Senior Issue 2018

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A picture of a dress goes viral as people debate whether the dress is white and gold or blue and black.

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The Ice Bucket Challenge is created to raise money and awareness for ALS. Freshman Homecoming!

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Tino creates a lipdub featuring its clubs and lots of tino spirit

they’ll have some test freak-outs . . .

ethan qi editor-in-chief catherine seok editor-in-chief lifestyles editor nico chilla features editor caroline flipside editor jenn zaratan photo editor

letter from the eic’s

letter from class advisors

Dear Class of 2018, Give us a cookie, and we’ll build you a plywood windmill in the quad.

Or maybe we’ll (probably) give you the worst attendance record in 44 years.

Point being, that what we’ve done with our cookies have taken us away on so many different adventures. Some of us took the time to enjoy it, and went for a glass of milk, while some of us jumped straight to the nap. Everyone has done something different with their four years here.

But it’d be inaccurate to characterize our entire experience as sweet; at times, our cookie have tasted more like an oatmeal raisin than a double chocolate chip. Like the stress or anxiety that we thought would never end, the disappointment associated with biting into an oatmeal raisin cookie is temporary. How we choose to react to it, then, is more important. And whether that be in short baby steps, long drastic changes, or anything in between, it is crucial to always keep in mind that it is how we respond to the adversity in our lives that defines us.

And as we all take a brief moment to revisit the small steps that brought us where we are today, we should be sure to remember both the good and the bad. For they have all been fundamental in shaping who we are. Of course though, we cannot do so without taking a moment to first recall the family, staff, teachers, friends, and more that lended us a helping hand these years.

It is with the greatest pleasure and gratitude that we look back on these four years, and all the memories you’ve let us in on to record and experience.

So thank you, Class of 2018, for allowing us to be a small step in your journey.

And now that we’ve finally finished our cookie, it’s time to ask for your glass of milk. That’s just the way the cookie crumbles.

With love, Ethan Qi and Catherine Seok Editors-in-chief of The Prospector

To the class of 2018: Congratulations! Graduation and all the fun that comes with it is a wonderful way to celebrate the completion of your high school career here at Cupertino High School. It is common in graduation speeches and goodbye programs to offer words of wisdom or advice to you, the graduates. Given that we are both English teachers at heart (Ms. Filice is currently, and Mrs. Sheehy was for many years), our advice to you comes from one of our favorite poets, Mary Oliver. She writes, “I don’t want to end up simply having visited this world.” Sometimes, in the intense academic world of Cupertino, we can fall into the trap of ‘visiting’ our classes our activities; we sometimes do things without engaging with them, or we sign up for activities because someone tells us it’s the right thing to do. We do enough to get buy, or check key items off a list that others (parents, teachers, fellow students) deem to be important.

Graduation, and all that it represents, is a perfect opportunity to stop checklisting your life. As author and academic Julie-Lythcott Haims says in her awesome book How to Raise an Adult, we all need to try things that aren’t on a todo list. We need to be confident that failure and mistakes are okay. Wherever your post-high school journey takes you, we hope you jump in, try new things, face challenges, honor successes, and continue to learn about things that genuinely excite you. Don’t just be visitors.

All the best, Mrs. Sheehy and Ms. Filice

michelle ma photo editor lily marvin online editor edward hsu online editor saagar sanghavi copy editor amy zeng copy editor xinyi zhang copy editor

and pull some all nighters.

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A communal microwave is introduced in the cafeteria, as initiated by students.

Princess Charlotte is born.

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Donald Trump announces his candidacy for President

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The Supreme Court legalizes same-sex marriage across the US

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As they immerse (and sometimes overwhelm) themselves in academics... letter from 2018 exec

letter from administration

Dear Class of 2018, Four years ago, we all entered our final phases of our childhoods. We all had dreams and goals we hoped to accomplish during our time in high school. Some stepped onto campus with an immediate plan of action while others were still figuring out what they wanted to accomplish in the next couple of years. However, regardless of where we came from or what we planned to do, we all stepped into this final phase together, as the class of 2018.

We joined clubs, participated in rallies, made new friends, and got close with many teachers. We advised our friends when they had to make hard decisions and we congratulated those who went over and beyond.

We cheered on our class during rallies and encouraged each other to stay strong during times of difficulties.

This is the beginning of the end of a long journey, but we should never let go of the memories that have made us who we are today.

In one week, our tenure as students will have finally come to an end. Rather than focusing on grades and test scores, we will be pushed to discover our true passions as young adults. Regardless of where we end up, we should never forget the one place we will always be able to call home. The one place filled with friends and teachers who we have created great memories with over the years.

The one place where we can rep the maroon and gold freely. It’s been vild, 2018.

Your ASB President, Aditya Prabhu

Dear Pioneers, As you leave us in just a few days, I hope that you will take with you that Pioneer Spirit to take on challenges, be kind to others, and work hard toward your dreams. Some of you have specific dreams that you’re chasing, many more are hoping to discover a passion that will move you forward. You may be excited—but worried that you don’t know just yet what you want your future to hold.

There’s no reason to fear. As the poet Ranier Rilke once said in Letters to a Young Poet, “You are so young, so before all beginning, and I want to beg you, as much as I can…to be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and to try to love the questions themselves like locked rooms and like books that are written in a very foreign tongue.

Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything.

Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer. Perhaps you do carry within yourself the possibility of shaping and forming as a particularly happy and Pure way of living; train yourself to it--but take whatever comes with great trust and if only it comes out of your own will, out of same need of your inmost being, take it upon yourself and hate nothing.”

Live your questions, live your way to those answers that resonate with you, work hard, play hard, and above all, be kind.

Congratulations.

Ms. Tomberlain

Counting the Crumbs

2-YEAR COLLEGE 23.2%

32%

31.4%

OTHER (MILITARY, GAP YEAR, TRADE SCHOOL)

4-YEAR COLLEGE 75.2%

1.6%

Next Destinations 11.9%

10.8%

5.2%

5.2%

1.5%

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hours slept PER night

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they’ll experience both highs and lows.

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The cafeteria microwave is nowhere to be found . . .

The Prospector publishes its last April Fools issue

ASB introduces the very first spring fest.

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Beyonce drops her album, “Lemonade.”

As they progress and grow academically …

JOSEPH DENG: cu boulder XINYI ZHANG copy editor

Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) programs cater mainly to young adults who seek military involvement after college. Successful applicants who attend participating colleges are financially covered for their undergraduate tuition, as well as fees and living costs up to a certain extent. During their college years, members are required to take additional classes about their future specialization and receive training in the field. Graduates immediately commit to their branch, going through the appropriate boot camp before entering service as an officer.

As a member of the Navy ROTC, Joseph Deng will be majoring in economics at the University of Colorado Boulder under a traditional four-year path. Ever since middle school, Deng knew he wanted to serve in the military for a successful future; ROTC appeals to him because of its practicality.

“I want some form of economic stability, in college and beyond, and also, as I found out about the Marine Corps, I saw they get to travel around the world; they have bases everywhere.

I also want to learn how to lead others or take on a role of leadership,” Deng said.

For freshman year, Deng signed up for the NROTC course Introduction to Naval Science. It covers the basic duties and customs of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, which gives Deng room to explore and ultimately decide on which areas he wants to pursue as a Marine.

Deng will enter the Marines as a second lieutenant, the

lowest-ranked officer position. Although Deng does not know how long he intends to remain in service, he is determined to rise up the ranks.

“A top priority is to become a successful leader, and just overall work to become better physically and intellectually,” said Deng.

The Marine Corps operates with the United States Navy; although the Marines have many branches, members must be well-versed in operations on the ground, air and sea. Trainees are drilled physically to adapt to every possible environment, and Marine training is notorious for being one of the hardest regimen in the armed services.

In qualifying for the scholarship, Deng has already proven his physical and mental ability through screening tests and applications. Starting last September, Deng had to take a physical performance test every two months and show improvement over the course of senior year, while maintaining a high GPA and standardized test scores. Furthermore, Deng demonstrated his interest in leadership through his extracurriculars, including robotics and a part-time job.

Although joining the military is an option for those seeking a stable salary and pension, there’s a price to pay: hard work. Said Deng, “You really have to think about if you want to do it or not. If you are going to the Marines, the recruiters will try to like train you so that you have an easier time in boot camp. But, I have already seen a lot of people who aren’t really up for it… some haven’t been improving on their training scores for three to four months. You have to be willing to get into shape.”

MAYELA SANCHEZ: DE ANZA JENN ZARATAN photo editor

In her later years, Mayela Sanchez plans to give “a voice to the voiceless” –– in the most literal sense of the phrase.

As far back as the sixth grade, Sanchez had aspirations of a very specific career: forensic anthropology, or, as she described it, “looking at human remains and how they lived and how they died.”

“People say that the dead have no voice, or the dead tell no tales. But what anthropologists do is they look at the clothing articles or they look at the bones and figure out how this crack here means that they fell off their bike when they were five years old or something like that,” said Sanchez. “They tell their stories through their bones.”

Sanchez had been a fan of the crime tv show, “Bones”, which is centered around forensic anthropologist Dr. Brennan as she works closely with an FBI agent to solve murders.

“I’ve been in awe in what she does –– especially because she’s a woman in a science career, and I feel like that’s a really noble job.”

First airing in 2005, the show depicts a fictitious institute partnering with the FBI; more recently, in 2010 the real life FBI added its own forensic anthropology program in its laboratory division. Museums and research institutions also employ forensic anthropologists, including most notably, the famous Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History.

During her junior year, her curiosity in a science-related career was further spurred while studying bones in Physiology. But, not wanting to go into medicine, examining dead bodies seemed to be a perfect fit for all of her interests. “I have a strong sense of

justice for people who can’t actually get it, but I feel like I can’t really do that in a health career because I would always have that sense of, ‘What if this person dies and it’s all my fault?’ But with dead people, there’s less pressure on you in a different way,” said Sanchez. “I want to discover how people died and bring them back to their families.”

In addition to the character of Dr. Brennan, Sanchez found inspiration in an older friend who works as a historian. Particularly, Sanchez recalled a time her friend had been at an archeology excavation and brought back a bone of a bunny.

“I thought it was the coolest thing ever. She said you could tell the bunny had a disease based off the structure of the bone, and it was just the most fascinating thing that we could find even the smallest details of the past.”

Sanchez is heading for De Anza college in the fall, and plans to graduate from a 4-year institution in California with a degree in anthropology. Aspiring forensic anthropologists also usually go on to graduate school before beginning their first job. Sanchez mentioned the additional possibility of teaching as a professor for those who earn PhD’s.

While there are less internship or college-level opportunities directly in the line of work, Sanchez plans to continue piquing her interest in other ways.

