Ed. 104 - Senior

OUR MISSION

SUBMISSIONS

Published online daily and in print each semester, 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 2014-2015

About the Cover

EDITORS-IN-CHIEF: MC Otani and Paula Schulman LAYOUT: Fernanda Fiszner COLUMNISTS: Bella Shim, Luiz Felipe Vidigal, Mateo Games, Michael Thomas, Pedro Werebe, Rafaela Goldlust NEWS: Julia Lee (Editor), Anoushka Gandhi (Assistant Editor), Luis Wolfrid, Matthew Kim FEATURES: Sylvia Yang (Editor), Faria Nasruddin (Assistant Editor), Fernanda Sayão, Nicholas Householder, Samuel Fertig ENTERTAINMENT: Michael Borger (Editor), Manuel Camilion (Assistant Editor), Catalina Berretta, Thomas Park, Yoji Watanabe

While designing the cover of the Senior Edition, I wanted it to reflect our senior class in a new way. Instead of merely having photos of all seniors, I decided to add a personal touch to the cover by hand-drawing everyone (mostly because I’m more comfortable with drawing than with computer graphics). I based my drawings on the headshots in the yearbook, and see it as a way to capture this special year for seniors. I tried to bring out everyone’s facial characteristics and used a minimalistic style, much like that of the simple Shake Shack icons. This cover was a challenge in many ways because of my inexperience with Photoshop and the sheer proportion of the undertaking. It took many days to complete each phase, drawing and retracing the portraits on Photoshop, not to mention another full day to learn how to navigate the program. With the suggestion from Ms. Pfeiffer, I varied the colors, creating a nice contrast between the white background and the vibrant shades. All in all, I am very happy with the final cover and hope that people will enjoy identifying the seniors! Seniors: if you cannot find yourself, ask me.

—Julia Lee

BLOGGERS: Julia Marangoni, Lucas Valim PHOTOGRAPHER: Gabriel Civita VIDEOGRAPHER: Carolina von Mutius ▪ ▪ ▪ TEACHER ADVISORS: Josh Berg & Mary Pfeiffer PORTUGUESE LANGUAGE CONSULTANT: Maggie Moraes and Marcello Bulgarelli SPANISH LANGUAGE CONSULTANT: Guillermo Loyola Ruiz ▪ ▪ ▪ E-mail: talon@graded.br

Thanks for Reading This print edition marks our final one as Talon advisors. Like the seniors (to which this edition is dedicated), we are moving on: After ten memorable years at Graded School, next year we will be teaching at American School in Japan, in Tokyo.

In our decade here The Talon has gone from a monthly print magazine, to the current hybrid student publication of an updated-daily online site supplemented by a print magazine at the end of each semester. We’ve worked with ten talented staffs and ten pairs of stellar Editors-in-Chief. If you have been with us along the way, in whatever role, as reader, contributor, or staff member, thank you so much for your support.

Abraços, Mary Pfeiffer & Josh Berg a.k.a. Pfeifferberg

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

seniors

A Necessary Evil Taking from college applications MC Otani

S

ome students have a background or story that is so central to their identity that they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.”

“Please write a 300-500 word essay describing why you are interested in studying ____ and how you think the programs offered at _______ suit your particular interests.”

“What matters to you and why?”

“Describe the world you come from.”

“Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god.”

Researching about various universities’ awesome facilities and programs, and writing about how you want to take “full advantage” of what they have to offer was the easy part.

All you have to do is write a template (much like MadLibs) and fill in the blanks. Explaining what I wanted to major in and why was trickier, especially when I did not have a clue about what I wanted to do. And writing an entire essay about what “matters to me” was just absurd. While many of my conversations among my high school friends revolved around our futures, our fears, our tastes, and our ambitions, none of these talks demanded solid answers.

Sure, I had taken a few personality tests and my Facebook likes section was a pretty good summary of the types of books, TV shows, and music I enjoyed, but I was far from being able to effectively describe who I was, what I cared about, and who I wanted to be in a decent 650-word essay. Desperate for ideas, I found myself scavenging for old photographs and school projects, asking my parents what my childhood was like, and making lists of the books I read and music I bought in hopes of determining what I liked and what made me “unique.” “Venda seu peixe,” my dad reminded me. The question, though, was, ”que peixe?”

While the college application process is often characterised by senioritis, violent emotional fluctuations, and self-doubt, it is also a time of reflection. Looking back at the hours and hours spent lying on the floor, doing handstands

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against the wall, and munching on stale bread while trying to figure out why had Bricks been so meaningful for me (if at all), etc., I realize that answering these questions was a practice of self-awareness. When asked “Why engineering?” I couldn’t sigh, say something like “it’s so cool” and change the subject.

I had to explain exactly what I meant. The reason this process was so difficult was because it was the first time I was asked define myself and reaffirm my values and beliefs, perceptions that had been around for so long I often forgot about their existence.

But in some miraculous way, slowly, but surely, most members of the Class of 2015 (including myself) were able to scrape together those pieces of themselves and present them to the admissions officers. It was a tedious but eye-opening process. While writing my applications, I learned (or at least claimed to have learned) that playing in the 2013 Chamber Music Festival “taught me how to listen to others.” I also found out why I wanted to do engineering and gained confidence in saying that after college, I wanted to start my own business around the music industry.

My favorite essay writing technique (courtesy of the IB) is to vomit every single thought onto paper in a 20-minute splurge. And after two years of repeating this brainstorming process, I found myself staring at my college essays and wondering, “Do I really believe this or am I just BS-ing?” The answer was yes Common Application Inc. and no. Sometimes, I’d re-read my supplements and laugh. Other times, however, I’d frown and say, “Oh.” While applying to schools was an absolute pain, drafting and redrafting supplements was a necessary process. Regardless of the nature and BS-level of our essays, defining who we are and “what matters to us,” gaining that self-awareness and questioning our motives before leaving the Graded nest are essential steps towards finding independence and balance in the new environments we’ll be living in soon. Those “Oh” moments in senior year, often triggered by supplement writing, interviews, therapy sessions, and whatnot, have established a rough draft of ourselves. Now, college will serve as the ground to grow and mold these drafts into bigger, better, and happier human beings. I can’t wait.

seniors

Encounter, Confrontation, and Resolution Cheesy reflections of a Graded lifer Sylvia Yang

I

’m in denial about the fact that my time at Graded is coming to an end. Thirteen years, to be exact. To put things in perspective, I’ve only lived four years outside of the Graded community. Saying that Graded was a big part of my life is, as you may imagine, an understatement. And trust me, when I say my departure from high school is bittersweet, I mean it in every sense of the word. While many peers moved and grew fond of their new settings, I remained anchored to Graded and its community, getting to know the school in all its intricacies and finally having my turn navigating them. From playing a “drama kid” in the lower school High School Musical play, to mastering “Hot Cross Buns” on the recorder with Mr. B.G., my experiences at Graded are greatly varied and immensely significant.

When I first entered freshman year after proudly graduating middle school, I was terrified. I was worried about the increased difficulty of the classes, a fact my middle school teachers made sure to caution me about. I looked to the far end of high school, and couldn’t possibly imagine how I would get there or what I would be like by the end of those four years. I was worried about the International Baccalaureate program, the favorite subject matter of most of the horror stories I heard from upperclassmen. I didn’t think I could possibly write a 4000-word essay on a topic of my choice, and I sure as hell didn’t know how I would study for the mock exams.

With my long journey at Graded coming to an end, the plethora of memories during this time make me reflect on the experiences I’ve had and will have. I’ve learned that confrontation of impending events, conflicts, and challenges is crucial. Encounter, confrontation, and then resolution of such events is a general outline of how I’ve experienced things at Graded. I’ve encountered the event, whether it be entering freshmen year or finishing with mock exams, I’ve confronted it, one way or the other, and resolved it.

As you look back to what you have done until now, seniors, I hope you recognize all the effort you have put in. Be

proud of this. Graduation is waiting for us at the finish line, and we so deserve it. Soon, we’ll be the ones walking confidently down the aisle to “Pomp and Circumstance,” holding back our tears during the long-awaited ceremony.

I’m certain that there will be a continuous process of encounter, confrontation, and resolution after high school for all of us, whether in college, work, or other pursuits. I know that I will face more challenges as I pass on from high school; this is inevitable. However, I have enjoyed the process of overcoming my challenges and recognizing my progress. Hopefully, we’ll have the same sense of pride in future environments as we’ve experienced in high school.

As I passed from one grade to the next, I saw the people around me, my responsibilities, my classes, and most evidently, myself, change. These changes seem more striking because I’ve accompanied the entire process, the before and after. This seems all the more important now that I’m wrapping up my final year; soon, all seniors will be going their separate ways, studying, doing, and seeking different things.

Graded will no longer be the place we visit everyday, IB will not be the curriculum we study, and the faces we see will probably never all be in the same place, at the same time ever again. Although this is a sad thought, I hope the prospect of a new setting with new opportunities excites you just as much as it excites me. Just as I have greatly appreciated getting to know my fellow Class of 2015, I will cherish the full experience of having been a Graded lifer. It has been one exciting, stressful, yet extremely transformative journey. Seniors: go on to encounter, confront, and resolve whatever may be thrown your way!

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seniors

27 razões por que eu vou sentir falta do Brasil Luiz Felipe Vidigal 1. Arroz e Feijão: Todos nós sabemos que vai ser difícil sobreviver sem o arroz e feijão diário, necessário para a sobrevivência do organismo.

o(a) amiguinho(a) pode passar do limite ainda não estipulado em território nacional.

18. Português: Tente não esquecê-lo.

2. Pão de queijo: O ‘lanchinho da tarde’ nunca mais vai ser o mesmo.

19. Comédia: Ainda existe alguma função para a língua no exterior. Obrigado internet.

3. Padaria: Coxinha.

4. Churrasco: A habilidade de comer a proteína necessária para um mês em duas horas.

20. Brasileiros: Se for um deles, não se preocupe. Somos onipresentes.

5. Guaraná: Pepsi e Coca-Cola: pode ser bom.

21. Minha casa, minha vida: A memória da sua cama vai virar um sonho inalcançável.

6. Brigadeiro: Dispensa comentários.

22. Carro anfíbio: Talvez deste não dê tanta saudade assim.

7. Restaurante por quilo: Quando você estiver falido na faculdade, vai entender do que estou falando.

23. Propaganda do posto Ipiranga: “Pergunta lá no posto Ipiranga”.

8. MPB: Quando bater a saudade, uma das primeiras coisas que vira à cabeça.

24. Beijo no rosto: Aqui algo banal; fora, um tabu.

9. Funk/Sertanejo: Você pode odiar hoje, mas quando você estiver dançando loucamente ao ouvir uma música do gênero no exterior já sabe: eu avisei.

10. Parcelar compras no cartão de crédito: De novo, quando você estiver falido na faculdade, vai entender do que estou falando.

25. “Hoje é festa é sua, hoje a festa é nossa...”: Chegou aquele momento do ano e você pode não estar aqui :( 26. “Sou brasileiro, com muito orgulho, com muita amor!”: Preciso explicar?

27. Saudades: Todos sentem falta, só nós sentimos saudades.

11. Futebol: Que me desculpem os antis, mas não existe paixão por nenhum esporte como ao futebol, aqui, no Brasil. Pelo menos o grito de gol pode viajar para o exterior.

12. Clima: A primeira neve pode até ser divertida, mas 20 graus nunca mais vai ser considerado frio.

13. Praias: Mar morno, areia fofa, paisagem bonita. O que mais posso pedir?

14. Interior: Cavalos, motos, terra ...

15. Natureza tropical: “Moro num país tropical…”

16. Havaianas: “As legítimas, todo mundo usa”.

17. Zueira sem limites: Aquela brincadeira além da conta com

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Shutterstock

seniors

Transitions, Changes, Moving On Myths and advice on the seniors’ next stage Julia Lee

B

y this time of the year, most seniors will have not only gained admission to colleges, but also enrolled in a college where they will spend the next four years. The much-awaited graduation on May 23 will be a turning point for the Class of 2015 as they leave behind their status as Graded students and join the many thousands of alumni.

For many, this may be the first, but certainly not the last, big transition they will experience—a transition filled with anxiety and excitement for both students and families. Chatter down the senior hallway comprises mostly, if not completely, of comments about college life, as students fantasize about their freshmen year and attempt to fish out the truth behind the many college myths.

Dr. Brian Harke, Dean of Students at the University of Southern California, wrote in a blog post for the Huffington Post in 2010 regarding a freshman myth, the “overly optimistic [confidence] in their ability to manage the challenges they will encounter at college.” Students are disabused from their fantasies as their college experiences do not reach their expectations. This results in college freshmen leaving or dropping out of college.

Of the 18 millions students who went to college in 2008, about 34% withdrew during their first year because “they were overconfident, under-prepared and lacked realistic expectations about college,” according to the U.S. Census and American College Testing Program.

In an interview the New York Times, W. Houston Dougharty, vice president for student affairs at Grinnell College, offers some advice for these nervous students. He strongly recommends to minimize “electronic tethers,” mainly Facebook and other social media, especially in an environment where communication has never been easier. “Every minute you spend updating the people back home is time you’re not investing in developing relationships in college, whether that’s with new roommates or new faculty or new friends,” he said.

The media’s portrayal of college freshmen life as the onset of a wild, party-filled, frivolous life seems to have affected students’ outlook on their future. Counseling psychologist Dr. Dana R. Falk cautions students “not to equate having fun in college with wild experimentation.” She added, “So many of them want to emulate Animal House. They feel that if they’re

not binge drinking, skipping class, being relatively unselective about romantic partners, or trying their friend’s prescription medication, they are somehow not living the college life.”

While there is the social transition to make, the most prominent and perhaps most important change to take note of is the change in academics. At the college level, more independence is expected from students by professors.

Syllabi for courses are distributed, readings are massive, and are coupled with huge assignments. All this occurs without much guidance as to where and how to tackle. The combination of a new environment, greater freedom, and more workload is bound to overwhelm students. Dr. Falk suggests students should start planning ahead Shutterstock early, staying aware of deadlines for important assignments. College professors will tend to be less lenient than high-school teachers when it comes to extensions. “Don’t personalize it when you’re not given special accommodations,” said Dr. Falk.

More freedom will also mean more freedom in one’s schedule. Unlike their demanding high-school careers filled with activities, students in college will assume full control of their schedule, often at loss at what to do with an empty timetable. Tim Foster, Dean of Student Affairs at Bowdoin College, recommends students to not spend those free times “by compulsively engaging in things.” He added, “In college, decide what really matters to you—your academic and extracurricular passions—and pursue them. Vital engagement will be much more satisfying and fulfilling than compulsive engagement.”

However, we all know that perhaps the biggest concern plaguing high-school seniors is the infamous “Freshman 15,” the myth in America that college students gain weight (15 pounds, according to its name) during their first year in college.

Unfortunately for the myth, but fortunately for all incoming freshmen, research has shown that an average freshman will gain about 2.5 to 6 pounds. That is one less myth from the list.

Despite the many changes that students are expected to handle and digest, perhaps the most important advice is something Foster notes to incoming freshmen: “Have fun. These can be among the best years of your life.”

Sources: huffingtonpost.com, nytimes.com

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seniors

Going Top-less for Graduation Should Graded eliminate GPA-based awards?

Bella Shim

I

n light of the approaching graduation ceremony in May, there’s been much discussion on the technicalities of the event, the speakers in particular. Traditionally, Graded entertains speeches from the top two students in terms of their GPA’s. But rumor has it that there will be no valedictorian or salutatorian speakers, nor the concept of the “Top Ten” next year. These changes merely seem like another manifestation of the “trophy culture” that’s so prominent in the US. Millennials are notorious for having been lavishly loved and catered to by their parents, showered with participation trophies for every ounce of their effort. Thus, kids today are fostered with the mindset that each one is absolutely special.

