The Prospector Senior Issue 2011

OUT OF THE WOODS THE PROSPECTOR CUPERTINO HIGH SCHOOL’S

VOLUME 52 NO. 8

10100 FINCH AVE. CUPERTINO, CA

ONLINE AT WWW.CHSPROSPECTOR.ORG

JUNE 3, 2011

SENIOR EDITION

JUNE 3, 2011

ANDREW KIM U.S. Air Force

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into the WILD BLUE YONDER

Seniors Andrew Kim and Jeannie Kim set off for the skies and the seas in the service of our country JAMIN SHIH copy editor

J

JEANNIE KIM U.S. Navy

ust as a lush green forest can have many different species of plants and animals, seniors can leave high school on wildly different paths. While many may choose a standard collegiate route, the road towards the military

can provide admirable qualities, priceless experience and the opportunity for a dream job for those who pursue it. For departing seniors Jeannie Kim and Andrew Kim, the military offers differing advantages, but both can agree that it is a choice that is much more profitable than most students understand.

For Jeannie Kim, the decision to join the military after high school did not appeal to her until her senior year. It was around that time that she began to do research with the help of two of her Navy cousins and find out about the appeal and benefits of such a decision. Before that, she felt that the military was not a good choice but in retrospect finds that an ill-researched and uneducated opinion.

“Starting out, I had a lot of things against the military because I was uninformed. People feel like there is a lot of risk. ‘If you go, you die.’ It’s not true,” says Kim. She stresses that the military is not an instant death sentence and that it involves a lot of great people helping the world, like Seabees, who help people in other countries. As a future naval intelligence linguist, Kim finds that the military can provide a direct link to the job of her passion. In addition, she feels that the training in the military can give her personal qualities that can help her in any future situation.

“I’m really looking forward to the discipline that I’ll learn because I feel like I need that in my life. I’m also excited because I know people who travel to twenty different countries to help people.”

Unlike Jeannie Kim, senior Andrew Kim has known about his passion for the military since he was a child. Growing up near an air force base in Guam, he found inspiration in the aircraft flying around him.

“The biggest impression [of my childhood] was the Anderson Air Force Base. I would see military aircraft fly over my head all day.”

This early interest developed into asking questions and researching every chance he got. With a father in the Korean Army, he would ask questions to find out just what it was that interested him so much.

“Every time I’d see something like a war movie or a chance to talk to family members, I’d learn about the military,” says Kim. And like Jeannie Kim, he found that the more educated he got about the military, the more appealing it became. His research and dedication is clear, as he knows exactly which plane models he hopes to fly in the future in the Air Force (the F-35 or A-10). He also clearly has weighed his options and finds that, with his knowledge the military is a better choice for him over college.

“It’s not like a college, with all due respect towards colleges, because they don’t have as many benefits for students. The military pays for housing, food and uniforms. Sure, there’s a risk, but it’s a sacrifice I’m willing to take. As seniors should know, there’s no such thing as a free lunch.”

Both students provide a prime example of seniors being well-researched and in the path that they wish to take in the future. They stress that the military is a plausible path after high school and that if everyone was educated about the process and the system, there would be more people enlisting.

“Don’t be afraid to join the military because in the end, it’s about what you want. There are risks, but if you go through the system, it may get difficult but it’s not impossible,” stresses Andrew Kim. Jeannie Kim agrees, “If I can do it, anyone can do it.”

THE PROSPECTOR

JUNE 3, 2011

verbatim

senior edition

3

senior musings and memories My swim team and I were showering in the Wilcox team room after our swim meet (which we won!). Little did we know that Wilcox showers are notorious for their steaming hot waters which tend to activate the fire alarms, which in turn forced the firemen to come to the girl’s locker room while we were all mid-changing in our undies.

-Catherine Ngyuen

There are only two types of senioritis.

There are severe cases.

And there are VERY severe cases.

-Christopher Wong

They say we were one of the less spirited classes, but I think we made up for it with awesome.

-Yelena Muratova

Huh? What? Oh yeah we had homework...

OH LOOK SKITTLES. -Haley Chen

An underclassman was asking a girl to prom in front of everyone, but she said no. I thought she had said yes, and I said ‘woohoo you guys rock!’ really loud.

