
abroad is that the learning doesn’t
stop on campus. Being in a new country
is a great opportunity to explore
and experience a new culture while
still young, as well as expand language
skills and independence.
“It’s exciting to know that I’ll be
learning more about places that I’ve
always dreamed of visiting,” Chhabra
said. “I’m looking forward to
experiencing the life and culture of
where I travel, on and off campus”.
For Clemons, one of the biggest
factors that drew him to Germany
was the opportunity to learn a language.
“I’ll primarily be speaking German,”
he said. “But as with here,
there‘s people from all over, so that‘ll
give me some chances to try out other
languages too.”
Students who don’t want to deal
with language barriers abroad can
find plenty of programs in English.
Plus, there are many English-speaking
countries where students can attend
college. Part of my decision to
study in Israel was made because an
estimated 85 percent of Israelis speak
some English. This means I won’t be
completely lost while learning Hebrew.
I’d say the reason most people
don’t go abroad for a long time often
has to do with distance and culture
shock. The “what-if” factors that
come without doing enough research
can easily overwhelm people and
cause them to miss out.
Chhabra’s main concerns with
studying abroad include being away
from his friends and family.
“I fear that my decision as to where
I go may not be as thrilling as I’d
hoped,” he said. “However, it’s important
to understand that everyone
struggles with the fear of moving
away at some point, so I know I can
deal with it”.
Duran’s concerns revolved around
giving up the American college experience.
“The Greek life, football games,
campus culture… it’s not the same in
Europe,” she said.
She’s been combating her fear of
missing out, though, by researching
the culture in Madrid and fun activities,
such as the soccer league and
incredible nightlife.
“It won’t be a typical American
college experience,” Duran said.
“But I’m now more excited for what
my experience has in store than I am
concerned about missing out.”
On the other hand, some students
like Clemons have almost no insecurities
about their decision to go
abroad.
“You just need to know what
you’re getting yourself into,” he said.
Personally, I found it helpful to
ease myself into the decision to go
abroad by applying to colleges in the
U.S. in addition to overseas. By turning
American schools down in favor
of IDC, I was sure that I was making
the right decision for me and not just
running off to another country.
At the end of the day, all of us
agree that the worries some may have
about leaving home don’t outweigh
the benefits of taking the leap and going
abroad. When it comes to having
a successful study abroad experience,
an open mind and ready-to-go attitude
are essential to making the most
out of the experience.
“One should have confidence, especially
in themselves,” Chhabra
said. “Be enthusiastic and grateful for
the opportunity to learn more about
the world around you. It can be both
scary and spectacular”.
As for advice to those considering
studying abroad? The consensus: if
you’re already thinking about it, just
do it.
“Just apply! It doesn’t hurt to keep
your options open,” Duran said. “Do
research on specific universities that
you find interesting, and who knows?
Maybe you’ll find the perfect match
like I did.”
Seniors head toward unconventional paths
“Everyone thought I was going to
go to one of the other schools I was
deciding between,” Reynolds said.
“But I knew my outlook outside of
college. I wanted to go into ministry.”
But after Reynolds committed to
Azusa, the football program, along
with Reynolds’s athletic scholarship,
was canceled in December 2020.
Reynolds was able to get some of his
offers back, but Azusa wasn’t completely
out of the picture.
Inspired by Reynolds’s passion for
his faith and desire to study ministry,
Azusa decided to honor his scholarship
despite the cancellation of the
football program.
“That was huge. That was another
big decision,” Reynolds said. “I
either have to sacrifice football and
pursue this major which I really want
to do, or go play football.”
With offers from more prestigious
colleges and the loss of Azusa’s football
program, Reynolds felt internal
and external pressure regarding his
college decision.. Halfway through
his senior year, Reynolds decided to
follow his heart and pursue Christian
Ministries at Azusa without football.
Like Reynolds, Laurente initially
struggled to decide on her next steps
after high school and did not make
the decision to go to fashion school
until after the start of her senior year.
While this initially caused her some
stress, she eventually combined her
love of art, creativity, and style and
decided on a career in fashion.
“Fashion is one thing that really inspires
me to be myself and be creative
and unique in what I wear,” Laurente
said. “The thing about fashion is that
it always changes so you don’t have
to stick to one thing, it’s just doing
what you like.”
Laurente advises those that are unsure
about their future to spend time
Photo courtesy of Jacob Pfister
Senior Jacob Pfister poses in front of one of the planes he flies out of Livermore.
exploring activities they truly enjoy.
“If you’re worried, find your interests
and see what you can do with that
in your future,” Laurente said. “Basic
interests can lead you into a career.”
As far as senior Jacob Pfister can
remember, he has always had an interest
in flight and aircrafts.
“I’ve pretty much gotten into airplanes
through being in an airport as
a child and flying to Wisconsin [to
visit] my grandparents,” Pfister said.
“I just loved anything to do with it because
I find it really cool.”
In the fall, Pfister will pursue that
interest professionally through Arizona
State University’s Professional
Flight program in Mesa, which is
partnered with ATP Flight School.
“First semester, [I’ll] do ground
school, [learning] the basics of basically
everything to do with flying a
plane,” Pfister said. “Second semester,
I’ll actually be flying a plane.”
Pfister decided on a career in aviation
in elementary school and became
a published aviation photographer
with AirTeam Images in London in
high school. Through the years, he
never had much difficulty with his
decision to pursue flight and aviation.
“I’d say knowledge-wise it’s a lot
to take in, but it wasn’t difficult because
I loved it,” Pfister said.
After finding programs that best fit
their passions, these four students are
excited to channel more of their time
into their respective interests.
“I’m looking forward to just being
able to dedicate all of my time to
art,” Sung said. “In high school, you
only have to do one class of art. If I
go there, everything is just going to
be art.”
Although each of their paths are
different from one another, they all
echoed the same advice.
“[You] really have to decide despite
what other people would say,
despite how good it would look in
your mind, despite what it would
look like to others,” Reynolds said.
