Graduation 2021 Edition

8
Editorial
maldenblueandgold.com
The Blue and Gold
June 2021
Coming
It Was a “Feels Good”
to the
United
States
Alexey Mozyaev
Reporter
What I noticed, coming to the
United States, is that most
people coming from other countries
tend to create friendships with
people from their home country. It’s
not always the case, but most of the
time it’s true. But what if one can’t
find any people that speak the same
language or share the same background?
That must be unfortunate,
right? And usually, one needs to fit
in to meet at least some basic aspects
of contentment. Relate to someone
and share at least a thing in common.
During my freshman and
sophomore years, I somewhat
struggled with school. Not so much
academically, but more with the
language and cultural barriers. My
freshman year in high school was
my second year living in the United
States, and it was a challenge communicating
with people in English.
The accent. The grammar mistakes.
And all the other factors that shape
an immigrant coming to the U.S.
from another country.
I wouldn’t talk to many people
because of the accent, neither would
I tell a joke in English because it
might not sound funny. Or it might
sound too funny because of the
accent. The school lunches made
me feel even more dreadful about
moving to the United States. Everything
was great for me back in my
country. “Then why move?” I asked
myself during my first few years in
the United States.
The answer to the question
is obvious. It’s the opportunities
that the country beholds. But should
these opportunities be prioritized
over happiness? Though happiness
can come in different forms, I talk
of happiness when there is always
a friend around. Especially in the
case of so many other immigrants
that come from their country to the
United States, leaving their friends
and traces of memories behind. It’s
difficult. But only in the beginning.
It took me a few years to
adapt to changes. And it took me
another year of quarantine and lockdown
to reflect on my life in a new
country. Maybe I was privileged to
meet a good friend that told me to
reflect on my life by keeping a diary
and journal and get all of my
thoughts together. I don’t know. But
I hope it’s not the case only with me,
and one will find something to lean
on. Whether it’s a diary, family, or a
friend. Or maybe all of these.
Carolina Cuevas
Illustrator
Joining the Blue and Gold was
never part of the plan. In freshman
year, I had a study and decided to
replace it with a class. First entering
high school, I was super excited and
prepared to take classes in subjects
I usually never had before. At first,
I didn’t like the idea of writing articles
but then my guidance counselor
told me I could just take pictures
instead and boy was she wrong.
The classroom was filled to the
brim with students and the tables
were always crowded with people
writing and talking about their next
project. I was quite intimidated because
the class consisted of students
of all grades meaning the majority
was upperclassmen and although I
was incredibly nervous, my classmates
were very welcoming and
helpful ever since the first day.
It was because of their help
that I actually did pretty well with
writing articles and even got my
very first article on the cover page of
the first issue of the year. Ever since
then, I enjoyed writing every single
article I covered and always made
sure to cover topics and events that I
found appealing. The more passionate
you are about something, the
better the work you put into it.
It was that same year during
a meeting we discussed what we
could do to improve or add to the
newspaper that I suggested comics
and other illustrations and thus
leading to my position as the Blue
and Gold’s illustrator. Although I
haven’t been officially a part of the
class since freshman year, I continued
to contribute work to the newspaper
whenever I could.
Whether it was a joke from an
incident in class or an informative
piece that shared a current event,
getting to use my work to make others
laugh, even just a little, would
make my day. From spending my
lunch breaks in the journalism class
to hearing feedback from the teachers
of my classes, it pushed me to
keep doing what I loved.
The class has definitely
changed over the years but I still enjoyed
being a part of it nonetheless.
And although I enjoyed the time I
spent with the class, I cannot forget
the skills and writing techniques I
received along the way. By the end
of the day, all I can say is thank you
to everyone who was a part of my
high school journey and for allowing
me to continue to be a part of the
Blue and Gold Newspaper.
It was a “feels good.“