Issue 2, 2025

@ruhshightide

TOMORROW'S

VOICES

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features 4

Senior Fletcher Myers spends his free time working with pets at Pedro Pet Pals, an animal protection organization

opinion 10 More students should stand for the Pledge of Allegiance's message

News outlets and social media shape students' political beliefs, as legislation changes their access to higher education

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October 23, 2025 Vol. CIIV Edition 2 Redondo Union High School Redondo Beach, CA

www.ruhsmedia.com

entertainment 13

PHO TOS

BY R O

Taylor Swift's new album, "The Life of a Showgirl," disappoints with immature lyrics, inconsistent themes and boring instrumentals

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news

Coffee with a side of creativity Open mic night at Coffee Cartel is an outlet for student expression and a place to showcase talent

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by Carly Jacecko uiet, caffeine-fueled Coffee Cartel becomes a stage for RUHS students every Wednesday night as “brave” Sea Hawks proudly share their poetry, music and singing, giving students an outlet for creativity and expression. Senior Sadie Cantrell has only attended the open mic night once, to support her friends who perform, but after going just one time, she already “loves” it and is trying to make it part of her weekly schedule. “[My friend] plays guitar and sings, and I wanted to go support her, and I love Coffee Cartel, I go there all the time to study.

It’s such a good atmosphere, and so I [thought], well, this sounds excellent […]

It's definitely gonna become a regular thing for me,” Cantrell said.

Open mic night is a way for students who wouldn’t normally have an outlet to share their talents with to open up and perform in a welcoming environment, for a “non-intimidating” audience.

“Everyone’s just there to have fun, there’s definitely no judgement, everyone hypes everybody else up, and they're always clapping and snapping. Everyone's just there to have fun and to laugh,” Cantrell said.

Senior Myra Borgic has many friends who also attend and perform at open mic night. After seeing her friends share their talents, she saw them from a perspective she had never been on the receiving end of, such as seeing them in the “public eye."

“You know, when you know someone, you only see them how you see them, but at

[open mic night] you get to see them how other people perceive them. I’m also just really proud of them as a whole,” Borgic said. “I know a lot of my friends are trying to get over social anxiety, or just want to share their beautiful, creative work. So it’s really important that we do this.”

Cantrell also believes that open mic night is a “worthwhile” experience even if she is not performing, because of the good vibes, but also because of the joy she gets out of watching the other performers.

“It’s a really fun thing to do, and it's just really fun to get to see different people performing. You get to listen to all different sorts of things, it’s really cool,” Cantrell said.

Besides being a welcoming space to performers, it is also welcoming to all age groups, which adds to the community feel to the event and the “joyous” spirit at every open mic night.

“There’s all different people: kids our age, teenagers, every age group goes. It adds to the fun of it and the non-intimidating feel- very friendly and inclusive vibe with the age range being anything from 12 years old to late 70’s,” Cantrell said.

While Borgic has experience performing in theater and in front of audiences, she still had nerves in her stomach before singing at open mic night. After the performance was over, though, she felt “grateful” to have found a new community.

“I knew the song pretty well, but it was definitely different performing for a bunch of strangers. But it was a really good experience overall, since I’m trying to work through some social anxiety,” Borgic said.

“You can pretty much go up there and do whatever you want. It’s very non-judgmental and a great community.”

Senior Myra Borgic preforms at open mic night PHOTO BY ROBERT PACKARD

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Cladwell’s beautiful ingénue of a daughter, notes that the subject matter of the show allowed for the cast to get closer to their characters, regardless of the confusion that the play’s title caused.

“Learning about it, diving into what everything meant and seeing how it parallels to our lives right now gave the show more depth. I’m not a terribly political person, but I do know what’s going on, and it’s easier to play a part when it relates to you. So, because it was such an impactful message, it was really easy to be that character,” Lee said.

editors-in-chief Daniella Gross Claudia Turner Ava Anzivino Priya Ramcharan

digital director Valentina Masoni news editors Leyla Evenson Carly Jacecko features editors Aashka Bhuptani Sanaya Bhatt opinion editors Payton Rothluebbers Jayla Dorbor

sports editors Sophie Rebbeck Sam Schwartz writing & copy editors Emery Min Deeksha Prasad Samantha Kim online editors Hayden McMahon Isabella Nguyen Kayli Mai Kate Lanzdorf Allison Sutton Francisco Villegas Marlena Lipan Kate Brucia Kaitlyn Chang

by Ava Anzivino told us it’s a way to stretch our theatrical abilities, instead of performing something easier like ‘Matilda’ or ‘Mean Girls.’ [In Urinetown], you do have to try harder to get people to move past the title and understand the meaning of the work.”

Sophomore Allison Lee, who played the female lead Hope Cladwell, Caldwell B.

staff

entertainment editors Fi Borgese Emery Min

Urinetown's debut brought students and families to the RUHS theater lthough the title may sound misleading, the fall musical “Urinetown” can be added to the theater program’s long list of successes. The cast and crew brought the Tony Award-winning satirical musical to Redondo’s auditorium, exploring themes of corporate greed, social inequality and the dangers of unchecked capitalism.

The play depicts a dystopian city that suffered a drought, which catalyzed a government-enforced ban on private toilets.

As a result, the townspeople must pay expensive fees to use the city’s public amenities, which are controlled by a monopolistic and deceptive company called “Urine Good Company,” run by Caldwell B. Cladwell. Despite the significance of the themes that are portrayed in the show, the cast and crew members were originally “skeptical” of the musical, according to building/scenic crew member and senior Haley Eder.

“When Ms. Staab announced ‘Urinetown,’ everyone was a little confused. But she told us to bear with her because it’s not just a musical about pee. It’s really important for people to see it and understand what it actually means,” Eder said. “She

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The narrative that is conveyed in “Urinetown” runs deep into the intricacies of the show, from prominent lines of dialogue to the design of the sets.

“The set helps you imagine the story so much better. Even though you see the set changing in real time, you can imagine how the story is developing. Like with the paint colors, we used brighter colors for the UGC [Urine Good Company] set, which is basically where we see all of the rich people, which contrasts with the darker and grosser colors for the poorer people. You can feel the setting and understand the purpose of every set piece within the story,” Eder said.

Notwithstanding the connotations ofto the show’s title, presenting the “impactful” scenes and musical numbers in “Urinetown” was a "rewarding" experience for both cast and crew members.

“It’s fun when I’m outside of the theater and someone says something that brings me back to a line in the show. This show is definitely going to be a very memorable moment for me, not only because it’s my first lead at Redondo, but because I know the show means so much to Ms. Staab, and it really grew on all of us,” Lee said. “Towards the end, when we all got to experience it for ourselves, we understood why she loves it so much and why she wanted to share it with us and the community. It’s a really impactful show, and I’m so glad I got to be a part of it.”

Seniors Benny Spangler and Jessi Martin sing in "Urinetown" PHOTO BY TARA BIGGS

adviser Kerri Eastham staff writers Violette Alshin Declan Williams Coco Yamane Willamena Hodson Amelie Kircher Ryan Chamides Martina ParraMalandrino Mahro Siddiqi Reya Conte Landen Gould Madelyn Bain Brooklyn Hesse Katelyn Min Adelyne Cai Stella Sato Gala DeSanto

Oliver Cody Rowyn Salazar Andrew Diette Sophie Farias Mishka Shibata Connor Brodeur Issey Kubota Kacie Brincat Ayla Rodgers Safi Hamilton-Torres Haruto Kuroda Eliza Prangnell Julia Bradin Baran Taghvaei Francesca Masoni Sophia Riddle

photographers Robert Packard Grace Tayag Kevin Phung Finn Williams Amanda Harrison Lorelai Land Ignacio Perez Martina Parra- Malandrino Sayat Brook illustrators Claudia Turner

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Snapshot of the past PTSA connected generations by hosting RU Classic Car Show

by Kate Brucia

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n a sunny Saturday morning, the auditorium parking lot was filled by shiny bright swaths of color and the snappy lyrics of Bobby Day’s 1958 hit “Rockin' Robin” floating around.

Up close, the spaces of the lot were lined with 49 cars for PTSA’s annual R U Classic Car show. Everything from a “Back to the Future” inspired DeLorean to a frontward-opening BMW Isetta was brought by their respective owners, admired by a mix of car enthusiasts and RUHS families.

Teresa Pierre, the PTSA Committee Chair for the car show, is a 20-year PTSA member. She began the event in 2014, a “stressful” experience that resulted in just 14 cars showing up. The next year, PTSA adjusted with lessons learned and had a turnout of over 70 cars. According to Pierre, car shows are a good community event and fundraiser to host because they are inexpensive and relatively simple to set up. Hosted this year on Oct. 11, the event included food trucks, a raffle and even an inflatable slide. It also featured live music by “The Reruns,” an 80’s band that includes junior Nathanial Fuehrer and his father, who offered to perform at the car show after hearing about it. Fuehrer joined

the band to play keyboard at the age of 10, but they have been on a break since the pandemic. “[I was] naturally nervous because that was our first performance since 2019, and it was at school where I know everyone.

It counted. [During the] first song I was pretty nervous, but once we kept going for a while, it got easier,” Fuehrer said. “My friends were there to support me. They were being nice and talking to me about it after, so it was fun.”

While Fuehrer and his bandmates performed on the auditorium steps, attendees were able to listen as they observed the different cars and learned from their owners. According to Pierre, many of the same owners that were at the very first show come back every year. In Dr. Steven Thompson’s experience as a member of the Harbor Area Model “A” Club in Torrance, it is common to see the same people “over and over again” at different shows. Thompson was showing his 1931 Ford Model A, even allowing people to sit inside of it and get photos as he explained the functions of each lever and button.

“I think it's just nice to have people out here to take a look at some of the history

“

It doesn't matter whether it's cars or a different type of club.

It's about being able to learn from each other and to have social interactions. I think that's the most important thing.

DR. STEVEN THOMPSON CAR OWNER

and [things] like that and be able to socialize and to talk to people, get that opportunity to branch out a little bit,” Thompson said. “It's a whole environment of different people that have an interest in cars, but they also have outside interests in a lot of different things. It's nice to hear about their

livelihoods and their backgrounds.”

The interactions between car owners and attendees is something noted by junior Brandon Williams, who attended the event because of his long-time interest in cars.

Williams is working on building his own car with his father, who introduced him to mechanics. Williams believes that high schoolers can benefit from speaking with people of older generations, an opportunity which is provided by events like the car show.

“I talked to [a car owner], and he is actually an Air Force veteran [that served for] 35 years. He went all over the world, so it was so cool to talk to him,” Williams said.

While attending the car show enables connections between car enthusiasts like Pierre and Williams, Thompson suggests this principle can apply to any interest.

“I think it's not just the cars, it's being involved in a social environment,” Thompson said. “It doesn't matter whether it's cars or a different type of club. It's about being able to learn from each other and to have social interactions. I think that's the most important thing.”

PHOTO BY ROBERT PACKARD

Around Redondo

Students discuss how politics affects their daily lives

by Sanaya Bhatt

“Politics influence my day to day reactions to events and interactions with people. I might react to an event with one thought, and a person with different political views might think differently about that event. Politics also affect who I surround myself with because people of different views have different beliefs and may prioritize certain qualities in others.”

-Olivia Grabarsky, freshman

“Politics affect my daily life by making me stressed about the present and the future. It can really affect me and the people around me, and I really care about them, so overall, it builds a lot of stress on me as a person.”

-William Jung, sophomore

“Politics are everywhere, and in school it can kind of make it clear who you’re friends with. It changes your relationships with people.”

-Richa Mujumdar, junior

“Politics are more of a theoretical issue to me, and one of the main theoretical issues is the downtroddeness of the working class. So day-to-day, I try to be more perceptive of those around me and observant of the working class in our neighborhood.”

