Volume 51, Issue 6, May 19, 2021

34 SENIOR STORIES Four El Estoque seniors reflect on their high school experiences.

21840 McClellan Rd, Cupertino, CA 95014 elestoque.org mv.el.estoque@gmail.com Editors-in-Chief: Michelle Chen, Anushka De, Jayanti Jha Managing Editors: Ishaani Dayal, Devin Gupta, Lance Tong, Matthew Yoshimoto Copy Editor: Sophia Chen News Editors: Jefferson Le, Tanish Mendki Opinion Editors: Diya Bahl, Kripa Mayureshwar, Abdullah Memon Feature Editors: Riya Ravuri, Prisha Tiwari, Mira Wagner Entertainment Editors: Justin Kim, Gauri Manoj, Aditya Shukla, Shivani Verma Sports Editors: Anna Jerolimov, Nika Zamani Graphics Editors: Mikaylah Du, Sophia Ma Website Editors: Krish Dev, Devin Gupta Staff Writers: Ayah Ali-Ahmad, Ritu Atreyas, Tyler Cho, Melody Cui, Suraj Gangaram, Justine Ha, Gavin Hung, Rachel Jiang, Vivian Jiang, Minjae Kang, Nishat Kazi, Elena Khan, Andie Liu, Robert Liu, Tina Low, Iman Malik, Oishee Misra, Arjan Madan, Shivani Madhan, Amber Milesi, Collin Qian, Shreshta Ranganathan, Anika Sharma, Jannah Sheriff, Anjali Singh, Neysa Singh, Leanna Sun, Irene Tang, Claire Wen, Brian Xu, Sean Yagi, Annie Zhang Adviser: Julia Satterthwaite Mission Statement: El Estoque will accurately inform our community through well-researched, unbiased and indepth accounts of the student body and staff, news and developments and taboo topics prevalent in and near MVHS. Investigating various voices and credible perspectives, we hope to foster active discussion, effect positive change and spread awareness of timely, relevant content. As a trustworthy and reliable source of information, we strive to be accountable, adaptable and ready to correct and address our mistakes. Constantly striving for improvement, we will uphold integrity and ethics to be respectful and empathetic to our sources and our readers. We will exercise our press freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment and California Ed Code 48907 while maintaining a community passionate about our work and journalism as a whole.

COVER PHOTO ILLUSTRATION | ANUSHKA DE

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LETTER FROM THE EDITORS Class of 2021, if we could use one word to describe you, it would be resilient.

Even before your faces were transported into the tiny rectangles that populate Zoom screens, you were resilient. But it was the confines of those rectangles that highlighted your grace in the face of immense adversity, that taught us how to take the small joys within the limits of a pandemic and transform them into extraordinary triumphs.

In the classroom, in sports teams, in clubs and in daily life, the tidbits of advice you provided kept us going — you taught us how to follow each failure with laughter, you encouraged us to persevere and you reassured us that no mistake was too grave. Our Features package explores this talent of yours for finding the greatest of joys in anything — be it on Model UN or the soccer team.

It’s hard to believe you’re leaving — even now, you remain frozen in our minds as the sophomores who seemed to have conquered high school when we walked on campus as measly freshmen, clueless towards the terrifying new challenge of high school and desperate for a guiding hand. And in spite of our year-long separation, ever so often, we catch glimpses of the amazing adults you’ve become. To say the least, we’re in awe of how much you’ve grown even in the most desperate of times.

Class of 2021, you lost so much this past year — prom, a single graduation, the opportunity to exult in the results of your past four years of hard work on campus.

Even though your senior trips were confined to the 60 mile radius of beaches and cabins that surround Cupertino, we know that this next step in your journey will be limitless, spanning from skyscrapers of Tokyo to the sandy beaches of LA. And as you take these next steps, we know you will carry the lessons you have taught us and continue to inspire those around you.

Class of 2021, there is no one single word that could ever describe you. You are not only resilient, but you are also inspiring and most of all, you are extraordinary.

PHOTO | ISHAANI DAYAL

Michelle Chen

Anushka De

Jayanti Jha

TABLE OF CONTENTS EL ESTOQUE | MAY 2021

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Bay Area faces boba shortage

BY MATTHEW YOSHIMOTO

Explaining how the tapioca pearl shortage has impacted local businesses

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When one door closes

BY DIYA BAHL, ANUSHKA DE, RACHEL JIANG, VIVIAN JIANG, KRIPA MAYURESHWAR AND COLLIN QIAN

Exploring the challenges and new opportunities presented by COVID-19 and the progression of campus life

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Represent

BY AYAH ALI-AHMAD, TYLER CHO, JUSTINE HA, IMAN MALIK, GAURI MANOJ, SHRESHTA RANGANATHAN, SHIVANI VERMA, CLAIRE WEN, BRIAN XU AND ANNIE ZHANG

Understanding the impact of diverse representation in various facets of the American entertainment industry PHOTO BY MICHELLE WANG | USED WITH PERMISSION

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A final season

BY SOPHIA MA AND IRENE TANG

Senior athletes reflect on the challenges they’ve faced during the pandemic

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SENIOR COLUMNS

BY ANDIE LIU, IMAN MALIK, OISHEE MISRA AND ANNIE ZHANG

El Estoque seniors share their parting thoughts before leaving high school

EL ESTOQUE | MAY 2021

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Staff members who organized Earth Deconstructed gather in front of Monta Vista High School.

PHOTO COURTESY OF JULIA SATTHERTHWAITE | USED WITH PERMISSION

EQUITY DECONSTRUCTED Examining the addition of a new equity focused course to the MVHS curriculum

BY SHIVANI MADHAN

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ver the last year, local and national movements such as #BlackLivesMatter, #StopAAPIHate and #MeTooMVHS have sparked conversation amongst MVHS students and staff about necessary changes to our community.

In response, FUHSD implemented Advisory this year, a weekly learning period where those on the Equity Task Force have the opportunity to present lessons they’ve developed on social issues. Taking inspiration from this, a group of MVHS staff members began discussing ways to provide students more agency and support in proactively addressing today’s problems.

When no teacher volunteered to instruct the typical STEM Research: Independent Study course next year, AP Chemistry teacher Kavita Gupta, along with staff members Bonnie Belshe, Doreen Bonde, Hannah Gould, Vennessa Nava, Julia Satterthwaite and Amy Young decided to shift the class’s focus from STEM to interdisciplinary research surrounding equity.

“The students need to have a course where they can play a more active role

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in understanding the issues of today… that are pervasive in our country around inequity,” Gupta said. “Our young minds have so much to give and oftentimes, their creativity and their agency is crammed by a prescriptive syllabus. I’ve always wanted a class where students can look at complex problems through multiple lenses — not only STEM-focused — and then provide solutions.”

Though Equity Deconstructed is still early in its development, the course’s collaborators have a general idea of what it’ll look like in the upcoming year.

The class is based on Stanford d.school’s (Hasso Plattner Institute of Design) equitycentered framework, and its purpose is to give students opportunities to research and implement solutions to a variety of societal issues.

During the first semester, the teachers will work on building capacity for the students by teaching them research skills and exploring issues through various lenses like race, gender, sexuality and socioeconomic status. “[Honors American Literature] uses lenses [such as Critcal Race Theory and Feminist Critical Lens] as the foundation

of the course,” English teacher Vennessa Nava said. “But the focus of the work that we do in [class] is literature. I think that with [Equity Deconstructed], there’s a lot more prerogative for students in doing what they want to do.”

Students will conduct a small research project during first semester, which will allow them to practice the skills they’ve learned while giving and receiving feedback through peer revision. This will ultimately prepare them for the main focus of the course — the Equity Deconstructed event.

As the year progresses, students will add more complexity to their research questions, develop an understanding of the problem based on their knowledge from first semester and propose and implement possible solutions. Ultimately, the goal is to have a school-wide showcase of all the interdisciplinary research projects, so students can share their work with the MVHS community.

Equity Deconstructed isn’t a new idea to MVHS — in past years, students gathered to present their research in a similar schoolwide event called Earth Deconstructed that was centered around

climate change awareness. “[Earth Deconstructed] had around 500 participants, and they all tackled the issue of climate change from different angles,” Gupta said. “Some people in math made we all thought it was a great idea,” MVHS solar cookers. In science, they explained principal Ben Clausnitzer said. “[So the] ocean acidification and creat[ed] devices next step was meeting with the [Fremont Union High School] that can reverse the Foundation, because effects [of climate we wanted to dialogue change].

There and make sure they were language arts felt comfortable students that traced with what our idea the path of Odysseus, was. [After that], Ms. if he were to make his Gupta and the other journey… with our collaborators put climate today.” everything together, At Earth OUR TEAM [HAS] GOT and I got that email Deconstructed, DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES, out.” students were able AND EVERYONE BRINGS This process to share their work A UNIQUE SET OF SKILLS took two weeks — with policymakers, OR [EQUITY TOPICS] because the Equity entrepreneurs, THAT THEY’RE TRULY Deconstructed scientists and district PASSIONATE ABOUT. course is an update leadership.

Rather CHEMISTRY TEACHER of the previous than being just STEMKAVITA GUPTA STEM Research focused, the event class, less time was represented the required to develop variety of interests the course. The main addition was the present in the MVHS student body.

Moved by the unique students from interdisciplinary, equity focus, but the different disciplines coming together to foundation of research as well as the present their research on climate change, FUHSD Foundation as its funding source Gupta was inspired to create Equity remains.

Because of the interdisciplinary aspect Deconstructed.

The course’s collaborators had to go of Equity Deconstructed, all of the course’s through several steps before it could collaborators come from a different discipline. As a chemistry teacher who be officially announced. On the instructing side, Nava says that the idea for the course came together when the seven collaborators gathered in Sattherthwaite’s room to share their thoughts on recent inequity issues. From there, they created a flyer and wrote a one-page description before taking their idea to MVHS administration.

“As a group,

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MVHS students present their research projects at Earth Deconstructed.

NEWS has previously supervised STEM research projects, Gupta will focus on the STEM aspect of the class.

Nava and Gould, on the other hand, are English teachers, whereas Sattherthwaite is the Journalism adviser. Gould and Young contribute their expertise in performing arts, teaching Drama and Choir respectively. Additionally, Belshe and Bonde both have extensive backgrounds in equity work, which Nava believes will be important to the class.

“Our team is such a dream team,” Gupta said. “It’s got diverse perspectives, and everyone brings a unique set of skills or [equity topics] that they’re truly passionate about. Because no matter what you do, you need to have a 360 degree view — STEM is incomplete without the other aspects.”

On top of involving the MVHS community, another change from the STEM Research course is that students will no longer be participating in the annual Synopsys Science Fair. In previous years, the class’ goal was to prepare for and present at the fair, where students’ projects would be judged and awards would be given based on performance.

“Part of why I’m excited for this course is because the model isn’t premised on competition and personal glory,” Nava said. “I like that all the work that’s happening [will be] for the betterment of the community and to understand the challenges that we are all facing together. I think that shifting the paradigm to that community focus will prove inspiring for many students.”

PHOTO BY JULIA SATTHERTHWAITE | USED WITH PERMISSION

NEWS | MAY 2021

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PHOTO | WIKIMEDIA

MVHS became one of 223 schools to be awarded the CA Distinguished School Award

DISTINGUISHED SCHOOL Exploring the distinguished school award and what it means for MVHS

BY TANISH MENDKI AND LANCE TONG

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n April 27, 2021, the California Department of Education (CDE) published a news release on their website, in which State Superintendent Tony Thurmond announced that MVHS was one of multiple schools in California that were “State Distinguished Schools.”

This year, a total of 223 schools were given the honor, with 102 being announced in March and 121 more in April.

MVHS has previously won the award in 2007, 2013 and 2019. Principal Ben Clausnitzer informed school staff about this development in an email, where he congratulated all teachers, saying, “I am proud of all of you and thank you for all that you do for our students, for each other and for our school community!”

“It’s wonderful to be recognized for [the] exceptional performance of our students in multiple areas,” Clausnitzer said. “Especially when you look in comparison to our district, the county, the state — students at MVHS perform amazingly.”

The California Distinguished School (CDS) program recognizes state schools that “demonstrate exemplary achievements,” choosing from elementary, middle and high schools based on a set criteria. All California

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schools are able to apply for the award it’s very telling of our school and the every two years, as schools hold the DS community itself — not just the students title for two years after receiving it. and how hard they work, but it also speaks CDS gives the award to schools in a lot about our staff, and altogether, one of two categories, but according to we all represent MVHS”.Junior Ameya Clausnitzer, that category is never formally Joshi feels as though MVHS winning the announced to the award makes sense school that receives because everyone it. The first category at MVHS “wants to is “Closing the be the best that they Achievement Gap” can be.” while the second “I’m glad that is “Exceptional the hard work and S t u d e n t dedication of both P e r f o r m a n c e .” the staff and the IT’S WONDERFUL TO Clausnitzer students has paid BE RECOGNIZED FOR believes that off,” Joshi said. “This [THE] EXCEPTIONAL MVHS most likely award is like a nod received the award to the excellency PERFORMANCE OF for the latter. we strive towards as OUR STUDENTS IN A ssistant members of MVHS.” MULTIPLE AREAS.” principal Janice Along with Chen shares pride, Clausnitzer PRINCIPAL Clausnitzer’s pride emphasizes how BEN CLAUSNITZER at receiving the DS students and staff award, adding that alike should view it sets MVHS apart this recognition from other schools as yet another in our community as well. opportunity for further progress as a “I think any award recognition is school community. definitely nice,,” Chen said. “I think “I don’t know that it would impact

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everyday lives — I think it’s something that you say, ‘OK, we got recognized, and let’s be proud of that,’” Clausnitzer said. “And there’s room for growth for us as a school. And that’s why I say, you know, that there’s never a single story to it. So, for us, I think, as a school as a school community, I think a good way to think would be about continuous improvement.”

For Clausnitzer, a way to act on that “continuous improvement” is through the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) report that MVHS has created, which describes goals created by teachers, students and staff. Chen, helped facilitate the WASC process at MVHS, explains that WASC is another accreditation process that every school goes through in order to examine the level of education.

Every six years, WASC examiners come to MVHS to meet with teachers and inspect a comprehensive report that the school creates, detailing the progress that has been made on the goals from the last WASC visit as well as new goals to work on over the next six years.

“It’s like a stamp of approval that says [the school has] a legitimate curriculum,” Chen said. “They follow legitimate procedures, all of that stuff, so that they recognize that diploma is legit. Because otherwise, I could just start a Miss Chen University and just pass out A’s to everyone.”

In explaining how WASC impacts students, Chen describes a “trickle-down effect,” in which the teachers and staff work behind the scenes, holding meetings and developing curriculum. This work “trickles down” into the classroom, where students get those benefits without truly knowing about the work that the team did over the year.

“Reading the report from six years ago to now, I definitely think there’s been a lot of progress made,” Chen said. “We’re not there yet, 100% across the board, but from six years ago, it’s huge — there’s definitely been a lot of progress. There’s been a lot of work put in, our teachers have worked really hard, trying to align [the] curriculum. I think teachers have been working super hard to try and collaborate together to provide a more rich experience for our students. And it’s baby steps. We’re taking baby steps in the right direction.”

INFOGRAPHIC | TANISH MENDKI INFOGRAPHIC | TANISH MENDKI

NEWS | MAY 2021

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BAY AREA FACES BOBA SHORTAGE Explaining how the tapioca pearl shortage has impacted local businesses

BY MATTHEW YOSHIMOTO

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ue to a lack of dock workers and congestion of container ships anchored off the ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach and Oakland, it has been difficult for ships to unload their goods, causing many business owners, including those from the boba industry, to fear that their products may arrive later than expected.

With some Bay Area and nationwide four to five months for the container ships boba suppliers struggling to distribute to get unloaded and distributed to the the tapioca balls, some stores have been suppliers. forced to limit the amount of boba scoops According to Kip Louttit, executive per customer, while others are expected to director of the Marine Exchange of run out in the coming weeks. Junior Collin Southern California, the container ship Ong shares that he first heard about the stoppage can be largely attributed to an shortage through Boba Guy’s Instagram insufficient number of workers at the account, which amassed a great deal ports due to COVID-19 restrictions. He of social media attention explains that “when you have more cargo, among the you have a boba-drinking less efficient community. cargo moving On April 8, s y s t e m ,” David Fan from which only Fanale Drinks, worsens as a boba supplier more ships based in the begin to pile Bay Area for up.

[GETTING BOBA thousands of With the TEA] IS A PART OF stores across news of the MY ROUTINE AND the country, boba shortage IT’S DEFINITELY shared, in a spreading SOMETHING I WOULD video posted quickly, many to Boba Guy’s students MISS IF THEY RAN OUT. Instagram, that shared the JUNIOR “America is i n fo r m at i o n COLLIN ONG having trouble with their importing f r i e n d s anything from and family, overseas, especially from wanting to know whether the shortage Asia.” The Bay Area supplier would affect their favorite stores. Ong, is an exclusive distributor for who gets boba at least once or twice a U.S. Boba, which Boba Guys week, immediately went to get boba tea and many other companies after hearing of the news because he are dependent on for their feared that his favorite boba store, Gong supply of tapioca pearls — Cha, was one of the businesses affected which comes from Taiwan. by the shortage.

In the same video, Andrew “[Getting boba tea] is a part of my Chau from Boba Guys routine and it’s definitely something I predicted that it would take would miss if they ran out,” Ong said.

