Vol. LVII, No. 9 by The Smoke Signal

MISSION SAN JOSE HIGH SCHOOL

VOL. 57, NO. 9

2022

41717 PALM AVENUE, FREMONT, CA 94539 41717 PALM AVENUE, FREMONT, CA 94539

School Changes After nearly two years of distance learning, students and staff finally returned to in-person learning back on campus, albeit with some changes. Masks were mandated except when eating, and social distancing was recommended. On March 11, Gov. Gavin Newsom lifted the CA school mask mandate, which optionalized the requirement for wearing masks in MSJ. In addition, MSJ switched its online user portal from School Loop to Infinite Campus when School Loop was acquired by IgniteTech. Despite initial complaints about the switch, students and staff managed to adapt to the new portal throughout the school year. In February, the MSJ sound system in the Bell Tower Quad, amphitheater, and C-120 was revamped thanks to the efforts of Leadership 2 (L2), MSJ’s administration, and FUSD.

May 27, 2022

YEAR IN REVIEW

By Karina Han, Waylon Li, Julia Peng & Aaron Zhou Staff Writers

In the first year back from distance learning, MSJ has persevered and excelled throughout the 2021-22 school year. To recognize these occasions, the Smoke Signal highlights some major events, school changes, clubs, and sports of the first year back to in-person learning.

Clubs

On Oct. 11, 2021, MSJ Interact attended the Interact District 5170 Fall Leadership Conference, an annual event for all high school Interact clubs across the Bay Area to participate in district-wide bondings and workshops. In November, a MSJ-William Hopkins Junior High School chess team competed at the Expo 2020, Dubai World Expo as the only US representative, placing ninth out of 12 teams. MSJ Speech and Debate attended the Tournament of Champions from April 23-25, with members making it to runoffs, octafinals, and semifinals in Dramatic Interpretation, Lincoln-Douglas debate, and other categories. In addition, MSJ DECA placed fourth at the International Career Development Conference (ICDC) from April 23-26, and 19 members placed in the top 20 of their events.

STEM MSJ Academic Challenge, MSJ Computer Science Club, and MSJ Math Club combined efforts to host a guest speaker event featuring Professor Po-Shen Loh on Dec. 13, 2021. During his speech, Loh talked about the power of simple ideas and his COVID-19 tracking app, NOVID. On April 2, MSJ Youth4Climate successfully launched and retrieved a high-altitude weather balloon at Natividad Creek Park in Salinas, CA with the purpose of analyzing atmospheric data. In the Science Olympiad, MSJ Academic Challenge proudly claimed 2nd and 3rd at the Aggie Invitational, and in Science Bowl the club won first place at the Davidson Academy SciBowl Online National Invitational, making nationals for the first time in eight years.

Arts MSJ Universal Performers earned seven awards at the annual Lenaea High School Theater Festival from February 4-6. Later that month, on February 12, MSJ Ishaara performed at Dil Se, an Indian cultural show featuring Bay Area dance teams, for the first time in more than two years. On April 30, MSJ Band attended the Northern CA Band Association (NCBA) Large Ensemble/ Jazz Festival at Del Mar High School in San Jose, with Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band scoring a Superior ranking and Orchestra earning the highest ranking of Honors for their performances. MSJ Percussion also won first place at the San Mateo Winter Show, and Winter Guard placed third within their category at the NCBA Winter Championships, marking their first championship placement since 2016.

Sports MSJ Girls Tennis and Boys Tennis both won the NCS title for the first time since 2009 on Nov. 13, 2021 and May 14 respectively, following undefeated 20-0 and 22-0 seasons. The teams battled through the NCS tournaments, beating the first, second, and third seeds to take the title. MSJ Badminton also took first place overall in their NCS tournament on May 14, while other MSJ teams such as Girls Volleyball, Boys Golf, Girls Basketball, and Boys and Girls Swimming qualified for NCS this year. Additionally, Physical Education Department Chair and PE Teacher Pete Vaz received the NCS 2022 Boys Basketball Honor Coach Award on February 26 for his contributions as the Boys Basketball coach.

Mental Health

Schoolwide Events

The Mental Health Committee organized “12 Days of Self-Care” in early December, introducing students to different forms of self care and recommending daily activities to maintain balance. From February 7-14, LINK Crew also hosted LINK love week, which included love language quizzes and polaroid pictures with friends to spread love through MSJ. Based on proposals from SURFBoardE, the FUSD Board of Education approved mental health days as excused absences on March 9. Later that month, seven MSJ students participated in Fremont’s third annual Youth Wellness Ambassadors’ Community Service Project, which focused on promoting social and emotional health in youth using technology.

Coming back from the pandemic, schoolwide events returned in full swing. In October, MSJ hosted its first in-person Homecoming since 2020, and hyped up the school year with astonishing performances of dances, skits, and the first in-person Homecoming Extravaganza (HCX) since 2019. On March 17, MSJ hosted Spring Fling in place of the Winter Ball, an annual semi-formal dance which was canceled due to COVID-19 regulations. Multicultural Week took place during the first week of April, where clubs sold foods from all over the world, ending on April 8 with an assembly featuring performances that celebrated each culture through dance and music.

