Senior Issue 2023

Illustration by Judy Luo

B2| Senior Issue Friday, May 26, 2023
What do colleges look for?
Applications
require
everything
from essays to
extracurriculars
Lexi Broughton
Staff Writer
When starting college applications
during senior, it’s
difficult to know exactly what
to focus on, and what kinds of
achievements students should
brag about to schools.
Even before senior year,
what kinds of extracurriculars
should students sign up for? Is
volunteer work really worth it?
What about grades?
“Sometimes from the perspective
of a high school
student you’re thinking about
where you want to get in and
what you want to major in,”
Suzy Thomas, a professor in
the counseling department at
St. Mary’s College, said. “But
from an admissions perspective,
they’re thinking about each
student individually and what
they might bring to campus,”
To the freshmen and sophomores
rushing to get as many
volunteer hours as they can and
study for hours on end, keep in
mind that Thomas said the most
important aspects of school to
focus on are your passions and
doing what you love.
“I think what’s important [for
college applications] is showing
how activities connect to what
you want to do in college, or
something that you can demonstrate
that you care deeply about
that you’ve done for a while,”
Thomas said. “Something that’s
part of who you are.”
Two college counselors said
something important regarding
students’ college admissions is
that they focus on connecting
extracurriculars that can show a
possible career to pursue.
“It’s helpful if you have extracurriculars
with a purpose,”
Cal High’s college and career
adviser Kathryn Nichols said.
“So you’re doing things that
you enjoy that might lead you
towards a possible career or
field of study.”
Some good extracurricular
activities could involve volunteer
hours, part time job, clubs,
internships, and sports.
“[I’ve been involved in]
things like clubs here, BSU,
black student union, and leadership,
there’s a lot of involvement
helping out with the school”
senior Dinari Baez said. “I think
I do those things because I have
passion for that, for being a leader
and even to mentor others.”
Grades are also fairly important
when it comes to admissions.
Nichols said having
decent grades is helpful for
college admissions, but other
activities outside of school are
also incredibly beneficial.
“At [Saint Mary’s College]
for example, at the undergraduate
and graduate level, we’re
interested in who the person
is and how they’ve grown and
what their story is,” Thomas
said. “You might have a student
who was really strong freshman
year and maybe something happened
in their personal life and
their sophomore grades dipped
a little bit and they got back into
the swing of things junior year.”
This is a good opportunity for
students to take advantage of the
essay portion of the application.
Out of the prompts offered, it
could be beneficial for students
to choose the ones that mean the
most to them, and use it to their
advantage to explain any challenges
they have experienced
in high school.
It is important for students to
demonstrate their personality
in their essays because this is
one of the only opportunities
to do so.
“That personal statement is a
big piece of how you share your
voice, your story and what’s
mattered to you and what your
goals are and any challenges
you’ve had,” Thomas said.
Since the pandemic, many
schools have decided to no
longer require students to take
the SAT or ACT.
According to Best Colleges,
roughly 2.2 million 2019 graduate
students took the SAT,
compared to 1.7 million 2022
students who took it. That’s
roughly a 22 percent decrease
Illustration by Arfa Saad
since the test was no longer
required for UCs in 2021.
“I took the SAT twice and I
got a private tutor, but I didn’t
end up taking it again because
it doesn’t really matter,” senior
Ananya Premanand said.
Since decisions were released
throughout the month of March,
many seniors were surprised to
realize they were not accepted
into as many schools as they had
hoped. While acceptance rates
for 2023 have yet to be released,
some speculations have risen
about why this is, and if rates
really are lower.
“Sometimes it may be because
campuses have decided
on how many students total
they can admit, and if they don’t
feel they can’t admit as many as
they did the year before, then it
appears to be rigorous because
there are fewer spots available,”
Thomas said. “Also I’ve heard
since the pandemic some students
delayed college, and so
it’s possible that some of those
students who maybe graduated
last year or the year before are
now applying.”
Something on the lighter side
is the amount of students getting
off waitlists. Just because students
are wai- listed for a school
doesn’t mean they should lose
hope. A large number of seniors
are taken off the waitlist around
early to mid May.
“More than usual are getting
off the waitlist for Berkley right
now and some more getting off
from UCLA,” Nichols said.
There’s some weirdly specific scholarships available
Who qualifies for these things?
Kian Kasad
and Rohan Iyer
Staff Writers
In the tumultuous sea of
student debt and university
tuitions, there’s one lifeline
that every college-goer tries
desperately to grab hold of:
scholarships.
Almost everyone knows the
general idea, but some of the
specifics of some pretty sizable
scholarships can get a bit weird.
For a pretty mild example,
let’s take a look at the American
Fire Sprinkler Association’s
scholarship. Most scholarships
select their winners based on
certain criteria: academic excellence,
family background,
physical traits, etc. It’s just some
sort of baseline to consider who
should be awarded the scholarship
and who shouldn’t.
But the AFSA has decided
that that’s too selective, and
instead awards money to people
through blind luck. Any interested
students that are able to fill
out the application are put into
consideration for $1,000, and
the winner is chosen completely
at random.
And I know what you’re
thinking. That’s not too strange
is it? It’s just like a lottery but
for students.
Well, why don’t we move on
and take a look at the Flying
Musician Association’s Solo
Program Scholarship. We’d
love to elaborate on this one,
but we think you can get the
gist of it from the name alone.
It’s a scholarship for musicians
who are interested in the
pursuit of aviation. Getting selected
for this scholarship means
a shortcut to getting your pilot’s
license, which is pretty cool,
We’re down for that. We’re
just stuck on where the musician
part comes into this. Maybe
we’re just being picky, but
this entire thing feels a bit too
specific.
We’re sure there’s a ton of
musicians out there who would
love to be pilots, and to all of you
out there, we have only respect
in our hearts. But with all due
respect, we’re just gonna play
my instrument on the ground.
In all honesty this next one’s
not even that strange. We just
think the name is pretty funny.
It’s known as the American
Association of Candy Technologists’
(AACT’s) John Kitt Memorial
Scholarship. The actual
scholarship is pretty normal. It
just awards money to college
students who are in a food
science adjacent field and who
have demonstrated an interest
in confectionery technology.
We just think that the American
Association of Candy Technologists
sounds like something
straight out of Willy Wonka
and thought that it was worth
the mention.
Maybe you don’t have unique
interests that qualify you for the
aforementioned scholarships.
Maybe you find yourself towering
over everyone else. In
that case, consider applying
for the Tall Clubs International
Foundation’s scholarship.
Male applicants must be
6-foot-2 or taller, and women
must be 5-foot-10 or taller.
There are some other requirements
too, including recommendations
from teachers,
essays, and good grades.
Are you a Jewish orphan
studying aeronautical engineering
at UCLA? Probably
not, since nobody has ever
qualified for the Malcolm R.
Stacey scholarship that awards
those who meet that description.