“Boba is something that gives me a lot of joy, and I enjoy those places and talking to the employees, of students so it’d be really sad if they have heard didn’t have any more boba. about And I would also assume the boba that their customer base shortage would suddenly drop, [which] would put them at risk of shutting down.” *According to a survey of 254 MVHS students However, Sunnyvale

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51%

PHOTO | MATTHEW YOSHIMOTO

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How often do you drink boba? *According to a survey of 251 MVHS students

3%

51%

12%

34%

of students drink boba more than once a week

of students drink boba at least once a week

of students drink boba at least once a month

of students never drink boba ILLUSTRATIONS | MATTHEW YOSHIMOTO

Gong Cha Manager Michael Kuo shares that his store has not been impacted, as he believes their warehouse stores a plentiful supply of stored boba. Though he is unaware of what their supply may look like in a few months, he shares that there shouldn’t be any problems for his store in the foreseeable future.

“Since boba is one of the key ingredients for boba tea, the overall shortage is very concerning,” Kuo said. “The fact that it’s not a supply shortage from Asia where most of the boba comes from, but at the docks, it’s a little frustrating. [The boba is] here, but the boba stores area-wide can’t seem to get access to it.”

Initially, when the news of a possible boba shortage was spreading, Kuo recalls about every third or fourth customer asking about their tapioca pearl supply.

Junior Alysa Phattanaphibul, who has worked at TeaTop for about two years, shares a similar experience.

Phattanaphibul’s manager informed her that the store would not be affected until the end of May, if the shortage persists. However, she fears that if their boba supply runs low, many customers would come less frequently since she believes many customers come for the boba pearls specifically; yet customers can still purchase the drink with other toppings or none at all. Currently, Phattanaphibul drinks about five boba teas per week, as she gets one free drink per shift, yet she shares that she “definitely wouldn’t go as often”

if the shortage of tapioca pearls affects her store. However, she stated she would also consider trying other toppings, such as coconut and grass jelly.

Ong says that if his favorite places ran out of their tapioca pearl supply, he would instead attempt to make the t o p p i n g at home.

Despite not being directly affected by the s h o r ta ge , O n g believes that this news has given him a

newfound appreciation for boba.

“We live in a place where we can have pretty much everything and anything shipped to us from any side of the world, and so hearing about [the boba shortage] and it actually impacting us, it makes us more grateful for this thing we may have taken for granted,” Ong said.

“I think boba adds another taste and texture to the drink that you can’t get in any other drinks. It’s an essential [part] of the drink and without it, it’s not even the same.”

Junior Collin Ong drinks a Lychee Green Tea with tapioca pearls from Gong Cha Sunnyvale.

PHOTO BY ASHLYNN ONG | USED WITH PERMISSION

NEWS | MAY 2021

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ILLUSTRATION | SOPHIA MA

BEHIND BOTH DOSES Examining the experiences of getting the COVID-19 vaccine

BY MELODY CUI AND ANIKA SHARMA

O

n April 15, 2021, California began allowing residents 16 and older to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

Senior Austin Ota became eligible for the Pfizer vaccine on Feb. 28, two months before others his age, because he is a theater camp instructor who regularly interacts with young students. On March 1, he went to Levi’s stadium and after filling out the required paperwork and waiting for approximately 15 minutes, he received his first dose.

After receiving the shot, everyone was required to remain on site for an additional 15 minutes to ensure that he had no intense side effects or an allergic reaction. When Ota was cleared, he went home and recounts that he felt “nothing unusual,” only drowsiness — that he attributes to “being a high school student” — and minimal arm pain.

According to a poll by Monmouth University, one in every four Americans refuse to get vaccinated, with one of the primary factors influencing their decision being the fear of side effects. Side effects

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and their severity depends on the person that the vaccine is doing its job [and] is — for some, they can be intense, and working to respond.” some people may have none.

Senior Rohith Vishwajith also received Biology teacher K yle Jones explains the Pfizer vaccine as a prerequisite that these for his eye reactions surgery – he had are a normal Keratoconus, a part of being deformed retina, vaccinated. so he needed “ T h e to undergo symptoms a medical are a result of procedure to your immune fix it. Similar to s y s t e m Ota, he also felt responding to no serious side have received at least one dose of the virus, not effects after the the COVID-19 vaccine the virus itself,” first dose. *According to a survey of 253 MVHS students Jones said.

He reports “You’re getting that after his a response of white blood cells being second dose, the only side effect he produced that require energy, so you feel felt was arm soreness which he quickly tired and fatigued because your immune recovered from. system is taking up a lot of energy to fight According to the CDC, the second this off, so all of those symptoms that you dose of the Pfizer and Monderna vaccine experience from the vaccine is actually is known to induce more intense side telling you that your immune system effects than the first because the immune

64%

of MVHS students

response will be stronger since the second dose stimulates the immune system more than the first. But despite the increase in severity, the side effects should still subside within a few days.

Pfizer and Monderna are mRNA vaccines, biology teacher Lora Lerner explains. For both, the first dose triggers a primary immune response that will then cause other immune cells to multiply and produce antibodies.

“If you should be exposed to that particular protein or antigen again, [you] would then be able to activate this immune response much more quickly,” Lerner said. “A secondary immune response would generate these immune cells and generate many more of these antibodies, but in a much shorter period of time, and [in] a much stronger response.”

AP Biology teacher Pamela Chow urges students to get their vaccines once eligible in order to reach herd immunity, which refers to a resistance to the spread of a virus in a population, a condition that can only be achieved when a large percentage of the population becomes immune to the virus.

“At the moment, I think one of the important things to remember is that the more the virus is allowed to spread, the more [the] mutations would [occur],” Chow said. “Part of the push to vaccinate right now has to do with trying to get things contained because if people aren’t getting vaccinated, the virus is transmitting [at a] higher quantity, [and] I think it is important to realize that vaccination is not just for the individual but it’s also from a community health perspective.”

NEWS | MAY 2021

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ADVISORY TAKEAWAYS

Examining the new Advisory class content and curriculum

BY AMBER MILESI AND LANCE TONG

O

ne of the new additions to the 2020-21 school year was the implementation of Advisory at MVHS, which was held in second period classes on Wednesday mornings. Almost every week, lessons crafted by the Staff Equity Task Force, Student Equity Task Force, Social Emotional Learning Task Force, counselors and more are presented to students either by their second period teachers or through pre recorded videos.

Through Advisory, MVHS students were informed on a variety of modern day social issues and topics, ranging from the origins of Thanksgiving to consent education.

AP U.S. History Teacher and History Department Lead Bonnie Belshe says that students and teachers on the task forces worked together to form many of the presentations. She notes that her role was often a supportive one, with students assuming a lead role. “[The Student Equity Task Force] did that hard work of building and putting [lessons] together,” Belshe said. “And then for the videos, I was working on a

[feminism] presentation that they had [the topics].” put together.”

Mohan also believes that advisory The culmination of the students’ provided room for discussion that no class and teachers’ efforts had previously included videos, provided. Mohan interactive slides and notes that while lessons in an attempt often literature to better inform the classes provided MVHS community. room for Junior Sahana Mohan discussion, it often believes that the did not do enough.

Advisory was a positive Junior Jayden [ADVISORY] CREATES addition to distance Lee agrees and A SAFE SPACE FOR learning. adds that the most YOU TO GET TO KNOW “I think Advisory useful Advisory YOUR TEACHERS is really useful — it lesson to him was creates a safe space on racial bias.

AND TO TALK ABOUT for you to get to “[The lesson] IMPORTANT TOPICS. know your teachers was good because JUNIOR and to talk about it was [during the SAHANA MOHAN important topics,” resurgence of the] Mohan said. “I think BLM [movement] the lessons were really and I felt like it was good background, the perfect time and I think it also opened up a lot of to address those problems,” Lee said. conversations for students to have with “[Now,] we are properly educated on their teachers and share their opinions on [what we could do].”

Black History Month Feb 3

Anti Asian American Racism March 17

Womens History Month March 31

To reflect on Black History Month, the ETF along with AP U.S. History teacher Bonnie Belshe created a presentation that highlighted the achievements and history of African Americans.

Students viewed a presentation of influential Black figures throughout history, such as Civil Rights activist Dr. Martin Luther King and historian Carter Woodson.

After a nationwide increase in Asian American hate crimes, the Advisory period addressed racism and hate crimes against Asian Americans.

Students were asked to reflect on their experiences and taught how to take action to address anti-Asian American racism.

Belshe led a video presentation that discussed feminism and its origins in honor of Women’s History Month.

The goal, according to Belshe, was to “acknowledge women’s contributions to American history and specific achievements of women in various fields.”

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Lee believes that students will be better prepared to react to things like racism or sexual harassment through the lessons rather than act as bystanders in these instances. However, he occasionally feels as though the lessons are too long.

“I think [Advisory] is helpful in the sense that it brings up current problems that you see — like sexual harassment — at Monta Vista,” Lee said. “It brings up modern problems we face growing up.”

Despite feeling that more cirriculum is needed and the presentations taking too long, Lee says that he has learned a lot from advisory on how to react to different situations and circumstances. Lee found that the timliness of advisory lessons was often one of it’s greatest strengths.

In future Advisory lessons, Mohan hopes to see various subjects including more lessons on the #MeToo movement as well as ethnicity because they would, “open up even better discussions.” Belshe explains that feedback is crucial in the development of these lessons, and in fact, some of the toughest lessons to create received the best student feedback because of the relevance of the topics and how many students could reflect on the seriousness of what their peers face.

With the school year coming to a close, “Especially since people will be Belshe says that Advisory will not end with stressed coming back to school, it will the distance and create [some] time for people to get hybrid learning. together and not be stressed about school She says the [and discuss other topics],” Mohan said.

Fremont Education Lee agrees that the advisories will be a A s s o c i a t i o n welcome sight next year, but hopes that (FEA) and FUHSD there will be lessons for every advisory or agreement will likely allow for up to six no meeting at all.

Advisory periods each semester. They Belshe says that the students in the plan to implement the lessons during new STEAM Research Course and those tutorial and continue in the Student Equity the practice of Task Force do plan learning with the to continue creating second period class. new lessons to help “We’ll still have inform and educate these and have the student body at that capability for MVHS. it,” Belshe said.

“It’s a lot of work on “Meeting every week, the student and a lot I THINK IT’S A FIRST that was because of of work on the teacher STEP FOR US AS WE the pandemic and on putting those ARE, JUST NOW, remote learning, together,” Belshe GETTING INTO WHAT to be able to have said. “But I would say [class periods] on a that feedback like THIS EQUITY WORK Wednesday.” the output that we REALLY MEANS. Mohan believes got from it definitely HISTORY that Advisory during made it worth it. And BONNIE BELSHE in-person learning I think it’s a first step next year will be for us as we are, just beneficial to MVHS now, really getting students, citing into what this equity positives that extend beyond the content work really means.” of the lessons.

Remote Learning Anxiety April 7

Sexual Assault April 28

Disability Awareness May 12

A presentation by FUHSD counselor Lisa Sheehy began with a video discussing the potential challenges of students returning to campus on April 19. Later, students participated in an activity to address any of their uncertainties and were asked to write down any questions they had about in person classes.

The SEL task force addressed the rising number of students coming forward to report potential cases of sexual assault by educating students on the recurring issues of sexual harassment and assult and how to prevent the normalization of sexual violence. The class also covered the meaning and importance of consent.

The presentation was meant to inform MVHS students on often invisible disabilities. Students were taught about classmates with disabilities and how through acknowledging disabilities among classmates, students would create a more welcoming class envioronment.

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NEWS | MAY 2021

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WHEN ONE DOOR CLOSES This past year has provided an abundance of doors that were slammed shut. But in the face of each lost opportunity, students have found new ways to move forward.

From working part-time jobs to finding joy in the small moments of awkwardness that accompany hybrid learning, we explore how in the wake of each closed by the pandemic, another one seemed to open.

ONE FINAL TIME My dilemma with planning senior year activities

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BY VIVIAN JIANG

am exhausted. And I’m sure many of my fellow seniors, both at MVHS and across the country, feel the exact same way right now. The pandemic has taken away the majority of our senior year, and it feels as if the past year has been a blur. And while some COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted, providing us an opportunity to gain back some of our senior traditions, even I — someone who has planned, promoted and attended these types of events throughout high school — am unsure if anyone in our grade will have the energy to participate.

Truthfully, I feel like I’ve been stuck in a never-ending cycle where every day is almost the exact same. Although I have tried to insert some variety in my daily schedule by going on walks to different locations and trying my hand at embroidery, the ukelele, longboarding and felting, the combination of senioritis and the fact that graduation is only weeks away has put me in some sort of trance of just trying to get to the next day and end my mediocre, depressing senior year as quickly as possible. I’m burnt out, tired, drained and, frankly, I’ve already graduated in my mind.

And this is where my dilemma comes in — the possibility of holding in-person events somewhat reminiscent of a normal senior year has appeared, but I am struggling to find the motivation and strength to pursue these opportunities.

Over the past couple weeks, class office has discussed countless ideas, such as a prom replacement, a senior sunrise/ sunset, a drive-in movie and even a senior ditch day. But every time we come up with a new idea, there is almost triple the amount of obstacles to holding the event, including both logistical and timing conflicts. Planning just a single event, such as a prom replacement event, has been tiring and borderline impossible.

As a class office made up of only five seniors, we’re running out of the patience, time and energy to plan an event that

will comply with COVID-19 guidelines, make people actually want to attend and convince non-class officers to get involved with helping plan and run the event. Personally, there are so many other issues that are more demanding and pressing that I have to deal with before graduation — like keeping up with schoolwork, prepping for AP exams that will give me credit in college and figuring out which De Anza courses to take for the summer. All of these things combined makes it infinitely harder for me to try and deal with all the obstacles regarding an event that almost seems trivial when compared to everything else I need to focus on.

Yet, a part of me knows that it’s wrong to simply throw away these opportunities in exchange for my own needs. I signed up for this role, and it’s a role I’ve fulfilled for my first three years of high school. How could I, especially in the Class of 2021’s final year of high school, ditch my responsibilities because I’ve personally already given up? It would be selfish of me not to consider the desires of the seniors in my grade, some of whom want an event like prom to serve as a final sense of closure. A part of me still

wants that cliché senior experience, and honestly, our senior class deserves to have at least one thing this year that’s special to our last year of high school.

I’m not ready to say farewell to my class yet. Not until we pull off our final event — officially named “Sunset Banquet,” unofficially a replacement for Senior Ball. But in its own way, it is more than just a replacement — it is a testament to a senior year far from normal, a reward for everything we have had to endure for the past year, an acknowledgment to the senior year and traditions we lost and, most importantly, a celebration of making it through to the end and to the bright future that lies ahead of us. As we watch the sunset together, I hope we’ll remember this moment, and our senior year in full, as one of peace and comfort, instead of regret and sadness.

ILLUSTRATION | ANUSHKA DE

OPINION | MAY 2021

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THE FUTURE OF SCHOOL SPIRIT Exploring whether MVHS traditions make a comeback after the pandemic

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BY KRIPA MAYURESHWAR

ot, fun-filled summer days are what junior Ojas Karnavat recalls when thinking of his experience planning Homecoming as a freshman class officer in 2018. He and his friends spent hours painting huge backdrops for the class of 2022’s Homecoming skits. They were accompanied by large amounts of food and loud music, and the overall atmosphere leads Karnavat to look back on those times fondly and describe them as “[some] of the most fun experiences [he’s] had in high school.”

ILLUSTRATION | ANUSHKA DE

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EL ESTOQUE | MAY 2021

Pratt Institute freshman and MVHS alumna Naomi Desai, ‘20, was also very enthusiastic about school spirit during her time at MVHS. She echoes Karnavat’s thoughts about Homecoming.

“Homecoming is such a big, positive experience [at] MVHS because [everyone] is always so busy and stressed out with academics and [it’s] really just a week where even the teachers are pretty lax on homework and assignments,” Desai said.

“You just get to enjoy it, have fun, hang out with your friends and participate in school spirit.”

Along with Homecoming, Desai encourages students to participate in

other events like dances and rallies when given the chance.

However, as a result of COVID-19 and remote learning, the nature and expression of school spirit has been heavily impacted. In-person events like Homecoming, rallies and dances are no longer possible, and neither are the skits, practices and environments that came with them. Because of that, freshman Ananya Nadathur believes that her participation in such events throughout the school year has been extremely low. “[I’m] not at all [involved in school spirit events],” Nadathur said. “I don’t think everything’s as interesting as it would be when it’s in person. [Events] lose how fun they would be, and they’re just less attractive.”

Nadathur has some idea about what Homecoming and rallies were actually like before the pandemic, but it only comes from secondhand accounts. She knows that there are rallies in the gym and that there are skits and dance performances, but not much more.

According to Desai, the Homecoming experience varies from year to year. In her freshman year, she didn’t participate much in Homecoming because she didn’t know how “into it” people were. She said the experience could be “somewhat overwhelming” for freshmen in general, as they are still getting used to the school. However, after seeing how much effort went into planning and executing Homecoming, Desai says not just her, but her entire class “stepped up [their] game” when it came to participation in the remainder of their high school experience.

“During sophomore year, [I was] proud to [say], ‘Yeah, that’s my class, they put in the work and they did that,’” Desai said.

“My junior year was the peak for us and we did better than the seniors ... [But] senior year was definitely my favorite because that’s when I knew [everything about] what was happening and I [felt a sense of community] a little bit more.”

Desai expresses her concern about the future of school spirit in general, since

there will only be two grades who have actually experienced school spirit events when in-person school reopens, with one of them having been on campus for less than a year. She believes that most of the MVHS student body will have no prior knowledge about what “school spirit” truly looks like.

