Ed. 106 - Senior

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Published monthly, The Talon strives to be an innovative student magazine that is entertaining, intellectually provocative, and visually engaging. We are conscious of the responsibility of writing and publishing, and we seek to create a dynamic magazine that is worthy of its readers. We show respect for our readers by exposing them to a variety of perspectives.

Ultimately, The Talon seeks to bring Graded to the world and the world to Graded.

The Talon wants to hear from you! We encourage submissions and ideas for articles and themes from all members of the Graded community. We publish in English, Portuguese, French, and Spanish. We reserve the right to edit submissions for length and clarity. The opinions expressed in the articles are those of the writers and not necessarily of The Talon. For this reason, we do not accept anonymous submissions. Send submissions, ideas, and themes to talon@graded.br.

TALON STAFF 2015-2016 EDITORS-IN-CHIEF: Michael Borger & Faria Nasruddin LAYOUT Editor: Rodrigo Ko COLUMNISTS: Catu Berretta, Marina Cortes, Chris Kim, Pedro Werebe NEWS: Anoushka Gandhi (Editor), Jack Conway, Matthew Kim, Henrique Souza, Izzy Yamaguchi FEATURES: Fe Sayao (Editor), Saniya Joshi, Julia Marangoni, Fernando Martins, Lucca Oliveira ENTERTAINMENT: Yoji Watanabe (Editor), Thomas Park, Bruna Piccin, Luana Tone, Lucas Valim BLOGGERS: Julie Cho, Jenny Lee

About the Cover Catu: Most of the initial brainstorming resulted in the EIC’s rejection of the ideas; Michael and Faria would constantly say “It’s been done before,” (see: swirly noses, doodles, facial outlines). A large part of me wanted to stick with the idea of gluing googly eyes on every single copy of the Talon, but obviously this wasn’t feasible. After days of straining my brain and talking with Paula, the idea hit us: face swap. As a trend for our generation, it was the perfect idea to employ. I hope that everyone has fun trying to figure out whose face in on whom!

Paula: The cover is probably my favorite to date! After the genius idea of face swapping was decided upon, the photoshop process was actually easier and more fun than you’d imagine.

Some of the swaps look incrediably realistic (to be honest, it creeped me out a litte). Let’s just say that I can no longer look at the senior class the same way.

– Paula Somoza + Catu Berretta

IMAGE MASTER: Gabriel Civita PHOTOGRAPHER: YeJin On VIDEOGRAPHER: Luis Wolfrid ARTIST: Paula Somoza ▪ ▪ ▪ TEACHER ADVISORS: Kira Quesnell & James Sigafoos PORTUGUESE LANGUAGE CONSULTANT: Marcello Bulgarelli

Looking Forward To...

To Talon applicants for the 2016-2017 school year, We are currently in the process of reading and enjoying each of your applications. Once our deliberation is complete, we will contact you with our final decisions. The newest batch of Talonistas will be announced before the end of the academic year. At that time, we will welcome the new staff and pass down the coveted Talon T to the newest Editors-in-Chief.

SPANISH LANGUAGE CONSULTANT: Guillermo Loyola Ruiz ▪ ▪ ▪ E-mail: talon@graded.br

A green magazine, seven years and counting! Since August 2007, The Talon has been printed on recycled paper.

editors-in-chief

Legacies: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly A reflection on how and why leaders should be remembered Faria Nasruddin

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don’t really know when it happened, but sometime in the past few weeks I was no longer concerned with my current self.

What preoccupied my thoughts was the image that would be imprinted in the ground, speech, and memory when I leave. The question that beckoned me from then on was how to build this so called legacy. Did I need to change my image, implement a monumental project or contribute a huge sum of money? Was it my last action that would consolidate my place among alumni?

I have no medals or substantial awards with my name plastered across walls or engraved in trophies. Neither do I need my name to be. A legacy, to me, is a compilation of acts, ever since my entrance into this community. It started with the ever so slightly shy 6th grader, whose first day of school was pajama day and might end with the senior (of the same height), who has grown to be both assertive and caring in nature. It includes the 7th grader who got emotional over which Chinese dynasty was more prosperous, the first year Talon member who needed to rewrite her all passive-voice article, and the senior who overstretched her responsibilities.

No one mausoleum can overshadow the expanding impact of action.

Legacy never held a huge torch in my eyes. I’d always viewed my lasting impression of embarking seniors as memory. What they did to build others, add to their community, and learn. I remember the HACIA veterans my freshman year, and the frustration that erupted at the lunch table mid-conference. A brawl of intelligent speech between a senior and another freshman; how this brought everyone closer. A single challenge, presented as pasta’s side dish helped everyone learn how to deal with exasperation, with the building tensions of being ideological enemies in a simulation. The disagreement marked our little group in terms of how everyone made a mistake and came out of the situation as a clearer communicator–a more enlightened person if you will. It is these types of actions, these memories that leave me feeling as if I had a woolly blanket draped over me and was flipping through a scrapbook that shape a legacy. The good, the bad, and the ugly might form these memories, but the rise above it is what forms a legacy.

A true legacy, a growing and breathing experience, shouldn’t be fabricated in hope of leaving behind a sweet

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aftertaste. My legacy isn’t just the seemingly role modelesque persona seniors tend to adopt, but the course of how I’ve embodied these values. I still remember how much I admired, even put on a pedestal, some members of the graduating class from when I was a freshman. How much I wanted to be just a fragment of those people is now nauseating. I didn’t know the timeline of how they became PGC leaders, HACIA veterans and Talon Editor-in-Chiefs I saw. All I knew was their leadership capability and the mirror of perfection they held up for all to peer into.

Now, leaving Graded, I don’t want to hold up the same mirror for all to see; I want this mirror to be seen as the individual grains of sands that make up the fuller image.

With ridges and rough patches, each grain should showcase both my strengths and weaknesses.

I should leave as person who still has much to develop, not someone who has gained all they could. As cliché as it sounds, the journey is what each leader should be remembered for, not just the achievement.

Not to diminish the importance achievements, but markers and milestones of success should come internally. To me, the more imporCredits: YeJin On tant leader isn’t necessarily the best at everything, the jack of all trades, or the MVP, but is the person who has learned the most and shows others they can achieve self improvement. I know I still have many traits to work on, from shushing others to being ever-so-slightly bossy, but recognizing these flaws and addressing them as more public goods, I feel are the key to appearing to be a human leader.

As Editor-in-Chief, I recognize the responsibility and face I have as a leader of the community. This year of the Talon will effectively be known, begrudgingly, as the “Dinger” era. Filled with grammatical errors, scheduling conflicts, and a learning curve, my time on the Talon demonstrates that growth is something to be cherished. From learning to the proper tone when leaving comments on articles to figuring out the mystery that is inDesign, my progress has been astonishing. I leave with the knowledge that my team grew with me, and the message that a leader is someone who is willing to take on the challenge of self-reflection.

editors-in-chief

Demystifying the Gates of the Ivy League An explanation and advice on competitive college admissions in the United States Michael Borger

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hough the veil over the college admissions process in the United States has yet to be uncovered, there is one matter on which I am positively certain: you do not have to be a genius to enter the Ivy League.

Despite starting out as an athletics conference between Cornell and seven of the nine colonial colleges (Rutgers and the College of William & Mary were excluded), the Ivy League has over the centuries begun to denote a status of prestige and allegedly indicate high post-college success.

Questions of whether or not the latter is true due to the League’s longevity and, by default, extensive history of famous students or because of the quality of education offered remain heavily debated. Nevertheless, the increased interest in these eight universities, particularly at the undergraduate level, has translated into heightened statistical selectivity.

These low admissions rates, coupled with the notion that competition for future prospects has been exacerbated, have led to high school students resorting to almost any means to be accepted. Fluffed extracurriculars, systemic cheating on standardized tests, plagiarized essays, cutthroat subversion, and even lies surrounding ethnicity have become frequent, if not expected. This phenomenon, a play on the theory of survival of the fittest, has had clear ripple effects, ranging from the cancellation of SAT testing in China and Macau earlier this year due to concerns regarding widespread cheating to the disturbing surge of suicide clusters where kids took their own lives in the suburbs of Palo Alto.

The pressure has gone too far. As an older brother going off to college and watching his sister prepare for high school next year, I want to shed light on what I think tipped the scale in my favor. My advice was written in the hopes of alleviating some anxiety high schoolers may feel towards their impending college applications, not as a foolproof guide on how to be accepted to competitive colleges.

Here are the tips I would give any high schooler worrying about their admissions chances: 1. Tailor your classes and extracurriculars to your interests. If you want to study medicine in the future and happen to love physiology, take biology in high school and consider chemistry. If you wish to enter the world of political science and government, focus on the social sciences (e.g. economics, history, etc.) that the school offers. Some of the extracurriculars you join, whether those are during school hours, after school, or outside of school, should likely be connected to what you wish to pursue in college and afterwards. However, do not feel pressured to restrict yourself, as exploring other unrelated and diverse interests can be unexpectedly beneficial for personal growth (and assuming you learn from those experiences, potentially your application).

2. Show some sort of genuine passion, not an artificial curriculum vitae. Although this point is similar to the one

above, it differs in that it underscores the importance of engaging with things you truly care for, be they researching and experimenting in scientific endeavors, drafting and producing art projects, or participating in athletics.

If you are doing something for college or for your resúmé, I cannot affirm that admissions officers will be able to spot the imprecisions. But, when writing supplements on your interests or describing your accomplishments to teachers and counselors for their letters of recommendation, your task will be all the more difficult.

3. Seek help on your college essays from teachers, counselors, and peers. When writing your essays, always request feedback, specifically from those whose advice you trust, those who know you best, and those whose writing you admire. These essays are crucial in distinguishing your application from the stacks of others vying for the same spot. As trite as the idea may seem, the essays attach a personality to the numbers the admissions offices receive.

4. Complete standardized tests early and well. The earlier you complete the SAT, ACT, and other necessary standardized tests, the less likely it becomes that you will feel overwhelmed come fall of senior year. Junior year, despite the Extended Essay and the introduction of the International Baccalaureate, provides ample time to study for and take standardized tests. After receiving your scores, ensure that they are in the 25th-75th percentile range, if not higher. In order to be the most competitive applicant you can be, your scores should align with those of admitted students. Not being in this range is not an automatic rejection – there are those below the 25th percentile after all – though lower scores will usually need to be compensated by a combination of superb extracurriculars, essays, recommendations, and grades. With Graded’s wonderful resources, that combination is not impossible.

5. The process is not random, but it is subjective. Whether or not a student is admitted is not necessarily up to chance. Presumably, there is a committee room reading each application. Admittance or rejection can depend on a variety of factors that essentially nullify any sense of confidence an applicant may have. What an admissions office looks for at one university may be different from what another university is hoping for, and vice versa.

Additionally, admissions offices typically seek creating a well-rounded, diverse class, which may or may not entail the experiences and skills you possess. Those who are admitted are not chosen by sheer luck or a lottery draw.

Rather, they have something that a particular group of admissions officers sought. Therefore, the final decision is not a testament to your worth as an individual.

Sources: Business Insider, the Atlantic IvyWise

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Verde que te quiero verde An ode to expat identity Catalina Berretta

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have always found articles about Brazil by foreigners somewhat cringe-worthy. I’m not saying that admiration and critique of Brazil is limited to natives (after all, I am a foreigner). But, the predictably overgeneralized pieces kill me with the timeworn pseudo-colloquial use of saudades and pão de queijo, the general statements about the jeitinho brasileiro, and the exoticized depiction of the poverty-stricken favelas.

I’m even guilty of all of these, particularly when it comes to using saudades.

This is why I struggled so much when the time came for me to pen my love letter to this country, my home for the last six years. I’ve spent so much time in the Graded bubble that I would hate for my legacy to be that of an ignorant gringa writing a superficial piece about how great Brazil is and how much she’ll miss it. As true as those things are, they’ve become artificial descriptors that literally anyone, both residents and tourists have used continuously.

Instead, what I’m choosing to write about is how São Paulo changed who I was irrevocably.

When I lived in Uruguay, I resided in Carrasco, a small neighbourhood one step away from a gated community, or Canelones. I rode my bike to school everyday and all the major stores–Blockbuster, McDonalds, El Civito, Las Delicias–were down a single main avenue.

It never took more than 15 minutes to get to where I wanted to be. By contrast, São Paulo, complicated and sprawling, is a maze where even the most capable of taxis resort to Waze.

I get to school by car even though I live roughly five blocks from school. When I find out a destination is minutes away, it’s an ordinary fact more so than an anomaly.

The biggest difference between the two is how they made me relate to the world and myself. In Uruguay, there is little inclination for flight. omadic tendencies are discouraged beyond the borders of the country. As a tiny piece of land, the sense of community and togetherness is intensified. To be Uruguayan is to be ones most authentic self, which is why I’ve struggled all my life to reconcile the alienation I’ve felt

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from my native home. To be alienated from the place I was born is to be estranged from my identity. So much of who we are is dictated by where we were born, where we grew up. It felt painful to be unable to relate to what should be intuitive and yet I’ve always felt like a tourist in my native country.

Then, I came to Brazil and was lost in a city of thousands of people. To give some perspective, the population of the city of São Paulo is around three times the population of Uruguay, a country. When I came to Brazil, I felt unmoored, but it was better than the alternative, going to Uruguay. Brazil made me feel that whomever I was was up to me, that my identity and heritage were separate. It’s a strange paradox: to feel the only way I can truly be Uruguayan is away from Uruguay. When I am away, I proudly scrawl URUGUAY on forms and boast about how we are generating 95% of our energy from renewable sources. When I am there, it feels like a hoax. Like imposter syndrome, except that it’s not my abilities I am doubting, but rather my patriotism.

I remember a conversation I had with my childhood Credits: Catalina Berretta best friend, where I asked her if she ever imagined leaving Uruguay. She replied that she would consider a post-grad or even an exchange program, but she’d never ever leave it for good. Even out of all the languages I’d heard, this statement was the most foreign to me. This fervent devotion and love, this natural patriotism, felt as awkward and misplaced as the basic, broken Spanish I struggled to speak with my family. Yet, unlike my native language, I don’t think I could ever re-learn to be passionate enough to want to go back.

And I find that to be okay. I will never be one to settle down in Uruguay; I dare to venture out. And that is okay.

It doesn’t make me any less of a Uruguayan. It doesn’t make me an imposter or a fake patriot because there’s somewhere else I see as home, too. It just makes me an expat.

seniors

The Many Tales of Rejection eflections and advice on the college admissions process Chris Kim

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he entire process of college admissions can be described as stressful (seniors will understand this on an instinctual level by now). Any juniors or below reading this might wonder why I’m parroting what’s been told to them a million times already.

However, there are some things that need to be said in regards to how one might cope with the emotional rollercoaster that is the college admissions process.

Throughout the entire process, there was a sort of unease that lingered around me. I could very clearly sense the expectations placed on me by my family. I had high hopes for myself too: I thought that maybe I could get into a bunch of schools, after which I’d sit on top of my throne made of admissions letters, leisurely picking out a college at the end of it all. At the same time, I had tremendous doubts.

Were my grades good enough? My extracurriculars? What if my essays are off-putting? There were a thousand different factors at play here, and I couldn’t control all of them–It was a daunting task.

Doing all the applications in several different systems, laboring over essays, and individually sending test scores to all the schools was definitely a lot of work, and I wish I could say it all paid off. It did, on some level, but the mile-high stack of rejection letters I got suggests to me that some time and effort was wasted. With every rejection letter that came, it felt more and more like I was being hounded into a corner, with more and more options leaving the realm of possibility. Sure, I still have good options for colleges, but I’d feel more comfortable about the situation and about myself if there were more. Receiving rejection after rejection, some from schools I thought I’d get into for sure, was pretty terrible. I did get accepted into one of my top choices, but when you get rejected from so many schools it’s almost like being herded into just a few.