After I said that I realized that he got rejected.

-Nikhil Menon I met an Indiana girl from a rural town at a Yearbook convention. She asked me what we did in Cupertino, and I told her we were farmers and that we raised apples. She left feeling charmed that she had had a conversation with a legitimate farmer without understanding the true irony of her situation.

-Fred Wu

People get fat during senior year. You know you’re too fat when you can’t stick your hand in your pocket for a detention slip.

-Daniel Hsu

Destination stats

A breakdown of where the CHS Class of 2011 is headed off to

0.88% 2.64% Will attend Ivy League schools

Will be studying abroad

0.66%

Will serve in the U.S. Armed Forces

?

20.0% 24.7% 17.0% Will attend UC schools

Will attend community colleges

Are undecided/unknown

12.3% 8.15% 11.9% Will attend CSU schools

Will attend in-state private schools

Will attend out-of-state schools

SENIOR EDITION

JUNE 3, 2011

OUT OF STATE UNIVERSITIES

ARIZONA Northern Arizona University Kelly Meuse

IDAHO Brigham Young University Marissa Boyd

ILLINOIS Northwestern University Kevin Zhao

University of Chicago Victoria Huang

INDIANA Earlham College Max Yang

Purdue University Kavya Kumar Tommy Hyun Dong Lee

IOWA Cornell College Samantha Brown

MAINE Colby College Olivia Lang

MARYLAND Johns Hopkins University Vincent Huang

NEW YORK Binghamton University

Ginnie Rinehart

Columbia University

Community Colleges

New York University

De Anza College

Yeana Lee

Esther Chen Regina Na Yeon Hong Anh Quynh La Jenny Park Tina Yu

Pratt Institute Bianca Tseng

The Culinary Institute of America Timothy Fisher

OREGON Lewis & Clark College Aron Ouzilevski

University of Oregon Andrew Roellig

PENNSYLVANIA Carnegie Mellon University Sam Ahmed Cindhuri Balaji Akaash Mungale

Drexel University Anshu Bedi

MASSACHUSETTS TEXAS Boston University Baylor University Charissa McManis Radhika Kadakia Texas Tech University Joanna Lee Shilpi Patel Vinita Shah

Nikhil Menon

The University of Harvard University Texas, Austin Kwan Keat Ang

Massachusetts Institute of Technology Leo Liu Neha Patki Chelsea Voss

Northeastern University Fred Wu

DESTIN

Cornell University

Amy Garvey

Alyssa Williams

WASHINGTON Seattle Pacific University Nicole Basta

Seattle University Karena Chang Devika Parmar

Neda Agah Michelle Ahn Ji Yoon Baek Sean Bains Zachary Barberi Michael Brown Ryan Carson Christine Chai Michael Chan Steven Chew Giaccomo Chiarella Christopher Dam Treveen De Pinto Tarick Dereje Quang Dinh Daniel Feygin Christopher Fradella Ingrid Garcia Wei Yuan Hsiao Rouzbeh Irani Alexander Iremadze Justin Jensen Clint Johnson Hyun Seo Kang Jamie Keddy Jihoon Kim Min Young Kim Melody Laishram Aaron Yin Lau Sophia Lau Dong Hyun Lee Hui Ting Lee Jinny Lee Joseph Lee Joseph Leung Kyu Sub Lim Jiahao Lu Gina Manochio Emily May Engy Mohamed Ho Wai Mok David Neys Chun Ming Ng Brian Nguyen Alexander Okashita Rebecca Ozawa Tyler Paget Anand Pandian Chan Hee Park

University of Puget Sound

Monique Crowe MINNESOTA Macalester College Washington State Desmond Maisel University Victoria Porter MISSOURI Saint Louis University WASHINGTON D.C. American University Amar Kantipudi University of Missouri, Jacqueline Breuer Georgetown Columbia University Jamin Shih Alex Pommier NEW JERSEY Princeton University WISCONSIN Gregory Siano University of Wisconsin Dong Ho Kim

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Brandon Mardesich Chase Martin Ryan Noeller Ji Hye Park Kelsey Polochak Serena Rodriguez Kelly Rupe Dong Hun Shin Yuri Ujifusa Elmer Wang Tyler Ward