PHOTOS COURTESY STAFF WRITER CHARLIZE CHIU AND AARON ZHOU, WENLU SHE, SMOKE SIGNAL ARCHIVES

ONLINE

THIS MONTH

www.thesmokesignal.org

SMOKIE PODCAST: TEACHERS AND CLASSES THAT MADE AN IMPACT

PROM GALLERY

As the school year closes out, join three Smoke Signal staff writers as they reflect on their favorite classes, teachers, and experiences at MSJ.

Recap on MSJ’s first prom in two years, featuring music, dancing, and food through the Smoke Signal’s photo gallery online!

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The Smoke Signal

Friday, May 27, 2022

$53,676 RAISED

as of the closing ceremony

RELAY FOR LIFE CELEBRATES ITS 10TH ANNIVERSARY By Daphne He, Elton Yu & Steffi Zhou Staff Writers

On May 21-22, after two years of virtual Relays, MSJ Relay for Life (RFL) hosted its 10th annual 24-hour event. Through the Event Leadership Team’s (ELT) year-long dedication, MSJ made a strong comeback, with more than 150 students attending the Relay. The American Cancer Society (ACS) has been hosting RFL events since 1985, symbolizing their ongoing fight against cancer. Over the past decade, MSJ Relayers have raised more than half a million dollars, placing MSJ as one of the top ten schools working with the ACS for several years. Carrying on the tradition, new members of MSJ RFL have raised money throughout the year to participate in this month’s annual 24-hour event. Founded by surgeon Gordon Klatt in 1985, the 24-hour Relay started out with a single person walking around a track raising money through pledges and donations. Over time, the tradition evolved to a team event: one team member from each team has to be walking the track at all times, symbolizing perseverance and resilience in the fight against cancer. This Relay requires teamwork, representing the solidarity and resilience of the cancer community.

This year, the ELT was excited to present a new schedule of activities for the 24-hour event, ranging from the cancer survivor dinner to games like tug-of-war and the water balloon toss. “The majority of participants will be having a first-time experience at an in-person Relay,” Team Recruitment and Development Chair Senior Isha Kasanagottu said.

“I would say that it’s actually a really admirable thing: the fact that we were able to keep our Relay alive even during COVID-19. ” — Event Lead Senior Tanisha Srivatsa This year also had a special speaker event featuring cancer survivors Relonda McGhee, Dan MacNeilage, and Gail Erwin. Some other notable events traditional to the annual Relay include the Luminaria Ceremony, Tree Planting Ceremony, and Fight-

back Hour. The Luminaria Ceremony includes an incredible display of uniquely decorated lanterns as they line the edge of the track in honor of cancer survivors and those who have lost their lives to cancer. The Tree Planting Ceremony, a MSJ-specific tradition, is when a tree is planted in dedication to the lives lost to cancer. Lastly, Fightback Hour gives Relayers the opportunity to earn service hours while learning about different types of cancer. Each team comes up with an activity on a certain type of cancer, which participants can then engage in as they walk around the track. Many RFL teams this year struggled with fundraising coming out of the pandemic, failing to meet the $100 minimum fundraising requirement to participate in the 24-hour Relay. Ultimately, the club fell short of its $100,000 fundraising goal, raising a total of $53,676 as of the closing ceremony. However, despite these struggles, Event Lead Senior Tanisha Srivatsa is happy with how the event turned out. “I would say that it’s actually a really admirable thing: the fact that we were able to keep our Relay alive even during COVID-19,” she said. In the future, MSJ RFL hopes to

exceed the $100,000 fundraising goal and gain more participation in the Relay event. By participating in Relay and helping to raise money, Relayers are directly supporting their community through funding local cancer research and initiatives. “I encourage everyone who has friends who were affected by cancer or has been affected by cancer themselves or just wants to be part of the cancer community to join because it’s a really fun and rewarding experience,” Participant Manager Chair Senior Allison Chun said. ɸ

“I encourage everyone who has friends who were affected by cancer or has been affected by cancer themselves or just wants to be part of the cancer community to join because it’s a really fun and rewarding experience.” — Participant Manager Chair Senior Allison Chun PHOTOS BY STAFF WRITER DAPHNE HE AND STEFFI ZHOU

Friday, May 27, 2022

The Smoke Signal

NEWS IN

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News 3

FUSD teachers rally for a new contract

BRIEF Compiled by Shelley Li, Amy Luo & Kaitlyn Wang Staff Writers

LOCAL bart.gov As many state mask mandates were removed in past months, this policy from BART represents a change in direction.

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NATIONAL heavy.com Police vehicles surround the Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church after the shooting on May 15.

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INTERNATIONAL dawn.com

After scorching temperatures, many Pakistani residents are beginning to shelter-in-place.

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Through years of struggling for compromise, FUSD teachers hope that this effort will be rewarded. By Shelley Li & Pratham Bhashyakarla Staff Writers

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MSJ Universal Performers presents The Trail to Oregon! WKHLU ¿UVW SOD\ LQ WKUHH \HDUV By Chahak Gupta & Daphne Senecal Staff Writers

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corrections for the APRIL 29, 2022 issue News Pg. 1: The Bridgerton article is a review. News Pg. 2: The fourth Peer Resource Committee should be spelled Events and Fundraising. Feature Pg. 9: NCBA WG Championships should be spelled as such. A&E Pg. 12: Bánh Mì should be spelled as such. A&E Pg. 15: Justin Bieber should be spelled as such.