Once the 2021-2022 school year begins, two grades at MVHS will never have attended an in-person Homecoming, rally or dance. The last class that had a Junior Prom will be college sophomores, and the last class that experienced a senior prom will be college juniors. ”[Spirit is] just about hanging out with your friends and getting dressed up and taking pictures and doing fun things, and I’m so sad that classes right now don’t get to experience that,” Desai said, “Especially [class of] 2021 [with prom].”

In addition to not having experienced these traditional school events, Leadership students in future class councils will have to navigate planning them as well. Nadathur will be a part of the 2024 leadership council for the next Desai emphasizes school year, and she says that, assuming that next school year is in-person, she can that people missing out see her class having a similar experience on high school events now to the freshmen — she anticipates being can be used as a means of increasing buried under the stress of planning an participation, and suggests showcasing event they have never experienced. past spirit events to newer MVHS students However, she also believes that a through videos to show what they used to be like. That being byproduct of being said, she deeply at home for so long empathizes with can be an increase the new leadership in school spirit. councils and their Karnavat, struggles. currently a I’M RESPONSIBLE “I’m going to member of the FOR THIS GROUP OF be an orientation class of 2022 INCOMING FRESHMEN, leader in Leadership BUT I’M STILL [Pratt Institute] Council, agrees next year and it’s LEARNING EVERYTHING that although the going to be such a lack of experience MYSELF. chaotic experience does pose a I don’t challenge, it can MVHS ALUMNA ‘20 because know the campus also work in new NAOMI DESAI at all, and I students’ favor. definitely feel like “I feel that [the [that’s where] the lack of experience rising freshmen is] an opportunity and sophomores for the class office to use as a way to [increase] participation are going to be coming from because with these events on the basis of them not they don’t know anything but they’re on happening before and people [just] don’t Leadership and in charge of stuff,” Desai wanna miss out anymore,” Karnavat said. said. “That’s definitely how I feel right

ILLUSTRATION | ANUSHKA DE

now — I’m responsible for this group of incoming freshmen, but I’m still learning everything myself.”

Although she believes old MVHS traditions may be unknown, Desai says that experiencing events and having fun with friends are extremely important, so students should make an effort to participate. “[As] an adult, you’re not going to be thinking about what your GPA was in high school,” Desai said. “You’re going to be thinking about those fun memories.”

OPINION | MAY 2021

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ILLUSTRATION | ANUSHKA DE

I FEEL CHEATED

Examining the paradox of junior year in remote learning

BY DIYA BAHL AND ANUSHKA DE

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ake up. Log on. Camera off. Try to stay awake. Leave meeting. Due by 11:59.

Sleep. Repeat.

Sometimes, I have to remind myself that school represents the six hours of my day that are supposed to be dedicated to learning. But ever since school became restricted to the confines of a computer screen it has suddenly felt optional, as if it’s not one of the most vital parts of my development as a person and future.

And I’m not alone — research has shown that online learning has brought about a learning loss as high as 60%, according to a study done by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Honestly, my apathetic attitude towards academics is not for lack of trying.

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EL ESTOQUE | MAY 2021

In Honors American Literature, I had looked forward to charged discussions about critical race theory and feminism that both heightened and challenged my world views. In AP Biology, I finally felt like I was going to have a chance to explore the hands-on aspects of concepts I had fallen in love with in freshman Biology. In Journalism, I’d hoped to conduct face-toface interviews with a diverse collection of people while sitting on the benches outside of the library, surrounded by the chatter of students during brunch.

But instead, I find myself staring at my computer screen for hours on end, forcing myself to trudge through a laundry list of assignments and never feeling like I’ve truly learned anything at all, all while counting down the seconds until I can press the red “leave meeting” button at the bottom right hand corner of my screen. This endless cycle of school has

drowned out the value I used to place on putting in effort into my education and is a feeling that has swept across the nation’s students, manifesting itself into a 50% spike in failing grades since the 2020-21 school year began, according to the San Jose Mercury News. Furthermore, teenagers across the nation are feeling the emotional impacts of a life confined to quarantine, with a reported 50% increase in depression, 70% increase in anxiety disorders and 334% increase in intentional self-harm, according to a poll

by Fair Health in Time Magazine.

But this was not how it was supposed to be.

This year was supposed to be the year of growth, maturity and independence — not to mention the year that college applications finally became a reality. For the first time, dozens of extracurricular activities that I had wanted to pursue,

is good in the world, I can’t help but wonder if although this year completely defied all my expectations of what I’d I HOPE FOR A anticipated, I was able to utilize that time to grow and mature intellectually GRADUATION WHERE I and emotionally to the best of my ability WILL THROW MY CAP anyway. Oftentimes, I am left feeling UP INTO THE AIR AND shockingly inadequate. But of course, SALUTE THE TWO each year, I learn more how life is merely AND A HALF YEARS I a collection of unexpected twists and turns — even if I’d never imagined a SPENT ON CAMPUS pandemic to be one of those turns. All I AND THE ONE AND A can do, as I get ready to turn the page on HALF YEARS I SPENT a new chapter of my life, is to remember MISSING IT AT HOME. that I am more than the accumulation of my accomplishments.

But for now — wake up, log on, camera off, stay awake and leave For many, quarantine gave a way to found meeting. And sometimes, look up and non-profits, get jobs and improve their remember that no matter what, I am physical and mental well-being. always moving onward and upward, So the question is, do I deserve to feel into a beautiful future that remains to be cheated? discovered.

As the doom of impending college apps starts masking my view of all that

ILLUSTRATION | ANUSHKA DE

from volunteering at hospitals to immersive summer internships, would have opened to my age group. In October, I would have attended Homecoming and in March, Junior Prom. Through it all, I would have escaped the four walls of an environment dedicated to academia during lunch and used my newly minted driver’s license to relax during car rides with my friends.

Instead, I find myself hopelessly unmotivated, with a stagnant list of extracurricular activities, equipped with a driver’s license that serves only to gather dust in my wallet. On the occasions that I take the time to look in the mirror and reflect, I feel as though I am looking at a near copy of the person I was last year, perhaps adorned with slightly more acne and dark circles.

Devoid of the opportunities to mature with my friends and feeling as though I have barely grown academically, I feel both physically and mentally the same.

In spite of these pitfalls, of course, there remains a silver lining. I feel lucky that I had a real freshman year at school — I built relationships that I treasure to this day, joined clubs that helped me discover new passions and had the opportunity to call MVHS my home. And I feel even more lucky that I have a senior year to look forward to — I hope for a senior sunrise, a final Homecoming, a Senior Ball and a graduation where I will throw my cap up into the air and salute the two and a half years I spent on campus and the one and a half years I spent missing it at home.

I also cannot deny that academically, getting the grades I aimed for was easier and numerous organizations have allowed people to get involved online.

OPINION | MAY 2021

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A FINAL (HYBRID) LESSON

Learning my final lesson in-person at MVHS after a year of remote learning

ILLUSTRATION | ANUSHKA DE

BY RACHEL JIANG

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ay 363 of staying at home with a 17-year-old and hopefully functional brain. I was bored. Despite the comfort that accompanied staying at home with bags of dumplings stacked in the fridge and a cozy blanket to warm myself, I felt confined to the same environment, living a life on repeat through a small screen.

The only connection I made was with my WiFi. The only normal part of my senior year was my senioritis.

“WHEN WE REACH OUT LOWEST POINT, WE ARE OPEN TO THE GREATEST CHANGE.” - AVATAR AANG

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EL ESTOQUE | MAY 2021

After a brief observational investigation of my habits at home, I’ve come to two conclusions: first, that senioritis thrives under the cozy conditions provided to me at home, and second, that my disgraceful sitting posture had me turning me into somewhat of a human pretzel during class, which did not sit well with my spine.

With my combination of inefficiency, boredom and unhealthy habits, it was no wonder I desperately wanted to return back to school once the hybrid learning schedule was announced.

Day one of returning to school. This was the day that I realized that people look so different in person than on Zoom.

Who would’ve thought that the individual behind that rubber ducky profile picture wasn’t a duck, but a human? I thought I was lucky to have both Mario AND Pepe the Frog in one of my classes. Photoshop can be quite deceiving at times …

So my journey to go back to “normal” begins, as each 90-minute period consisted of excruciatingly painful awkward silences with my teachers, constant echoes created by the sound delay from my headphone monitor and sudden realizations that I actually had to do uncomfortable things like make eye contact with people. What’s next? Having good posture? Not eating during class?

And don’t get me started with the stairs. Oh, the one-way stairs that had me walking around in circles just to find the right ones to ascend or descend. Finding and knowing which way was right or wrong was a physical and mental workout in and of itself.

Day two of returning to school. Upon walking into one of my classrooms, I realized that I had been placed in a room of students who were taking different classes — an uncomfortable phenomenon that occurs because teachers for those classes were unable to return to school because of health or childcare reasons. For the next hour and a half, I was surrounded by a tense atmosphere, like I was competing for the silent olympics. The first time I decided to shift my seat forward, it caused a massive echo throughout the room, and all heads swiveled in my direction with all five pairs of eyes staring at me. How will I ever rack up the courage to blow my nose again? Or drink water? Or breathe?

Day three of returning to school.

As I spoke with broken grammar, cracking my voice a couple of times and mispronouncing words, I realized that the first thing I’d lost to COVID-19 was my social skills. Though I could occasionally skirt interactions pulling out the classic bathroom excuse, my trump card, I figured that it’d be more productive to practice talking rather than hide in the stalls. And surprisingly, conversing with my classmates and teachers before and

after class felt more pleasant than exiting home, back to comfort and confinement. out of a Zoom session at home and But it’s illogical; instead, I found joy at speeding straight to the kitchen. school. The different challenges and It felt great remembering that the awkward incidents made each day at people I’ve seen solely on Zoom for the school unique and worth living. I no past year have personalities and faces longer felt that monotonous repetition I asides from their usual blanked-screen used to have back at home. profile pictures. I haven’t made friends all year, and getting to know the one to “STOP LOOKING FOR three students in each of my classes felt HAPPINESS IN THE SAME like a luxury. I felt so popular — practically PLACE YOU LOST IT.” everyone knew me!

- CATHERINE ZHANG Day four of returning to school. I almost smacked my leg on the table during first The initial discomfort I felt period. That was a close one! If I had been while adjusting back to school at home, I would have placed my legs way was a worthy tradeoff to above my head, which would have rested freeing myself from the gravity on my of that repetitive seat. cycle I lived On a through at home. good note, I not only found I’VE FINALLY I surprised new meaning UNDERSTOOD THAT and motivation myself today, in my current CHANGE IS NEVER managing life, but also COMFORTABLE to finish have refined skills all my that can carry me AT FIRST, BUT homework throughout college, be it WHAT FOLLOWS before communication, work ethic dinner. or social manners.

IS WHERE TRUE Usually, I Perhaps I just wanted SATISTFACTION w o u l d n’ t closure to my senior year, be able even if it was just for a LIES. to go for couple months.

But an hour nevertheless, I am a without growing student. Though sneaking into the kitchen for some food. always a bit tired, with zero bowls Since when was I able to concentrate for of dumplings next to me or cozy such a long time? blankets coating me, I feel free, Day “I lost count” of returning back living life that is no longer limited to school. I had grown accustomed to to a small screen. making eye contact with other people and I have finally understood that had also been improving my grammar and change is never comfortable at articulation. What were once awkward first, but what follows that is silences became enjoyable conversations where true satisfaction lies. about science, current events and life.

Additionally, doing homework was much more manageable than before.

I felt as if I had a dozen cups of coffee without actually consuming anything, as I’d be able to finish much more work in less time, which helped clear up my evening schedule. And with more free time, I started to feel like a true senior. I am no longer a pretzel. I can go outside.

And I can explore subjects I’ve never explored before through online websites and forums.

Yes, I originally did want to go back

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OPINION | MAY 2021

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STUDENTS WORK PART-TIME JOBS Exploring the impact of getting jobs over quarantine

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BY COLLIN QIAN or senior Shannon Tarng, her eagerness to move beyond her high school life brought forth by the monotony of the pandemic prompted her to go job searching. After applying to several stores, the Asian dessert store Meet Fresh called her for an interview, and eventually, gave her the position. While Tarng has only been at her job for a month, she has already created many memorable moments.

“I think on the first day of work, because we have so many things we have to memorize and some things sound kind of similar, I messed up an order,” Tarng said. “The person called back to complain saying that their order was messed up. So that was on my very first day, and it was a little traumatizing.”

In contrast, senior Joseph Li hadn’t been actively searching for a job, but when his friend told him that a new

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EL ESTOQUE | MAY 2021

Teaspoon store was opening in the area, acquired [from my job as a ranch hand], I his parents encouraged him to apply, think it’s gonna be great.” believing it would be a good learning As the youngest employee at the experience. Now, he ranch, Ploshay has has been working often been faced with at the boba shop customers that are Teaspoon alongside reluctant to take her his brother for the seriously.

THrough past six months. He overcoming this I THINK [MY JOB “This job helped obstacle Ploshay AT THE RANCH] me learn how believes that HAS PREPARED to interact with working at the ranch ME SO MUCH FOR customers more has boosted her because although confidence more than LIFE ON MY OWN. I’ve been in clubs like any other experience.

SENIOR DECA or Speech, I’ve Similarly, Li never really talked to explains that SKYLAR PLOSHAY real customers that interacting with other were paying money adults and working for a service,” Li under a manager has said. “It also helped made him realize me become more that, soon, he will responsible, because I need to make sure be an adult. This taste of independence to show up on time and not mess things from speaking to customers, dealing with up at work.” errors and gaining confidence — skills In contrast to the Tarng that the three seniors believe will follow and Li, who explore the them throughout their futures — have intersection of customer positively impacted Li, Ploshay and Tarng, service and the food industry despite the diverse nature of their jobs. In at work, senior Skylar Ploshay spite of the challenges that accompanied has been working as a ranch the COVID-19 pandemic, each was able to hand at Whispering Creek search for independence and learn more Stables since she was in about themselves and the adulthood that seventh grade, and since it is is so rapidly approaching. her senior year, she is taking “[Working at Meet Fresh] has been on more clients and tasks than interesting and it teaches you a lot about ever before. As an independent money, also it definitely makes you ranch hand, her job entails appreciate money more,” Tarng said. “I working with individual feel like after working, I definitely think clients and taking care of their I’ll be able to work in college. I might horses — she cleans stalls, first take the first semester off to see how takes the horses out, gives things are, but I think working is definitely them their medication, gets a great experience and I would like to them exercise, brushes them continue.” and various other chores.

“I think it’s prepared me so much for life on my own,” Ploshay said. “I’ll be living in a dorm next year and I won’t have my mom to cook my meals or help me stay on track — it’s all gonna be me.

So by having the skills that I’ve

THE CLASS OF

To say that the Class of 2021 faced an unprecedented senior year would be a clichéd understatement. Instead of forging memories — Senior Sunrise, winning Homecoming, Senior Ball — seniors were confined to Zoom squares.

But perhaps this is what set apart the Class of 2021 — and this Features package highlights their

resilience and uncovers their insights. Looking back, seniors share the advice they would give to their freshman selves. They tell us how their Zoom square confinement shaped their senior year and their favorite senior year memories despite these challenges. And looking forward, they tell us what they are most excited about in college and beyond.

WHAT GOT YOU through high school?

BY ANDIE LIU

PHOTO COURTESY OF LAKSHMI TALAPANENI | USED WITH PERMISSION

AKSHAT ROHATGI

“Whenever I was stressed [or] I needed someone to talk to, I knew that I always had my friends who had my back and if they weren’t available I could always talk to my family, my parents or my brother,” Akshat Rohatgi (right) said. “I think it just kind of feels nice knowing that if you need someone to talk to you, if you need to open up about something, being able to do that is really good … [For college applications,] I turned to my brother, who is five years older than me.

He’s gone through the process and had so much wisdom [and] experience with it. He was really patient with me, and almost every day I was asking him questions … I’m glad I’m close with my brother because I was able to tell him a lot about what I was going to write — he was really supportive in proofreading my essays for example, but I think he was also my biggest fan throughout the entire process.”

PHOTO BY RITU ROHATGI | USED WITH PERMISSION

LAKSHMI TALAPANENI

NICHOLAS YUNG

“For my first [MUN] competition, I got played by someone,” Lakshmi Talapaneni (right) said. “They told me that they would give me [a spot in the list of people credited in the paper], and apparently everybody knows that that’s not true, except for me. Iman [Malik] is an officer there so I told Iman, ‘Oh, they told me that they’re going to give me this spot.

I’m so great, aren’t I?’ I thought she’d be like, ‘Wow, you’re so great for getting that spot.’ And she was like, ‘Are you crazy?

They’re not going to give you anything.

They’re lying to you.’ That memory is so fond to me because if she hadn’t told me I would have been completely done for ...

She had her own competition going, but she talked to me, she told me exactly who to go talk to and how to get out of the situation that I’d put myself in. It was a memory where I thought I was doing so well and it took somebody close to me to tell me how it was going wrong, and I was really amazed that she was willing to help me so much because it took a lot of time out of her day and her own competition.”

“I coach kids for tennis, and that was something I always looked forward to because when I went there it took my mind off of school and college apps,” Nicholas Yung said. “This one time [one of my students] came up to me and randomly said, ‘Eh, you’re not funny.’ And I thought that was pretty funny … This one time everyone was throwing balls at this one kid. And I was like, ‘Stop throwing balls at this kid.’ … The kids are pretty funny there, and I have to make sure they don’t beat each other up, they’re not goofing around or getting hurt. I talk to them a lot, so it’s kind of like being around friends because I can talk to them about what video games they play or other things they do besides tennis.”