-Zander DiLallo, senior

PHOTOS BY MARTINA PARRA-MALANDRINO

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Paws & purpose Senior Fletcher Myers spends his free time working with pets at Pedro Pet Pals, an animal protection organization

by Kaitlyn Chang

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enior Fletcher Myers calls out the Myers is on the adoption truck that transname of a dog, and then a fullports dogs to their adoption sites. He meets sized German Shepard yanking up with others from the animal rescue to pick on his handler’s leash turns into a lap dog up three to nine dogs from a shelter in their on top of him. adoption truck. Then for Bonding with the three hours, volunteers and animals he works workers show the dogs to with is a big part the public with the intent to of what Myers get them adopted. loves about work“It's a really fun environIt's a really fun ening at an animent and I've come to remal rescue. But ally, really enjoy it. There's vironment and I've letting them go no feeling like watching the come to really, really dog that you were handling and finding them homes is just as, that day get adopted,” Myenjoy it. There's no if not more, reers said. “It's one of the best feeling like watching things.” warding.

Myers has exOne of the members in the dog that you were perience working Animal Rescue Club, as well handling that day get as another volunteer for with animals, creating the RabPedro Pet Pals, junior Taio adopted. It's one of bit Rescue Club Nazari also helps out with the best things. with his peers, adoptions and loves to be which was broadened to the Ani- FLETCHER MYERS mal Rescue Club.

SENIOR Last year, Myers also worked at a fish shop by the port in San Pedro. Also as of last year, he became further affiliated with Pedro Pet Pals and focused on expanding the Animal Rescue Club.

While Myers helps the animals find adequate homes, they helped him get out of a tough place as well.

“I got involved with animal rescue at a very challenging point in my life, and I was very directionless. It really helped me find a purpose, find something I could foaround the dogs. cus on other than just wallowing in a lot “I have two little dogs [and] I love them of very negative and unhealthy emotions. with all my heart and that love goes out to It gave me a way to concentrate myself on other dogs,” Nazari said. “I hate to see them something positive and helpful that I also euthanized or stuck in one little place forever enjoyed,” Myers said. “I like working with [with] no family. I wouldn't want to be stuck animals. I'm very grateful that I've had the in one room forever. It's important to me beopportunities that I have to help and to cause [of] the lives of the dogs. They deserve save lives. It's a really special thing and it more.” means a lot to me.”

Since Covid-19, the situation in shelters Myers works with dogs at Pedro Pet has worsened. Many people during the panPals, and his official title is Logistics, where demic got pets to keep them company, but he makes sure that all volunteers, animals when they went back to work nobody could and equipment are in the right place, at the care for them and many animals were abanright time. On a day with adoption events, doned. Myers emphasizes that with over-

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crowding in shelters, rescues play an important role in caring for those animals.

“You're seeing two, three dogs to one kennel, and that's not how it should be. It's a really, really ugly situation,” Myers said.

“Animal rescue is crucial because it can save animals that are on urgent Red list or they have what's called their 72-hour notice, which is notice from the shelter that this animal's going to be put down in 72 hours.

That's where rescues step in, [and] will generally pull animals that are about to be euthanized out of the shelters and try to get them adopted from there.”

Junior Caroline Grace works with Pedro Pet Pals, but unlike Myers and Nazari, she works with cats and does more interaction “at home base” instead of at adoption sites. She shares similar hopes as Myers and Nazari for the cats she works with to find loving homes.

“There's so many animals that don't have homes [and] they have the hardest lives that they really don't deserve. You never get to pick where you get to end up [or more so] you never consciously choose [by saying] ‘Oh, I want to go as a child to a rich family and have the easy life.’

You don't really choose that. Animals are the same way,” Grace said. “So it's really important that people step up and make an impactful change in the community. It's a step towards healing our community.”

Myers has stayed involved with animals on and off campus. However, 22 he has future aspirations that do not include the work he is currently involved in. That’s why he is glad about the new faces in the Animal Rescue Club.

“That's a big reason that I started the club up again this year. [It] was to find a successor to carry on what I'm doing here at Redondo,” Myers said. “It's why I'm really, really excited that a lot of our members this year are sophomores and freshmen [and] people that I've never met [or] seen around. [...] It's really nice to see younger folks come in and take an interest in this and want to carry this on. And it gives me faith that when I'm off, you know, doing my own thing, I'll likely still have a connection to the club at Redondo, be it as a mentor for whoever takes on the presidency in my stead.”

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1. Myers poses with a rescue dog.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MYERS 2. Rescue dogs inside their respective cages.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MYERS 3. Rescue dog inside its cage.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MYERS 4. Rescue dog PHOTO COURTESY OF MYERS 5. Rescue dog being pet.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MYERS 6. Phung's RUHS sports photography portfolio COURTESY OF PHUNG 7, Baerga and Shoda dance in front of a crowd.

PHOTO COURTESY OF BAERGA

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GAME to FAME Senior Kevin Phung's work in photography shifted from sports to celebrities like The Weeknd and Michael B. Jordan

by Isabella Nguyen

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enior Kevin Phung was shooting an RUHS football game on the field when he was approached by former NBA and Lakers player Russell Westbrook, asking to schedule a photoshoot with Phung as the photographer. This was just the gateway for many future opportunities for Phung—and it would not be the only time Phung shot for a celebrity.

“It didn’t hit me until a week later. My friend was like, ‘Dude, you know Russell Westbrook?’ and I was like, ‘Yeah, I do.’ He’s like, ‘He’s been my favorite basketball player since I was a kid.’ I kind of just laughed at him, [but] yeah, it’s a lot to take in,” Phung said.

Phung’s consistent involvement in the photography industry has given him multiple opportunities to meet several celebrities and influencers including Will Ferrell, Kai Cenat, The Weeknd, Michael B. Jordan and Jimmie Siminoff.

“Seeing them in person was genuinely like seeing a unicorn,” Phung said.

“They're really famous celebrities, and I've watched their movies through a movie screen. I wouldn't really imagine seeing them in front of me where I can [shake their hands]. All of them were really welcoming.

They really liked the photography. They congratulated me on making it this far.”

According to Phung, connections are a crucial part of freelance photography. Since starting his photography business in his sophomore year, Phung has molded his hobby into a profession through building relations with others, which he found challenging at first because of the expectations attached to his business. Phung began by building his credibility and portfolio among the RUHS sports coaches as well as coaches from different schools by continually attending and photographing the games and in turn, allowing his business to gain traction.

“It’s really hard to start your own photography business because, first of all, you need people that know you.

You can’t just go to a school and expect them to let

6 you i n because you also need to connect with coaches, the admin [and] athletic directors,” Phung said. “Even then, if you don’t know anyone, you won’t have work to present [to] them, they won’t tell you the [game] schedule, you don’t know when to come [and] you don’t know what days.”

Phung’s girlfriend—senior Charlene Elam—has sup-

ported Phung on his photography journey since day one.

Having a background in photography as well, Elam acts as both Phung’s number one supporter and an adviser.

“When you talk to [Phung], he’s an extrovert, but he also stays to himself. He doesn’t reach [out] to people, so he had to go outside of his personal boundaries [for photography]. I’m proud of him because personally, he pushed himself both photography and business wise to talk to new people, to make connections because those are necessary for any sort of business. He also pushed himself to study to edit [photos],” said Elam.

Meeting Phung in sophomore year, Elam had a front-row seat to Phung’s growth as a photographer and the growth of his business from the first time he held a camera to him scheduling photoshoots with big names such as Westbrook.

“It’s hard to go from the ground up with [photography], especially being a high schooler [...] He learned how to use a camera while developing his business and that’s really difficult for someone to do,” Elam said. “He came into this business without experience and he [gained] experience on the fly. That’s what makes his story super unique as a success story because he learned all about how to manage his business and how to manage photography at the same time.”

One of Phung’s favorite aspects of photography are the people he meets, from locals to out-of-state celebrities. Through his business, Phung was exposed to the RUHS community, including PTSA and students.

“I enjoy [photography] a lot. It makes people happy [and] parents love it. [Photography] creates so many deep memories about their kids’ high school career,” Phung said. “Especially now that I’m a senior and I have senior friends that are in many sports, I get to take pictures for their parents and they love it. I get to [memorialize] their senior year.”

Juniors Ayaka Baerga and Ailie Shoda work at a studio in teaching kids how to dance and help them improve in choreography

by Hayden McMahon

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t’s the day of a big performance, so the choreography must be perfect, and juniors Ayaka Baerga and Ailie Shoda can only hope their dancers do their very best. Baerga and Shoda recently began teaching and choreographing for young performance dancers at the studio they dance for: AI Vibration.

Shoda has been a dancer since around the age of five, competing and performing with the hopes of making a living from dance. According to Shoda, becoming a teacher and choreographer for her studio has been a tremendous step in the right direction for those goals.

“When I was little, I really wanted to be a dance teacher, so having that opportunity was definitely a big thing for me. I’ve also always wanted to pursue moving up to higher levels of dance and maybe becoming a professional eventually,” Shoda said. “To me, being a dancer means being an artist because we show movement and culture and the expression of whatever we are feeling to connect with the music.”

Similarly, Baerga has been dancing for about five years now and currently dances with both her team, Astra, at AI Vibration and the RUHS Dance Team. She recently discovered her talent for creating choreography and decided to hone and practice the skill further.

“One day at my studio, I was given the task to choreograph for our team. We had a performance coming up pretty soon and we all worked together on the dance, but that was when I found out that I could choreograph pretty well and that I really love to choreograph on top of that,” Baerga said.

According to Baerga, teaching dance classes is no simple feat. Not only must she ensure each student, despite varying levels of experience, can learn what she and her team have created, but she must also make compromises on choreography with her team due to their unique personal styles.

“Sometimes it can be pretty difficult because a lot of them are beginners and some of them are more advanced, so we have to learn how to accommodate different students. I also teach at a Japanese dance school, so a lot of my dancers speak mainly Japanese or mainly English, and that can get a bit tricky with the language [barrier],” Baerga said. “It takes me and my two teammates to figure out everything and make sure everyone can understand us, but that only strengthens us as a team and makes it more rewarding when a performance goes well.”

According to Shoda, choreographing is a very collaborative task, in which her team and even the students can pitch ideas and add to the piece. The unity of she and the rest of Astra’s dance styles are what make each dance unique and each performance shine.

“In Astra’s class, we definitely have different styles overall, so some of our ideas will conflict. Before each class we meet up and brainstorm what we think the choreography should be, going step by step with every lyric. We show each other how we think it feels to move to each part of the music and then we adjust it to something we can all agree with. It’s a really fun process and I love working with them,” Shoda said. “Ayaka has a very masculine way of

choreographing, whereas my other teammate and I think with more delicate of styles, so we all balance each other out perfectly.”

The team teaches dancers ranging from age seven to age 14, but Shoda teaches her own class for even younger dancers separate from the team. She has found that the class has helped her become much more patient and responsible as a teacher and as a person in general.

“In my little kids' class, they can be a lot to handle, but I definitely have a lot of fun interactions with them, even to the point where I find myself laughing more than I am teaching. The kids will say something really funny and we'll all laugh about it, which always reminds me of how much I love teaching young kids,” Shoda said.

“I've also had really fun experiences in my other classes with Astra because those girls are my friends, and to me, they're like sisters.”

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features Starting on Jimmy Kimmel, sophomore Izzy Umphlet continues to pursue modeling and acting

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by Sanaya Bhatt efore she could crawl, talk, or hold her head up, sophomore Isabella Umphlet had already participated in her first acting job. At just two weeks old, she was hired to be on Jimmy Kimmel as a talking baby, and this was the first of many jobs that Umphlet would do as a child. Now, she continues to pursue modeling and acting, and her early start in the industry sparked a passion and journey that has become one of the biggest parts of her life.

Despite Umphlet’s introduction to the industry being very early in her life, she didn’t ever feel “forced into working,” especially because of the love she has for what she does.

“Even when I was little, I always remember thinking it was really fun. When you’re younger, you tend to work a lot more, so I got exposed to that environment a lot,” Umphlet said. “So when I got to the age where I could choose if I wanted to do it, I would just say yes, and I started to really love it on my own,” One of Umphlet’s favorite parts of modeling and acting is getting to meet people and form lasting connections, especially since it is common to work with many of the same people in both industries.

“The directors on set are always really friendly and make you feel totally comfortable. I’ve also made some of my closest friends through modeling,” Umphlet said.

Because of people like set teachers, Umphlet also hasn’t noticed a very strong difficulty in terms of keeping up with school while on set.

“Every job is a different length. Sometimes a modeling shoot can be one to two days, and sometimes a commercial is more.