It’s like Oprah’s ultimate car giveaway: “You get a trophy. You get a trophy.

Everybody gets a trophy!”

Although this practice is particularly common in sports leagues for children, trophy culture has permeated other facets of society.

Some high schools in the United States have adopted the practice of distributing the valedictorian title to every straight-A student. In 2010 at Houston, the graduating class of Stratford High School had thirty valedictorians. In Florida, as many as 25 students could be classified as valedictorians. In Colorado, eight high schools had a total of 94 valedictorians. Like that, the title ceases to be a “summa cum laude,” and more like “everybody gets laude,” no longer carrying the same weight. But even if the criteria has been expanded to accommodate more valedictorians, there will always be a threshold that will cause some dejected students to wonder why they didn’t make the cut.

Yet by abolishing the valedictory and salutatory address altogether at Graded, I can’t imagine who is going to get the benefit of making a speech, and for what purpose. Although graduation appears to be the culmination of our high school career, it still remains as a speck in the large scope our lives.

What harm would it truly do to hold speeches for students with the highest GPA? Being a valedictorian doesn’t signify that you are the only bright student in your grade. Nor is not being a

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valedictorian an indication that you are a failure. The grades we receive in high school do not reflect what we are going to achieve in the future. Likewise, graduation isn’t the only venue where students can be recognized for their successes. One can be acknowledged for his or her talents in multiple ways. To list a few, there’s athletics night, Knowledge Bowl, MUN conferences, debate tournaments, and even Graded’s new core value stickers.

While I do believe the valedictorian and salutatorian may not necessarily serve as the best representatives of the class, they shouldn’t be stripped from their right to revel in their success. They should remain recognized as role models that encourage underclassmen to do their best.

We don’t study to receive awards in the far future; we work to learn and prepare ourselves for college, where an even greater educational challenge awaits us to push us even further.

The graduation ceremony is about the class celebrating as a whole its completion of the grueling yet rewarding process of a high school Shutterstock education. Even so, I used to believe the commencement ceremony wasn’t inclusive at all. There wasn’t much activity going on for those who didn’t have a turn at the podium, other than standing up only to be handed an empty, red cylinder and sitting back down. However, I was pleasantly surprised to see the introduction of an elected class speaker to give a speech on behalf of last year’s Class of 2014. His speech drove everyone to laugh in unison at all the jokes and endearing memories of the experiences the grade had undergone together.

I don’t doubt that this year, we seniors can rejoice in our memories together in a similar, or perhaps even better, manner. Furthermore, I’m not against having a valedictorian or a salutatorian speaker either. I just hope I won’t be itching with boredom during our graduation ceremony.

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El quiebre de una línea Una reflexión en pensamientos Mateo Games

U

na puerta. Una nueva dinámica escolar. Rubish, Birmann,

más, pero diferentes. La vida cambia, no está planeada.

el coreano chiquitito que era un crack tocando el piano.

Algo inesperado. Donde se descarriló la locomotora?

Un cambio abrumador para esos ojitos. Problemas insignifican-

En qué parte le pifié? De repente la forma sistemática y cu-

tes para el mundo pero devastadores para la cabecita de un

antitativa de organizar los años en la mente se corrompe. El

niño en la primaria. Amistades que se creaban de incansables

tiempo gana otra dimensión, otro espacio. Los bloques caen.

conversaciones sobre las cosas más importantes de la vida.

Incertidumbre. El darse cuenta de que uno es prisionero de

Cada situación digna de admiración y atención. Nada era viejo

su propio sistema sin darse cuenta. Era planeada. Libertad?

ni aburrido. Las cami-

Siempre bajo límites.

natas por los pasillos

Hasta que todo se viene

hasta el “student cen-

abajo. Una represent-

ter”, que con el pasar

ación de la vida en tan

del tiempo requerían

solo un comienzo. Un

menos y menos pasos.

veredicto definitivo y

Profesores que vinieron

permanente. Un fra-

y se fueron. Muchos

caso.

dejando sus huellas

Qué es lo que pas-

impregnadas eterna-

ará? El darse cuenta

mente en sus alumnos.

finalmente de que todo

Lo que ya no existe. Las

está bien. Al que no

amistades que con la

se deja tocar nunca

vida se desvanecieron,

lo tocarán. Nunca. La

perdiéndose en un aire

felicidad nutrida desde

místico de nostalgia.

adentro. Cada uno en

Segregación social,

lo suyo. Cada uno en su

para un niño, tan se-

propio paso. Cada uno

vera como el apartheid.

con su propia filosofía

Emociones incansables,

Wikimedia Commons de vida. Cada uno feliz

llantos y sonrisas.

a su manera.

Lecciones morales fundadas en argumentos personales

Termina aquí esta etapa pero no la vida. El punto de

de cada profesor. Ingenuas criaturas influenciadas por los puntos

partida es arbitrario. Pero los dos caminos llegan. Los dos cami-

de vista de humanos con poder de autoridad. Reproches y san-

nos tienen lo suyo. Nada es definitivo. Es todo una confusión

ciones. Quilombo. El desentendimiento entre la incertidumbre

entre presente y futuro. Una perspectiva empírica mantiene

del adulto y la intensidad registrada por el niño. Un estándar a

al nómada sano. Concentración en la existencia directa de

ser seguido por cada alumno, ciudadano en la sociedad escolar

uno mismo. El momento se construye sobre el olvido de otros

inmadura. Una creciente confianza en cada uno que llevó a

tiempos. Es todo una espera. Simplemente una espera. Más vale

necesarias diferencias. Cada uno en lo suyo, sin conflictos. Cada

esperar en asombro que en temor y arrepentimiento. Porque,

uno poniéndole atención a su propia vida. Creciente conciencia

después de todo, todos llegan al mismo destino.

sobre la existencia de uno mismo.

Conversaciones más frecuentes. El desarrollo intelectual de un individuo a paso diferente de cada otro. Más contenido. Prepararse para el final. Prepararse para empezar otra etapa. Prepararse para vivir. Un solo año. Después cuatro

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Rafa’s Unofficial School Survival Guide How to juggle living and surviving school (or not) Rafaela Goldlust

C

hegou a hora de se despedir. Chegou a hora de relembrar memórias, sentir aquela nostalgia que ninguém te tira (muito menos a ideia de um futuro drasticamente diferente) e viver uma mistura de emoções que mais se parece uma salada de frutas que uma progressão normal de feelings. Ora é tristeza, ora são risos, ora é a tão famosa saudade. É clichê, eu sei, mas tudo faz parte do provérbio “fechar um capítulo e começar outro”. Nesse caso, estamos fechando (com chave de ouro, eu espero) uma fase - bem chatinha se me permitem dizer - da vida e iniciando a melhor delas - festas da “facul” que me esperem.

Apesar das crises emocionais e daqueles dramas desnecessários, relembrando memórias e minha vida escolar, penso nas coisas que fiz, nas que não fiz, nas que eu gostaria de ter feito.

Parece o tema do Vivas Palavras deste ano, talvez porque a única coisa que eu tenha escrito foi “eu não me arrependo de não me arrepender do que deviam ser arrependimentos.” Um nó só na cabeça, que, aliás, olhando novamente, nem faz sentido direito, mas me fez pensar em certas coisas, dentre delas as coisas que fiz, ou, por outro lado, que não fiz, e algumas lições que aprendi ao longo do caminho.

Ser boa aluna, ter uma vontade ardente de ser rebelde (pois o “aborrecente” existe sim e vem uma hora ou outra) e ter uma vida social simultaneamente não foi tarefa fácil, muito menos plausível. Então, para quem se encontra no dilema em que debati internamente meu colegial inteiro, aqui vão algumas dicas de sobrevivência, à la Manual de Sobrevivência Escolar do Ned (quem entende é velho o suficiente e vai “feel me” quando ler as seguintes regras):

6 - Nada berra mais “cool kid” do que sair para badalar num dia de semana (incluindo tudo que uma noitada em São Paulo oferece). É o caso da Vivian Rebrin, que aconselha “checar se sua calça leggin não tem furos em lugares onde não devia e ter certeza de que sua maquiagem não está um borrão só” antes de aparecer na escola, sinônimos de uma noite bem aproveitada.

Quer ser rebelde?

1 - Siga os passos do Rodrigo Zaborowsky ou da Francesca Civita e domine a arte de chegar sempre atrasado.. com uma bela desculpa na ponta da lingua. Demora, viu, mas parece fazer milagres para a falta de sono acumulado.

10 - Ganhe um prêmio nobel da paz, como os indicados Lipe Araujo e Luara Oliveira, e garanta uma agenda lotadíssima de atividades extracurriculares que vão, além de render bolsas em escolas incríveis, trazer uma satisfação inigualável depois de ter feito baita caridade. Pontos extras se você for esperto e usar isso para completar as horas obrigatórias de CAS.

7 - Para finalizar, seja inesperado e aventureiro como o Ale Ortiz, e “faça uma visita até o topo do auditório pelo menos uma vez durante sua vida como aluno da Graded.” A vista, além de imperdível, rende histórias pra contar e um friozinho na barriga digno de um verdadeiro rebelde.

Agora, para quem quer tentar entrar em Stanford, seguindo o desempenho de Michael Troute, vão aqui algumas sugestões: 8 - Seja bom em tudo que faz. Sério, quando faculdades falam que querem alguém “well rounded” eles não estão mentindo. Nesse caso, peça ajuda a Julia Lee, Gabi Campos e MC Otani. Elas vão saber te orientar no quesito: fazer tudo e ainda brilhar muito. (Por sinal, a palavra brilhar é o hit do momento, independente do seu caráter, use e abuse!)

9 - Ninguém melhor que o Luiz de Campos ou a Bel Guinle para ensinarem a como ter foco, perseverança e respeito. Faça como eles e vá atras de suas ambições, sejam elas fazer parte do Amis ou ser aluno de destaque no recital de poemas.

2 - Faça como o Ricardo Pires e aperfeiçoe o jeitinho e a prática de pedir aos amigos queridos a lição - pois, claro, você deve estar ocupado com coisas mais interessantes a fazer que tarefa de casa, vulgo ouvir rock, assistir à filmes e andar de skate (é rebelde na certa)

11 - Faça arte ambientalmente consciente e divertida ao estilo de Maia Boake e Juli Isman. Assim, você faz arte e, ao mesmo tempo, ajuda a limpar o mundo usando objetos reciclados e inusitados como macarrão e papel de embrulho de bala. Há combinação melhor?

3 - Inspire-se tanto no Jason Lim quanto na Bella Shim e aprenda que dormir em sala de aula é para poucos. Direito reservado especialmente para aqueles que têm uma nota de dar inveja (boa, é claro).

12 - Alguém algum dia disse “quem cedo madruga Deus ajuda”. Siga a dica, porque de errado nada tinha essa pessoa. Mesmo se você não acredita em Deus, a moral do provérbio continua.

4 - Faça como o Fred Miguel e não faça seu filme de IB HL Film. É a melhor dica pra quem quiser se formar e falar “eu sou maneiro, bombei meu diploma por não fazer um filme; afinal, pra que fazer coisa chata de escola quando posso tá ‘fritando’ ao som de Skrillex e Fitz and the Tantrums no Lollapalooza?”

Por fim, há aqueles que tentaram conciliar ambos os estilos e acabaram no meio disso tudo. Nem lá, nem cá. Nunca fui 8 nem 80, por isso, começo a acreditar naquele infame diagrama que obriga você a escolher duas categorias - nunca três - para ser bem sucedido na vida (vide a imagem abaixo). Mas, não deixem de fazer dessa experiência incrível, seja lá como for, passado ou mal passado. Discordem dos meus conselhos, mas, depois, não venham dizer que eu não avisei. Por indicação minha e de Mauro Carobene, “work hard, play hard”. Vale à pena.

5 - Converse sem parar, ou melhor, até a professora te expulsar. A mesa perto da porta na sala de biologia é exemplo perfeito. Carol, Bea, Joachim, Michael e Nik, vocês mostram que não há hora em que uma risada não seja bem vinda. É contagiante e garante o ar de despojado.

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seniors

Graded 2121 The legend of Mr. Ocki Fernandes Manuel Camilion Disclaimer: The following satirical piece was written only for the sake of humor and was in no way intended to show evidence of my harboring antagonistic thoughts towards the administration. In reality, I hold Mr. Fernandes in high regard. I wish him the very best in being the new appointed school principal, and wish all of Graded the best of luck in the 2020 project.

“Finally…,” Mr. Collins whispers, quickly scribbling “3/20” on the last paper of a stack of finals. June 26, 2119.

“I guess this is goodbye,” he says. With a heavy sigh, he looks around at the empty classroom around him, adjusts his rusted mechanical legs, and heads towards the door of B21, turning off the lights.

Three years later, Mr. Fernandes looks down on his journal in his old office. The pen shakes in his hand, ink dripping on to the paper as he struggles to find the words he is looking for. “The end of it all began with the arrival of the messenger,” the journal entry begins, “There was a tear in my eye as I saw Collins’ young face walk in through my door.” Mr. Fernandes looked back on those days. He remembered how the teardrop built up and rolled down his face, absorbed by his mustache, which he had stopped maintaining years ago. “Mr. Fernandes,” said the messenger, “here is your approval.” That was it. After all that time, waiting. Finally, they could start to dig. Memories of those earlier days started to come back to him.

“It’s not a real experiment!” These were the last words to escape Ms. Hunt’s mouth before her head was lowered into the police car.

A shame, Fernandes thinks to himself. Caught by her husband trying to recreate the Stanford Prison Experiment with students. Driven mad by the payment cuts recently instituted.

It’s worth it, though. We needed this. The ends justify the means.

Unfortunately for Fernandes, he had (unknowingly) angered a witch doctor at some point in his life, who had then placed a curse on him. This became apparent to those around him when, for seven years, the school’s Celebrations of the World only had one continual guest: a man who did not even go to the school, but was eager to not have competition for the raffle baskets.

Fernandes stares out the window. He hears people speaking, but it seems to be a faint whisper coming from the distant horizon. He cannot stop staring at it. He is consumed.

“Mr. Fernandes.” Finally he hears it, and, looking up, sees Todd Daniel staring him straight in the face. “When are

you going to let it go?” he asks. “It has been 20 yea—” “I cannot!” Fernandes snaps. “You said it yourself, it has been 20 long years. I have sacrificed too much to not see this through.” Mr. Daniel stands in silence, thinking about all of those who have gone away. Ms. Hunt, the school snackbar, the school’s gym department. They couldn’t be afforded. Daniel sees Fernandes staring out the window just like he did every day. I cannot give up, Fernandes thought. Not when they were so close that I can almost reach out and touch it. “So close…”

Daniel heard Fernandes mutter. Just as he had yesterday, and the day before, for the past five years.

The film department was the next to go.

“But who will make your movies?” Mr. Shackelford questioned as he was ordered to collect his things. “Where this school is going, we won’t need movies, Lawrence,” Fernandes responded. It could not be helped, he thought. The film department was too expensive. The teachers’ pay cuts had not been enough; entire departments had to be shut down. “But we just ordered new cameras that film the entire movie by themselves—” The talk was just a light buzz in Fernandes’ ears.

It did not matter, he thought. The project would be completed.

He would keep his promise to the world.

Slowly, teachers began to leave, one by one, until finally, Fernandes could only see one square of light in a sea of dark windows. That last bastion against the darkness soon fell, leaving Fernandes alone in his dream of a school.

The workers were the last to go, no longer agreeing to work to the promise of payment or glory made to them all those long years ago. They slowly left, until finally only Fernandes was the last standing amidst the construction material.

“The year is 2121,” the final journal entry begins.