During the play, performers stand together and sing lyrics from classic tracks.

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4 Opinion www.thesmokesignal.org

THE SMOKE SIGNAL Mission San Jose High School Est. 1964 Vol. 57, No. 9 | May 27, 2022 www.thesmokesignal.org 41717 Palm Ave. Fremont, CA 94539 510-657-3600, ext. 37088 MISSION STATEMENT The Smoke Signal’s mission is to represent the voices of the MSJ community and serve the public by providing accurate, meaningful, and engaging information presented through print and digital mediums. SCHOOL POPULATION 1971 students EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Megh Basu, Amanda Pang NEWS Larry Shi, Alina Zeng OPINION Isabella He, Sakshi Umrotkar FEATURE Lily Oh, Nithika Valluri CENTERSPREAD Naveed Shakoor, Jackie Wong A&E Joanne Park, Helen Tian SPORTS Anvi Kalucha, Jerry Yuan GRAPHICS Mingxin Wang WEB Tanisha Srivatsa, Jessica Yu TECH Bryan Xiong BUSINESS Jennie Wang CIRCULATION Angela Xiong ADVERTISING Rohan Bhagat, Steffi Zhou EVENTS Esther Lau WRITERS & PHOTOGRAPHERS Sanah Bhardwaj Pratham Bhashyakarla Ruhani Chhabra Charlize Chiu Shaily Desai Anandita Devata Chloe Gao Sahas Goli Jiyun Guo Chahak Gupta Jacob Han Karina Han Daphne He Christy Huang Selina Kao Ayushi Kashyap Elaheh Khazi Vedesh Kodnani Sarina Li Shelley Li Waylon Li Amy Luo Andria Luo Maryam Naseer Aditya Patil Julia Peng Esha Potharaju Daphne Senecal Priyanka Shah Hannah Shen Annika Singh Aaryan Suri Jason Tang Darshan Thirumala Nessa Tong Kaitlyn Wang Kaylee Wei Amelie Wu Annie Xu Elton Yu Aaron Zhou ADVISER Sandra Cohen Send letters to the editor to opinion@ thesmokesignal.org. Letters under 300 words may be considered for publication and must include a full name and school affiliation. The Smoke Signal reserves the right to edit for clarity and length. For a chance for your artwork to be featured in The Smoke Signal, send graphic opinions to the editor to opinion@thesmokesignal.org. The Smoke Signal reserves the right to modify graphics for publication. To advertise in the Smoke Signal, email ads@ thesmokesignal.org. Advertising that is included on the pages of, or carried within, the Smoke Signal, is paid advertising, and as such is independent of the news and feature content. The Smoke Signal’s right to freedom of speech and press is protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution. To stay updated with our online content, see our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ msjsmokesignal. CORRECTIONS POLICY When factual and spelling mistakes are found or brought to the attention of the staff, corrections will be printed in the next issue’s corrections box. See the example below for styling. Centerspread Pg. 10: The California Youth Crisis Line should be the Crisis Text Line. DISTRIBUTION POLICY The Smoke Signal is distributed to all students during Read period on the publication date for no cost. Subscriptions are $30 for 9 issues (US). To subscribe, email circulation@thesmokesignal.org. BYLINE POLICY All writers who contributed to the article will be listed in the byline in alphabetical order. All photographers or artists will be credited in the text below the photograph or spread.

The Smoke Signal

Isabella's InterpretatIons

Friday, May 27, 2022

sakshI's solIloquy

Navigating new friendships one step at a time

Self-expression in a busy world

By Isabella He Opinion Editor

By Sakshi Umrotkar Opinion Editor

“You have to try really hard to make friends ized that it's completely natural to feel like it’s and before and during the first few weeks of harder for me to put myself out there. While freshman year — that window of opportunity it’s important to push myself to get to know is critical.” As a graduating senior attending col- new people and embrace an unfamiliar envilege in the fall of next year, I’ve heard all about ronment, it’s also important that I engage at a the short period of time before friendship pace I’m comfortable with. groups form and when all college freshmen are During this time, I’ve found it helpful to eager to connect with absolute strangers. When remind myself that I am not alone in feeling I met many of my future classmates for the first overwhelmed by the pressure of making new time a few weeks ago, I was excited to join the friends in the span of a few days or weeks — welcoming environment I’ve imagined where everyone is facing a new environment, adjustsocial inhibitions and cliques are suspended and ing to living away from home, and leaving everyone is open to new friendships. Despite the behind their friends from high school. I also meetup’s environment living up to my expecta- remind myself that while it can feel like I have tions, immersed in a crowd of people I will be to make friends by a certain event, orientation, around for the next four years of my life with or the first weeks of college, that isn’t true. I small talk and budding friendships around every have time to meet new people in classes, join corner, I felt overwhelmed by the daunting task clubs to find students with similar interests, of walking up to strangers and joining conversa- and connect with those in my dorm. tions to connect with my peers. Furthermore, To my fellow classmates, whether you will seeing others form instant connections and be forming new friendships at a summer camp bond with people they previously met through or at college, remember that it’s okay to feel individual meetups or social media platforms excited about forming new networks and also caused me to feel behind in making friends. feel anxious about forging friendships from As I met people who shared my feelings of scratch. Take it one step at a time, try your best being intimidated by the idea of pushing them- to push yourself to open up to those around selves to socialize and worrying about keeping you, and you will inevitably find people to up with the fast-paced social connections, I real- connect with. ŀ