Overall, though, it’s a necessary experience. They say failure is a step towards success, and I’ve failed plenty during the procedure. My ego’s been beaten up and shot in the face, which was painful, but I think I ve come to find it beneficial and maybe even necessary. It really hammers home the reality of where I am at this point in my life. It keeps me on edge as I have to figure out and shape how my future’s going to play out at a point in time where the web

of possibilities could splinter into a million different paths.

It makes me feel like an adult with responsibilities and, most importantly, agency. I’ve had to confront my weaknesses in their plentitude. My successes and failures had been the result of my work. I think it’s started to dawn on me that I’m going to have to be the master of my own destiny. Everyone’s bound to experience this, some later than others, but I suspect that for a lot of us, the college admissions process was a major turning point in terms of growing as human beings.

So, what should be done to deal with the stress of the process The first is to prepare for disappointment. A little grim, yes, but it honestly is the most reasonable option.

While I don’t mean to invalidate anyone’s aspirations, I will say that it’s better to pre-emptively confront the possibility of being rejected. If you prepare for failure and fail, then you won’t fail as hard. If you prepare for failure and succeed, good for you. It’s objectively better than failing to prepare for failure.

Another piece of advice is to stay relaxed and keep a level head. Most people have some way of dealing with stress and nervousness. Allocating yourself some time for whatever that may be can be beneficial. Take a nap. ess around on an instrument. Read a book.

Do whatever helps. You should never Credits: YeJin On rush the process; ensure that you have sufficient time, and effort left in you, to represent yourself to the best of your abilities. This also means that you should try and avoid putting yourself in a situation where you have to rush, either by procrastinating or by getting swamped by other work. It happens to almost everyone to some degree, which is all the more reason to be vigilant about such delays.

But the most important thing, I believe, is to not despair.

There are always ways to struggle against your problems, and even if you haven’t achieved what you wanted to, there’s bound to be something you can work with for the future. If there’s one thing I know about Graded, it’s that none of us are so hopelessly incompetent or absolutely lacking in positive qualities that we won’t build decent lives for ourselves, whatever that may be. In the end, don’t be too hard on yourself, because you don’t have to be.

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The Path to Progressivism The importance of drug legalization Pedro Werebe

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same level of danger as those who use alcohol. Marijuana rug legalization is becoming a hot topic nowadays as more also appeals to many who do not enjoy the level of intoxicaand more citizens begin to realize the futility of the “War tion that alcohol provides or the bad decisions that it leads on Drugs,” which has only made drugs more potent, less expento. sive, and easier to find. From the perspective of a drug user, It is also much healthier than cigarettes and there is no conclusive study linking marijuana usage to any sort there may even be very little reason to change the status quo. of cancer. Marijuana is certainly not meant for developing According to polls conducted by the uffington ost, minds and in a perfect world, its legalization would lead to most people wish to see marijuana legalized. Out of those the enactment of the same rules that are used to govern polled, 51 percent support legalization, whereas 15 percent alcohol and cigarettes. remain undecided. There are small groundswells of support If the uffington ost poll is to be believed, then for ibogaine (an African root that causes hallucination that America is moving toward an era where a person’s choices can also be used to treat heroin addicts), peyote and coare no longer being scrutinized at the same level. A person caine; all of which received at least 10 percent of the vote. who wishes to use mild drugs to self-medicate should be able In a country where ails are filling up at a mind-bogto do so, without having their ability to find employment gling rate and forcing states to make tough decisions about impaired or having to risk their freedom. where to house their prisoners, the idea that people would Most rational people would probably agree with still be jailed for minor drug offenses related to personal this viewpoint and the use in this day and age is upcoming election will ludicrous. be an interesting test, There is a misto see where our nation conception that maristands on this ideologijuana has already been cal speech. While Bernie made legal across the Sanders and Hillary Clinboard, when most states ton are both running with outside of Washington the idea of making drugand Colorado place heavy related offenses much restrictions on its usage. less harsh and attempting Marijuana usage is still to undo all of the damrestricted to medicinal age that was done by the cases in most states.

War on Drugs, Republican Even those who obtain candidates like Donald a card from a doctor, Trump promise to continwhich allows them to ue punishing drug users to head to a dispensary, are the full extent of the law. subject to the same laws Trump believes as before. that legalization is not Think of how many members of the Credits: mily Swanson via uffington ost something that should take place now and also nation’s workforce are believes that it should be decided on a state by state basis. currently sidelined because they smoked marijuana within This does not sound promising and those who believe that the past year or two. To get a good job, a person will often drug legalization is an important topic would do well to have to provide samples of their hair and their blood. Even if make their voices heard during the next election. a person has not smoked marijuana in months, their sample The term “drug legalization” causes some people to remains positive for THC. think of a free for all, a nation where all drugs can be used In some ways, this almost encourages people to use in public, with little to no consequences. However, the type harder drugs that make their way out of their bloodstream of drug legalization that is most needed is not this extreme. more rapidly. A person who uses cocaine is arguably putting By allowing those who use soft drugs in the privacy of their more fellow citizens in danger than the person who prefers own homes and do not endanger the lives of others to conto smoke a joint after work. While no one seems to be in a tinue doing so, the nation can finally put the War on rugs hurry to legalize crack or heroin (and for good reason), the idea that marijuana should remain criminalized in modern behind it and move forward amicably. times seems a tad ridiculous.

Study after study has also shown that those who use source s : huffingtonpost.com mild recreational drugs, such as marijuana, do not pose the

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A Musical Memoir

The Class of 2 1 in a year of music Anoushka Gandhi

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usic is the soundtrack to high school. The last four years have been some of the biggest in music--records were broken, ears were scarred by bad music, and major changes have happened. Here is a retrospective of the past four years of our high school lives and the music that played throughout.

the entire class of 2016 relied on to learn CPR) parted ways.

In other news, Snoop Dogg changed his name to Snoop Lion but remained noop ogg in our hearts , Taylor wift officially became a pop singer when she released her bestselling album, an ode to teenage angst, ed, and chart-topping band Fifth armony was formed on the American version of the -Factor.

Stars at the Lollapalooza lineup in March 2013 included Steve Aoki, Major Lazer, The Killers and many more.

2012 - 2013 Some of the most annoying songs in history date from this time. Don’t think so? “Somebody That I Used to Know,” “Call Me Maybe,” “Harlem Shake,” “O Show das Poderosas,” 2013-2014 and “Thrift Shop” were all chart-toppers when the Class of 2016 Yeezy kicked off sophomore year for the Class of 2016 finished their first year in high school. In ecember , ang- with his sixth studio album Yeezus in July, and Jay Z followed up nam tyle” became the first ouTube video to surpass a billion with Magna Carta Holy Grail a month later. The Backstreet Boys views, and scienreleased an eighth tists discovered studio album that that nobody knew nobody listened to. how to stop listenTheir 21st century ing to overplayed counterparts, the music. The war Jonas Brothers, anbetween One Dinounced an indefirection and The nite hiatus, icki Wanted (a nowMinaj had to “keep forgotten British an eye out for Seboy band) began lener” with Justin as both released Bieber in “Beauty warring hit songs: and a Beat,” and “What Makes You Beyoncé surprised Beautiful,” and the world with an “Glad You Came.” eponymous album Lorde released for which the world “Royals,” and Miley w a s c l e a rl y n o t Universal epublic School Boy, isney, Top Cyrus turned into a Credits: ublic omain, Sony usic ntertainment, Y ready. This year’s awg ntertainment sledgehammer-licking Lollapalooza lineup phenomenon when she released “Wrecking Ball” the night after featured Muse, Ellie Goulding, Kid Cudi and Lorde, amongst performing “Blurred Lines” (the sexist controversy of the year other big names. Both Miley Cyrus and One Direction released in the musical industry) with Robin Thicke. This was also the albums with blatantly different styles from their previous work; year everybody learned to yell AI !” along with AW ATI , Bangerz and Midnight Memories targeted “maturing” audiences. and the year in which a precious few mastered The Cup Song aft unk got lucky and won five awards at the rammy s, and fell in love with Anna Kendrick. Many also discovered the including Album of the Year for Random Access Memories. power of break-up music through Adele.

Overplayed songs that eventually induced anger in its listeners Shockingly enough, the Jonas Brothers, Spice Girls and included “Happy,” “Bete Balanço,” “Counting Stars,” “Pomink Floyd reunited during this glorious era, but as freshmen, peii,” and “All About that Bass.” Many pop-listeners replaced we were not without heartbreak. ands like FA went on an absent Adele with Idina Menzel and belted out “Let it Go” hiatus, and wedish ouse afia, as well as the ee ees whom

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seniors instead of “Someone Like You.” The FIFA World up Anthem We Are ne featured laudia eite alongside Jennifer Lawrence and Pitbull. Graded’s homegrown musical sensation Pablo Saller also launched Saller Sounds in and has been making waves around the o aulo circuit ever since.

2014-2015 The school year started off strong with Beyonce winning four awards at the MTV Video Music Awards, as well as the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard award.

Chris Brown released his sixth studio album, X, and Taylor Swift released her fifth album, 1989, which almost broke the record for the most number of albums sold in the first week, though Britney Spear kept the record in the end. Sam Smith won four awards at the Grammys, including Song of the Year for “Stay With Me.” Pa u l M c C a r t n e y, strangely enough, made a comeback on the collaboration FourFive econds” with the most unlikely artists: Kanye West and Rihanna. Popular and overplayed songs this year included ptown Funk,” “Rude,” “Oração,” “Aquele 1%,” and “See You Again.”

T h i s y e a r’s L o l lapalooza lineup starred Calvin Harris, Skrillex, Bastille, Major Lazer, Pharrell Williams, Vintage Culture, Chemical Surf and Steve Aoki.

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2015-2016 The senior’s school year started off to the tune of Drake’s “Hotline Bling,” an international sensation that left people dancing for days. Rihanna created controversy with her music video about somebody owing her money (the video included implied torture scenes and a scary message for her former embezzling accountant). The biggest hit of the year, however, was Adele’s “Hello.” She made a comeback after five years of silence and shattered several records with just one single and a music video, all while singing karaoke in a car with James Corden from the Late Late Show. The 58th Grammy Awards caused an outrage when Taylor Swift won album of the year for Credits: ollapalooza Brasil 1989; many believed Kendrick Lamar’s To imp a utterfly was artistically superior.

Other Grammy winners for the year included The Weeknd, Meghan Trainor, Ed Sheeran, Bruno Mars, and Mark Ronson. Everybody felt heartbroken over S h a w n M e n d e s ’s “Stitches,” quickly apologised to Justin Bieber’s “Sorry,” and seniors raved to Vintage Culture in Maresias. The Lollapalooza lineup this Credits: Bruno duardo via ock on Board year included avoiding mock examinations, Eminem, Jack Ü, Zerb, Halsey and Zedd.

Chemical Surf might not have headlined at the festival this year, but did make a return at the Class of 2016’s post-prom.

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A Message for Future Seniors Advice from a senior who has been there Matthew Kim

I

am not an attractive or unique student to colleges. I have an average GPA, SAT scores, extracurriculars, and afterschool activities. My essays are as mundane as mere alphabets, and no impression can be found in those letters. evertheless, I became a senior in 2015, but I was still normal.

In January, the colleges which I applied to under their early action and early decision plans announced their admissions decisions. Unfortunately, I was rejected by many great universities (with one or two exceptions). I believe I was so normal that the universities did not find me fascinating. ut to me, those universities were fantastic – they were my dream schools.

After this round of rejections, I suffered from nightmares. In these horrible dreams, colleges which I had applied under regular decision rejected me, too. They were merciless, claimed that they did not want me (not even my decent mathematical skills), and favored those who were capable of fitting themselves into the keyholes of the entrance to those universities. I knew it was a rational decision for them. At the same time, I knew it was irrational for me to think that they would contact me to re-accept me later, but I wanted to believe it. By the way, the nightmares traversed into reality.

This situation preyed on me. Besides those nightmares, I was jealous of my friends who had gotten into Ivy League schools and their top choices; I felt both respect and disdain towards them. I criticized myself as if no one loved me. For sure, these colleges that had rejected me did not love me, but I did not realize that some colleges still liked my normalcy.

As a proverb suggests, misfortunes never come singly.

Some of my friends bullied me for being denied. I knew they were joking around, but those rejections were not jokes to me.

After months, however, I realized that adaptation was something great. I had to adapt to this situation. After all, if I dare to self-justify, these colleges did not really deserve me,

despite my mundane cells. They simply did not understand my aim to help others as a chemical engineer. I was no longer Gatsby, solely on the pursuit of an intangible Daisy. I developed other goals.

I believe future seniors will face similar situations – it happens all the time. To almost everybody, nightmares, stress, and depression are common symptoms of re ection. At first, it might seem like it’s impossible to be happy again because it’s hard to admit that your top choices did not see you as their top choice. However, I suggest you look beyond this incompatibility and seek the other possibilities. There are plenty of amazing colleges out there that would love to have you. evertheless, there are several important things you must do after you receive your college decisions and before you graduate from high school.

Firstly, as mentioned prior, do not beat yourself up over rejections. Let bygones be bygones. You cannot change whatever has already happened, so focus on the future. High school is all about finding yourself. A rejection is not the end of the world, but rather the beginning of a bigger one.

Credits: YeJin On Secondly, even if you got into some colleges, do not stop studying. It is your hard work that got you this far; don’t (completely) let go because it’s not worth it. umble yourself, and keep working towards finishing high school in the best way possible.

Lastly, be proud of yourself. Getting into a college is a privilege. Few people are as lucky as us, even if they work ust as hard, if not harder, towards their dreams.

College may seem like a distant, apocalyptic future, but it creeps upon you faster than you would expect. My recommendation is to continue working hard, but to not lose track of all the pleasures that come with being in high school.

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seniors

The IB Diploma, Or: ow I learned to stop stressing and embrace my doom Yoji Watanabe

W

ell, diploma seniors, this is it. Last semester, toe to toe with the external examiners. With May 21st around the corner, all that stands between us and graduation is the ember walkway that is the final I exams. As I sit on the senior lawn and hear my peers deliberating pertinent issues such as Shmoop versus park otes, the best past exam paper resource, and to what extent they should embellish their CAS site, I’m not stressed, but feel at peace with the utter várzea this life has become.

The IB has, through “I’m not stressed, [I] Theory of Knowledge, taught the utter v rzea this to make connections between different knowledge areas and my own life–to see how parallels arise in subjects such as literature and my personal experiences–so that is what I decided to do.

During a late physics night, similar to the myriad other homework-filled ones, when I had an epiphany that took me from IB helplessness to a state of zen.

What if entropy, a measure of degree of disorder, goes beyond the third law of thermodynamics and statistical mechanics?

Maybe my life, like the universe, is falling apart because it is meant to reach higher states of disorder.

This would make sense: an impending chaos (at least in my experience as a full-diploma candidate). Maybe the classes I’m doing well in, those where my grades are high and the teacher-student-relationship is flourishing, have too much internal energy that needs to be released. When things are going too smoothly, they itch to fall apart–it’s just physics, right? I mean, it is much harder to get your or for you non-seniors, a to a than the inverse–this can’t just be a coincidence, it has to be destiny. So what if it’s just nature that a solid three is my IB equilibrium? ow, if anguage iterature has taught me anything it s that in a struggle of an vs. ature, we tend not to fare too well. So, maybe the way to go about ending the semester is to give ourselves up to the greater universe. Stop trying to procrastinate less, eat healthy, and improve study habits: you’re getting in the way of the greater scheme of things let the universe s struggle to find equilibrium envelop

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your life. Take more trips to the snack bar and leave for the nurse a little more often, it’s just nature. ow letting things get too crazy isn t ideal, either.

If you start staying up too late, doing too little work, and partying way too much, you ll find yourself in a rut. emember, you can’t sleep in SAS (does SAS even exist anymore?).