At least, not under the original
terms. The school changed the
criteria in 1987 to make it easier
to obtain. Now, any Jewish students
at UCLA demonstrating
financial need can qualify for
the scholarship.
Now for another scholarship
based on something you
can’t control: the John Gatling
Grant at North Carolina State
University. Applicants for this
grant must have the last name
“Gatling” or “Gatlin.” And before
you run to court to change
your name, know that even that
won’t qualify you for this grant.
You have to submit an official
copy of your birth certificate to
prove your Gatling-ness.
Do none of these scholarships
apply to you yet? Well here’s one
for you, as long as you’re part
of the 10 percent of people who
prefer their left hand, or you’re
willing to spend the summer
learning to write left-handedly.
The Frederick and Mary F.
Beckley Scholarship at Juniata
College is awarded to qualifying
left-handed sophomores,
juniors and seniors.
Sadly, this award is not
actually available anymore.
It disappeared from Juniata
College’s website, making it
impossible to apply.
While this next one won’t
apply to any Cal High students,
it’s still worth mentioning. The
Gertrude J. Deppen Scholarship
at Bucknell University
is awarded to “graduates of
Mount Carmel Public High
School, who are not habitual
users of tobacco, intoxicating
liquor and narcotics, and who
do not participate in strenuous
athletic contests,” according to
the university’s website.
Scholarships for sports might
be the most common type of
scholarship out there.
But this is the only anti-sports
scholarship that we’ve heard
of, so it just had to make our
weird list.

Friday, May 26, 2023
Senior Issue| B3
A lot has happened the last four years
Kylie Thomsen
and Sophia DiGiovanni
Californian Editors
Our freshman year began at
the tail end of a summer full of
“Stranger Things”, VSCO girls,
and TikTok trends.
Arriving at California High
School, we became the butt of
every joke, constantly being
made fun of for our freshman
status.
“Class of 2023” jokes were
trending online, and yet we
didn’t know just how good we
had it at the beginning of our
long, four year stay at Cal.
After only a few months of
adjusting to new schedules,
going to football games and
attending dances, we were sent
home in early March.
The year 2020 had already
presented a number of notable
events to that point, with the
passing of Kobe Bryant, talks of
a potential World War III, and
wildfires burning across Australia
and the Amazon rainforest.
But once we were sent home,
any hope and anticipation that
we had left for our freshman
year quickly disappeared.
We were quickly overwhelmed
with news about
COVID-19 and the upcoming
election, all while having to adjust
to learning online, isolated
from friends and family.
Most of us truly believed
that we’d be back to school
in no time, and this was just a
little hiccup in our high school
experience.
BLM protests began that
summer, after the murders of
George Floyd and Breonna
Taylor.
These protests happened all
over the country, including in
San Ramon and surrounding
cities throughout the Bay Area.
The protests in San Ramon itself
were mainly led by youth, with
some Cal students speaking
and addressing the hundreds of
people present.
Our sophomore year came
after this summer, and turned
into a quick blur of Zoom calls
and Google Classroom.
“I think Class of 2023 became
less united,” senior Jhanna
Gutierrez said. “We missed the
sophomore year era where we
could find new people separate
from our middle school friends.
We had a taste of high school,
then it was taken away.”
The rest of 2020 held even
more historic events, with
former Justice Ruth Bader
Ginsburg passing away, Joe
Biden winning the election, and
a vaccine for COVID-19 finally
being approved.
During January 2021 of our
sophomore year, the insurrection
at the capitol occurred,
shortly before President Biden
and Vice President Kamala
Harris were inaugurated.
We have made a reputation
this year for being quite unspirited.
Many students believe
that they didn’t have much
spirit in the first place due to the
COVID-19 pandemic breaking
into their freshman year.
“I think the period of years
our class missed in high school
were when spirit and camaraderie
were created and our class
just missed a big chunk of it
due to the pandemic,” senior
ASB vice president Kylie Matek
said. “Our freshman year, we
didn’t really have time to meet
everyone so when we came
back it was like we had to meet
everyone again.”
Junior year was the first year
back from online learning.
Students flooded back into
classes, apprehensive about
the constant mask requirement
on campus while talking about
popular singer Billie Eilish’s
new blonde hair.
Although there was excite-
“Our class has
gone through a lot
of changes both
personally and
globally.” - senior
Kylie Matek
ment with returning to school,
there was still a sense of uncertainty
among students.
“COVID caused certain
events to be less guaranteed
our junior year,” Gutierrez said.
“The idea of having a homecoming
and first prom wasn’t
guaranteed.”
Most students had not returned
to in-person classes
since their freshman year, and
now they were expected to have
developed into a junior during
the pandemic making it hard to
stay up to date on classwork.
Many teachers at the beginning
of that year were more lenient
with submitting missing work,
causing more students to have
a more delayed response to
missing assignments.
“The pandemic affected us
all differently, some for the
worse, some for the better,”
senior Dylan Bretschneider
said. “I think some teachers had
a tough time balancing in-person
teaching and the hurdles they
had come across during COVID.
Generally, teachers became a lot
more sympathetic.”
With the election of Harris as
vice president the year before,
many believed this was a step
in the right direction for women
equality in the United States. But
this was quickly overshadowed
by the decision of Roe v. Wade
being overturned, causing many
to fear for their health and safety
as a woman.
“It made me rethink applying
to colleges in states where my
rights were gone,” Matek said.
“I am fortunate enough to have
my rights here in California,
but it makes me think of all
the women who aren’t able to
leave their state if [an unwanted]
pregnancy were to happen.”
The last four years spent at
Cal were full of many hardships
yet the Class of 2023 was able
to persevere and find ways to
keep working around it.
Although this class is quiet,
don’t rule out this group for
not being able to work hard
and have fun while doing it.
The future is bright for us and
the world can’t wait to see how
these events will affect this class
for the time to come.
“I think our class has gone
through a lot of changes both
personally and globally, so I
think it was hard for us to just
focus on school when so much
was happening during those
times,” Matek said. “A lot of
us are eager to become adults
so we can make the changes
we have wanted to see in the
last four years.”
“The Class of 2023 are the
realest people on campus. I think
a lot of us have gone down our
own paths to finding individuality,
and it’s resulted in some
crazy emotional maturity.”
Bretschneider said. “We don’t
wreak havoc on the campus, we
don’t care that much for school
spirit, and everyone gets along
for the most part. We’re very
clearly the chillest class at Cal
High.”
Graduation at a Glance
Rehearsal
Where: Football field
When: Thursday, June 1 from
12:50-2:30 p.m.
Graduation
Where: Football field
When: Friday, June 2 at 6 p.m.
(Gates open at 4:30 p.m.)
Grad Night
Where: Cal campus
When: Friday, June 2
from 10 p.m.-2 a.m.
What are you
going to miss
most about Cal?
“The basketball games
because they were fun.”