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EL ESTOQUE | MAY 2021

PHOTO BY MADELINE YUNG | USED WITH PERMISSION

SATHVIKA GOPALASETTY “Everyone on soccer calls me Sirty — I don’t really know how I got that nickname,” Sathvika Gopalasetty (left)said. “So when I explained my name to [an underclassman], it was hard to pronounce so I said, ‘It’s dirty with an S,’ and she said she thought that was super iconic ...

Recently we had senior night which was super cute and the juniors had us dress up as goats because ‘Greatest Of All Time.’ We have 11 [seniors], which is kind of crazy. Usually we have five, but we started and ended the game with only the seniors on the field because soccer has 11 people on the field. We were all super, super excited and you could tell from the way we were playing.”

PHOTO BY NAIMISHA ADIRA | USED WITH PERMISSION

AARON TSANG

PHOTO BY JANICE GOH | USED WITH PERMISSION

TIFFANY CHEN

“I live near [the McClellan Ranch Preserve],” Aaron Tsang said.

“In my room, it gets really hot sometimes, and then I get really easily frustrated, especially when I’m doing something that’s difficult like homework. So then I would go out and walk around [the preserve] to think about things and it let me calm down a little bit … Freshman year was OK for me and then sophomore year, things got a bit more difficult for me to handle, so I had to go out more to cool down … In sophomore year, I was reading a book that I really didn’t like, [“Waiting for an Angel”]. It was really difficult for me to read and I was really bored by it so I went out there and walked around a bit. I brought the book with me too, just in case I was taking too much time. I sort of just sat down there and I read there and it was actually pretty nice and it helped me get through the book.”

PHOTO BY RENEE OU | USED WITH PERMISSION

“Having something [I] can physically beat [my] stress [with] helped me feel more relaxed, and it gave me something to look forward to since I met a lot of my close friends through badminton,” Tiffany Chen (right) said. “Recently we had our senior night for badminton [and] I was playing my last game with my doubles partner, Gayatri Raut. For each match, you play best out of three games. We played three games, and it was super fun because it was my last game of basically my entire badminton career. I [will] miss her as my doubles partner who is always hyping me up in a game.

I feel like she showed me a lot of what sportsmanship is and also having a really good mentality of just enjoying the moment of playing badminton. [I’ll] really miss having her as my mentor. Sometimes, even in the game she would coach me like ‘Oh you should hit to the back of the court, not the front.’ We would share our little inside jokes, and we also have a handshake before we play every single game — it’s the little moments that I think I’ll really miss.”

PHOTOS BY MICHELLE WANG | USED WITH PERMISSION

MICHELLE WANG “I just love how photography has allowed me to bring about more positivity in my community because I specialize in portrait photography,” Michelle Wang (right) said.

“I’m always interacting with new people who hire me as a photographer. And it’s through these experiences where I’m able to really watch how my work can change people for the better. Every single person who I’ve taken photos of for the first time isn’t always very comfortable in front of the camera, which is super understandable because I don’t think anyone is 100% comfortable in front of the camera at first, but I’ve gotten really good at hyping up the model and making sure that they’re as comfortable as possible. I think it’s really cool how these people are now some of the most confident people I know today, after they’ve been able to see what photography can do for them.”

FEATURES | MAY 2021

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WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE YOUR FRESHMAN SELF?

BY ANJALI SINGH ANSHUL DASH

NEHA OBILISETTY

“When you’re choosing classes, go with something that will benefit you in the long run,” Anshul Dash said. “I think there are many opportunities that you can get to learn more about courses, like [the] Course Information Fair. That’s a perfect opportunity for students to go and ask teachers about what they can learn from the course and what they can get out of it.”

“It goes by really fast, so cherish it,” Neha Obilisetty (left) said.

“Go to all the rallies or the football games or the dances. Be really proactive in high school because it goes by really fast and you’ll regret it if you don’t.”

PHOTO BY SWETA KAR | USED WITH PERMISSION

PHOTO BY SIMRAN SINGH | USED WITH PERMISSION

SOWMYA RENUKUNTLA “You do you,” Sowmya Renukuntla (left) said.

“M[VHS] is a super competitive school and it’s super easy to get lost in the nature of the school. From my personal experience, I’m a business major, but a lot of my friends are going into STEM and they took AP Bio [and] AP Chem and I just decided to follow in their footsteps without really understanding my own needs and preferences and passions. Do what’s right for you. Do what’s best for your mental health ... High school is something that you should be able to look back on and think, ‘Wow, those were some of the best years of my life.’”

PHOTO COURTESY OF SOWMYA RENUKUNTLA | USED WITH PERMISSION

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EL ESTOQUE | M AY 2021

KATHERINE NGUYEN

PHOTO COURTESY OF KATHERINE NGUYEN | USED WITH PERMISSION PHOTO COURTESY OF KATHERINE NGUYEN | USED WITH PERMISSION

PHOTO COURTESY OF REBECCA HALCIN | USED WITH PERMISSION

“Find a group of people that you want to be around,” Katherine Nguyen (bottom right) said. “When I came to high school, I didn’t have any friends that I knew and I [joined friend groups] where I felt very isolated …

[But] there’s a bunch of really interesting people that you’re going to meet in high school and you’ll definitely find a group of people that you’ll actually feel comfortable being a part of.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF AKASH DASGUPTA | USED WITH PERMISSION

REBECCA HALCIN

AKASH DASGUPTA

“Don’t deny opportunities and say yes to different experiences,” Rebecca Halcin (left) said. “If you want to go to a club, just see what the meetings are about, maybe it will interest you more than you think and then you’ll join and it will be a really good experience. Athletics is [another] great way to make long lasting friendships. If someone asks to hang out, say yes [and] have a good time. Because some of the most unlikely of friendships have formed by me just being like, ‘Oh yeah!

Wanna hang out?’ Just don’t restrict yourself or hold yourself back from different things.”

“Pursue any interests you think you might have right now,” Akash Dasgupta said. “A lot of the stuff that I got interested in and that I really like right now ... I didn’t get to do until my junior year, because I put them on the side burner in place of other things. I enjoyed practicing art and calligraphy on my own at home [but] I really didn’t do all those [activities that] I enjoyed in middle school and high school; I just stopped them.

I forgot those are really good ways to de-stress and rejuvenate.

Reserving time to do things that are in your interests, that are not academic, [is] so very important to do.”

FEATURES | MAY 2021

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HOW HAS AN ONLINE SENIOR YEAR SHAPED YOU?

BY OISHEE MISRA PHOTO COURTESY OF MARIE SANDLER | USED WITH PERMISSION

PHOTO COURTESY OF ALEX WAY | USED WITH PERMISSION

ALEX WAY “This year has just been a lot of time management learning … there wasn’t necessarily a lot of work to do, but it was just so much easier to procrastinate knowing that I was just taking classes in my room.

I struggled with keeping up with my friends, in the sense that you basically had to pick who you wanted to talk to and spend time with … you weren’t confined to a classroom environment, you had to learn who your real friends were, you weren’t really forced to talk to anybody.

MARIE SANDLER “The biggest personal development for me was that pre-COVID-19, I was very busy because I had ballet right after school every evening, and I barely had any time to interact with friends outside of ballet. I always viewed myself as a very introverted person, because I spent all my time studying or doing ballet, but with quarantine I had a lot of free time and I realized that I do need human interaction, even if it’s for a little bit. I’ve become a lot more social, even if it’s just texting or video calling, so that’s definitely something quarantine changed about me.

I wasn’t super involved with school spirit or [in the] community, so I’m not that disappointed that we had to miss out on the different senior activities. Also, to me at least, we couldn’t change anything about it so being disappointed wouldn’t have helped me. A few friends of mine and I, we tried to recreate some of these activities and experiences, with social distancing, like Senior Sunrise … of course there’s some sadness for missing out, but I’m so excited for what will happen next year after quarantine and seeing everyone and going back to a normal life, with a new place and a fresh start.”

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Quarantine has given me time to reflect, and to basically figure out what I truly enjoy doing outside school, which is just, for me, keeping up with some friends. It’s really made me value the people I surround myself with.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF ALEX MA | USED WITH PERMISSION

ALEX MA “I think COVID-19 has made everyone reflect on the activities that they used to do, how they were able to have [them] in person, and how they took that for granted. For me, that applied as well … I used to be able to do orchestra in person as an activity that I enjoyed.

I used to go out and play sports with my friends a lot more, but for example [in] basketball, where you have to be in close contact, it’s difficult. It’s just not the same … and it’s definitely been tough not being able to have one last time with these people before I move on to college.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF MAIA COLLAZO | USED WITH PERMISSION

PHOTO COURTESY OF PATRICIA CHAN | USED WITH PERMISSION

MAIA COLLAZO “My perspective on so many things have changed this year — obviously it was a little disappointing to not be on campus for senior year, but I think that I actually benefited a lot from being online. Work wise, my time management was able to sort itself out.

When things start to get better, I think I want to make the most out of social situations, because we don’t really know what could happen to take that away from us, just like COVID[-19] did.

When I go to college and everyone is vaccinated and it’s safer to participate in social things, I want to be able to take advantage of them, because [with] the opportunities in high school that I was given, with events and experiences like that, I tried to focus a lot on school instead. Especially because [MVHS] is a very academically competitive environment … going into college and meeting new people will definitely give me lots of opportunities to seize the moment, and not let my worries about what comes after college stunt what I want to do.”

NATALIE LIM PHOTO COURTESY OF NATALIE LIM | USED WITH PERMISSION

“Having an online senior year allowed me to realize that the relationships that I do have, I really need to cherish them and that I should spend more time in my life just devoting myself to the people that I care about. Back when we were in person, I found that I didn’t really spend time outside of school with my friends and now that we’ve been in quarantine and we’re going to college soon, I’ve come to realize that that’s one of the regrets I have — I should have had more hangouts outside of school with my friends. It’s really allowed me to be thankful for the relationships that I do have. I got to spend more time with family at home, which I probably wouldn’t have gotten [to do] if we were in person … my mom and I have been baking quite a lot, and my dad has been teaching me how to cook as well, just life skills for college, but it’s really been fun to hangout with them more.”

PATRICIA CHAN “I honestly really liked online senior year — I had a lot more time to work on things that I care about … I’ve had a lot more time to work on my clothing brand. When senior year first started, I was sure that I wanted to major in something business-related, although my entire life I’ve been really passionate about design and fashion.

Over quarantine, I spent so much time at home working on design.

Then in terms of colleges, I got into business schools, and everyone was pressuring me to go to these schools, they were like, ‘Oh the acceptance rates are so much lower,’ but I also got into the Parson’s School of Design, and I just feel like having an online senior year, I had so much time to work on things that I’m truly passionate about … of course I still like business, but it’s just not the same. And because of that, I ended up committing to Parson’s even though I had been set on going to business school since high school started, and when senior year started as well.

A remote senior year has helped me become more of the person that I want to be in the future and helped me have a more clear vision of what I want to do as well.”

FEATURES | MAY 2021

29

WHAT ARE YOU MOST EXCITED FOR?

BY RIYA RAVURI ANJALI SINHA GONZAGA UNIVERSITY SPOKANE, WASHINGTON

PHOTO COURTESY OF ANJALI SINHA | USED WITH PERMISSION

“I actually was very firm on staying in California, and I didn’t want to go out of state at all. But when it got closer to application deadlines, I realized that maybe I should try to venture out more. The school that I’m attending has small class sizes, and it’s more of a close knit community vibe. Just the education that they had to offer me was the best offer that I received. I do like the city — I think it’s a little bit different than [what I’m used to] though.

It’s more of an outdoorsy city where everyone likes going hiking. But I think it’s a good change because I don’t really like going outside that much, so I’m excited that it has more to offer me.”

NEO NISHINO RITSUMEIKAN UNIVERSITY OSAKA, JAPAN “[Japan was] kind of a second option, but it became more of a first option because of COVID[-19] … in Japan it was a lot more controlled, and so there’s a lot more planning I could do that would be more set in stone. With the [pandemic] getting better, I slightly regret my decision, but I think it’s still going to be a lot better there. I just want to live my college life in a world that [isn’t] as toxic as America. I’ll definitely be in a place where I won’t know anybody, so [I’m excited about] creating new connections, seeing the sights [and] learning the culture.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF ASHWATHA TULSI | USED WITH PERMISSION

PHOTO COURTESY OF NEO NISHINO | USED WITH PERMISSION

ASHWATHA TULSI UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH PITTSBURGH, PENNYSLVANIA “I always wanted to go to college [on] the East Coast, [but] I chose [University of Pittsburgh] because I knew it would be in an environment that I would thrive in. It’s [in] a city, it’s one of the top schools for my major, which is philosophy and psychology, as well as [it has a] good alumni connection, supportive professors and overall, it’s not too cutthroat — everybody’s supportive. I honestly wanted to [push myself] and network in other parts of the country because I’m not somebody who travels a lot.

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AUSTIN OTA UNIVERSITY OF OREGON EUGENE, OREGON

PHOTO COURTESY OF AUSTIN OTA | USED WITH PERMISSION

“Stepping onto the campus at the University of Oregon, [I had] this gut feeling that this is where I want to be, this is what I want to do. They’re super inclusive — I know politics aren’t everything, but their morals aligned with [mine] pretty directly. They have great sports programs, which is really big for me … their whole athletic program is sponsored

by Nike, because Nike was created through [University of Oregon]. I think I’m most excited to go to sports games [and] get that campus vibe, like tailgate before games.

I didn’t realize how much I liked [Oregon] until I was there. The nature is beautiful, it’s super green … Oregon’s great.”

ANAKIN TROTTER UCLA LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA

PHOTO COURTESY OF ANAKIN TROTTER | USED WITH PERMISSION

NAIMISHA ADIRA CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY CLEVELAND, OHIO

“[LA] is close enough from home that I can visit every once in a while, but far enough away that I don’t have to live at home or visit all the time, so I can still have my independence. [UCLA] was my top choice, [and] I always wanted to go to school in Southern California. I’m most excited about actually getting to eat good food instead of whatever we have at home. I’ve heard that the food is really good in LA, so I’m excited.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF NAIMISHA ADIRA | USED WITH PERMISSION

“I didn’t necessarily care what location I went to, [but] I chose [Case Western] for their amazing pre-med opportunities — I’m [pursuing] pre-med, and it was impossible for me to [not] go to a college in a location where you’ll be completely immersed in [medicine]. It was a place where I thought I’d get the best education and it fit my idea of a college very well. It’s very much like a city life, which kind of contrasts Cupertino where it’s a little more [of a] suburbia.

I’m just excited to experience a lot more diversity, because our school is pretty limited. Being able to go to a school where you all sort of had similar interests going into college, but also different in the fact that we all have different backgrounds, that’s what I’m most excited about.” .

FEATURES | MAY 2021

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WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE MEMORY FROM SENIOR YEAR?

BY PRISHA TIWARI

PHOTO COURTESY OF CHLOE WU-BRESHEARS | USED WITH PERMISSION

PHOTO COURTESY OF ANOKHI SHAH | USED WITH PERMISSION

JAMIE LAU CHLOE WU-BRESHEARS “My friends stayed at one of my [parents’] houses in Gilroy and during the day we went to Monterey and traveled around that area. We went shopping at the outlets and around the malls. We also drove around 17 miles drive [and] saw a bunch of beaches and then we had a day where we just kind of hung out at the house. We did a lot of cooking — we made our own food and sat around on the sofas and talked and just had a lot of fun. We were excited that we were all seniors and we [could] all drive so we decided, ‘Why not plan something fun for a few days?’ Our original plan was to go out of state [over the summer], but we realized that might not be possible because of COVID[-19] so we thought we would do something smaller during spring break.”

“Over spring break, on the last day, we went to Santa Cruz and I think [what was] most fun was I have always wanted to be really spontaneous like in the movies where they call each other up and [say], ‘Let’s go somewhere right now,’ and then they actually go. It was really fun actually doing that in senior year because [in] previous years nobody could drive [so] you can’t be spontaneous, because you have to plan it out with your parents. We mostly just chilled out [on] the beach [and] got a really good spot right near the ocean, and afterwards we went [to the] downtown to just walk around and they have a lot of cool, niche stores.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF AGUSTYA CHAMARTHY | USED WITH PERMISSION

AGUSTYA CHAMARTHY “My favorite memory with my friends would probably have been the senior SNL [skit] because we got to hang out [and we] all had fun.

Some of it we got to do in person — we got to create the script together, production, characters assembling [and] we had really fun [time] during shooting [and] writing. It was overall just a blast at the time. In one of my skits, I remember I threw a water bottle super far away and it kind of hurt my arm and that was funny.”

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PHOTO COURTESY OF NITYA YERRAGUNTLA | USED WITH PERMISSION

PHOTO COURTESY OF KUSH GOGIA | USED WITH PERMISSION

KUSH GOGIA

NITYA YERRAGUNTLA Senior Nitya Yerraguntla and her friends went down to Santa Barbara for three nights for their senior trip.

Yerraguntla explains in order to get all the parents to agree to the trip, her friend group put together a slideshow presentation that covered “safety, COVID, budget, etc.” and created a zoom call to allow the parents to meet. She describes the trip as a “nice experience in preparation” for her upcoming college life.

“A funny moment we had was [when] we thought we had clogged our sink for [our] Airbnb, because nothing was draining. So we had to drain out all of the water in the sink by taking a mug and then scooping the water out and then putting it in the bathroom sink. We bought Drain Out and poured it down the drain and then the water started rising out of the sink, and we thought that we were super screwed. But then we were like, ‘OK we’re wasting too much of our time’ so we left the Airbnb and went out. When we came back, we thought it would [have been] drain[ed], but the water was still at the same level.