Gayatri Peri Katherine Perng Adar Raviv Mengdi Ren George Reyes Arod Sami Cory Sherman Joseph Snyder Catherine Solorio Danielle Steakley Eric Surani Brian Tiu Kathy Tran Mei Hui Tsai Victoria Tse Tyler Walsh Yi Fei Wang Arhum Yazdani Daniel Yoon Azra Zukanovic

CSU Los Angeles Mennen Kassa

CSU Long Beach Nathaniel Alzofon

CSU Monterey Ba Gloria Kim

Diablo Valley College Shivani Sharma

San Jose City College Dacia Carroll Rhea Mitra John Wright Lisa Vinciale

Foothill College Fernando Castro Yuhyeon Cho Haley Conroy Cory Hartley Abdullah Ibrahim Hailee Kuhl Leonard Melgar Ryan Moss Kyoka Nakagawa Arian Nostratollahi Aaron Parker Aron Robertsson Melissa Towar

West Valley College Diana Aesa Cody Alfred Jessica Ballin Vanessa Barbosa Matthew Bolin Julissa Davalos James Duggan Roy Huh Christopher Lim Alex Liou Leslie Lumactod

California Universiti

Mission College Lu Jiang Saiyid Raihan Dimarrah Salas Ryan Walsh

CSU Northridge Hyun Jun Park

California Polytech University, Pomona Cassidy Adams Garun Arustamov Hannah Floreza Thein Htet Zaw Htun Ryan Prendergast Brian Walsh

San Luis Obispo

Evergreen College Justin Kim

Riverside College Lenis Kim

El Camino College Sherry Wang

Christy Chao Catherine Hsu Cynthia Nayun Kim May Ko Ko Revati Nerkar Ladane Rongere Shelby Stemkoski Shuying Xia

Humboldt State

Santa Barbara City College

San Diego State

Stephanie Williams

Terry Chu

Westmont College

San Francisco Stat

Richard Meuse

James Wong Sajid Hai

Ca単ada College

Jacqueline Algas Sasaki Jung Ho Cha Maria Duong

Crystal Berg Brady Wood

Red Rocks College Reda Aboulhouda

OUT-OF-COUNTRY COLLEGES US ARMED FORCES Gento Kusano CANADA University of Waterloo Jun Song Yu

York University Amy Wong

GERMANY Bianca Chang

INDIA

Arvind Palaniappan

JAPAN

Kaoru Hori Yuri Iwai

Moeko Matsuo Tomoki Obama Kosuke Takemura

SWITZERLAND Elole Poytechique Federale de Lausanne Calixte Mayoraz

TAIWAN Monica Ho

Andrew Jun Kim (Air Force) Jeannie Kim (US Navy Defense Language Institute) Sara Sodeyama (US Army)

NATIONS

a State ies

ay

hinic

te

Isaac Goes Brooke Preston Jennifer Ripley Salvatore Serpe

San Jose State Uma Sandeep Billakota Dennis Cao Justin Casey Leah Chang Michael Cho Marissa Garcia Gavin Higham Shreya Jaiswal Radhika Kannan Alex Do Hyun Kim Kevin Lan Wai Kit Kelvin Lau Benjamin Lee Kee Hyun Lee Sergio Licardie Yingwen Lu Brianda Lundberg Kaitlynn Magnuson Vandita Manyam Jeland Palicte Nicole Pavlov Alex Pham Sindhusha Pothireddy Micayla Reed Adrian Riives Reema Shalan Ashley Sharrah Mason Sparhawk Travis Tschirhart Alvin Yang

Sonoma State Cameron Randles

senior edition

THE PROSPECTOR

JUNE 3, 2011

In-State Private Universities Point Loma Nazarene University

Academy of Art Shannon Hipps

Stephen Cheng

Art Center College of Design

Pasadena Art Center Woo Lim Seo

Soo Jung Shin

Saint Mary’s College

Biola University

Angela Li

San Francisco Academy of Art

Cherrina Yoon

Boston Reed Tatiana Valdez

Michael Chin

California Baptist University

Santa Clara University Belinda Ha

Scripps College

Taylor Ward

California College of the Arts

Natalie Hoang

Soka University Wagio Collins

Philip An

Southern California Institute of Architecture

California Institute of Technology

Vaishali Shah

Daniel Hsu

Chapman University Emily Matsunami

Cogswell College Dominican University

University of the Pacific

University of Redlands Alexandra Tang

David Muegge

Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, Los Angeles Jenny Chen

Gemological Institute of America Chloe Lee

Occidental College Otis College of Art & Design

Gun Ho Lee Lydia Chen Hyun Jung Kye Alice Peng Diana Villalon

Timothy Gallaher

Scott Virshup

Stanford University

University of San Francisco Jaime Garvey Sabrina Jueseekul Traci Leung Amanda Yee