Amari Gray
Senior
“Starbucks runs with all
my friends.”
Emma Spiller
Senior
“The events because we
had so many and they were
fun.”
Pari Saluja
Senior
“Playing at basketball
games and going to football
games and hanging out.”
Kellen Torrey
Senior
“I’m going to miss football
games in front of the
student section.”
Luke Wallace
Senior
“The friends I’ve made
here because I won’t see
them again.”
Kanav Bansal
Senior

B4 | Senior Issue Friday, May 26, 2023
Welcome to The Californian, you’re l
Let’s talk about the past four
years at Cal High in classic
YouTube rewind format
Wyatt Golla
News Lite Editor
As a senior at our esteemed
California High School, I can
say three things with absolute
certainty. For one, there is no
other high school that is quite
like ours. Two, the previous
four years have been one wild
ride. The third thing is that I am
very tired.
Back when I was barely
even a freshman I had so many
different ideas of what high
school would be like. Getting
shoved into a locker, studying
furiously for tests and seeing
other students spontaneously
breakout into song, the usual.
My expectations may have
been just slightly influenced by
“High School Musical”, but you
get the point.
What I had no idea of, however,
was just how hectic the next
four years would be. Though to
be fair, there is very little anyone
could have predicted about the
coming years.
My experiences, and the
experiences of all the other Ca
seniors, have been truly unique
in a way that is difficult to put
into words. I mean, how does
one summarize four whole
school years while desperately
trying to stay brief?
Well, seeing how I’m trying
to give an overview of the things
we all experienced at Cal, why
not structure it like a YouTube
Rewind, the synopsis of the content
seen on the platform during
the year? Those have always
been received well, right?
It all started in freshman year,
as such notable things so often
do. Our first introduction to the
eventful Cal campus was interesting,
to say the least. Packed
hallways, towering flights of
stairs, the things we’ve familiarized
ourselves with now. But
one thing that remained constant
is the occurrence of graffiti in
our bathrooms at the time.
Barely a semester into the
year and the school already had
a scandal. Graffiti was scrawled
on tiled walls and stalls of
varying messages and slurs.
Administrators quickly dealt
with the issue, but graffiti would
still be written in the bathrooms
through most of the year.
One of the most influential
topics of the year, however, was
an up and coming app called
TikTok. All the way back in
ye olde freshman year, TikTok
hadn’t gained the popularity in
the school as it would have in
later years. Most students didn’t
really know or care about the
app, as it was still generally
niche. Better times.
But good times don’t always
last. Especially after all of us
were hit with what may be the
most influential occurrence of
our high school tenure.
Let’s address the elephant
in the room, COVID-19. I’m
sure that we all remember that
week in early March, when
we were still wondering if Cal
was actually going to suspend
in-person learning. I remember
the last day of school on campus
that year vividly.
I was practically rejoicing at
the fact that I wouldn’t have to
finish a soliloquy poster after
reading “Romeo and Juliet” in
English. I couldn’t, for the life
of me, remember a single line
from that book.
Still can’t, sorry Mr. Barr.
But the coming quarantine
showed us that maybe celebrating
our perceived freedom
would show our hubris, as we
were all going to stay inside
for a while.
This makes for a good segue
into the next year, sophomore
year. The year without a campus,
the great indoors, quarantine
boogaloo or whatever moniker
the year has earned.
I’ll cut to the chase and say
what we’re all thinking. Quarantine
wasn’t fun. I never thought
that I could get claustrophobic
in my own room or manage to
slowly wear down the skin on
my fingers from scrolling so
much, but quarantine will do
that to you.
I’m pretty sure I contorted my
body to look like a hunchbacked
seahorse slouching as I was in
my chair at home. As if my
spine wasn’t already italicized,
quarantine only exacerbated the
issue of my abysmal posture.
Above everything else, staying
at home while going to
class online was so mundane,
repetitive and mind numbingly
boring. Of course I understood
and respected why we were in
quarantine. That didn’t make it
any easier. The teachers made
an incredible effort to keep
things diverse and interesting
while online, for which I am
immensely grateful.
But with all due respect, one
can only do so many assignments
online without getting
repetitive. I didn’t realize that
I could get bored of watching
YouTube and memes or of playing
the hit new game, “Among
Us”, but it turns out I could.
To be fair, there is only so
much one can do to keep a
classroom engaged on Zoom,
so teachers did everything that
they really could. But there
were some invigorating things
to do during the year, like online
AP tests.
Y’know what scratch, that,
the tests were about as interesting
as watching the seconds
slowly go by during the nearly
hour long student support we
had. For those who had the
mercy of not doing an AP test
online, I really envy you.
Saying that an online AP Euro
test is tedious and made me want
to slam my head into my Macbook
like a panini press would
be a bit of an understatement.
But there was one terrifically
wondrous thing about
sophomore year that made the
tedium worth it. It ended. Not
with some grand gesture or feelgood
reunion. It just ended and
many of us students were left
scratching our heads wondering
what would come next.
Well, the obvious answer to
that was the next year, but you
get the idea.
Junior year was a breath of
fresh air for most, and an inhale
of freshly eaten breakfast- scented
mask breath for others.
Returning to the Cal campus
was amazing, don’t get me
wrong here. I never thought
that I would miss exhaustedly
climbing up three flights of
stairs every day, but junior year

Friday, May 26, 2023
Senior Issue| B5
Illustration courtesy of Mira Prabhakar
ooking at the top four years at Cal
proved me wrong. It’s just that
our third year in high school
had no shortage of interesting
occurrences.
Should I be concerned about
the fact that I could only remember
something majorly positive
happening at high school during
the penultimate year on campus?
Nah, I’m sure that’s fine.
For starters, the campus got
a glow up while we were away.
The formerly monochrome
quad was now alive with color,
and a beautiful mural was drawn
on the stairwell of the World
Language building.
Our high school looked so
lively when we first got back
from the confines of our rooms.
Anyways, my compliments
about Cal’s new look aside, I’m
sure many students remember
the walkout that occurred early
in the year. In a surprising
show of unity, a large group
of students walked out of their
classes to protest the changing
of the rules regarding students
not being able to sit in their cars
during lunch.
Wait. That was this year. My
bad. Nevermind.
Other shows of support and
unity were soon to come, as
several students later took to the
quad to protest the rising conflict
in Ukraine. Being quite the
change of pace from previous
years, things were starting to
look up around campus.
Then a trash can was ignited
in a restroom and things kind of
spiraled again.
After most AP tests were over
and done with, the main building
was evacuated at the notice of
a fire alarm. Most students had
blissfully forgotten the sudden,
grating sound of the fire alarm
because of quarantine, so being
jumpscared by it during late
May was a shock.
I feel especially bad for the
seniors that year, as they left
campus after a literal garbage
fire made the news.