My friend stuck her hand into the drain sink to what was happening and it was super gross for her but she took one for the team. When she stuck her hand down, we noticed that the top of one of the teapots that we bought was stuck inside the sink and that was causing the water to not be able to go down.”

“My favorite memory so far [of] senior year was when I got to see my friends after COVID[-19]. It was winter break, first semester [and] my friend just invited me and a couple of friends to his house for pizza and talking and cards. We always hang out online, but it was just so much more fun in person. We had pizza and chips in the backyard, his little brother was there, [and] it was just so fun to reconnect again and talk about things that we used to do in person at school during lunch. We were there for around five hours and played a card game [called] Poker BS which is a mix of Poker and the game Bluff. The full thing was worth remembering.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF ANOKHI SHAH | USED WITH PERMISSION

ANOKHI SHAH “I went to Monterey with four of my friends and we stayed in one of my friend’s houses. We stayed there for two nights [and] the first thing we did was [we went] to the beach and we went on the 17 mile drive [and] stopped at [all of] the 17 stops. We also cooked at [my friend’s] house [and] made this s’mores [dip] and that was really fun to make together and then eat it. Because of COVID[-19] we haven’t been able to do much, and since it is our second semester senior year we wanted to do something [but] we couldn’t go really far. We [have talked] about going on a senior trip for a while [and because of] COVID[-19] we needed to be a little more realistic.”

FEATURES | MAY 2021

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WHY ARE YOU SO QUIET?

Coming to terms with my introversion

BY ANDIE LIU

I

t seems like everyone in high school hates themselves at one point or another. If you order adolescence, it comes with a side of self hatred. For me, I started to hate my quietness.

I won’t lie; like many things at this school, it started because I was worried about my grades. What are the chances of getting an A in this class, if I do well on the tests, projects, homework and final, but flunk participation? I was still paying attention, forming thoughts and opinions in my head, but I was unable to climb the insurmountable wall towering around me to speak up. Probably every teacher gave me the same feedback: “Your ideas are good in writing, but I’d like to hear them in class discussions.”

I even started feeling uncomfortable with my friends, my track team, my orchestra section members. Even if I had deep connections with them one-on-one, in group conversations, I felt out of place, insignificant, not good enough.

Humans are social creatures, right?

Was I an alien? Why was I cursed with introversion? Society is designed for extroverts; those who speak frequently are considered admirable and smart (even if they have no clue what they’re talking about). And in the tiny microcosm of the world that is high school, those who don’t speak are not given the points. Those who don’t speak can’t form relationships with teachers and won’t get a compelling letter of recommendation. Those who don’t speak are not important in friend groups.

Those who don’t speak are doomed to be ignored, forgotten ... useless.

It was the most painful in my favorite classes, English and journalism, as a writer and editor who didn’t speak up.

Some of my friends were even put off that I wasn’t very good at starting the conversation, or keeping it going when it lulled. I was given the same feedback over and over, everywhere I went, no matter how hard I tried.

Yes, I tried. I forced myself to raise my hand more, blurt out answers, propose

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ideas, respectfully disagree in those fishbowl seminars that still make my heart pound like a jackhammer. But every time, it was hard, it was uncomfortable. I felt too self conscious. It didn’t feel worth the discomfort.

And then, with one fell swoop of a pandemic, I blended in. Whole classes, protected by the mute button, meeting teachers in silence with blank stares.

Everyone’s eyes and faces were staring back at me, my voice potentially echoing in 35 different households.

My self talk shifted from despising myself to anxiously convincing myself to change. Just do it. Half the class is on their phones. Five years down the line, no one and not even you will care about that one time in one class you said the wrong answer. No one cares.

And so I clicked unmute. Even though I didn’t speak all the time, when I did, it was meaningful to me. I discovered that quiet leadership is not an oxymoron. I discovered that I loved teaching others: having the focus of helping others understand took away the all-consuming self doubt.

No, I did not convert to extroversion. I’d hate every second of it. I do not pretend to be an extrovert. Sometimes I have to, like when I’m meeting new people and I don’t want to seem like I have the personality of water. But in most areas of my life, I tried to be more open. I tried to chip away at that wall between my brain and the current of conversation around me. It’s a bit more of a semipermeable membrane now; I speak up when I want to, when I need to, when I can.

Behaving a bit differently sometimes doesn’t mean I’m sacrificing my identity.

It’s OK, comforting maybe, that the managing editor of a school newspaper gets nervous before interviewing others and speaking in front of the staff. Quiet is powerful. Quiet means I’m an excellent listener, persistent and attentive, empathetic, good at compromise and finding common ground, and when I do speak, it means I genuinely care.

In social situations, others naturally dominate the conversation. I find my space, quiet space, listening space. That’s OK. More than OK. It’s who I am.

MY NAME IS ...

Navigating my identity as a Bengali Indian-American

BY OISHEE MISRA

M

y go-to icebreaker is telling people that Oishee — my name — means delicious in Japanese.

People are usually intrigued, and as an awkward introvert who cares way too much about first impressions, it’s worked well for me throughout the years, particularly the last eight.

I moved to the U.S. a little over eight years ago. Whenever I think about it, the memory that appears most vividly in my mind is the one of me gazing out the airplane window at a sky smeared with a kaleidoscope of colors and scattered with clouds, wondering if I would have to sit alone during lunch on my first day of school in America.

When did you move here? Are you enjoying your first day so far? Do you want to come with me to buy a school lunch or do you have your own?

They’re so nice, I thought to myself. I can’t believe I’m not sitting alone.

You have an Indian accent, one of them said nonchalantly. Barely anyone noticed the comment, but I cringed a little at myself. I should start speaking English at home so my accent disappears faster.

So I did start speaking English at home.

When my parents spoke to me in Bengali, my mother tongue, I would reluctantly respond with fragmented Bengali and eventually, just English. And as the years passed, I only ever noticed this shift when relatives from India called every couple of months.

Do you still remember us? Do you remember what it was like to live in India?

Why are your responses so slow?

Because now I think in English and have to translate those words to Bengali before I speak, I think uncomfortably to myself. I can’t believe I’ve somewhat forgotten my language.

I retained some aspects of my culture, though, even if my language hasn’t been one of them. My favorite meals are always the ones on occasional Sunday afternoons, when my mom cooks us a Bengali goat curry that has always been my go-to comfort food. One of my favorite authors is Jhumpa Lahiri — she grew up Bengali American too — and her references to Bengali culture always wrap

me in a sense of unexpected familiarity.

Sometimes I play Bengali music in the car, trying to envision people listening to that same song an ocean away, perhaps in a coffee shop in my hometown.

Yet I so often feel like I’ve drifted more than I’ve retained my culture. I roll my eyes whenever I’m asked to go to the temple to celebrate a festival — even though one of them, a weeklong celebration called Durga Puja, used to be my favorite week as a kid. I don’t remember the last time I wore traditional Bengali clothes. I can’t even remember what color they are, whether they have embedded beads or sparkles. I tried so hard to lose that Indian accent back in fourth grade that sometimes I think I lost more than I wanted to.

I’ve always told people that Oishee means delicious in Japanese because reducing my name to a “fun fact” has always seemed more desirable than admitting that my name has Hindu and Indian origins, and that it was my grandfather’s idea — he wanted my name to be one of the reincarnations of

Goddess Durga. I’ve always told myself that that was weird and cringy, and wasn’t “American” enough.

Despite attending a high school that has people from a myriad of cultures and experiences, despite always being vocal about the importance of diversity and equity, sometimes I wonder why I tried so hard to distance myself from my culture. I wonder why, despite writing over 20 columns for El Estoque over the last three years, I never mentioned being Bengali or being Indian-American in any meaningful way. I wonder why it took me so long to recognize that my culture and my hyphenated identity isn’t shameful, it’s extraordinary.

When I move out and go to college in a few months, maybe I’ll find a different icebreaker — one that doesn’t dismiss the real meaning of my name and overshadows a part of me for the sake of lightening the mood or seeming quirky.

I’ll stop erasing the meaning of my name because that would be erasing a part of me.

FEATURES | MAY 2021

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DEAR DAD,

Reminiscing about my childhood memories as a new adult

BY IMAN MALIK

D

ear Dad, The characteristic I admire most about you is your ability to tell stories. You always take the most mundane topic and spin it so beautifully, so that it becomes an intricate verbal tapestry, woven with threads of humor, emotion and perfect prose.

I know this because you have managed to draw my memories as a toddler out from the depths of my subconscious and made them seem brand new using words alone. A few weeks ago, we were sitting together as a family at the dinner table — a phenomenon only made possible by a globally-mandated quarantine — while you verbally reconstructed memories older than a decade.

You told me that back in 2005, before you left for work every morning, you found my two-year-old self dressed in a yellow onesie standing in a crib with my arms extended and a wide smile on my

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face. I was waiting for you to pick me up and fly me across the room so I could touch the ceiling of our one-bedroom apartment, and you always obliged. You told me that when you came home, you would walk me to the window, point to the crows outside and whisper to me, “birdie,” until one day, it became my first word. You told me that when you dropped me off to daycare for the first time, you started crying — it was too painful to see me leave you behind, even if it was for just a few hours.

Every time you tell these stories, you remember a time where life was kinder to you, and you look at Mom fondly and say, “those were the good old days.”

And it was only until a few days ago, when I turned 18, that I truly began to understand how painful the longing for old times can become. So this is less of a letter and more of me flipping through a photo album of my favorite memories of

you and I. These days especially, I have become addicted to the wistful happiness and cold dissatisfaction nostalgia brings.

Do you remember when we would go to the mall together, just us two, in the heat of a Texas summer? We would treat ourselves to new clothes and food, but afterwards, we would always feel bad Mom wasn’t there. So we would always go to the same store, Caché, and buy her a nice new shirt. It was during those summertime mall walks when you introduced me to my favorite drink of all time: a Starbucks green tea lemonade.

More than 10 years have gone by, but my order has not, and will never change.

Once, 12 years ago, the weather dipped below freezing and a thick layer of ice covered our deck. So both of us wore scarves and puffy jackets, opened the door to our backyard and went outside.

We skated on the wood in our sneakers, for no logical reason, but who needs one when we’re having that much fun? When we came inside, I took off my gloves and you asked if I was bleeding. I was a little bit, but you kissed me and said it was OK. During spring, you bought me my own pair of gardening gloves printed with cartoon bugs and I would help you weed the garden and plant the seeds we picked out together at H.E.B. You liked to plant fruits and vegetables — carrots, berries and potatoes — but I liked to plant flowers. I wonder if a different family is enjoying the (literal) fruits of our labor now. Maybe their children run out into the backyard in the spring and indulge in ripe, purple blackberries while they try in vain to stop the juice from running down their forearms.

I cried on my birthday this year and I cried while writing this letter. I constantly mourn my helplessness as I watch the last few grains of my youth fall through life’s sieve. I cannot come running back to my childhood to savor it once more.

You and I are powerless to the passing of time.

Love, Iman

UNTIL NEXT WEEK How my brother taught me self-sacrifice and thoughtfulness

U

BY ANNIE ZHANG ncle Peter dubs you as “bummer.”

Dad calls you “buddy.” Garden Gate Elementary School’s principal knows you as the twenty-time, pencilexcalibur wielding first-grade delinquent.

To me, you’re “dandan,” 8425 prankster gangster and goofy goober — my 12-yearold brother from another mother.

In our childhoods, we never had much time. As a half parental custody kid, you rotated from Dad’s house to your mom’s place every week since you started crawling; I never saw you for more than two weeks a month. During school breaks, zero. In the entirety of 2020, only one time. In 2021, twice so far. Days to minutes to seconds to — “see you next week!”

To me, you’re the Angry Birds addict who invests in party hat costumes for

your bird troops — my assistant chef who I mix condiments with at fancy restaurants.

Some things, like you pterodactyl screeching the rap of “Keep It 100” and hollering “this boba is bussin bussin,” will never change. Chanting the bungalow song you learned from science camp will always be our go-to greeting.

At other times, I don’t know you. Some weeks, you come back to me with new lingo, new hair partings, new fascinations — a new you. As if you grew up a little without me. I feel the lost time between us most when our animated conversations slowly wane into a weary “how’s school?” at the dinner table.

On Christmas this year, the night before you left for the next three months, you quoted Winnie the Pooh: “We didn’t know we were making memories; we were just having fun.”

And as much as I don’t want to believe this furless, half naked, sorry excuse of a bear, he’s right. There will never be enough time if we dwell on the sand hourglass of your stay or question the cards we were dealt when we were young.

People like us do not have the luxury to live in slow motion and wait for a thrilling moment to present itself.

The

minutes of today are all that we have.

Your “Chug Jug With You” brain lacks the intellectual storage units to comprehend this, but your presence taught me how to make time when short of it. To complete my assignments days in advance, so that by the time you arrive, my schedule’s cleared for us to make instant snow. To save the crying for the late night showers, so that you can’t hear it — because while you’re here, I want you to be as happy as you can be. To make the most of every moment before it slips through the sieve of another week. And that’s bold for a do-nothing League of Legends player like me.

Time doesn’t forgive, but we don’t forget. We may be helpless bystanders in the passing of time, but the clock can never rob our memories from us.

You remember me — be it sending me a happy birthday text despite the six month silence or building dad’s living room in Minecraft as a memento. You’re perceptive. You take mental notes. You tell me not to cry in the shower. For someone who is rarely by my side, you know me better than anyone. It’s in the way you make others feel known, appreciated and remembered that I realize I still have a lot to learn from you.

The next time we meet, it’ll be summertime. But until then, don’t miss me too much. Stop picking the peeled skin around your fingernails, and sharpen up on real estate strategy for Monopoly.

You’re a good kid. Raise yourself well when I can’t be there — or else expect yourself to be virtually kick balled into the stratosphere. Take care, dude.

“My hands are high, my feet are low and this is how I bungalow!”

FEATURES | MAY 2021

37

R E P R E S E N T. Understanding the impact of diverse representation in various facets of the American entertainment industry

TOKENISM AND TROPES !"#$%&'()*+,-*.((/+.&/$*0'1-&2'+3*#%&+&/3-0*'(*4/'(2+&-/4*5%$$36%%0*4-0'/ !"#$%&'$%()#&)*+)*)(%)* ollywood is not only the biggest entertainment industry, it is also home to one of the most diverse audiences, which is exactly why it has fallen under fire for its lack of inclusivity.

Though the industry has taken major strides in increasing the representation of different ethnic groups on the big screen as well as behind the camera, it’s almost impossible to not notice how characters of color simply feel forced at times.

Many of these banal attempts at diversity can be placed into two problematic categories: tokenism or tropes. Tokenism refers to the diversity Hollywood directors feel the need to add just to fit personal quotas and tropes refer to the stereotypes in which these characters of colors are bound.

One of the most popular repetitive concepts is the white savior complex, which is when the Black character is merely a part of the narrative in order to be saved by the protagonist white character.

One well-known movie that embodies this concept is “The Help.” Though it was well-received upon its release in 2011, it is difficult not to notice the flaws of the movie’s plot.

The story essentially follows a rich white young woman from Mississippi, Eugenia “Skeeter” Phelan (played by Emma Stone), as she embarks on a mission to interview her best friend’s housekeeper, a Black woman named Aibeleen (played by Viola Davis) and other Black maids who work for rich white families in her community.

In the movie, Skeeter gives a speech about how her Black maid should be treated better, but that shouldn’t make her a hero. The movie spends more time portraying Skeeter as the selfless heroine, than it ever does actually focusing on the Black experience of that era. It serves more to assuage white guilt about the systemic oppression of Black people than it ever does to build robust Black characters., and thus, it is a perfect representation of the white savior complex.

The white savior complex is a dangerous trope because it perpetuates the idea

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/001$#"!#/2(%)%3!1"/%*!(24

that people of color must be reliant on white people in order to overcome their circumstance. It ultimately serves only to underscore the untrue notion that there are “good” and “bad” white people and as long as you identify with the “good” side — the “woke” side — you don’t have to address your white fragility and your enforcement of the white supremacy.

Besides the white savior tropes, there are many smaller scale tropes that are just as effective in holding minority groups back. One such example is the “Black guy dies first” stereotype that is prevalent in Hollywood horror films. Viewers often believe that the Black actors portraying these characters are only in the movie for token diversity, perhaps as the humorous sidekick, which is why the writers choose to take them out of the movie first.

Examples include “Scream 2,” “American Psycho,” “Deep Blue Sea” — and the list just goes on.

Despite the many traces of harmful stereotypes in all forms of entertainment, this isn’t always the case. The film industry has produced many incredible projects that were focused on a minority group and included a minority crew. One example would be the 2018 film “Crazy Rich Asians,” featuring an all-Asian cast with a focus on Asian culture. Another

would be “Black-ish,” a show that centers on a middle-class Black family that encompasses many of the challenges faced by Black people more robustly than almost ever before.

While these movies and TV shows are well-made, the races or ethnicities of the casts are in the title of both examples, which actually makes it unnatural, because the cast’s race serves a bigger purpose. The aim of Hollywood should be shifted to natural diversity. There should be more instances of projects in Hollywood that focus on the experiences of BIPOC, that aren’t informational or stereotypical.

“Crazy Rich Asians” and “Black-ish” are definitely taking strides in the right direction, but there’s still a long way to go.

When a person of color is included, they should not play into some stereotype. The only way for Hollywood to make this shift is by increasing diversity, both in front of and behind the camera. Characters need to start being written with greater depth that goes beyond race and the people who are writing them should have undergone those experiences themselves.

Hollywood is home to one of the most diverse audiences in the world. It’s time the people who make up Hollywood start looking like their audience. !"#$%&%'(#%)%*!+%,-,.