Fernandes puts down his pen and marvels at the things he has accomplished despite everything else. His rusted mechanical legs have collapsed, but that’s no matter. The impact of the fall is softened by the cushion of grass that catches him, wrapping around him like the arms of a lover. Sheltering. It was worth it… His eyes close at last to rest, with the single comforting thought: People can finally park.

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seniors

Graded Nostalgia Seniors share what they will miss Fernanda Fiszner

I

arrived at Graded School in 2001 as a K3 student. Now, nearly 14 years later, I am ready to move on to a new phase and leave this one behind. Even though the excitement to graduate grows every day, I can’t help but notice the small details of this school that I will cherish forever. I’m going to miss small things such as the diced tomatoes on Taco Day and the weekly steamed carrots, to the many faces I greet in the hallway, and, of course, the air-conditioned Arts Center. I am also going to miss walking to the Lower School, greeting all of my old teachers while experiencing flashbacks from every year: the roller coaster project, the months spent studying the times table, the “Who am I?” presentation, the Junie B. Jones story time, the parachute days during P.E., and the list goes on. I also can’t exclude the Benefit Bash, Thanksgiving lunch, and Celebration of the World events that have provided seemingly endless calories and memories to my peers and me.

Finally, I’m going to miss seeing the same people in the hallway every day: the seniors I’ve grown up with.

As the last exams are taken, the Class of 2015 prepares itself to leave this comfortable place we have known for so long and move into a new home. Please join my fellow seniors and me while we reminisce on our favorite aspects of Graded and what we will miss most after graduation.

Seniors: I wish you all the best in your future and hope to see you again soon!

What are you going to miss about Graded?

Vivian Aidukaitis: You know when both lunch and dessert are bad in the cafeteria? I’m gonna miss the days when that doesn’t happen.

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Joachim dos Santos: Nothing, but Graded will miss me.

Laura Schivartche: Walking around the halls and bumping into teachers I had when I was in first grade or second grade or whatever. Growing up at Graded means you have constant contact with all these amazing people who have seen you go from a pint-sized toddler to a tall (semi-) adult. Interacting with all those who have changed my life over the years is something I’ll definitely miss.

Sammi Gistren: The torta de queijo e peru and the fried chicken at lunch!

It’s going to be weird not eating in the cafeteria surrounded by my best Fernanda Fiszner friends. I’m also going to miss just walking in the hallways and saying “hi” to or getting a smile from almost everyone you walk by.

Nathi Pires: Senior lawn.

Thiago Lima: Being friends with so many other people from different grades and being so united with the people in the class of 2015 made Graded an amazing experience. I’m also going to miss the smiling faces every morning, freshmen to seniors.

Bella Shim: I’m definitely going to miss participating in Graded’s Band and the Jazz Band once I graduate. With the Floripa trip, Jazz Festival, and performances, you can’t get this sort of special camaraderie anywhere else. And other than in Band class, where else would I get to be referred to as an instrument? I’m Bella, the synthesizer!

Philip Abrams: I am going to miss the peanut butter sandwiches we were served in tenth grade.

seniors

Juli Isman: There are so many things I’m going to miss from Graded... the dinosaur song show in first grade, the funk brasileiro at birthday parties in second grade, the Oregon Trail I never won in third grade, the HSM play in fourth grade, my first Ilha do Cardoso trip in freshman year, the “País Tropical” & “Spyro Gyro” in sophomore year, the free coffee in art class that kept me awake my junior year, CAS (LOL JK), and the senior trip. But if I had to choose one thing that I’ll miss the most, it’s definitely seeing people confuse Ocki and my dad.

Leticia Guimarães: The apple crumble.

Lipe Vidigal: I am going to miss the excitement on everyone’s faces when they finally find out that there will be fried chicken for lunch. I am going to miss staying after-school for no reason besides just hanging out with my friends. I am going to miss the altinha on the senior lawn. I am going to miss arriving to school on Monday and laughing about everything that happened over the weekend. I am going to miss that feeling of relief while exporting the final edit of my film and then finally watching it play at the Graded Film Festival. I am going to miss being part of so many community service groups.

Julia Lee: Rather than the whole entire experience at Graded, I think I’ll miss the little, daily things that occupy so much of our lives right now. It’s hard to wrap my mind around how this repetitive day-to-day schedule will soon come to an end and become something of memory, not reality. I’ll miss coming to school early, sitting by the lockers and watching each of my friends trickle into the senior hallway filling the place with their presence, complaining about ominous days of work ahead, and yet smiling regardless of their sleepless night. The occasional feeling of peace during the rare “Independent Study” period (upon first coming to Graded, I actually freaked out about not knowing where to go for Independent Study), and the Sunday morning updates from the “Ocki Docki” are parts of the Graded life I’ll miss. Though it’s been two years, Graded has become a special place for me where I won’t forget our Class of 2015, the underclassmen, teachers and faculties.

Manny Camilion: Gonna miss avoiding these annoying surveys.

Mike Thomas: Pi Day.

Juan Castaño: What I will miss the most from Graded probably is the international environment and its academic principles.

Throughout these four years in high school, I have been offered the most dynamic experience by learning from multicultural students and teachers. The multiple perceptions I have acquired by learning outside of my home country as well as the friendliness and passion of the teachers at Graded have convinced me that I am now prepared to start a new stage in my life.

Bel and Lipe: Ms. Hunt and Maggie!

Bleuwenn Le Corre: Seeing Maia’s face every day.

Mitch Herr: The people, but there’s no way that I’m letting go from of friends just because we’re going to be physically apart.

I’m going to miss the easy access to all these great people and the community. I’m going to miss being able to jusvt meet everyone during school instead of through Skype or Facebook. I’m going to miss the friendships that do die from us moving apart.

I’m going to miss the theater department and everyone in it.

I’m going to miss this place that made me feel at home when I first came here and still feels like home to me three years later.

Maia Boakye: Seeing Bleuwenn’s face every day.

Rafa Goldlust: I’ll miss that feeling I have every time the clock strikes 3:10.

MC Otani: The first floor of the Arts Center. And the pumpkin pie.

Edu Coccaro: The cafeteria food, JK, Ilha do Cardoso trip, and tutoring sessions.

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college essays

A Duel of Dual Nationalities A college application essay Paula Schulman

U

ntil I grew old enough to realize I was not like everyone else, the fact that I spent my summers on a different continent than the one where I lived and that I spoke more than one language at home seemed completely normal. Like many international students, the question, “ here are you from?” makes me reach deep into my past and attempt to define what I could consider my home.

The first time I pondered this question, so central to my identity, was when I was ten and living in London, the only home I had ever known. In geography class we were asked to write down the names of everyone in the room and indicate where they were from.

I immediately wrote Brazil next to my name, reveling in how unique it looked amongst Gabriel Civita the surplus of Englands. hen the teacher came around to check papers, she stopped and corrected me saying, “ our nationality is the country you were born in.” This was the first time I realized that what I considered to be my place of origin might not be where I am from at all. Though I wrote that I was Brazilian, like my parents and my entire family, by my teacher’s definition I was British. At that moment, there was a shift in what I had always believed to be true. I felt as if my sense of being Brazilian was ripped out of me. It was almost too much for my ten-year-old self to comprehend. hen I was eleven, my family moved to São Paulo, Brazil. hile Brazil had been my parents’ home for most of their lives, the country that for years I had said I was from now felt like a strange, new land. The Brazil I had known during vacations was filled with family gatherings, scorching beaches, and a few weeks of relaxation, quite unlike the grey and foggy winter I encountered when I arrived in São Paulo. I began introducing myself as “the British girl,” abandoning the

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identity I had donned for eleven years as being the one from Brazil. As time went on, any fragmented sense of belonging I still had was replaced by the question of where I came from, to the point where I felt I was from neither place.

My family and I considered two international schools in São Paulo when we first arrived; one was British and the other was American. On my tour of Graded, the American school, I was immediately intrigued by conversations I overheard in the hallways. Students seemed to have their own form of communication, speaking in sentences that contained words from several different languages. I saw kids my own age interacting in a way new to me; rather than focusing on differences, they seemed to have created their own culture combining logoeps.net elements of all their separate backgrounds. Although I had gone through the British education system my whole life, I felt much more comfortable with the American school than the British one, and ended up enrolling there.

By becoming part of a truly international community, and being surrounded by many different values and backgrounds for the first time, a new door opened to me. At last, I no longer felt detached by the fact that I could not answer where I came from, because everyone around me seemed to be in the same situation. hile it was all new and slightly intimidating, I finally felt at home.

I now know that the answer to the question of where I am from is not as simple as it may seem, and that maybe it doesn’t have to be. I am from long plane rides, Earl Grey tea, Christmases in the sun, what I’ve written, seen, and done; gray days, heavy rains, thick accents, hellos, goodbyes, and the stamps in my passport.

college essays

Finding Myself Along the Way A college application essay Michael Thomas hen I was in fourth grade, I was known as “Mini-Chris,” an extension of my older brother. At the time, the nickname gave me a tremendous sense of pride. Despite the four-year difference, my brother and I would walk around with our heads tilted and eyes covered as if our hair were too heavy for our heads. I thought I was the coolest kid in the grade. The only problem was that I got caught up trying to mimic his identity and ended up losing a bit of my own.

I grew up witness to m y b r o t h e r’s similarity to my sister. As a result of their strikingly British characteristics, I became almost embarrassed about my Brazilian culture.

Their milky pale skin, bedtime Earl Grey tea, and passion for books did not match with my cinnamon-tone, Gabriel Civita late night Guaraná, and passion for soccer. I could only relate to my brother through our similar hairstyle. I felt like it was a chance to get closer, to show him that I could be like him. I’d go to his room for homework help, but he would yell and claim he was busy. I wanted him to teach me to play the guitar, but he was too busy for that, too. Our differences led to a broken relationship. As the middle child, I didn’t know how to cope with the lack of attention.

My friends constantly remind me of how few similarities my brother and I share. I come across teachers who taught my brother and ask incredulously, “ ou’re Chris’ brother?” It’s hard to believe, but I am. hen my brother is home, we mutter a word or two to each other, a “hello” or “good-morning,” just like you would when talking to the cashier at a grocery store. e are physically and emotionally detached.

My haircut is now completely different from when I sought my brother’s approval. Instead of flowing along my

shoulders, my hair rises vibrantly in the form of a luscious “fauxhawk.” It’s part of my identity. Instead of following anyone else’s footsteps, I created my own. I picked up a guitar on my own; I taught myself how to play it. I challenged myself with my math homework until I solved for “x.”

I carry frustration: not getting something at my first attempt. I carry happiness: getting it on my tenth attempt. I carry a stronger fist. If in the past I would shrug off my Brazilian identity, today I embrace it. I am the glutton for brigadeiros, and affectionate kisses on the cheek. I am the constant use of diminutive words, the samba that dances through my veins, and the different voices that surround me. My veins pump Brazilian and British sportslogos.net blood, yet my passport claims I’m American. I am all three. hen my brother was heading off to college, my parents claimed their little bird was leaving the nest. As we awkwardly hugged at my parent’s request, I realized he was the reason I had tried so hard to change. I suddenly tightened the hug as a sign of gratitude and looked into his eyes. He seemed tense, unable to respond emotionally or physically, but I didn’t mind. In his eyes I saw a reflection of myself, a man still learning how to walk steadily. As I watched him walk to the gate, my mother was crying and I held her gently. Her eyes said it all; she always wanted me to have a better relationship with him. The look I gave my mother ensured her that the tension had been constructive. I nodded gratefully, relieved that the complex relationship with my brother made me who I am. I had found myself along the way.

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college essays

Discovering My Culture A college application essay

Nabila Mourad

Guest Contributor

F

ailure became a habit—or rather a constant companion. Unable to do the smallest chores such as wearing a headscarf properly or speaking Arabic with a comfortable fluency, my confidence level plummeted. I felt haram (“sinful” in Arabic), since I failed to fit in with my host family.

The echoes of laughter bounced off the white walls and engulfed me. “They are laughing at me,” I concluded as I naively confused the word jamel (camel) with jabel (mountain).

“La, Nabila,” the eldest daughter, Maha, said as she playfully climbed on top of her younger brother, imitating a camel and ending my misunderstanding. Her eyes filled with tears of amusement from listening to my primitive Arabic, while mine flooded in frustration from embarrassing myself in front of the AbuBakhra family that I so desperately tried to impress.

Gabriel Civita J u s t days earlier, I felt prepared embarking on this journey. I had the item which would guarantee my acceptance in the community: a soccer ball. I grinned as I imagined what would take place. “Goal ” I would scream and celebrate with my host siblings: a good soccer game was the perfect opportunity to solidify our relationship.

However, the clash of cultures started as I began playing soccer with five-year old Fatima, trying to teach her the “embaixadinha,” a soccer trick. Our match was short-lived since my host mother interrupted, shaking her head in disapproval: “Girls do not play soccer here.” That phrase stung. My only connection with my siblings’ was robbed from me. Growing up in a Brazilian-Lebanese household, I thought I knew everything about Arab culture. Clearly I did not. es, I was Lebanese by heritage but not in “real life.” I lacked the ease that I had with the Portuguese and English language. For the next couple of days, my dissatisfaction came across as rude and my attitude quickly became indifferent. “Twelve days left, eleven days left,” I counted in my head. hat was only a couple of weeks seemed to last for

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months as I unsuccessfully tried to recognize Arabic phrases that I knew from my prayers. During one of our fire-lit dinners, I opened my mouth expecting a constant chatter to pour out, but instead, the awkwardness of silence crept in. Unaccustomed to being quiet, I glanced down and stared at my hands noticing how smooth they were in contrast to Maha’s, whose hands were rough from everyday household chores. Maha saw me staring and quickly hid them inside her flowered skirt. The silence grew more awkward, but all I could do was apologize profusely for staring.

I collected my notebook and excused myself.

I was frustrated, lost, and homesick with a simple desire to understand or be understood.

S l o w l y things began to change. Maybe it started when Fatima taught me the alphabet or when she told me, in broken English, that she loved logoeps.net me. I began embracing my surroundings and the part of me who was the defensive girl who feared being called on her mistakes, vanished. Surviving the wonders of the Jordanian desert with a family who also wanted to experience something different became a gift. I ceased being a tourist—who superficially encounters culture—and became a traveler—who integrates herself into the lives of others. e all realized we were worth the other’s time and affection. My ability to dive into the unknown with no guarantee of a predetermined outcome, allowed me to step into the bright Jordanian sun. I was brave enough to ask for help to make tea, confident enough to sing in Arabic, and no longer afraid to fail.

I could just open myself up to the wonders of whatever came next.

At the end of my journey, I had experienced four weeks of rugged travel and difficult communication. However, I left the village with tears of sadness and a new found hunger to continue to nurture the Arab culture inside of me.

college essays

A Brazilian Heart Pumps Argentine Blood A college application essay

Juli Isman

Guest Contributor

I

sit in an ocean of blue and white albiceleste soccer jerseys, waiting anxiously for the final showdown to begin. As the crowd roars with excitement, I hear the Argentine national anthem make its way to the speakers. A combination of highand low-pitched voices chant in unison, and as I feel the “ooh’s” building in my own lungs, I wonder how a cry so loud can come from so deep within me. This thought takes me back to the weeks over which I had constantly been asked the same question. “ ou’ve lived in Brazil for the most part of your life, right?” “ es.”

“But you were born in Argentina?” “ es.”

“So what does that mean for the orld Cup? hich team will you be rooting for?”

Answering that question has never been an easy task. I live in a place whose ultimate soccer rival is my home country.

During the orld Cup, that rivalry escalated to a level so strong that people assumed it to be impossible to accept an equal passion for both, so they expected me to pick a side.