Allowing for too much disorder in your life is like allowing the waiter to put too much icor de Cassis in your Creme de apaya. You’ll end up being feel at peace with kicked out of the establishment, a lonely drunk reminiscing the life has become.” sweetness that once was. So find your own I equilibrium and keep the flow of entropy in check. evertheless, your I life is meant to fall apart, so don t put up too much resistance. It’s and you ust remembered about that one test first block tomorrow? It’s okay, sleep is more important than studying anyways. Woke up too late and missed the bus to school? It’s fine, you ll try again tomorrow.

Missed too many days of school and your IB diploma is in jeopardy? Eh, f**k it, I’m sure you’ll do better next year.

The jovial, double-strapping, Credits: YeJin On organized freshman you once were should be naught but a photograph in your high-school yearbook. So as a future IB student, embrace your new love for coffee, early nights, and student-handbook loopholes: the universe wants you to. . . For all you Freshmen and ophomore out there uniors I know you’re already feeling the full wrath of the IB Gods), it’s not too late. You can turn back now, enroll in a school that offers Advanced Placement (AP) courses, and avoid the two years of indentured servitude you have waiting for you.

Should you take my advice, you can thank me in a couple years when you realize you haven’t seen your Graded IB friends since that one time they made you help out with one of their 365 Internal Assessments.

P.P.S. Sorry Amaral.

seniors

Oh, the Places You’ll Go College acceptances for the Class of 2 1 Compiled by the EICs United States American University: Bianca Marinkovic abson ollege ick egen, eonardo im, ablo aller Boston University: Pedro Werebe, Lucas Valim owdoin ollege Faria asruddin Brown University: Alan Garcia-Ramos, Gabriel Civita Brigham Young University, Utah: Jenna Dalton Bucknell University: Eric Belda hapman niversity icole reco laremont c enna ollege o o Ferraz Columbia University: Simon Chamorro Georgia Institute of Technology: Kevin Min The George Washington University: Vitor Resende, Gabriel Guerra Georgetown University: Luiza Mizrahi, Rodrigo Ko Hampshire College: Olivia Tavares Paes Hofstra University: Julia Rodrigues Lynn University: Marta Jorda Garcia Manhattan School of Music: Bela Hernandez Michigan State University: Angelica Garcia ew ork niversity aniel Castaño, Gabriel Andrade, Rafael Wurzmann, Victoria Fernandes, Thomas reyer ew ork niversity, Abu habi ico aney ortheastern niversity Catu Berretta, Daniel Sneyers Occidental College: Peter Chao Parsons School of Design: Carolina Werebe omona ollege ina ictoria ayer de aulo Purdue University: Kaan Alptekin, Jacob Willis, Mateus Caltabiano Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD): Agustina Patino School of the Art Institute of Chicago: Marina Cortes Calle Syracuse University: Bernardo Santos Trinity University: Sarah Bastos Tufts University: Yoji Watanabe University of California, San Diego: Mathias Tucunduva University of Chicago: Pedro Rodrigues niversity of iami icole Averbach, riscila antos University of Michigan, Ann Arbor: Myeong Won Kim, Sabrina Kim, Andrew Chiang

niversity of otre ame Tamima ourad, elie Ahn niversity of ennsylvania icholas oldlust University of Southern California: Pedro Salles Leite Yale University: Michael Borger Canada niversity of ritish olumbia hris im, aniel Felberg, Ritvika Sharma University of Ottawa: Jenna McCollum Gap Year Laura Gibbs icholas oldlust Brasil Alberto Saraiva Carol Kim Felipe Tenerelli Ma Rodrigues Pierella Abdon United Kingdom Lancaster University: Mateo Sanchez Garcia de los Rios London School of Economics: Matheus Santos King’s College London: Luiza Valim University of the Arts, London: Tatiana Bezerra University College London: Anoushka Gandhi

Credit: enguin andom ouse

The Netherlands Erasmus University Rotterdam: Lubbertus Kuiper

Switzerland Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne: Alicia Horcajo Rubí, Matías Uhart Mascheroni South Korea Kyu Min Park Ghent University: Mi Jin Kim Spain Les Roches Int. School of Hotel Management–Marbella MIUC - Marbella

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college essays

Revising the Past A college application essay Michael Borger

Y

ale Long Supplement: Please reflect on something you would like us to know about you that we might not learn from the rest of your application, or on something about which you would like to say more. You may write about anything—from personal experiences or goals to interests or intellectual pursuits.

“Mãe, no crying.” A thick American accent muddied my Portuguese. “Of course I’ll read it.” These were the same words she would use after we moved to Brazil and I begged for help on Portuguese homework.

Her tears stopped. My mother’s voice quivered as she asked me to edit her college essay. She had decided to pursue a Master’s Degree in the United States, and she hid her dream from everyone except me. Both of us understood the struggle of writing in a language that was not ours, governed by rules that we never learned.

With a red Mickey Mouse pen in hand, I flipped through the pages on my desk. No piece has ever proven to be as challenging or satisfying to edit as my mother’s essay.

The first line read: “Hi, my name is Simone and I am a fifty years old young lady!” The tip of my pen yearned to circle the exclamation point, write cheesy in the margin, and place a comma before the conjunction. But the non-mechanical part of me smiled and remembered how she would sing along to Lady Gaga while driving me to soccer practice. She made grammatical errors that no native English speaker would. But as each sentence passed, my pen backed away. Red ink never stained the pages.

Her essay examined the psychological nature of my childhood. It began with our transition to the United States, propelled by my father’s job offer and her maternal instinct to keep my kids safe.” In the first week, my mother met” the emergency room after I ran into a wall. Seven stitches and a high-prescription pair of glasses later, I no longer “cut my eyebrows” on inanimate objects, albeit my “curious energy” continued. She wrote that Mommy and Me programs were “unsuccessful,” a euphemistic adjective since I once threw an egg shaker at the window and shattered glass all over the

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play kitchen. Though my first teacher said that I would lawyer well” due to my impatience, the public elementary school I attended tried to “determine what was ‘wrong’” with me. Her essay chronicled the mental misdiagnoses professionals made and the flawed tests teams conducted. ecause not one could “sign any diagnostic,” I was called ‘gifted,’” a term she and I always hated. They labeled me visually-spatially intelligent, despite my ineptitude and “frustration at art.”

These moments motivated her. My editing job was to fix what was necessary without eopardizing meaning. owever, it was impossible to detach form from content. Had I suggested anything, I risked inadvertently and irrevocably damaging my mother’s work. erhaps it was selfish to concentrate on the sentiments and not to fix the details, but as I handed back her essay, tears formed in my eyes. It was my turn to say the phrase she would always use with me.

“It’s perfect, mãe.” A cliché – a cardinal sin in English.

Yet I smiled and wrapped my arms around her. Sometimes, there is no need to reach for the red pen.

Short Takes: 1.The two qualities I most admire in other people are: Self-Motivation/a Sense of Humor 2. I am most proud of: Credits: Yale University and YeJin On My school’s burgeoning Do

Something group/my little sister 3. I couldn’t live without: Green Tea/My French Horn/Skype/Bechdel’s Fun Home/Earphones 4. Who or what inspires you?

My FALA students/Janet Mock 5. What do you wish you were better at being or doing?

Spiking over volleyball nets, despite my 5’ 7” frame 6. Most Yale freshmen live in suites of four to six students.

What would you contribute to the dynamic of your suite?

An Easy-Bake Oven great for communal brigadeiros

college essays

Pseudo-spices A college application essay Faria Nasruddin

T

he scents of turmeric, anise, and masala mingled in the dense air and melted into one pungent curry, yet each spice retained its personality. The orange-red chicken with thick, glistening sauce paired with a fluffy piece of roti called to me. y palate was already satisfied by the steaming aroma. et, I had to blurt out: “Is it spicy?”

“Oh, you can handle it. I didn’t put much pepper in it today,” chirped my Aunty. I could see everyone glaring at me, waiting for the burst of pepper and resentment to drive me away. It was completely condescending, alienating me from who I thought I was–I was now the Americanized one. With that comment, resentfully, I snatched the wooden spoon to prove that I could handle this cultural heat.

Spices were an early attempt at globalization, merging cultures under an umbrella of masked similarity. Over generations, my family has endured multiple waves of immigration, keeping spices trailing closely behind.

From the vast ships that embarked from India to Guyana, spices spilled out the masts, yet the essence remained intact. Although the cinnamon and cardamom dangled behind, the Caribbean influences, stained the food with a distaste. A pseudo culture, according to those who stayed with the motherland, as colonization had tainted its integrity. Then from the plane from Guyana to the US, spices parachuted out, leaving none for my generation’s palate to savor.

Growing up, India was my Neverland. It wasn’t the norm of my identity, but a distant fantasy. Food, especially the richness that came with spices, transported me back to lands I had only ever heard through stories. I was Americanized, but to Americans I was still an arbitrary ethnic category. I wasn’t considered genuine enough to conform to the cultural impositions of India or America, and thus needed to have culture patronizingly toned down for me.

I was born within the land of the free, a Western mentality that promotes inclusion and diversity, yet isolates

those who do not fit the All-American” profile. While I am American jus soli, I still possess some cultural and ethnic traits that trickled down from India. A bit of both, I am a product of cultural assimilation in the New World.

I descended into a new wave of confused citizens who did not know where on the line between cultures they fell. Not quite Indian, yet not quite American, there are crumbs of both scattered throughout. I was then labelled as Indian-American, an odd subgroup that doesn’t have one culture to call my own.

The moment I took that first bite, my mouth was coated with the thickness of spices. It was awful, the sharp spices sliced my tongue and shot straight through my eyes. I couldn’t handle the cultural heat: I only simmered.

I used to think that I could find solace in knowing that my culture’s food is my lasting connection to India, but I am even estranged from the very commodity that brought me here. I am a remnant of the diverging path of spice trade, following where there is opportunity. However, where I was born peeled off all lasting connection I had, besides my appearance, to any culture.

I do not bear the typical cultural markers that bind Credits: Bowdoin College and YeJin On me to my heritage, but I do carry my family’s light black hair and the courage to seek out change.

I am a model of progression, of the independent steps I’ve taken to carry my narrative forth to be applicable to a new face of citizens. Being American is no longer being a descendent of the ayflower colonizers, foreigners who stepped foot on uncharted land for opportunities, or the homogeneity of the founding fathers’ white wigs. Being part of the in-betweeners, culturally inadequate to be entirely one identity, has given me the perception of resolution. I no longer see choices and ties, but the beauty of the intersection of in-between.

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college essays

The Ink in My Blood A college application essay Alan Garcia-Ramos

T

he contour of a continent traces part of my leg; a deeprooted ink with a life-time warranty lies below my skin as a reminder of where I came, and where I ultimately belong. It is impossible, unfathomable to me, to talk about myself, to talk about who I want to be, where I want to go, without talking about the world where I come from, my background. Born in aracas, enezuela, in , the year that ugo h vez took power, meant that my life, since the first day, was inevitably intertwined to issues of politics and government, issues which would eventually become my passion, nearing on obsession.

My earliest memories are of the dinner table, the beginning of the Sabbath, the Ávila mountain range glooming out the window, and the heated spew of arguments shooting across the untouched food. It seemed like no family dinner ever ended in a conversation about girlfriends, or school: the topic was inevitable. This wasn’t like other discussions about politics, those you see in movies, Thanksgiving dinner, college freshmen returning home. This was real; more than a subject of interest, this was life in Venezuela. Cancelled school due to general strikes, fights amongst family members, and going to street protests were a common part of my quotidian life in Caracas. Before you asked someone’s name in Venezuela, you knew whether or not they were pro or anti-government. This is just how it was, and although I knew it wasn’t normal, I never questioned the way things were because it was all I knew.

It wasn’t until my dad took a job in Mexico City and we left Caracas, joining what was to become an exponentially growing emigrating middle class, that I realized the extent to which Venezuela was abnormal. Returning during breaks and vacations, I witnessed, over the years, a rapidly deteriorating society, not only economically, and politically, but morally. As

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I developed an interest and passion for history and politics, both in school and on my own time, I started to draw more and more connections to the situation in my homeland. Questions that had been at heart of history and of conflict for so many years, such as what is the role of the individual in society? and what is the role of government?, were at the core of the confrontation in Venezuela. Venezuela was unique, but at the same time, humanity had been facing issues like these since it’s inception. This was a eureka moment for me; it was then and there that I realized what my biggest aspiration in life was.

Attempting to answer these central questions, to help people at the bottom rise, to instigate equality and justice, to build a better society, were by then not only a passion, but, I felt, my duty. Venezuela was not my only aim; as I moved around Latin America, I witnessed an epidemic of injustice and defects in government and society. Yet, as I discovered an increasing amount of weaknesses, my love and obsession for this continent and it’s people only grew. Although my aspiration and ambition grew to embrace the entire world, it is this continent that remains tattooed in my skin, for my ambition can take me anywhere, but Credits: Brown University and YeJin On my roots will never change.

The ink in my leg reminds me of a continent’s people and suffering; this place raised and shaped me, now I must repay it by fighting to build a better world, one of ustice and equality.

To not go down this path, to not claim my aspirations, means to betray an overwhelming historical force, which instigated my grandparents emigration to Latin America, birthed me in Caracas, and brings me to this chair, where I now write these words. To not go down this path means to betray my identity.

college essays

A Sweet Nightmare A college application essay Luiza Mizrahi

I

have always craved a taste of everything, harboring a desire to hug the world. This desire recently led me to teach myself to cook, and I discovered a passion for baking sweets. It is a contagious fascination: the magic of being in one place, en oying that moment, focused on that single recipe. At first, baking was a mere distraction, a pleasing puzzle to put together, a fraction of my day that was genuinely mine. My mixer became my magic wand, and from raw ingredients I could tease anybody s appetite. I was discovering my flavors and style, playing with colors and feeling different textures on the tip of my tongue. I was satisfying my cravings for the spices of life, and as a bonus sharing this little taste of me.

In midst of all my enthusiasm, my entrepreneurial eyes saw great potential. I established my name as a brand: the pun BoLu – bolo being cake in Portuguese, and Lu my nickname– became its trademark.

I wanted to offer a homemade , personalized experience, resulting in a product “made with love.” My BoLu Instagram account boomed; in less than six months, my handful of followers became three thousand. My phone rang constantly with orders.

I felt accomplished.

A month later, I had gone mad.

I envisioned myself as an expert juggler, a creature with eight arms, always assuming I could handle everything on my own.

But I was offering too much of my time, and setting unrealistic expectations. With arms everywhere, I hoped to impress myself and, unconsciously, impress others. I drained every ounce of energy hoping to get that perfect swirl of icing; I stayed awake at night afraid that the little crack on the side of my chocolate cake would break my costumer’s trust. As I struggled under the weight of the business, it felt as if BoLu was the cause of all my strife. Only later could I see that it was not the fault of the cakes and treats, but rather the unreasonable burden I had placed upon myself.

As the number of orders increased, I became increasingly demanding. I felt the need to fulfill everyone s desires and forgot about my own. Unconsciously, I began to lose focus on important things: school, family, and friends. By the time I went to sleep, I was soaked with frustration, caught up on the things I had not done, and the things I felt I had not achieved.

The turning point came when my father, seeing me distressed over a batch of burnt brownies, squeezed my hand and said, “ Filha, take care of yourself. This is just a batch of brownies.”

His words, the reality I had been avoiding for weeks, broke my internal dam. I sat on the floor and sobbed.

What began as a passion became a nightmare, one I stubbornly refused to accept. My father’s words spurred me to put my priorities back where they belonged and seek balance in order to keep up with my growing responsibilities. I had to accept the importance of listening to myself and seeking my own well-being, rather than focusing solely on the expectations of others, either real Credits: Georgetown University and YeJin On or imagined. I have learned to fail and accept my limits. In mistakes, I see opportunity to reflect, grow and improve. I have clearly mapped my values and still have room to find myself tasting new flavors.