“I’m going to study abroad for a year during college, and work in different places to have experiences with other cultures and break down language barriers; [those aspects] are also important to anthropology,” said Sanchez. Upon completing her education, Sanchez plans on moving back to Mexico City, where she explained many mass graves exist.

“I find it kind of funny that people think it’s weird to be looking at dead people,” said Sanchez. “I just find it fascinating.”

they’ll begin to find what they love.

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Varsity football breaks a 16 year losing streaking in the Helmet Game against MV.

Tino blocks off the back hallway for construction.

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Cupertino Main St. celebrates its grand opening.

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The Women’s March takes place, marking the largest single day protest in US history.

As their personalities and interests develop . . .

mai matsumoto: THE JULIARD SCHOOL CAROLINE GEE flip side editor

In her airy living room, senior Mai Matsumoto practices the violin for at least four hours every day. Her gray tabby cat, Pitschi, watches and listens beside her. Taking pictures of him has become Matsumoto’s hobby — and music has become her profession This fall, Matsumoto is bound for The Juilliard School in New York City and will be majoring in Musical Performance.

Widely renowned as one of the best schools in the world for performing arts, Juilliard’s formidable gleaming structures fits its cutthroat environment and com-

petitive atmosphere. If Matsumoto is nervous about the rigor of the school, she doesn’t show it. Her biggest concern? That Juilliard’s urban campus might just be a bit too constricting.

Said Matsumoto, “It’s a really small building … compared to other universities, it’s one place and the dorms are stuck together, so I’m a little bit fearful about what am I going to do if I want to escape from the environment.”

Along with the benefits of New York’s public transportation (Matsumoto has yet to attain her driver’s licence), the city attracts a plethora of famous musical influences and opportunities to gain exposure to them. Said Matsumoto, “There are so many great artists coming, and Juilliard is part of the Lincoln Center where t h e

Metropolitan Opera and the New York Philharmonic, like those concerts, take place.”

Matsumoto first considered applying for Juilliard as a sophomore after spending a summer studying under violin teacher Naoko Tanaka, who teaches at Juilliard. After sending in five recordings for a preliminary screening, Matsumoto traveled to The Juilliard School to audition in front of a panel of judges. She had to prepare 30 minutes of repertoire, pulling pieces from different centuries and required composers. After months of intense practicing and stressful performances, Matsumoto was accepted into The Juilliard School. She hopes to become a violin teacher, following in her mother’s footsteps.

Said Matsumoto, about why she decided to pursue a career in teaching, “I think it’s just like classical music, it’s not really popular in our community, so I think it’s important to pass on what I learned.”

Matsumoto’s main inspiration for violin teaching stems from her time at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where she has been studying for seven years in the pre-college program.

There, Matsumoto feels at home, enveloped in the shared enthusiasm (and insane dedication) of her peers for music. Said Matsumoto, “Because at school, I have to take all the science and math classes, but on Saturdays, when I am in San Francisco and part of the orchestra, I feel like it’s my place, and I want to do this every single day in college.”

The path towards a musical career is not for the fainthearted. Throughout her high school years, Matsumoto competed in music competitions nearly every week.

The weekly practices at the S.F. Conservatory of Music were all-day events; starting with classes like musicianship at 8:30 A.M, Matsumoto had chamber and orchestra rehearsals for five hours in the afternoons. It’s no wonder that her “fiddler’s neck,” the signature mark of any violinist, is so violently prominent beneath her chin.

“Sometimes I have peer pressure from others because not many people at school pursue a musical career, so sometimes people ask me, ‘Oh, you’re just playing a violin, not taking any AP classes.’” Mai said. “I have to fight through all the peer pressure and tell myself that it’s the path I chose, and I have to always strive and be unique.”

ALEX GORVITOVSKIY: RISD SAAGAR SANGHAVI copy editor

Alex Gorvitovskiy will be attending Rhode Island School of Design, or RISD. “RISD is very rigorous; for one of multiple courses, it’s going to be 10 hour sessions, three times a week, of pure drawing, sketching, and 3D design,” Gorvitovskiy said. “The people there are really awesome, and you better keep that explicit.”

Gorvitovskiy was drawn to the school because of its unique culture and student body.

“When you go there, you have the sensation that this is an underground conglomeration of the greatest creatives,” Gorvitovskiy said. “It’s the Mecca for creators. The people who you’re surrounding yourself with, the classes and facilities that are of-

fered at RISD are ultimately what drew me to the school — They have a whole jungle of a room where you can just create.”

Gorvitovskiy plans to major in Industrial Design.

“I’ll be pretty much just making anything and everything.

From cars, shoes, to coffee machines, it’s a wide range of things,” Gorvitovskiy said.

Alex developed his passion and interest in art from an early age. Applying to the school involves submitting an elaborate portfolio of all his best works so far.

“I was good at art, and I was preparing a portfolio for a long time which was very 3D oriented. It was very conceptual, and I was working with my hands,” Gorvitovskiy said. “It was something that I really enjoy, and I was exploring creatively.”

A degree in Industrial Design offers a wide variety of career outlooks. While Gorvitovskiy is not set on any one path

yet, he plans to gain skills that could train him for workforce.

“I was talking to my dad’s coworker, who was also an Industrial Design graduate from RISD. She works a lot on UX and UI,” Gorvitovskiy said. “That’s a total possibility—to jump from ID into UX. But if I could continue working in ID I would love that.”