What wasn’t nearly as shocking
was how the year’s SATs
went. Previously, the PSAT
didn’t exactly set a glowing
precedent, what with the few
mistakes and general uncertainty
surrounding the test when it
was conducted. Not only were
some aspects of the SAT rough,
but it was announced that some
colleges wouldn’t even consider
the scores.
Imagine working through all
the effort of the PSAT and trying
to get a superscore on the actual
test only to find out that your
dream college doesn’t look at
your score with priority.
Well, I’m sure that several
seniors don’t exactly need to
imagine and those students have
my sympathy.
Not that I went through
anything like that. Early on in
quarantine I made a guess that
colleges wouldn’t look at SAT
scores in the same way after
COVID-19, so I opted to take
a risk and avoid the standardized
test. Either way, it’ll be
interesting to see what happens
with the SAT in later years once
we’re gone.
Speaking of, one thing that
piqued the interest of several
students during junior year was
the transition from Schooloop
to Schoology.
But the interest among students
wasn’t derived from
hopeful curiosity. It was actually
closer to mass confusion.
Juniors and seniors alike
harkened back to the days of
using the generally convenient
Schooloop and stared blankly
at Schoology’s login page,
wondering why the previous
website had been abandoned.
But there is a bright side to
the change of learning management
systems over the years.
At least we’re not going back
to Google Classroom anytime
soon. Hopefully.
All of that brings us to the
present day of our senior year,
which is not lacking in notable
circumstances.
Cal got a new principal in
Demetrius Ball, who has been
a welcome change of pace all
things considered. It’s refreshing
to see a principal as active
on campus and in the quad as
Mr. Ball. We also have several
new members of administration,
but that’s not entirely surprising
considering Cal has had a veritable
revolving door of administrators
since freshman year.
With the new principal and
administration, students at Cal
have more input on how the
school functions and reacts to
problems on campus. The level
of student autonomy is certainly
different from previous years,
and it’s interesting to see how
much school has changed since
freshman year.
What hasn’t been as welcome
is the process of college
applications. Since a majority
of seniors have gone through
applications, I’m sure that we’re
all happy that we only have to
do that once, right? The process
was rough, but it wasn’t awful.
It’s just that if I had to give
any more thought into what I
wanted to do with my life I may
have spontaneously combusted.
On a more positive note, the
senior ball was a blast. Music,
good food, gambling tables, and
an albino alligator is not what I
had in mind initially, but it was
still fun. I may have lost everything
I own in an all-or-nothing
gambling match, but that’s part
of the fun.
As we near the end of our
high school education, it’s important
to mention those who
have helped us through these
four years. I doubt that many of
us students would have been as
successful if it weren’t for the
constant support from our many
teachers, as they have helped us
every step of the way.
Similarly, leadership has
been resolute in making sure
the Cal campus remains fun and
engaging for all the students.
So, to all the people who have
helped us seniors through it all,
thank you.
Looking back on our time
together at Cal starting all the
way back to freshman year,
it’s easy to think that our time
at high school has been hectic,
to put it lightly. We’ve gone
through a global pandemic, AP
tests, social isolation, college
applications, and much more.
Our time at Cal has certainly
been irregular, but all the more
memorable. When some of us
are parents it’ll be us who will
get to pull the “you kids have
it so easy, back in my day…”
card. Through everything, we
seniors have stuck through it all.
Soon we’ll stride into the world
of adulthood as the responsible
people we have grown to be.
Well, most of us will move
on from Cal. But I’ve grown
attached to our campus and I
don’t exactly want to go. Maybe
I can flunk all my classes and
redo my senior year, for a fresh
start. Plus, I’d be able to continue
writing for The Californian!

B6 | Senior Issue Friday, May 26, 2023
Ranking the Class of 2023’s high school years
Tanvi Pandya
Staff Writer
Our past four years of high
school have been eventful to say
the least. Between Covid-19,
countless changes in administration
and the occasional
campus threat, we’ve made a
lot of memories.
Each year has been unique,
coming with its own ups and
downs, but some have definitely
been better than others. Let’s
look at a ranking of the past four
years because there is definitely
a lot to discuss.
No. 1 - Senior Year
Unsurprisingly, coming in at
the top of the list is senior year.
Being our final year, a lot
of new changes appeared. We
were met with a completely
new administration team when
we returned to school, accompanied
with a lot of new and
unwelcomed rules (remember
those?) We also finally earned
the privilege to sign out, thank
god. Well, most of us at least.
Sorry 17-year-olds.
Maybe the biggest change
from last year to this one is the
decrease in COVID-19 cases.
We were finally able to walk
around and eat together without
fear of contracting the virus.
Especially compared to junior
year when we saw everyone
in masks for the better part of
the year.
It feels like things finally
returned to normal.
Naturally, there were some
negatives to the year, too. I
still haven’t recovered from the
stress of college applications.
Honestly, it’s been hard having
to say goodbye to high school.
But we have a lot of great
Californian file illustration
Sophomore year ranked surprisingly high because students didn’t even need to get out of bed to attend virtual school.
memories to treasure. We had
a fantastic final homecoming,
outdoors for the second year
in a row. We’ll always have
our Friday Night Lights to look
back on, accompanied with tons
of fun spirit themes like neon
and pink out.
And there’ll always be Colorfest
too, but that one might
be more of a funny story than
a sentimental memory.
More than anything, senior
year has been about making the
most of it. And I think we’ve
done that.
No. 2 - Freshman Year
Next up, maybe a surprise to
some, is freshman year.
I’ll preface this by saying I
don’t think freshman year would
be this high if COVID-19 didn’t
happen.
And in a way, freshman year
is the only year that doesn’t feel
tainted because it was our first
and only taste of normal high
school.
It was also just…fun.
We were wide-eyed and
young, excited to see what this
new world of high school had
waiting for us. We got to meet
and develop relationships with
tons of new people, including
our fellow freshmen from other
schools and upperclassmen.
We had a fabulous indoor
homecoming, our only one of
high school, and plenty of high
energy rallies run by our muchmissed
upperclassmen.
COVID-19 definitely
stopped us in our tracks though.
But even after the stay at home
order began, the schoolwork
was essentially nonexistent and
it was an adventure of its own.
Freshman year was the year
of new beginnings.
No. 3 - Sophomore Year
Placing sophomore year at
third might be a little…controversial.
But let me explain.
Sophomore year for the
class of 2023 is a touchy subject.
There isn’t much middle
ground. You either hated it or
loved it.
On one hand, it was pretty
easy. We didn’t even have to get
out of our beds to go to class, and
we basically had an hour and a
half of naptime everyday with
the online student support and
lunch periods. Zoom troubles
aside, we had a pretty easy
academic sophomore year.
On the other hand, it was kind
of an extrovert’s nightmare.
We missed a whole year of
school dances, football games
and just hanging out with our
friends. A whole year of memories,
lost to the pandemic. We
didn’t even see each other’s
faces most days, just a black
screen with our peers’ names
written in block letters.