University of Southern California Vivek Krishnamurthy Angela Lee Catherine Nguyen Kapil Talwalkar Tess Wu

Tung Yang Wu

UNDECIDED/ UNKNOWN

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IN-STATE UNIVERSITIES University of California Berkeley

Merced

Lawrence Cao Patric Chao Ernest Chen Haley Chen Nhayoung Hwang Anthony Kao Timothy Kim Min Ju Lee Chenyi Li Sunil Mair James Riehl Margaret Shyu Karen Sugano Kevin Tee Barhka Tiwana Wei Chih Wang Wei Li Wang Kevin Wu Allen Zhou

Nicole Dang Matvejs Fostiropuls

Davis

Salman Amira Aznan Michael Chen Alexander Tabrizi Calvin Tran Lizzie Seung Yeon Woo Scott Wu

San Diego Minh Dam Sushmitha Divakar Winnie Huang Scott Lin Alan Nguyen Sheng Poon Francis Shung

Santa Barbara

Aditya Agarwal Megha Chandrashekhar Anna Chang Yeh Wen Cheng Mahtab Danai John Deane Sharon Jan Eric Jang Dae Yoon Lee Pha Le Nguyen Albab Noor Karim Omar Benjamin Roa Eric Ronne Daniel Son Kevin Su Elaine Wang

Irvine Alyssa Kumnoonsate Alan Lai Kevin Phung Wilson Yap

Los Angeles Kai Lin Chang Emily Cheng Huiqing Ge Michelle Huang Pranav Joshi Naree Kae Aaron Lau Yelena Muratova Allen Pai Abby Sywe Victor Tran Catherine Wang Christopher Wong Timothy Yu

Karan Kapoor Amrit Khokhar Kian Afarinesh Dylan Cox Hyoung Jin Han Claudia Kim Rudy Alcala Wassim El Moznine Jesse Hawkins Kipiloti Kuila Axel Amzallag Richard Facelo Vincent Ho Chia Ying Lee Jose Fernandez Ameer Fakhraldin Paul Howson Chang Hung Li Mustafa Arshad Brandon Foreman Vivian Hsu Jennifer Leuder Evgueniy Bagdasaryan Frederick Francisco Emily Hubbard Rebekah Machado Kevin Beher Jaclyn Freeman Takashi Huynh Daniel Madueno Natasha Bhatt Luis Gonzalez Edward Iglesias Kiana Hale Surya Bhatti Jeffrey Goodrich Julia Ionel Shawn McIntosh Michael Burke Madison Gregory Wesam Issa Ian Messaros Diana Chang Gicell Guardado Brandon Johnson James Min In Yong Cho Steven Guillen Min Seo Kang Layla Morningstar Sara Christensen Sami Haba Summer Kanj Neda Mortazavi

Riverside

Kyle Campbell Mary Gao Joo Hee Lee Kevin Oh Caley Seaton Anjali Shastry

Santa Cruz Ragnheidur Bjarnadottir Zeyu Cao Forrest Connor Benjamin Du Sadaf Fakharzadeh Nicolette Goularte Richard Le Weston Mossman Stephen Poirier Jessica Riley Jason Shao Michael Skandalis Amy Tao Albertina Wang William Wang Robert Woo

Vani Mulkareddy Anthony Munoz Diana Nazartchouk William Ortiz Angelica Padilla Jin Woung Park Leanna Reyes Ronald Richardson Gabino Sanz Jacob Sickel Scott Stavang Cristofer Stites Tyler Thiel Jake Thompson Andrea Vera

Vi Viet Saulomon Villegas Miranda Wardle Ethan Wilkie Amy Wyckoff Min Ki Yoo Yawen Yu Taylor Zehl

SENIOR EDITION

JUNE 3, 2011

FINAL LETTERS FROM THE EDITORS

Salutations, Glorious Cupertino Comrades!