When I came to know at the end of last year that I was going to be co-Opinion Editor for the 2021-22 school year, I was most excited by the prospect of writing columns each month. But struggling to introspect on days where coursework or extracurricular responsibilities dominated my free time, I initially found it difficult to wrack my brain for genuine ideas. As I spent more time brainstorming, the process became progressively easier — I took note of meaningful conversations and interactions, paying attention to the media I consumed daily and sometimes naturally knowing what I wanted to discuss the next month. Depending on the angle I chose each cycle, my column could be a soapbox about a newsworthy issue, advice about shared student struggles, or a hybrid of both. But the one characteristic that stayed constant was each column’s cathartic nature. Writing columns has helped me grow more accustomed to articulating my thoughts, giving me the opportunity to slow down and regard any problems with a clearer head than before. Ultimately, this strategy has helped me value the importance of self-expression in today’s rather isolating world. By virtue of being in the Smoke Signal, I’ve

had to push myself to search for issues I care to fix and teachable moments from my life that I value enough to share. Having a platform for self-expression not only provides us with a healthy outlet but also facilitates the critical thinking necessary to form opinions. Articulating the whirlwind of emotions and beliefs we keep nestled in our heads daily can enable us to develop value systems that are our own rather than just accepting ones that we are exposed to most often. As I considered college life and the struggles of adjusting to it, I sometimes worried about the vacuum of self-expression I’d experience after losing the Smoke Signal as a journalistic medium. But after stepping back and re-evaluating, I realized that self-expression didn’t necessarily have to entail writing a formal column every month. Changing in accordance with our schedules, hobbies, and personalities, self-expression can take a diverse array of forms in our lives. And as young students, it’s vital that we find platforms and mechanisms of communication that help us feel safe and assert our opinions. It’s reassuring to know that maintaining blogs, writing journal entries, or even just taking the time to jot down our stress when we are overwhelmed can all contribute to a much more fulfilling student life. ŀ

The Opinion of the Smoke Signal Editorial Board

Editorial Board’s Decision to Replace Post-Grad Plans As of May 27, the Smoke Signal will be replacing the traditional Post-Grad Plans spread featuring the names of the graduating senior class’s future colleges with a Class of 2022’s Future Aspirations spread highlighting each senior’s diverse future academic or professional aspirations. This decision, which follows the 2020-21 Editorial Board’s action to not publish a Post-Grad Plans spread in 2021, comes as a collective measure from the entirety of the 2021-22 Smoke Signal Editorial Board. Historically, the Post-Grad Plans spread has been a way for students to celebrate the graduating seniors’ accomplishments, whether their future plans involved going to community college, attending trade school, joining the military, or attending a four-year institution. By including every senior who submitted their college information on the page, the Smoke Signal’s aim was to celebrate the entire class and their respective colleges. However, considering the current competitive climate that surrounds the college admissions process here at MSJ, the Editorial Board believes that a traditional Post-Grad Plans spread would no longer fulfill its intended goal of celebrating the senior class. Rather, we believe that we would be equating college prestige to student success — and that’s not the message that we, as a publication, want to promote. Now, more than ever, many students have come to view elite college acceptances as a measure of their success. With 2022 being a record-breaking admissions year for many campuses — the University of California system alone received more than 210,000 freshman applications for Fall 2022 — the sentiment that many students view elite college acceptances as a measure of success has amplified the stress that many current seniors have faced related to their college prospects. By formerly centering the Post-Grad Plans spread around college prospects, we have failed to recognize the hard work that every member of the graduating class has put in over the past four years, regardless of their acceptance to prestigious institutions. By reducing students’ four years in high school to simply their name and future college, we had also risked sending the message that students are no more than the prestige of their institution. Additionally, the nature of the PostGrad Plans spread alienates students who are

pursuing nontraditional post-graduation plans, such as taking a gap year, attending trade schools, or seeking employment, by separating their names from the majority of students who are pursuing a four-year degree. Attending a four-year college is not the only possible path following high school graduation, and we don’t want to contribute to that stigma through our publication. Ultimately, it is the opinion of the Editorial Board that the Post-Grad Plans spread no longer serves the celebratory purpose it originally intended to, and that continuing to publish it would come at the detriment of students’ mental health and stress levels. This decision does not come lightly — the Editorial Board came to this conclusion after discussing with key stakeholders, including the Mental Health Committee, Peer Resource, school administration, teachers, as well as surveying groups of randomly selected students. We believe that rather than highlighting each student’s actual college, we should celebrate each student’s future aspirations. This year’s Future Aspirations spread will feature each participating senior’s post-grad location and future academic or professional plans in the hopes of showcasing the diverse interests and goals that MSJ students plan to undertake in this next formative stage of their lives. We understand that this decision may come as a shock to some; after all, the PostGrad Plans spread as we know it has been a tradition at the Smoke Signal for years. However, we hope that our rationale resonates with our readers, those of you who were in favor of the traditional spread and those of you who weren’t. In the end, this decision came down to the fact that we as an Editorial Board believe doing the customary Post-Grad Plans would hurt more people than it would help, and we hope that our spread this year offers a more inclusive solution that celebrates all students, not just the few who go on to attend elite colleges. ŀ