It was depressing, to say
the least.
So, if half of us loved online
learning and half of us hated it,
it’s only fair it goes somewhere
in the middle.
No. 4 - Junior Year
And that brings us to last
place: junior year.
Junior year was, in a way, a
transition year.
It was our big, triumphant
return to in-person school. We
were finally back, this time as
upperclassmen, masked up and
ready to go. Things were finally
back to normal.
Except, they weren’t really.
We all had to be completely
masked up. There was no eating
indoors. Everything was
being adapted to fit COVID
restrictions. While all of these
adjustments were for the greater
good, it all felt a little dystopian.
Add to that the anxiety of
junior year studying for the
SATs, AP classes and the generally
overwhelming idea that
we had to decide the rest of our
lives pretty soon, the year was
stressful to say the least.
That doesn’t mean it was all
bad. We were all thankful to be
able to see our friends again.
And as much as we complained
about school, we were all happy
that we could have some faceto-face
interaction again. Junior
year might not have been the
best, but it was necessary to
get back into the flow of things.
And that wraps up the last four
years. Even with world-shaking,
global catastrophes, we made it,
Class of ‘23. It’s been an interesting
journey, but the memories
we have made will always be
cherished as we go off to pursue
our passions and dreams.
Some seniors take non-college paths
Rebecca Haghnegahdar
Staff Writer
Despite constant pressure
from parents, peers and even
teachers to attend a four-year
university directly after high
school, many students choose to
go down non-traditional paths
that will work best for them and
their skills.
The days are gone when a
four-year university degree was
viewed as the sole gateway to
a successful career. Today, Cal
High students are opting for alternative
routes that better align
with their passions, interests and
desired outcomes.
From enlisting in the military
to going straight into the workforce,
there are endless routes
that students can explore.
Cal’s college and career
adviser Kathryn Nichols helps
students explore their options
and find what path is best for
them. By embracing non-traditional
avenues, students are
finding unique opportunities for
growth and securing their places
in an ever-evolving job market.
“I think one really important
thing is to get experience in a
field to make sure it’s right for
you,” Nichols said. “So I think
if you can volunteer and get
ahead in your field, it will really
help you.”
There’s multiple factors that
students have to consider when
deciding what to do after they
graduate. Students need to take
factors such as cost, personal
preference and environment,
among other things, into consideration.
“I knew I didn’t want to work
a desk job in the future,” said senior
Julian Ackerman, who will
be attending Butte College as a
part of the school’s fire academy,
said. “So the firefighter program
really appealed to me.”
There are a multitude of vital
jobs within society that do not
require the completion of a four
year degree, with firefighters
and EMTs being just a few of
them. Instead of going through
four years of schooling, students
can partake in programs at
community colleges that will
give them hands-on experiences
and get them into the workforce
faster, saving them not only time
but also money.
With a rise in tuition costs as
well as cost of living in many
cities throughout America,
attending a four year university
is no longer a financially
reasonable option for some
students. As students start to
realize the reality of the financial
burden a four year education
can have on them and their
families, many are beginning
to seek alternative routes that
will provide them with a stable
career without putting them in
significant debt.
“I knew a four year university
didn’t make sense for me
financially,” senior Melina
Kamranifard said. “I realized
real estate was a good way to
earn a lot of passive income.”
Programs through local community
colleges can provide
people access to an affordable
education, flexible schedules,
and programs tailored to meet
the needs of local industries.
The programs can allow students
a gateway into a four
year university to pursue their
education or put them directly
into the workforce.
While there are many alternative
routes students can take
after high school, there are
also unconventional options
within the realm of four year
universities. United States
training academies provide
students with a free education
in exchange for nine years of
military service. Though it is
a big sacrifice, it is one many
students are willing to make.
“Over the summer while my
peers get to go on vacation, I’ll
have to do military training,”
said senior Patrick Lee, who
will be attending the United
States Military Academy at
West Point in the fall. “You’re
definitely sacrificing a bit of
your freedom.”
As the world of education
continues to evolve, many high
school students will continue to
choose alternate paths that will
provide them with the proper
tools for success.

Friday, May 26, 2023
Senior Issue| B7
Artistic minds major in the arts
Students hope to succeed in the
arts at their respective schools
Pranav Khosla
and Tejas Mahesh
Staff Writers
When people think of popular
college majors, engineering,
medicine, or law might be
among the first to come to mind.
But some Cal High seniors
are attending college for the
arts. Senior Dylan Bretschneider,
who is attending Loyola
University New Orleans for
popular and commercial music,
is one of them.
“I’ve loved music since I was
three or four,” Bretschneider
said. “[Loyola New Orleans]
has been my dream school since
I was 11.”
Bretschneider has been playing
drums, piano and guitar
since he was five years old, and
he had a band his freshman year
called Swing Gives You Wings,
which raised $1,500 at their
performances for the American
Cancer Society.
In addition to his band, Bretschneider
recorded songs with
a friend and posted on various
platforms, such as Soundcloud,
and has two singles set to release
in June and July.
Another student with interest
in music is Gautam Vedula, who
is attending New York University
for film scoring and data
science. Vedula was inspired
to compose music by famous
film composers such as Hans
Zimmer and John Williams.
“I started composing music
on my own,” Vedula said. “I
started watching movies and
trying to imitate those scores.”
Vedula has also worked
with senior Aleeza Zakai on
several projects, including a
documentary focused on quantum
physics for a UC Berkeley
physics lab.
“[Zakai] had this idea of
making a documentary to bring
quantum physics to attention,”
Vedula said.
Vedula composed the background
music for the trailer, but
the movie itself has not been
completed yet.
Photo by Cameron Ho
Senior Gautam Vedula, seen here playing the piano, will be attending New York University
in the fall. He plans to study film scoring and data science.
Some other Cal seniors, such
as Leia Fisher, have passion
for design and art. Fisher is
deciding between UC Berkeley
and the University of Southern
California. She plans on majoring
in design, with a minor in
computer science.
Fisher has had a passion
for drawing since elementary
school when she watched You-
Tube drawing tutorials.
“I kept it as a hobby throughout
middle school and high
school,” Fisher said. “But then
I got more into graphic design
and creating websites.”
Fisher works with digital
work as well as surrealist-style
portraits, which is one of her
favorite genres of art.
“I took AP Art my sophomore
year, and I’m taking it again this
year.” Fisher said. “I want to do
UI, or user experience design or
graphic design [as a career].”
Senior Beau Strickland is
attending UC Santa Barbara
for Book Arts, which is an art
program focused on illustrations
for children’s’ books.
“You’re definitely going to
need a good sense of color theory,
how to draw basically, and
a good sense of graphic design,”
Strickland said.
Color theory is how artists
mix different colors to express
different emotions or ideas.