“Know where your heart is at, what
you want for your future. If that’s
pulling you towards an unconventional
path, then I say you go with it.”
READ THE CALIFORNIAN ONLINE AT WWW.THECALIFORNIANPAPER.COM
Iconic teacher
Senior Issue A3
Staff rotate through positions
leaves Cal
Scott Hodges
retires after 23 years
Sabrina Contreras
Managing Editor
After 23 years of teaching at Cal
High, beloved AP U.S. History teacher
and Rotary Teacher of the Year
Scott Hodges will retire in June.
Hodges started teaching in Austin,
Texas after finishing his graduate
work in 1996. He made his way
to California and began teaching at
Cal in 1998. He’s taught Geography,
World History, AP European History,
and AP U.S. History (APUSH).
“My favorite memory [about
teaching at Cal High] has been the
connections I have established over
the years with students,” Hodges
said. “It’s really nice to make the connections
and maintain them.”
Hodges said he loved being able
to meet up with his former students,
whether it be for a cup of coffee or a
short stroll along the Iron Horse Trail.
Many of Hodges’ APUSH students
thoroughly enjoyed his course, and
have fond memories of his enthusiasm
as he greeted his students everyday
with a big smile.
“His personality in the classroom
was infectious and made learning so
much fun,” said senior Cade Llewellyn,
who took Hodges’ class his junior
year. “I never dreaded walking
into his class.”
Teachers also enjoyed Hodges’ attitude.
AP Government teacher Brandon
Andrews said he admired Hodges’
positivity.
“He’s one of the most positive people
on campus and I think it’s a true
testament of an individual to have
been in education for so long and still
be positive at the end,” Andrews said.
World History teacher Hannah
Cheng laughed with joy when thinking
back to all the good memories she
shared with Hodges.
“I love Mr Hodges, he makes me
smile and laugh every time I talk to
him, or even look at him from across
the room,” Cheng said. “He’s such
a good guy. I can always go to Mr.
Hodges for anything, and he always
has a positive spin on things, even
during hard times.”
Along with a great demeanor, students
also enjoyed the way Hodges
taught the course.
“I liked how all the work we did
had a purpose. There was never a
day where we just did busy work,”
Llewellyn said. “He also had a strong
will for his students to succeed.”
His teaching style was unique and
engaging, many students said.
“My favorite part about his class is
definitely the cultural literacies,” said
junior Adam Linari, who is currently
taking his APUSH class. “These
lessons really brought out the lesser
known parts of history, and allowed
for an interesting break from the
sometimes monotonous textbook.”
These cultural literacies stuck with
many students, such as 2015 graduate
Liz Castaneda.
“I remember learning about the
true meaning of the ‘Wizard of Oz’
and how excited Mr. Hodges was
when he taught us about it,” Castaneda
said. “It was one of those moments
that really showed me how great of a
teacher he was.”
Hodges’ classes may have been
fun, but he made sure to make it challenging
as well, always pushing students
past their comfort zones.
“He challenges his students so
much,” Cheng said. “Even though his
AP classes are so structured, he never
seems to forget that students want to
learn and want to be challenged.”
Hodges was also one of the founders
of the school’s very own teacher
band, Partial Credit. Without him, the
band may have never gotten together,
said band member Andrews.
“There would not be a teacher
band without Mr. Hodges because it
was our idea initially to start playing
together on campus and what has become
the teacher band kind of grew
out of that,” Andrews said.
Students always enjoyed the Partial
Credit performances during lunch.
“One of my favorite memories
with Mr. Hodges has to be how excited
he was about his band,” Linari
said. “The one time I got to see them
live, you could tell how much he enjoyed
being up there making music.”
Cal students and staff said they
would greatly miss Hodges and his
contagious smile on campus, and
they wish him the best as he starts this
exciting new chapter of his life.
“Mr. Hodges is one of the best
teachers I’ve had at Cal,” Lee said.
“Not only did he teach me history,
but he made me love it. I’m going to
miss the way his face lit up when one
of his old students came to visit him
and the awkward silence in the classroom
after he told one of his many
bad jokes.”
Photo by Isaac Oronsky
Scott Hodges plays the guitar with Partial Credit for his last performance.
Seniors have seen administrators
and counselors
come and go
Emmy Burrus
Editor-in-Chief
More students
utilize this option
Though the college application
process was vastly different for the
Class of 2021, one thing remained
constant: many Cal High students
hired private college counselors to
help with the admissions process.
Senior Evelyn Lee was among this
group, and started meeting with her
counselor in the summer of 2020.
“I needed someone to take my experiences
and the ideas I had and set
up a portfolio with a certain theme,”
Lee said. “That was something that I
was super unaware of and I needed
help to navigate that portfolio.”
Private college counselors offer
services catered to each student.
“They can also help you find
schools that fit you, identify dream/
match/safety schools, complete your
FAFSA, craft strong school-specific
application essays, and help manage
anxiety and stress,” reported The
Princeton Review.
For senior Victoria Chen, the latter
was a factor in hiring her counselor.
“[My college counselor] checked
over [my applications] which was really
helpful,” Chen said. “It was way
less stressful, I didn’t need to worry
about if I missed anything or not.”
For many students, this stress came
from their feeling of unpreparedness
in transitioning their school style of
Photo by Isaac Oronsky
Assistant Principal Tucker Farrar, left, and Principal Megan Keefer have worked
together at Cal for two years.
With three principals, rotating
counselors, and two new assistant
principals, Cal High’s graduating
class has seen it all.
The Class of 2021 caught the end
of Sarah Cranford’s four year tenure
as principal.
Then came Christopher George,
whose time was short-lived. After
nine months as principal, he left Cal
to become the assistant director of
secondary education at the San Ramon
Valley Unified School District.
Megan Keefer is Cal’s current
principal and has been for two years.
She started as a teacher at Dougherty
Valley and worked as an administrator
at other district high schools.
Keefer is now proud to be a Grizzly.
“I bleed orange and black,” she
said.