Other things like wardrobe fittings and auditions can take up time and get me taken out of school too,” Umphlet said. “School is easy because I can get most of my work done on set with the teacher, and they’re usually trained to be able to teach and give us help,” Speaking on how she’s watched her daughter mature over the years, Annie Sorell, Isabella’s mother, talks about how she’s watched many aspects of her daughter’s life change.

“The thing that I’ve watched grow the most is her confidence, because even though she doesn’t talk about modeling and acting a lot, she loves doing it,” Sorell said.

Sorell also explained how being in these businesses has helped Umphlet gain life experience that is crucial for both these industries and in general.

“It's also helped her handle rejection.

You go on countless auditions to only get one, and she has learned to recognize how much of a blessing that is,” Sorell said.

“She’s also more aware of whether or not she booked a job, and that can make it a lot more stressful. It turns into a life lesson, because it's shown her that there aren’t any guarantees, and you can give your best, but not getting the jobs just means that you weren’t what they were looking for for that specific job.”

Having done modeling and acting for so long, and participating in shoots for companies such as Universal Studios, Target, and more, Umphlet has found a true passion in the businesses and hopes to continue pursuing it in the future.

“I would love to continue doing [modeling and acting] in the future,” Umphlet said. “It’s always felt like it comes easy to me, but it's not just something I want to do because of that. It really is something that I choose to do, because I love it so much.”

6 MORE THAN A MEAL Sophomore Grady Scalph and senior Dean Davis volunteer in the cafeteria, getting a glimpse of the hard work that the cafeteria employees perform

by Safi Hamilton-Torres

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be able to serve lunch in an orderly etween the rushed lines filled way. The second you step in, they immewith hungry students and the diately give you a hairnet and put you to clatter of lunch trays, students work. You have to wash your hands, and may not have time to properly thank the they bring out trays that people who have food on them, and you made their nuhave to set them in their tritious lunch— designated places, such as the women placing warm food under the who keep the heating lamp,” Scalph said. cafeteria run- The [employees] have After Scalph’s “eye-openning.

Behind to arrive at school ing” volunteer experience, every lunch he hopes more students beserved is a team around 5 am and don't come aware and appreciaof dedicated leave until about 3:30 tive of the cafeteria staff's cafeteria staff pm to be able to prejobs. Being able to experiwho start their ence a fraction of the work day long before pare the food. Their job that is put into making the school bell is a crucial factor for us lunch and serving it to sturings. Recently, dents, Scalph is much more two students, as students making it “grateful” to the employees Grady Scalph through the day with for their dedication. and Dean Da“I didn't know much went vis, volunteered food on our stomachs into their job, as I’ve only through ROTC had brief interaction with to serve lunch them before volunteering, alongside the DEAN DAVIS but I didn’t expect that it cafeteria staff, SENIOR went beyond just giving stugaining firstdents lunch; they have to arrive at school hand experience of the hard work, cooraround 5 am and don't leave until about dination, and care that is put into feeding 3:30 pm, to be able to prepare the food. thousands of students each day. SophoTheir job is a crucial factor for us as stumore Grady Scalph, a Lance Corporal in dents making it through the day with food ROTC, was curious about the nature of the in our stomachs,” Scalph said. work put into serving lunch and decided Senior Dean Davis, a Sargent Major in to take on the task himself by volunteerROTC, arranged for other ROTC meming to help in the cafeteria. The employbers, including himself, to volunteer for ees have their own organized system with

“

1.

Senior Dean Davis, a Sargent Major in ROTC, arranged for other ROTC members, including himself, to volunteer for serving lunch. He’s inspired by the desire to help them out, knowing that their job is underappreciated by students, and he wasn’t surprised by how much work was involved in serving lunch.

“Unfortunately, I've seen students taking advantage of the cafeteria staff by cutting in line, being impatient and rude, as well as stealing meals daily. If they knew just a fraction of the work, effort, and dedication put into crafting, organizing, and the preparation of the food, they would not act like that,” Davis said.

Davis shares his gratitude for the cafeteria staff, describing them as “sweet” and “hardworking” people. He says they deserve far more respect and acknowledgment from everyone, as their efforts may go unnoticed in the hectic cafeteria environment.

“I admire the lunch ladies’ ability to remain focused and work fast and efficiently despite distractions from students and the noisy atmosphere within the cafeteria,” Davis said. “[They] should be treated with the same respect as someone with a different job, as they are just as hardworking and deserving of praise.”

1. Students helping serve lunch PHOTO COURTESY OF SAYAT BROOK

features 7

high tide sept. 26, 2025

Order in the Court Arjun Modi cultivates his passion for law at UCLA's Mock Trial Institute

by Sanaya Bhatt

S

ince he was young, sophomore Arjun Modi has been fascinated by the courtroom. From legal debates to creating compelling, persuasive arguments, Modi has always felt drawn to a career in law. This past summer, his participation in University of California, Los Angeles’s (UCLA) Mock Trial Institute helped him solidify this passion, sharpen his skills and form a community with people who share his interests.

Modi has already decided the type of law he wants to go into and was initially encouraged to pursue it by friends and family who noticed his natural aptitude in areas associated with the legal field.

“My final goal is to become a business lawyer. I’ve always had a passion for both finance and business, and combining the two of them into something I could pursue for the rest of my life is exactly what I want,” Modi said. “Since I was young, I’ve loved to [debate] and argue about rules. I think a lot of my friends and family noticed that and pointed out that since I love those things, law should be something I consider.

That’s what really got me into it, as well as having exposure to it from family friends who are in the field.”

Once his interest in law was solidified, Modi took many steps to further develop it and learn as much as he could.

“When I started at Redondo last year, I joined the school’s Mock Trial because I knew it would be useful for gaining experience [in law]. At the end of the year, I got the idea to participate in a college program as well, and I found one at UCLA, so I immediately applied,” Modi said.

Mauli Modi, Arjun’s mother, is also

grateful for the chance to watch her son’s growth over the years and for how he has been able to learn about various types of law.

“I’m so glad that RUHS gives students the ability to participate in Mock Trial on campus, along with a lot of other opportunities. Without them, I’m not sure how he would have gotten the exposure to have interested him in the UCLA program in the

first place,” Mauli Modi said. “In school, you usually just learn the textbook subjects, like history or science. So it’s really good to know that he was able to take Mock Trial on the side to better prepare him for the type of law career he might want to go into.”

As his mother, she also found pride in watching her son thrive within the pro-

gram. She observed that he learned more about law and evolved, not only in terms of his passion for law, but also in his overall confidence.

“Arjun was one of the youngest kids at UCLA, but I could still always feel his confidence. He learned so much, and it was also fascinating for my husband and I to hear him talk about the interesting people he met and everything he got to do,” Mauli Modi said.

In terms of Modi’s own experience while participating in the program, the days were “definitely tiring, but still so worth it.” “ T h e program was one week long, and typically, we’d 1 get there around 8 am and leave around 5 or 6 pm. Every day was a combination of lectures and workshops, but the main focus was that we were given a case packet, and the objective was to make an entire trial out of that case. We were put into teams, and our case was focused on a bank robbery,” Modi said.

Much of the information he learned in lectures was presented by the supervisors

of the program, who were two UCLA law students themselves and served as mentors throughout the experience. However, there were many other people who Modi and other participants had the opportunity to learn from, too.

“Our professor used to be a lawyer himself, and now he serves as a professor at UCLA law. There were also some attorneys who came in to give us speeches, and it was good to have people with that much exposure to the field giving us information based on their actual experiences.

I hope to keep in contact with both of my supervisors, as well as many of my teammates, because now that Mock Trial season has started, we’re all working on the same case,” Modi said.

While Modi learned many valuable tactical skills in this program, such as “logical analysis, time management and public speaking,” the experience also afforded him meaningful relationships while deepening his desire to pursue law.

“One of my favorite memories from the experience was getting to know the people on my team. We’re all passionate about law and it was great to have that in common with everyone there,” Modi said. “I initially signed up for this program because it was going to be a final step in determining if law was really what I wanted to go into. Now that it’s over, it really solidified in my mind and heart that this is what I want to do. If there’s anything that this program taught me, it's that no matter how daunting a task may seem, no matter how little time you have to complete it, if you have the right people around you and the right mindset, you can accomplish anything.”

Strengthening their experience in aerospace and engineering, Emaad Moghal and Lorelei Choi intern at Boeing over the summer

by Sanaya Bhatt

S

urrounded by seasoned Boeing engineers, seniors Emaad Moghal and Lorelei Choi found themselves immersed in an experience that fostered their love for engineering and exposed them to several real-life aerospace scenarios. Faced with challenges that many of those lifelong engineers are working to solve, their internship at Boeing this past summer gave them hands-on experience and proved to be an incredibly educational and enriching opportunity for both of them.

“I’ve done robotics since elementary school, and I always thought that I was going to go into something like math or business when I got older. But a lot of our robotics mentors actually came from the aerospace industry, and after talking with them, I realized that I wanted to pursue

aerospace engineering,” Choi said. “I took some tours of their workplaces, and I didn’t know anything about aerospace going into it, but I realized how interested I was in it and how much I could see myself doing it in the future.”

Choi’s experience in the internship itself was quite unique, as she was assigned with individual responsibilities, rather than group work. This was a change from the kinds of work she was typically used to, making her time at Boeing even more enriching and educational.

“My interest is primarily mechanical engineering, but I was assigned to a project that was mostly computer science. I was developing an inventory system for my mentor’s program. They were required to keep a separate inventory of parts separate from Boeing’s general inventory system, so I was

2

working on helping them flesh out the data storage they already had. I also had to learn a new coding language for this, which was a challenge but ended up being another thing that I can take away,” Choi said.

For Moghal, aerospace was something that he always knew he wanted to go into, but this internship helped him narrow down his options and focus on exactly what aspect of it he may want to pursue in the future.

“Growing up, my dream job was always to work at NASA as an aerospace engineer.

When this opportunity came to me, I knew that it was something I really wanted to do and that I would get a lot out of,” Moghal said. “I can’t think of a specific moment when I became interested in aerospace, but I remember always questioning what was out there and being so curious to find out.

This internship was a really big deal for me because it was an experience that actually helped me get closer to answering that question for myself.”

Choi and Moghal were exposed to a broad range of information and learning through their internships. They were surrounded by people with decades of experience in aerospace, which provided valuable firsthand information and allowed them to broaden their knowledge.

“We got to go to technical talks, where a very qualified speaker who’d been working at Boeing for decades would come and talk to the interns about a specific topic. These were on things like astrodynamics, or what makes space such an interesting environment, and it was information that ended up being really valuable,” Moghal said.

Like Choi’s, Moghal’s experience differed from the rest of the group’s because

of his mentors’ specific roles and the tasks he was assigned separately from his team.

“Most of the other people in the internship had an engineering based role, so their mentors were in the field and the lab, and they were helping to design stuff. But my mentors worked on the program and project management side, so I got to experience and learn about a lot of the collaboration, communication and teamwork that goes into it,” Moghal said. “My main task was also to create an artificial intelligence (AI) training guide, which I was doing myself, so I drafted it up and implemented it, and it’s for different Boeing employees to use.”

Overall, Moghal’s experience helped further his interest in aerospace engineering and solidified for him that going into this field was exactly what he wanted to do.

“A big moment for me was the SpaceX launch party we went to. All the interns came to this huge conference, and we were actually going to get to watch the launch happen. There were hundreds of people there who have spent years of their life on this one satellite, and somehow we were there too,” Moghal said. “All these people got to see it launch and know that it was going to benefit humanity, and I think that was such a big moment for me because it made me realize that I really want to be a part of something like that. I want to work on something with a group of people so we can all come together and celebrate when it succeeds.”

1. Representing defense, Modi and his teammates smile for a photo right before their trial. COURTESY OF ARJUN MODI. 2. Moghal and Choi pose with the other interns at Boeing. COURTESY OF EMAAD MOGHAL.

in-focus 8

THE POLITICS OF THE SCROLL

high tide oct. 23, 2025

Social media has complicated effects on political environment amongst students

T

he political climate has turned digital as young generations gravitate towards short reels on social media rather than newspapers or news broadcasts as sources for information. Due to this recent shift, students have more exposure to current events, politics, or global affairs at the risk of falling into echo chambers online and the fast spread of misinformation. The News Literacy Project (NLP), an American nonpartisan national education nonprofit’s data shows that 50% of teens can accurately identify a branded content article as an advertisement, 52% can identify an article with “commentary” in the headline as an opinion, and 59% can recognize that Google search results under the label “sponsored” indicate paid advertising and 18% of teenagers correctly answered all three questions, asking them to distinguish between different types of information.