“Art is everywhere. It can
go all the way to science,”
Strickland said. “I’m actually
getting a certificate right now
to become a scientific illustrator
for science textbooks.”
Strickland obtained this certificate
through online lessons
taught by Gretchen Halpert,
who was the president of the
Scientific Illustrators Guild
and taught at Yale. After that,
Strickland got an internship at
the San Francisco Zoo.
“They didn’t have an internship
in place, so I created one,”
Strickland said.
Each of the talented students
hopes their artistic skills will
guide them along a unique
path that fewer students seem
to be taking.
Several students plan to serve at service school
Military school is the primary
choice for some Cal seniors
Nimisa Panda
Features Editor
Many of us have seen the
smash hit movie “Top Gun:
Maverick”, which was released
last summer.
It includes stunning graphics,
a vivid plot, and most importantly
to me, brief mentions of
“the academy.” The academy
in question, for those who do
not know, is the United States
Naval Academy. It’s where
young people from all across the
nation go to become officers in
the US Navy or Marine Corps
upon graduation.
I will be one of these young
people attending the US Naval
Academy starting June 29. I will
literally be living out the plot of
“Top Gun: Maverick”.
Located in Annapolis, Maryland,
the US Naval Academy
(USNA) is the undergraduate
college of America´s naval
service. The goal of the school
is to foster an environment that
pushes young Americans to
become leaders in all capacities
of their lives.
So far, it has been pretty good
at doing that as the USNA has
produced 54 astronauts, 29
members of Congress, and a
president, among many other
scholars and political leaders.
You may be asking me what
exactly was running through
my head when I applied. Why
would someone like me even
be interested in an opportunity
like this?
Truth be told, I didn’t really
think. I just did.
From day one, I have always
wanted a ¨cool career¨. My dad’s
best friend, who I call my uncle,
did the same in India when
he went to the Armed Forces
Medical College of Delhi. He
went to war, saw some really
scary stuff, left the Indian Army,
and now is a successful surgeon
in New Zealand. Just this past
summer, he was awarded by
India’s Prime Minister for being
one of the only members of his
platoon alive after narrowly
escaping an enemy bunker after
being shot in the knee during the
Kargil War of 1999 in Kashmir.
Pretty cool career, right?
Obviously, my third-grade
self did not hear all the graphic
details, but I did hear about the
opportunity. He managed to
make it out of the slums and
work his way up to having a
water slide in his backyard.
More importantly, he managed
to make an impact on the country
that did so much for him.
I even have it written in my
third grade diary, “Maybe I
wanna do something like that
so I can have a water slide in
my backyard.” Truer words
have never been written. Eightyear-old
me knew what was up.
This little goal of mine took
a backseat as I entered middle
school and high school. Top
20 schools such as Stanford
and Harvard became the goal
because of their great resources
and name recognition. I worked
hard and did everything I could
to make this goal a reality.
But how did I learn about
USNA? It was the end of junior
year and I was done with the
hardest part of high school. The
only hurdle between me and my
goal of a cool career was college
applications.
I was fielding questions about
college and careers at a friend’s
graduation party when they
brought up UNSA. I had seen
emails from them and watched
the Insider video about it on
YouTube, but that conversation
changed the entire trajectory of
my life.
I could now achieve the goals
similar to those of my uncle in
India through UNSA. Suddenly,
I had the means to make a direct
impact on the society that has
shaped me to be the person I
am today.
Any fatigue from the school
year prior was now gone and
quickly replaced with the energy
I needed to get started on making
this goal a reality.
That same day, I went home
and started the application
process, which requires multiple
essays, an interview by a
representative of USNA, a nomination
from either a senator,
congressman,or vice president,
a stringent medical exam, and a
physical capability exam.
Due to the low 7 percent
acceptance rate, combined with
the fact that the applicant pool
is incredibly competitive, I did
not think I would make it. There
are kids out there that dedicate
years of their lives to attending
a service academy like USNA,
but I was going into this blind.
I learned I was accepted on
Jan. 6, when I got a physical
letter back from Congressman
Eric Swalwell´s office. It informed
me I was their principal
nominee, which meant I had a
seat saved for me at USNA.
The amount of relief I felt
at that moment is probably
unmatched. Then came the
fear. It sounds scary to say that
I am joining the Department of
Defense in six months’ time.
But it is an exciting challenge.
On induction day, more commonly
known as I-day, I will be
transformed from a civilian to
something bigger than myself. I
will leave my life as I know it on
June 29 to become a plebe, and
I have never been more excited.
I know a couple of my friends
feel the same way because they
are also in the same boat.
Photo by Anvi Kataria
Senior Oliver Smallridge has enlisted in the Navy and reports to basic training next month.
Jacqueline Guerrero
Staff Writer
Nimisa Panda is not the only
senior joining the military after
graduation next week.
At least six other Cal High
seniors will be joining her,
including Chaeie Kim, Liam
Moore, Patrick Lee, Oliver
Smallridge, Sophia Pedersoli,
and Emmanuel Vasquez will
also be attending service academies
or joining the military.
“It’s definitely different compared
to being enlisted,” said
Lee, who will be attending the
US Military Academy at West
Point in the fall. “If you’re
enlisted you’re only doing
army [stuff] but at the service
academy you’re also getting an
education.”
Lee described the military
academy as four years of
university where students also
participate in military drills and
training.
“After you graduate you have
to do five years active service
and three years reserve and
you can extend your contract,”
Lee said.
Two aspects helped Lee
decide to apply to a service
academy.
“Throughout high school,
one thing I’ve learned is that I
like serving others,” Lee said.
“[The] second reason is just
another simple idea for me.
When I see others being happy
that brings me joy,”
Kim hopes to join the Air
Force in the future.
“Next year I’ll be attending
Northwestern Military Prep
in SoCal doing one year there
and transferring to four years
in the Air Force Academy in
Colorado,” Kim said. “All the
students once they graduate are
second lieutenant in whichever
branch [they chose].”
Kim will be majoring in
behavioral science as a student
cadet.
“It’s a lot harder than you
anticipate because there’s a lot
of steps to even be qualified as
a student candidate,” Kim said.
“I didn’t get a direct path [but]
there are always methods to
getting to the service academy.”
Kim learned about service
academies from her uncle, a
retired Army colonel, and liked
the fact that she could get her
education at her own pace.
Also attending the US Air
Force Academy in Colorado
Springs as a Division-1 swimmer
is Pedersoli.
“Being an athlete there is
gonna be a different experience
and very rigorous,” Pedersoli
said.”It’s different than being
a student athlete at any other
college but I’m looking forward
to it.”
Pedersoli learned about service
academies from her family
friends, but she has always had
a desire to serve her country.
“It’s really important to me,”
Pedersoli said. “I also wanted to
challenge myself academically
and athletically.”
According to the senior
check-out list conducted by
counseling, Moore will be attending
Purdue University and
joining the Marine reserves,
while Smallridge is joining the
Navy and Vasquez the Marines.