Along with Keefer came assistant
principal Tucker Farrar. After former
assistant principal Andy Briggs left in
November of 2019, Jeff Osborn became
one of Cal’s assistant principals
as well.
The three of them joined existing
assistant principals Kathleen Martins
and Catie Hawkins, solidifying the
administrative team known by Cal
students today.
“For an administrative team to be
effective, it must be close,” Keefer
said. “I think the Class of ’21 benefited
from having a functional team.”
Even though administrators have
changed repeatedly while current seniors
have been at Cal, many haven’t
felt a drastic impact.
“I feel like all the principals we’ve
had have done a great job,” senior
Anika Gautam said.
Over the past four years, Cal has
also had a rotation of counselors.
When Keefer began, Cal’s student
population was growing toward 3,000
students, so an additional member to
the counseling staff was added.
After Patty O’Malley left last year
and Kim Denton left early this year,
Cal now has eight counselors, excluding
student support.
“It usually had been rare to have
openings in counseling,” counselor
Cheryl Youngberg said on the
uniqueness of the counseling staff’s
situation over the last few years.
Added onto the fact that every year
students are moved from counselor-to-counselor
within the existing
staff because of Cal’s fluctuating population,
has meant various counselors
for many seniors throughout their
high school experiences.
“[Changing counselors] worried
me a little bit at first because keeping
Private counselors help navigate applications
Isaac Oronsky
Managing Editor
writing into college essay writing.
“Essays in class were book reports.
I got a 5 on my AP Lang exam, and
that helped nowhere,” Lee said. “I
used none of those skills.”
In an attempt to give students experience
with this type of writing
style, some teachers made time for
their students to work on applications,
with varied success.
“My English teacher let us do college
app writing, but that was after I
already did my essays,” Chen said.
Cal’s counseling department has
also been trying to remedy these
problems for seniors, especially
during COVID-19. The Senior Survival
Guide was posted on a new
Class of 2021 Google Classroom,
which includes information on a
plethora of important topics, from
important dates and events, to essay
help and course requirements.
“We completely digitized the
senior survival guide and it has a
page on the counseling webpage,”
counselor Rebecca Bellini wrote in
an email. “This is great because as
things change, which they do regularly,
we can update.”
The College and Career Center is
also available for students to schedule
meetings to discuss applications.
However the Center, which has expanded
over the past few years, has
had trouble gaining traction for some.
“I don’t think it’s that the school
lacks resources, it’s more that I didn’t
take advantage of the resources,”
Chen, who didn’t use the Senior Survival
Guide, admitted. “But I’m sure
if you really pushed and needed the
help you would be able to find it.”
While Bellini doesn’t believe hir-
contact with our counselors was pretty
important for college apps,” senior
Saisudeshna Kothur said.
Some students still end up saddened
to leave the old counselor they
had gotten used to.
“I knew my old counselor pretty
well and I enjoyed having her, so
when I switched counselors I was
a little bummed,” senior Priyanka
Krishna said.
Counseling tries to limit changes
as much as possible, even through the
last four years.
But since the counselors are able to
function as a team and help each other
and their respective students when
needed, these changes haven’t been
difficult for some students.
“It wasn’t hard to adjust,” Gautam
said. “[They] always reached out.”
While Cal has adapted, before
Cranford’s departure it hadn’t seen a
principal change in four years.
Now as seniors move on, the
school left behind has seemingly
solid administration and counseling
teams, along with deep connections
to the Class of 2021.
ing a private counselor is necessary,
she’s supportive of all decisions.
“Our goal is always to support all
students in whatever way they need,”
Bellini wrote in an email. “It is absolutely
true that students do not need to
hire outside college counselors, but it
is a family choice/preference thing.”
Despite this, Chen doesn’t regret
her choice to hire a counselor, and
recommends that others do the same.
“Just having that person that’s been
through it so many times to be able to
talk to you and offer you advice, or
tell you that it’s okay to not get into
a college is really nice,” Chen said.
However, the prices of counselors
can also be a deterrent for some.
Costs vary, with some offering a flat
fee, and others charging per college
or offering multi-college packages.
“The average hourly fee for a consultant
in 2017 was $200,” reported
US News. “Comprehensive package
fees can range from a low of $850 up
to a high of $10,000.”
Lee said that she knew her college
counselor beforehand, which helped
with this issue.
“Since we had already built a good
relationship, [my counselor] significantly
reduced her cost,” Lee said.
Lee, whose parents did not go
through the application process, recommends
hiring a counselor for those
in a similar situation to her own.
“The purpose of a college counselor
is to guide you, not to write your
essays,” Lee said. “If you have someone
who can be a guide you don’t
need one, but if you’re in a position
like me where this is all new and no
one can help you, I 100 percent recommend
getting one.”
A4
Senior Issue
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Illustration by Jay Warren
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Senior Issue
A5
Photo by Jake Gebracht
A look into the campus that the Class of 2021 once called home. Now as they depart on their future endevours, it becomes a part of their past.
Seniors reflect back on their
time as Cal High Grizzlies
Editors remember the weird and wild ride the last four
years have been for the graduating Class of 2021
Christine Oh, Emmy Burrus,
Isaac Oronsky, and Sabrina
Contreras
Californian Editors
Four years later and the Class of 2021 is
still standing. Barely.
After being welcomed to Cal High by
false fire alarms ringing in our ears to senior
year assassins leaving multiple casualties,
this class has been through thick and
thin. Here are some of our most memorable
moments.
Freshman year (2017-18)
Our first year of high school started off
with incredibly loud BLEEPS with the fire
alarm craze of 2017. It seemed that every
other day we would be evacuating the
classroom to gather on the football field.
Got a Spanish test? No problem! Just pull
down on one of those magical red boxes in
every hallway, and you’ll buy yourself at
least 40 minutes. Not sure what test someone
was trying to get out of when the alarm
was pulled during lunch one day, but c’est
la vie.
It got so bad that the school even
changed their fire alarm policy. If the alarm
went off, students were to stay inside until
administrators announced on the loudspeaker
if they should actually evacuate.