Thankfully, I was able to find balance without losing the side of BoLu that makes me happy. Apart from getting my hands on management, planning, marketing, and financial sustainability, I ended up redefining my sense of purpose. I also learned the importance of working with others. Today, I work with my mother, and together we keep BoLu alive as a constant reminder of my true values and aspirations. I now bake for myself again.

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college essays

The Religion Paradox A college application essay Yoji Watanabe

B

efore my feet ever touched the ground, Catholicism surrounded me. I have been told stories of my calmness when the local Paulista priest dipped my two-month-old head into the baptismal font; I remember the pixelated, earsplitting grin on my Grandmother’s face when I skyped her following my first communion I remember the tears in my mother s eyes as I hugged her on the steps of the church where I had just been confirmed. espite the undeniable role this monotheistic religion played in my life, my own convictions never seemed harmonious with my family’s.

My mother always made me pray before bed; kneel, cusp my hands together, and talk to the absolute that loomed over me. But in all honesty, most times I wouldn’t even pray. I would close my eyes and pretend to whisper–peering between closed eyelids in aims to see the smile that followed my mother’s ‘Amen’. I wasn’t practicing this religion for myself, but for those around me. I found solace in making my family proud, for following a righteous path, and for pretending that I shared their purity.

I remember laying down in the back of a Japanese rental car at the ripe age of , as a recurring thought once again seeped into the cracks of my mind. Did I really believe what the well-dressed men in church said? As much as I wanted to feel whole within a family, where religion pervaded for generations, the premature flames of hell seemed to burn me every time I wandered into these thoughts. Not only would my sexuality add to the torture awaiting me in the afterlife, but even my interest in science seemed to confirm my fate.

Not before long, everything became black or white.

Either it was favorable in the eyes of God or punishable with eternal torture. I began to avoid labeling myself, after all, I would be lying to declare my faith as Catholic: I am a heretic.

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Despite the happiness this religion had brought my family, I was not made to continue this tradition. The truth about my convictions would cause me to renounce religion. I realized I am not the altar boy, swinging a thurible back and forth, and neither am I the follower, singing hymns from my pew. I am the sinner, the black sheep guilty of apostasy, and science was the culprit.

After hearing the oyal ociety s motto for the first time, nullius in verba, all I could think about was how beautiful it was. On the word of no-one, take nobody’s word for it–there is no phrasing that could take away it’s power. Humankind is empowered to find answers for itself. With the willpower, anyone can seek to explain why the moon orbits the earth and the earth the sun and the sun our supermassive black hole–we do not have to rely on leaders to tell us a truth, and there is no question too complex for science to tackle.

Although I no longer consider myself religious, religion still played an immeasurable role in my growth for reasons other than personal gain. It has taught me to have faith in my work for a higher Credits: Tufts University and YeJin On purpose, and I translated this purpose to be humankind. I will not seek out knowledge for the its accolades or to simply sell patents, but in the name of the greater good. I want not only to be a creator of knowledge but a promoter of it.

As a prospective scientific researcher, atholicism taught me selflessness and the importance of working.

Absolutes never sat well with me–good or bad; gay or straight; sinful or pure–the concept of a spectrum always bemused me perhaps it was this disdain of labels that influenced my apostasy. Now I am liberated by embracing the unknown and unlabeled, and I have the power to explore it. Science is my religion and my research will be my gospel.

college essays

An Existential Bummer A college application essay Matias Uhart

I

n the midst of a staggering period of college applications and the advent of my high school graduation, there’s one problem of personal importance I’d like to solve - my insecurity regarding my effect on my present reality. At the age of thirteen, I moved to razil from iami to begin the th grade. I remember hating it and immaturely trying my best to do so. However, years passed, and little by little it came to be the life I know.

School became the “stage” on which I ecstatically performed everyday for the past years. I ve learned to give value to that stage, and a large part of why I came to appreciate it so much is because of the effect it’s had on me. et, I can now see the finish line of my high school career, and quite frankly, it’s scary. It’s the sadness that follows graduation that startles me. The thought of graduation fills me with the utmost anxiety, and not because of the usual fear associated with moving on, but due to my concern with the effect of my actions, my performances. On one hand, I think about how I’ve grown and excelled throughout this stage. I think about all the effects it’s had on me - from the large to the small. From learning about the French Revolution to learning how to catch up with my friends during breaks and still be on time for class. However, I then think about how this stage is going to be taken away from me, and I ask myself, will it remember my performances?

I’ve gotten accustomed to performing on this stage and have begun the process of learning to deal with the reality that it will be taken away from me, but I wonder, will my contributions have had a lasting impact? Will my high school remember me as well as I will remember it? At year’s end, the juniors will become seniors and the seniors will graduate, only to be brought up sparingly, if at all. It’s an idea that strikes me

with a strange, negative feeling. I like to think that my economics teacher will remember me and what I brought forth to the class. It might just be possible, but then again, I can’t help but wonder if after years of teaching over , students, I will be remembered. Was my performance felt by the audience as much as it was felt by me?

Sadly, I cannot answer that question, but I can reconcile. Little by little, I’ve been learning to embrace the stage on which I’ve had the privilege to perform, along with the audiences I’ve shared the journey with. I’m thankful for the experiences I’ve had in high school; the personal endeavors, the mistakes, the successes, all of it. And even if I take more from this performance than the audience and stage take from me, it won’t matter, because I gained knowledge from them, which is something that won’t ever escape me.

I gained beautiful memories in those hallways, and all I’ll ever need to take from my performances are the lessons and memories that have contributed to who I am today. So, in the attempt of discovering a solution to a seemingly unanswerable problem, I have learned something Credits: ECL and YeJin On more invaluable than the solution itself: don’t ever take comfort in time, and always look at the bigger picture, for perhaps high school wasn’t the play itself, but maybe simply the opening act.

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college essays

UCAS Personal Statement A college application essay Matheus Santos

A

s I grew up in the culturally diverse environments of Brazil, made in politics and economics. As a result, I gained a more the Netherlands and Spain, I developed my compassion for analytical approach to global issues, for example by considering the international world, always heeding its problems and af- the possible political effects of foreign military intervention in fairs. Thus, when I I conquered territories in , I followed the ongoing krainian conflict.

Moreover, I also tailored my academic studies to seize the news extensively. Concerned with the unfolding events’ impact on the international community, one thought never all possible learning opportunities related to economics and left my mind: who was behind the scenes trying to rebuild Iraq international relations. In IB History HL, I analyzed the role of politically and economically? The crucial work of IGOs in these state and non-state actors in global peacekeeping, such as in Italian invasion of thiopia, a topic I chose undertakings, such as advising governments, convinced me to preventing the to further explore in my Extended dedicate my future profession to ssay. It was extremely fulfilling helping create peace for nations to learn, through this study, how worldwide facing war or instability. modern-day leaders could prevent My passion for internasimilarly destructive wars. Additional relations was consolidated tionally, in IB Economics HL, I was in my explorations of foreign policy intrigued by the power of economin MUN. By representing various ics in domestic and international delegations in debates and negosocieties. I became particularly tiations, I had the opportunity to interested in the government use better understand states’ complex of demand-side policies, a poteninteractions in the international tial tool to create social stability. system, and was honored to win My leisure time has been five awards at events. The filled with a variety of activities. I way this knowledge illuminated authored and published a 6 , issues that surrounded me since word novel, Loyalty to the Dead, childhood, from the European Debt and am writing a military fiction risis to hina s growing influence, book. Along with my four-year quickly made foreign relations participation in rugby, including a compelling field of study. In representative play for the Comaddition, as Chair and Secretarymunity of Madrid, these endeavors General of two conferences, I was Credits: London School of Economics developed my sense of perseverin charge of picking topics and ance. Keen to help the less fortunate, I overseeing debates between hundreds of students, experiences that taught me the relevancy of global have also taught and organized mathematics lessons for dozens of local Brazilian teenagers in my school’s volunteer program, affairs in everyday life.

Keen to learn more about international politics, I a challenging activity that improved my communication skills.

I am confident that an undergraduate study of interattended Columbia University’s Summer Program. During it, I explored the intricate relationship between politics and eco- national relations, economics and their related fields is the nomics, for instance how economic interdependence, a result right choice for me. Using my desire to acquire more skills and of trade liberalization, can help prevent state conflicts. This knowledge at an UK world-class university, I hope to obtain the three-week focused learning of the subject showed me how ex- necessary tools to one day help create security and peace for . citing a university-level study of it would be. Captivated by this regions in conflicts such as that of Iraq in prospect, I also pursued an interest in philosophy. This led me to take the University of Edinburgh’s online philosophy course and reflect in a personal ournal the ethics behind decisions

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college essays

Traumatic Bliss A college application essay Nina Mayer de Paulo

T

hrough the Summer Undergraduate Research Program, eteran ealth Affairs spent . billion dollars during and Pomona provides students up to $4,000 to conduct re, 6 of that budget was devoted solely to the treatment search with a Pomona professor on any topic in the arts and of PTSD. humanities, social sciences, or natural sciences. Imagine you Shocked not only at the price paid by families but also received one of these grants. What would you research and the government, I was determined to find a better, more costwhy is this topic important to you? How would you know if effective treatment method. While researching, I came across you had been successful in your research? pharmaceutically induced memory suppression as a form of Last February my family suffered a trauma. My twelve- treatment for PTSD. year-old brother was in a car leaving school when someone shot This form of treatment is the result of the use of at the car’s windshield. In the subsequent days, I discovered Beta-adrenergic blocking agents, commonly referred to as the effects of memory suppression firsthand. If you were to ask -blockers, blocking -adrenergic receptor sites that then help my brother about the events of that day, he would not be able inhibit a memory s reconsolidation. -blockers are common as to recount them to you. they mainly serve to treat high blood pressure, glaucoma, and It was this event that sparked my curiosmigraines. Their commonality causes them to be ity into the body’s coping mechanisms for trauma. highly affordable. The treatment course using Through research, I learnt that not every trauma -blockers would cost around per annum, victim is as lucky as my brother was that day; which is less than of the price for one year many do not have the mechanism that triggers of CBT. memory repression. Their bodies are not able to There have been fewer than ten studies and psychologically shield them from the memories clinical trials to date that used pharmaceutically of such an event, and more often than not these induced memory suppression as a form of treatmemories lead the way to more symptoms like ment for PTSD. night terrors and flashbacks. ometimes it stops So if awarded the grant, I would choose to work there and sometimes it doesn’t, and develops alongside a Pomona professor on the feasibility of into Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. pharmaceutically induced memory suppression PTSD is an anxiety disorder estimated to as a treatment for T specifically focusing affect . of the general American population at on the economic, sociological and psychological some point in their lifetimes. Unfortunately for ramifications of this form of treatment. specific populations such as veterans, this perAs someone who has seen the benefits of supcentage is much higher. As of , approximately pression firsthand, I cannot imagine the relief Credits: Pomona College of Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans treated that this treatment could bring to patients who

by Veteran Health Affairs had been diagnosed with PTSD. have suffered from PTSD. More clinical trials must be conducted When I first found these statistics I stared dumbfounded to establish the efficacy of the treatment but as of now, I view at them; it turns out that resilience is a lot more common in it as extremely promising. From my perspective, Success in this young children than in adults. I began to look into treatment research area would be helping the course of treatment gain options, unable to let go of the idea that over 5.2 million U.S. more attention and public support. This is something that has adults suffer from this disorder at any given time. the potential to impact many families both by helping their loved The first treatment I encountered was ognitive e- ones, but also by lessening the financial burden placed on them havioral Therapy, the most recognized treatment for PTSD. CBT by the cost of PTSD treatment. Through the Pomona Research has a high success rate, but it also has its pitfalls. First, it is Program, I would hope to publish this research, inspiring psyextremely expensive.

T is estimated to cost around , chiatrists to conduct more clinical trials. If this treatment is for one year of therapy for patients with moderate PTSD. Sec- acknowledged by the FDA, it could impact the lives of millions ondly, CBT is a form of therapy that must be continued for years for the better. in order to be effective; this means that what was estimated to cost , could be well over , before the time or treatment elapses. For context on the cost of PTSD treatment, consider that the congressional budget office estimated that

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college essays

Twenty-Four Pictures of Me A college application essay Gabriel Civita Ramirez *** It’s 2:02am and I look like someone who has just unsuspectingly woken up from an alarm set at, well, 2:02am. My face is off-center and slightly out of focus. My smile screams “let me sleep and, blinded by the flash, my pupils are about the size of a ‘ centavo,’ a Brazilian penny. *** I’ve grown up in a community teeming with images. Even when I was young, before Facebook and Instagram, I found myself exposed to a world of photographs. My mom’s family has worked with print media for three generations. Each day, I’m greeted by more than magazines, gracefully resting on the kitchen table, the bathroom magazine rack, the nightstand.

As if that wasn’t enough, my Honduran father has a deep passion for photography he gave me my first camera – a Polaroid – when I was just shy of six. In a sense, he truly took a razilian proverb to heart filho de peixe, peixinho é” (“if the father’s a fish, so is the son” . And it worked.

My camera follows me everywhere – to school where I take pictures for the student magazine “The Talon,” to the northeast of Brazil where I helped develop a public school library, and even to rural Kenya where I helped build a school dormitory. *** It’s 7:07am and time to get ready for school. My wavy hair and thick eyebrows have a case of bedhead, and the bony contours of my chest have been painfully accentuated by the olaroid flash. *** My moment of transition in this community came last year. n onday, eptember th, , I had friends set alarms on my phone for the next day. Every time an alarm went off, I grabbed the Polaroid camera hanging from my neck, aimed its lens towards myself, and pressed the shutter button. By pm the following day, I had prints of my grinning face. I wanted to see if in an age of curated selfies,” what would it be to surrender aesthetic control – to use an old

20 • the talon

technology you can’t “touch up” and to take photos at times selected by friends at random. In our world, photographers in many ways manipulate reality; I wanted to see what happens when a photographer can’t.

To be honest, it was scary. One friend suggested I was vain to be talking all these pictures of myself. Another thought the pictures made me look stupid; Polaroids offer no do-overs, and no previews to select from. More importantly, it was intimidating to show my family – my tribe. Was it a judgment against their kind of work? An attack on their mediated magazine culture? *** It’s 10:02am. Two large trees are visible in the background. My face takes up most of the frame, yet is barely recognizable; it is blocked by a large white smudge of photographic chemicals, distorted beyond recovery. *** My family now knows that photography for me extends past magazines.

I am not yet a peer in their world of images, but when I become one, it will be on my terms: to make art that is not only beautiful but goes somewhere else, to be an artist or teacher or curator.

Credits: Brown University and YeJin On

It’s hard for me to stare at the finished piece it s my face times and many pictures aren t flattering. ut I am proud of the work: by surrendering control, I found my way to a more powerful and simple piece of art. There’s so much I care about: philosophy and social change, environmental awareness in Brazil and the world, issues of women’s and LGBTQ equality, and on another level, questions of art and aesthetics. In college I will continue taking on big ideas, asking questions, taking risks, and seeing things from different angles. *** It is 1pm. The final picture. I am looking straight ahead, ready for the next challenge.

features

Talon to Seniors: Next Year...

We asked, and here were some answers Compiled by Talon Staff Myeong Won Kim: Living in the United States, re-memorizing SAT vocabulary, getting scholarships, and preparing for my army life that will start more or less in , is the plan for next year.

Gabriel Civita Ramirez: To be in control of my education yay, open curriculum! . I m planning on taking odern Culture and Media and Philosophy courses, exploring the Providence area, and eating good food.

Anoushka Gandhi: Studying at a university in the UK, hopefully.

Ali Horcajo: I will be studying hospitality in Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne, Switzerland.

Faria Nasruddin: So far, my plan is to stock up on intensely warm boots, collect some new hats, since I’ll be studying Government and History at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. I’m also hoping to continue to write for the Orient Catu Berretta: The plan is to go to Northeastern, join a soccer league, and become vegan.