Outside of academics, Gorvitovskiy plans to pursue other passions. “’ll be working on a lot of music with people. It’s going to be a lot of schoolwork, but I’m sure that I’ll find other things to do,” Gorvitovskiy said.

In addition, as a liberal arts school, RISD seeks to grow its students as leaders beyond just their career.

“RISD also prepares you for entrepreneurship, so I’ll have to do my own thing, with a startup or something,” Gorvitovskiy said. “That’s a big part of their culture, and it works with me.”

they’ll make (and lose) friends along their journey.

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Tater tots andchicken nuggets disappear from the cafeteria.

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Moonlight wins Best Picture at the Oscars after an accidental announcement for La La Land.

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The fire alarm is ‘coincidentally’ pulled three times on “weed day.”

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The US witnesses the first full solar eclipse since 1979.

jenn A year ago, I was turning in an overdue essay and very literally writing Kerry Washington on an APUSH short response because I just didn’t have it in me to remember an actual second wave feminist. Around the same time, I was also dancing and laughing in the rally, enjoying good sandwiches in good company and cheerfully passing around a pink wig while recreating a Taylor Swift music video for Physics. Those moments –– the ones filled with brightness and the ones that were a bit tougher –– are intertwined with one another in a way that seems hard to reconcile in my memory, but plausible, because they happen like that every day.

There are too many times to be grateful for; I try desperately to collect them in photos or in writing, but a lot of them slip from my memory –– simple ones that are less poetic and don’t make good anecdotes. It’s in the half sheets of paper split, pumpkin-shaped peanut butter cups and pencils borrowed; in conversations that I might not ever remember and funny things that helped the days move by fast.

What’s apparent now more than ever are the tailwinds I was fortunate to have –– most prominently, in the people in my life who supported me, inspired me, and brought laughter into my many (and still, very few) days here.

xinyi

caroline ethan

nico

A classic conversation with my mom:

“Go outside.”

“No.”

“Go outside or you will end up like your [grandfather’s brother’s friend’s son’s uncle] in your 50s, bones weak, spine bent, arthritis, diabetes, etc.”

“Fine.”

I would then run a lap around the block and return, only to suffer more verbal harassment.

“Only five minutes? Go back outside. It’s for your own good.”

“I did what you said so why aren’t you satisfied?”

“You aren’t exercising for me you exercise for yourself.”

“So why do you care what I do?”

“I don’t. I want you to care.”

Before high school, I had never quite understood why she not only wanted me to do something but also for me to genuinely care about doing it. After four long years of being told what to do, by teachers, classmates and counselors, however, I finally saw that she wanted me to learn that rewarding experiences stem from self-motivation.

School forces us to do things we don’t want to - write essays, take tests, interact with others, compose applications, attend class, you name it. But if you end up doing things solely for a grade or to satisfy someone else, you will find yourself living a stressful and meaningless life.

When it comes to things you don’t want to do, focus on the positive impact it can have on your own life and go from there. When it’s also something you don’t have to do, saying no is perfectly fine, as long as you hold yourself accountable for what happens next.

I remember, back in the good ol’ days when I used to play club soccer, looking up tips on how to play a good game on Wikihow (I was desperate). Most of the advice I found was Vgeneric, but one thing stuck out to me: Don’t play to prove yourself to others. Huh? Why would that be a bad thing?

Three years since then, I’ve barely touched a soccer ball, but I think I’m starting to understand that message. Throughout high school, I constantly felt the need to always prove something to others, whether it be my worth as a successful athlete, as the also intelligent daughter to the older sister who’s at Berkeley, or as the person who can make an incredible come-back. I looped through phases where I believed I was succeeding in this mission to where I saw myself at the end of my lifespan for potential.

What I’m realizing, however, is that this potential is constantly evolving. Times change and situations are flung out of proportion, to the point where success often means being adaptable, not just reaching the end of the one glamorized path. Accomplishments and failures are simply onion layers, capable of being added on or peeled away. At the root of it all is passion, and if you have it for something, you’ll know. This is what defines you. It’s the one thing you won’t have to prove to anyone, not even to yourself.

I reached the magic age of 18 on the 28th of November, 2017. Of course, I didn’t actually realize this until about 2:05 PM, when someone said “happy birthday” to me, and my poor brain on 3 hours of sleep spent a minute trying to process what I heard. This school year had more days like that than I care to admit, a fact that would shock 14-year-old Nico, who got seven hours minimum every night. But in an ironic way, my progressive loss of sleep over the past few years has symbolized my development as an individual. Like when I stayed up until 2 AM to finish editing my stop motion animated Chemistry Honors demo project, or later on until 3 AM finish filming and submitting a video that would go on to win a national award. Back then, my late nights were symbols of my commitment to growing creatively.

But this year, they have become more somber; I wrote a column in April about how these days my 4, 5, and even 6AM nights are tragic symbols of my nonexistent self control. I think the next four years will have to be the inverse of high school: gaining back those lost hours as I mature as an individual.

Using Riemann Sums, additions of infinitesimally small units can be used to find finite areas under a curve. Likewise, the accumulation of my high school memories bear an uncanny resemblance to the method; there was no aha! moment—no single catharsis that could hope to adequately capture the past four years.

Instead, my high school experience is made of innumerable small moments. While individually insignificant, they collectively make up this great, elaborate, and awkward episode of my life. Who knew that falling on my butt doing stretches in marching band, or spilling coke all over myself on a bad bout of turbulence on a flight to Boston would be right up there with seeing my first article published in the Prospector, or even getting into college.