THEY LOOK LIKE ME

Examining the implications of increased representation within the Marvel Cinematic Universe

BY TYLER CHO AND IMAN MALIK

A

s a child, junior Nabeeha Ahsan’s first experiences with racial representation in media was through her favorite kids’ shows, like “Phineas and Ferb” and “Jessie.”

However, the tendency for these shows to play off of stereotypes for non-white characters caused Ahsan to struggle with racial biases during her childhood.

“I started thinking that the stereotypical white boy was the most attractive on the planet,” Ahsan said. “I would say I didn’t notice it at first — I think that the way I saw it, unfortunately, was that the Indian guys are really nerdy. [These stereotypes were] really internalized, and even when

I did realize it, I did still recognize that there was some truth to it, in that’s how other people saw Asians.”

It wasn’t until Ahsan began to expose herself to Bollywood movies in middle school that her view of South Asian culture began to change, largely due to the lack of holistic character representation that Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) characters were given in the other media that she consumed. Because of this fact, Ahsan is very excited that Marvel Studios has made the choice to to feature more AAPI superheroes in its recent projects.

“I can tell that this is a great turning point for a lot of kids that are going to grow up seeing these characters,” Ahsan said. “We saw it with ‘Black Panther,’ how many Black kids [were] exposed to Black Panther being their first [representative] superhero, and I’m so excited for Asian kids to have that same feeling of having a good role model that looks like them …

I think the fact that these characters are being superheroes alone already is just breaking a ton of stereotypes at the same time because East Asian men traditionally in Western culture have been seen as very feminine, which plays back into years of history.”

ILLUSTRATIONS | GAURI MANOJ

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EL ESTOQUE | MAY 2021

The Asian American superhero Ahsan refers to is named Shang Chi, played by Simu Liu, from the recently announced Marvel movie “Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.” Liu will be the first Chinese actor to play a superhero in a mainstream movie, starring alongside a mostly Asian cast, including Awkwafina and Tony Leung.

Historically, characters within the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) who have been played by AAPI actors have all played minor roles, like Mantis from “Guardians of the Galaxy.” As a longtime fan of the MCU, senior Abhinav Kommula shares the same sentiments as Ahsan, stating that casting diverse superheroes will have a powerful impact on future generations. Kommula believes that the shift of AAPI characters from minor to major roles will help break stereotypical views that many people have regarding the AAPI community, while giving today’s children stronger role models.

“It’s really important that, especially for young children who are Asian, they don’t have to continue to watch movies where people are constantly viewed as timid, anxious about everything, [who are] very stingy with money and all that,” Kommula said. “I think there were studies done on how people do start subconsciously internalizing information they see [at a young age], like how Asian people are portrayed in movies, and so I think that by giving more [diverse] roles, [Asian] people [won’t have to conform to certain stereotypes].”

Along with the significant positive feedback it received after its announcement, “Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” has also faced negative criticism from audiences in both the U.S. and China. MVHS alumna ‘19, Michelle Tang, says she is “cautiously optimistic” about the movie. While she agrees with Ahsan and Kommula about young Asian Americans being able to feel seen through Shang Chi, Tang is apprehensive about the movie being a repeat of a stereotypical kung fu film.

Tang, who is currently studying animation at the California Institute of the Arts, believes that although martial arts have ties to Asian culture, it is hard for her to relate to because it stems from older, mythological times. Tang aspires to showcase stories more encapsulating of the Asian American experience as a means of representing the modern day.

“Some specific stories I want to tell are about the language barrier between my relatives in China,” Tang said. “I personally struggle with speaking fluent Chinese, so I can’t talk to them. Seeing that story, that struggle told on screen would be cool. Also seeing what it’s like to have immigrant parents and the expectations upon you, going through school and just being raised in this Asian parenting style in America would be a cool story to tell.

These stories are more personal, more modern, and the stories about kung fu are ancient and people can barely relate.”

Although the movie plot may not be relatable to audience members like Tang, Marvel implemented specific measures in order to ensure the portrayal of AAPI individuals is accurate and respectful. For example, the original villain in the Shang Chi comics, Fu Manchu, is believed to be based upon xenophobic ideas. Manchu embodied the idea of “yellow peril” — the racist fear that Asian immigrants threatened the safety of white society.

Because of Manchu’s bigoted orgins, Marvel erased the character from the movie and replaced him with the Mandarin — a villain who traditionally rivaled Iron Man and whose existence has been teased multiple times in previous Marvel films, like “Iron Man 3” and plays a major role in the Iron Man comics.

Marvel plans to continue casting actors of diverse backgrounds in lead roles.

“The Eternals,” directed by Chloe Zhao, will star Pakistani American actor Kumail Nanjiani and Chinese English actress Gemma Chan. The upcoming television series “Ms. Marvel” will star Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan — a Muslim American girl who develops shapeshifting powers.

Ahsan has high hopes for representation in the MCU specifically because the films have created such a detailed and intricate world.

“Because the MCU is all integrated, people will be motivated to go watch it,” Ahsan said. “Despite people [perceiving some movies] in a positive light, I think it needs to be taken a step above that sometimes. ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ was a great movie, but people stopped talking about it pretty quickly. I hope that with Marvel’s changes, that won’t happen, because the way the MCU works is so unique, it all works together. Marvel fans, whether they like it or not, are going to have to live with it. I hope that this changes the mind of some ignorant people.”

KINGO SUNEN

PLAYED BY: KUMAIL NANJIANI IN “THE ETERNALS”

KAMALA KHAN

PLAYED BY: IMAN VELLANI IN “MS. MARVEL” ARTS & ENT | MAY 2021

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ILLUSTRATION | GAURI MANOJ

REDEFINING MUSIC Exploring the impact of music by LGBTQ+ artists on listeners

BY SHIVANI VERMA

A

s R&B artist Raveena lounges on a lawn surrounded by greenery, her outfit pops with vibrancy and playfulness — her green top and magenta pants, her long dangling earrings, the blush high on her cheeks, the red bindi in the center of her forehead and the way her hair is styled in six braids. This is Raveena’s “Raveena @ Home” YouTube video, in which she performs with bassist Aaron Liao.

Leland High School sophomore Kimaya Saijpal has frequently listened to one of Raveena’s songs, “Close 2 U,” throughout the past year, which they describe as a song about wanting a significant other to stay the night. Although music in general greatly impacts Saijpal’s emotions, they find that music by queer artists is especially relatable to them.

“I really connect to [her song] because it’s a really sweet sentiment, like ‘Don’t go, I want to serenade you to sleep,’” Saijpal said. “If I’m interested in someone, and I was feeling really encompassed in their

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love and care, I would immediately put on a playlist of my favorite queer femme artists and listen to it and just think, ‘Oh I’m singing this song to you.’ It’s just really personal when it’s like that.”

Junior Serena Miller also relates to music by queer artists, particuarly because they relate to the subject matter of their songs more than they would for non-LGBTQ+ artists. Miller is particularly a fan of the experimental pop artist SOPHIE, who passed away in January of 2021, since she helped Miller get through a difficult period of their life.

“The song ‘Immaterial’ by SOPHIE [is] about the reassurance that you [can] be anything you [want],” Miller said. “The bubblegum aesthetic in SOPHIE’s music almost made it seem like gender [is] just this plastic material that could be shaped or molded however you wanted it to be … It just made me think more about the rigid gender expectations that were forced onto me from childhood and what [the point was] of trying to fit into them.”

Saijpal has also found a source of connection and community in queer music that they didn’t have when they were younger. They believe that it’s a “big deal” for artists to directly refer to being LGBTQ+ in their music and recall hearing music by “the same type of white, straight people” in their childhood. The lack of representation made it hard to connect with the songs, especially because Saijpal is a singer and performer themself.

“When I started to get into [music by artists] of color, who are also queer and femme, and I got to listen to their music and also finally identify with their lyrics, it [helped] me to get into a space where I can feel really confident when I’m performing,” Saijpal said. “Listening to music that’s by someone who’s very similar to how you are and living the stories that you’re living is something that everyone should have, no matter who you are and what your identity is.”

Junior Lavi Sundar has been trying to broaden her tastes in the content

she consumes, as she wants to listen to sounds from queer clubs in the 20th artists who “break that heteronormative, century. According to Miller, the more cis[gender], white, male mold.” She also experimental sounds of many queer believes that the LGBTQ+ community is artists’ music reflect how queer culture more represented in alternative genres “has always been against the tide.” of music than However, there mainstream genres. are a few queer “You hear classic artists who are part pop songs from of mainstream music Ariana Grande, Taylor — rapper Lil Nas X, Swift [and] Justin who identifies as Bieber, [and they] are gay, debuted his LISTENING TO MUSIC all focused on some most recent song THAT’S BY SOMEONE kind of romantic “Montero (Call Me By WHO’S VERY SIMILAR interest for the most Your Name)” at No. TO HOW YOU ARE ... part,” Sundar said.

1 on the Billboard “I think that it’s a Hot 100 chart. The IS SOMETHING THAT shame that, despite song’s music video EVERYBODY SHOULD having a genre received backlash HAVE, NO MATTER which is so focused for its sexual WHO YOU ARE. on that particular suggestiveness topic, we don’t get and the references LELAND HIGH SCHOOL as much same sex to the Bible, but SOPHOMORE representation and Sundar describes it KIMAYA SAIJPAL normalization of as “iconic,” viewing different types of the biblical motifs as love … I feel like it’s a method to subvert also important to recognize our diversity the way some people use religion as a as people in the LGBTQ+ community justification for discrimination. [and] recognize that we’re not the same According to Sundar, representation as straight people and that’s OK.” matters in the music industry specifically Miller, who discovered many queer because music “has a special way of artists through YouTube videos and disseminating certain messages.” She websites of music reviews, believes mentions that while people usually that queer artists like SOPHIE helped choose to watch TV or videos, music is them understand parts of queer culture, often played in public places without as SOPHIE’s music contains various their control, and being represented in

‘‘

music can lead people to internalize a sense of belonging. “[Music by queer artists] makes me feel like I’m at home, no matter who I am,” Sundar said. “In Cupertino, there’s people of all races, all backgrounds, and yet still so many people fall prey to this narrowminded way of thinking that makes a lot of us feel as if we are not at home in our environments. Listening to these artists who have been able to reach success in such a cutthroat industry, and who have been, for the most part, accepted by their fans and the people around them, is an experience that makes me feel as if I belong.”

Sundar believes that having mainstream artists like Lil Nas X depict the LGBTQ+ community is important for children to grow up with and that “Montero” is a step towards normalizing same sex relationships. According to Saijpal, the normalization of the LGBTQ+ community in music is valuable because it can gives people the chance to feel very connected to the songs.

“When you’re growing up and all you’re ever listening to is the same boy-meetsgirl romance song that you don’t relate to, it can make you feel like your way of life is not normal or doesn’t deserve a happy ending,” Saijpal said. “So when you listen to songs that pertain to you and your sexual identity, it can help you internalize the fact that you are normal. You are loved. You deserve all the happiness in the world, and you have role models.”

SONG RECOMMENDATIONS

“Born This Way” by Lady Gaga recommended by Lavi Sundar

“She” by Dodie recommended by Kimaya Saijpal

“LMK” by Kelala recommended by Serena Miller

ARTS & ENT | MAY 2021

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TAKE TWO

How remakes of blockbusters integrate representation in comparison to original productions

BY GAURI MANOJ AND ANNIE ZHANG

W

hich Disney Princess Are You, Really?

A. Cinderella / B. Aurora / C. Snow White / D. Rapunzel / E. Belle Growing up, sophomore Jiya Singh felt that her white classmates always had a Disney princess who they could relate to. While taking princess Buzzfeed quizzes, Singh felt “super out of place” when her peers would comment that they resembled Cinderella. As an IndianAmerican, the only consolation Singh would receive was, ‘Oh, but there’s Jasmine.’ Although Jasmine hails from a fictional Middle Eastern city rather than India, Singh still clung onto the idea that there was at least one princess who she could connect with.

In 2019, Walt Disney Studios announced that singer and actress Halle Bailey would be cast as Ariel in the upcoming liveaction remake of the 1989 animated film “The Little Mermaid,” and in December 2020, Disney officially released the new cast list. Having experience with castings and performing in plays, Singh feels that it is common for casting directors to hire mostly white actors. Because of this, Singh appreciates the writers’ decision to cast a Black lead as the main character and believes that it breaks the stereotype of Disney princesses typically being white.

Singh also notices that Disney has had a minimal amount of Black representation in the past. She finds the Disney movie “The Princess and the Frog” to be an “ingenuine” attempt at diversity since the main character Tiana, a Black girl from New Orleans, is portrayed as an animal for a majority of the film. Having watched the original “The Little Mermaid” film when she was six, Singh hopes that Bailey will serve as a role model for young Black children in the new live-action remake.

“I think [representation] is so important because little children watch Disney ... And obviously, it feels bad when you don’t see people who look like you on screen,” Singh said. “I think it’s so important for young Black girls to see someone who looks like them while they’re growing up, and to have that relation to someone who’s not a frog for

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ILLUSTRATIONS | GAURI MANOJ

half of the movie.”

After Disney announced that Bailey will be playing the character Ariel, some fans began tweeting their disapproval under the hashtag #NotMyAriel, claiming that casting a Black actress would alter the original plotline of the film. However, Singh disagrees with this sentiment and believes that her favorite aspects of the film — the songs, humor and the unique oceanic setting — will still be preserved regardless of Ariel’s race.

“First of all, [“The Little Mermaid”] is not about culture; the movie has nothing to do with representation or anything [about] Ariel’s descent,” Singh said.

“Secondly, it’s more important for Black people to get their representation, or anyone of color to get that representation in that role, rather than just redoing it with the same people we’ve always seen on the screen. I hope that the audiences are able to take that with them, that it’s not that big of a deal … At the end of the day, it is just a Disney movie.”

For junior Sanya Gupta, “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” — what she describes as an “independent” remake of the 2006 Disney “High School Musical” franchise — presented new storylines, 3D side character personalities and diversity. Although Gupta describes the side roles of the original production, as “flat” and generically storied, the reboot designed supporting characters to be relatable and “lifelike.”

According to Gupta, the 2020 TV show weaves gender-sexuality inclusion across the cast — with the main character Nini Salazar-Roberts, who is raised by queer parents, and the student choreographer Carlos Rodriguez, who is in a homosexual relationship. To Gupta, the “High School Musical” remake dismantles the homogeneity of the original by introducing new LGBTQ+ characters.

“Maybe [the characters’] gender or sexual orientation doesn’t stand out to me so much because the show didn’t make it all about that,” Gupta said. “It just felt like

a normal high school experience where within the film industry. She appreciates people have problems regardless of their that the remake portrayed characters like race … In the first movie, I remember that Scorpia, one of the story’s leads, as strong there were two African American students without overexaggerating her femininity. in the show. And I felt like they were just “I think having female characters there so that Disney will definitely help could say that they younger girls feel like had representation.” they have someone Through the to relate to and have casting of Sofia someone that looks Wiley, a person like them but is still of color, Gupta really strong,” Yu REPRESENTATION MAKES explains that she can said. “Just having “see [herself]” as a character that CHILDREN REALIZE THEIR the actors and “see resonates with them OPPORTUNITIES — [THAT] specific situations” better and seeing THEY CAN DO ANYTHING. on screen that may people like them [is] play out in her own especially important life. Gupta also to younger, more JUNIOR feels that the main impressionable SANYA GUPTA character of Nini, viewers.” played by Olivia A major change Rodrigo, stood out from the original in the remake. production of “She“In the remake, Olivia Rodrigo is Ra: Princess of Power” was the addition [Filipina],” Gupta said. “I personally of a lesbian relationship between the can’t name many shows where the main two main characters, Adora and Catra. Yu character is not just a straight, white, mentions that there is also representation cisgender character. And it doesn’t feel of various gender identities, with new like it’s been thrown in our face like, characters like Double Trouble, who ‘Oh, she’s [Filipina].’ That’s not her main identifies as non-binary. According to Yu, personality characteristic.” the difference in time periods between Although Gupta maintains that Hollywood hasn’t “reached the end of the road with justice” regarding minority representation, she says “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” is a step in the right direction. Gupta finds inclusive films to be the most enjoyable, particularly noting the 1997 remake of “Cinderella,” which stars a Black woman. “[The Cinderella remake] was the best version because it felt the most real,” Gupta said. “It’s really refreshing to see something that’s out of the norm. You see so many white princess stories and I feel like it’s so important for everyone to be able to see themselves as their skin color [through the] princesses on the screen.”

Similarly to Gupta, junior Kassidy Yu praises the casual portrayal of the multifaceted identities in the 2018 intergalactic superhero animation “SheRa and the Princesses of Power,” a remake of the 1985 show, “She-Ra: Princess of Power.” In addition to the remake being retitled to the plural “Princesses of Power,” Yu notes that the new cast is also more female dominated in comparison, further spotlighting women’s empowerment

‘‘

the 1985 show and 2018 show helped normalize these new LGBTQ+ characters.

“It’s important for children to be exposed to [LGBTQ+] representation in ‘She-Ra’ because they get the message that it’s normal,” Yu said. “Maybe they don’t know their own identity very well yet, but they’re being shown that it’s okay and it’s normal. Whereas in other shows, they would only show the straight couples, for example. But if they watch ‘She-Ra,’ and if they do identify [as LGBTQ+], then they have a character that they can resonate with.”

Agreeing with Yu, Gupta believes that viewers should be exposed to diverse casts within the entertainment scene at a young age. With this, children will be able to develop open mindedness early on. “[Representation in Hollywood] makes children realize their opportunities — [that] they can do anything,” Gupta said. “They should be able to … look at themselves in the mirror and think, ‘this is normal.’ There is no normal, especially in America.”