Luiza Mizrahi: I am going to study International Business and Marketing at Georgetown University.

Priscila Santos: Begin my journey in medical studies.

Pablo Saller: tudying in oston, abson to be specific.

Sarah Bastos: Next year I’m going to study theatre at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. I plan on being in as many

plays as possible and expanding my abilities as an actress.

Nicholas Goldlust: Physiotherapy and after playing prosoccer.

Nick Regen: Start my own successful business at Babson with a group of people.

Matías Uhart Mascheroni: The plan is to continue to live and thrive.

Sabrina Kim: To study computer science at the University of Michigan.

Bela Hernandez: I will be attending Manhattan School of Music, where I’ll continue to work on my music career.

Gabrielle Fischer: My plan is moving to NY to study at LIM, as well as pursuing my dream in becoming an Olympic Dressage rider.

Peter Chao: Chillin’ in Cali.

Kyu Min Park: Struggling to get used to new life Tamima Levinsohn Mourad: Next year I’ll be attending the University of Notre Dame – Holy Cross College Gateway program where I’ll be studying Psychology and Political Science and minoring in Spanish. Outside of school I’ll be an active member on campus by joining a variety of clubs at ND and working/volunteering at a local kindergarten.

Miguel Diaz: I will be going to Madrid to study entrepreneurship for the next years.

Monthly Update

The ups and down of semester 2

Seniors finally fix the mural in the hallway, changing the 5 with whiteout to a badly written 6

The school lunches seem to become more innovative with fricassé de peixe linguido as a new installment

Teachers have banned students from bringin their pets to IB exams, after one day was left stranded alone in the Art Center

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features

In 20 Years...

Our tongue-in-cheek predictions for this year’s seniors Talon Senior Staff Agustina Patino: Following the success of her stop-motion animation, What Lies Beyond the Light, Agustina went on the indie festival track, winning awards at South by Southwest, Sundance, and the Heartland Film Festival. In a glory-fueled rampage, Agustina then submitted her film to the Festival de Cannes, where upon meeting controversial director Lars Von Trier, she adopted his “Screw Hollywood” rhetoric, moving to Denmark and planning a production on the exploitation of wire figures in the world s movie capital.

Alan Garcia-Ramos Hochman: After leading a successful military coup and overthrowing President Maduro, Supreme Commander arcia- amos concluded enezuela s transition into a purely communist state. Political scientists now worry for the state s elite, warning that arcia- amos new policies threaten the one percent. When asked for a comment, Supreme Commander Garcia-Ramos opened his mouth in preparation, but before he could speak, Chief of Security Miguel Diaz tackled our reporter, saying the Commander is unavailable for comments.

Alberto Saraiva: As the face of Ragazzo, Alberto noticed after thirty-five years he wasn t a fan of all the attention he received from eating pasta on a billboard. When inheriting the abib s and Ragazzo franchise, he replaced the logos with an artistic sketch of his wife, orenza, in a genie costume for abib s and in an Armani dress designed in Milan for Ragazzo. When marrying her, Alberto changed his last name, despite pressure from his friends to maintain his identity. He and Lorenza now own fifteen resorts in exotic locations where they honeymoon yearly to celebrate their anniversary. Their kids, each named after a different European despot, stay home during their parents vacations, running the family businesses and delivering esfihas to the boy s volleyball team at raded if and when they win Big 4.

Alex Parke: Extending his stay in Israel from six months to twenty years, Parke ended up working as tour guide around the Wailing Wall, helping young zionists become more in touch with their roots. When the Talon staff tried to reach Parke in hopes of a Class of 2016 reunion (the Tel Aviv nightlife being a big selling point), reporters found him unable to communicate in English. Rumors are circulating that Parke renounced his position in the Anglosphere, believing that speaking only Hebrew would allow him to “get in touch with [his] innerself, man.”

Ali Horcajo: Alicia Horcajo, reality TV star and founder of Hôtel Riche Salope, opened her third luxury resort in Ibiza, coinciding with the small island s recreational legalization of all drugs. As celebration, Alicia renewed her contract with MTV for another five seasons of her hit show, eeping p with the orca os.

Speculation around a reunion season arose after rumors started that economist Marcelo Machado would be named a trustee of the Riche Salope chain–neither could be reached (consciously) for comment.

22 • the talon

Andrew Chiang: Andrew s hinese origins prompted him to move to hina, but his razilian nature conflicted with hinese conventions and traditions. nable to reconcile the disparity between himself and the land of his ancestors, Andrew built a city called Andrew s World” right beside hanghai, electing himself mayor in the process. Its population grew exponentially, and he became one of the richest investors, globally. A watercolor sketch of his smile became a symbol of this new tourist hotspot, and promises for his hugs became the new form of currency.

Angélica Garcia Vargas: Her years at Michigan State alongside her older brother made her become the most outspoken person in her class. Every time she raised her hand, however, she sung the answer, though no professor or student seemed to be bothered by the melodic sound of her voice. In university, her knack for singing got her discovered by local bars, where she played weekly gigs to audiences from around the country. She now runs a small business called Angie s” where she teaches kids how to sing and break out of their shells, albeit the . . government is unclear as to whether her work is a scam, a cover-up, or simply a brilliant venture.

Anoushka Gandhi: Anoushka grew fond of the cold weather in England, since it mirrored the very nature of her heart, and decided to stay. She now lives in a homestead in the dales of orkshire where the open field provide plenty of room for her dogs (Buddy II, Byron, Buckets, Mr. Wagglesworth, Orlando, evin, and irginia to frolic about. After she attained a graduate degree in nglish iterature from the niversity of xford, Anoushka published a series of novels–fast literature, of course– about young babysitters who solve mysteries. She sustains her large English mansion through sizable royalties from liberal publications and feminist blogs, as well as through teaching online courses about Virginia Woolf and Gustav Flaubert.

Bela Hernandez: At the Manhattan School of Music, Bela found her true calling, which oddly was not singing. Going back to her Colombian roots, Bela was scouted by talent agent for a role starring in her very own telanovela. Similar to Jane the Virgin, the telanovela was adopted for an American audience, where ela s antics falling, singing, and even hand grabbing were seen by all. nfortunately after its first season, the show had to be cancelled due to production costs. Bela would break out in song during every one of her lines, causing the director to reshoot every scene. She still lives in New York City, where she can be found performing at local venues; Bel Guinle can be found at every single one of her performances.

Bernardo Santos: After graduation, Bernardo was planning on going to college. However, he quickly changed his plans during the summer when he found his true calling: philanthropy. After spending his summer donating books, toys, and ice cream to local orphanages, ernardo realized that true fulfillment can only

features come through helping others. He now lives in a small remote town in Far ast Asia, where he can be seen looking for his 6th pair of Buddhist spiritual beads, giving homemade pão de queijo to the local women, and playing a weird hybrid game of soccer and cricket with small children. His large heart has caught the attention of many media outlets and the twitter-verse, who now refer to him as “Bernardo, the Big Heart.”

Bianca Marinkovic: Walking around in high heels or boots was never an issue for Bianca in high school, but the older she got, the more her feet began to pain her. Eventually, she went to the doctor, where she met a handsome podiatrist named Rafael.

Despite being Colombian, he followed her to Bolivia, her home country, in the hopes of persuading her to marry him. However, he soon saw her kiss her even more handsome husband named arlos, whom she had met at American niversity. ersistent, but heartbroken, afael began work at ianca s place of employment, the onsulate of the nited tates. For ten years, he hoped to sway her, though that time was wasted as she was madly infatuated with her first husband. afael created a “Bianca Reject” group where prior and current suitors pining for ianca s affection discuss their problems.

Bruno Riguzzi: Halfman, half-pig mad scientist Bruno Riguzzi conducted ongoing human trials on transgenic limb grafting of non-human animals. His research hit a dead end after he realized that pig legs, in fact, do not provide any physical advantages for humans. ndefeated, runo began surfing the deep web for more suitable body parts. No one has heard since.

Cameron Holdaway: Cameron became a movie director whose style is in between that of J. J. Abrams and the Wachowskis. He directed a film which earned him thousands of dollars. ritics complimented the movie s story, actors, and so forth, though he was unsatisfied with the life of a movie director. e then moved to Namibia where he lived his life in isolation, hunting exotic felines.

Catalina Berretta: After majoring in botany, creative writing, and (attempted) computer science, Catu went on to become a vegan preacher. After five years of still transitioning” to full veganism, Catu gave into the precious tenderloins of meat that beckoned to her every day. She was eventually arrested for her betrayal to both the meat-loving and vegan community, being branded a “hippie, feminist, pseudo-vegan.” She now resides, begrudgingly, in an open marriage with Michael orger, after they failed to file for divorce because of her possible deportation.

Celie Ahn: elie Ahn went on to win the very first obel rize for preading oodwill and miles” in the year . A prize by which was inspired by her very own actions. Soon after this,

Celie retreated to her humble abode in São Paulo where she continues to inspire a line of cooking utensils, Celie Bakes®, which were a huge success among the high-school-baker demographic. ncoincidentally, her smile now a household logo.

Caroline Kim: At her high school s graduation dinner, arol im faked her own death to escape how annoying people were. The attendance at her funeral mostly consisted of the guys she met at illa ix and oyal, filling up five churches across the city and one in Rio de Janeiro. She escaped to Italy, where she fell in love with a bartender. However, she soon stopped responding to his Whatsapps and went on to intern at Cosmopolitan in New York City, where she met another bartender. His Whatsapps, inevitably, went unanswered after a week.

Carolina Werebe: While at Parsons, Carolina never missed a chance to go into the city and explore its offerings. With her muscular high school sweetheart, Rafael, in hand, she instantly became a metropolitan socialite, posing for photoshoots in Soho, modelling for Gucci and Chanel, and serving as a spokesperson for MAC. More than a decade later, the cosmetics company, however, fired her when discovering that her immaculate, porcelain skin and tinted green eyes were all, in fact, fake. When news broke, Rafael accosted her and formed an almost coherent sentence that ended with what seemed to be a request for divorce. Carolina took advantage of the newfound attention and independence to launch her latest fashion-line, over- p outure.”

Chris Kim: Nothing much has been heard of Chris. After moving Credits: YeJin On and Gabriel Civita to Cuba to learn about communism, he decided to initiate a revolution in Texas during his last year of college.

He was caught by some post-2016 election Trump supports, and Chris was deported. In exile in Russia, he spent most of his time reading Marxist literature and founded a new movement of anarcho-communism. His theories rose in popularity and were even adopted by the likes of ghost ernie anders. nable to handle so much success, arguing that he had betrayed his ideals and had become a pseudo-intellectual, Chris went to live in Peru with a herd of alpacas. The last words anyone heard from him were, I m a nihilist!”

Daniel Castaño: In the midst of his tern career, aniel walked past the 5th avenue Abercrombie & Fitch store almost every week. rawn to the store s preppy aesthetic, he decided to quit school and work full-time, exploiting his own good looks. Being constantly shirtless caused him some friction with his long-time on-and-off girlfriend, Vivi, who called off their fourth beach wedding the night before. Dani lives between New York and Miami now, where he combined his younger clubbing self with his new entrepreneurial spirit and, alongside Gabriel Andrade, opened up a series of clubs specifically designed for young businessmen to connect called

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features “Mitochondria: the Powerhouse.”

Daniel Felberg: After finishing college at the niversity of ritish Columbia, Felberg became a famous stockbroker on Wall Street, ditching his past semi-socialist self. However, due to his kind-nature and affinity to hug those around him, he kept giving exorbitant loans of money to those around him. After less than a year since starting, Felberg went bankrupt and started living on the streets where he preached the gospels of the Talmud.

A mysterious woman picked him up off the streets in return for his hand in marriage. Despite her wealth, he tricked her by having his Bar Mitzvah cardboard doppleganger marry her instead. He then ran off with her money, though did not realize that her million dollars were in yen, not dollars.

Daniel Sneyers Pont: Shortly after graduating from college, Daniel Sneyers decided to drop all pretenses and adopt the life of a capitalist pig. He went on to become successful in several fields of banking all at once or so it seemed to his friends who did not understand the difference between hedge funds and investment , and he ultimately retired at the age of fifty with his nuclear family in Catalonia, Spain where he spent the remainder of his days trying to perfect the atalan cadence.

Emily Nelson: mily s career in psychology was short and successful; her award-winning smile cured her patients of all their evils. Emily quickly turned to her other passion: art. After painting an abstract piece for a baby shower in tah, art critics immediately hailed her as the new Pollock. Supposedly, during this momentous event in art history, Emily said: “My painting does not come from the easel,” a quote often attributed to Pollock himself. Prophetically, Emily now lives in hiding somewhere in the rural A, painting exhilarating pro ects without actually touching the canvas.

Eric Belda: ric was chosen as the first human to try a new drug that would improve facial recognition. After hearing about his inability to call teachers by their proper names, scientists felt that ric could benefit from this new technology. After the guinea pig trials, Eric went on to be a spokesperson for the facial recognition drug. He now travels the world, playing volleyball, and endorsing Erica, the drug helping millions of kids correct their verbal mistakes.

Faria Nasruddin: After graduating summa cum laude from Bowdoin, Faria pursued her interest in law by becoming the real-life Olivia Pope, except much more irrational and with an affinity to use tears to manipulate her cases. As seen early in her career as state prosecutor, a series of lost cases caused her to break down crying, prompting an innocent and uninvolved jury member to plead guilty for the crimes of the defendant just so that she would dry her tears. She also became known for coining the phrase, “Behind every great woman is her onand-off again high school boyfriend and cat.” Faria and o i s tendency to be an on-and-off couple, translated into various divorces and vow renewals, so much that they were in fact contacted by uinness World ecords. owever, the disturbing cat-themed voicemail response scared them away.

Felipe Tenerelli: After finishing university in razil, Felipe realized that his true self could only be found living on the beach where he sipped exotic drinks while surrounded by friends. On one such occasion, he discovered the secret on how to over-

24 • the talon

throw the government and establish a libertarian regime. When taking over the Brazilian government, Felipe realized that he had too much power in his hands and decided to relinquish the “presidency” to his vice-president who could not care less about the government either. After being in power, he got a lobotomy, which ultimately did not change his personality, and he began running the Politics at Graded Facebook group.

Gabriel Andrade: After missing so many classes at Stern due to mysterious illnesses, Gabriel showed up at his graduation and shook hands with professors who were mind-boggled by his presence. One faculty member of the economics department noted that she had seen abriel s name multiple times on her class s attendance sheets, but had never seen him face-to-face, including on exam days. Later in life, he moved in with Daniel astano. With abriel s business degree and aniel s charm, they started a house party franchise for yuppies called “Mitochondria: the Powerhouse” where at each event, they walk around and scout for potential action in black v-necks, beanies, and, in abriel s case, occasionally ripped skinny eans. At one such party, a hazy green mist enshrouded the two, and when it had cleared, partygoers saw Daniel and Gabriel had transformed into the same person.

Gabriel Civita Ramirez: One year into his Brown education, abriel s frustration with the rigid academic curriculum based on the lack of usan ontag-based courses and extensions for homework assigned months in advance led him to become an Ivy eague dropout. e now lives in enya, where he experiences the white savior complex on the daily and creates conceptual art. His blog, Dear Susan Sontag, an archive of letters where he breaks down the complex facets of our society, has gathered a large following, which the New York Times has called a cult. The prestigious news source still features his work annually and has even invited him to be a columnist. adly, abriel s crippling perfectionism meant he missed most of the deadlines and NY Times editors, unlike Graded teachers, can and did choose to not accept his work seventeen months after it was due.