Free Press Senior Advisor and Economic and Policy Analyst Derek Turner explains, due to various partisan phenomena, trust in the news has been “negatively impacted” by the spread of misinformation. News Literacy Project He explains that social media is a “useful tool” to get students into the political climate, and digital news opens a plethora of information to a broad audience.

“People are getting more information now than they ever have from a greater variety of sources, and they're also hearing from more of their peers. This enables everyday people to share information with their peer groups and to talk about things, and to learn. I can get news, international news, and read articles from a number of

different, diverse, and antagonistic sources that don't necessarily agree with each other or have a different take, whereas before that, it just wasn't possible,” Turner said.

According to the NLP, a teen survey report conducted in 2024, 50% of teenagers reported keeping up with news without trying, 15% reported actively seeking out news to stay informed, and 36% said they don’t keep up with news. The study found a positive correlation with trust in the news, as people are more likely to “not keep up with news that differs” across age, gender, and race/ethnicity, with younger teens, teen boys, and white teens more likely to report not keeping up with the news.

Junior Ella Rasser notices while scrolling online that it’s important for her to self-regulate and separate herself from her feed. She occasionally will notice videos that don’t align with her personal political views and will change her content preferences. To her, when she sees initial news on these apps, she understands the threat of misinformation, and will take initial news off of social media “with a grain of salt” before looking to reputable news outlets for more information.

“A lot of students get their political news off of social media, and will hear what someone online says, and without thinking, they kind of just parrot it to other people without actually fact-checking,” Ella explains. “They take it as their own words, and they don't actually critically think about it, because literacy rates are going down, they just don't understand the harm

Only 50% of teens can accurately identify a branded content article as an advertisement

1

by Kayli Mai

of what they can be saying.” lions of people see when they log on to soAccording to The Nation’s Report Card, a cial media, watching behaviors, and after common measure of student achievement, algorithms rolled out a ranking system 16 in 2024, the average reading score at grade years ago, these apps showed people what 12 was 3 points lower than in 2019. Com- it wanted them to see, basing engagement pared to 2019, scores on what garnered the were lower at all semost engagement. lected percentiles exThe BBC explains cept for the 90th perhow, because more centile. According to contentious posts are the Harvard Gazette, usually rewarded by there isn’t a direct the algorithms at the correlation between possibility that peothe pandemic and ple could fall into a the already declining “distorted and sensaliteracy rates, but the tionalised mirror of pandemic didn’t impublic sentiment that prove the issue. Addiexaggerates discord tionally, some states, and muffles the views including Mississip- News Literacy Project of the majority.” pi, emphasize imJunior Roland proving early-grade Hidvegi uses social literacy instruction, improving statewide media as a form of entertainment and sees literacy skills, funding teacher profession- lots of politically related videos on his feed. al learning, literacy coaching, new materi- However, to Hidvegi, social media poses a als and a new curriculum. The decline in bigger threat to a younger audience. average achievement is more pronounced "The alt-right pipeline starts with really among low-performing students, with a minor things. When I was in middle school, widening gap between students based on these figures that didn't portray themselves socioeconomic factors, where students as political would have these right-leaning from low socioeconomic status families are takes, and I’d see them as takes, and they much less likely to perform well in reading. would get stuck in my mind. That would “To me, literacy rates play a huge role lead me to just consuming more people in students having critical thinking abili- who would espouse those same takes that ties, because if you cannot read something, those people did, which then became my you cannot comprehend it. That also gives opinion. [Since] I was super young, that people a smaller toolbox to be able to deci- leads to becoming more radical.” Hidvegi pher between what’s true and what's not,” said. “You can see how [influencers can] Rasser said. lead people to support a political figure, NLP data shows 94% of students say even when they don't know anything about schools should be required to teach media politics.” literacy, 57% offering strong support, sayHidvegi is aware that feeds are created to ing schools should “definitely” have a re- keep users as engaged as possible, feeding quirement and 36% saying schools should them political content they already agree have a requirement in some cases. Despite with and catering to their insecurities and widespread support among egos, which can foster hate. He only sees teens, NLP found little ev- political videos that match his views, placidence that schools were ing him in an echo chamber because he has already providing media lit- to go out of his way to find differing views. eracy instruction, with 39% “Social media creates a polarizing attiof teens reporting having tude. There aren't moderates making conhad any media literacy in- tent to get clicks off of, or nothing [where struction in at least one class an audience] could get enraged. I think during the 2023-24 school it kind of drives people to these opposite year. ends, making students more polarized and To Rasser, news being political in nature,” said Hidvegi. accessible can help students Turner adds that even though posting vocalize online and reach a online is a democratizing force in social large audience, which is good media, it can be a tool of propaganda, because becoming more which is why he explains that it is “incumaware and forming opinions bent” upon parents and guardians to help correlates to how they’ll be educate their children how to engage with functional adults, yet she of- a new media ecosystem, where the youth fers that having all these new isn’t spreading and believing misinforvoices brings in “more hate- mation. Turner describes social media as ful content. Like Rasser, due a “firehose of information” that kids were to personal experiences with never exposed to, but does think this repeers, junior Colin Weav- cent shift is a “net positive”. er understands that being a “Social media gives people who never teenager could cloud some- had a voice to reach many other people, one’s judgment because their when before that would have been impossibrain isn’t fully developed ble. I would never discourage anyone from yet. using this tool to speak their truth. People “We can't really under- should be very careful and deliberate about stand what's entirely true what they say”, Turner emphasizes. “I'm and what's not, and it's easy an analyst for a living, and when I write, to lean on other sources to every word is placed carefully and well reget that bias,” Weaver said. searched. If teens are armed with media “Students let emotions get literacy skills and know how to fact-check in the way of what might be and diversify their news feeds, I think it's a the morally or ethically right net positive.” standpoint, and social media feeds and news and politics in your face can cloud your judgment.”

According to the British 1. Silhouetted user receiving information from a Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), social media app algorithms determine what mil- PHOTO VIA CREATIVE COMMONS

Data shows that 94% of students think schools should be required to teach media literacy

in-focus 9

high tide oct. 23, 2025

Class is not in session

by Aashka Bhuptani

Classrooms cope with federal changes in the Department of Education

55%

For civics education, the federal government only invests around 5 cents per K-12 student.

of Gen Z surveyed participiated in the 2020 election

U.S. News and Ballard Brief

1

D

ecisions concerning school curriculum can shape future generations. Classrooms, once a space for fair and equitable learning, have now become a stage for policymakers to debate what students should be allowed to read, hear or discuss. State lawmakers always had the ability to restrict curricula and set graduation requirements, though they’ve usually let public schools and universities make their own decisions about what’s taught on their individual campuses (according to American Civil Union).

But curriculum changes aren't new to education in the U.S. The American Association of University Professors and American Federation of Teachers states that, in 2020, the Trump administration issued an executive order to eliminate "divisive concepts" about race, gender and sexuality.

Between January 2021 and January 2023, 20 states enacted legislation that restricted teachings of "critical race theory" (according to Facing History & Ourselves). As explained by the Human Rights Campaign, since then, there have been at least 29 bills introduced in over 18 state legislatures to limit teachings on what the administration qualifies as "radical.”

According to the Washington Post, bills that target mainly college classrooms have been introduced in Iowa, Utah, Ohio and Texas. With these new limitations on curricula, teachers are forced to be more cautious about what’s taught in their classrooms while maintaining a supportive and respectful environment during discussions.

Mike Henges, who teaches AP Government & Politics at RUHS, believes that it’s important to foster a classroom setting where students feel comfortable sharing their own views and beliefs, even though they know not everyone will agree with them. “[It’s necessary to] have some patience for students to hear from other people, even if they’ve already established their own opinions,” Henges said, “Modeling empathy and patience is one big way I try to approach class discussions … You have to be cognizant of where people are coming from.”

Students are politically aware, perhaps more now than ever before. According to Statista, in the 2020 presidential election, around 55% of Gen Z voters participated

— which is an increase from 2016, when around 44% of young voters turned out.

Similarly, Gen Z voted at a higher rate in 2022 than previous generations in their first midterm election, with 31% of young people under the age of 30 voting (according to CIRCLE at Tufts University). Yet, with new legislation and restrictions tightening control over what can be discussed in a classroom, many are hesitant to voice their thoughts, afraid of crossing a line or angering their classmates.

“I’ve noticed a hesitancy to have political conversations now. Students are uncomfortable or not always ready to talk about what they believe in,” Henges said, “There’s always a few people who would love to debate more, but the vast majority of students are hesitant to get right into political topics.”

This reluctance to speak up isn’t limited to just students. Across the U.S., schools are struggling with how to protect students from bias without crossing censorship.

According to the American Civil Liberties Union, acts of suppression—including banning books, stopping protests and silencing teachers—deprive students of their right to an honest, inclusive education.

Professor Morris P. Fiorina has taught Political Science at Stanford for 27 years, and throughout his experience of teaching contentious subjects to college students, he expresses that the best way for teachers to handle divisive topics is by “being honest.”

“You shouldn’t avoid politically charged topics. But I’m a firm believer that a professor should not expose or make evidence of their own political meanings. A professor who does that in a classroom is guilty of malpractice,” Fiorina said, “I try to keep discussions neutral.”

While some people see these policies as necessary to protect classrooms, others argue that even minimal restrictions on education can strongly disturb discussions.

For educators, like Henges, navigating these lines while finding a balance between honesty and neutrality can be challenging.

“Everybody has a little bit of some kind of bias. We all have our own lived experiences. Sometimes we think, ‘Well I’m right, and everyone else is wrong,’” Henges said, “But you have to recognize you’re not infallible as a person. You always have something to learn from someone else.”

Education in the U.S. prioritizes preparing students for college, their career, and the future of adulthood. But according to the Center of American Progress, it’s equally important to teach students how to be active participants of democracy. For civics education, the federal government only invests around 5 cents per K-12 student. This is only about $4 million total, when over $546 million is granted to STEM subjects (according to U.S. News and Ballard Brief).

These limitations, both financial and thematic, can severely restrict education for many young people.

Similarly, federal and state funding for civics education has decreased significantly over time. In 2022, only 22% of middle school students scored a maximum of proficient levels in civics, with scores that dropped around three points from previous years (according to Close Up Foundation). This represents the first decline in civics scores ever recorded on the Nation's Report Card (according to NPR). And since 1998, the average test scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress have shown that less than 25% of students are properly educated in civics (according to the Center of American Progress).

“When I first started teaching [in 1972], even though it was a pretty conflictual time in American politics, people were still, in general, less sensitive about discussing [partisan] topics, despite how there was a clear political division in the country,” Fiorina said.

According to the Brookings Institution, schools play a central role in preparing young people to participate in democracy by helping them develop the knowledge, beliefs, and behaviors needed for civic engagement. And, according to a report by the Guardian of Democracy, students who receive a high-quality civic education are more likely to “understand public issues, view political engagement as a means of addressing communal challenges, and participate in civic activities.”

An article by the Center for American Progress states that including students’ political perspectives in classroom discussions provides an underrepresented point of view. Talking about controversial issues in classrooms can contribute to positive civic outcomes for students, and according to Harvard's Institute of Politics,

when students avoid sensitive conversations throughout their education, they may graduate with factual knowledge but they’ll have little to no experience in the critical thinking that civic education experts say are essential for maintaining democracy.

The “political classroom” is defined as a classroom in which young people are learning to deliberate about political questions. Based on a published statement by NPR, while education should be political, it shouldn’t be partisan. Similarly, NPR claims that most educators do strive to be neutral about politics, as the slightest hint of bias in a classroom discussion could cause extreme controversy from administrators or parents. But in such a “hyper-polarized political climate,” the line between bias and neutrality could very easily be crossed without immediate recognition.