By Karina Han & Hannah Shen Staff Writers

STAFF WRITER KARINA HAN

STAFF WRITER HANNAH SHEN

Friday, May 27, 2022 The Smoke Signal

www.thesmokesignal.org

Gen Z's

Labor of Love By Ruhani Chhabra, Anandita Devata, Jiyun Guo, & Annika Singh Staff Writers “I don’t want to be a girlboss. I don’t want to hustle,” declaimed TikTok user @miainmoments. Over the past couple of years, many members of Generation Z (Gen Z) have expressed their distaste towards labor on social media, highlighting their recent increase in anti-capitalist sentiments. While their comments of not wanting to contribute to “hustle culture” is a stark contrast to millennial job seekers on the hunt for high salaries and benefits, they reflect a broader shift in the way American youth view the workforce. The idea that it will be increasingly difficult to earn a living wage in the upcoming decades due to rising costs of living has culminated in a collectively cynical mindset towards work. Many young people also believe that the existing system has set them up to fail — bleak economic circumstances, student loan debt, and wealth inequality are just a few of the problems that have soured their perceptions of capitalism. The pandemic catalyzed this shift in workplace dynamics, with overtime becoming increasingly necessary due to remote work, stagnant wages, and inflation. In response to these taxing workplace norms, trends on TikTok and Instagram began promoting anti-capitalist sentiments such as the “don’t dream of labor” ideology. Gen Z members of the workforce believe that financial success and a repetitive 9-5 day job will only trap them in a cycle of worker exploitation and force them to resort to escapism to cope. However, such mental diversions are just temporary solutions to an unsustainable lifestyle.

In response, Gen Z increasingly advocates “working to live” rather than “living to work” by pursuing personally fulfilling activities like content creation, playing an instrument, writing poetry, or traveling. The main source of Gen Z’s disillusionment is “hustle culture,” the unhealthy mindset that greater productivity and financial success lead to a greater sense of self worth. Memes on social media that glorifying “hustle culture” and posts featuring phrases such as “Thank God it’s Monday,” all contribute to the romanticization of worker exploitation. Workers constantly face poor treatment and unsafe conditions, hearing quotes like “There are way easier places to work, but nobody ever changed the world on 40 hours a week,” from billionaires like Elon Musk. The posts that hype hustle culture all push people to give up everything to pursue their financial goals. Corporations often leverage this mindset to guilt workers into overworking themselves, forcing employees to sacrifice family time, mental health, hobbies, and self-care in the name of productivity. In 2020, Chinese-Canadian author Jonny Sun published a memoir titled Goodbye, Again detailing his transformation from a workaholic to a disillusioned member of the workforce. He describes the way work invaded his personal life, writing that “The most productive years of my life so far have also been my loneliest … the only way I [felt] able to take a break [was] if I [exhausted] myself mentally and physically to the point where I [was] forced to

Opinion 5

stop working.” Through toxic workplace culture and competitive reward systems, companies warp employees’ sense of self-esteem and tie productivity with selfworth. A study in the Harvard Business Review found that employees who reported 60-80 hour weeks were praised as “superheroes” while those who asked for more flexible hours were penalized and marginalized. Workaholics forgo a large part of their personal lives to pursue unguaranteed validation — potential bonuses or promotions — from profit-driven corporations. Furthermore, workplaces often exploit employees’ necessity to earn living wages, forcing them to work longer hours but failing to properly compensate them. To cope with this excess work time, YouTuber F.D Signifier argued that people should detach themselves from an employer-oriented identity. “What people miss is that the dream isn’t labor. It’s the idea that [people’s] work and effort will create new opportunities for them, their families, and their children … If I don’t labor, how will