Gabriel Guerra: o one really heard of abriel s whereabouts after high school, until miraculously he was mistaken for one of the ennedys and began to circle around the socialite dating circle. uerra s baby blue eyes and structured brown hair were very all-American, despite his razilian origins. To fit into this identity, abriel eventually did officially change his last name to ennedy.” ust as former ennedys were rumored to be quite the womanizers, Gabriel was followed intensely by various tabloid magazines and fan blogs. Of course, this was up until his trial for stolen identity and the lawsuit by the ennedy family. abriel s trial was the most watched celebrity trial in the past 50 years, surpassing the infamous Simpson trial. HBO picked up his story for their miniseries, American Crime Story: Gabriel Guerra?

Gabrielle Fischer: Designated the “unicorn of the Class of 2016,” Gabrielle went on to have a successful career as a Olympic Dressage rider, where uncoincidentally she rarely showed up to her many competitions. After seeing how many photos with her horses she had posted on social media, many men were scared off, since they believed that she could never love any of them as much as she loved her huge furry pets. Because of this, Gabi resides on a ranch somewhere on the outskirts of São Paulo where she devoted herself to rescuing horses from

features the glue-industry.

Hyo Sang Kil: Hyo Sang planned to major in economics as he embarked on his college journey but soon after changed his major to electrical engineering, since he had the time and skills to build his own time machine. His sole purpose was to travel back to IB exam season to get a perfect grade. Each time he spends traveling back in time he wasted time to study for his future exams, which led him down a spiral of traveling back in time for more time (ironically). Interestingly enough, the distorted time redressed its problems itself and sent him again to the past. Hyo Sang is desperately stuck in a time loops–his junior year of college.

Jacob Willis: Since picking up Mandarin Chinese, German, and Portuguese during his formative years abroad, Jake was offered obs at the IA and other nited tates intelligence agencies hoping to employ his proclivity for languages. But, he felt his talent for languages was eclipsed by his love for ballet dancing.

His school years allegedly working out in the gym were actually spent inside dance rooms and on stages where he would practice his routines daily. After graduating from Purdue with a double major in nuclear engineering and interpretative dance, he became a professional ballerina in New York City, performing at venues such as the Lincoln Center and Madison Square Garden. He currently resides in the Big Apple, having started a nutrition shop called “This is The Whey” and adopting an abandoned maltese he named “Muscles.”

Jenna Dalton: After graduating from , enna alton dropped all pretenses and pursued a full time career of being a good person. Reporters from around the world tried several times to talk to this beacon of Mormon goodness, but were unable to catch a word with the good soul, who was occupied with running fundraisers, shopping for her friends birthdays, and generally spreading goodwill.

Jenna McCollum: enna s life took a turn when she took her first college-level math class and realized she actually understood math. It turned out that during r. ksness high school math classes (those that Jenna would spend watching music videos), she was actually just absorbing all of the lessons into her long term memory and storing it for later use. enna s newfound fascination with the subject led her to pursue her masters in calculus from c ill niversity, the arvard of anada. owever, during her last year of her M.A., the pressure that came with dating her long distance boyfriend, Jun, led her to drop out and move back to o aulo. un was finally a senior in highschool, and they still had to leave the door open if they were hanging out in his bedroom.

João Romeu Ferraz: uring his time at laremont c enna, João enjoyed the sun and, more surprisingly, the school. After graduating at the top of his class at university due to efforts he had never displayed in huis formative years at Graded, João decided to became a Justin Bieber impersonator, though his scheme fell flat when tween girls heard him sing. e now resides in a chateau near Paris where those who had a crush on him in high school continue to stalk him.

Julia Rodrigues: Using her knowledge of different languages from her time abroad, Julia became a translator for not-forprofit organizations in Australia. ut, she felt unfulfilled by

the tedious work inside the office and decided to become a motivational speaker instead. She can now be found on tour in the middle of the Amazon.

Kaan Alptekin: aan found his calling as a sign-spinner after college, where he was recruited from an all Turkish frat house at Purdue. His strong pectoral and bicep muscles were highly appealing to the real estate agents who now employ him, but his dinosaur-like proportions and mannerisms are what really sold the ticket. icknamed aantosaurus, he is still seen waving signs on the streets of Istanbul, to the left, and sometimes to the right.

Kevin Min: evin in won the obel rize in hemistry in the year 6 for his outstanding work in the theory of acids. nfortunately, the prize was stripped from him when the committee realized that the work was copied from the untranslated diaries of Svante Arrhenius, but he was commended for his adequate translation skills. is alleged work with T x and han Academy seemed to have served him well, albeit the impending lawsuits against him were less than amused by his court affidavit, o hablo español muy bien, pero nada es original” Kyu Min Park: He invented a device that allowed him not to speak with his vocal cords as he has always wanted to hide his comically small voice. However, Stephen Hawking stole his technology to make a great amount of money and to use it instead of his computer voice. yu in decided to censure tephen awking s misdeeds and began to speak out loud to the world. e started to gain his own voice again and finally obtained an appropriately loud one. He now appreciates Stephen Hawking.

Laura Gibbs: After twenty years, Laura Gibbs settled down in the American suburbs with her small family of five - comprised of three delightful(ly horrible) boys and a Russian/German (nobody really knows) husband after her revolutionary yearbook design firm, xperimentals , earned her enough money to retire indefinitely. When asked what cause she would support with her immense wealth, Mrs. Gibbs indicated that the majority of her money would go towards funding cookies and lemonade for her sons various ittle eague tournaments.

Leonardo Kim: As everyone had already confused him with Peter, he decided to establish a company called eo s Firm which produces LeoPhones and LeoBooks so that the world can know that his name is eo and not eter. nfortunately, r. ollins was still confused and called eo s company eter s Firm when teaching microeconomics at his new school.

Lucas Ahn: ucas Ahn was a known film director in hipster subculture until 6, when he was hired as the cinematographer for the th season of u aul s rag ace, until he mysteriously disappeared the next morning. It is rumoured that he floated up towards the sky and was last seen on cloud nine, but this has not been confirmed. e still hasn t turned in any of his I Art pieces.

Lucas Baptista Valim: ast seen complimenting a kawaii grill on the streets of Tokyo, it is rumoured that Lucas Baptista “the P is silent” Valim ascended Mount Fuji, which he believed to be the final resting place of the meme lords. It is hoped that he shred the cello.

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features Luiza Baptista Valim: After obtaining her aster s in International Politics, Luiza relocated to the South China Sea, where, given the deadlock of current political efforts to divvy the land, she claimed ownership of the Spratly Islands. The Talon staff tried reaching out to self-proclaimed New Supreme Leader alim, but despite several letters, only received parcels filled with human bones in return.

to evoke the sense of an overbearing mother that helps people from having their life spiral out of control. Forbes under named her the new, new artha tewart” of organization.

Her catchphrase then became “Hey, hey” after being on the receiving end of it too often; Ma decided to take control of her own life (in spirit of her brand) and the various men that fought after her.

Luiza Mizrahi: er years at eorgetown s usiness chool were some of her best. She was the most popular person in her and began to online cupcake businesses. When she had completed her degree, she returned to the patria amada and transformed o u into a national empire. With twenty-five locations across the country, ranging from bakeries in Rio de Janeiro all the way to the fictional ibeir o reto, it became the country s newest corporate phenomenon. The Brazilian government, concerned that BoLu was growing into an unfettered monopoly, began monitoring the bakery franchise s actions by following all the stores respective Instagram accounts. oon, the government observed in the background of the photos, signs reading “Please elp s,” likely from the grandmothers uiza hid in the back of her shops.

Marina Cortés Calle: Immediately upon graduation, Marina went on to dedicate her life to her passion of creating art. Not too long after becoming a full-time artist, her reputation skyrocketed as her work became iconic of a new wave of aesthetics. Soon, her works were considered so valuable that the acquisition of her famous photography collection “Toxic Capital” by the Museum of Modern Art crashed the entire economy of North America.

Believing herself to have achieved all the material success she could have, she retired in San Francisco. She has not made any public appearances since some say she s taken up an alias under which she continues to tell the tales of the marginalized.

Luuk Kuiper: After taking a long recovery from his tennis career, Luuk decided to rejuvenate his passion for the sport and soon became the new Djokovic. With his quintessential Aryan looks, Luuk was soon fought after for endorsements by many sports companies, most notably Adidas. However, this was before an enormous drug scandal came his way – he is from the etherlands, after all. uuk officially retired from his glamourous sports lifestyle, opening up a series of small businesses back home in Brazil.

Matthew Kim: After Ms. Flindt awarded Matthew with a badge that professed admiration for his silent, stoic personality, atthew im vowed to learn how to express himself more eloquently. His search led him far and wide with no success, until he finally found the field of interpretive dance. is unmistakable talent for expressing a multitude of meanings from “I don t know” to I don t care” through shrugging and sheepish smiles quickly became a worldwide hit. As of 2026, Matthew im is still on his on t peak” Tour, whose theme of silence with an undercurrent of frightening intelligence incites riots worldwide.

Marcelo Machado de Araujo: College was a personal renaissance for Marcelo. When taking economics and business courses, he was exposed to ideas of ethics and empathy and quickly adopted some of those positions, becoming a leading development economist. He decided that governments were, in fact, the most effective mechanisms of promoting a more equal distribution of income. The antithesis of Adam Smith and Milton Friedman, Marcelo won not only the Nobel Prize in Economics, but also the obel eace rize for his work in defending women s rights in developing countries. nlike what his high school self dreamed, he now resides in a modest hut in Lahore, Pakistan where he teaches evolution and the history of genocide at the local all-female public school.

Maria Antonia Rodrigues: With her incredible ability to organize and extensive collection of stationary, Ma was inspired to open a new business, specifically designed to organize and advise people on their lives. The business, Ma(mãe) is meant

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Marta Jordá Garcia: After majoring in Business Administration and Design, Marta opened hundred of decor stores. In a matter of months, things-that-serve-no-function-but-are-cool-to-ownanyway infiltrated the mainstream. ater in her life, artha kickstarted another successful chain, eb , eb , eb ! reciso falar com voc !”, which sold toddler apparel and advice for fighting couples.

Mateo Sanchez Garcia de Los Rios: After having left his prominent career as a doctor, he became a chef. However, as he was obsessed with chemistry, he used his kitchen as a lab, and he “unintentionally” poisoned one of his worst clients. In prison, he decided to work on his true calling as a narcotics chemist. Albeit it had been many years since he had taken IB Chemistry, Mateo used this knowledge to cook pot pies that were sold worldwide.

Mateus Foz Caltabiano: After triple-majoring from Purdue, ateus went on to win prestigious awards in the sciences. pon winning a MacArthur “Genius” Grant for the third year in a row, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences prohibited him from qualifying for future Nobel prizes out of fear that they would have to commission too many trophies. pset by the decision, “Sir” Caltabiano melted all of his awards and built a Yacht out of pure gold. He used this boat in the production of “The Salt of the ea”, a movie which earned him a alme d r in the Cannes Film Festival.

Mathias Tucunduva: After years in high school of pseudophilosophizing, Mathias decided to pursue a major in Philosophy at the niversity of alifornia, an iego. Thinking that his fellow students were simply not on his level of enlightenment, Mathias dropped out of school and set his sights on the Inca trails in Machu Picchu. However, he was quickly ostracized by his fellow hikers, as during a routine conservation clean-up, someone asked him whether his Lipton Tea water bottles were recyclable or not, and he answered with his signature on t worry about it” and blew them a kiss.

Matias Uhart Mascheroni: Following his time as a down-low womanizer in France, Matias decided to return to his birthplace in Peru. Matias lauded the country once he was reunited with the sights and sounds of his rightful country, saying, “Argentina was just a fad; I just wish I had realized it sooner so I could

features have gotten an earlier start to my llama farm.” His highschool girlfriend and him are still together, roaming the farm handin-hand, and updating their instagram with photos of them and their new pet llamas. They are considered the most stylish llama raising, world-travelling couple and recieve praise from all around the globe.

Matheus Santos: Matheus Santos surprised the world when he decided to run for the president, touting himself as a “peacekeeper” throughout his campaign. Things turned sour however, when he was found in the presidential palace (merely weeks after he was sworn in) embezzling funds to construct mega-gyms across the world and to complete his transition from half-human to full-robot. The former scandal received worldwide attention, and its own hashtag: #liftgate.

Mendel Steinbruch: Realizing that he peaked in high school, endel succumbed to fate and ran his family s company .

Bored by the prospect of manufacturing steel out of iron, Mendel decided to sell CSN and invest all his money in the stockmarket. nwavering in his determination to buy the most volatile stocks, despite concerns from both his family and financial advisors, endel bought all the shares of a company that sells common access resources, not understanding that the basic economics he was supposed to learn in high school could have aided him in avoiding this transaction.

Mi Jin Kim: raduating from hent niversity at the top of her class, Mi Jin skipped graduation, preferring to elope with her newest boyfriend, who happened to also be a renowned kPop star. They travelled around the world together, but instead of stopping in the most internationally acclaimed cities, they decided to sojourn in developing nations where their advanced knowledge of biotechnology could be put to best use. Over the course of three months, she has saved thousands of lives and improved sanitation systems in villages from Nepal to Tanzania, though her popstar-turned-trophy-husband is unsure of how to support her endeavors due to a lack of communication between the two.

Michael Borger: pon entering ale niversity, ichael realized that he would fall prey to those exactly like him. After experiencing what it s like to have your voice shut down by a condescending “no honey,” Michael turned to a new side of himself. e finally understood the pervasive tone and attitude he embodied and became a celibate monk after years of enduring the life of a private attorney, defending criminals, even rapists. A true Jew-Bu-Atheist, Michael now resides in the mountains where he continues to longingly study human sexuality. Despite calling off his worldly possessions, Michael also opened up a series of .F. hang s in ast Asia, referring to it as “true” Asian cuisine.

Miguel Diaz Abella: After switching his major to Francisco Franco studies, Miguel began his career in the military, quickly rising through the ranks by threatening his superiors and beating up taxi drivers. Miguel credits his kickboxing experience as the main catalyst for his expedited path to General. In an interview with l a s, abes, I don t like people getting in my way, I m becoming general whether you Franco-haters want me to or not, I m el audillo now.”

Nicholas Goldlust: After reapplying to tanford niversity, Nicky took a gap year to hone his soccer skills in Poland. It didn t take long for icky to realize that soccer was ust not simply as fulfilling as he thought it could be and decided to create a new college application and dating system for the Ivy eague elite. pon hearing the acceptance rate to the application, tanford admission officers fell in love with icky and made him head of admissions for the lass of 6. e soon met his new girlfriend through the application, who also applied to strictly five Ivy eague niversities and tanford. pon his entrance to tanford for the lass of , icky had to end things with his girlfriend, claiming that he had bigger and brighter things ahead of him.

Nick Regen: After graduating from Babson College, Nick tried to go onto Wall Street. But, he did not realize how much trouble he would get into by submitting applications to every firm on the street. All the firms that had received his application decided to blacklist him, so he went onto work in design instead.

During one interview, when he was promoting his latest brand of soccer cleats, he blurted out “Ha, Nick Regen” by mistake and the phrase quickly went viral.

Nico Raney: Nico, assumed to be American, but actually born in Argentina, took a liking to the mistaken identity life. After attending Abu habi for his full four years, he ma ored in Cultural Anthropology where he perfected his skill of travelling to different world countries without anyone knowing his true origins. In addition, Nico also embodied a completely different persona than his high school years, where he was seen partying at every single venue in the Middle East, where he notably set a new trend, leaving parties early (based on his notable departure from Senior Prom), which only added to his mystique.

Nicole Averbach: After getting a degree from niversity of Miami, Nicole auditioned to be the next Bachelorette. Having guys fawn after her all at once was nothing for this razilian bombshell. espite various flings, none of the bland American boy toys lived up to her expectations. o, she became the first Bachelorette to reject both marraige proposals and keep her final rose. he now lives in io, where she owns a rose production company called Le Rosé.

Nicole Greco: After completing her undergraduate degree at Chapman, Nicole decided to apply to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to study organic chemistry and psychology.