ARTS & ENT | MAY 2021

45

HYPHENATED AMERICANS IN MEDIA

Examining how the hyphenated American experience is portrayed in films

BY CLAIRE WEN AND BRIAN XU ‘Minari’

business plans, but they always revert “Minari minari, wonderful wonderful,” to their core motive of creating a fresh start for their family and a better future Soon-ja said.

Minari, a versatile edible plant growing for their children. David and Anne hide alongside streams of water traditional away during these arguments, creating to East Asia, is the namesake of the paper airplanes with messages of “Don’t 2020 Golden Globe Award-winning film fight” scribbled on them in order to throw them between their parents and directed by Lee Isaac Chung.

The film depicts the journey of the ease the tension, adding another layer of Korean-American Yi family as they move authenticity to their family dynamic. Even from California to Arkansas in 1983 to the nonverbal cues and sighs exchanged pursue father Jacob’s goal of opening his between Jacob and Monica with their own Korean produce farm. Jacob (Steven children silently watching are reminiscent Yeun) and his wife Monica (Han Ye-ri) are of my own parents’ occasional fights, on opposite ends of a spectrum: while communicating a silent struggle that so Jacob is hopeful for a new life awaiting many families face.

The film tackles its main theme — them, Monica is constantly concerned about the family’s livelihood and their the concept of the American dream — young son David’s heart condition. David extremely well, as it reveals how elusive and his older sister Anne are often together and unclear that dream can be. When the while their parents work in a chicken Yi family first moves into its small, rural home in Arkansas, hatchery.

The everyone is visibly family eventually disappointed chooses to have by the living grandmother conditions — Soon-ja travel a sentiment from South identical to Korea to America A TOUCHINGLY HONEST what my family and care for the experienced when children.

LOOK INTO THE LIFESTYLE moving from Texas Throughout OF MANY HYPHENATED to California. the film, Chung AMERICAN FAMILIES, Just like the Yi m a i n t a i n s WITH HIDDEN ELEMENTS family, my parents commendable OF REALISM THAT HELP constantly recount realism in their motive depicting the VIEWERS RELATE TO for moving to hyphenated THE EXPERIENCE EVEN America, for a A m e r i c a n IF THEY’VE NEVER chance at a new experience. There ENCOUNTERED THEM life and a better are countless EXACTLY BEFORE. life for my sister details hidden and I, one they throughout the fulfilled by starting film like gems that from minimum resonate with me as a first generation Asian-American myself, and the Yi family wage jobs and working their way up.

The film’s namesake, the symbol of the is cast with great synergy reflecting a minari plant, as well as nature creates a realistic family.

Jacob and Monica constantly fight metaphor for adapting to life in America when they encounter bumps in Jacob’s as a hyphenated American. The minari

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plant thrives around water and requires little care — yet it is strong and versatile, ready to be used as an herb. When David and Soon-ja make trips to a nearby stream to plant minari, it’s a rare chance for Soon-ja to pursue gardening of her own and for David to accompany her as they tease each other.

In a poetic ending, Soon-ja unwittingly starts a fire that burns through the farm and places the family back at square one, just as Jacob closes a deal with several early customers. The constant struggle between elements mirrors the unpredictable events threatening the success of hyphenated Americans everywhere, yet several key aspects of life are preserved regardless of hardships they may face, such as the family’s resilience and the flexibility represented by the minari plant.

“Minari” offers a touchingly honest look into the lifestyle of many hyphenated American families, with hidden elements of realism that help viewers relate to the experience even if they’ve never encountered them exactly before.

From a cohesive cast to strong natural symbolism, the film delivers a truly meaningful glimpse into the hyphenated American experience.

‘ The Farewell’

“Based On An Actual Lie.” The words appear at the start of the film before fading into the black screen.

Lulu Wang’s 2019 movie “The Farewell” depicts the story of a Chinese American family who learns their grandmother (Zhao Shu-zhen) is dying of cancer.

Rather than telling her, the family returns to China to visit her under the guise of a wedding.

“The Farewell” straddles the different perspectives between Eastern and Western culture. Billi (Awkwafina), the protagonist, has spent most of her life in America but remains close to her Nai Nai — paternal grandmother — who cared for

her as a toddler in China. She is appalled that the family would hide the information of the sickness from her grandmother. Yet the others remain insistent that it’s best not to tell Nai Nai, including Nai Nai’s doctor, who acknowledges that many families in China would do the same.

Later, when Billi’s father — who has also lived in America and been influenced by Western culture — voices his own doubts, both are rebutted by the fact that Nai Nai did the same for her husband when he was diagnosed. In China, hiding the diagnosis to avoid affecting the patient psychologically is not really a debate, yet Billi continues to struggle with the clashing values of the East and the West.

At its core, the conflict in “The Farewell” demonstrates opposing values between the culture Billi was raised in compared to that of her family. The difference is even mirrored in the titling of the film itself: the Chinese title translates to “Don’t Tell Her,” as what the family insists, whereas the English “The Farewell” captures Billi’s intention in taking this trip. Billi’s uncle claims that Billi’s intention stems from the focus on individuality in Western culture, while saying that Eastern cultures place greater emphasis on collectivism and family rather than the individual. Yet it is also Billi who dropped what she was doing to come on the trip when the rest of the family had expected her not to.

Thus, the divisions of West and East

are not as clear as the characters claim them to be. Billi is viewed by the others as Westernized, but she no doubt has been influenced by Chinese culture in her upbringing. It is difficult to draw a clear line between the aspects of her identity that have been influenced by the two cultures, as they often overlap. The film acknowledges this synergistic identity, as when Billi is asked whether she prefers America or China, her first instinct is to respond, “It’s different,” rather than pick one. This highlights the experience of hyphenated Americans: they cannot simply choose one culture over the other when they have grown up with both as influences.

Similarly, there is no obvious solution for Billi to choose. Ultimately, she also works to uphold her family’s dishonesty but there is little indication as to whether it’s because she became convinced it was right or if she does it for the sake of appeasing her family. It’s not as simple as choosing a “right” answer: each has its reasons and benefits appealing to different cultural values, and Billi is at the intersection of them.

Another interesting quality about “The Farewell” is that it is bilingual, switching between English or Chinese depending on

the situations the characters encounter.

This enhanced the overall experience — for me personally, the different languages mirrored the experience of being a hyphenated American.

Watching it in America, the Chinese portions are helpfully translated in the subtitles, but it made me wonder if I would be able to fully understand it without subtitles. I am fluent enough to tell that Billi speaks accented Chinese, perhaps fluent enough to comprehend the vocabulary of daily conversation without translation, but I can’t be sure. I am connected enough to China that I am familiar with the multiple different terms for relatives — where there are distinctions in maternal or paternal side and relative age — yet I am less connected in the limited number of times that I have actually been able to use those terms.

Similarly, the film also contains a brief examination of Billi’s experience growing up in America separate from her relatives. It explores how she felt lost and separated when she could no longer see her grandparents, how she was confused and frustrated when she knew her parents were worried and wouldn’t tell her what was going on and how those feelings resurfaced upon the current situation with her grandmother.

Overall, “The Farewell” crafts a story of being a hyphenated American with competing cultural values, exemplifying what it feels like to be torn between family and the culture one grew up with. Through this tale of a lie, Lulu Wang illustrates an experience that many hyphenated Americans can relate to.

SCAN FOR MORE COVERAGE

ILLUSTRATION | GAURI MANOJ

ARTS & ENT | MAY 2021

47

BEHIND THE CAMERA

Analyzing female representation in the film industry and highlighting areas for improvement

BY AYAH ALI-AHMAD AND JUSTINE HA

F

ILLUSTRATION | GAURI MANOJ

or National History Day in sixth grade, junior and co-founder of Video Making Club (VMC) Ariyal Jain put together a project highlighting two topics — diversity within film and the civil rights movement. She chose to analyze the 1960s movie series “Star Trek” because the film producers had cast strong female characters like Nyota Uhura, who was played by actress Nichelle Nichols, and Hikaru Sulu, who was played by actor George Takei. Jain says this was important at the time because of the casting of a major Black female lead and an Asian male lead, which she says was a groundbreaking feat for representation in American media.

“They had integrated two minorities in really prominent roles,” Jain said. “It’s impactful because it shows you that ‘Oh, [the makers of ‘Star Trek’] were really breaking boundaries. ‘Star

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EL ESTOQUE | MAY 2021

Trek’s’ motto is ‘Going where no man has ever gone before,’ and … [how their motto falls in line with their casting choice] was just really interesting.”

Today, sophomore Amy Hu says that female directors being awarded for their accomplishments are just as impactful as on-screen representation. As the other co-founder of VMC, Hu says her interest in video making sparked in middle school, and she has most recently been thinking about pursuing film as a career.

Because of her interest in studying film, she has been paying attention to who in the “male-dominated industry” is succeeding, and she says female directors and actresses inspire her. For example, Chloe Zhao won four 2021 Oscar awards for a film she directed — “Nomadland.”

“When I see someone like Chloe Zhao or Scarlett Johansen or Tina Fey … When I see people like that get an award or get

recognized for something amazing they accomplished, it’s really inspiring,” Hu said. “And it’s like, ‘Well, if these women of color can make it in a white male predominant career, then maybe I have a chance too.’ Although I can learn from any human no matter what race or gender they are, it’s just so great to see someone that looks like me that also made an amazing accomplishment.”

While there has been an influx of race and gender representation in film casts, Jain also notes the importance of emphasizing these messages of diversity and inclusion on the screen.

“What’s going on on the screen [a lot of the times] enforc[es] stereotypes that are put on the minority,” Jain said. “But if you have a really good movie that dismantle[s] stereotypes, empowers women, has representation [both on and off screen], and it’s directed by a female director, that’s just something that’s like [a] cherry on top. Then you’re like, ‘Well, now you’re giving women a chance to speak out into the world.’ And that’s something that [is] normally silenced and shoved aside.”

English teacher Monica Jariwala agrees with Jain — after living through experiences that show the direct consequences of inaccurate or satirical representations of stereotypes.

Jariwala notes how the TV show “The Simpsons” featured stereotypical and tokenized characters of color in the show, like Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, an Indian convenience shop owner. She describes one instance where a child had stereotyped her father due to the way Apu was represented in “The Simpsons.”

MOVIE RECOMMENDATIONS THE FAREWELL

FAREWELL AMOR

PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN

NOMADLAND

YEAR RELEASED: 2019 DIRECTOR: LULU WANG

YEAR RELEASED: 2020 DIRECTOR: EKWA MSANGI

YEAR RELEASED: 2020 DIRECTOR: EMERALD FENNELL

YEAR RELEASED: 2021 DIRECTOR: CHLOÉ ZHAO

“Unfortunately, I didn’t really become “I want to make sure that people like my aware of how problematic everything was students can see themselves in whatever until ... even just a few years ago,” Jariwala it is that we’re reading [and watching],” said. “I remember sitting on a bus and Jariwala said. “I do still want to add this kid asking me, ‘Hey, does your dad more stories by more authors of color own a flower shop or and more films with convenience store?’ people of color, but I and just realizing that, think we’re heading ‘Oh, he got that from in the right direction.

The Simpsons.’ It’s I do question the just kind of growing lack of diversity up like that or not [within films], and will really being able to continue to do so.”

YOU’RE GIVING say too much.”

As a Marvel fan, WOMEN A CHANCE After reflecting on Hu says growing TO SPEAK OUT INTO past instances where up with white male she questioned her superheroes made it THE WORLD. AND identity as a woman difficult for her to find THAT’S SOMETHING of color, Jariwala a role model. She says THAT [IS] NORMALLY notes how important that as more recent SILENCED. it is for her to continue movies come out with educating students strong female leads, ENGLISH TEACHER in her Contemporary like the recent 2020 MONICA JARIWALA Literature course, Disney live-action especially through remake of “Mulan” the film unit. She or Marvel’s 2019 film emphasizes the “Captain Marvel,” importance of showing films with diverse young girls will have a character to relate casts and that were created by artists to and be inspired by. of color — such as the 2002 film “City of With these more recent milestones God.” for women in film, both for actresses

‘‘

and directors, Jariwala is excited to see the impact women will have on the film industry as more are casted for major leads and awarded for their work.

“I’m really excited that all these cool changes are happening [for Gen Z],” Jariwala said. “I really do think that the lack of representation [growing up personally has] been interesting [to experience], and also frustrating to go back and realize how problematic things were … We should’ve had a more diverse representation with literature and with films [earlier]. Unfortunately, it happened in the past [but] I’m hoping that things will continue to get better in the future in terms of more diverse representation in film.”

ARTS & ENT | MAY 2021

49

A FINAL SEASON

‘‘

Senior athletes reflect on the challenges they’ve faced during the pandemic

BY SOPHIA MA AND IRENE TANG

T

o say that senior and Varsity Water Polo player Jeff Shen saw it coming would be an understatement.

As fifth graders, the class of 2021 were precluded from the annual field trip to Mission Springs for Science Camp and in eighth grade, plans to spend a week at Yosemite National Park were thwarted mid bus ride by a rogue tree that fell on a cabin. By senior year, Shen was positive that “something bad” would take place.

On March 13, 2020, MVHS administrators made the announcement that students and staff would spend the next three weeks at home due to safety concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the weeks that followed, monthly announcements continued extending the time spent online, until finally, Principal Ben Clausnitzer announced that the rest of the school year would be done via distance learning. But even before students shifted to an online learning model, school sports seasons had faced cancellations — starting with indoor sports and then shifting to outdoor ones as well.

Nearly a year later

PHOTO COURTESY OF JEFF SHEN | USED WITH PERMISSION

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EL ESTOQUE | MAY 2021

and after many extended dates of return, Varsity Water Polo player Christy Feng sports seasons started and athletes had also experienced disappointments — like to give up their Shen, Feng had looked old traditions and forward to her senior interactions in order night since freshman to create a safer year.

This year, environment. however, not only was According to senior night skipped, Shen, some of the but the pandemic also most anticipated greatly impacted her IT’S A LITTLE moments in an team’s gameplay.

DISAPPOINTING BUT athlete’s senior “We might actually year include senior not play half of the I’M LOOKING AT THE night and banquets. games in our season BRIGHT SIDE AND After the last game because some of my MAKING THE MOST of the season, the [teammates] aren’t OF IT. underclassmen comfortable with bid their farewells SENIOR playing against teams to the seniors and CHRISTY FENG that haven’t been celebrate one last tested,” Feng said. event together. “[Though now most For Shen, these moments have been teams do, in the beginning of the season] something he has looked forward to since about half of the teams in our league do his freshman year. not mandate testing like our district does, “[The best memories I had] would which is really unfortunate because I was definitely be pasta feeds [and] senior really looking forward to having a great night, where [we would celebrate the] senior season. We also can’t play with the seniors [who were] leaving,” Shen said. [boys’] team [since we would scrimmage] “It was always a fun experience as well. against them [during] practice and [At the] end of the season, we’d offseason. It’s a little disappointing but have a banquet, but we I’m looking at the bright side and making probably won’t have the most of it.” one this year.”

Along with traditions like senior night, Similarly to Shen, senior and Varsity Soccer player Skylar senior and fellow Ploshay had “always loved” traditions specific to the soccer team, especially the sleepovers, dinners and the Secret Sister activity, a gift exchanging game similar to Secret Santa. But due to a shortened season and COVID-19 restrictions, her team was unable to participate in those experiences this year. With these struggles, whether it was for the inability to wear team apparel around campus or the lack of participants at team Zoom workouts, Ploshay thought, “What’s the point?” Though more people attended the online workouts as the season progressed, Ploshay believes that they did not prepare them for the season. “[The Zoom workouts were] crazy in the sense that it wasn’t like soccer — it’s not what we signed up for and it was

definitely tricky,” Ploshay said. “I hadn’t played soccer for over a year [and] a bunch of other teammates hadn’t either, so it was really hard to get us prepared for our season through Zoom. We couldn’t really do it because no one’s gonna go — I know I didn’t and I know a lot of the teammates didn’t either — and work out by themselves. It’s the fun part of soccer, doing it all together with your team and stuff and we didn’t get that.”

While Ploshay’s team struggled with lack of participants online, senior and captain of the Varsity Football team Shreyas Deshpande discovered the disappointment that came with the instability of their season. After going back in-person, Deshpande recalls that the team was “thrown into” practices and conditioning at “full speed.” In previous years, they would have spring and summer practices and time during the actual fall sports season to refine skills and adapt to the opponents as the season progresses. But with only a few weeks of practice before the games started, it felt as if there was not much time to prepare.

Additionally, the team was only able to play three out of the 10 scheduled games in the season due to players in FUHSD that caught COVID-19.

“It was a roller coaster,” Deshpande said. “We didn’t know if we were going to have a season, it was just on and off, like the athletic director would say, ‘It’s looking good to start next week.’ But then the next week, it would be another week delay and then we didn’t know if we would ever get a season or if we would keep dragging on like that ... so just [continuing to] practice for months on end without knowing if our efforts will ever mean anything was kind of disheartening, but in the end we did get a season and for that I am really grateful.”

Deshpande also found it upsetting that he wasn’t able to make the most out of this season. Being the captain of the team this year, he wishes that he could have led his team towards a better performance during each game, as the longevity of their season was unpredictable because of the constant presence of a player potentially testing positive for COVID-19.

“I could have worked harder, [I could] have practiced as if there was no tomorrow because we ended up not having a lot of [games],” Deshpande said.

“It sort of opened my eyes to what I [had]

SPORTS left on the field, [and where] I could have stepped up and finished through a couple of plays. [I could have] practice harder [and] worked out more, gotten stronger [and] gotten quicker.”