Good thing there wasn’t an actual fire, or
we might all have burned to death while
waiting for confirmation.
We also got the pleasure of being the last
Cal students to participate in the swim unit
and the beyond-dreaded 12 minute swim
test. Some of us had the even greater pleasure
of plunging into the cold water during
A period at 7:30 a.m.
The constant threat of having to makeup
a swim day during finals week kept everyone
from ditching, and to be honest the
pool is probably the best place to be during
a fire, so no luck with the alarms. Nevertheless,
the younger classes will never be
able to experience this enjoyment, as the
swim unit was scrapped after 2018.
Our freshman year selves were also
scarred with the National Anthem controversy,
marking the first time our school
was picked up by the national news. After
getting banned and then subsequently unbanned
a couple months later, the only lasting
impact of the ordeal was a black mark
on the school’s reputation.
Sophomore year (2018-19)
Homecoming that year was a bright
one, and not in a good way. Although the
week before was spent enjoying a decades-themed
spirit week, the dance ended
in disappointment. After a barrier guarding
the DJ ended up injuring a student, the
lights came on and suddenly yiking among
hundreds of sweaty teenagers didn’t seem
so fun anymore.
Fire season hit us especially hard in
2018, with school being canceled because
of smoky air conditions for the first time
since 2002. With the “smoke day” (see,
who needs snow days) falling just before
Thanksgiving break, most students enjoyed
the extra day off.
Our sophomore year was also plagued
with multiple threats of gun violence on
campus, along with multiple incidents of
blatantly racist graffiti and actions.
In fact, on May 9, 2019, 80 percent of
the school was absent due to three consecutive
shooting threats made toward students.
The campus felt like a ghost town,
with police - and FBI - on patrol and only
a few hundred uneasy students roaming the
halls. This made the news too, if anyone
was wondering.
Some other highlights: 2019 was the last
year of the annual powderpuff game, with
the seniors taking the win of course. San
Ramon saw the smallest of snowstorms
(no snow day here unfortunately), teachers
staged a walk-out at lunch, and we said hello
and goodbye to the eight-month reign of
Christopher George, our second (of three)
principals who is now at the district office.
Junior year (2019-20)
Rest in Peace to Homecoming guest
passes, which became a thing of the past
after the previous year’s brightness incident.
Guests would still be allowed at prom
and ball later that year, unless a deadly pandemic
came along canceling those events.
But what are the odds of that?
Something else no one was expecting to
see was a student adorning a gorilla suit
prancing around the courtyard, but we got
to enjoy that spectacle.
Speaking of spectacles, but in a less positive
and more scarring way, remember
that one rally where two students licked
opposite sides of the same plastic panel?
But hey, at least the national anthem was
played.
As spring arrived, and with it long-awaited
events such as prom within sight,
COVID-19 took the world by storm. An
extra two weeks for spring break sounded
great right? Wrong.
We spent the rest of the school year behind
computer screens in our own homes,
as a deadly virus was rampaging around
us. Teachers tried to figure out this newfangled
“Zoom,” as masks became a necessity
and we all wondered what our senior year
would look like in the fall.
Oh, our new - and longest serving - principal
in five years, Megan Keefer, was
hired early in the school year and the Class
of 2020 graduated over Zoom.
Senior year (2020-21)
The year we had all been waiting for
started with many of our first social events
in months. We painfully rose from our beds
at 4:30 a.m. to get to senior sunrise, where
we were promptly turned away by San Ramon
police officers.
Something about wanting to “avoid
large gatherings” apparently. But never
fear, we were teenagers who could barely
see through our quarantine haircuts (or
lack thereof), and we weren’t going to let
that stop us. Now we can all be thankful
for that random hill across the street that
everyone gathered on.
We then were ready to go to school, so
naturally, we drove right back home. For
the next several months, our lives were immersed
in college apps, Google Classroom
deadlines, Zoom links, breakout rooms,
and “Can you please turn your cameras
on?”
This mundane daily schedule was broken
in February, when our saving grace came:
assassins. A game that seemed perfect for
COVID since it’s perfect for being socially
distanced and wearing masks.
There was one small problem, however.
No one had any reason to leave their house
anymore. So, we all got used to Sunday
“duels,” and finished the (probably rigged,
but you didn’t hear it here) game within a
few weeks.
March was a real turning point, when
some of us were able to return to school
and assert our dominance as seniors for the
first time.
Going back was definitely weird, seeing
all the masked faces that we were
used to seeing through a computer screen.
But with the music playing during breaks
and games sprawled across the quad, Cal
seemed more like resort living than a place
for education.
And nothing could have prepared us for
the FREE LUNCHES that started to be so
graciously handed out. School lunch has
never tasted so good, even if the chicken is
undercooked and soggy.
Now, as we finish up the year finally
getting a dance to make up for prom (sort
of) and a real, in-person, graduation (take
that Class of 2020), there’s so much to look
back on.
All jokes aside, the last four years have
been something we will all never forget.
Best of luck to all of our fellow Grizzly
graduates!
A6
Senior Issue
READ THE CALIFORNIAN ONLINE AT WWW.THECALIFORNIANPAPER.COM
The crown jewels of Cal High’s campus
Senior editors reflect
on must-see landmarks
around the school
Christine Oh, Sabrina Contreras
and Kate Hong
Californian Editors
During our 2.5 years of in-person high school
experience on Cal High’s campus, we’ve found
some true gems of this school that students need
to be made aware of if they haven’t discovered
them already. Let’s take a moment to explore
these areas a bit further.
1. The music room bathroom
We all know that Cal’s bathroom quality is…
questionable at best. But those who have never
been in the music room bathroom are seriously
missing out. The three amazingly clean stalls
are perfect for avoiding the vapers and relieving
yourself in a private manner. The mirrors
in there are foggy enough that you can’t even
make out your own reflection, but when the toilet
cleanliness is that top tier, you can forgive all
of the smaller flaws.