But each of these countries has contributed positively to my identity. Telling me to choose one over the other is like asking me to choose between the sunset and the stars. So havGabriel Civita ing lived in Brazil for twelve years, I came to an odd conclusion: within my chest, a Brazilian heart pumps Argentine blood.

My veins are like the spikes on the soccer player’s cleats, grasping on to the field and carrying the legacy of decades past. Like their legacy, mine is engraved with a tradition of moving and keeping a significant memory of the ground I have walked through, no matter how long my stay. The tradition dates back to my grandparents, who escaped Germany during the Second orld ar and arrived in Argentina. Sharing

their stories of migrating at very young ages, they remind me to “never forget,” and thanks to them, I treasure Argentine soil to this day.

My heart is like the shield on my soccer jersey. It is my identity and wins a star through every game well played and through every experience gained—the daily equivalent of a orld Cup. A star for learning to pass the ball with the same openness that the Brazilians showed in welcoming me into their lives; another for supporting my teammates with the sympathy and sweetness of a brigadeiro (chocolate sweet). A third one was added when I learned to move my feet and grow from my mistakes with the upbeat spirit of samba, and on it goes. Game plays change along with the fields I play in—from Argentina to Brazil, to Singapore and then back—but my shield sticks with me, and through it all, my story is written. Each of the stars recounts a great success, like becoming a Peer Group Connection leader, or finally being front and center in my last dance performance, but they are so much more than simple victories.

Each star builds upon the last to create the thoughtful and reflective woman I am today.

As grateful as I am for each experience, I hear an inexplicable calling as the ball starts rolling, and I reach out strongly to Argentina. I look at my roots and trust them enough to cheer a little louder, despite my attachment to the opposition.

I realize that although I have collegeexpress.com connected to one place more than another, I will continue looking back to my origins with each step I take. Looking back gives me a sense of adaptability to the new places I go and a string of connections to the places I have passed. Each place has left a distinct mark. I will never forget them as I keep moving forward—as I continue changing locations and finding new places to call home. After all, moving forward keeps me growing, learning, and hoping for more.

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college essays

Everything is Gray A college application essay Luiz Felipe idigal hen I was young I didn’t think people went to brothels. One day, my friends and I were playing soccer and the subject of prostitution came up—strange, but true. A friend declared that we would go to a brothel “someday.” I was stunned by his statement, and couldn’t understand it. At the time, I was only ten years old. ears went by until this conflicting concept re-entered my life, eventually marking my transition from childhood to adulthood.

I had recently moved to a new school, and I learned from some of my new friends that they were going to brothels. My parents had always set a great example of what a healthy, loving relationship should be, so I was totally appalled and perplexed. oluntary prostitution is legal in Gabriel Civita Brazil, but I was so na ve that, until that day, I couldn’t accept that it was happening around me. I refused to believe that what I considered to be immoral debauchery was second nature for so many people in my environment. I vehemently disagreed with those who engaged in it—but grappled with the concept that it was the social norm, and habitually pondered the best ways to question this bizarre reality. I was really upset with the whole situation. Now that I look back and see how my thought process has evolved, I see this issue as a milestone in my development into the person that I am today.

Prostitution is an ongoing debate in my community, and I think it will always be. I take into consideration both the ethics and the morals involved in this issue. The Ethicist would go crazy talking about prostitution in Brazil. The debate between individual autonomy and the negative ramifications is intriguing. Ethics are about cultural morality, and prostitution is legal in Brazil; so while it may not be moral in my eyes, one could consider it

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ethical to pay someone for sex. Clearly, the debate doesn’t end here; each person’s principles should come into play, regardless of social paradigms. ears ago, I couldn’t accept the fact that people would do such things. As I matured and developed a deeper understanding of the law and the cultural implications of prostitution, I view it as something socially understandable, despite the fact that I would still consider it morally wrong.

But that’s just me. This quandary has opened my eyes to the clear distinction between morality and ethics; my opinion versus the rules provided to me by an external source. It is not because I consider something wrong that it is necessarily universally wrong, and vice-versa.

Cultural implications also have a major role in assessing social behavior, logoeps.net and it is important to understand where, how, and who is assessing such issues. iewing prostitution as a moral question helped me mature by learning to look at situations with a critical approach.

Indeed, right and wrong are often a matter of perspective.

Growing up, it was really hard for me to understand how others’ views could be so different from my own. As an adult, I learned how to apply my knowledge to other points of view, making everything all of a sudden much more interesting. Multiple vantage points and opinions are what make me the person that I am today. Instead of exclusively using my own set of morals to deal with and understand a dilemma, now I’d rather view a situation through the multiple lenses involved. hen I was a child, I would have trouble accepting ideas that diverged from my own. Now, as an adult who understands the plethora of perspectives that exist, I have a much more interesting and sophisticated mind. As my history teacher always tells me, nothing is black and white; everything is gray.

college essays

Minor Character, Major Role A college application essay

Luiza Sayão

Guest Contributor

I

t would be expected that I see myself reflected in a hero from a great novel, perhaps a charming secondary character. If I were a fictional character, however, I would be a letter on a page of a book. es, a letter, a symbol in the alphabet, which, when joined with others of its kind, forms words, which eventually lead to sentences, ideas, and characters in stories. A little character (in both meanings of the word) that belongs to something much larger. Just think of all the possibility in that one letter to shape the bigger story.

I did not consider the importance of letters some years ago. In third grade, I was cast in the role of “Book 2” in my class’s play, The Library Cabaret.

I remember my petulance at having to wear a cardboard box imprinted with the cover of Charlotte’s Web, wishing I could play the role of an acGabriel Civita tual character.

Now I think differently about playing a minor role, like that of a letter.

It came about recently, when I took a massive nationwide Brazilian standardized test: the ENEM. I walked through a corridor swirling with young people as I reached the concrete anthill-like building that crawled with hundreds of other fellow test-takers, each obsequiously following their own paths.

I found my way up to the third floor. oom 37. At the door, I was instructed to take a seat and to leave my green ID visible on the desk. I took my seat and looked around, having nothing else to do as I awaited test time. hat I saw were Luizas of all different shapes, sizes, and hues. henever I heard the proctor utter “Luiza,” (which was quite often) I would instinctively turn to face her, until I realized it wasn’t me she was referring to.

I am just one of a number of Luizas in the world and that combination of five letters does not represent the character in my story because my story is not read by everyone. That could have been the most crushing realization; one that confuses the brain on whether it should send a signal to snap out cold tears or a bizarre guffaw. But neither reaction manifested itself. I felt

raw wonder at being a Luiza amidst thousands more, a mere star in the vast universe. Not allowing myself to be intimidated, I thought to myself, I am indispensable in this universe. It would lose its galactic coherence and magnetic wonder without that one little star. Everything in the scheme laid upon that particular person denoted by the green ID as Luiza Coelho da ocha Sayão on a weekend like this one would be senseless were I not in that seat filling in bubble after bubble, pondering over whether the answer is A or D. Daunting yet exhilarating, my mind tightroped along the thin line that could earn me a point. In that moment, that was I. A Luiza amidst many, but a Luiza unmatched in her uniqueness. h i c h leads me right round to where I started. A letter is one of a few letters forming a word, which, when put together to other words, form oyomi.org sentences, then ideas and complex stories. I came to the conclusion, in that room populated with Luizas, that a character, the fictional, abstract one embodied by a single letter as the “L” in “letter” cannot be taken away. Brazilian poet, Fernando Pessoa once wrote verses that loosely translate to this: I am nothing.

I shall always be nothing, cannot wish to be anything.

Apart from that, I have in me all the dreams in the world.

It is important, in my view, that we accept our smallness and close-to-nothingness without losing sight of what we can do. I am comforted by my dreams, those that are unreasonably big, free of boundaries, in a way, an art form. I have mastered the art of dreaming. Now, like a letter, I need to be placed in the exact word and sentence where I could make the story I am a part of into an extraordinary one.

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college essays

My Experiences As A Multicultural Student A college application essay

Juan Casta o

Guest Contributor

I

recall watching a TED Talk once called “The Danger of a Single Story,” performed by Chimamanda Adichie, an African novelist who is concerned with the issue of international stereotypes.

Before becoming a recognized novelist, Adichie battled her way through a frustrating youth, a youth where people would underestimate her potential as a consequence of her cultural background. The reason I fell in love with the claims presented in this TED Talk is that I am a multicultural individual mys elf wh o h a s lived in three countries where traditions vary greatly. I was only ten when I had to move for the first time.

Sincerely, I had always thought Colombia would be my home forever; who would imagine my dad’s job would require Gabriel Civita us to become an expatriate family?

Moving from Bogota to Mexico City was the first real challenge in my life. How did I imagine Mexico looked? I did not have to think about it for too long, of course: Mariachis, lunatic hats and spicy food, just like it is exhibited through the media, right? After a few days living within one of the cities with the largest population on Earth, I realized how faulty my thoughts were that living anywhere besides Colombia meant living in a “different world.” Of course, it did not take long for my school peers to refer to Colombia as a “cocaine provider” or as “Pablo Escobar’s home.” I was not disturbed by this, though; if I had not given real value to the Mexican community before I got involved in it, why would they know anything about Colombians at all? That is the danger of a single story.

Moreover, having lived in Mexico has been the best experience of my life so far. isiting the pyramids of Teotihuacán, watching the Papantla flyers perform and enjoying the celebration of The Day of the Dead were among the innumerable events

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that allowed me to open my eyes and heart to a new culture.

Unfortunately, four years later my dad decided to move once again, this time to São Paulo in Brazil.

To Brazilians, I had come from “Coffee Land”; to me, I had arrived in a nation where people breathe soccer. Throughout these last three years, São Paulo has so far offered me the most dynamic and thrilling international experience. Not only has this country supplied me with a new culture and a new language, but it has also become the font of my most valuable academic and social achievements as a multicultural individual. I can successfully say that I have learned from locals as much as they have learned from me; finding mywikipedia.com self talking to a teacher in English, to a friend in Portuguese and to my parents in Spanish all in one day is one of the countless exhilarating privileges that I have acquired throughout these last few years.

Being part of three completely distinct societies is what has shaped my mind in a unique way. Through international experiences I have been able to acquire a more accurate view of misconceptions people have about each other and other cultures; hence, I have been able to benefit, as have those around me, by striving to dismantle stereotypes. Being able to communicate in Spanish, English and Portuguese has brought me many advantages both socially and academically, such as successfully collaborating with students from multiple countries.

My behavior as well as my method of approaching new tasks has been mostly influenced by experiences outside of my home country, and I have gained the ability to share my perceptions about the way nations bond. I now feel confident I can bring a positive influence to any diverse community.

college essays

Listen First, Then Talk A college application essay

Julia Saliba

Guest Contributor

I

grew up with no mother tongue. As in, I never learned to write the spoken language of my home country. Although I grew up speaking Portuguese at home, I left Brazil for the US at age 4, where my mother placed me in a French Lycée in New ork City.

Although I gained a global view and different perspectives, I never truly established Portuguese as a first language, and French and English seemed far away; I tried to grab them but they were always out of reach. This scattered linguistic identity is something I will always carry. I learned the necessary vocabulary to get me through family reunions, another for school papers, and another for talking to people on the street. For example I couldn’t translate “dá Gabriel Civita licença” into English because it means, “Give me license,” when really I meant, “excuse me.” Translation seemed inevitable, but impossible. I felt lost.

In movies we always see that new foreign awkward kid. I was that cliché when I started studying at the Lycée. I had no knowledge about either language, but nobody spoke my language, Portuguese. My mother, who was a monolingual person at that time, wanted to give me a different experience than she had in her childhood. Because of this choice, I grew as a person, but I lost Brazil. At first, English and French were completely foreign, like I was living on Mars. hat people said didn’t process in my mind. At some point I noticed that I was the minority. So from the first day of school I decided that I wouldn’t talk, just listen. Of course I was bullied, but that didn’t stop me. I learned to listen. I learned to appreciate the sounds of different languages. Though it was difficult being Brazilian in a French school in the middle of New ork City, the experience introduced me to another world. A world where I have to know

what I am saying and what I am doing in order to understand people and their cultures.

After moving from the US to Paris, I moved back to Brazil, my home country. Being an international student had been hard, so I thought perhaps moving home would be easy.

But it was even harder: I was international in Brazil as well.

Even though I spoke Portuguese with no accent I was still placed in the introductory Portuguese class. In addition, after spending many years abroad in French programs, it was hard for me to adapt to an English-based school. I would translate sentences from English to French to then Portuguese to understand what a person was saying. But logoeps.net then to speak I would have to translate from Portuguese to French to English. I was lost in translation for many years, losing vital information that I would need later in high school.

The clash of languages and cultures confused me, and sometimes it still does. But being the minority at that time in New ork was the best experience I could have, because now I know how to listen to cultures and people. Learning the pronunciation of new languages is very easy for me, and this has facilitated adapting to new places. Everywhere I go I am an international student, as if this became my label. Not Brazilian, not French, not American, but a global nomad.

As a TO and IB Psychology HL student, I understood that my brain plasticity never stopped working throughout my entire childhood. I could learn those languages. My brain still goes through these changes to this day. Our brains are always capable of change. And this gives me hope.

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college essays

Gun-toting Kids A college application essay

Laura Schivartche

Guest Contributor

H

onestly, picking up an M-16 rifle isn’t something I’d ever envisioned myself doing. It wasn’t as heavy as I’d expected, but its weight still took a toll. I was barely sixteen and, at that moment, I held in my hands the power to kill a man.

It was during the first week of a four-week trip around Israel with about 300 other kids who I had never met before. e were sleeping at an army base and learning what life was like in the IDF, the Israeli Defense Forces.

All week we’d been learning what a rifle was, what its power entailed, how to handle it and how to behave around it. That particular afternoon was horridly hot and yet we still walked out to the range in our army uniforms and lined up to Gabriel Civita fire ten bullets at a paper target a good 0 meters away.

As I lay down at the target range and readied myself to take my turn at shooting, I realized the responsibility being put not only on myself that day, but also on Israeli soldiers every day of their lives. I shot my ten rounds and only hit the paper twice. hile all my friends were boasting about how well they had done, I was glad not even half of my shots hit the target.

This meant I would not be suitable for the job men and women have of holding these weapons and defending their homeland.

That day was the day I transitioned into adulthood because I realized exactly what it meant to be an adult fighting for the survival of a country, a culture, and a belief. I know my glimpse into the world of the IDF was nothing like the reality faced by the Israelis fighting in Gaza, but at that moment, my childish view of easy solutions for realities such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was obliterated. I knew what a death machine felt like, how much it weighed, and what it

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brought upon me. I now could imagine more clearly what it caused both emotionally and physically, and I became aware of what my new perspective did to who I was.

Nowadays, as I hear the news from Gaza, I think about how I can change my perspective as well as those of other people, in order to spread awareness and information. During lunch period one day, my friend, who’s neither Jewish nor Muslim, was arguing that only the Israeli side of this debate is correct. I told her that while Jewish people have substantial claim to the land, so do Muslims. hile trying to view the debate through a religious lens, another friend joined our discussion and brought up the degree of coltechnical.ly lateral damage on both sides.

That information changed my entire point of view. hile I do believe in my Jewish heritage and support our claim to the land, I realize that both sides are causing more harm than good. That’s why I now wish for a peaceful solution as soon as possible as the casualties are alarmingly high.

I’ve stopped relying on the easy answers my parents offer. hen I struggle with my studies, I no longer seek their help; I teach myself. I know the way they see things isn’t necessarily the way I should. If I’m to lead a life of my own, I must deal with challenges myself.

That sweltering afternoon on the gun range was the pivotal point where my childish beliefs and tendencies waned.

