Klatte reflects on high school friendships by Haris Khan
Leg Ahead. Fransico Peralta does not let his prosthetic leg affect his life; instead, it motivates him. PHOTO BY JENNY OETZELL
Putting his best foot forward
Peralta plans to develop bionic knee and ankle to replace his own prosthetic leg. by Nageena Hamraz
Smelling the sharp fumes of tapping fluid, hearing the screech of the band saw on aluminum and the pops of the rivet gun, senior Francisco Peralta builds robots with the Robotics team. Through Robotics and Swim, Senior Francisco Peralta has grown to accept his individuality. While Peralta is building robots, he feels “powerful” and “mentally inspired.” “That feeling of control over a mechanism is fulfilling because you start out with an idea, and you develop that idea into a working competitive robot that is able to just function how you want it to,” Peralta said. “Competition drives my survival.” Peralta originally joined the Robotics team because he was curious as to what went on in the Robotics lab, and this curiosity has led him to become a part of a team that has “enforced [his] desire to become a mechanical engineer.” “Whenever we are working on the robot, I feel inspired to continue on my engineering career and continue seeking my dream to develop my own bionic knee and ankle,”
Peralta said. Peralta’s right femur was underdeveloped when he was born, so his right leg was amputated. Through mechanical engineering, Peralta hopes to improve his own bionic knee and ankle, and in the future provide cheaper ones for other amputees because they are currently too expensive. Before Robotics, Peralta was on the swim team. Although he did not have great difficulty swimming while on the team, being on that team helped “grow [his] personality”. “Before, I felt like as a freshman I was still a little bit insecure about myself in a way,” Peralta said. “[Swimming] improved my self-esteem.” Swimming also gave Peralta another perspective about developing a leg that can go into water. A former teammate, junior Sanjay Mahboobani, once called Peralta “The Terminator.” This nickname has made Peralta feel “better about negative comments” and has made him realize his uniqueness.
A current Robotics teammate, junior Matt Mardesich, feels that Peralta’s leg is not a “hindrance of any kind.” “He works and does whatever he needs to do, just like the rest of the team,” Mardesich said. According to Mardesich, Peralta is inspirational; this is not because he has one leg, but because he is a hard worker and manages to balance so many interests so well. “I don’t think of him as, or associate his actions with, having only one leg,” Mardesich said. “When I see him working hard or see something he’s made, I don’t think, ‘Oh, the one-legged kid made that, good job.’ I just think, ‘Oh hey, Francisco made that.’” While Peralta was certain he wanted to be an engineer, it was only when his prosthetic specialist showed him a report on Hugh Herr. “He is working on knees and ankles; he’s also an amputee. He worked on an olympic runner, Oscar Pistorius,” Peralta said. “That inspired me to follow his path in a different way.”
PHOTO BY JUSTIN LEE
Friends for life. Klatte and Malone-White support each other in every way possible.
FUTURE PLANS
ADVICE FOR FRESHMEN
ADVICE FOR FRESHMEN
GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT
High school is just a four-year-long weeding system. Don’t be a bad weed.
Going to CSU Fullerton and become an English teacher.
ILANA LaGRAFF
Some people might argue that friendship is a bond between two people, while others may say it involves much more than that. For Klatte, being a friend means more than just someone to have a conversation with. “A friend is someone who is a reflection of a part of you,” Klatte said. For Klatte, the best qualities in a friend include their sense of humor. “Some good qualities to have in a friend are awareness, introspection, and humor,” Klatte said. Klatte acknowledges how friends have helped him grow into who he is today. “My friends have helped me through difficult times. They help keep me balanced and self-aware.” One of Klatte’s best friends, senior Evan Malone-White, has known Klatte since kindergarten. “Garrett found a way to have the complete high school experience,” MaloneWhite said. “He does everything so well and it’s cool to have seen that.” Klatte believes that having friends has been a great part of his high school experience. “Having good friends pays off every single day. There is never a moment when it does not. I love to laugh with my friends. It truly is the best, but whether superficial or deeply personal, conversation can always be had with my friends,” Klatte said.
Don’t wait until senior year to participate in school activities.
GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT
Mrs. Williams wrote in my yearbook that I was the best TA in her whole career.
HANA GHANIM
Surviving junior year with some personality intact and getting into UC Berkeley.
FUTURE PLANS
Curing cancer and such. 17 HIGH TIDE . FEATURES