Having the benefit of hindsight is a great, but it’s as imperfect as our recollections, or high school experiences. Time is a fickle mistress; so to those who are fortunate enough to still be making those memories—big or small, lasting or fleeting—cherish them. Because you don’t yet know what you’ll remember.

As they wander down the hectic path of high school, they’ll make incredible memories.

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1 47th annual Tournament of the Bands cancelled due to air quality concerns.

The #MeToo mojvement makes a statement against sexual harassment.

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North and South Korea walk together at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.

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Over 500 students participated in a walkout dedicated to the victims of the Parkland Shooting.

edward I’m pretty sure we all had that moment during our freshman year where we were like “Oh man, what am I supposed to do at this school? How do I fit in?” Those two questions certainly clouded over me freshman year. I remember joining anything within my reach in hopes of finding something that would stick. At the same time, I was half wishing that I could do elementary school all over again, where people weren’t mean and grades didn’t matter quite as much. But that feeling quickly went away the more I grew with my courses and clubs at school.

In the end, I think all the pain and discomfort (and joy) that I’ve had to go through was worth it. I took the hardest courses I could manage, I’ve expanded my skills by immersing myself into only a few clubs and, most of all, I bonded with and became close to people I barely even talked to on the first week of school. So if there’s anything that I’ve taken away from this whole thing called high school, I would say to just do what feels right. Expect your interests and desires to change, but always give your one hundred percent to whatever you do.

michelle I used to think that when I got 300 likes on an Instagram photo, my life would be perfect.

The fact that I only had 196 followers and my account was private.

Although I’ll admit that part of my self-worth stemmed from how others viewed me, I didn’t really believe that an arbitrary number of approvals on social media would change anything. Instead, I’d imagined that in order to get so much positive recognition, I must have lived a life that could only be described as perfect, a feeling I thought would magically result from my ambition and hard work.

Looking back on my four years at Tino, I can’t say I don’t regret a single moment. I didn’t love every second of my time here and it wasn’t perfect, but as much as I may convince myself that I hated it, it’s not possible—because overpowering those stressful tests in subjects I wanted to have passion for and rushing into classes late were moments of genuine happiness and fulfillment that I shared with people I loved.

One thing I’ve learned is that it’s not all or nothing. It’s not A+ or F-, it’s B+ and C-.

It’s not 300 or 0 likes, it’s 101 and 299 likes. Life isn’t perfect or tragic—it’s all about the in betweens.

lily

catherine

saagar

amy

I have a photo album that I started a few years ago. It spans from the first days of Freshman year all the way to a few weeks ago. The photo album has become a sort of flip book for the past four years. As I turn through it I am reminded of all the amazing memories I have made in my time at Cupertino.

I remember standing in front of the castle at Disney World with some of the most amazing friends on a school trip to Orlando. I remember staying up all night making homecoming decorations and the insane excitement of my last homecoming rally. I flip through pictures of me in another country on a school trip and standing in a courtroom after my first mock trial. I look at photos of my friends and I goofing around in the photo booth at senior prom and laughing in our pajamas during spirit week. Cupertino High School has given me the opportunity to experience amazing things with incredible people and I will always be grateful for that.

I began high school thinking I’d take all the AP classes, have a 4.0 by graduation (haha), be involved in 24 clubs, do everything, all to get into my dream college, which would bring ultimate happiness. It was almost as if everything in my head revolved around the central idea of college.

Things definitely didn’t go as planned, but four years have taught me to find joy during my journey, and not work tirelessly just to reach an uncertain end goal. It’s taking silly pictures during lunch against the beige wall, walking to the lunch line with friends, and getting hyped for rallies that have made my time at high school memorable and enjoyable. I’ve always heard that there’s a lot more along the way than just grades and academics, but I don’t think I’ve come to really understand what that meant until this year – perhaps because I’ve had more free time more recently. But it shouldn’t take anyone nearly four years to realize this, because high school is meant to be an exciting time for everyone to make mistakes, grow, learn, and really, enjoy.

Khamemi Savve Jiva…

From childhood, I participated in my Jain religious community’s Samvatsari Pratikraman, or “Forgiveness Day” sermon every year. It was translated into English, thankfully, but as a young child, this annual event was seemed to be reciting lines without understanding their meaning.

Yet as I matured, the phrases slowly started to take meaning. There were nights I couldn’t sleep as I reflected on how others had taken advantage of me, furious with myself and others. There were instances where I specifically caught myself perpetuating the destructive thoughts as they came and there were times that I wanted to rip down the wallpapers of the facade to expose it all, to let the world see its own true colors.

And somehow, the words of Jain scripture returned to comfort me, a common morality that ran deep in the continuity of humanity.

As the ups and downs of high school threw me into chaotic messes, emotional roller coasters, and more anger, ego, deceit, and greed than I had ever wanted to encounter, I made sure that I took part in the Pratikraman every year. It made it very clear that there was no outside force or God to comfort me, but it was up to me to sing the story on my own canvas, and that life was the best teacher.

So thank you all for teaching me how to see beyond the tears while crying passionately, thank you for teaching me how to love myself while hating myself, thank you for teaching me how to study my own thought process while getting lost in it, and thank you for teaching me how to disappear into the shadows while making my presence loud. Thank you, Cupertino High School, for teaching me how to forgive. Tassa Michhami Dukkadam.