for an average of 6.6 hours per night. Only 16% of the student body meets the ideal goal of sleeping 8-10 hours per night. Additionally, 81.2% of students reported a stress-related health symptom in the past month, including headaches, exhaustion, and difficulty sleeping. The weight we place on success and achievement actively fosters a culture of toxic workaholism, forcing us to give up basic necessities such as mental and physical health. Gen Z has made numerous strides with mental health awareness, such as decreasing the stigma surrounding mood and personality disorders, and they expect workplaces and their employers to reflect the values of compassion that today’s youth promote in order to make a difference in the decades-old system of workaholism. We should strive to change our mindsets now, so that when we enter the workforce, we can steer clear of workaholic habits. Social media and technology have provided Gen Z workers with a platform to share negative aspects about the role of labor in their lives. While Gen Z members are bringing awareness to the toxic and pressuring “hustle culture” that glorifies The main source of Gen Z’s disillusion- workaholism, they should also realize productivity ment is “hustle culture,” the unhealthy and employment can give them the opportunity mindset that greater productivity and to pursue their passions. Rejecting work, indulg¿QDQFLDO VXFFHVV OHDG WR D JUHDWHU VHQVH ing in leisure, and framing jobs as an act to purof self worth. sue out of financial necessity can continue to feed a negative perception of work that could actively my children eat?” prevent people from enjoying their workplaces and Competitive environments like MSJ champion responsibilities. While jobs can seem tiring, people hustle culture in a similar manner, leading many can use their skills to make positive change in their students to place much of their self-worth on aca- communities — which is what Gen Z is incredibly demic success and the way others perceive their ac- passionate and driven about. complishments. Failing to meet high expectations Collectively, we should aim to spread awareness often leads to insecurity and depression, so stu- about the toxic aspects of romanticizing “hustle dents take extreme measures to avoid undesirable culture,” but we should not become automatioutcomes. Gen Z carries higher standards in their cally cynical towards productivity. We should aim expectations of the job market compared to older to strike a balance between work and personal life generations, who faced oppressive policies while and strive for a work-to-live mindset rather than a fighting for unionization rights. In fact, a 2019 sur- live-to-work mindset. Work should be more than vey done by Griffith University reports that around finances, and living to work creates an imbalance 74% of undergraduate student participants had — one in which people are missing many of the experienced forms of exploitation in their first job. good things life has to offer. Students can create a This includes unsafe work conditions, bullying, sex- weekly schedule using platforms such as Google ual and verbal harrassment, physical violence, and Calendar, Habitica, and Notion that allow them economic exploitation. The 2021-22 Challenge to dedicate some time to hanging out with their Success-Stanford Survey of School Experiences families and friends, going out in nature, or trying found that the average MSJ student spends 21.8 new activities. We should strive to have healthy and hours on homework in a week in addition to the sustainable work habits while finding joy in what compulsory 35 hours at school, ultimately sleeping we do. ŀ

Do you think the “hustle culture” mindset is healthy? “I think the hustle culture mindset is healthy in moderaƟŽŶ͘ /Ŷ ŵǇ ŽƉŝŶŝŽŶ͕ / ǁŽƌŬ ŵƵĐŚ ďĞƩĞƌ when my schedule is jam-packed beĐĂƵƐĞ / ŽŶůǇ ŚĂǀĞ Ă ĐĞƌƚĂŝŶ ĂŵŽƵŶƚ ŽĨ ƟŵĞ ƚŽ ĐŽŵƉůĞƚĞ ĞĂĐŚ ƚĂƐŬ ͘͘͘ / ĮŶĚ ƚŚĂƚ ƚŚŝƐ helps me compartmentalize my goals ĂŶĚ ĂƐƐŝŐŶŵĞŶƚƐ͕ ďƵƚ ƚŚŝƐ ĐŽƵůĚ ĚĞĮnitely be extremely overwhelming ŝĨ ĚŽŶĞ ƚŽ ĂŶ ĞǆƚƌĞŵĞ͘͟ Ͷ dŝĂŶĂ ^ĂŚĂ͕ ϭϬ

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What ’s your take on balancing work and personal life? “Honestly balancing my work life and personal life has been a struggle but I think it is extremely ŝŵƉŽƌƚĂŶƚ ƚŽ ĮŶĚ ďĂůĂŶĐĞ͘ / ƐƚƌŽŶŐůǇ believe that learning how to balance ǇŽƵƌ ƐĐŚĞĚƵůĞ ƉƌŽƉĞƌůǇ ŝƐ ƌĞĂůůǇ ΀ĐƌŝƟĐĂů΁͘ ůƚŚŽƵŐŚ ŝƚ ŵĂǇ ďĞ ŚĂƌĚ͕ ĮŶĚŝŶŐ balance between work and personal life would be completely ǁŽƌƚŚ ŝƚ͘͟ Ͷ ĚŝƟ >ĂŐŝƐĞƩǇ͕ ϵ

Do you believe Gen ŚĂƐ Ă ŵŽƌĞ ŶĞŐĂƟǀĞ ĂƫƚƵĚĞ ƚŽǁĂƌĚƐ ǁŽƌŬ͍ " I ǁŽƵůĚŶΖƚ ƵƐĞ ƚŚĞ ƚĞƌŵ ΖŶĞŐĂƟǀĞΖ͕ ƌĂƚŚĞƌ ΖƵŶĐŽŶǀĞŶƟŽŶĂůΖ͘ tŚŝůĞ 'ĞŶ may not be interested in brute-forcing ƚŽŶƐ ŽĨ ǁŽƌŬ ŝŶ Ă ϵͲϱ͕ ƚŚĞ ŵĞŵďĞƌƐ ŽĨ ŽƵƌ ŐĞŶĞƌĂƟŽŶ ĂƌĞ ƐƟůů ǀĞƌǇ ĚĞĚŝĐĂƚĞĚ ĂŶĚ ƉĂƐƐŝŽŶĂƚĞ ĂďŽƵƚ ƚŚĞŝƌ ǁŽƌŬ͘ dŚĞ current structure of work might just be outdated for the proŐƌĞƐƐŝǀŝƐŵ ŽĨ 'ĞŶ ͘͟ Ͷ tĂƌƌĞŶ ŚĂŶŐ͕ ϭϮ

GRAPHICS BY OPINION EDITOR ISABELLA HE.

