28.05.2021 Views

Senior Issue 2020-21

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

Illustration by Rebecca Newman


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

READ THE CALIFORNIAN ONLINE AT WWW.THECALIFORNIANPAPER.COM

Illustration by Jay Warren


READ THE CALIFORNIAN ONLINE AT WWW.THECALIFORNIANPAPER.COM

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

Emmy Burrus

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

Elizabeth Hagan

Jackie Holden

Saariya Malik

Katelyn McLinden

Sofia Pollard

Zachary Rodenhurst

Chase Waston

NEW YORK

BARNARD COLLEGE

Misha Bhatia

CORNELL

Victor Wu

CUNY-HUNTER COL-

LEGE

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

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!