All of these seniors have
chosen a unique post-graduation
path that not many people
consider.
“It’s kinda cool to see how
[we] are all going at the same
time,” Lee said.

B8 | Senior Issue FRIDAY, MAY 26, 2023
AZUSA PACIFIC
Jacqueline Guerrero
CALTECH
Haleigh Gardner
CALIFORNIA BAPTIST
Isaac Vass
Michael Vass
CALIFORNIA COLLEGE
OF THE ARTS
Sasha Muppagowni
CAL POLY HUMBOLDT
Kathryn L. Taylor
CAL POLY SLO
Pranay Alleni
Brody Bartusch
Alexis Bebenita
Laura Byrne
Ha-Ly Carlson
Isabella Chimenti
Kushal Dave
Bianca Del Arroz
Mahealani Demello
Arjunan Easwarachandran
Enya Fung
Maya Harris
Zack Innamorati
Rishabh Jhamnani
Jack Keller
Abigail King
Jasmine Lanza
Anna Melvin
Jalen Ryan Mendoza
Grishmita Puttha
Madeline Rendez
Daphne So
Leah Sulzberg
Eshaan Suresh
Sophie Talwar
Brandon Walenter
Mia Ziblatt
CAL POLY POMONA
Jadyn Ho
Raj Kumar
John Monotya
Carter Quan
Elshan Rouhani
CHAPMAN UNIVERSITY
Sarah Houston
CSU CHICO
Kevin Cooper
Noah Dutcher
Brooklyn Gantt
Cade Hannula
Megan Lee
Gabe Metz
Nadira Ramlogan
CSU EAST BAY
Kenneth Masana
Ariany Molina Munoz
Kayla Romans
Kimberly Young
CSU LONG BEACH
Ethan Browne
Trevor Dunbar
Nicholas Plicner
Margaux Santos
CSU MONTEREY BAY
Daniel Finnegan
Malia Gavino
Kaley McDonald
Jackson McNaughton
Anastazya Pinkela
CSU NORTHRIDGE
Marcus Cerezo
Sochimaobi Nwankwo
CSU STANISLAUS
Jack Pollock
LOYOLA MARYMOUNT
Javier Mena
Caitlyn Schofield
SAN DIEGO STATE
Sonia Ballesteros
In State- 4 year
Gunnar Black
Trinity Chua
Manasvi Dotiyal
Aalok Gokarn
Elise Hongkham
Brianna Marbella
Devyani Pathak
Charlotte Sevin
Jake Waters
SACRAMENTO STATE
Moamel Albender
Hannah Purnell
Kathryn Sakkis
SAN FRANCISCO STATE
Aakash Chandran
Chassi Dynarski
Ashley Pham
Duong Nguyen
SAN JOSE STATE
Nicholas Arnett
Shreya Chandrashekar
Jessica Garcia
Shreyes Guntapalli
Nimran Kazi
Daniel Kidane
Ayush Koneru
Spandan Kottakota
Andre Miller
Aditi Nanda
Hazel Navarro
Hunter O’Connell
Arianna Oliquiano
Ananya Premanand
Kylie Thomsen
Richa Vakharia
Viraj Yadav
Darren Yee
SANTA CLARA
UNIVERSITY
Elias Alemayehu
Taliya Peiris
Jacob Rhodes
SONOMA STATE
Wyatt Golla
Alyssa Houlihan
Makenna Melvin
STANFORD UNIVERSITY
Sathvika Sitaraman
PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY
Tyler Cheung
Harris Durrani
Elise Kim
UNIVERSITY OF THE PACIFIC
Mihir Gill
Andrew James
Casey Kim
UNIVERSITY OF SAN DIEGO
William Sydorak
UNIVERSITY OF SAN FRANCISCO
Kenneth Tayaba
Alyssa Dumas
UC BERKELEY
Vedant Birla
Ashley Chang
Ten Chanyontpatanakul
Martina Chavez
Devyn Jones
Zhaoyi Luo
Alexander Moyer
Ronit Prakash
Parinita Saluja
Ethan Shin
Aarja Singh
Nandhini Sundar
Sami Tripasuri
Abigail Uy
UC DAVIS
Sol Abrian
Emaan Ali
Inder Brar
Andrew Chen
Jhanna Gutierrez
Sebastian Hadaegh
Zachary Horvath
Stephanie Hunt
CONGRATS
TO THE
CLASS OF
2023!!
Vivek Narayana
Ava Pelkey
Eren Pinar
Manushri Rane
Inika Singh
Kanishka Yadav
UC IRVINE
Ziyad Abbas
Ian Bryant
Angelina Castro
Calia Christudass
Vidit Jain
Alina Jones
Isabella Paz
Achyuta Raghunathan
Mason Ramey
Ghirish Thaenraj
Andrew Xiong
Angela Zhang
UCLA
Pranav Akella
Zayaan Khan
Shua Lee
Mudit Mahajan
Sriram Rajagopal
Shawn Reznikov
Olivia Suhy
UC MERCED
Daniel Becker
Christopher Chiang
Jacqueline Galvan
Bailey Katayama
Narayan Muppagowni
Advika Rajaraman
Bransen Tong
UC RIVERSIDE
Amaya Aldon
Raymond Chen
Sreeya Gambhirrao
Ryan Ge
Aadithya Girish
Venya Jain
Vidur Pudupak
Tarini Raj
Evan Silzle
Jake Somsel
Tia Tang
Alexander Yamashita
UC SAN DIEGO
Jayminn Anand
Ketan Mittal
Harshitha Palacharla
Abhyudaya Srivastava
UC SANTA BARBARA
Aidan Camberg
Katelyn DeSoto
Ansh Gangapurkar
Spriha Pandey
Regan Stiner
Beau Strickland
Xi Wei
Jolie Yick
UC SANTA CRUZ
Sharon Akkara
Kalpita Balu
Kanav Bansal
Alexia Broughton
Alexis Cunningham
Peter Dobbins
Kalista Doherty
Tyler Duong
Anushka Jog
Srinidhi Kanchi Krishnamachari
Alexandra Karelina
Lili Loney
Shubham Marathe
Jay Patel
Mira Prabhakar
Ashwin Prabou
Jayaram Reddy
Youning Shen
Taran Vatturi
UNIVERSITY OF
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Dylan Burlingame
Genevieve Kuhn
Shawn Singh
Gap
Year/
Other
CHURCH MISSION
Sione Hingano
Justin Snow
GAP YEAR
Mykhailo Kosenk
MARINE CORPS
Emmanuel Vazquez
NAIL TECH SCHOOL
Kiana Golchin
NAVY
Oliver Smallridge
SEMESTER AT SEA
Kylie Chung
WORK FORCE
Nathaniel Forsyth
Peyton Harris
Riley Preston
Jacob Trombley
Out of State- 4 year
AMERICAN UNIVERSITY
Rojan Haghnegahdar
Tanvi Pandya
ARIZONA STATE
Fechi Evoh
Marisa Keels
Mia Maldonado
BOISE STATE UNIVERSITY
McKenna Mahoney
BOSTON UNIVERSITY
Hiba Farzard
BROWN UNIVERSITY
Alyssa Villarde
BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY
Kiera Callaway