6 Opinion www.thesmokesignal.org

The Smoke Signal

Friday, May 27, 2022

Discourse Should Not Be In The Hands of Billionaires

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The Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology — a selective state-chartered magnet school that is considered one of the best public high schools in the US — was recently sued due to accusations of them discriminating against Asian American applicants through revamped admissions policies that consider students’ race and socioeconomic status alongside their applications. Do you believe such practices are discriminatory? Why or why not?

)**+,%-. ͞/ ďĞůŝĞǀĞ ƐƵĐŚ ƉƌĂĐƟĐĞƐ ĂƌĞ ĚŝƐĐƌŝŵŝŶĂƚŽƌǇ '$( % ĂŶĚ ƐĐŚŽŽůƐ ƐŚŽƵůĚŶ͛ƚ ĚĞŶǇ ƐƚƵĚĞŶƚƐ ƐŽůĞůǇ $ " ŽŶ ƌĂĐĞ Žƌ ĞĐŽŶŽŵŝĐ ƐƚĂƚƵƐ͘ / ƚŚŝŶŬ ƐĐŚŽŽůƐ should change their policies in a way that gives everyone an equal chance of being ĂĚŵŝƩĞĚ͘ dŚĞǇ ƐŚŽƵůĚ ŐƌŽƵƉ ƐƚƵĚĞŶƚƐ ŝŶƚŽ similar economic status and then admit ƐƚƵĚĞŶƚƐ ďĂƐĞĚ ŽŶ ƚŚĂƚ͘ EŽ ΀ŽŶĞ΁ ƐŚŽƵůĚ ďĞ ĚĞŶŝĞĚ ĂŶ ĞĚƵĐĂƟŽŶ ďĂƐĞĚ ŽŶ ƚŚĞŝƌ ƌĂĐĞ͘͟

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GRAPHIC BY OPINION EDITOR SAKSHI UMROTKAR.

͞&Žƌ ĂĸƌŵĂƟǀĞ ĂĐƟŽŶ ŝŶ ŐĞŶĞƌĂů͕ / ƚŚŝŶŬ ŝƚ͛Ɛ good in how it supports groups with fewer , % ; . ŽƉƉŽƌƚƵŶŝƟĞƐ͕ ďƵƚ ŝƚ ƐŚŽƵůĚŶ͛ƚ ďĞ ƚĂŬĞŶ ƚŽ Ă #1' degree where other groups are heavily ( ;6 ƌĞƐƚƌŝĐƚĞĚ ŝŶ ƚĞƌŵƐ ŽĨ ĂĐĐĞƉƚĂŶĐĞƐ͘ ^Ž ŝĨ ƚŚĞƌĞ͛Ɛ Ă ďĂůĂŶĐĞ ǁŚĞƌĞ ůĞƐƐ ĨŽƌƚƵŶĂƚĞ ŐƌŽƵƉƐ ĂƌĞ ƐƟůů ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚĞĚ and other groups that have more ŽƉƉŽƌƚƵŶŝƟĞƐ ĂƌĞ ŶŽƚ ƐĞǀĞƌĞůǇ ŝŵƉĂĐƚĞĚ ŝŶ ƚĞƌŵƐ ŽĨ ĂĚŵŝƐƐŝŽŶƐ͕ / ƚŚŝŶŬ ƚŚĂƚ͛Ɛ ŽŬĂǇ͘ Ƶƚ ƉƌŽďĂďůǇ ŶŽƚ Ăƚ ƚŚĞ ůĞǀĞů ƚŚĞ dŚŽŵĂƐ :ĞīĞƌƐŽŶ ,ŝŐŚ ^ĐŚŽŽů ĨŽƌ ^ĐŝĞŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ dĞĐŚŶŽůŽŐǇ ŝƐ ƉƌĂĐƟĐŝŶŐ ŝƚ ŝŶ͘͟

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͞zĞƐ͕ ƚŚĞƐĞ ƉƌĂĐƟĐĞƐ ĂƌĞ ĚŝƐĐƌŝŵŝŶĂƚŽƌǇ͘ WĞƌƐŽŶĂůůǇ͕ / ƚŚŝŶŬ ƌĂĐĞ ĂŶĚ ƐŽĐŝŽĞĐŽŶŽŵŝĐ status should not be considered in ĂƉƉůŝĐĂƟŽŶ ƉƌŽĐĞƐƐĞƐ Ăƚ Ăůů͘ Ɛ ĂŶ ƐŝĂŶͲ ŵĞƌŝĐĂŶ͕ / ĚŽŶΖƚ ĮŶĚ ŝƚ ĨĂŝƌ ƚŚĂƚ students who are the same race as me don't get the same chances as others ǁŚŽ ĂƌĞŶΖƚ ƐŝĂŶͲ ŵĞƌŝĐĂŶ͘ KďǀŝŽƵƐůǇ͕ ƚŚĞƌĞ ĂƌĞ ŵŽƌĞ ŽƉƉŽƌƚƵŶŝƟĞƐ ĂŶĚ ďĞŶĞĮƚƐ ƚŚĂƚ ƌŝĐŚĞƌ ƉĞŽƉůĞ ƌĞĐĞŝǀĞ͕ ďƵƚ / ĚŽŶΖƚ ƚŚŝŶŬ ŵĂŬŝŶŐ ƚŚĞ ĂƉƉůŝĐĂƟŽŶ ƉƌŽĐĞƐƐ ĚŝƐĐƌŝŵŝŶĂƚŽƌǇ ŝƐ ƚŚĞ ǁĂǇ ƚŽ ŵĂŬĞ ŝƚ ĨĂŝƌ͘͟