2. Fine arts elevator
Elevators on campus are a secret privilege
that everyone is jealous of. Students are stuck
walking up three flights of stairs as a select few
of them get to cruise up in an elevator. But the
fine arts elevator is the only one that does not
require a key, making this secret privilege open
for everyone to enjoy (even though you aren’t
technically supposed to use it).
As someone who has been injured and has
had access to all the elevators on campus, I can
safely say that the Fine Arts elevator is the best
one yet. It’s roomy and doesn’t smell, which
can’t be said for the others. Maybe it has broken
down a few times, but that only adds to the excitement!
So if you aren’t deathly afraid of getting
stuck in an elevator, make sure to try this
one out once you get back on campus.
3. The cat on campus
Imagine eating your lunch on the second
floor of the science building. It’s been a rough
day. You just failed your bio test and you can’t
The 11 worst superlatives for the Class of 2021
Seniors leave legacy of
mishaps and mischief
Josh Nichols, Brady Horton
and Ben Olson
Staff Writers
In our four years at Cal, there have been numerous
instances of triumph and success. But
we want to focus on the lowlights, so to say.
Welcome to the Class of 2021’s Senior Worsts.
Worst Victims of Theft: The Football
Team. The suspects must have been named
“De”, “La,” and “Salle” with how they ran
away with the game. A literal Grand Theft Auto
heist takes place right under their noses. Guess
you could say, they didn’t catch the blitz on or
off the field.
Worst SoundCloud Rap Career: Chase
Watson. ’Twas the year of 2017. The summer
was hot, the school year was almost over, and
the gender-neutral bathroom was filled with
Juul smoke. Chase Watson had hyped up his
LEGENDARY release Juul in the Schuul for
months, and everyone was hotly anticipating
the drop (no, not that kind). Needless to say,
when the song came out nobody was really
pleased to be listening to “Juul in the Schuul”
looped 50 times and recorded on an Apple
headphone mic. It did manage to rack up over
3,700 plays though, so nicely done, Chase.
Worst Environmental Protest: Zach Jellin.
Photo by Ben Olson
At the end of the first floor of the main building, Troy Bristol’s history classroom acts as a prime hangout spot for students.
Photo courtesy of Zach Jellin
Senior Zach Jellin’s environmental protest
was flushed down the drain.
seem to get your mind off of it when from the
corner of your eye, you see something black
and furry zoom by. You shake your head. You
must be seeing things now. But then you see it
again, and much more clearly.
This black flurry thing is Cal High’s own
stray campus cat. Whether he belongs to someone
and is just looking for an adventure by Cal’s
dumpsters, or if he lives off the scraps many
students feed it, we will never know. But if you
haven’t met this wonderful cat, make sure to
keep your eye out for him if you’ll be back on
campus.
4. Mr. King’s classroom
If you’ve ever walked along the third floor in
the main building, chances are, you’ve seen a
classroom with dim lighting and strands of fairy
lights strung on the ceiling. That room belongs
to Mr. King, who teaches English 11 and AP
English Language.
While it definitely sets the right mood for
reading books and getting into heavy discussions,
it would be a lie if we were to say we
have never fallen asleep in that class. But we
blame it on the dim lighting. If you want the
best nap experience, you can go to the back and
take advantage of the beanbag chair.
5. Mr. Bristol’s classroom
If, on any occasion, you’ve been in room
121 in the main building, you’ve witnessed the
glory of one of the closest things to a teacher’s
lounge, but for students. Prior to COVID-19,
the classroom was constantly buzzing with
students chatting amongst themselves or with
APUSH teacher Troy Bristol. Throughout the
years, Bristol’s room filled up with sofas and
reclining chairs donated by students to cozy up
the space. Out of many of the great classrooms
students’ have been in over the years, Bristol’s
room definitely remains one of the most memorable.
6. The cafeteria water fountain
The water fountains found throughout campus
are mediocre at best. The water is a tad bit
Photo by Eddy Cordero
Senior Chase Watson earned a musical reputation
with his SoundCloud releases.
That feeling when you bring a tree to school.
Nobody really knows why this happened, but
the tree did end up in a toilet. Greta Thunberg
would be proud.
Worst Scavenger Hunt: Kaitlyn Perry.
Dumpster diving sucks. Dumpster diving for
AirPods that you left on your lunch tray is just
straight up demoralizing. When consumerism
drags you into the abyss, leaving you with
nothing but the gut-wrenching odor of garbage,
then you may truly claim your spot as a master
of the scavenger hunt.
Worst Body Modification: Anthony Naprawa.
Getting your ears pierced hurts. Especially
when you have your doubles done improperly
by an untrained student during your lunch period,
which leads to an infection of your ‘lobe.
Real hole in the head there.
Worst Dietary Decision: Dustin Smith.
Dustin thought it’d be funny if he straight up
ate an AirPod. It was. But it all left us worried
about if/how it came out the other end. Hope
your intestines are doing OK, buddy.
Worst Dressed: Jackson Graham. Everyday
is pajama day for Jackson. The drip is real.
If you aren’t rocking with a beanie and some
cooler than room temperature, but you can never
escape that metallic after-taste.
But upon entering the cafeteria, in the back
left corner there is a big blue water fountain
where you can refill water bottles. It’s so satisfying
to watch the number of plastic water
bottles you’re saving go up as you fill up your
water, and the water itself is nice and cold with
absolutely no metallic after-taste.
Photo by Ben Olson
Often unseen in the corner of the commons,
the water bottle station provides clean, icecold
water for all students.
plaid sweatpants during school each and every
day, maybe you’d prefer his iconic fit that he
wears as a McDonald’s store manager.
Worst Photographer: Ben Olson. He can
barely operate any form of electronics. He
wouldn’t know what a camera was if you put
one right in front of his face. And to add onto
that, his sports writing skills are well below average.
The only trait keeping him afloat is his
ability to make delicious chicken tetrazzini.
Worst Improv Team Captain: Brady Horton.
Brady accidentally assembled an improv
team made up entirely of the Class of 2021.
Unfortunately, they are all graduating this year,
so the beloved Mission Improvable probably
isn’t going to exist after June 3. Wow, nice going,
Brady. You literally destroyed a team that
had existed for years before you were a Grizzly.