CASE WESTERN RESERVE
Mihir Aggarwal
Sriya Burra
CLARK ATLANTA UNIVERSITY
Kayla Henderson
COLLIN COUNTY COLLEGE
Amanda Braaten
COLORADO STATE
Alexandra Herrick
Carlise Mendoza
Brock Scanlan
COLOMBIA COLLEGE CHICAGO
Riley Brown
DEPAUL UNIVERSITY
Aidan AuYeung
FLORIDA STATE
Benjamin Lewis
Marvin Yi
FORDHAM UNIVERSITY
Erica Dembrowicz
GONZAGA UNIVERSITY
Sophia DiGiovanni
GRAND CANYON UNIVERSITY
Karina Linarez
Andrew Sorroche
Caleb Van Randwyk
INDIANA UNIVERSITY
BLOOMINGTON
Tannistha Singh
JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
Emily Villalpando
LAGUNA COLLEGE
OF ART AND DESIGN
Sam Millen
MARIST COLLEGE
Tor Alvey
MIT
Baiyu Zhu
MONTANA STATE
Hunter Scruggs
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY
Gautam Vedula
Aleeza Zakai
NORTH CAROLINA A&T
Sofia Fernando
BUTTE COLLEGE
Julian Ackerman
CHABOT COLLEGE
Raymond Liang Chen
Kevin Goodman
Julia Rocha
Natallie Raye Salacup
NORTH CENTRAL UNIVERSITY
Catherine Johnson
NORTHEASTERN
Bonisha Maitra
Jesse Mount
NORTHWESTERN
Minseo Kim
Alice Oh
OHIO STATE
Ishan Swamy
OREGON STATE
Mia Rabuco
Amelia Saravia
Luke Wallace
PENN STATE
California Bailey
PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY
Tyler Cheung
Harris Durrani
Elise Kim
PURDUE UNIVERSITY
Kian Kasad
Liam Moore
Baari Syed
QALAM SEMINARY
Arfa Saad
RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC
Ridhi Goyal
Arpita Gupta
RIVIER UNIVERSITY
Kyah Earls
RUTGERS UNIVERSITY
Kavya Tharshanan
SEATTLE UNIVERSITY
Tanya Belani
Anais Bratt
Emily Xu
SOUTHERN UTAH UNIVERSITY
Derek Horn
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
Darren Murphy
Pranav Sannaasi
TEMPLE UNIVERSITY
Samantha Lentzen
US AIR FORCE ACADEMY
Chaeie Kim
Sophia Pedersoli
US MILITARY ACADEMY -
WEST POINT
Patrick Lee
US NAVAL ACADEMY
Nimisa Panda
UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA
Mia Divito
UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
Jehan Vanniasinkam
Pranav Khosla
UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO
Bryce Wijesekara
UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO
BOULDER
Sophia Barberi
Annabelle Hentz
Isabel Talwar
UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII
AT MANOA
Ryan Chu
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
URBANA-CHAMPAIGN
Anirud Lappathi
UNIVERSITY OF MASSA-
CHUSETTS AMHERST
Khushboo Pandya
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
ANN ARBOR
Tiare Vasconcellos
Mihir Arya
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESO-
TA TWIN CITIES
Xinyi Wang
UNIVERSITY OF
NEVADA- RENO
AJ Delvizis
Brooke Duke
Adam El-Taki
Athena Berris
Isaac Curiel
Alexander Delvizis
Sydney Forest
Lindsey Gomm
Brady Penot
Lily Zalmai
Alexis Duke
UNIVERSITY OF OREGON
Gaia Landsman
UNIVERSITY OF PORTLAND
Kylie Matek
UNIVERSITY OF REDLANDS
Wesley Miller
UNIVERSITY OF RENO
Katie Tsang
UNIVERSITY OF URBANA
CHAMPAIGN
Anya Mahajan
UNIVERSITY OF UTAH
Maddie Garcia
Kai Kawanabe
Makena Kwon
UNIVERSITY OF
WASHINGTON
Saachi Sharma
Kenzie Atallah
Gianina Roepken
UNIVERSITY OF WISCON-
SIN MADISON
Naren Raghuraman
VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY
Tejas Mahesh
WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
ST. LOUIS
Neel Kulkarni
WESTERN WASHINGTON
UNIVERSITY
Sienna Lewis
WHITMAN COLLEGE
Romeo Tigner
Community College
COLLEGE OF THE REDWOODS
Ben Frederick
FOLSOM LAKE COMMUNITY
COLLEGE
Jaidan Apalon
DIABLO VALLEY COLLEGE
Madeline Angeles
Jawad Asaad
Ananya Baskaran
Aidan Bilyk
Marquez Bishop
Aidan Buck
Joey Camat
Zach Cotta
Sydney Dang
Cole Dluzak
Kean Flanagan
Jack Fletcher
Matthew Geach
Collin Gillespie
Jisel Gray
Michael Guo
Ella Heinz
Kaylee Hernandez
Muizz Ibrar
Ella Jaime
Ashlie Jones
Melina Kamranifard
Kent Kawashima
Patrick Kiley
Brandon Kong
Varsha Kuchibotla
Austin LaMarche
Benjamin Lustig
Marisa Martins
Andre Moeinimanesh
Safoora Nabi
Sean Nishimoto
Ella O’Connell
Michelle Osnovikov
Nazareth Pineda
Lily Pourhashemi
Kathir Rajesh Kannan
Justin Reyes
Drew Rogers
Summer Russell
Raiden Schild
Eric Slack
Ali Taheri
May Tijero
Elena Town
Alexandra Vanier
Rohan Walton
Alec Washler
Micah Weete
Nicholas Wong
Edison Zhu
Emma Zweidinger
LAS POSITAS
Hunter Burns
Diego Cervantes
Charlie Darlington
William Ellis
Kian Esfandiari
Catherine Le
Gregory Mau
Jordyn Porter
Logan
Rasmusson
Adel Rose
Josef Sackl
Isaiah Valle
Jenna
Warnert
Diego Zuno
SANTA BARBARA CITY
COLLEGE
Cameron Darnell
Dylan Farrell
Jack McNally
TARRANT COUNTY COLLEGE
Joseph Ferreira
ALL INFORMATION
PROVIDED BY A COL-
LEGE SURVEY FROM
CAL HIGH’S COUN-
SELING DEPARTMENT
Illustrations by Judy Luo
Page design by Sophia DiGiovanni
and Trisha Sarkar