“Schools should focus on teaching students to think critically, to gather information from credible sources, to test their own values and beliefs and engage in motivated reasoning,” Fiorina said, “It's difficult, but teachers have to lean against the normal human tendency of sharing their own opinion.”

According to the Brookings Institution, what’s taught in a school reflects the broader societal values and debates about citizenship in that community. Controlling educational curricula has been linked throughout American history to efforts to shape the types of citizens a country develops.

Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor said that, “Without basic civic education, we cannot expect to preserve or improve our system of government.” As curriculum restrictions continue to expand and civic education funding remains limited, the balance between protecting students and preparing them for democratic participation remains precarious.

According to the Brookings Institution, American schools are one of the very few social institutions that are present in every community. How educators, policymakers, and communities navigate these tensions will shape not only what students learn, but also their capacity to engage thoughtfully in the democratic processes that will define their generation.

1. Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. PHOTO VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

10

opinion

2

Stigmatization of women's baseball steals valuable opportunities from female athletes

1

W

hen I was 9, I declared that I was going to play baseball. All those late nights staying up past my bedtime, rooting for the Dodgers to send the Giants

by Daniella Gross home, going to games with my dad and hearing the stadium roar as Adrian Gonzalez hit one out of the park; I wanted to play so badly. After this bold declaration, however, my dad told me that there were no leagues for girls. “Why can’t I join a team with boys?”

I asked. “Girls play softball,” was his response. I protested, confused about the difference between the two sports.

“Baseball is too physically demanding for women. It’s just biological.”

This is not just a personal issue — women are systematically excluded from professional baseball.

Today, Major League Baseball (MLB) does not have any

outlined rule that states women are forbidden from participating. But this was not always so. From 1943 to 1954, the All-American Girls Baseball League was established. Men were shipped off to war, and the dutiful housewives of America were drafted to maintain sports entertainment.

And then the men came home. Can you guess what happened? In 1952, the MLB had a ban on signing women to contracts. It was not until the 1993 draft that this ban was lifted. Though this ban is no longer in place, there is certainly still a societal stigmatization, starting with my dad’s blank statement to 9-year-old-me: “It’s just biological.”

I am not oblivious to the biological differences between men and women. I acknowledge that men and women are born with different strengths and weaknesses. According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), men produce 20 times more testosterone than women after puberty.

Testosterone is a key component in muscle growth, and strength training is crucial for various aspects of the MLB season, from grip strength to sprint and speed.

Because men generally have greater muscle mass and power, there is an average velocity gap between men and women, according to a study by the NIH. This means that men are measurably more able to throw a fastball.

Another study conducted by the American Sports Medicine Institute at the University of Georgia found that male youth participants in the study had body heights, ball velocities and joint forces similar to those of the adult female participants, all of whom were amateurs. However, the young male pitchers pitched in an almost identical way to adult male pitchers.

The differences, therefore, in body height, weight and even shoulder and elbow joint forces and torques do not completely explain the kinematic and temporal differences found in the current study, implying that there are other contributing factors besides biology. So what separates females from males in this case?

It is as simple as equal access to rigorous and professional training. Women do not receive these opportunities, as they are typically discouraged from playing baseball.

“Why not just play softball?” Because I do not want to

throw underhanded. If women were given the resources that men are given to prepare for a professional baseball season, researchers, such as those in the aforementioned study conducted by the University of Georgia, believe female and male pitchers would be more comparable.

For a sport that has a large fan base of over 500 million worldwide, it is shocking that there has not already been a permanent female league established. Not to mention that the average MLB player, according to ESPN, earns around $500 million annually over a 10-year contract, while that of a professional women's softball player is around $45,000.

That is a large pay gap. Moreover, women in sports already don’t get the opportunity to have the fame, glory and recognition that MLB players like Shohei Ohtani do. Even Ohtani’s dog Decoy is more renowned than the typical softball player. The public’s knowledge of women in athletics should extend beyond Serena Williams and Simone Biles.

But for the first time in history, this opportunity might become a reality. The Women’s Pro Baseball League is currently being drafted with 90 females, set to launch in 2026.

Why did it take us 100 years to move away from the idea of a male-dominated sport? Why were women only allowed to throw a ball “like a man” when the men went off to war?

Why do we let fathers tell their daughters that they will never be as good as a man? That their abilities, no matter how biologically different, should not be pushed or tested or celebrated?

I am not anti-softball either. It is simply the idea that softball feels like a modification to push women to the side that irks me. There is not an alternate version of basketball that women are encouraged to play called “lightball.”

Young girls should feel empowered, strong and represented, so that one day, gender does not have to be a question of ability, but opportunity. If women are reduced to something smaller because there is or was never a path to follow, forge one.

1. Women's Pro Baseball League player Kelsie Whitmore pitching.

PHOTO VIA MLB 2. Baseballs.

PHOTO BY KEILA SUTTON 3. The flag of the United States of America.

PHOTO VIA PNGTREE 4. Junior Sayat Brook stands for the pledge of allegience.

PHOTO BY PAYTON ROTHLUEBBERS

More students should stand for the Pledge of Allegiance's message

T

he fuzzy intercom voice begins: “I pledge allegiance to the flag.” I’m standing with my hand over my heart.

At the end of the last school year, the pledge of allegiance was reinstated into the daily announcements. The first day

by Samantha Kim it was recited, I remember looking around at the confused faces of my classmates. No one really stood except for some teachers, so naturally, neither did I. When talking to my peers, I learned that some of the reasons they didn’t stand were because of dissatisfaction with the current administration, disagreement with its words, unfulfilled promises of the pledge or just plain indifference.

In terms of indifference, whatever the cause of it may be, I believe one should still have a sense of patriotism within them, and standing is a demonstration of a commitment to that. To be honest, I never really thought myself to be patriotic, probably because all I could think of when I heard the word was cawing eagles with American flags heroically billowing below. Being Korean-American, I carried the idea that celebrating my heritage and the flying eagle and flag version of patriotism were incompatible ideas.

According to Merriam Webster, to be patriotic means to have “love for or devotion to one’s country.” I acknowledge that it is not always easy to love America. History classes teach about the oppression of African Americans before and after the Civil War or the misconduct of President Roosevelt interning Japanese Americans in World War II. But, similarly to Roosevelt, U.S. history is multi-faceted, containing triumphs of the human spirit, like the activism of Frederick Douglass, and defenders of liberty, like Senator Maragret Chase Smith with her Declaration of Conscience. So stand for that! Stand for the base values of the U.S., such as freedom of speech and for those who overcame oppression – for the

hope that some of these improvements are yet to come.

Stand for the idea of what America can become one day, and with that should come a devotion to bettering America, in other words, patriotism.

Now, a quick history lesson. The pledge of allegiance was created in 1892 by Francis Bellamy, reading “I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” In 1923, “my Flag” was replaced with “the Flag of the United States of America.” Then in 1954 came the pledge’s most controversial alteration: the addition of “under God,” a reaction to the Red Scare epidemic of the Cold War, which leads us to the pledge we have today. But looking past all the additional words and changes, the basic meaning prevails — I pledge allegiance to the Republic for which it stands, with liberty and justice for all.

Should we not all stand for a republic that itself stands, or should 3 stand, for liberty and justice? In response to the argument that this republic is yet to fulfill those guarantees, of course it hasn’t, and it never will.

There will never be a day where every single U.S. citizen is guaranteed liberty and justice because our country is a 4 composition

of flawed beings. That being said, it should not discourage us from still striving for that goal. So instead of waiting to stand on a day that won’t come, stand for the pledge to unify us in a commitment to that unattainable goal of perfecting this country and to demonstrate your patriotism that should fuel that commitment.

At the end of the day, the pledge has been around and will be around long after our current president. Standing for the pledge does not equate to standing for the incumbent president or to standing for a certain political party.

Our country’s leaders, values and political factions will change over time, but the hope and work put into creating an improved America should not. Standing for the pledge should reflect that unchanging hope: one should not choose to not stand because the candidate they didn’t vote for is in office, for example.

Though beyond all of what I have to say, the first amendment, which is something I stand for in standing for the pledge, is the same law that protects the right to remain seated and the right to or to not recite the words. Many of the reasons for standing can be reinterpreted as reasons to not stand, and after all, it is just a striped and starred piece of fabric. The flag will carry as much meaning as you grant it, but when you do give it reason and you understand the core ideas of this country that are symbolized through the flag, the pledge is something worth standing for.

letters to the

editor

The High Tide encourages greater input of perspectives from both students and staff. If you have an opinion about one of the articles, letters can be sent to the editor at hightideonline@gmail.com We reserve the right to edit for content, grammar and space constraints. Letters must be signed and are not guaranteed to be printed. Please keep letters to a maximum of 250 words. Longer guest opinions are also accepted.

opinion 11

high tide oct. 23, 2025

Numbers do lie

Quantifying one's goals can lead to an unhealthy prioritization of meeting the goal rather than enjoying the task

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o matter how you celebrate on New Year’s Eve, most of us have a striking commonality in our Jan. 1 plans: create a set of goals for the next calendar year.

In theory, deby Deeksha Prasad tailed goal setting is great. It stands to reason that the most effective way to accomplish something is to map out a target in a quantifiable way. Read two books a month. Go to the gym three times a week. Save 15 dollars from each paycheck.

Numbers make our goals checklistable—we can clearly visualize them and cross things off as we go.

But while numbers may be the easiest way for us to create goals to meet, they may not be the most effective method of actually following through on it.

The point of setting goals—or at least, what I believe the point is—is to better ourselves, and we can’t better ourselves by doing things that make us unhappy. Of course, some goals are more fun than others, but at the end of the day, we should be doing things we want to be doing, not things that make us miserable.

An article from the Harvard Business School discusses the risks associated with goal-setting, including neglecting non-target areas and reduced intrinsic motivation, both side effects we should be wary of when we commit ourselves to a long term goal.

The first point: neglecting everything but our goal. Now, nobody’s claiming you end up dropping everything in your life in order to knit an hour a day or go running every morning, but it is pretty easy to let something you want to accomplish overwhelm you. While trying to meet our goals is, of course, ideal, it should go without saying that sometimes, you simply can’t sacrifice an hour of homework on knitting.

The effect I’ve had the most personal experience with, however, is the second: goals reducing our intrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation is the drive to do something for your own personal growth, enjoyment, or interest, whereas extrinsic motivation is the drive to do something because of external factors, such as reward or punishment. For example, if you were to take a hard class because you wanted to challenge yourself, that would be intrinsic. If you did it because your parents offered to give you fifty bucks—extrinsic.

In 2024, I set a numbered goal for myself: I wanted to read a certain amount of books by the end of the year. And at first, I was on track to meet it — I was reading as much as

I could, getting through book after book as the school year drew to a close in June.

But then summer started, and all of a sudden, there

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were a lot more ways I wanted to use my free time. I was taking two summer classes, my friends wanted to go out and sometimes, I just wanted to watch brainless TV. Can you blame me? I tried to keep up my reading pace, but the consistency slipped, and I ended up barely finishing three books across the two months of summer break.

And then school started — and unlike the blissful May and June of the previous school year, August and September meant almost no free time at all; every hour being eaten up by homework, studying and extracurriculars. What little free time I had, I tried to put towards reading and meeting that number I’d written down in January. But that

goal quickly became a chore. I was forcing myself through books I didn’t enjoy when I didn’t remotely feel like reading, and instead like sleeping. For some inane reason, I was dead set on meeting that number.

In retrospect, that was completely misguided. What was meeting that number going to do for me? Was I going to be better off for having read that many books in one year? Did the quantity of the books I read even mat1 ter over how much I actually liked what I was reading?

So after inevitably failing to meet the goal come December, I decided to take a new a p proach in 2025.

My goal for this year wasn’t to read X hours a week or X books by the end of the year, or anything that could be summed up in a number. Instead, I resolved to read as many books as I possibly could, provided I actually enjoyed the reading.

All of a sudden, the imaginary pressure I’d created for myself the year before was gone. And, believe it or not, I’ve read more books from January to now than I had all of last year, because I haven’t been reading to meet a quantitative value, just to have fun.

Goals aren’t bad things; in fact, they’re extremely valuable in helping us become the kind of people we want to be, developing disciplined habits and bettering our lifestyles. However, we also need to be kind to ourselves in that process. We should be trying to meet a goal because we genuinely want to and because it brings us joy, not because we feel some invisible pressure forcing us to do something.