Despite the shortcomings of this year, many seniors found silver linings in what they could not have previously done pre-pandemic. Feng notes how she had previously quit cross country, as it had overlapped with water polo, both being fall sports. Yet this year, cross country and water polo were in two different seasons, allowing Feng to rediscover her passion for long distance running.

As for the future of MV athletics, Deshpande feels hopeful, especially for the football team. For the past years, MV’s football team has seen a decline in new members joining and has been struggling to find people who are interested.

This year, however, Desphande mentions that there seem to be several new, enthusiastic freshmen who joined the football team that have the potential to rebuild.

For Ploshay, this year was one where she had to put aside ambitions and alter her mindset to one that was less competitive, but she says these changes in how she viewed sports didn’t stop her from making the most of the situation and being thankful for her teammates.

“I know [that because of] coaches and peer pressure, everyone makes it seem like you need to be the best at your sport, especially in high school otherwise, what’s the point?” Ploshay said. “But most of us are not going to play [in the future].

If you are that’s great, you’d stay on it and you keep going, but [remember to] have a good time and enjoy your teammates.

This is literally only four years and it goes by so fast, so enjoy what you got and just have a good time.”

ILLUSTRATIONS | SOPHIA MA PHOTO COURTESY OF SKYLAR PLOSHAY | USED WITH PERMISSION

SPORTS | MAY 2021

51

PHOTO BY SOPHIA CHEN

Athletes line up to get their QR badge scanned so they can enter the waiting room of the gym and receive a COVID test.

COVID-19 PRECAUTIONS IN SPORTS Athletes are tested regularly, wear masks and distance when possible

BY MIKAYLAH DU

M

ask wearing. Physical distancing.

Hand hygiene.

According to Athletic Director Nick Bonacorsi, these are the “three fundamental elements for all sports” during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In most cases, the three elements are followed to a tee. However, certain standards must be adjusted for different sports — for example, wearing masks while playing aquatic sports is not possible.

According to sophomore and Varisty Water Polo player Jamie Louie, although athletes can’t wear masks in the water, they wear them anytime they are not in the pool. Additionally, like most sports on campus, the Water Polo athletes get tested for COVID-19 twice a week.

Regular COVID testing applies to all indoor and outdoor sports, excluding non-contact sports such as track and field or golf. There are also some special cases of athletes not requiring testing — for example, for senior and Varsity soccer player Ayush Uniyal.

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EL ESTOQUE | MAY 2021

Earlier in the season, Uniyal had COVID-19, causing dead virus particles to remain in his body as a result. COVID tests can detect these inactive fragments for up to 90 days — therefore, his doctor recommended him to not get tested.

Even when testing isn’t required, other procedures are followed tightly, according to freshman and track and field member Rahul Shankar.

Shankar, who plays discus and shotput, says that although he and his teammates haven’t gotten tested, he believes they do a good job of preventing the spread of COVID-19. Masks are always required and the runners are spaced out six feet apart on the track. The athletes also train with weights, which they bring outside the gym to use and disinfect before putting them back every time.

As a freshman, Shankar finds he has no normal season to compare his experience to and isn’t aware of what regular meets look like.

“I was looking forward to freshman year being on campus, but I’m not really

mad about it,” Shankar said. “It’s fine, sports are still happening, everything is slowly coming back together.”

Like Shankar, Uniyal isn’t bothered by the procedures since he recognizes their importance.

“Obviously, I thought it was a little tedious at first,” Uniyal said. “But after [COVID-19] actually seemed to spread at [MVHS], I was a lot more [compliant] with doing it.”

On the other hand, Louie admits she doesn’t enjoy the process of going through COVID testing. Although she says her family wouldn’t be too bothered if testing was not required, she recognizes that other families do care.

“It’s annoying,” Louie said. “You have to schedule everything, not just around your sport, but [also] around testing.

But it is necessary. I think it would just put everyone at more ease to know that I’m not sick, I’m not putting anyone else at risk … And if it means that we can continue playing and with everyone safe, then you gotta do what you got to do.”

!"#$#%&'%()*&#+*,#-%.'/#%0$'/1

1 2 3 COVID-19 guidelines in sports at MV start from the Santa Clara County

Guidelines are adopted by the California Interscholastic Federation

Guidelines are given to Santa Clara Athletic League’s Board of Managers, which is comprised of the 15 principals of the schools in the league

!"#$#%&'%-2)&#,2-%(#2%2#-2#&1 Athletes are tested 48 hours before games and testing at MV takes place on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays on campus in the waiting room of the gym

/',%%%%%%2)#-%%%%%!#&%%%%%%2")$-%%%%%%0$*%%%%%%%%-32%%%%%%%%-),

!"32%4*,&-%'0%2#-2-%3$#%)-#&1 THE POLYMERASE CHAIN REACTION (PCR) TEST, used on Wednesdays • •

• •

more reliable, but requires two days to get the results back Santa Clara Country requires all athletes to have their results within 48 hours of competitions, making it an unviable option for certain days if a game is on a Tuesday, the sample must be taken on Sunday as labs are closed on Sundays, athletes must take the other test

THE RAPID ANTIGEN TEST, used on

Mondays and Thursdays • less accurate, but the results come back within a day, therefore it can be used for Tuesday games • one downside is that there have been several false positive results within the Santa Clara Athletic League, leading to temporary halts of certain sports, e.g. water polo at MV • if a rapid antigen test reveals a positive result, it is checked using a PCR test

!"#$%!&'&()*&+,+-

WELL, COMEBACK!

[4]

MV athletics resume bringing student athletes and coaches back to campus

1

2 3

4

5

6

54

Senior Ayush Uniyal keeps possession of the ball against two Cupertino HS players during the second half.

Senior Austin Ota bats against Saratoga HS in an away game, ending with a loss of 9 - 22.

Freshman Catherine Yao pitches a curveball during the sixth inning during a game against Saratoga HS. Girls Varsity Water Polo defends against Wilcox HS, eventually winning the game 8 - 7 in a six minute overtime.

Senior Eshani Patel takes a breather through her mask after an intense game with Homestead HS, losing 35 - 43.

A referee watches the Boys Varsity Water Polo game against Harker HS, which they lost 11 22, despite being close behind in the first two quarters.

EL ESTOQUE | MAY 2021

[3]

[1] [1] [2]

PHOTO | DEVIN GUPTA

PHOTO | ELENA KHAN

[5]

[5]

PHOTO | DEVIN GUPTA

[3]

PHOTO | NIKA ZAMANI

PHOTO | ELENA KHAN

[6]

PHOTO | ELENA KHAN

SPORTS | MAY 2021

55

Varsity Boys Soccer players share a team huddle following a game.

PHOTO | NIKA ZAMANI

SEASON SHUTDOWN

‘‘

How the MVHS football and boys soccer teams reacted to their teammates’ positive COVID-19 results

BY ROBERT LIU AND NIKA ZAMANI

A

fter learning that one of their teammates tested positive for COVID-19, the Varsity Boys Soccer group chat blew up with messages of shock, confusion and panic according to senior and center defensive midfielder Tanmay Sharma.

“It really just took me by surprise, but then again COVID can happen to almost anyone,” Sharma said. “I don’t blame my teammates at all for contracting COVID — it’s not their fault. It’s just unfortunate.”

The football team was similarly afflicted by COVID-19 after its third game of the season against Lynbrook High School. According to senior Henry Hodgkins, an offensive tackle and middle linebacker, approximately four people tested positive, and after discussion between coaches and district officials, the decision was made to cancel the remaining two games of

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EL ESTOQUE | MAY 2021

“At that point, the [latest] game we the season. Hodgkins’ initial reaction was won put us in first place [in the league], one of shock and disappointment, but he and we were on track to accepts contracting win [but then] all that COVID-19 as an happened and we were occupational hazard just put into a 10 day in a sport as physical quarantine,” Sharma and contact intensive said. “We knew that as football. it would be a massive Sharma shares obstacle for us …

Hodgkins’ mindset I DON’T BLAME MY Obviously, a few people that spreading TEAMMATES AT ALL were annoyed. At first, I COVID-19 on the FOR CONTRACTING think some people were sports field was mad at the people who somewhat inevitable.

COVID — IT’S NOT contracted COVID [and] However, taking into THEIR FAULT. IT’S blamed it on them. account the team’s JUST UNFORTUNATE. strong track record [But] I feel like those in the season so far, thoughts kind of flew SENIOR he also sympathizes away.”

TANMAY SHARMA with his teammates’ In fact, Sharma views momentary feelings the team’s experience of frustration when they first learned of with COVID-19 as a test of its strong the outbreak. camaraderie; he says the team has been

team has been like a family throughout this season in particular. The team received some backlash on social media, that he and his team followed health guidelines as best they could. “[In] pictures [and] the recap of our games, you woud see that some of the players would not be wearing masks or have their masks pulled down,” Sharma said. “If someone didn’t know the rules, that the league allows players to tuck their masks because it would be unhealthy to wear the mask while you’re running throughout the entire game, [it’s] understandable to lash out and call them out for not wearing a mask … But we know the rules — we’ve been following [them].”

Additionally, Sharma and Hodgkins say that from whom or where the initial COVID case came from remains unknown, both because those who tested positive wanted to maintain their privacy and because there are so many potential points of origin, a sentiment that Athletic Director Nick Bonacorsi echoes.

“I can’t know [with] certainty — I don’t know if it came from the sport [or] if it came from something that they were doing outside of the sport,” Bonacorsi said. “It’s impossible, really, to know the point of origin with something like this because of how easily [COVID-19] can be spread.” positive results, he took the situation “very seriously” and immediately turned to the district and county protocols. The mandatory 10 day quarantine for all the athletes on the team while administrators track down everyone else who they may have been in contact with.

win percentage in the league.

Hodgkins shares that optimism about the football team’s shortened season and encourages athletes in future seasons to ignore the “elephant in the room” that is COVID-19, especially while participating in games.

“At the end of the day, you just have to go out there and just play — you can’t YOU JUST HAVE really be worrying about external TO GO OUT THERE factors,” Hodgkins AND JUST PLAY — said. “I’m sure I was a little YOU CAN’T REALLY worried and I’m BE WORRYING sure a lot of other teammates were ABOUT EXTERNAL a little worried FACTORS. about COVID, but when you step

must follow the California Interscholastic Federation return-to-play protocol, an eight day program that requires athletes created to monitor the cardiovascular and other unknown longthat athletes may experience.

While Hodgkins and Sharma were thankful to see their teammates fully recover, the 10 days of quarantine

‘‘

by slowly for the athletes, many of whom missed the experience of practicing alongside their teammates.

“We all really love [soccer] and we all really love being with each other,” Sharma said. “A lot of us have been playing the sport our entire lives and we’re really dedicated players — some of our lives literally rotate around soccer. The situation really took a big hit and it was a little hard [on] our mental health, but I’ll say we fought through it pretty well.”

Despite the fact that the team was anxious to come back

!"#$%& '"#&()'%*+,$#!

59% of athletes feel

unsafe playing their sport due to the fear of contracting COVID-19 *According to a survey of 124 athletes

quarantine, Sharma credits the team for “bouncing b a c k q u i c k l y ,” considering that the players’

of quarantine, athletes who do not develop symptoms or feel sick are asked to take a PCR test

back was against “the hardest team in the league.”

Although they lost against Wilcox HS 3-1,

virus. Should an athlete test positive, they

games, the Matadors had the second best

the court, you just have to put all that aside and just play the game.”

Hodgkins remains grateful that the football team had a season this year, even scheduled games. He believes that the situation was handled as professionally as it could have been, and looks back on the season as “a positive memory.”

Bonacorsi also views the situation as a learning experience for future seasons.

“I think the one thing we need to always remember is to never relax in this kind of situation,” Bonacorsi said.

“While [California] is headed in the right direction, that doesn’t mean it’s time to loosen up from an athletics perspective.

We need to play it safe and have constant reminders about physical distancing and mask wearing. There is an end in sight, but we’re not at it yet, so keep playing it safe.”

!"#$%!&'&()*&+,+-

TRYING OUT

Rearranged seasons cause some athletes to try out new sports

BY JANNAH SHERIFF

A

fter an early morning running laps around the track for basketball conditioning during the summer, sophomore Jasmine Varma was surprised by her coach’s suggestion that she join the Cross Country team. Having never done the sport before, Varma describes being

PHOTO COURTESY OF JASMINE VARMA | USED PHOTO COURTESY OF JASMINE VARMA | USED WITH PERMISSION WITH PERMISSION

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EL ESTOQUE | MAY 2021

initially hesitant to try it but eventually school her freshman year once or twice decided to join at the encouragement of a week. According to Hu, although she her friend. didn’t join the school team at the time I was like ‘I’m not cut out for this,’” due to the large time commitment and Varma said. “It took some convincing feelings of intimidation she experienced for sure. I was kind of because of her thrown into the deep her relative end with cross country inexperience and I ended up liking it compared to a lot.” other dancers, she Varma found the decided to join this sport initially grueling, year on an impulse. but grew to adapt “For dance to the new style of and basketball, I IT WAS ALL JUST A training.

In really didn’t think MENTAL GAME, LIKE, previous too much before ‘HOW FAR AM I GOING years, the I joined; the fact TO PUSH MYSELF basketball that I made both s e a s o n decisions happily UNTIL IT DOESN’T would take really played a HURT ANYMORE?‘ place from positive role in this SOPHOMORE November transition and I’m JASMINE VARMA to mid-March honestly glad that but due to the I got to experience pandemic, it was both things,” Hu pushed to the third season of the said. “Both teams are really supportive year from April to May. These changes and the transition has been made super allowed Varma to participate in Cross smooth because of it.”

Country, Basketball and Track and Field Although she found the team consecutively. welcoming, Hu remembers having trouble “The first two weeks of cross [country], adjusting to the sport itself; for example, I didn’t know what I was doing at all,” she spent months learning the basic steps Varma said. “At that point, it was over Zoom before meeting in person for all just a mental game, like, the first time to film for the team’s annual ‘How far am I going to push Winter performance. The team managed myself until it doesn’t issues with lag and mirroring moves while hurt anymore?’ I had no practicing in the online format, which Hu experience running at all, believes caused dancing in-person to be so it was like ‘Alright, let’s “confusing” as they had to coordinate see how much I last.’” together for the first time without the Similarly, sophomore setting of zoom.

Amy Hu, who had played “When [I’m] on Zoom, I’m stuck in my basketball her freshman room, can’t do jumps, I can’t run, I can’t year, joined the MVHS dance do anything that is too big, so that was team for the first time this an issue,” Hu said. “Especially as my first year. year on the dance team, it was really hard.

Aside from the Mommy Online, everyone was really supportive, and Me classes she but in person, you can really see that we remembers taking as a keep redoing it as a group until everyone child, Hu first began gets it right and I think that’s just a good taking dance way to promote teamwork.” classes The rearranged seasons also compelled outside of senior Christy Feng to join Cross Country

‘‘

PHOTO COURTESY OF AMY HU | USED WITH PERMISSION

The dance team films their annual winter performance in person.

this year, a sport that she participated in during middle school before transitioning to water polo and swimming in high school. Despite leaving the sport when she entered high school, she continued running in her free time before finding the “perfect opportunity” to revisit the activity when the Water Polo and Cross Country seasons no longer overlapped.

“I’ve always had a passion for running ever since middle school cross country and track, and because of the pandemic all the gyms closed and there were no more practices,” Feng said. “I had to find another way to keep fit, [so] I went back to

running and it’s like once you start again you just don’t want to stop — it becomes a daily thing. I met amazing people, made some amazing memories, it made me a lot more fit [and] made me more disciplined with my time and my fitness.”

Feng notes that after school transitioned to an online format, cross country helped her “stick to a more set schedule” and organize a routine in her daily life that the pandemic had disrupted. By having practice to look forward to in the afternoon, Feng found motivation to complete her work and be more productive. As a senior, Feng plans

PHOTO COURTESY OF JASMINE VARMA| USED WITH PERMISSION

to continue running during her years in college.

“I think for the rest of my life, I will definitely be a runner,” Feng said. “I definitely incorporate it into my every day schedule, and in college I was thinking about doing club cross country as well as club water polo if I have the time.”

Varma notes how she gained an improved mindset and feeling of discipline from trying a new sport this year and working through the difficulties that came with the new experience.

“I’ve just been proud of how my view on perseverance has changed,” Varma said. “I haven’t always been a perseverant person. I’ve always been like, ‘Oh, this is getting hard, I’ll just stop.’ But [now] it’s like, ‘If you hang on to something, there will be a good outcome in the end.’”

Varma intends to continue all three sports in the coming school year, while Hu plans to continue on the Dance team rather than basketball as her main sport year round.

“Looking at this year and looking at how good everyone on the team is,” Hu said. “It was really eye opening for me, and I definitely have a lot to improve on, a lot to learn and I can’t wait to spend the summer doing that.”

Jasmine Varma leads a pack of runners at XC SCVAL finals in Baylands Park.

SPORTS | MAY 2021

59

SENIOR YEAR IN

six words

Reflections on the last year of high school amidst a pandemic ILLUSTRATIONS | ANUSHKA DE

Be prepared for the chaotic nostalgia.

ANONYMOUS

Much stress, sleep less. Good luck.

NAOMI YIN

Exciting, mind boggling, beer and skittles.

OWEN LASSA

A struggle but ultimately worth it.

ANONYMOUS

Left a junior, now a graduate.

ANONYMOUS

Awful, I really dislike online learning.

ANONYMOUS

60

EL ESTOQUE | MAY 2021

Tiring, stressful, funny, MV for life.

ANONYMOUS