I came into high school expecting to follow the herd, retrace the safe footsteps of those who came before me, and join all the big academic clubs and honor societies—after all, this was guaranteed to get me into college… right?

While I’ll admit to participating in my fair share of activities to add a shiny new item to my resume, these four years of high school have given me the opportunity to venture away from the straight and narrow path to success and find meaning in the pursuits that make me happy. Breaking free from my self-imposed boundaries on which organizations to join led to memories like Best Buddies’ Thursday dance parties and pickup soccer games, The Prospector’s crazy Orlando convention and notorious quote board, and ASB’s early-morning setups and inspiring amounts of school spirit. I’m so lucky to have had the opportunity to laugh, learn, and grow in the company of some of my closest friends and most cherished teachers.

One of my favorite quotes is attributed to Andy Bernard, who says in The Office, “I wish there was a way to know you’re in ‘the good old days’ before you’ve actually left them.” High school passes by quickly, so make the most out of it, Tino!

Thank you for an unforgettable four years.

And as their time at tino winds down to an end, they’ll soon be asking for another crazy adventure.

HELPING MY FRIEND ON HIS USH ESSAY WITH ANOTHER FRIEND 3 HOURS AFTER IT WAS DUE / MY FIRST DAY HERE / DANCING WITH OUR CLASS MEMBERS AND KASA DANCE / HOMECOMING 2017 / DANK MEMES / DITCH DAY / MY FAVORITE MEMORY WOULD HAVE TO BE SENIOR HOMECOMING ESPECIALLY THE ALLNIGHTER. WE DID SOME CRAZY STUFF AND HAD SO MUCH FUN WHILE DOING IT & IT WAS TRULY A BONDING EXPERIENCE AMONG OUR CLASS. THE FINAL RESULT MADE IT ALL WORTH IT THOUGH / SENIOR DITCH DAY AT SF WITH THE HOMIES DRIVIN AROUND, EATING A TON OF FOOD AND COMING HOME AT 2AM / HOMECOMING 2016 / RECEIVING MY COLLEGE DECISIONS WITH MY FRIENDS TOGETHER / CHILLING WITH MY SQUAD IN THE ANIME CLUB / HOMECOMING RALLIES / CHICAGO TOUR 2018 / GETTING A WII IN THE TA BREAKROOM / ALL THE TOURS FROM HAWAII TO NEW YORK TO CHICAGO, I’VE GOTTEN CLOSER TO SO MANY AMAZING PEOPLE AND MADE SO MANY GREAT MEMORIES WHICH I WILL NEVER FORGET / DITCHING STATS, THEN GETTING CAUGHT AND HAVING TO SPEND AN HOUR TALKING TO THE TEACHER ABOUT WHY I DITCHED / BIOLOGY WITH MR. MITCHELL / PERFORMING IN WICKED FOR THE SPRING SHOW IN MY SOPHOMORE YEAR / MEETING UP WITH FRIENDS DURING BRUNCH TO CHIT CHAT ABOUT ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING / OUR LAST HOMECOMING RALLY / BEING ABLE TO PLAY COPS AND ROBBERS WITH THE SWIM TEAM AND GAMES AT THE PARK UNTIL THE LIGHTS SHUT OFF / CHEERING ON FRIENDS AT THEIR SENIOR NIGHTS AND BEING OBNOXIOUSLY LOUD ABOUT IT / SPENDING TIME WITH MY CLOSEST FRIENDS, ESPECIALLY WALKING AROUND IN THE EVENINGS AND TALKING ABOUT RANDOM STUFF / WINTER FORMAL 2017 / BEING A PART OF HOMECOMING COURT IN SENIOR YEAR / TAKING THE TRAIN TO SAN FRANCISCO WITH MY FRIENDS OVER SPRING BREAK (TO VISIT THE CAL ACADEMY, BUT WE SPENT MOST OF OUR TIME ROAMING AROUND THE CITY) / BEING WITH MY FRIENDS AND CHATTING AWAY EVERY DAY / DOING THE HOMECOMING DANCE AND COMING EARLY IN THE MORNING TO SET UP/PRACTICE / GOING TO FRANCE DURING THE SUMMER WITH SAHIL AND STAYING WITH A HOST FAMILY FOR 3 WEEKS / FBLA SLC AND NLC 2016 BECAUSE THAT IS WHERE I BONDED WITH THE MOST PEOPLE AND TOOK HOME AWARDS / GOING THE HOMECOMING FOOTBALL GAME AND DANCE / THE DRUMLINE ACT FOR THE BAND TALENT SHOW MY JUNIOR YEAR / PHYSICS HONORS GREAT AMERICA DAY WITH FRIENDS. SAW CHOIR CONCERT