2 That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t do something because it’s hard. Ultimately, the level of difficulty of a task isn’t proportional with how much we actually like it or believe we should be doing it. Sometimes, you have to tough out an off day to accomplish something you want to accomplish. But give yourself grace, and remember you aren’t obligated to just hit numbers.

1. Photo of a pencil. PHOTO VIA FREEPIK 2. Photo of notebook. PHOTO VIA FREEPIK 3. Harvard Buisness School logo. PHOTO VIA HBS. EDU

editorial: media literacy

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By: High Tide Editorial Staff

n 2023, the state of California established the Media Literacy Law, which required teachers to embed media literacy instruction into core subjects throughout grades K-12. To address the continued digitization of information, the law merely stated the obvious: students must learn how to evaluate sources and identify misinformation.

Although research skills and media literacy are briefly touched on in some of our English and history classes, it is not sufficient enough to support students throughout their adulthood, especially during an age of political divisiveness. With propaganda and biases plaguing present day news, teachers must spend an adequate amount of instructional time to-

wards developing students’ research and critical thinking skills through exposure to a plethora of media sources.

Spending more time on the token “research unit” may suffice. What may be more beneficial is altering the amount of time allotted to RUHS Time. Reinstating a 20-minute RUHS Time period to allow students to browse the internet, including media outlets and advanced research engines, may allow for students to expand upon their objective evaluation skills while also keeping them well informed on the political landscape and other news.

This designated period, whilst also providing time to strengthen media literacy, could also include moderated discussion between students.

This may enforce the idea that people can dis-

agree on political beliefs, and still be understanding and respectful to one another, refuting the taboo attitude towards political debate that has emerged. There is no safer place to spark up dialogue than in schools, where we come to learn from the abundance of perspectives that our peers and teachers offer.

Could this take away from instructional time? Well, unless you consider building crucial critical thinking skills a waste, no. Integrating media literacy and healthy debate into class time will prepare students to become active members in our nation’s democracy. The best thing RUHS can do for their students is give them ample opportunities for political socialization, and that starts in the classroom.

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entertainment Battle of the Grocery Stores

Erewhon and Lazy Acres are both incredibly overpriced stores, yet Lazy Acres delivers where Erewhon falls short

by Leyla Evenson

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f shopping at high-end grocery store Lazy Acres makes you feel nervous, you’re not alone. I always feel kind of underdressed when going there to buy groceries. I promise though, the food isn’t as dry and flavorless as you would expect it to be. To make sure I got a thorough and well rounded review, I visited the store three times and tried multiple different types of foods. I got one meal from the self-serve food bar, one sushi roll and one smoothie.

In total, my lunch from the food bar cost $8.25, and I did feel full after it. I had every major food group: beans, pasta and potatoes. Basically, I took a paper box and lid and walked around the food bar in search of dishes that looked appetizing. Points for Lazy Acres for being eco-friendly and not using plastic utensils. I only have one rating system, and it encapsulates everything: value, taste, texture, etc. The system is one through 10.

The first dish that caught my eye

was the Turkish Garbanzo Bean Salad, which I picked because I needed a protein source. Let me tell you, as a vegetarian, I’ve had many legume dishes. This did, dare I say, top my list of tastiest bean salads. The mix of kalamata olives, parsley and vinegar were like a party in a box. I was still interested by the last spoonful, which is incredibly difficult for a bean salad to do.

I gave this dish a 10/10.

I also tried two kinds of pasta salad.

The first one was the Lemon and Dill Pasta salad. The flavors in this were super fun and also kind of weird, but in a good way. Would I ever put lemon and dill on my pasta? Probably not. But I did enjoy this mix. However, the pasta itself was imperfect and sometimes a little bit crunchy. My best guess, or at least the one I choose to believe, is that it was a bit burnt. I didn’t know how to feel about that either, but I could ignore it for the most part. Overall, it was pretty fun, and I did like it, though I am knocking some points off for the crunch. 8/10.

The second pasta was the Macaroni Salad. This had the fun combo of pasta and vegetables mixed together. Hence pasta salad. Those two flavors mixed together are a bit foreign to me, so I was scared. It really pushed me out of my comfort zone (which is plain pasta). It had black olives, with small pieces of onion and bell pepper.

The sauce was vaguely cheesy, though I’m not sure what it actually was made of be-

by Emery Min

T

cause the dish was labeled vegan. Despite its quirks and my initial apprehension, I actually really enjoyed this pasta salad.

There were no mysterious crunches and I felt safe the whole time I was eating it.

I really liked that the vegetables were cut up into small pieces because that meant there were no strange contradicting textures. This was a 9/10, and very safe for picky eaters like myself.

I also had three chunks of herb-roasted potatoes. They were potatoes, that's for sure. Not much was right or wrong with them, but I feel like I could've cooked them up myself and they would have been equally as good. I’m always happy about a green onion, fresh herb, fresh garlic potato, though, so I don’t really have any complaints. If you want a basic potato dish for whatever reason, here's a pretty solid one for you. I’ll give these potatoes 7/10, but they are definitely not Thanksgiving worthy.

The avocado roll that I had was so incredibly middling and overpriced it can only be described as meh. The avocado itself was just wilted and sad. I can’t hate on it too much though because I was holding it to Mitsuwa standards, and that's unfair. I just think Lazy Acres should take a few notes from their fellow grocers and improve in this department. If this was the situation of the avocado, I can’t imagine what the fish situa-

he only thing more stereotypically Los Angeles than Erewhon might be the influencers who frequent the grocery store. Quite possibly the pinnacle of high-end grocery stores, Erewhon is well-known for its artisan products and inflated prices. The chain has gained attention online for its Strawberry Glaze Skin Smoothie, popularized by Hailey Bieber, and its unique array of products. So in order to save you both the effort and money, I’ve taken the time to review both the store overall and some of their most popular prepared food items.

At a first glance, the only way to describe the store is curated. Erewhon is divided into four main sections — an open area for produce, aisles of standard packaged goods, shelves to the side for wellness and health products and a café in the back with a smoothie bar and prepared food.

There’s a wide range of items available: everything from mushroom sleep gummies to mason jars of trail mix to rainbow-colored sea moss, all wrapped in cute and colorful packaging. The prices are the real shock here. $42.99 for a jug of maple syrup, $13.99 for a bottle of water and $138 for a reusable bag, to name a few of the more outrageous examples.

But enough about the atmosphere, onto the food. The most iconic of all, the Strawberry Glaze Skin Smoothie, costs a whopping $20 and includes ingredients

tion is like. I don’t really want to, either. I’m giving this roll a 6/10.

Lazy Acres, figure it out.

Alright, listen up. This is probably what you’ve been waiting for: the smoothie review.

Drumroll, please. It was okay. I got the Tropical Orchard smoothie, which was a blend of guava and pineapple. It was a little bit overpriced, at $8.25 for the smallest size. Unfortunately I don’t have any creative insights for you. It was a little bit too much money for a very underwhelming product. My advice is to skip this one and just eat some fruit. 7/10. It was good, but not eight dollars good.

Despite the anticlimactic smoothie, I actually really enjoyed Lazy Acres’ food, and they have me as a loyal customer. The quality was fairly good and the selection of vegetarian/vegan options was extremely varied. Sometimes it's hard to find something else to eat besides lettuce and Caesar Salad dressing, but Lazy Acres had my back. I would also like to add: I know the connotation is that Lazy Acres is super duper expensive, but I promise that that's not as big of a problem as you might think it is. The issue is that everywhere is expensive, but that's not Lazy Acres’ fault (I am talking strictly about their meal boxes, not about their groceries, do NOT ask my opinion on Lazy Acres apple prices.) The price I paid for my meal, $8.25, was comparable to many other quick meal options.

I’m looking at you, Jersey Mikes. So if you are looking for a quick, healthy alternative for lunch, I think Lazy Acres should definitely cross your mind.

like grassfed vanilla collagen and sea moss. For the price, I expected the smoothie to taste like it was made from nectar and ambrosia. As a point of reference, a large Strawberries Wild smoothie from Jamba costs $10.29 and is 28 ounces, compared to Erewhon’s mere 20 ounces. As for the smoothie itself, it was pleasantly thick, and I enjoyed the subtle notes of coconut included. The strawberry glaze added a second punch of flavor and made for a more interesting drinking experience. Overall, a decent smoothie, but perhaps not life-changing enough to justify the price.

My second purchase, the Mango Malibu Smoothie, cost slightly less at $19. Despite featuring mango, pineapple, banana and orange along with lion’s mane mushrooms and Agent Nateur Marine Collagen, the smoothie mostly just tasted like bananas.

Mistakenly ordering two (not my brightest moment!) definitely put a dent in my wallet, and I would argue that it wasn’t worth it.

The Mango Malibu Smoothie had a thicker consistency compared to the Strawberry Glaze Skin Smoothie and made it feel like I was wading through banana cream as I drank it. Although it was far from bad, it did remind me of the smoothies I make at home when I run out of frozen fruit and have to supplement with extra bananas.

Browsing the refrigerated section of prepared food, I noticed that it was notably more crowded with people than the aisles of most groceries. The Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice attracted my attention first.

With its blocks of golden brown rice, this type of dish is something I almost always order when it’s on a menu. Coming in at

$19.99, the crispy rice is on the more expensive side but the price is not unheard of for sushi. It’s also gluten free, and the package notes that almost all of the sushi’s ingredients are organic. Despite that fact, nothing could salvage this appetizer. After sitting in the store’s refrigerator, the crispy rice had become a soggy mess — the exact opposite of what its name boasted — and made for a less than enjoyable mouthfeel. The tuna also tasted unseasoned, and was only saved by the spicy sriracha-based sauce drizzled on top. It was by far the worst thing I tried and not something I would recommend to future shoppers.

Finally, moving on to the hot food: I ordered a combo plate with the Korean BBQ Marinated Grass-Fed Short Ribs. Having grown up on this dish as a Korean myself, I was prepared to be a harsh critic but Erewhon pleasantly surprised me. The short ribs were

well seasoned and the marinade hit the right flavors of soy (despite being substituted for organic coconut aminos), mirin and sugar.

The slices of beef were thinner than I’m used to but not overly tough like some online reviews claimed. Alongside the short ribs, the combo plate also comes with two sides of your choice. By recommendation, I ordered the Organic Kale & White Bean Salad and the Organic Macaroni & Cheese Old School. Both were fairly standard— the salad had a nice citrusy dressing which paired well with the creaminess of the white beans, and the macaroni and cheese was appropriately cheesy. All in all, most of the food at Erewhon was acceptable but neither to die for nor worth the price. So, while I’ll never get my money back, I would advise you to save yours— unless you’re absolutely dying to try organic sea moss.

A LAZY ACRES BAG AND AN EREWHON SMOOTHIE PLAY TUG-OF-WAR WITH A PRICE TAG ILLUSTRATION BY FI BORGESE

entertainment 13

high tide oct. 23, 2025

Fall anthems or flops?

Taylor Swift's new album "The Life of a Showgirl" disappoints with immature lyrics, inconsistent themes and boring instrumentals

by Payton Rothluebbers

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think I’ve developed wrinkles from all the sour faces that I made while listening to Taylor Swift’s “The Life of a Showgirl.” I want to preface that I am not a Taylor hater; her old music raised me, and I happily attended the Eras Tour.

However, Taylor’s recent deterioration as an artist is disappointing beyond words, and this release made me lose all my remaining hopes that she will ever create enjoyable music again.

Taylor is capable of making great, versatile albums, which she has proved within most of her previous work. I am not saying that I expected “The Life of a Showgirl,” a pop album, to match her more indie-style albums in their lyricism and meaning, or that I wanted it to sound exactly the same as her other pop albums. I just expected the quality to be at least on par with the rest of her music.

Most of the instrumentals on this album are shockingly underwhelming. The entire tracklist especially “Elizabeth Taylor,” “Wi$h Li$t” and “Honey,” just felt empty between every lyric. This album’s songs all had very little mixing of instruments, often with basic piano scales, the repeated use of snare drums and the lack of any complexity. They sound generic and use one consistent sound over and over again, making the songs not only repetitive lyrically, but also annoying and repetitive sonically.