Worst Newspaper Editor: Josh Nichols.
This guy doesn’t even know how to execute
page layout. He couldn’t tell you what “newspaper
style” is if you paid him. His roving obsessions
with social credit and Tex Mex have
only led to his fall from grace. He has a nearly
identical career arch as Gardner Minshew, but
comes with one one-hundredth the facial hair,
and one hundred times less flair. His only redeeming
qualities? He can make an epic vegetable
tier list, and learned how to tie his shoes.
Worst Senior Year Experience: Class of
2021. No prom. Ball in the quad. Zoom classes
everyday for over a year. Most competitive college
admissions cycle the nation has ever seen.
This year was kinda bad, bro.
READ THE CALIFORNIAN ONLINE AT WWW.THECALIFORNIANPAPER.COM
Senior Issue
A7
A bittersweet farewell to College Board
Editor parts ways with
the most notorious standardized
testing beast
Ronnie Gogoi
News Editor
As I get ready to leave high school, I look
back fondly at the many wonderful things that
I did.
I made great friends, enjoyed school clubs,
and was able to grow as a person. But I also have
a list of things I remember... less fondly.
The number one thing on my hit-list would
be everyone’s favorite “non-profit,” the College
Board. You may be wondering why non-profit
is in air quotes. Maybe it’s because each AP test
costs at least $100, or the fact that the president
of the College Board rakes in about $1 million
in just annual salary.
That number doesn’t even include the bonuses
he probably gets from the amount of children’s
tears he collects. Obviously I’m kidding,
he collects their souls.
So as I leave for college and say adieu to the
College Board, I would like to air some of my
grievances.
One thing I will really miss about the College
Board is definitely going to be the PSAT, the test
that it crams down our throats sophomore and
junior year.
I’ll especially miss the fact that even if you
do manage to get a near perfect score, all that it
does is give you a chance to win a scholarship.
Even better, that scholarship is worth $2,500
when the average University of California
school costs $33,000.
I will actually miss everybody blatantly disregarding
the College Board’s request to not
post test-related content online. Within mere
Illustration by Michelle Nguyen
minutes of the exam being completed, Twitter
would be flooded with memes referencing the
tests.
I’ll certainly miss the fact that in a pandemic,
the College Board still asked for $100 for a test
that was online. I simply love monopolies in the
American education system.
I think it is great that there is only one alternative
for standardized testing, and zero for
Advanced Placement tests.
Speaking of the AP tests, does at least $100
sound reasonable for a paper test that may or
may not give you credit for one class in college
depending on a list of factors?
It almost feels like I’m a small business paying
protection money to the cold, heartless mafia.
The College Board has given me first-hand
experiences of a broken system, and continues
to be one of the biggest factors in my complete
lack of trust in American education.
But to give the College Board some credit, it
has inspired me.
It has inspired me to become an attorney, particularly
so I get the opportunity to help those
suing the College Board.
After being an attorney, I’d like to throw my
hands into public policy, and maybe pass legislation
that outlaws educational monopolies.
It appears though, that I’ll be too late to the
party as the College Board’s power on the education
system is slowly dying. While I won’t be
among the last class to feel it’s grip around my
throat, that time is coming soon.
In a perfect world, my kids will hear the great
evil of the College Board as a vanquished demon
of the past.
But if not, I will be glad to personally feel the
skull of the College Board crack under my boot.
But for now, goodbye College Board. I’d bid
you farewell, but we both know that would be
a lie.
Words of wisdom for underclassmen
Senior editors share
advice about school,
friends and life
Isabelle Coburn and Michelle Nguyen
Californian Editors
With a combined 12 years of experience at
Cal High, we put our collective brains together
to dispense some sage advice for those of you
who still have a year or more of high school to
finish.
Isabelle, Online Editor: If I had $10 for
every mistake that I’ve made throughout high
school, I’d probably have enough to pay for my
college meal plan for next year. There’s just so
much change that happens in four years, and I
think that all of us are kind of thrown into this
mess that we try to figure out all on our own.
I could just tell you to try and get eight hours
of sleep every night or not to study last minute
for tests the night before, but come on, let’s
be realistic here. I don’t even do
that. Let’s get deep instead:
What are your expectations
for yourself in high
school and how much of those
expectations have come from teachers,
family, and the idea of having
a beefy college application?
You’re stuck in this four-year
commitment that some people
would even say could make or
break your future successes.
You may sign up for challenging
classes, expecting to do well if you study
hard enough but still falling short despite making
a huge effort. It’s definitely happened to me,
and I’m grateful that my struggle in some classes
changed my perspective of my own education.
While having a pristine GPA might help,
not having perfect grades won’t make or break
your chances to do something promising with
your future in college, should you choose that
path in life.
Just like that, you’ll find that the goals and
rules that you’ve prioritized for yourself in the
past will change. You’ll learn to celebrate that
B+ you got on your test, or acknowledge that
it’s okay to disagree with your teacher sometimes.
You’ll find out that sometimes it’s impossible
to please everyone in your peer circle and
that the best way for you to be helpful to someone
else is first to take care of yourself.
As long as you keep your standards high for
yourself, high school isn’t going to be easy.
There is going to be some failure down the
road and it’s going to be normal. That doesn’t
mean you shouldn’t keep your standards high
and your aspirations big for yourself. I’m a
strong believer that how you choose to grow
from failure is what makes or breaks your success,
not the actual failure itself.
But enough about this philosophical
mood that I got into. Here’s some
real advice:
Lockers aren’t very useful unless
you have a ton of textbooks
that you don’t want to be lugging
back and forth from
home
to school. If you’re
g o i n g
to take AP
Euro, beware
and prepare
for carpal tunnel.
Don’t think you
can grind for
AP tests in three
weeks, because
you can’t.