That day, I slowly began venturing out from the views I inherited from my parents and my community in order to commence forming my own. And now, amidst the reignited Middle-East conflict, I realize just how much has changed in me because of one hot afternoon in Israel.

college essays

What Does Freedom Mean to You? A college application essay

Bel Guinle

Guest Contributor

B

razil has one of the most active women’s rights movements in Latin America. et it remains predominantly a patriarchal society, a society of which I am a member.

My indigenous grandmother was 27 years old when she learned to read and write. She is one of the most intelligent people I know. As a young girl, expected to stay home and take care of her younger brothers, she was beaten whenever she tried to go to school. ovó Ana, as everyone calls her, is only 67 years old, but is often mistaken for being 0. She lost her mother at 11 and on the same day her father tried to rape her. The tale of Ana’s daughter, my mother, was only a new take on an old story.

Abandoned in an orphanage at age while Ana Gabriel Civita was really sick, my mother was abused in every possible way. Her father was nowhere to be found.

My mother never saw men as evil, however, and one day fell in love with my father and gave birth to her only child, a girl. I was very sheltered growing up, I never had to deal with the problems my grandmother and mother faced but I was taught what rape was before I knew what sex meant. I learned to never go out alone at night and to cover myself to avoid problems. I do not know a single female who has never suffered some sort of abuse, from a minor catcall to a major violation.

The first answer that comes to my mind when I’m asked what freedom means to me: not being scared of being a woman. To me, freedom is being able to take the subway at night unafraid, being able to wear the clothes I want without fearing unwanted attention, being regarded equally in every sphere without fear of harassment, not being looked down upon for being a feminist.

For a great part of my life I never questioned my freedom. I was lucky to grow up the way I did and receive all the benefits of a privileged lifestyle. But as a young girl on the verge of womanhood, I started to understand a different reality. A reality that meant I had to “be careful.” As I studied Maslow’s hierarchy of needs in my Theory of nowledge class, I realized that as much as I did fit into the third level of being loved and belonging, I sometimes felt deprived of the second level: safety. Even in my sheltered life and in the international school bubble I live in, I have known the unease of not feeling safe and consequently, feeling captive. ovó Ana’s story is too familiar and recent to be forgotten and m y m o t h e r ’s story too real swarthmore.edu to be put away.

True freedom is feeling safe as a human being, not just as a woman.

Safety enables equal opportunities, having the chance to grow as a person and be seen as independent of any restraint or frame such as gender identity, race, sex, culture or disability. Being free to me would mean no more 11-year-old ovó Anas, and more 67-year-old ovó Anas who are intact, without wounded histories. Inequality and abuse is too familiar, too much a part of society. If almost half of the population feels trapped, how can the world have freedom? How can I be truly free?

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features

In 20 Years Talon Seniors

A

lejandro Ortiz: Despite spending his college years in Brazil, Ale was unable to escape the curse of the Freshman 1 .

After years working towards the perfect beach body, he realized the bolander life was not for him and finally embraced his chubs. He then opened his own store and named it “Gnome’s Candy Shop,” referencing one of his beloved old school rappers. The raging success of his local establishment led to international fame, turning his business into a household name.

Unfortunately, his shop was later closed due to unhealthily high amounts of sugar in his self-entitled “Porpeta3000” chocolate bar.

Aline Ho: Leaving her baladeira days behind, Aline spent her college years working countless hours to honor her heritage and soon earned an MBA. She went on to build an enterprise of all pink homegoods, establishing her own Barbie-like empire.

To further her branding, all her employees were gifted Juicy Couture tracksuits and tacky phone cases. One night, Aline decided to attend her former high-school sweetheart Casta o’s DJ gig and had a relapse of the nightlife she loved so dearly.

From that day on, Aline left her company in the hands of her loyal trustees to travel the world and enjoy all the best clubs.

Andre Ahn: Andre stayed in “cursinho” to prepare for the estibular for 11 years, until he gave up and left for the Himalayas to become a Buddhist monk for a few months. Tired of the monotonous life in India and his shaved head, he came back to Brazil and opened a 24-hour miojo restaurant, using his profits to focus on his design career. He also changed his name to André after noticing the accent was missing in all his IDs. After building a strong art portfolio, André finally decided to study, and is now, at the age of 3 , the oldest student at Parsons. Although he is following his passion, André continued to follow his high-school traditions and is yet to be seen in his first period classes.

Andrea Laughlin Carvallo: Andrea did go to college, but once her teachers could no longer stand the screaming antics, she decided to drop out. She began to believe she was the leader of a mass of people fighting against the educational system, inspiring other young students to follow in her rebellious footsteps. Failing to notice that was not the case, she went on to write a book on her years as a revolutionary. This first book, The Metaphysical Relationship Between Student and School, was sold for cents on Amazon. et Andrea reflected even further on her past, becoming a respected author with her magnum opus A Drama About the Struggles of my Life, which was a New York Times bestselling comedy.

Andrew Veilleux: Upon his arrival at college, Andrew was horrified to discover that he could no longer prey on girls two

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years younger than him. He began to experience the alleged “freshman fever” from the other side, as older women began going after him because of his adorable face and tiny hands.

Eventually, he decided to focus on his schoolwork and pursue his lifelong dream of becoming exactly like his high-school history teacher, Mr. Collins. After years of perfecting the art of wearing the same shirt in three different colors every day and spilling coffee on every surface, he now travels the world lecturing students on how Stalin really wasn’t that bad.

Bárbara Souza: Following her senior-year tagline, Bárbara auditioned for Globo’s Carnaval muse as soon as she left school.

There was no competition: she broke viewer records for all national television channels with her glowing skin and bedazzled body. Bárbara got called back as the Globeleza in following years, even adopting the stage name of “Pérola Negra”. She has now stepped out of the spotlight, but still goes on tour around the country signing autographs and leaving red-lipsticked kiss imprints for her notorious fanbase.

Bleuwenn Le Corre: Having finished college, Bleuwenn, or B-dawg/Blounaca, decided to pursue her dream of becoming a fashion designer. Upon arrival in Paris, she was shocked to find out that One Direction had broken up. The news tore her apart as she realized there was no way she could ever see them live again. In her deep sadness, she fled to China, searching for a refuge from her sorrows. After spending her first few days working at a zoo, Bleuwenn had an epiphany: her true purpose was to start her own environmental organization to save pandas from extinction. Amazingly enough, she achieved her goal and became the first 6-foot French woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize award. She now spends her time as a judge on France’s Next Top Model, which she inherited from her good friend, Tyra Banks.

Carlos Lopez: Charlie headed to American University, hoping to encounter prospective younglings he could hit on, finding himself overwhelmed with an abundance of freshman women.

Unfortunately, he was arrested after a party in his dorm where officers found him in a rather compromising position. Despite the scandal, Charlie felt that he was imprisoned for what something he believed in: taking advantage of the weak and vulnerable.

Carolina Bezerra: Carol still regrets her gap year, which extended to about a decade. Soon after, however, she opened her own highly successful fashion house, Beleza by Bezerra. Inspired by her last name, Carol made cow spots the hottest trend of 202 , replacing the popular cheetah print. After wasting her profits and inheritance money, Carol bought the Eiffel Tower (in Las egas), fulfilling a lifelong dream. She then settled for a quiet life in a resort in the Maldives. Even after Fred’s cows

features triggered a massive global warming crisis, completely submerging her beautiful island paradise, Carol refused to leave her home. She had gills implanted on the sides of her neck and today, resides somewhere in the Pacific Ocean with her handsome merman-husband.

Carolina Paulino: After majoring in architecture at Parsons, Carol Paulino realized her true vocation was for product design. Specializing in Pop Art creations that matched her bright and cheerful style, she produced pieces that ranged from stationery to interior-design objects.

Her colorful “keys of love” set and asymmetrical bird cages granted her the recognition as a major designer of the century, surpassing Philippe Starck in number of awards. Jealous of Carol’s success, Starck claimed her pieces were not of his standard.

However, public and expert opinion disagreed, and PunkPrencess, her interior-design brand, took over the industry. Today she lives with her husband and two children in Miami, where she enjoys bossing her employees around and looking for her pieces on Vogue Home.

Carolina von Mutius: During college, Carol decided to take up one of her favorite pre-teen activities: ouTube vlogging. Due to her channel’s raging success, Carol decided to pursue filmmaking career once and for all.

Today, she resides in her surprisingly spacious New ork City apartment in the unquestionably cooler section of the Meatpacking District, surrounded by the press and her glam team. In 2030, she won a Best Picture Oscar for her film about Indonesia made in partnership with es Anderson.

Her 2030 Oscar acceptance speech was written at the last minute (of course).

Chungmin (Julia) Lee: Bored on a rainy Sunday afternoon, Julia hacked the databases of all universities in the US and created “CHANCE ME,” a college-admissions app that quickly merged with College Confidential and Naviance. Now one of the world’s youngest multi-millionaires, Julia bought a luxurious home on the French iviera and retired to study fashion and nutrition on her own, claiming grad school was too inefficient. There, she met Adrien and Pascal, two beautiful French lifeguards who immediately fell head over heels for her. efusing to choose between the two, she married both and became the world’s loudest and most active polygamy advocate.

Cindy Park: After settling in the US for college, Cindy found

her passion for economics and became a leading economist, preventing all future global crises. Besides this profession, Cindy also maintains another occupation, as a fangirl. Sticking to her true love for orean boy groups, Cindy devotes all of her Facebook and Instagram accounts and exactly 7 % of her life to follow the footsteps of her beloved boy-band members.

She hopes to one day use her intellectual appeal to marry one of the members, eventually prodding her children to join the music industry as well.

Eduardo Coccaro: After practicing the delicate art of procrastination in high school, Edu finally mastered it in university and went on to become a best-selling author for his book, I Didn’t Choose Procrastination, Procrastination Chose Me. Instead of doing his readings for classes, let alone studying for exams, Edu spent his college years busily memorizing the whole of the New York Times, the Economist and The Onion in great hopes of single-handedly taking over the orld Bank and the IMF at once. Despite his focused pursuit of his true dream, Edu graduated top in Nathalia Pires his class, attesting to the fact that he had also become a guru in midnight cramming.

Esther Choe: Esther became the creator of “The Big Bunny,” a monument located in New ork City that attracts millions of tourists each year.

This success led to her being the most sought-after artist not only due to her artistic skills but also her adorable nature. During the construction project of “The Big Bunny,” Esther met a charming Asian-American engineer with whom she later married and made a “bunny family.”

Joachim dos Santos

Felipe Schulman: After spending four years majoring in International elations and a further four getting his masters in political science at G , Felipe landed a job in the office of Illinois congressman Hugh Janus. Unfortunately, he soon found out that his job was more Starbucks than House of Cards, consisting mostly of fetching coffee for the congressman and his teenage daughters. Frustrated with life on Capitol Hill, Schulman turned to his college life for inspiration and rose to fame by playing in America’s first all-pro beer pong league, the National Beer Pong Association, with his local club the D.C. Diamonds. After an unfortunate wrist injury that effectively ended his career, the Diamonds retired his jersey number. He now makes a living speaking at frat houses across the United States and Canada about his time in the NBPA.

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features about São Paulo or io Grande do Sul. Fernanda Fiszner: After graduating from college, Fernanda had a hard time finding a job, most likely because of the abundance of cat-themed items, such as pens, mugs and t-shirts, that she constantly brought to job interviews. Slowly losing hope, she came back to Brazil to do what she has always done best: The Graded earbook. She became the oldest alumnus working at the institution, and retired after the 2030 edition. Fernanda now spends her time cultivating tea, making brigadeiro (which she eats right out of the pan, obviously) and watching chick flicks with her Latin lover, who she recently broke up with because he was allergic to her many cats.

Francesca Civita: Although she compiled an illegal amount of absences, Francesca was able to graduate from high school and follow her European dream of studying art in London. Destined for the international socialite life, she spent her weekends meeting prominent celebrities, eating delicacies, and filling her closet. After graduating, she opened her own art gallery with a built-in Macarons café for A-listers. During a vacation in Bora Bora, Cesca fell in love with a handsome surfer. Unable to convince him to join in her lifestyle, she settled down on the island as a free-spirited part-time beach yoga teacher.

Documenting her life on her Instagram page, she now boasts up to 3 million followers.

Frederico Miguel: hat was once just a regular farm has become an empire. After years of blabbering about his crops, the successful landlord Frederico Miguel is now threatening the integrity of São Paulo, as 90% of the state’s territory is now occupied by his cows. Miguel claims he “just wanted to see his cows happy.” Millions of people have lost their property to make space for the increasing cow population. The government is now sending representatives to his empire’s capital, SJB , where they will try to negotiate the borders. If everything goes as planned, war will not be necessary.

Gabi Campos: After her time at Brown, then Princeton, then the remaining Ivies, Gabi made huge advances in the field of human-genome research, leading many to believe the brain’s mapping would be soon complete. However, at the height of her career, the pressure of being the leader of such a groundbreaking project got to her, leading to a nervous breakdown.

Gabi decided to leave her brain-mapping studies and dedicate herself to her true passion: the canine species. She was recently found living in a chácara in Indaiatuba raising a colony of ultraintelligent Mastiffs, which she frequently posts pictures of on her Tumblr account “Foster the Puppies.”

Guilherme Pires: Guilherme decided to abandon his sportsmarketing career to follow his true passion as a sertanejo singer. After months of planning and scheming, his first public appearance was taking over Lollapalooza festival’s entire sound system to blast his first single, “As mina Pires.” Apparently, his marketing strategy truly did succeed, for in a matter of days he became the iTunes Store’s 1 best-selling artist of the month.

In a recent interview, Gui said his next song will come from his roots, leaving audiences wondering whether he will be singing

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Hee Jun (Sylvia) Yang: On her way to earning a doctorate, Sylvia decided to drop her studies to pursue her creative whims and become a ouTube vlogger. After her passionate video about cute puppies went viral, she had the most subscribers. During one of her meet-and-greets, Sylvia met a tall, handsome Eurasian model who was a huge fan of her work. They both immediately fell in love and decided to get married in the Bahamas—all documented on her ouTube channel, of course.

Sylvia also frequently vlogged her travels around the world, but over the years she came to make only weekly videos. From all the profit she earned as an internet celebrity, she settled down and bought a condo in Monaco facing the Mediterranean Sea. On the weekends you can sometimes find her chilling out on her mini-cruiser with her pug and pi a colada.

Hyun Woo (Jason) Lim: Jason became a delinquent in college, honing his skills in the online video game League of Legends.

To climb the ranks to become number one, he dropped out of college and to be a successful professional gamer. Eventually, he got sick of repetitive victories and decided instead to write his own webtoons series.

Isabella Dias: No one knew (not even her boyfriend at the time, Michael Troute) why Isa stopped coming to school, but it was because she was training for the Brazilian national women’s soccer team. izi Days (as some friends know her, which also became her soccer nickname) revealed the secret only after she decided to quit her dreams. hy? Inspired by her brother, Isa had finally decided that she wanted to attend Insper. After graduating, Isa used her business expertise to reinvent conditions for aspiring young soccer players, creating the Days Foundation in collaboration with Ale. She became head of the São Paulo Futebol Clube, the city where she still resides. Still famous for her past soccer career, she now can be found running away from crowds of overzealous fans.

Isabella Epstein: Communication was not Isabella’s forte, as dealing with stressful situations almost always resulted in shouting matches with her co-workers and clients. She decided that what she really wanted was to live in New ork and emulate the glamorous, dramatic life of Gossip Girl’s lead character, Blair aldorf. Her daily commute to Barney’s and Saks Fifth Avenue revived classic New ork style. John, the bellman at her Park Avenue apartment, has become exhausted from carrying her shopping bags and listening to her rants about boys. Her endless relationship dramas have inspired her to write a gossip column in the Daily News.