The only instrumentals that stood out to me as not incredibly displeasing were sampled from other songs, such as “Wood,” which sampled The Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back.” Even then, Taylor’s sampling

managed to simplify the instrumental and make it so much more boring than the original track it was taken from.

Another thing that I could not stand throughout the album was Taylor’s vocals.

She is not a bad vocalist in general, but her artistic choices for this album make her singing close to unbearable. In “Opalite” and “Actually Romantic,” she layers her vocals sloppily, causing them to clash. In general, when Taylor isn’t using a whiny voice and making vocal runs seem like they belong in the Olympics, she just sounds painfully bored, almost as if she is doing karaoke in front of people she doesn’t feel comfortable with.

Despite my critiques of her vocals and instrumentals, by far the most outrageous part of “The Life of a Showgirl” is its themes and lyricism. The themes throughout the album are quite inconsistent, jumping from discussing the apparent difficulties of being rich and famous to how amazing her love life has become. The only thing consistent throughout her writing is that Taylor comes off as privileged, egotistical and insecure.

She audaciously opens the album with “The Fate of Ophelia,” a reference to the character Ophelia from William Shakespeare’s play “Hamlet.” Although this song was relatively fun and easy on the ears compared to its counterparts, Taylor misinterprets Ophelia’s character to the point where the meaning of the song becomes corrupted. Ophelia, who dies by drowning, is driven to insanity mainly due to the patriarchal society that she lives in, but Taylor’s

interpretation of Ophelia paints her as just a helpless girl whose problems could have been healed by romance. For somebody who wrote the lyric “I know Aristotle,” this song is an embarrassment.

In general, Taylor’s lyricism lacks the depth she’s claimed it to have. “CANCELLED!” is possibly the worst song I have ever listened to, specifically because of its lyrics, which criticize cancel culture and describe a rebellion against it in the most elementary way possible.

I also found the writing of “Wi$h Li$t,” “Wood” and “Eldest Daughter” to be especially immature.

It is evident that at this point in her career, Taylor is not writing music with her audience in mind. She is writing music for money and relevance; she knows that no matter what kind of slop she releases, her loyal fans will mindlessly follow. So save yourself the time, and don’t turn on “Life of a Showgirl” no matter what swifties have to say about it.

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"Deadbeat," Tame Impala's fifth studio album, experiments with a new sound and includes effective thematic storytelling

by Jayla Dorbor

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implicity. While achieving it may seem easy, it is something very hard for artists to execute in a meaningful and engaging way. Not only is this task difficult, it is also very foreign to producer and alternative pop artist Tame Impala.

I’ve been a casual listener of Tame Impala (Kevin Parker) since I first came across his hit 2015 album “Currents.” Known for his complex maximalist electro-beats, I mostly listened to calmer songs like “Eventually” and “Borderline” since I'm not a big EDM fan. It’s been 10 years since that monumental album’s release, and Parker has come back simpler than ever with his fifth studio album, “Deadbeat.”

The album opens with what sounds like a voice memo of raw piano playing, but as the song moves along, more and more electronic elements are added. This is very fitting for the title of the song, “My old ways,” in which Parker discusses falling back into his “not shocking,” but “undesirable” old habits. The build of electric element in this song perfectly matches the story, as it seems like Parker is reconnecting with his musical past, but in a reluctant way. This track perfectly sets the listener up for an album with a lyrically and instrumentally simplistic, but still impactful Parker.

“No Reply” and “Loser” continue the thematic storyline present throughout the entire album of Parker feeling like he is not good enough in a metaphorical relationship. Throughout this album, Parker discusses this failing relationship, and while it may seem like a romantic one, it more resembles Parker’s relationship with music. Parker is known to try to come up with

a completely different sound for every album he releases because according to him, it’s boring doing only what you're the best at. However, with this experimentation comes doubt, which is something heavily discussed in this album.

The shifts between raw acoustic sound and electrical synths and drums represents the uncertainty present in Parker's mind when experimenting and creating new music. As the album builds, Parker uses less and less acoustic and more of the electric sounds as he reconnects with his roots and finds his old self. Yet it’s not the same EDM as in previous albums — the synths and trap drums have a much lighter yet eerie feeling, representing Parker's ability to live in the uncomfortable and accept that these feelings of doubt are what comes with experimenting.

“Piece of Heaven” exemplifies this feeling of acceptance. Parker describes his music room, which can be messy and unorganized, but he sees it as a piece of heaven because it allows him to make what he loves most: music. Parker begins accepting his unconventional style as an artist, recognizing how that is what allows him to thrive. While I didn’t love the production on this song, the pure acceptance it presents is joyful, making it one of my favorites off the album.

This simpler and lighter form of electric music allows Parker's complex yet very soothing melodies to shine. Parker's ability to create such captivating and catchy melodies make his songs so listenable — I caught myself humming the melody to “Loser” after only one listen. Not only were the melodies captivating, but Parker’s vocals

were perfectly dreamlike. While he is not a strong vocalist, Parker's ability to use vocal effects to further the meaning of his songs while also adding an otherworldly element is truly applaudable.

Parker also does an amazing job of adding spooky elements to his songs, while also making sure they feel timeless.

“Dracula” starts off with a bang — a creepy doorbell and monster-like laugh — which is quite fitting for the song title.

While this song is clearly Halloween themed, the upbeat production and catchy melody makes it feel like it could be listened to at any time of the year.

In contrast, “Obsolete” contains more subtle eerie elements; but in spite of their subdued nature these elements are essential to the theme of the song.

The song starts out more upbeat, with subtle howls in the background, and as the song progresses, the creepy elements increase, especially with the instrumental break at the end of the song. This build reveals the true feelings of obsoleteness emerging from behind a facade.

The album ends with the track “End of Summer.” In this song Parker finally stops being a bystander in this relationship, and instead of feeling defeated, he tries to make the dynamic work by putting his full effort into the relationship.

The production on this song is the most

instrumental, with minimal lyrics, yet still feels simple, bringing the album to a close with Parker being true to himself and letting himself thrive in the uncomfortable.

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1 "The Life of a Showgirl" album cover 2 "The Life of a Showgirl" record PHOTOS VIA REPUBLIC 3-5 Vinyl records PHOTOS BY ROBERT PACKARD 6 "Deadbeat" album cover PHOTO VIA COLUMBIA RECORDS

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14

sports All or nothing Football delivers homecoming victory over Santa Monica

by Marlena Lipan

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treamers flood the air and the crowd relishes in school pride as Redondo beats Santa Monica High School in the Oct. 17 Homecoming game with a score of 47-7.

Immediately taking an offensive approach, Redondo scored a touchdown within the first 5 minutes of the game.

“We just thought to play physical from the start and get up in their faces and make them quit in the first quarter,” junior and left tackle Seth Sullivan said.

Soon following, Redondo scored an-

other touchdown. Santa Monia then took possession of the ball, which Redondo took back, going on to score two more touchdowns, the second scored by senior quarterback Bo Ausmus.

“After scoring a touchdown, and after PATs, everybody comes in. There is great teamwork and a great culture. Everybody high fives each other,” Sullivan said.

Redondo then shifted to being on the defense after an interception. “[Regulating stress] is a skill you develop as a player throughout football. You have to learn it, because it's such an important skill to help you play,” junior cornerback Nathan Horta said.

No additional points were scored before the end of the quarter, bringing the score of the first quarter to 27-0, with Redondo in the lead. The Sea Hawks focused on keeping their lead going into the second quarter.

“I just knew that we had to keep our back foot on the pedal and keep running up that score,” Horta said.

Early in the quarter, Redondo regained the offensive position, although a missed catch led the possession to shift yet again to Santa Monica. Shortly after, Redondo edge rusher Brock Herrera regained possession and scored a touchdown.

“I still kind of had butterflies in my stomach, so I was kind of anxious, but I also had that fire in my stomach, which motivated me and gave me some adrenaline,” Sullivan said.

The kickoff after the touchdown was fumbled by Santa Monica, allowing for junior defensive lineman Adrien Trembly to score another touchdown for Redondo, Senior Bo Ausmus runs the ball for a touchdown. PHOTO leading the score at halftime to be 41-0.

BY GRACE TAYAG

Senior Brock Herrera charges through the defense for a touchdown. PHOTO BY GRACE TAYAG

Redondo was in possession of the ball right out of the gate, making headway towards the end zone. Throughout the third quarter, Redondo remained primarily on the offensive. With 3 minutes left, junior running back Jerrell Railey scored the first and only touchdown of the third quarter for RUHS. By the end of the quarter, Santa Monica had still not scored any points with the score being 47-0.

The fourth quarter began with Redondo starting on the offensive position. Santa Monica gained possession and went on to

score their first and only touchdown of the game.

“I can’t let one play in the past mess with me, and it’ll affect the rest of the game, so I just think of the next play,” Sullivan said.

Redondo regained the offensive position, and before they could score another touchdown, the game ended in a victory for RUHS. The final scoreboard was marked by a significant margin, acting as a seal for the Redondo victory, with a score of 47-7.

Flag football defeats Mira Costa to secure the Bay league championship

by Francisco Villegas

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ith their only defeat in league play coming from Mira Costa, the opportunity to regain their top spot and win a Bay League championship at once isn't something flag football took for granted. On Oct. 14th, the Sea Hawks took down rival Mira Cota 20-0 in a defensive shutout, bringing home the Bay League title for the third year in a row.

Based on the Sea Hawks pattern of big wins, this final score might seem somewhat tame. Both teams came out of the gate relatively slow offensively, and as the first quarter came to a close, the game was still scoreless. As a receiver, senior team captain Abby Luis felt the team had some nerves going into this caliber of game, which led to the slow start.

“The tension of the rivalry brought us a bit of butterflies in our stomachs, but after the first drive or two as a team, we got back to normal. Pressure is actually a privilege [when it comes to flag football], so I made sure to reinforce to everyone that we got it. Remembering how much we wanted this win coming into the game mattered,” Luis said.

The first score of the game came on a long touchdown pass over the top to freshman Morgan Watts from quarterback Blair Nolen, early in the second quarter.

Now in the lead, the pressure shifted to the defense to hold their

ground as the offense got up to speed. The Sea Hawks held strong, as the Mustangs couldn't get anything going with the secondary repeatedly batting down Costa’s passes– something senior Kayla Armstrong helped to coordinate from the linebacker position, despite her statistically quiet game.

“This week in practice defense has been working to go through the ball and not necessarily to pick it [which we had been doing in previo u s

Player runs to get the ball. PHOTO BY GRACE TAYAG

likes kept the

games], because Costa to go long to the safeties,” Armstrong said.

“Batting the ball down them in check, but as second half went on, we started to realize we didn’t have to focus as much on hitting it because offense was doing well, so we went back to picking.”

cheers and it was a fun atmosphere throughout. You could tell that we wanted it more than they wanted it.

They're used to winning and beating us, but we showed them why we're ranked higher nationally.”

In the second half, the Sea Hawk offense picked up as they built upon the first touchdown with two more: one coming from another Nolan pass, and the other on a scramble.

The Seahawks defense closed out the game by ending another Mira Costa drive.

“In the end, I think the team that wanted to win more was going to Girls celebrate after scoring a touchdown. PHOTO BY GRACE TAYAG

As successful as the focus of batting the ball down was in the first half, the shift to focusing on getting the takeaway in the second half proved to be the right decision. The team had a dominant defensive performance led by five sacks from senior Sophomore Blair Nolen evades attackers. PHOTO BY GRACE TAYAG rusher Jola Phelan, three picks from across win. We took last game’s loss and watched the secondary in the second half, and, most a lot of film this week to learn from those notably, the shutout. mistakes,” Luis said. “Knowing that and “Halfway through it was like [Costa] knowing my teammates wanted to win stopped wanting to play since we kept stopjust as badly as I did made me confident ping them. Last time they were really loud, throughout the game. The win we got as a but this time, when we were up one or two result feels really satisfying.” touchdowns on them they just became really quiet,” Armstrong said. “The energy on our sideline stayed consistent; we had our

sports 15

high tide oct. 23, 2025

Boys water polo comes up short, 12-15, in an overtime thriller

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by Kate Lanzdorf

iant cardboard faces taped to yardsticks were seen waving as soon as the players stepped on deck. The bleachers were filled with the team's parents and family members for senior night. The game was close, with Redondo going to overtime against El Segundo High school, unfortunately losing 12-15.