Please
start studying for at least a month in advance
if you’re taking multiple tests. The
cleanest bathrooms are in the Fine Arts building
and wellness center. And to the younger students,
don’t try to get a locker on the first floor
of the main building and don’t sit at the lunch
tables inside of the cafeteria. Those are strictly
for upperclassmen. They’re just unspoken rules.
My dear underclassmen, mistakes come hand
in hand with disappointment, but don’t let those
things discourage you from the aspirations you
have. The only one who can tell you ‘no’ to your
dreams for the future is yourself. Classes will
get
harder and
you’ll
find yourself
in
stickier
situ- ations
than you’ve ever b e e n
in the past, but learning and growing
from them will only make you more prepared
for what lies beyond the last four years
that you’ll have to figure everything out before
adulthood. Good luck!
Michelle, Features Editor: It’s so easy to
undermine your own self worth during high
school. There’s always going to be someone
better than you and people get competitive over
small things that won’t matter in 10 years.
Sometimes I felt like I bent over backwards
to try my best, and even then I felt like I
couldn’t study as hard
as others, and my
grades weren’t the greatest.
Eventually I gave up trying to catch
up, ignored all the comments about how I was
the “weak link” within my friends, and set off
onto my own path at my own pace. After all, I
am the only one who has the ultimate power to
determine my own value.
If you are thriving at a fast track pace, then
good for you. If not, maybe take a small breather
and allow yourself a little wiggle room. You
are not a robot. You are human, meaning you
can also get burnt out. Go at your own pace,
don’t listen to others when they tell you to
“slow down” or “hurry up” in academics, work,
or in your social life.
Of course, feeling comfortable going at your
own pace is easier said than done. It’s hard
finding the pace that suits you and sometimes
there are factors that make you feel like you
have to go faster. You’ll run into a lot of
problems, but don’t forget that the only
failure in life is when you truly give
u p without trying your best.
It’s okay to take a step back
and breathe and do something
else in the meantime. But don’t
give up if you truly want to obtain
the results you were looking
for.
If you tried your best and the
goal is no longer something
you want, giving up is totally okay. No need to
try on something that won’t be worth it at the
end. (This also applies to friendships or any other
relationships, if that person is toxic then ditch
them ASAP!!)
But perhaps you don’t know where you are
heading in life, that’s okay. Most of us don’t as
teenagers in high school. There’s no need to run
so hard to a location that isn’t even known to
you.
Slow down, open up your experiences
through clubs or free classes to see what might
interest you, and remember that your goals
don’t have to be grand as earning a six figure or
becoming the next president (because honestly
who would ever want that job for fun).
Your goals right now could be amazingly
simple as just wanting boba for lunch tomorrow
and that’s valid.
One last reminder I have for you guys, hard
work doesn’t always guarantee success. As
frustrating as it sounds, you’ll realize that a lot
in life.
You could spend endless nights studying for
a final but still fail while the kid who cheated on
it passed. Grinding all four years of high school
doesn’t guarantee you a spot at your dream
school, it might go to a kid whose daddy bought
the school a whole new library.
Gaining success without money or nepotism
will always need luck, and so I hope luck will
find you all in great health and joy.
Illustration by Isabelle Coburn
A8 Senior Issue
In State- 4 year
UC BERKELEY
Jacob Barer
Jessica Chan
Victoria Chen
Aarushi Choudhary
Larissa Corry
Eric Du
Eric Kim
Saisudeshna Kothur
Nathan Lee
Aimen Angela Naveed
Christine Oh
Riya Rajani
Olivia Silvestre
Ashley Tiara
Vishali Vallioor
Celeste Virador
Kyle Woody
UC DAVIS
Isabella Campos
Giancarlo Castillo
Rachel Chan
Peyton Dao
Jasper Dong
Brady Horton
Alexander Krivitsky
Natalie Kuang
Tyler Lunn
Emma Motoyama
Alina Angela Naveed
Rebecca Newman
Shreyas Raj
Ameen Salim
Bhavesha Sasikumar
Divyabharathi SenthilArumugam
Lidya Shcherbakova
Nahom Yoseph
UC IRVINE
Sabrina Contreras
Jennifer Liu
Krish Meghani
UCLA
Anna Guan
Naman Jain
Melody Jiang
Vikram Puliyadi
Sri Sanjana Somepalli
Community College
CHABOT
Mikael Melaku
DANVILLE
Kai Rasmusson
DIABLO VALLEY
Bennet Aguirre
Megan Ashabranner
Jaida Baker
Danijela Basic
Joeseph Calderon
Ian Carlson
Aryan Chhabra
Carson Coon
Leandro Ferreiro
Alexandria Fulton
Sophia Ganly
Tristan Gavino
Khushi Ghadiali
UC MERCED
Soumya Akella
Ronan Cook
Amelia Gaither
Aditi Sankranti
Kiley Soe
Will Sweet
UC RIVERSIDE
Crystal Chen
Natasha Chodavarapu
Caden Leung
Nicholas Nguyen
Zeeshawn Siddiqui
Yanheng Zhou
Karthik Prasad
UC SAN DIEGO
Roshni Aradhya
Rachana Balakrishnan
Sydney Brack
Kate Hong
Cassidy Hooi
Kayla Kaneshiro
Archit Pimple
Jessica Wang
Madden Windham
UC SANTA BARBARA
Srishti Garg
Yuval Madne
Sharanya Sharma
UC SANTA CRUZ
Juan Luis Aguenza
Soliana Amenu
Diana Castaneda
Isabella Lau
Brooklyn Miravalles-Calceta
Srujana Miryala
Trisha Sriram
CAL POLY SLO
Emmy Burrus
Alison English
Kayla Harmon
Abigail Huff
Amanda Malfatti
Mayumi Paraiso
Gabriel Goh
Trey Higgins
Matthew Houston
Haris Imran
Saisha Jayasuriya
Megan Jess
Olivia Kelleter
Samuel Khaskel
Jonathan Latiolais
Hafsah Moosa
Anthony Naprawa
Thandiwe Ntini
Rachel Purdy
Arianna Robles
Karina Rouillard
Mia Rodriguez
Scott Schroeder
Hannah Sevin
Alex Silva
Joel Puthankalam
Devyn Rivera
Nick Oliveira
Joshua DeWeese
Armon Nabavizadeh
Vanessa Von Sosen
Rajvir Vyas
CAL POLY PONOMA
Maximinao Gonzalez
CHICO STATE
Analise Hernandez
Taylor Marra
Michael Matey
Grace Olguin
CSU EAST BAY
David Navarro
CSU FULLERTON
Jeremy Convento
Alyson Shandil
Jake Vallone
Tayah Washington
CSU NORTHRIDGE
Jaydrick Ryan Abando
Jonathan Wong
SACRAMENTO
STATE
Cole Casebeer
Brandon Shin
Julia Won
SAN DIEGO STATE
Rachel Lee
Sophie Pacheu
Dillon Rudd
SAN FRANCISCO
STATE
Victoria Bruere
Sofia Garcia-Ortiz
Anika Guatam
Enrique Trujillo
Anthony Vaccaro
Ken Vejby
Logan Visola
Jayne West
LAS POSITAS
Jonathon Ho
Erik Martinez
Victoria Sackl
Joseph Shaban
SAN JOSE STATE
Taylor Allen
Shinika Balasundar
Kyle Huang
Erin Islam
Joel Rocha
Jazelle Rodriguez
Freyena Sunavala
Kenneth Van
SONOMA STATE
Olivia Haley
CHAPMAN
Taylor Green
Madeline Harris
Alisa Lerimo
LOYOLA MARY-
MOUNT
Cleo Pollinger
MOUNT ST.