Joachim dos Santos: After graduating, Joachim had a difficult time adapting to the Canadian lifestyle. Instead of apologizing after accidentally bumping into someone, he would sob and ask for forgiveness, much like he was used to doing in the past with Bleuwenn. Soon later, Bleuwenn visited Joachim all the way from China, hoping to rekindle their high-school relationship.

Unfortunately, their relationship had to come to an end during Bleuwenn’s stay, as Joachim’s excessively skinny jeans caused

features discomfort in his nether region.

Juan Castaño: Juan quickly dropped out from his partying life in college to immerse himself in a whole career of partying as a successful solo DJ, “El JFC.” He began his trajectory at one of São Paulo’s finest nightclubs, oyal Club, where he dreamt of blasting his tracks when frequenting it during his high school years. His success jetsetted so fast that after only a year of debut, he was already performing in renowned festivals such as UMF and Tomorrowland. His most popular songs, “ hey Protein” and “B.I.T.,” have been listed as Billboard’s Top 0 Timeless EDM Songs alongside Avicii’s “Levels” and Hardwell’s “Spaceman.”

Juan Gil: Juan’s dream of becoming an astronaut finally became a reality when he got the opportunity to go to Mars on a one-way trip to research the existence of extraterrestrial life.

On his voyage, he became the first astronaut to ever wear a bucket hat inside his spacesuit after a long battle to get him to finally take it off. Unfortunately, contact with Juan was lost when all humans on Mars inexplicably disappeared under mysterious circumstances. He was allegedly spotted a few years later wandering around New Mexico and only able to repeat the phrase “aw yiss.”

Juli Isman: Undecided about where she really wanted to go—USC, Brown, or Parsons—Juli decided to attend all three schools. Despite her enviable diplomas, Juli still couldn’t figure out what her real passion was and decided to take a sabbatical at a kibbutz in Israel to get away from the craziness of art school and put her feet back on the ground. There, she joined her love for graphic design and Judaism and created what is known as “The Contemporary Torah,” illustrated with graphics and calligraphy. This version of the Torah gained popularity among new and hip Jews, urging Juli to create her own line of Jewish-related items with a modern graphic twist. ou can spot her funky mezuzah designs in apartments in N , where her office is based and where she currently resides.

Julia Pontes: After graduating from Eugene Lang with a double major in Art and Mandarin, Pontes moved to Shanghai, where she opened her own club “2Hip4U,” dedicated to modern art, indie music, and excellent food and drinks. The club became an instant hit and attracted international fame after the paparazzi caught Ai eiwei partying with Julia. One magical night, she met her future husband, Bao ing, a tall Chinese billionaire.

Today, they live in a penthouse in Shanghai, where Julia crashes once in a while after days partying at her club.

Julia Saliba: Julia graduated from N U and soon became one of America’s most prominent human-rights activists and public speakers. After being prohibited by her doctor to eat any more Nutella, she decided to find other sources of meaning in her life. She travelled the world, and in India adopted an elephant, whom she named Nutella. Today, they share a penthouse in Manhattan. During the week, Julia gives lectures at N U and Barnard and works at occasional gigs in fashion modelling for ictoria’s Secret and Calvin lein.

Jung Hwan (Aron) Chi: During his engineering years in college, Aron was scouted by a orean entertainment company and became the leader of the new hit orean boy band: the Aroneers. Eventually, he retired from his -pop idol group and started his own Aron Chi Entertainment company, which today trains a generation of children to become the next Aron Chi. Kyu Yeon (Bella) Shim: After completing a degree in Biology, Bella put her specialization to the side to start a company named Shimmy Games, which soon grew to replace Nintendo in popularity. One of its many achievements was upgrading, nostalgic games like Pet Society and Animal Crossing. Bella fits her work to her nocturnal schedule, accomplishing everything in the solitude of the night. After this success, Bella returned to her passion for the sciences and pursued an advanced degree in Agricultural Sciences despite her packed schedule. After 10 years of juggling games, science, and love, she finally received her PhD. She has since settled down with an attractive older man with similar interests in games and science, and finally let her inner party animal go wild. At night, Bella can be spotted in the hottest clubs in New ork.

Laura Schivartche: Laura became the next successful female entrepreneur by inventing the hugely popular smartphone app, awaii, which mixes cute animals and science into six-second videos. Her app’s success led to her early retirement, and a few years later she married to hot, tall, and muscular man called Colton and had three children with beautiful green eyes who later become awaii stars.

Letícia Guimarães: After leading a successful school-wide student rally to overthrow Bucky the Bronco and make her the official Santa Clara mascot, Letícia ditched her economics major to create her own, making Santa Clara the first college in California to offer Equestrian Studies as a field of study. After graduating cum laude, Letícia decided to take a sabbatical in Tibet, where she shaved her head and spent two years in deep meditation. Today, she lives in a ranch with over 200 horses and spends her free time travelling to Europe and Latin America to enjoy music festivals, the beach, and various short (but sweet) weekend romances.

Louise Beatrice Lorencatto: Once Bea arrived at G , she was unpleasantly welcomed with the news that there was no “Lorencatto” major. Although her sisters were icons in the world of academia, the university refused to recognize this, leading to her family threatening to sue G and her dropping out.

Unfortunately, the family prodigy turned to drink to soothe her wounds. Happily her life took a turn for the positive as she was soon reunited with her high-school crush, Mr. P. They then eloped to Greece, where they were able to bask in each others’ love for all things biological.

Luara Oliveira: After being voted “Cutest Person of the ear” at the People’s Choice Awards for two years in a row, Luara decided her elite education was a waste of time. After ditching university, she went on to open her own petting zoo chain called Lubeapalooza, making her even more popular. At the

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features zoo, Luara takes care of over 0 genetically modified animals of unnaturally small proportions, which she claims are “just as fun sized as she is.”

Lucas Auriemo: Formally known as “Big Lou,” Auriemo spent his post-Graded years wasting all his money on junk from Amazon and eBay. hen he realized another hurricane-in-a-bottle couldn’t fit in his room, he decided to put impulsive buying aside and focus on things that would feed his intellect. One day, he came across a book named Dr. Z on Scoring: How to Pick Up, Seduce and Hook Up with Hot Women, which drastically changed his life. After a rather slow start in high school, Lucas decided it was time he actually left his nest on a regular basis, and the genius of ictoria drok’s book helped him optimize his time in the real world. Nowadays, he can be seen with a different lady each week, earning his signature name of “Mr. orldwide.”

Lucas Espanha: After living his college years in the big city of New ork, Lucas decided to start a groundbreaking fashion brand, Puff. Although he originally targeted an older and more mature audience, Lucas’ brand was actually most successful amongst teenagers who emulated the look he always sported in high school. During one of his many interviews at New ork Fashion eek, the designer claimed most of his inspiration came exactly from his young years, thus explaining why the brand generated such revenue.

The entirety of Graded’s Class of 201 regrets not choosing the prodigy as “Most Stylish” in their yearbook.

Lucile Simon: Mesmerized during Ms. Copeland’s Bio HL class by all the potentially immoral yet scientifically exciting things one could do with genetics, the beautiful blue-eyed Lucile went on to study genetic engineering in college. Halfway into university, Lucile decided she had had enough of the professor’s poor teaching ability and took over the class after learning all there is to genetic engineering. After spending her free time charming men with her romantic French, she finally settled with a fellow Frenchie and used her expertise to produce the most beautiful baby in the world.

Luiz Campos: After a successful college career getting all the ladies with his perfected musical abilities, Luiz pursued his dream of being a musician. He became a member of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, amazing audiences with his fine oboe skills. Just as what Michael Jackson was to pop music, Luiz became the biggest sensation in classical music, forming his own musical genre blending oboe and beatboxing. He started his own music company, which later grew to be the highest grossing music label in the industry. Tired from all his crazy fans, he resorted to a life of seclusion, keeping his musical talents

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to himself in a cottage next to Lake Tahoe.

Luiz Hoelz: Luiz went back to ibeirão. Then back to São Paulo. Then back to Miami. Then back to São Paulo. Then back to ibeirão, where he finally settled down and is now looking forward to starting a family and working a stable job. Otherwise, he’ll just go back to São Paulo again.

Luiz Felipe Vidigal: During his collegiate years, Lipe was always a pariah due to his incomparable patriotism. Few were the ones who truly understood his jokes, leaving him alone in his dorm room surfing the web for much of his time. hen he realized it was time to turn things around, Lipe saw the silver lining that accompanied his frustration: with all the funny meme ideas he had thought of but was unable to share, he pursued the first-ever advertising company made up solely of memes, “SóDeBrinks.” After closing a deal with Adidas and launching a sports shoes line called “The kkkkleats,” his brand skyrocketed.

Nowadays, Lipe’s funniest jokes and his iconic Indian boy logo can be see featured on billboards of the most prestigious companies, and he has been praised amongst his native population for raising worldwide appreciation of Brazilian humor.

Thiago Lima

Luiza Kalil: Luiza went on to study psychology and communications at The New School in New ork, where a modelling agent approached her after seeing the beaut around. Immersed in the world of modelling, Lu dropped school and became the new face of the fashion industry at only 19. Deemed the next Izabel Goulart with her thin, toned body and effortless graciousness, she became the face of major brands such as Urban Outfitters and Free People, her characteristic dimple becoming a trademark.

Luiza eventually left the runways in search of self-fulfilment, and since founded L , a small boho chic boutique. hile Luiza plans her wedding to the successful business associate Nicholas Opatrny, she is also fully engaged in advocating for the revival of hippies and a new oodstock festival of sorts.

Luiza Sayão: Luiza quickly rose to fame as an opera singer in New ork after playing the main role in Massanet’s Thais at the Metropolitan Opera. After adding several notable roles to her repertoire, Luiza decided to explore her artistic boundaries and recorded all of Jane Austen’s novels for Audible. A year later, she was featured in anye est and Jay- ’s resampling of “Ni as in Paris.” In one of her concerts, Luiza met the love of her life, Luke, a jazz saxophonist who taught her circular breathing. She later developed a circular breathing technique for sopranos which allowed them to sing for hours non-stop and in rhythm, earning her a Pulitzer Prize in music.

Maia Boakye: After college, Maia decided it was her true destiny to turn her passion for peach juice into more than just an

features appreciation. She decided to put her creative genius to work and founded a company of peach juice chasers, called Peach ueen, finally fulfilling her life’s goal. Following the wild success of her range of chasers, which branched out to include mango and cranberry juice, Maia decided to take the next several years off to go to music festivals around the world. Her pastimes now include rolling her eyes and assessing party fouls, such as inappropriate rave attire.

Manuel Camilion: hile directing on the set of Star Wars Episode 15, Manny suddenly found himself extremely dehydrated, fainted and was rushed to the hospital. There, he was diagnosed with the extremely rare Austen Syndrome, in which victims are completely re-individualized into a character from Jane Austen’s novels. Manny, having changed his name to Darcy, then took residence in an isolated country house on the coast of England. There, he became known as the “crazy horse man” and is often seen riding a horse around town calling for a certain “Elizabeth.” Unfortunately, Manny was unable to ever find this so-called Elizabeth and decided to become a physicist, constructing a time machine after years of solitary work. Thus, he was finally able to travel back to mid-19th century England, where he truly belonged.

Maria Clara Otani: Maria Clara Otani, unable to decide between Princeton and Dartmouth, defies all social norms by creating the ninth Ivy, Princemouth, where students are selected based on their “não contém gl ten” diet and put to bed listening to MC’s Spotify playlists. In fact, she has been spending the past 20 years questioning all the theories and ideas in the world, challenging Einstein’s E mc2, creating her own physics empire, establishing “iconoclast” as a real vocation and abolishing the Nobel Prize only to replace it with the Otani Prize. Dominating Forbes’ 30 under 30 even at 3 , MC has become the first world renown engineer to pull off drop- crotch pants. She now resides in her Manhattan penthouse, making occasional appearances during N fashion week.

ing daily photos of just about anything he saw that he thought would match the aesthetic he was going for. ithin months, his Instagram became one of the most followed and he had reached international stardom for his cleverly captioned and expertly filtered photos. Eventually, his frequent posts caused him to be banned from the platform, with the report stating that his photos were “too Tumblr for the system to handle.”

Melanie De La Paz: After returning to Orlando, Melanie soon grew bored of college and dropped out. One night, after extensive roaming, she wound up in a bar and somehow managed to win ownership of the local Disneyworld theme park after a long game of strip poker. Despite her good intentions to make the castle in the park “bigger, like a real castle ” she led the park to bankruptcy, and soon after eloped to Puerto ico, the USA’s new 1st state, with a man costumed as Mickey Mouse.

Michael Thomas: Once his hair grew back entirely, Michael decided to shave it off once again to start his own wig brand.

Due to his collection’s tremendous success, he then patented his style, gaining a commission from every Mike T’ signature haircut. It grew to be one of the most popular haircuts in history, with young teens all over the world mimicking his cockatoo look. Michael recently announced a promising collaboration with renowned stylist Lucas Espanha on an exclusive line of rolled-up sleeve t-shirts that he claims will “perfectly match the Mike T haircut.” He is also rumored to be in the works of producing butt pads in colorful skinny sweatpants to completely turn the nation’s teenagers into his clones, fulfilling a lifelong dream.

Maria Isabel Guinle: Bel graduated with honors from medical school and became a surgeon. Soon after, she started her own line of therapy, which involves singing to patients on the OPE Ation bed. Thus, Bel ended up attracting a huge fanbase with her extraordinary voice, raking in large profits. Today, she uses that money to build animal shelters worldwide.

Michael Troute: Despite being close to Silicon alley, Troute never took a computer sciences class while at Stanford. Instead, he focused his energies on discovering new ways to surgically implant abs and biceps. He recorded his findings in a book named Dr. Abs: Or How I Learned to Love Surgery and Jiu-jitsu, which became an instant bestseller worldwide. However, despite his success and inspired by his endless afternoons sitting on the grass at Stanford’s Oval, Michael decided he wanted to live a carefree life. California’s healthy living habits motivated him to start raising organic produce as a contemporary hippie of sorts, which he sold under the name “Magic Mike’s.” hile he continues to work as a surgeon and take care of his organic farm in Palo Alto, some of his ambitious future plans include opening jiu-jitsu academies all over America and possibly going global.

Mateo Games: After graduating, Mateo continued his tireless pursuit of being a non-conformist, taking a gap year to do community service in a remote African village. Initially, the kids were surprised with the Argentine’s prominent veins, and under the impression he was Pinocchio’s long-lost cousin due to his large nose. Nonetheless, he was able to adapt quite well since the “true stories” about his “real friends” well entertained the community. Upon his return, his successes in community service earned him several noble awards, and he was thought to be a newfound Argentine hero.

Minji (Jennifer) Kang: Turning what was once an obsession with orean movies and dramas into a career, Jennifer joined the film industry and became an actress and part-time movie critic. Her keen insight when it came to picking successful film scenarios served her well, and she soon rose to become an influential figure in the entertainment world. Unsatisfied with the deteriorating state of orea’s entertainment industry, however, Jennifer took matters into her own hands and became a film writer herself. Today, her favorite pastime is rolling in heaps of money.

Mauro Carobene: hile studying in Buenos Aires, Mauro decided to take his fame on social media to a whole new level, post-

Misaki Ueno: Lover of ballet, arts and beautiful but sad things, Misaki enrolled in art school to become the world’s next lead-

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features ing artist. hile she engages herself in her artistic endeavors, Misaki also spends time designing ballet costumes and devotes her weekends to travel around the world. Her travel blogs, featuring her journeys in Paris, Prague, Amsterdam, New Delhi and Taipei, have become one of the most famous sites on the web.