The team considers their emotional manner to be a large contribution to their performance.

“We played really well. We had some mental mistakes going into the game and some injuries, so that definitely hurt us a little bit,” said Head Coach Jase Emery.

“We need to prepare a little bit differently when we play El Segundo again, but overall, I’m proud of how the boys performed.”

El Segundo started off the match Oct. 9 with three goals in the first quarter and RUHS two. Junior Jack Wieman scored a goal early on, and senior Ollie Luykmanov scored with just 2.92 seconds left on the shot clock. “[I expected] to win by a lot, but unfortunately that didn’t happen. I knew it was going to be a hard and emotional game because it was our home pool and senior night, but overall, I think we did well,” said senior Adrian Berger. “The next time we go against them, it will be a different story.”

Close after the start of the second quarter, El Segundo scored two goals. After Gundo had a close miss, RUHS picked it back up. Senior AJ Waldfogel and Wieman each scored another goal, tying the game with about eight minutes left. According to senior team captain Evan Keene, it was difficult to balance the impact of senior night and trying to win the game. Although it was important to put every senior in the game, they also had to consider which players would get them closer to a CIF and Bay League title.

“It being senior night was both good and bad,” Berger said. “It gave us that emotional refresh of serotonin that allowed us to push a lot harder, but it pushed us a little over the line of what we could and couldn’t do. [The energy of senior night] could have allowed us to win by a lot."

By the end of quarter three, Luykmanov and Wieman scored again, with Keene scoring two goals. Redondo knew that the game was going to be passionate; they have a history playing with El Segundo. According to Berger, the opposing team has a reputation for “playing dirty.”

“I have a lot of good friends on the team, so I knew this was going to be an emotional game,” senior AJ Waldfogel said. “We know they have some good players, and we know how they like to act, and how they try to get in our heads. Before the game, we had our talk to prepare ourselves against that.”

Four more goals were scored in the final quarter, keeping the score as close as possible. With El Segundo in the lead at 12-11, Senior Miles McDaniel tied it back up with 15 seconds left in the game.

“For a lot of people on our team, winning and playing well is their way to leave their mark at the school after they leave,” Berger said. “If the signs on the pool deck that say ‘won CIF’ or ‘won Bay League’ had our year on them it would mean a lot to all of us.”

In overtime, El Segundo took the lead and won the game at 15-12. While the Sea Hawks lost the game, the significance of senior night reinforced the boys’ drive to come back better. Their rigorous practice schedule and deep appreciation for the game will carry them through their upcoming matches.

“It’s a tough loss to take so deep into the season, but it also served as a wake up call for us,” said Waldfogel. We still have to keep working and we have a lot of important games left and our season is not over just yet. The job is not done.”

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Set, spike, shock

he crowd was deafening, the bleachers packed and the energy high as girls volleyball faced Mira Costa on Oct. 14 in a tense rivalry matchup.

Although the game began in Costa’s favor, our girls quickly turned the momentum around, ultimately winning 3-1.

Though the Sea

Hawks quickly took a 3-0 lead in the first set, a controversial call by the refs had them lose their momentum and made it hard for the girls to settle into the game.

“We came out strong, but then they had a few good runs and I think it kind of threw us off our rhythm a little bit,” senior captain Taylor Boice said.

“We were just trying to get used to the pace of the game because it’s always different with [Costa], it’s faster, louder, and just kind of a lot to handle.”

Focus was the main priority after the Sea Hawks lost the first set 16-25, and in order to regain their lead, the girls 1 switched their positioning on the court to better

Girls volleyball routes Costa 3-1 in a top 10 state matchup

combat Costa’s strong attack.

“I think o u r b i g g e s t [weak point] was o u r blocking. We needed to adjust that, because we were getting fooled and we weren’t doing what we needed to do at the net,” Boice said. “We made adjustments on that and we made them hit where we knew that their weaknesses were.”

The new formation on the court worked, and the Sea Hawks began to play more quality volleyball in the second set, according to Senior Captain Abby Zimmerman.

“We had more of the energy on our side,” Zimmerman said.

“We played better that set for sure, and ended up winning the last three points in the second set, which was pretty good.”

As the game progressed into the third set, the Sea Hawks gained even more momentum, as everything began to “click” for the girls.

“The third set was our best set,” Boice said. “We really picked up everything. We did everything that we said we were gonna do before the game, [with our] coverage, and we served them off the court. That’s how you win games.”

The girls were up 2-1 going into the fourth set, and the intensity only grew as the Sea Hawks made some skilled plays to continue extending their lead.

“Ashley Vez came in and was our serving sub for our middle, so she came in and brought two huge aces to put us up. The noise was really loud and the cheering [was very enthusiastic],” Zimmerman

by Sophie Rebbeck said. “Then she had a great dig and cover ball that really just amped up the crowd and the bench. Everyone was just so happy for her and for our team to get ahead towards the end, because everyone was feeling that we were going to win the whole thing.”

The Sea Hawks ended up winning the final set 25-17, defeating Costa three sets to one. The victory sets them up for a positive rest of the season while also serving as a motivator to keep improving. “[The win] proves that when we’re good, we’re really good, and we can close out sets,” Boice said. “I think we’ve had doubt in ourselves, but this showed us that if we become tough, we can close it out. We just need to make sure we don’t get comfortable—we beat a good team, but there are better teams out there. What can we do to improve to beat those teams?”

Our Sea Hawks now begin their journey to CIF, where they are hoping to keep the same fierce energy for their next games.

“It’ll be great for our confidence,” Zimmerman said.

“Just being able to have a big win toward the end of the season under our belts w i l l prepare us for the top teams we’ll have to play in CIF playoffs.”

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1:Junior Abbie Hairrell spikes ball 2: Junior Sienna Castillo applaudes after point PHOTOS BY IGNACIO PEREZ

Junior Jack Wieman passes the ball towrds the middle. PHOTO BY IAN GUERRERO ESTRADA.

in-focus 10

high tide oct. 23, 2025

In the RED

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Recent changes in legislation by the Trump administration put the future of federal

by Kate Brucia student loans and higher education in jeopardy

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he average total cost of attend- dents' abilities to pay for college. Beginning ing one year of a four-year pri- on July 1, 2026, parents will only be able to vate university in California is borrow $20,000 a year per student, and no $64,820, according to the latest findings more than $65,000 in total. from the Education Data Initiative. Com“That cap means you have to have cash probly the cost for a four-year public uni- on hand. If you're looking at USC, which versity in California is $27,075. Consider- is going to run you $100,000, and you're ing the immense maxed out at $20,000 in financial burden loans, that means you've got this would place to cover [the rest],” Menon many high schner said. “I think that schoolers planmight potentially change ning to attend “[The new cap on where some students college and their loans] means you choose to attend. [...] But at families, it is comleast within our communimon for students have to have cash on ty, I don't see it necessarily to consider alterstudents from hand. If you're looking preventing natives, such as going to college or seeing a transferring to a at USC, which is going huge shift to a community four-year school college.” to run you $100,000, after two years of If students or families community col- and you're maxed out need financial aid counsellege.

Students ing, the Nest recommends may also seek at $20,000 in loans, using resources from the scholarships or that means you've got California Student Aid merit aid to bring Commission. Another free down their total to cover [the rest]. resource is the Student costs, but what Loan Empowerment [SLE] ultimately enables KATIE MENSCHNER Network, run by the Calmany students to RUHS NEST COUNSELOR ifornia Department of Fiattend a private or nancial Protection and Inpublic university novation [DFPI]. According for four years is to the DFPI Student Loan federal financial aid and loans.

Ombudsperson Celina Damian, the SLE However, the future of federal student Network can provide one-on-one student loans and higher education in general has loan education and management. It pribecome unclear in recent months. On July marily counsels borrowers in repayment, 4, 2025, President Donald Trump signed but is also able to advise future students on the “One Big Beautiful Bill” Act into law, potential loans and how policy changes like which has made several changes to feder- the “One Big Beautiful Bill’s” new limits al student aid. These changes included re- will affect their financing. For high school ducing the payment plans available to just students, Damian says financial literacy two: a standard repayment plan, and an in- is key, recommending to research school come-based repayment plan. Also, Direct costs and careers and seek out grants or PLUS [Parent Loan for Undergraduate Stu- scholarships before a loan. In terms of redents] loans have new limits, something search, Menschner also highly encourages RUHS Nest counselor Katie Menschner be- using the U.S. Department of Education lieves will have the greatest impact on stu- Net Price Calculator to get a comprehen-

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sive idea of what you will be paying for a college in Oregon and live in the dorms, given school, as well as a return on invest- before transferring to a four-year univerment calculator. sity.

“You can get a better idea [if] spending In general, community college is a popthis much on college and taking this much ular option at RUHS. According to Mendebt is a good investment. Am I going to schner, there is a steady rate of 35% of realistically have a job and an income to RUHS graduates attending a two year colbe able to pay that back? Sometimes that lege every year. This is encouraged by procomes across as being anti-humanities or grams like the California Promise Grant, anti-arts, and that's not my intent at all,” which waives enrollment fees to commuMenschner said. “I tend to be more prac- nity colleges, and the South Bay Promise, tically minded. I'm a parent myself of kids which grants free tuition to El Camino for that are looking to pay for college. You re- a year. ally need to think long and hard before you “A lot of kids look down on [community take on $100,000 plus a year in debt.” college] because in two years the most you As a Nest counselor, Menschner’s job is can get is an AA [Associate’s Degree] or a not to administer financial advice to fami- certificate. There's an idea that you can't lies: her area of expertise is college admis- get higher paying jobs or better careers sions. However, the Nest did host and protheir annual Senior Parent Finanfessions cial Presentation on Oct. 15, where when you the counselors discussed the new go to a loan limits, possibly the first time communiAs the president, you some families became aware of ty college,” them. However, senior Elizabeth would think that you Polanco Polanco notes that students who said.

“A plan to rely on federal loans try to would be obligated to lot of peostay informed. ple paint aid others and uplift “In a way, the ones that want to that narbe aware of it are aware of it. I know them financially. How rative as students who are low income, have are we going to do something maybe single parent households n ega ti ve, who are like, ‘this is a big thing for that if you're pulling like you me and this is going to affect me,’” aid plans?” weren't Polanco said. “As the president, s m a r t you would think that you would be enough to obligated to aid others and uplift ELIZABETH POLANCO get into a them financially. You want them SENIOR four year, to be the future, you want them to but now grow as not only a community, but the comas a society. How are we going to munity do that if you're pulling aid plans?” route is Polanco has known she wanted to be- becoming slightly more talked about. I come an immigration lawyer since fourth think it's because people started questiongrade, and plans to major in political sci- ing why it isn’t being brought up. ” ence or sociology. Rather than attending Polanco has gained experience with community college locally, like at El Cami- college-level courses through the TRIO no, she is looking to attend a community Pre-University program at California Lutheran University, staying at the dorms with other high school students for a couple of weeks in the summer. TRIO programs are federally funded, and are intended to support low-income and first-generation high school students. According to a summary of studies conducted by the U.S. Department of Education published by the Pell Institute, participants in Upward Bound, the type of TRIO program Polanco is in, are 50% more likely to attain a bachelor’s degree. In President Trump’s proposed budget changes for 2026 written, he recommended eliminating TRIO funding, calling it a “relic of the past” and “woke ideology."

This action aligns with his administration’s goals of dismantling the Department of Education, something issued in an executive order Trump signed on March 20, 2025. The order has yet to take effect, as it still has to be enacted through Congress, but the stripping of the Department’s funding and transferring its programs to other departments is currently underway. At this point, it is unclear exactly what changes will result from this.

“We are the future and we're going to be the ones that are the next lawyers, the next politicians, the next teachers,” Polanco said. “Why would you try to take away something that could be so beneficial to our education just to cut federal spending? It's pointless.”

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1. ILLUSTRATION BY CLAUDIA TURNER 2. Trump signing the "Big Beautiful Bill" into law PHOTO VIA THE WHITE HOUSE