MARY’S
Ana Luisa Cabral
PEPPERDINE
Jordan Solofa
SAINT MARY’S
Allison Edwards
SANTA CLARA U
Julian Batto-Hokson
Anissa Fernandez
Kaitlyn Perry
U OF SAN FRAN-
CISCO
Sophie Cooper
David Navarro
Yasamin Yassini
USC
Evelyn Lee
U OF THE PACIFIC
Huey Chan
SIERRA
Camryn Calcagno
SHASTA
Lucky Wong
ALL INFORMATION WAS PRO-
VIDED BY A COLLEGE SURVEY
FROM COUNSELING
Out of State- 4 year
ALABAMA
U OF ALABAMA
Hayley Little
Nicholas Reid
ARIZONA
U OF ARIZONA
Rogue Castro
Samm Hannula
Vincent Piazza
Jenna Wells
Grace Woodburn
ARIZONA STATE
Trevor Chin
Joshua Gerlach
Parth Gupta
COLORADO
COLORADO
SCHOOL OF MINE
Dillon Clyatt
NORTHERN COLO-
RADO
Victoria Franzwa
CANADA
U OF BRITISH CO-
LUMBIA
Anusha Thukral
COLORADO STATE
Zachary Horowitz
COLORADO COL-
LEGE
Zachary Zerbe
FLORIDA
EMBRY RIDDLE
AERONAUTICAL
Hadi El-Taki
HAWAII
U OF HAWAII -MA-
NOA
Kara Lee
ILLINIOS
U OF CHICAGO
Aaron Ho
INDIANA
PURDUE UNIVER-
SITY
Yash Velagapudi
IOWA
U OF IOWA
Katherine Fitzgerald
Page Designs by
Isaac Oronsky
Christine
Oh
Sabrina
Contreras
Angela Deanne
Paloma
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MASSACHUSETTS
BABSON COLLEGE
Amoljit Dhaliwal
BOSTON UNIVER-
SITY
Pearl Bhatnagar
Sriram Ganesan
Ashley Teele
NORTHEASTERN
Tiffany Lam
SUFFOLK UNIVER-
SITY
McKenna Keowen
MINNESOTA
U OF MINNESOTA
Jason Nguyen
MONTANA
MONTANA STATE
Natasha Graham
NEBRASKA
CREIGHTON UNI-
VERSITY
Mia Marcozzi
NEVADA
U OF NEVADA-RENO
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NEW YORK
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Jennifer Casavent
FASHION INSTITUTE
OF TECHNOLOGY
Jessica Laurente
FORDHAM UNIVER-
SITY
Derek Wong
NEW YORK UNIVER-
SITY
Alexis Wang
Pavithra Movva
WEST POINT
Lillian Holtmeier
OREGON
GEORGE FOX UNI-
VERSITY
Claire Hinds
OREGON STATE
Kevin Barthol
UNIVERSITY OF
OREGON
Ryder Kelsey
Jude Lee
Isaac Oronsky- Clark
Honors College
Zach Stephens
Andrew Wharton
PENNSYLVANIA
CARNEGIE MELLON
Kristen Choi
Isabelle Coburn
TENNESSEE
BELMONT UNIVER-
SITY
Jack Alvey
TEXAS
BAYLOR UNIVER-
SITY
Ethan Blasdel
Juhi Hariawala
Anna Truitner
TEXAS A&M UNI-
VERSITY
Matthew Baer
TEXAS CHRISTIAN
UNIVERSITY
Reed O’Connell
TEXAS TECH
Ethan Watson
UNIVERSITY OF
HOUSTON
Salam Azim
Usman Azim
WEST TEXAS A&M
Riley Stiner
UTAH
BRIGHAM YOUNG
UNIVERSITY
Kaitlyn Barlow
Tyler Jarvis
Morgan Stapley
UNIVERSITY OF
UTAH
Shubhankar Dhakras
Keana Estorpe
Margaret Mitchell
UTAH VALLEY UNI-
VERSITY
Anthony Jankovic
WASHINTON
U OF WASHINGTON
Kylin Chhay
Grace King
Nandini Pathak
Davis Ryan
Andrew Sousa
WESTERN WASH-
INGTON UNIVER-
SITY
Sofia Castellanos
Rachel Silzle
WASHINGTON DC
GEORGE WASHING-
TON UNIVERSITY
Cade Llewellyn
WISCONSIN
U OF WISCONSON
EAU CLAIRE
Emily Crkvenac
Illustration by Michelle Nyugen