Mitchel Herr: Mitch writes his own rendition of the Avengers for Broadway, which immediately becomes a hit. He turns into a well-known figure in the pop culture industry and continues to write plays based on comic books. However, his main success derived from his own creation, Mitchelin, the superhero.

Nabila Mourad: After attempting to attend three colleges at once, Nabila graduated with six different majors and was offered positions at ten different NGOs, but decided it was her true destiny to return to Graded with her five children. Upon her arrival, Nabila took control of the PTA and renamed it the Nabila Association where she continued to force Tamima to bake brownies twice a week for the next ten years. She is now superintendent of Graded, which has changed its name to the Mourad School of São Paulo.

Nathalia Pires: After entering the prestigious Fundação Get lio argas, Nathi decided to take a year abroad at a community college in irginia not only to expand her horizons, but also to internationalize her family’s cookie business. During her stay, comments from locals labelling her “the reincarnation of Pocahontas” led her to reconnect with her spiritual side. She felt so at home in the irginian forests that she never returned to São Paulo, despite her family’s desperate pleas. Those who visit the forests of irginia can sometimes catch a glimpse of Nathi roaming through the trees and jumping off waterfalls alongside a blonde, silky-haired beau with a striking resemblance to John Smith (the Disney version’s).

Nicholas Ferreira: Frustrated by his colleagues’ and professors’ failure to appreciate the sheer genius of Joe Satriani, Nicky left Berklee to create his own music school, which he dutifully named the “School of ock.” In desperate need of quick money to acquire the latest triple-neck 36-string Fender bass, Nicky shaved his three-foot long mane and sold his silky locks for 2 million. The buyer, who turned out to be a Swedish girl obsessed with his music, soon revealed herself to him and the two were married. After their honeymoon, she returned him his hair, which was later reattached to his head.

Nicholas Reinhart: Having finished college, Nick decided he had had enough of being a “player” and “pulling so much.” As a result, he decided to move to Alabama to build his own farm.

Lacking money, the only set of clothing he had was a wifebeater, a black shirt, mom jeans, and an unfashionable scarf.

Despite isolating himself on his farm with the sole purpose of avoiding any relationships, he soon found that even the animals were becoming particularly interested in him. Frightened, he fled to the Himalayas and became a Sherpa. Luckily, his physical features were perfectly suited to the harsh conditions in the mountains: his white skin reflected the sun, his vibrant red hair kept his head warm, and his height allowed him to disguise

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himself as a tree when a snow leopard came by. He eventually fell in love with a yak and today, can be spotted trekking the highest peaks in the region.

Niklas Hildebrandt: Following Hildebrandt’s success at the 201 Innovate Conference, the Dane pursued a career in social entrepreneurship to create “New Lane,” a business focused on helping the needy in his home country. However, his PowerPoint presentations were so monotonous and his voice so slow, his subordinates executed a local coup d’état to remove him from power in his own company. Hildy coped with his failures by spending his time under a tanning bed to keep his golden complexion. Nevertheless, no woman was inclined to ever love him due to his “tiny hands” and “pencil fingers” (the freakishly sharpened type).

Paula Schulman: After a dominant career as EIC in the Talon, Paula was ready to assume the same position, but at the next level: the New York Times. As part of her plan to achieve her ambition, Paula enrolled at N U, hoping one day that she, too, would be one of the many muses of Brandon to be featured on HON . Soon enough, Paula ran into the HON man in the line at Shake Shack (read: on her way to experiencing the freshman fifteen) and eventually got her long-awaited appearance, which soon went viral. In fact the hashtag, pschulzatnytimes became the hottest trending word in Twitter history. Now a journalist diva, Paula exercises the most power in the industry, winning multiple Pulitzer Prizes for journalism and certainly leaving her mark in history.

Paulina Martinez: During college, Paulina, dramatic as always, was ardently discussing a T show when she caught the attention of a casting director. She was immediately scouted as the 20th doctor for the T show Dr. Who, a momentous occasion, as she was the first female to have taken on the role. After retiring from her acting role, she released her first fantasy novel, which was included in Oprah’s Book Club List, earning her the largest celebrity fan base on the Internet.

Petro Lima: After being locked up in an institution to be clinically cleansed of his lazy habits by experimental procedures, Petro walked out to the world a new man. ithin a month, Petro wrote and published a novel on the art of playing guitar with your feet. In the following weeks, Petro’s success made him a millionaire, reawakening his lazy habits. He retreated away into his mansion, and has not been seen or heard from ever since.

Philip Abrams: After trying (without success) to join the Boston ed Sox for nearly ten years, Philip settled for coaching the little league team of Clarksville, entucky. However, after being caught screaming out smack-talk to members of the opposing team, he was put on trial and issued a restraining order from all future little league games. In his boredom, Philip discovered the wonderful art of crocheting, and now owns a small knitting company which is slowly gaining popularity in the market.

Pietro Parada: Pietro went to art school, where he was able to

features pursue his hobby of doodling highly realistic images during class, yet actually getting a degree for it this time. However, after being caught painting what resembled a magic mushroom on the side of an N PD car, he was arrested and sentenced to three years in prison. During that time, he was able to get in touch with his emotional side and connect with mother nature, later re-entering society with a burning passion for the environment and all its magnificent offerings. Pietro was last seen travelling with a group of hippies desperately trying to save the last strain of an undisclosed plant.

Rafael Regis: egis successfully completed medical school, becoming a doctor and following his family’s legacy. et, as usual, he ended up being late to his first surgery.

Nevertheless, afa tied the knot with e Sayão and had three children. afa didn’t let go of his enthusiasm for film and became a prominent film critic.

Rafaela Goldlust: Burdened by the demons in her head and frustrated by her colleagues’ lack of depth, afa dropped out of art school to pursue philosophy at Harvard, specialising in Existentialism and Postmodernism. orried that her PhD was not good enough, she incubated herself into a giant silicone egg with nothing but canvas, charcoal, and an umbrella. After five days, she re-emerged claiming to have reached enlightenment. Today, now at peace with the world, afa lives in Camburi and spends her free time sipping tea, listening to her record player, and taking artistic selfies by the sea. Her charcoal drawings and umbrella sit at the MoMA. hile two books and hundreds of critiques have been written about the pieces so far, no one knows what they really mean. afa refuses to clarify.

Rafaela Sabó: As afa sought hotel management education at N U, she parted ways from her awkwardly submissive boyfriend, alentin Hollard. afa, commonly known as “chubby chaser” in her Graded years, opened up a hotel in New ork, dedicated to promoting physical beauty through gyms and spas. In doing so, she attempted to release herself from her prior identity while also thinning out her sausage-like fingers. During her hotel’s inauguration party, her former beau al traveled all the way to N to join the festivities, instantly rekindling their fire. Unfortunately, afa was unable to control the excessive screeching of “mimimi” during their brief encounter, leading to her spontaneous combustion.

Renato Curiati: enato Curiati earned billions on the stock market as Petrobras stocks rose to all-time highs. hat was once considered to be an incredibly stupid move actually awarded him billions of reais. Authorities are now investigating the earnings since enato had twice the number of stocks he originally claimed. He blamed it on the Ibovespa for selling his twin brother’s stocks under his name. Until now, there has

been no report on a twin brother.

Ricardo Pires: hile attempting to create his long dreamed-of surfing documentary, icky accidentally hit his head on a rock and was knocked unconscious. He woke up hours later washed ashore an undiscovered island where he met and befriended the local islanders. After showing them a few tricks from the modern world, including the art of high socks and Hawaiian-printed shirts, he was able to impress them enough to become their new chieftain, dedicating the next few years preparing them for the zombie apocalypse. After a few weeks, the islanders realized how ridiculous they were being, and tied icky to a boat and set him adrift. Days later, he was found by a fishing boat, and is currently recovering from scurvy.

Rina Fujikawa: A true renaissance woman when it comes to sport, ina holds the current world record of being the first Olympian to compete in five different sports. No longer an athlete now, ina has gone on to become one of the top coaches for gymnastics. It is rumored that anyone who is trained by her will most definitely Francesca Civita compete in the Olympics. As for her love life, she married a fellow gymnast whom she met while attending engineering school.

Rodrigo Curiati: odrigo Curitati is imprisoned for identity theft. He allegedly bought stocks under the name of enato.

Authorities claim he wouldn’t respond to his original name, stating that his so called twin-brother “ enato” actually existed. Finding evidence for the statement proved to be very difficult since his until-recently nonexistent brother shares an “extreme resemblance.” Staff members of Ibovespa do not recall seeing the twin.

Rodrigo Zaborowsky: Along his FAAP trajectory, abo, as he is known amongst friends and family, realized that he didn’t want to be studying engineering after all. Instead, he wanted to major in sports management. He transferred to University of Miami, where he enjoyed most of his time at the beach and going to the LI nightclub. After graduating, he went on to sponsor up-and-coming tennis players, whose names can be spotted amongst the players of the French and US Open championships. Tired of tennis, however, odrigo went on to become a basketball and American football manager, with great names attached to his agency. He still meets his childhood best friend Felipe Schulman every year for Pessach and om ippur, which they celebrate followed by a night of poker.

Samantha Gistren: After graduating from Georgia Tech with a double major in Environmental Science and Chemistry, Sammi was granted an endless fund from the Brazilian government to fix the Tiet iver. After years of developing a chemical

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features solution that made the river so clean that it is now completely transparent and safe to drink from, Sammi was sent around the world to clean large bodies of water and received a Nobel Prize in Chemistry for her discoveries. She now lives in Sweden with her husband and three beautiful blonde kids.

quickly climbed to the top of the corporate ladder. ears of stress didn’t agree with him, though, and he sold away all of his possessions, running away to a monastery in the mountains to become a retiree, where he practices his origami skills daily without disturbances.

Sarah Santiago: After setting her party life aside, Sarah settled down with her multimillionaire husband in the fanciest wedding of the 21st century. To entertain all her ten children, she decided to adopt a litter of pugs which she dubbed “The Puggle.” Her favorite of the puppies was named “Destiny,” so she decided to tattoo its name onto her foot in an elegant cursive font. As a side project, Sarah opened her own plastic surgery clinic, which today is visited by many A-list celebrities.

Victoria Santiago: After graduating with a degree in neuroscience, icky decided to combine her passions for art and surfing the web in the dark, and became a world-renowned painter.

Her massive and colorful pieces were lauded for their innovative depiction of marine biology and characters in fantasy books that no one save Paulina had ever heard of. In 2021, icky locked herself in her room and spent ten years developing her own virtual reality with talking animals and pastel-coloured nymphs. Her project became so huge, she was able to insert her physical self into it, and thus decided to stay there forever. There, she met a handsome werewolf, with whom she had three cute wolf babies. Today, ictoria occasionally visits the real world in holographic form to visit her family and loved ones.

Suehyun (Sue) Ko: After moving back to orea, Sue enrolled herself in a local cooking class in order to further improve her culinary skills. However, across the room, she met the eyes of local rapper ICO, who was there trying to learn how to not burn rice. One conversation and two cocktails later, Sue ran away with ICO to Fiji to get married, never to be heard from again.

Thiago Lima: After spending all his savings to fund the New ork ombie oo, Thiago was disappointed to realize that no matter where in the world he tried, no one would ever attend the event (not even by luring people with copious amounts of popcorn). He then decided to give business a second chance, but found that the harsh nature of the financial market was no place for the apologetic. To find success, Thiago had to force himself to stop comforting others and instead adopted the habit of yelling at them when they started crying. To remind himself of his new ways, he changed his middle name from Amoroso to Odioso and is now known for attacking random pedestrians on the streets of New ork City.

Valentin Hollard: alentin was greatly successful with college admissions, yet his rash decision-making led him to enroll in all his prospective schools to make sure he was heading somewhere that fall. He ended up following the overly ambitious path of triple-majoring in astrophysics, French literature and biomedical engineering at Duke University, which he hoped would help him score with the ladies since his awkwardness weighed negatively on his appeal. He also spent many hours with his old pal Paulo Flecha, who helped him get an -pack, join the most popular fraternity at the school, and grow out the perfect facial hair.

Victor Chang: After falling into the business world,

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ictor

Vivian Aidukaitis: After graduating, ivian dedicated the next 1 years of her life to practicing her faith, ultimately becoming the first female priest in the Mormon church. After initiating the greatest conversion campaign of the last century, ivian managed to convert enough people in the United States to Juli Isman topple the government, initiating the first worldwide revolution. However, the revolution soon became a source of pressure and anxiety, and after suffering from a stress-induced mental breakdown, she faked her own death and found refuge on a beautiful island in the Pacific.

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Where Will You Be in 2016?

Class of 201

A

lejandro Ortiz: In one year I plan on being on my way to earning a degree in economics and hopefully becoming the same type of capitalist pig my friends aspire to be. Dream big.

Aline Ho: I can’t guarantee where I’ll be in one year, but I hope I’ll find happiness and success in always being the life of the party.

Cindy Park: I will be attending UC Irvine and traveling around California, busily checking items off my greedy sister’s shopping list.

Eduardo Coccaro: I will be studying Philosophy, Politics and Economics at UPenn while anxiously awaiting season six of Game of Thrones.

Esther Choe: I will probably be doing an architecture internship here in Brazil and working on my art portfolio.

Andre Ahn: In one year’s time, I’m going to be working hard to get into Insper, and still living under my parents’ roof.

Felipe Schulman: Next year I will be in DC watching the 2016 presidential race first hand.

Andrea Laughlin Carvallo: I will be in Paris doing my own thing, exploring and enriching the culture.

Andrew Veilleux: I want to be happy with where I’m going to college, and playing intramural hockey.

Fernanda Fiszner: I will be at Northeastern University studying graphic design and enjoying everything Boston has to offer

Barbara Souza: In one year I will be in college here in São Paulo.

Francesca Civita: I will be in London learning how to be on time.

Beatrice Lorencatto: I will be studying business and psychology at G while rooming with a food blogger.

And broke.

Frederico Miguel: I will be at the University of Miami.

Gabi Campos: In one year, I’ll most probably be relatively broke, but very well-acquainted with all of my local hole Foods Market workers.

Bleuwenn Le Corre: I’ll be riding my bicycle around Amsterdam and working on some designs for the next Paris Fashion eek.

Carlos Lopez: Hopefully living in Boston and studying with my older brother.

Carolina Bezerra: In one year I hope to be happy, healthy, and studying in London.

Carolina Paulino: My plan is to go to California to study architecture, but we all know it’s going to be Miami.

Carolina von Mutius: I’ll be in New ork City pretending I’m a local and planning my worldwide trip for after graduation.

Chungmin (Julia) Lee: Eating. Praying. Loving. Somewhere on the East Coast. Somewhere with lots of snow.

Francesca Civita

Guilherme Pires: I’ll be in Boston enjoying the college life.

Hee Jun (Sylvia) Yang: I’ll be doing whatever my heart desires, whether that be exploring new settings or adding to my Freshman 1 .

Hyun Woo (Jason) Lim: I will be working out to pass the requirements to enter the military in orea.

Isabella Carvalho Dias: Between dips in the crystal clear ocean and sips of a casual cool margarita, I’ll be running my own company over the phone, from the flying bridge of a boat in the Caribbean.

Isabella Epstein: I will be studying marketing at ESPM. Joachim dos Santos: In one year, I am hoping to be studying in

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features Montreal, where I will probably freeze to death. On the other hand, I am planning to start my own personalized moose farm, free of charge Juan Castaño: I will be studying business at the University of Miami and getting the most out of real-life job experiences by living in a vibrant city filled with international activity.

Juan Gil: I will be attending university, working towards a degree in aerospace engineering which I will use to pursue my dream of becoming an astronaut.

Julia Isman: In 2016, I’ll be studying at Parsons, stacking on waaay too many studio hours, majoring in Communication Design, and making the most out of the city that never sleeps.