Though re ected the first two times, she managed to sneak onto campus in the middle of a November winter night and hid in an unsuspecting student s dorm until the cops found her a year later. When IT heard about the incident, the admissions office decided to finally grant her acceptance out of pity, however she quickly became the star student of her class. nable to find a new element, she began therapy with her psychology professor, who misdiagnosed her on twelve different occasions. Nicole can now be found on the Santa Monica Pier, dawdling around, muttering names to herself including urt” and rad.”

Nina Mayer de Paulo: ina almost turned a complete 6 from her days in high school. At raded lass of 6 s twenty year reunion, it was discovered that Nina is now the head of her own worker s union. rompted by a realization that she herself exploited those under her, Nina was no longer motivated by

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features efficiency and approval, but by consideration of those around her. At the reunion, planned by yours truly, she surprisingly garnered more than 11 likes on one Facebook post (as per usual, Yoji & Bruno never failed to like them). However, it was soon discovered she was exploiting her union by making it mandatory to create fake Facebook accounts to like her posts for membership.

Olivia Tavares Paes: After Martha Stewart accidentally consumed one of livia s godly baked goods, livia s life was never the same. Stewart begged to be her mentor and named her the successor of her TV show, which was renamed after Olivia. This lifestyle show became a worldwide hit, and livia s cookbook broke records for the most number of sales in the first week – in any category.

Pablo Saller: At Babson, Pablo continued his second-career as a DJ. It was harder for him to make himself a big name in the once he attended abson due to the large influx of trending European DJs/male models. But, his adorable Latino swagger and blonde hair pulled him through. Eventually, he made a name for himself within the Boston area, playing at various colleges (he frequented Wellesley without surprise), bars, and even made a pitstop at the New York original, Provocateur. In his later days, 20-something, Pablo utilized his business skills to open up an online forum where DJs could stream their services without being present at the actual venues, giving him the opportunity to continue hosting a wide variety of Graded events.

Pedro Hannud: hortly after winning the heavyweight F title, Pedro renounced his life of glory and fame to make a humble living as a promoter for the growing nightlife in ancouver. sing his unrivaled ability to befriend a total stranger in five seconds flat, edro became all the rage in the party world. is recent partnerships with artists such as A$AP Ferg and 2Chainz solidified his position in the performing world, with his only daytime sightings being between his home and local gym.

Pedro Rodrigues: After enduring years of listening to Friedman style economics at the niversity of hicago, edro eu” odrigues came back to Brazil and became his very own Chicago oy. When he wasn t advocating on behalf of his extremely right-wing views, he crawled back to Graded to teach a very balanced IB Economics curriculum. Completely skipping the chapters regarding government intervention, eu wasn t surprised to learn that all his students scored s on their exams.

Obviously, because, as he used to claim during his own time as a full diploma student, “Friedman is the only right answer.”

Pedro Salles Leite: While giving a speech after winning his fourth consecutive Academy Award for his movie, “Apples to Apples,” which analyzed the game theory-esque actions taken

by Steve Jobs, Salles Leite accidentally revealed that he had hired 167 different professional producers to assist him in his movie. The audience booed him off the stage, and Shack could be heard snorting halfway across the world in the raded film studio. This faux pas caused edro s career to plummet, at least until he legally changed his named to “Pedrinho,” at which point he reinvented himself as an entrepreneur of knock-off iPhones.

Pedro Werebe: Shortly after being appointed Chief of Staff in ilma s th term, edro Werebe had to drop all official

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governmental roles due to health complications. After years of strenuous work, his lungs gave out and, in a puff of smoke, ceased working. Friends and family can now visit Pedro at the Albert Einstein Hospital.

Peter Chao: Disappointed that no one had learned his name in high school, Peter made it his life goal for people to know his name. e began selling pot pourri named eter s ot ourri” which was a simple basket of fake fruits with unidentifiable smells. His fortune grew and his name was no longer confused with that of his high school classmates, thereby fulfilling his life goal.

Pierella Abdon: AAfter missing her high school graduation, ierella s newest goal was to ensure she attended her college graduation ceremony. Four years passed, and Pierella forgot to mark the event on her calendar. Dismayed at missing another milestone, ierella married the first person she saw on campus the next day when picking up her diploma. The disconcerted man, Pedro, went along with her shenanigans, marrying her in a dilapidated motel on the outskirts of o aulo. nsatisfied and with an unpatched hole in her heart, she decided to have a child with Pedro. However, she miraculously missed the birth of her own child.

Priscila Santos: riscilla s med-school tra ectory took a detour when her need for a nightlife was unfulfilled by her fellow studious classmates. She soon returned to Brazil, in pursuit of her true passions: Villa Mix and expensive sushi. Currently, she is the of her own fitness company, iga” where, through a sushi and lemon-water diet and excessive partying at sponsored spots like illa ix, she s helped millions of people get into shape. She spends her days jetting between Miami and São Paulo, never lacking the company of chiselled ripped men seriously, where does she find them as she expands iga into a multinational enterprise.

Rafael Wurzmann: Rafael Wurzmann graduated Summa Cum aude from the tern chool of usiness. is exceptional academic achievement came as a surprise to most of his professors, who didn t understand what he said throughout his undergraduate studies. Wurzmann s path as a capitalist pig had been set, but in a sudden turn of events, Rafael decided to become a professional bodybuilder. Rafa “Bimbador Humano” Wurzmann made a name for himself by hosting a fitness T Show and selling overpriced Whey Protein Bars in hundreds of fitness stores. Tragically, afa s career was cut short when he was caught injecting steroids during a private workout session.

I had skipped leg day and I needed to make up for it! It was a one time thing!” he exclaimed on live television as he was booed by his former fans. Shunned and ousted by his supporters, Rafa went into hiding somewhere in SoHo. Rumors have it that excessive exercise and horse hormone injections resulted in Rafa transforming into one massive blob of muscle.

Ritvika Sharma: Ritvika Sharma moved to Vancouver, Canada, after high school in search of true happiness and the pursuit of a business degree. The inordinately cold weather in Vancouver baffled itvika, and she soon took on a iology degree in hopes of learning how to combat the winter weather with science.

Her research led her to study wild moose communities, and in ecember 6, she took off to an isolated moose community

features near Quebec, where she was last seen attempting to feed a moose a carrot, where she transcended the cold to become a living goddess. Legend has it that Ritvika Sharma appears once a year on the eve of the IB Biology exams (time zone 2 only, sorry Asia) to students desperately seeking a 6 if enticed with food.

Some might call her the Huda Beauty of fashion, where she took her perfect life and made a business out of it. She now spends her days rolling in piles of money, designing and selling clothes off instagram, and tending to her two little blonde kids in her penthouse apartment.

Rodrigo Ko: igo s natural entrepreneurship skills led him to drop out of college, despite a stellar GPA, and move to Silicon Valley. After months of intense networking and marketing, his kickstarter, Kola Wola finally raised enough money to fund his ever-coming app–a food truck tracker. However, weeks before its launch date he mysteriously disappeared, leaving his LinkedIn, email and Facebook accounts inactive. All his investors were left hanging. This prompted the world-famous meme, Where s o ” ometimes, the paparazzi catch a glimpse of him, swinging his earbuds around. While he on hiatus, his kickstarter is still accepting donations.

Thomas Dreyer: After being scouted to play for the Los Angeles Lakers, Thomas quickly became the most well-known Brazilian basketball player. However, the excessive requirements to remain in the team like attending practice took a toll on him and he returned to Brazil. Success found him again when he shot to internet stardom through his snapchat stories, consisting of life with his long-time girlfriend, became increasingly popular.

Honoring the commitment made years before, he did on good on his word and proposed to his high school sweetheart. The wedding snapchat received over a million views.

Sabrina Kim: uring abrina s first year at college, she was scouted by Nike after she was spotted during her daily jog.

Not before long, she became the face of Nike WomenTM, with sports and beauty magazines alike hailing her as “the Rose Huntington-Whitely of Sportswear.” She now tours the world, shooting NikeTM sports-bra canons into the crowd and overall making the world a better place. Her skin remains as soft as a baby s bottom.

Sarah Bastos: After winning the EGOT at the impossibly young age of 27, Sarah Bastos decided to use her wealth for the greater good and build an exact replica of the spaceship from Star Trek in which she would spend her days marathoning Quentin Tarantino films until the end of time.

Simon Chamorro Ramirez: is time at olumbia niversity may have comprised four years, but only during his last year did Simon get into shape. He realized graduate school applications were imminent, and that he had accomplished zilch, except for perhaps squandering hours solving ubik s ubes. ince this epiphany, similar to the one he had in high school, he joined, though briefly, every extracurricular he could get his hands on, from the Asian-American ultural Alliance to the school s women s satire magazine. ut, unlike the colleges that took a shot on him when he had applied in high school, graduate school admissions officers laughed at his transcripts and one even emailed him back, asking if he was a real person.

Tamima Mourad: hortly after arriving at the niversity of Notre Dame, Tamima broke Facebook when her number of Facebook friends grew past the maximum capacity. Frustrated with the current social media s inability to keep up with her social butterfly tendencies, she developed her own social media app with the slogan, “The More The Better,” where you could add someone just by waving the phone around their general persona without the necessity for an introduction or connection. nsatisfied with worldwide success, ima went on to tour the world with an ever-changing squad as she dropped friends like hot potatoes.

Tatiana Bezerra: Tati stayed in Brazil, living off her seemingly perfect Instagram account. er hunky boyfriend, on-fleek wardrobe, and succulent shots of food entice people from all around the globe to follow her almost Blair Waldorf-esque life.

Victoria Fernandes: After being one of the many people from raded to attend , icky got lost among the lack of campus.

She was never seen attending class at university, but would frequently be heard roaming the halls through the medium of a little speaker. ust like the many legends, icky became known as the “hallway ghost” for her knack of hiding and sliding through classes easily without being noticed.

Vitor Resende: Anonymity followed Vitor everywhere, even when he went to GW. This, and his youthful appearance, meant he was constantly mistaken for a freshmen. This error reached its breaking point when as a college senior, he met with the Dean after graduation and was asked if he was an incoming freshman.

This prompted him to capitalize on his invisibility and created an app, CloakMe , that allows you to cloak your identity and disappear in plain sight. He made millions of dollars and joined Leo to live in Silicon Valley.

Walter Hoelz: After majoring in “Entrepreneurship,” Walter Hoelz kickstarted a multinational brand called “Walter on…,” a chain of stores that change their name according to what they sell. It first started with Walter on ar,” a massive store in Ribeirão Preto, a region that he later purchased. Mr. Hoelz later expanded his business to the clothing sector, inaugurating “Walter on Hoodie,” “Walter on T-Shirt,” and “Walter on Panties.” The brand soon made a name for itself on an international scale, and sadly, Mr.Hoelz could not escape the paparazzi spotlight. While he tried to hide his private life from the peering eyes of reporters, Mr. Hoelz was caught partying at Villa Mix for 42 consecutive days. Feeling vulnerable and exploited, Walter sought a fresh start. nfortunately, unlike raded tests, he quickly realized he couldn t retake his life.

Yoji Watanabe: Despite attempting to wean off his addiction, Yoji could still be found with “literally impossible” amounts of caffeine in his bloodstream. e became the world s first coffeebietes patient, and eventually found ways to directly inject the substance into the body in ways similar to an EpiPen. The newly patented way to cure coffeebietes was discovered by Yoji himself, as his extensive knowledge of chemistry and biology from that one year of STEM club in high school served him well. e can currently be found at IT, where his s catchphrases and mellow tendencies have made him one of the most popular research assistants. He spends most of his week travelling back and forth between Boston and New York at the beck and call

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news

The Senior Year in News The biggest events during the Class of 2 1 s final high school year News Team

2

015:

uly ebris found in eunion Island is confirmed to be part of wing from missing flight August 1 1 : Author atthew icks visits raded to enlighten students about the art of storytelling August assive chemical explosions in the hinese port city of Tian in kills August nited tates reopens its embassy in avana, uba after it was closed for years August 2 : raded begins phase 2 of its campus renovation project: plans for construction of a parking lot under the field, a renovated student center, and classroom designs that can better facilitate learning in the 21st century.

August ava ato rosecutor eneral odrigo anot accuses duardo unha and Fernando ollor de elo of involvement in the corruption scandal. eptember The nited tates A discovers that olkswagen had been intentionally programming its cars to show reduced emissions during official laboratory tests.

September 1 21: reshman and Seniors travel to anieri for the weekend for the annual C retreat eptember ope Francis, who is credited with helping to improve diplomatic relations between the nited tates and uba, travels to both countries in a apal visit eptember In the single deadliest event of the school year, a stampede during the a in audi Arabia kills , worshipers eptember A A finds liquid water on ars raises many questions about the existence of extraterrestrial life. ctober Two suicide bombings during a crowded protest in Ankara, Turkey kill October 1 : The TA hosts a massive party to celebrate raded s 5th birthday ctober After a year hiatus, Adele breaks her silence

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with the release of the single ello� and smashes several music industry records in the process ctober In what may or may not be a terrorist attack, a ussian et crashes over gypt and kills all passengers and crew on board ovember upture of amarco dams causes a massive environmental disaster in ariana that kills and in ures several victims ovember 5 : raded s Theatre program presents Shuddersome, a dramatization of short stories by dgar Allan oe ovember yanmar s ational eague for emocracy wins a parliamentary ma ority in pivotal elections, marking an important step in the country s transition from a military dictatorship to a democracy ovember A pair of suicide bombings in eirut, ebanon kill and in ure at least ovember oordinated terrorist attacks carried out all over aris, I I takes Credit: Taichi ukai responsibility for the bloodshed that causes a global outrage ovember Turkey downs a ussian fighter et that crossed into its airspace while conducting operations in yria, provoking a tense diplomatic spat between the two countries ovember The razilian enator elc dio do Amaral is arrested by the federal police for attempting to obstruct the ava ato investigations. ovember An anti-abortion fanatic kills in a shooting at a lanned arenthood clinic in olorado ecember A married couple with ties to I I kills in a shooting spree at a an ernardino office park, renewing debates over terrorism and security in the nited tates ecember eaders from around the world agree to measures meant to reduce the rate of climate change at the limate hange onference in aris ecember In the second round of French regional elections, the far-right F party is prevented from winning a

news single region despite having gained the most votes overall in the first round 2016 anuary ne of the most iconic and influential musicians of the world, avid owie, passes away at age 6 after battling cancer for months anuary Alan ickman, best known for his role as everus nape in the film adaptations that enthralled a generation dies, aged 6 anuary 6 A body confirms that Iran has complied with the terms agreed to in uly s nuclear deal, causing most international sanctions to be lifted from the country January 2 : Semester 2 Starts with changes to grading and tardy policies, the announcement of Student Council, and a switch to healthier food choices in the cafeteria. Students are left asking: Is this juice or flavoured water January 21: embers of raded U participate in a conference held by Yale University in ew aven, Connecticut anuary W announces outbreak of ika, which has been connected to cases of icrocephaly in ortheastern razil and has since spread all across atin America February orth orea violates several resolutions by conducting a rocket launch in what many believe is a coverup for the development of a long-range intercontinental ballistic missile February Apple refuses to heed an F I order to unlock the i hone of one of the an ernardino Attackers February In one of the most significant scientific discoveries in years, hysicists announced the detection of ravitational Waves, confirming a ma or prediction of instein s theory of relativity. ebruary 1 21: The band travels to Curitiba and lorian polis for its annual trip February olivians rebuke their president by voting no� to proposed constitutional changes that would have allowed him to seek an additional term ebruary 25 2 : raded s nowledge Bowl team travels to A J for a biannual competition, taking home a second place win

arch even members of raded s hoir travel to uxembourg as the only outh American representatives at the annual A I choir festival arch x-president uiz In cio ula de ilva T is detained and questioned by the razilian Federal olice. arch A audi airstrike hits a market in northern emen, killing and marking the deadliest event thus far in emen s ongoing civil war arch 1 : raded students represent the school at the ACIA conference in Costa ica arch 1 2 : embers of raded s Band travel to oha for the A IS onor Band festival arch In what amounts to a re ection of epublican orthodoxy by the voters, establishment candidate arco ubio drops out of the race for the epublican nomination arch x-president uiz In cio ula da ilva s appointment to cabinet is halted by udge due to its potential to hinder the corruption investigation. arch oordinated suicide bombings in russels, elgium kill and deliver yet another blow to the uropean psyche arch A suicide bombing at a crowded park in ahore, akistan kills during aster festivities isionary archiCredits: abriel Civita arch tect aha adid, who was the first woman and uslim to win the ritzker rize, dies of a heart attack at age 6 April espite the demolition of the student center, raded s TA hosts another successful elebration of the World April The anama apers, a collection of . million documents belonging to to the fourth largest offshore accounts firm in the world, ossack Fonseca, were released, detailing the tactics used by influential politicians and celebrities to evade taxes April razil s ower ongress manages to reach a vote of against and votes in support of ilma s impeachment. This leaves the razilian democracy and the career of its first female president hanging in the balance an unsurprising parallel to the future of the lass of 6. What happens next nly time and the investigation of several criminal offenses will tell.