Dear Class of 2011,

Normally, Editors-in-Chief use this space to spew some reflective and touching B.S. to the 25% of the school that’s graduating. This time, I’m mixing things up a bit—I’ll be giving some very blunt and unpleasant advice to the 75% of the school that isn’t graduating instead.

So freshmen, sophomores and juniors, I’d like to tell you guys about how you can be second best at everything in high school and still end up as perky and happy as I am all the time.

Now some of y’all might be a little bit flabbergasted that I’m writing this. Don’t be. I’ve always been runner-up to just about everything —10 points shy of a 2400 on the SAT, Vice President of three different organizations, President of absolutely nothing, future student at a second-tier college and even second-in-command of a Stargate role-playing group I co-founded in freshman year. Being so close to Number One yet so far can drive anyone crazy—but not if you follow these three easy tips!

Tip One—laugh at those above you. There are always disadvantages to being Number One. Find those disadvantages and annoyingly exploit them to your own pleasure. Have a friend who’s going to an Ivy? Remind him how much student debt he’ll have! Dislike your club President? Remember, with great power comes great accountability for all screwups!

Tip Two—troll those who’ve screwed you over. I’ve always had a great relationship with the College Board ever since they denied me a 2400.

Whenever they blessed me with AP tests, I blessed them with huge drawings of cows and snarky comments in the FRQ sections. I’m sure that riled the graders—but hey, I got to actually have fun taking tests!

Tip Three—remember those below you. If you’re second best, there’s also third best and 6.022x1023 best. So you’re not that doltish after all.

Well, I’ll stop writing before I get slapped. But please take my advice to heart. If you do, you’ll never be Number Two in schadenfreudic glee!

Graduation is just around the corner yet I still vividly remember my first day at CHS. With a white Abercrombie jacket and “poodle-like” hair, I ran around the campus trying to find my first period Spanish class. I was definitely late, and I worried that my teacher would scold me for coming in late, but instead, he smiled at me and jokingly told me to catch my breath.

Ever since I was little, I have always had a phobia for teachers and adults because of their dominance. Thus, I tried to avoid all my teachers as much as I could and I rarely participated during my classes.

Live Long and Prosper, Anthony Kao

6

Then, as a sophomore, I became a student journalist. I became more involved with the school and I made many important friendships with my peers. As a journalist, I could not avoid any teachers since I had to initiate conversations for interviews. However, by conducting interviews and conversations with staff members, I was able to see the love and care they had for the students. Therefore, the teachers at CHS have transformed me from a pessimistic and reserved child into a responsible and dedicated student by showing their kindness and passion for their jobs as teachers.

There is less than a week of high school left. While it is often easy to neglect to show your appreciation to your teachers, friends and family during these last few days, taking the time to thank those who have influenced you would be a nice way to wrap up your high school career.

Class of 2011, we have been a united class for the past four years. Good luck in all your future endeavors and always remember to be proud of all your accomplishments.

Sincerely, Regina Hong

WORDS FROM YOUR CLASS PRESIDENT, ASB ADVISER AND ASB PRESIDENT Dear Class of 2011,

I just wanted to thank you for allowing me to lead our class during our senior year. It was an amazing experience. But, let’s not talk about me, let’s talk about us. It’s been four long years. And we have made it. We are going off to college!

It’s amazing how we have grown from small little freshmen to big intelligent seniors. We all will be leaving each other soon. Starting our new lives, a new beginning. Yes, we suffered through many hard times as a class, but we went through it. I know you all will succeed in your future.

I wish you all the best and I hope we all can keep in touch until that five year reunion. Seeing each other when we are super “old.” All I can really say, is that I will miss all of you.

Our class was an underdog, but we have succeeded. We won that spirit bell, we got first place in many rallies, and most of all we became united. I know, I’m being cliché, but you all know it’s true. We as a class have grown for the better and hopefully nothing will stop us from growing in our future.

I love you guys. Keep beasting it 2011.

As I sat down to write this note, the first word that came to mind was, get ready for this, backpacks.