Julia Pontes: I will be living it up in New ork City while majoring in interior design at the New School.

Julia Saliba: I’ll be moving back from London to New ork to continue my studies at N U. Jung Hwan (Aron) Chi: I’m probably going to be in boot camp with Jason.

Kyu Yeon (Bella) Shim: I’m probably going to be mingling with my college buddies at my dorm, discussing the best food joints in N C. Laura Schivartche: I’m going to be doing what I like doing, whether that’s what I like now, or what I like at the moment.

Leticia Guimarães: I’ll be doing Saturday runs to the farmer’s market to get basic supplies for the week: hummus, grapes, and bananas. ou might also find me exploring San Francisco (probably in some Asian restaurant).

Luara Oliveira: I’ll be vigorously intrigued by the countless opportunities college has to offer, while counting the days until my next brigadeiro.

expenses by selling genetically modified cr pes on the black market.

Luiz Campos: I hope to be recognized for my work as a professional oboist, but I also hope to inspire people through music as I myself have been inspired by it.

Luiz Hoelz: I’ll be studying business somewhere on the East Coast.

Luiz Felipe Vidigal: In one year I’ll be freezing in New ork City, remembering the good old days when 1 O C was cold’ and trying to make Portuguese jokes with people who don’t speak the language.

Luiza Kalil: In one year I will be studying at the New School in New ork and interning while wasting all of my money on food.

Luiza Sayão: I will be studying voice in Manhattan, exploring the city, making new friends and hopefully progressing so that one day, as many people as possible can hear what I hear and feel what I feel whenever I hear beautiful music.

Maia Boakye: I’ll be in ancouver, attending the University of British Columbia and drinking peach juice on the shore of reck Beach.

Manuel Camilion: I’ll be somewhere studying film, or doing something.

Hopefully actually getting into college at one point.

Maria Clara Otani: I’ll be somewhere in the freezing East Coast, making my meals in a rice cooker and possibly studying computer science. Cold, but Francesca Civita very happy.

Maria Isabel Guinle: I’m going be doing something I love, whatever that may be. I will be making sure I am happy. Oh, and eating—I will definitely continue to eat a lot in the future Mateo Games: I’ll be juggling on a street corner.

Lucas Auriemo: In one year I will be juggling in the streets of São Paulo with Mateo Games, and Mary will be joining us.

Mauro Carobene: I’ll be in Argentina in my first year of uni Hopefully, I’ll be well adapted by then.

Lucas Espanha: Hopefully, I will be studying somewhere nice, where the weather isn’t too bad, and pursuing my dream of founding my own studio, or something cliché like that.

Melanie De La Paz: Next year, I’m going to be wrapping up my second year as a senior in high school.

Lucile Simon: I’ll be finishing a lab, desperately trying to figure out why I decided to major in Biology, and covering my daily

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Michael Thomas: In one year I’m going to be trying to get rid of the freshman fifteen I gained. I hope to come back to Brazil and not get mocked by my dearest friends.

features Michael Troute: In 2016 I’ll be studying computer science and experiencing the Stanford Duck Syndrome firsthand.

enato Curiati: I’ll be in college, sharing an apartment with my friends.

Minji (Jennifer) Kang: I will probably be cramming for my first midterm exams in college.

Ricardo Pires: California, where else?

Misaki Ueno: I see myself walking down the streets of Chicago, watching the snow slowly melt as each day approaches spring, reflecting back on my first Christmas (Home) Alone ever, and coming up with strategies to avoid burglars (especially those with a shiny tooth).

Mitchel Herr: I’ll be waiting for sci-fi tech, or something like that. Besides that, I honestly don’t know.

Nabila Mourad: I’ll be studying International elations with a minor in either History or Middle Eastern studies. Outside of school, I’ll be playing sports, planning Graded reunions, traveling, meeting people, and perhaps interning at an embassy.

Nathalia Pires: In one year I’ll be studying at FG and working very hard to keep my grades up.

Rina Fujikawa: I’ll be thinking deeply about whether I should buy a new, fluffy, baggy, comfy hoodie to add to my infinite collection while eating cereal in my bed.

Rodrigo Curiati: I’ll be studying business in college (hopefully at Northeastern).

Rodrigo Zaborowsky: I’ll be continuing to enjoy the São Paulo life while studying engineering at university, exceeding expectations.

Samantha Gistren: I’m going to be at university working or conducting research to clean polluted waters. I also hope to be keeping up with my love of soccer by playing a weekly or monthly intramural pick-up game.

Sarah Santiago: I’ll be taking a gap year, partying with ac Efron.

Nicholas Ferreira: I’ll be jamming at Berklee, being awesome.

Nicholas Reinhart: I plan to be a star tight end on the Penn State football team.

Niklas Hildebrandt: I’ll probably be in Amsterdam.

Paula Schulman: I will still be freaking out about the fact that I’m living in New ork City. I will also be studying Journalism at N U and probably gaining a lot of weight.

Paulina Martinez: Next year, I’ll be enjoying college but missing pão de queijo.

Suehyun (Sue) Ko: I’ll be enjoying my college life and hopefully become a CC. Thiago Lima: In one year I will be studying at N U Stern, running my Arctic Monkeys cover band while looking for Italian restaurants in N C with Paula.

Valentin Hollard: I hope to be walking down a street in New ork, looking for restaurants we haven’t gone to yet. I also hope to be pursuing my majors at Duke and going back to Brazil to meet up with my friends at the beach to bring back the old days.

Petro Lima: I’ll be in New ork, loving living alone and being in college.

Victor Chang: Next year, regardless of my geographical location, I will be exploring and taking advantage of real-life work experiences and preparing myself to travel around the world.

Philip Abrams: In one year I hope to walk on to the UConn basketball team and win the national championship.

Victoria Santiago: I want to be somewhere peaceful and be happy.

Pietro Parada: I’ll be rooming with Mary in New ork City.

Vivian Aidukaitis: I’ll be in Hawaii living the college life everyone wishes they could be living but aren’t.

Rafael Regis: I will be studying Biology and Film at the University of ochester. I’m also going to steal the Declaration of Independence.

Rafaela Goldlust: I ought to be sipping on my routine 4 p.m.

Earl Grey before heading to the infinite galleries to set up (imaginary) exhibitions or hitting the South en equinox, all whilst figuring out how to cook a dinner for one (thank you marthastewart.com).

Rafaela Sabó: I’ll be studying at N U and exploring New ork City restaurants as much as my allowance will permit. All this while I dream of the sabbatical I’ll take after I graduate.

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features

Category Is...

Good Riddance

M

ichael: Green Day For those who don’t know, Green Day is an American punk rock band that will be inducted into the ock and oll Hall of Fame this year. The notion that they’ll be alongside a list of predominantly old bands is strange to those who don’t know that Green Day started in 19 6 and has been popular for around twenty years. Those rebellious kids that were jamming to Green Day’s first songs could be around thirty years old right now, if not older. Despite that jolting information, Green Day is arguably one of the most iconic punk rock bands due to their stream of successes, including their albums Dookie (1994) and American Idiot (2004). Dookie, chosen by Rolling Stone magazine as the 193rd best album of all time, has sold over twenty million copies worldwide and contains songs like “ hen I Come Around” and “Basket Case.” American Idiot has songs such as its titular single “American Idiot” and the ecord of the ear-winning “Boulevard of Broken Dreams.” The album inspired the TonyAward-winning musical of the same name that also incorporates American Idiot’s tracks. et the Green Day song that has stuck with me most has been “Good iddance,” also known as “Time of our Life.” Although it is one of their more modest successes, it speaks of unpredictability and fate. More importantly, it speaks of living in the moment and retrospectively hopes “you had the time of your life.” To each senior, I say “Good iddance,” but instead of its past-tense form, I say, “I hope you have the time of your life.’”

Manny: The “Good Rid” dance The “Good id” dance has origins far beyond the beginnings of organized civilizations. Evidence can be seen in hieroglyphics, as servants performed the dance in front of their masters, often waving objects above their heads. However, by 14 3 with the fall of the Byzantine empire, the dance had fallen out of human knowledge. Archaeologists sought to learn it to piece together unknown parts of human history. Of course, the real question is, why had this dance been so important to groups of people? Some unearthed sources state that the dance had a strange power to ward off evil spirits, hence why priests would usually perform the dance around the corpses of kings who showed particular signs of evil throughout their lives. Part of the dance included a small chant where the dancers would repeat “Good rid dance, good rid dance ” to augment the power of the ritual. Unfortunately, the dance fell out of practice when the last person to perform the dance towards the fall of Constantinople was hacked down for being “tasteless and offensive.”

Catu: Troilus and Cressida As for most idioms, experts believe it was Shakespeare (surprise, surprise) who coined the adage “Good iddance” in Troilus and Cressida, back in the ol’ 06. By that, I mean 1606: Thersites: I will see you hanged, like clotpoles, ere I come any more to your tents. I will keep where there is wit stirring and leave the faction of fools. [Exits]

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Entertainment Team

Patroclus: A good riddance.

I guess I’m meant to explain what’s happening in the scene above but frankly, I hadn’t actually heard of Troilus and Cressida until now. And unless you’re a die-hard Shakespeare stan, I’m going to take a wild guess and say you haven’t either. I’m not even going to pretend that summarizing the play would be either interesting or viable, considering Shakespeare’s fondness of multiple, interweaving plotlines. If you’re curious, ikipedia has your back. If you’re too lazy, I will say that the play was based on the Trojan ar. If you don’t know what that is, go ahead, do yourself a favour, and watch the trailer for Troy because who wants to read a bunch of boring facts when you could just watch Brad Pitt’s beautiful face. Plus, he has smooth fighting skills. I think the saddest part is that while the trailer voice-over guy is all like, “the passion for one woman (a.k.a.

Helen) ignited the greatest battle ever fought for love,” I was way more fascinated by the blossoming love between Achilles (a.k.a. Brad Pitt) and Briseis, a priestess he saves from being ravaged by the Greek soldiers. Trust me, watch the movie and you’ll know what the real love story is. Bonus disclaimer/spoiler: I am not responsible for anyone’s tears.

To summarize: “Good iddance” came from Shakespeare, Brad Pitt has seriously beautiful eyes, and Achilles Briseis OTP (at least in the movie).

Thomas: Gone with the Wind Gone with the Wind tells the romantic affair of Scarlett O’Hara and hett Butler during the American Civil ar. It’s a cinema classic, winning eight Academy Awards and starring one of the most enduring American male movie stars, Clark Gable.

More importantly, there is nothing more liberating that saying farewell to someone as infuriating as Scarlett O’ Hara. hen hett finally decides to leave in the conclusion of Gone with the Wind, he utters one of the most recognizable line in film history, “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn.” A “good riddance” has never been so appropriate and comforting.

Yoji: Catharsis As far as I can tell, humans have not yet generated a phrase as calming as “good riddance.” Sure, we have “No, piss off, I will not help you with your IB work,” but does that line truly give the same sense of relief? I believe Shakespeare was incredibly frustrated when he first wrote “good riddance” (for a further explanation, read Catu’s piece above), so much that simply using “riddance” in a sentence was not enough. “Ah, how goodeth be the riddanceths of mythst problemthsts” just did not cut it for good old Shakespeare. He was so drained from spending long midsummer nights slaving away with his pen and quill that he could not write one more sonnet, or whatever, describing his pain. As you can probably tell, I am not a fan of Shakespeare.

Thankfully, my time with ill should be finished in less than two years. Good Riddance.

clawsure

Final Farewells The seniors say goodbye to the Talon Gods

M

r. Berg,

SAT vocabulary god, Murakami (and all Japanese things) enthusiast, riting Center overlord (after Ms. Pfeiffer, of course). hile the balance between your stern nature and spontaneous jokes took us a while to process, today, we cannot imagine what The Talon would’ve been like without you. our high standards and eye for originality taught us to become better writers, while the mind-bending Ethicist questions you brought to TO , among others, pushed us to become deep and moral thinkers. Much more than just a passionate teacher, you’ve gone beyond the classroom to share your love for music, literature, photography, art, soccer, and Lola (duh) with all of your students and Talonistas. e will miss your Thursday Flex vocab quizzes (even though you always win), your silent, illuminating presence in the far corner of the riting Center, your well-thought-out e-mails (which border on poetry), your quirky suggestions/comments and your impeccable style (keep rocking those socks). e hope you’ll continue treating us with unexpected phone calls every once in a while.

Ms. Pfeiffer, hen we were given the task of writing your goodbye letter, we found that we had been met with the impossible challenge of bidding adieu to one of our most loved teachers. How could we forget your cheerful smile every time we walked into class, or the crippling fear we felt upon hearing the sentence, “Please take out your Guidebooks”? How could we forget how you forced us to fall in love with Lola by showing us your desktop background? How could we forget our daily epiphanies in class when we finally understood how sad Akhmatova really was? ou spoiled us with your spiced cookies and your wise words. The

Talon Seniors

Talon and the English department will be losing more than your cheerful laughter and passion for literature and ironic humor and excessive number of Post-it notes. e know wherever your life takes you, you will continue to motivate your students to work hard and push beyond what they are capable of. Just know we will be crying while checking Pfeifferopolis daily and wondering if our e-mails are grammatically correct.

As an ode to you, and to make this letter extra special, we included some literary techniques—so be sure to thoroughly annotate (and don’t forget the page heading, of course).

Maggie, É difícil expressar com palavras o quão impactante foi sua saída da Graded. oc não era apenas uma excelente professora de Portugu s, mas uma personagem importantíssima da Graded Bubble. Suas honestidade, in meras referncias sexuais e seu jeito espont neo de ser sempre serão lembrados. Ao invés de tentar escrever algo plenamente belo, além das nossas capacidades, fechamos com Ulysses, de Fernando Pessoa.

O mytho é o nada que é tudo.

O mesmo sol que abre os céus É um mytho brilhante e mudo O corpo morto de Deus, ivo e desnudo.

Este, que aqui aportou, Foi por não ser existindo.

Sem existir nos bastou.

Por não ter vindo foi vindo E nos creou.

Assim a lenda se escorre A entrar na realidade, E a fecundá-la decorre.

Em baixo, a vida, metade De nada, morre.

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clawsure

Goodbye, Seniors herein our last G 2 group flexes its talons and lea es the nest PfeifferBerg

I

t’s time to salute the seniors who represented the 2014-1 Talon so well. So, with no further ado, we present to you the 2014-1 Talon cast of senior characters Starring...

MC OTANI as master of ceremonies, keeper of the Black List, a rarity of both imagination and discipline; PAULA SCHULMAN as the elegant editor and hard-news junkie with the 1000-watt smile; BELLA SHIM as a clever writer, lover of quirk, and critic of the status quo; S L IA

Ang as the yang to our yin; a person of character whose steadiness we steadfastly rely on;

AFA GOLDLUST as the inscrutable artist, eccentric idealist, and Brazilian patriot; MATEO GAMES as a lovable malandro, talented writer of Spanish, and aspiring hipster; JULIA LEE as our jill-of-all-trades, able and willing to do anything, with taste and judgment; MANN CAMILION as the funny guy film-lover, self-deprecating and singular; LIPE IDIGAL as the friendly Brazilian everyman, who makes us all feel at home; CA OL

ON MUTIUS as the apparent girl-next-door who’s secretly a videotaping German spy;

FE NANDA FIS NER as our right-hand; the show doesn’t go on without her care and dedication; and MICHAEL THOMAS as The Haircut, a sensitive writer who just wants to be understood.

Seniors, from Pfeifferberg to you: No matter what you do, and no matter where you go, you will always be connected to us and the hundreds of Graded alums who have played a role in this magazine. e will miss you. Abraços e boas descobertas!

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