SAME DAY. SO MUCH FUN AND ENJOYMENT. / THE NIGHT BEFORE THIS YEARS HOMECOMING! WE WERE ALL A LITTLE TOO SLEEP DEPRIVED BUT WE MANAGED TO CREATE SOME GREAT POSTERS AND GREAT MEMORIES! / MY FONDEST MEMORY IS MY TIME IN MARCHING BAND, WITH SOME OF MY CLOSEST FRIENDS. SOME OF MY FAVORITE EVENTS WERE COMPETITIONS, THE BAND BUSES, AND SECTIONAL BONDINGS / MAKING MEMORIES IN AVID / SENIOR DITCH DAY BECAUSE IT WAS MY FIRST TIME DITCHING / WHEN MY CAR BROKE DOWN AND MY FRIENDS AND I HUDDLED LIKE PENGUINS OUTSIDE IN THE COLD WHILE WE WAITED FOR TRIPLE A / SENIOR HOMECOMING BALLOON DROP / MOCK TRIAL / JUNIOR HOMECOMING RALLY / CHATTING WITH FRIENDS / MEMORIAL DAY BEACH TRIP GANG / PLAYING MUSIC AT FOOTBALL GAMES / BACK WHEN THERE WAS NO MAIN STREET: WALKING TO SUBWAY WITH MY FRIENDS / DITCHING TO GET LUNCH / CHOIR CHICAGO TRIP / GOING OUT DURNIG THIRD PERIOD TO EAT GOOD FOOD AND HANG OUT / BUGGING MR. MJITCHELL DURING MY FREE SIXTH / GETTING INTO COLLEGE / FIND MY PASSION / GIVING A SPEECH TO MY LITERATURE CLASS / MEETING PEOPLE IN MY VERY FIRST CLASS OF HIGH SCHOOL; SPANISH 2 / LATE NIGHTS DESIGNING / MEETING MY CLOSEST FRIENDS IN JOURNALISM / SEEING THE NEW BUILDING OPEN / EATING ON THE GROUND EVERY LUNCH / STRESSING WITH FRIENDS TOGETHER / DRINKING HOT CHOCOLATE & EATING DONUTS ON THE FIRST DAY OF SENIOR YEAR DURING SENIOR SUNRISE! / STAYING UP ALL NIGHT AND WORKING ON HOMECOMING DECORATIONS / SATURDAY WITH MY MANS PETE HE’S SUCH A NICE GUY, HE ASKED MY ABOUT MY COLLEGE PLANS AND EVERYTHING / WEARING NEMO SOCKS WITH BURKS BECAUSE IT WAS A BIRTHDAY PRESENT / THE TIME SPENT WITH TERRA NOVA / PLAYING FIELD HOCKEY / PLAYING FIELD HOCKEY / RALLIES / WORLD CORE / 2017 - 2018 TRACK SEASON / ALWAYS HANGING WITH FRIENDS AND SOMETIMES ARGUING THE RIGHT ANSWERS FOR MATH / FRESHMAN JV SOCCER; WAS A FUNNY AND FUN MOMENT IN MY LIFE AND HELPED ME GAINED INSIGHT ON THE REAL WORLD / MEETING ALL MY FRIENDS AND GOING ON ADVENTURES WITH THEM / FOOTBALL TEAM, TRIPLE OVERTIME VS FREMONT HS / RUNNING THROUGH THE STREETS AT 12 AM IN A GAME OF FUGITIVE / PARTICIPATING IN THE SENIOR HOMECOMING DANCE. IT WAS SUCH AN EXCITING EXPERIENCE AND I WILL FOREVER REMEMBER THE CHEERS OF THE OTHER STUDENTS, HAVING MY FRIENDS DANCING BY MY SIDE, AND HOW AWKWARD IT WAS WHEN THE BALLOONS DIDN’T DROP AT THE END OF THE LAST SONG / FINDING FRIENDS THAT TAUGHT THE TRUE MEANING OF FRIENDSHIP...IN JUNIOR AND SENIOR YEAR / WINNING FIRST PLACE AT THE LENAEA HIGH SCHOOL THEATRE FESTIVAL FOR BEST ONE ACT PLAY MY JUNIOR YEAR IS ONE OF MY MOST VIVID MEMORIES OF MY HIGH SCHOOL CAREER. OUR WHOLE CAST WAS BROUGHT CHEERING AND CRYING ONSTAGE IN FRONT OF HUNDREDS OF OTHER THEATRE STUDENTS FROM ALL AROUND THE STATE AND GIVEN THE GOLD PLACARD. IT WAS ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE / SPONTANEOUS DRIVES/TRIPS WITH FRIENDS!! / BIKING TO BIG BASIN / FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL AND MEETING NEW FRIENDS / THE SENSE OF FREEDOM AND UNREALNESS ACCOMPANYING MY FIRST TIME FINALLY DRIVING MYSELF TO SCHOOL / NOT BEING ABLE TO PARALLEL PARK FOR LIKE 30 MINUTES AND HAVING TO CALL MY FRIENDS / RUNNING BACK FROM THE SUPERCUE PLAZA WITH FRIENDS AFTER LUNCH AND TRYING TO GET TO CLASS ON TIME / PHILOSOPHICAL LATE NIGHT CAR TALKS ABOUT THE FUTURE WITH SPOTIFY PREMIUM ROLLING IN THE BACKGROUND / THE JAPAN TRIP / SCHOOL’S ROBOTICS CLUB DURING JUNIOR YEAR / GOING UNDEFEATED IN LEAGUE FOR VARSITY BASKETBALL / PIG DISSECTION / WHEN I WAS A SOPHOMORE, I HAD A FRIEND WHO WAS A SENIOR, AND WHEN HE SAW ME CRYING ONCE ALONE AT THE FIELD, HE JUMPED THE FENCE