Really, J-Ro? Backpacks? Bear with me while I try to make this metaphor play out.

Let’s face it, this class has huge backpacks. I should know, since I tripped over them all last year in my APUSH class. And this year, gigantic, heavy, backpacks cover my desks after rally days in ASB. The Class of 2011 has certainly been carrying all their studies around with a purpose. As a group, you are a dedicated group of students, earnest and hardworking for four years at CHS. I can’t remember a group committed to their studies quite like you guys.

Who needs P90x for a back and shoulder workout when you have backpacks like yours? So now where are you going to go with your strong, broad shoulders? Ready, no doubt, for the exciting adventures that lie ahead.

I also hope that you aren’t too quick to retire your CHS virtual backpack, because think about all the other things you get to carry out of here with you: a lifetime worth of friendships, wonderful memories, and teachers and administrators who think the world of you. You may not realize it now, but this backpack full of memories will be something that you’ll dig out and call upon throughout the rest of your life. It’s hard to explain now, but with time I’ve learned that the high school memories are impossible to recreate.

So proudly march on out of here in your cap and gowns on graduation night, Senior Class of 2011. But keep those backpacks close by. You never know when they may come in handy.

Alexandra Tang (aka Alex Tang) Class of 2011 President

J-Ro (Mr. Jeff Rosado) ASB Adviser

Hello 2011ers!

Dear Class of 2011, For years we have seen other classes graduate, and for years it seemed like something that was so far away for us. For one thing, it’s a little bit different of a feeling being years away from something versus days, hours, and minutes away.

When I first arrived here at Tino from Texas my Sophomore year, I was introduced to a kind, welcoming, and ambitious group or students.

From being a person who has experienced other schools, it is not necessarily common to experience this on your first day. My point being: despite being quite an unusual class, as we have certainly heard before, moments like these speak for the character of the class as well.

Now graduating, I have only witnessed a more kind, welcoming, and certainly ambitious class; and I couldn’t be more excited for what y’all accomplish in the future.

Cheers!

Jaime Garvey ASB President 2010-2011

The Prospector Senior Staff 2010-2011

senior edition

THE PROSPECTOR

JUNE 3, 2011

7

Amar Kantipudi Anthony Kao photo editor editor-in-chief

Gun Ho Lee opinions assistant

Jackie Breuer in-depth editor

Vani Mulkareddy in-depth editor

Natalie Hoang lifestyles editor

Joanna Lee sports editor

Jamin Shih copy editor

Emily Cheng features assistant

Tess Wu features editor

Regina Hong editor-in-chief

Willie Wang photo editor

Alyssa Williams copy editor

Fred Han copy editor

LAST WORDS FROM THE SENIOR STAFF emily cheng, features assistant

jamin shih, copy editor

I’ve always wanted to have superpowers. But I figured, just be happy, because when time flies, I’ll fly along with it.

It’s nice to be important, but it’s more important to be nice.

fred han, copy editor

alyssa williams, copy editor

Do yourself a favor and thoroughly research and strive to understand the Ladder Theory.

natalie hoang, lifestyles editor I’ve met the most inspirational peers in these 4 years and I’m confident that not only will they succeed in what’s to come, but also that they have also guided me to do so.

amar kantipudi, photo editor Before you criticize anyone, walk a mile in their shoes. Then you’ll be a mile away, and you’ll have their shoes.

gun ho lee, opinions assistant Take everything Tino offers you and run with it. Improve everything you lay your hands on. And if you embarrass yourself while doing it, you just made the experience all the more memorable.

joanna lee, sports editor Be ambitious, creative and inspiring. Be yourself.

I used to relish my afternoon naps, but with high school, I had better things to do than sleep my hours away. I may have sacrificed nap time, but by getting involved, I had unforgettable experiences: field shows, Challenge Days, club socials, Aida, late-night send offs. Imagine... I could have missed it all.

tess wu, features editor There have definitely been some low points when being a journalist—when we, as a staff, (jokingly) considered standing in the quad and protesting just so we could put something in our news section. But when I look back on our “obesity parties”, our hectic deadlines and Eric’s birthday announcements, I think I got rather lucky.

The clearest way into the universe is through a forest wilderness.

-John Muir