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features

Until When Will Grades Exist?

A reflection on the future of education Fernanda ay o rades are a red herring. They are beside the point and contradicting in nature. rades are a tool humans invented to quantify something that cannot be quantified at all. Intelligence is sub ective as it comes it many different forms and none is better or worse than the other, only different.

American author and lecturer Alfie ohn, described in the Time magazine as perhaps the country s most outspoken critic of education s fixation on grades and test scores,” believes that what grades offer is spurious precision a subective rating masquerading as an ob ective evaluation.” The purpose of education is to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to become contributing members of society however, grades undermine learning, kill creativity, promote cheating, and reduce students to a number. It is no coincidence that students cringe upon hearing the word summative” and their bodies react with a surge of cortisol.

I am a victim of this system myself. I have been led to believe that my worth and capabilities are limited to the grades on my report card. I have lost sleep cramming for tests, cried in secrecy, medicated myself for anxiety, questioned many tomorrows, and turned tests face down when I received a bad” grade yet, other times, I have left my tests facing up so that everyone could see how smart” I am . As a unior, I feel almost obliged to conform to the system and prioritize grades over my learning as they are a critical component to my college application. I m stuck in between two opposing mindsets, each trying to overrule the other.

Fortunately, this can be unlearned, if we abolish grades altogether. etaphorically speaking, as ohn has written, We may come to see grading as a huge, noisy, fuelguzzling, smoke-belching machine that constantly requires repairs and new parts, when what we should be doing is pulling the plug.”

The problem with grades is that they distract students from learning. Take this uddhist anecdote for example one day, a student asked his en master how long it would take him to reach enlightenment. Ten years,” the master said. The student persisted, what if he studied very hard Then years,” the master responded. urprised, the student asked how long it would take if he worked very, very hard and became the most dedicated student. The master said, In that case, years.” e explained why If you have one eye on how close you are to achieving your goal, that leaves only one eye for your task.” imilarly, students who focus so absentmindedly on grades might actually be set farther apart from achieving their goal. aura c lure, a T - d ditor, asked T - d Innovative ducators from several countries to share their ideas

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about the future of learning. Their answers were very different from one another The classroom hasn t changed much in the past years.” icki Albritton, educator in eorgia, nited tates There will be no physical campus. Instead, students will learn in traveling classrooms, and the real world will be their campus. tudents will live together and use city libraries and city laboratories to complete a pro ect. earning won t be limited to a physical school. There s already a model for this inerva chools, a venture university.” yuk ang, educator in usan, outh orea Is teaching a dying profession If not, then the classroom will change a lot. I don t think schools will exist in the same format, with desks and chairs. Instead, learning will incorporate virtual reality and multiple perspectives. tudents will learn how to negotiate issues and exchange ideas.” haron adar, educator in aanana, Israel chools will be multidisciplinary, with a focus on social ustice. ou have to change the world to change the classroom.” duardo odoy, educator in ao aulo, razil Technology like vernote, oogle, and iri will be standard and will change what teachers value and test for. asically, if you can ask iri to answer a question, then you will not be evaluated on that. Instead, learning will be pro ect based. tudents will be evaluated on critical-thinking and problemsolving skills. iterature and math will still be taught, but they will be taught differently. ath will be taught as a way of learning how to solve problems and puzzles. In literature, students will be asked what a story means to them. Instead of taking tests, students will show learning through creative pro ects. The role of teachers will be to guide students in the areas where they need guidance as innovators. ow do you get kids to be innovative ou let them. ou get out of their way.” icholas rovenzano, educator in ichigan, nited tates ducation will be not ust taking in information and sharing it back, but also figuring out what to do with that information in the real world.” osefino ivera, r., educator in uenos Aires, Argentina Although there are many speculations on the future of education, my most sincere hope is that the system changes completely. We have reached a point where redefining the purpose of grades, a seemingly more feasible alternative, does not suffice to do the ob. Abolishing grades may sound idealistic at this uncture, but given the direction education is moving towards, especially at raded, I would not be the least surprised if grades cease to exist within the next few decades. For the love of learning, it is time we move from degrading to de-grading. source: alfiekohn.org

features

How to Live in the 21st Century A handy guide on how to not be ridiculed Features Team The ideas expressed in this article do not express individual opinions and are not directed towards any individual or belief.

This article is meant for entertainment purposes only. ociety has a unique way of thinking, and if you dare think otherwise, you will be easily dismissed as being insert offensive label here. This past year, raded has definitely seen more discussions surrounding feminism and politics. In addition, peak up has revolutionized raded s dress code, in con unction with tudent oice and the tudent Advisory oard, in order to model twenty-first century thought. If you are afraid to be ridiculed for your opinions, then you have certainly come to the right place.

Facebook’s new reactions Facebook s new reaction buttons make it easier than ever for people to convey their thoughts and feelings on virtually anything. efore this feature, there was only the option to like posts. The like button could stand for a number of different reactions, which were not explicitly stated. ow, these new reaction buttons spare people the laborious process of thinking. To avoid conflict, oin the bandwagon and react according to the ma ority opinion. crolling through Facebook and reacting to posts should be a passive endeavor and one worthy of your time.

The fate of Conservatives In the nited tates of America during the 6 s, the liberal party was the . The party predominantly opposed slavery with Abraham incoln as its emblematic leader. n the other hand, the emocratic party, considered by many a right-wing political group during the time, had primarily proslavery beliefs. As the emocratic party encompassed beliefs that were proven to be outdated, it transitioned into a more liberal party. ence why in the present, it is the party of more liberal politicians, such as arack bama and ernie anders.

The epublican party is now home to more conservative politicians, such as Texas senator Ted ruz and billionaire tycoon

onald Trump. onservatives now mainly hold more rigid and traditional beliefs on abortion, gay marriage, and global warming in comparison to the ones of the emocrats. They are also to an extent against high taxation, and the implementation of subsidies. ecause of this, they are commonly seen as old capitalist pigs that only care about their own lives. As a result, they re considered old-fashioned, holding beliefs that contradict the liberal niversal eclaration of uman ights. Thus, the conservative party s beliefs have been slowly weakened. The question then is should epublicans now become the left-wing party and the emocrats the right-wing party in order for the to keep up with the st entury, and modify its beliefs In order for epublicans to survive the st entury, change must occur.

Feminism Discussions on feminism have arisen on the internet vibrantly over the past year, making their way to raded classrooms and even afterschool activities. The world around us is fastpaced and ever changing and raded is no different. As a school, we ve Credit: Wikimedia Commons become more liberal and have begun taking part in fights for equality. roups like peak p and F TI have been designed specifically to discuss the isms” around us. tudents and faculty empower each other by exchanging ideas and striving towards a more equal world. We ve reached a point where we need to start embracing change rather than resisting it. It s time to stop diminishing women and start embracing them as humans worthy of respect. It s absurd that a group of people have been put down ust because of their gender. It s ridiculous to say and shameful to admit that in our society, women are still denigrated. aying women should be forced to stay home and take care of the kids because working is ust for men” or men are the breadwinners” is like saying women can t be in the army, or for a family to be complete,” it needs a mother and a father. tatements like these prevent our world s progress.

Take part of this change it ll happen sooner than expected.

Male Body Image

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features raded, due to the past dress code s issues, has had question societal aspects which hinder human development to deal with different views of body image and the spectrum and progress. ou may also be dismissed as an individual who of opinions that accompany this topic. If you were blessed happens to be governed by a primitive thought process, beenough to be born as a white male in a first-world country, then cause having a dress code clearly limits people from expresscongratulations. The rest of your life will be abundant in oppor- ing their true selves on the other hand, having no dress code tunities and positions in a higher social echelon. evertheless, clearly demonstrates a beautiful and progressive society. The despite all the clear advantages men have been given, there entire idea is to have less rules, and more respect through an are still huge problems within this sphere. The topic of beauty unspoken yet obvious code of intercultural competence and standards nowadays is mostly pertinent towards women, and interpersonal mindfulness. aking comments such as, he s how society expects them to look in order to fit which what, showing too much skin! er shoulders aren t covered!� or many times, are impossible and downright unhealthy standards. he dare not wear shorts that do not cross her kneecaps� owever, there are two sides to this figurative coin. en, even are due to cause an immense amount of opposition toward the most privileged of them, are constantly held up against un- your stated remarks. The reason being, it completely goes realistic body imagainst the idea ages. verything of gender equalfrom simple broad ity, and portrays shoulders to aba train of thought normally bulging that is heavily muscles. Anything influenced by sexthat emulates the ism. The recent traditional image reduction in the of the idealized restrictions of hero. There are the dress code at double standards raded also reat play here on flects the urge to one side, there is move into a socithe oversexualety where people ization of women are not udged by in media, and on what they wear, the other, the poror by their outtrayal of men as ward appearance. physical represenCredits: roid Stuff via Youtube Creative Commons What you wear is tations of raw power in the same settings. oth have outlandish your choice, and your choice about your own self should not proportions, and both genders are expected to achieve this affect any other person in any manner whatsoever. This is visual, yet only one receives the bulk of the attention. It might the common value and belief system that is being fabricated seem that since, historically, women having had centuries of at an exponential rate in our community, and going against oppression, their plight might appear more pressing. et, by it at this point simply means going against progress and prosthinking as such, do we not undermine the very principle of perity. gender equality ow can we udge the pain women have to go through to fulfill these criteria while shrugging off the same burden countless men must endure to satisfy similar ideals It is a strange world that even the most privileged demographic is udged by their peers and must attain a specific threshold in order to be accepted by society.

Dress code o you think the fact that having a uniform or a strict dress code is better than having no dress code at all ood luck with that thought at raded, because here in this multicultural and diverse pool of students, you will be easily dismissed as an overly conservative person who does not

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features

Emoji-onal A new step in linguistic development ucca liveira ommunication always has been, and always will be, a tool to transmit ideas to another being. ince the age of stone, humans have sought out ways to share these ideas with others of their species and, throughout the ages, multiple forms of communication have been formed. From oral communication to the written language, people have developed the complexity necessary to effectively convey even the most abstract thoughts to one another. Alongside this growth of complexity came the increase in efficiency, namely, the better availability and speed of the information being spread. Initially with the creation of the utenberg ress, allowing people access to books, and finally culminating with the creation of a worldwide network that grows increasingly more available to the general public, who knows what else our species has in store for us Apparently the answer lies within most people s phones.

We have reached a new peak in our ability to communicate efficiently through the compression of thoughts into a singular point emo is.

This all began on the ecember , when eil apworth, a software architect, sent the first text message from his personal computer to his friend s phone. The erry hristmas� that was sent spawned an age of communicative convenience. espite this text, it was only around that higetaka urita, a apanese designer working on software for a phone, the ocomo, created the first set of emo is.

The most commonplace phones in apan at the time had very small screens, that could only fit letters at a time, so the company needed a way to convey ideas while occupying the least amount of space possible. According to him, the original 6 emo is were based on days of his observation of how people expressed themselves.The result a series of icons based on manga and various pictograms. resently, we have ,6 emo is available to those utilizing the I . , everything you could need, from a smiley face to the absolute necessity of different trains. mo is were created as a means to replace features naturally built into regular human conversations. ou see,

oral communication relies not only on the actual words being spoken, but also the intonation and body language. There are great difficulties behind conveying tone in online communication and that, without the aid of other factors, makes it very difficult to express meaning. mo is stand as a solution to this problem. inguist en immer believes that emo is are this generation s answer to an age old problem, and stated It s a recurrence of a very old impulse. I don t see it as a threat to written language, but as an enrichment. The punctuation that we use to express emotion is rather limited.

We ve got the question mark and the exclamation point, which don t get you very far if you want to express things like sarcasm or irony in written form.� mo is represent a new spectrum of the human language, allowing emotion to be expressed through a simple icon rather than the vast array of words that encompass the complexity of human emotion. espite the positives of emo ibased communication, they provide us a crutch to lean on, one that could counteract their seemingly positive effects on society. The newfound dependence of emo is causes people to slowly lose their Credits: YeJin On ability to read tone in writing. purred by our own ego, humans usually believe we can understand any message, and often can make mistakes in the interpretation of regular writing by applying our own unique lens to it. As we are spoon fed meaning through emo is, something is lost, something precious that took humanity thousands of years to develop and refine language.

Where have the carefully crafted phrases gone, those meant to melt the heart and stir the soul Those were replaced by a cucumber emo i or an anatomically irregular heart because we could not bother to try anymore. We have succumbed to the grips of convenience, favoring efficiency over effort. mo is. ne can see them as either the loss of the beauty behind complexity, or the newest step in the evolution of language, however, it is impossible to deny their importance in today s society, and the strong effects they are having on the newest generations.

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clawsure

Goodbye to our Senior Scribes A farewell to the seniors on the 2 15 2 1 Talon Staff ames igafoos

ira uesnell

Catalina Berretta The twining of levity and seriousness are what we will miss most about you. our views were always passionate, but it was a pleasure to read a young writer who treated herself so wryly while making serious social statements.

Michael Borger ou are a puncher. While we don t share all of your views, we admire the passion that drives you and the aggression with which you grappled with those you disagree with. We will miss the thoughts and arguments you provoked.

Marina Cortes arina ort s ha escrito textos instigantes en un hermoso espa ol, en los que expone sus siempre firmes convicciones, su infatigable labor por manifestar y reclamar un orden m s usto de las cosas y los hombres. l suyo es un espa ol vivo, fulgurante como una llama, como corresponde a una idea nada ociosa del lengua e.

Anoushka Gandhi We gave you the hardest things to write and you never disappointed. An investigative ournalist requires open-mindedness and doggedness in equal measure - we were lucky to have that rare pairing in you. reat ob asking questions and working on the articles you knew would be tough.

Chris Kim ou tackled such topics as morality, video games, and his dislike of Internet culture. ne of your finest lines served as a pull quote the internet seems more like a cluster of isolated echo chambers rather than a space for the open exchange of information as it has a reputation for.� ood stuff. We wish you the best in your post- raded life and beyond.

Matthew Kim We say goodbye to you after a two-year tenure as news writer. ou took on such topics this year as the power of standing, Facebook addiction, and air pollution in ei ing. ou served as a quiet, but conscientious, contributor to the staff and we wish you the best in your future endeavors.

Faria Nasruddin ou write powerfully. We admire the way your ideas stack together and the inevitability of your conclusions.

We ll miss your ear, too. our convictions never prevented you from listening to and respecting the views of others.

Yoji Watanabe The Talon will miss your humor. We laughed over your portrayal of the life of an internet star, and wondered after how much it differed from your own.

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