STANDING BETWEEN US JUST TO COMFORT ME. I WILL NEVER FORGET HIM OR THAT MOMENT / WALKOUT: FELT EXTREMELY EMPOWERED, AND LIKE OUR EFFORTS WERE USEFUL, FELT A SENSE OF UNITY WITH THE REST OF THE SCHOOL / THE BEST WAS RIGHT AFTER THE LAST SENIOR HOCO DANCE WHERE WE ALL BOWED AND WAITED FOR THE BALLOON DROP- WHICH DIDN’T WORK- SO WE JUST LOOKED GATHERED TOGETHER AND CHEERED AND LIFTED SOMEONE UP AND THEY TORE THE BALLOON NET OPEN AT THE VERY LAST SECOND / HAVING A FREE 5TH AND THE FREEDOM TO LEAVE CAMPUS FOR AN ‘EXTENDED LUNCH’ / CHOREOGRAPHING THE HOMECOMING DANCE FOR THE RALLY! / CHEMISTRY HONORS / ALL THE GARAGE PRACTICES I HAD WITH MY BAND / SPONTANEOUS SLEEPOVERS / PERFORMING SERENADES WITH THE CAPPELLA CHOIR / WRESTLING / SPEECH CONTEST / DANCING FOR THE SENIOR HOMECOMING RALLY AND RAISING $2,000 FOR THE MEXICO/ PUERTO RICO FUNDRAISER / TRETCHING IN FRONT OF THE WEIGHT ROOM AFTER TRACK / WHEN MY FRIEND BOUGHT MEH PIZZA / PREPARING FOR THE HAMLIT DEBATE / KEY CLUB / SENIOR PROM / HANGING WITH FRIENDS AND SOMETIMES ARGUING ABOUT MATH / 17 STRAIGHT HOURS OF BAND ON VETERAN’S DAY / FBLA STATE CONFERENCE 9TH GRADE - I GOT CLOSER WITH AN AMAZING GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO I AM STILL FRIENDS WITH TODAY / MS MASUDA’S WEDDING!! / GLOBAL GLIMPSE TO THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC / SPENDING TIME JOKING AND LAUGHING IN THE BAND BUS ON THE WAY TO BAND COMPETITIONS WITH ALL OF MY FRIENDS WHY WE ATE SNACKS OTHER MEMBERS OF OUR SECTION GOT US / I MET A TEACHER, SHE WAS A GREAT HELP TO ME AND HELPED ME FIND MY DREAM / THURSDAY LUNCH DANCE PARTIES WITH THE BEST BUDDIES CLUB / SENIOR SUNRISE / HELPING MY FRIEND ON HIS USH ESSAY WITH ANOTHER FRIEND 3 HOURS AFTER IT WAS DUE / MY FIRST DAY HERE / DANCING WITH OUR CLASS MEMBERS AND KASA DANCE / HOMECOMING 2017 / DANK MEMES / DITCH DAY / MY FAVORITE MEMORY WOULD HAVE TO BE SENIOR HOMECOMING ESPECIALLY THE ALL-NIGHTER. WE DID SOME CRAZY STUFF AND HAD SO MUCH FUN WHILE DOING IT & IT WAS TRULY A BONDING EXPERIENCE AMONG OUR CLASS. THE FINAL RESULT MADE IT ALL WORTH IT THOUGH / SENIOR DITCH DAY AT SF WITH THE HOMIES DRIVIN AROUND, EATING A TON OF FOOD AND COMING HOME AT 2AM / HOMECOMING 2016 / RECEIVING MY COLLEGE DECISIONS WITH MY FRIENDS TOGETHER / CHILLING WITH MY SQUAD IN THE ANIME CLUB / HOMECOMING RALLIES / CHICAGO TOUR 2018 / GETTING A WII IN THE TA BREAKROOM / ALL THE TOURS FROM HAWAII TO NEW YORK TO CHICAGO, I’VE GOTTEN CLOSER TO SO MANY AMAZING PEOPLE AND MADE SO MANY GREAT MEMORIES WHICH I W I L L NEVER FORGET / DITCHING STATS, THEN GETTING CAUGHT AND HAVING TO SPEND AN HOUR TALKING TO T H E TEACHER ABOUT WHY I DITCHED / BIOLOGY WITH MR. MITCHELL / PERFORMING IN WICKED FOR THE SPRING SHOW IN MY SOPHOMORE YEAR / MEETING UP WITH FRIENDS DURING BRUNCH TO CHIT CHAT ABOUT ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING / OUR LAST HOMECOMING RALLY / BEING ABLE TO PLAY COPS AND ROBBERS WITH THE SWIM TEAM AND GAMES AT THE PARK UNTIL THE LIGHTS SHUT OFF / CHEERING ON FRIENDS AT THEIR SENIOR NIGHTS AND BEING OBNOXIOUSLY LOUD ABOUT IT / SPENDING TIME WITH MY CLOSEST FRIENDS, ESPECIALLY WALKING AROUND IN THE EVENINGS AND TALKING ABOUT RANDOM STUFF / WINTER FORMAL 2017 / BEING A PART OF HOMECOMING COURT IN SENIOR YEAR / TAKING THE TRAIN TO SAN FRANCISCO WITH MY FRIENDS OVER SPRING BREAK (TO VISIT THE CAL ACADEMY, BUT WE SPENT MOST OF OUR TIME ROAMING AROUND THE CITY) / BEING WITH MY FRIENDS AND CHATTING AWAY EVERY DAY / DOING THE HOMECOMING DANCE AND COMING EARLY IN THE MORNING TO SET UP/ PRACTICE / GOING TO FRANCE DURING THE SUMMEr