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Discrimination in Admissions

͞dŚĞǇ ĂƌĞ ĚŝƐĐƌŝŵŝŶĂƚŽƌǇ ďĞĐĂƵƐĞ ǇŽƵƌ ƌĂĐĞ doesn't contribute to your ability to learn ĂŶĚ ĞǆĐĞů ŝŶ ĂĐĂĚĞŵŝĐƐ͘ tŚŝůĞ ŽƚŚĞƌ ƌĂĐĞƐ ĂŶĚ ŚŝŐŚĞƌ ƐŽĐŝĂů ĐůĂƐƐĞƐ ƌĞĐĞŝǀĞ ďĞƩĞƌ ĞĚƵĐĂƟŽŶ ĂŶĚ ŵŽƌĞ ŽƉƉŽƌƚƵŶŝƟĞƐ͕ / ƚŚŝŶŬ it's useless to try to be diverse or account for equity so far down the line for high ƐĐŚŽŽů ĂŶĚ ĐŽůůĞŐĞ ĂĚŵŝƐƐŝŽŶƐ͘ /Ĩ ƚŚĞǇ ƌĞĂůůǇ ǁĂŶƚ ƚŽ ŵĂŬĞ ĞĚƵĐĂƟŽŶĂů ƐǇƐƚĞŵƐ ĨĂŝƌ͕ ƚŚĞǇ should start with elementary schools rather ƚŚĂŶ ƐůĂƉƉŝŶŐ Ă ďĂŶĚĂŐĞ Ăƚ ƚŚĞ ůĂƐƚ ŵŝŶƵƚĞ͘͟

for reform. For instance, we could build a public digital infrastructure to ensure all Americans have access to safe, government-regulated freedom of expression – the same way the government handled past communication technologies. New policies such as the American Innovation and Choice Online Act (AICO), an antitrust law, could be a critical first step. By preventing tech corporations with large market power from engaging in self-preferencing, AICO would decrease wealthy control of the digital market and allow new, independent firms to more easily enter. Preventing the wealthy from being able to control human rights must also extend beyond social media, including to healthcare — a liberty that must be assured by the government. Implementing more public options or pushing for legislation like the Medicare for All Act of 2021 would effectively strip control of a public good away from profit-driven moguls. Students can make efforts to educate themselves on the consequences of such actions and advocate for the legal protection of human rights such as free speech. Students can look to Khan Academy and books like The Law of Peoples that discuss human rights. By lobbying legislators to implement antitrust laws and protections for public rights, students can take direct initiative against privatization. As unregulated billionaires continue to overtake our rights, we must learn to consume information from multiple sources and lobby for progressive change. ŀ

“I believe that considering race is ĚŝƐĐƌŝŵŝŶĂƚŽƌǇ͕ ĂŶĚ ŝƚ ŝƐ ŝŶƐƚĞĂĚ ďĞƩĞƌ to use something like socioeconomic ƐƚĂƚƵƐ ƚŽ ƌĞǀŝĞǁ ƚŚĞŝƌ ĂƉƉůŝĐĂŶƚƐ͘ ^ŽĐŝŽĞĐŽŶŽŵŝĐ ƐƚĂƚƵƐ ŝƐ Ă ďĂƌƌŝĞƌ ŵƵĐŚ harder to overcome than something ƐƵĐŚ ĂƐ ƌĂĐĞ ŝŶ ƚŚŝƐ ĚĂǇ ĂŶĚ ĂŐĞ͘ DĂŶǇ ĞĚƵĐĂƟŽŶĂů ŽƉƉŽƌƚƵŶŝƟĞƐ ĂƌĞ ďĂƌƌĞĚ ŝĨ ƐŽŵĞŽŶĞ ĐĂŶ ŶŽƚ ĂīŽƌĚ ƚŚĞŵ͘ /ƚ is also incorrect to assume that since ƐŽŵĞŽŶĞ ŝƐ Ă ĐĞƌƚĂŝŶ ƌĂĐĞ͕ ƚŚĞǇ ŵƵƐƚ ŚĂǀĞ ĨĂĐĞĚ ůĞƐƐ ĂĚǀĞƌƐŝƚǇ ƚŚĂŶ ƐŽŵĞŽŶĞ ĞůƐĞ͘͟

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“Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy,” declared Elon Musk as he pursued a deal with Twitter to buy the company for $44 billion, which Twitter's Board of Directors approved on April 25. Prior to the proposed purchase, Twitter, with more than 229 million active daily users, was a public company owned by a board of directors and shareholders. Now, overall control over Twitter’s leadership will be consolidated under one man: the world’s richest person. Despite being a self-proclaimed “free speech absolutist,” Musk has fueled a growing fear in the public. His profit-driven goals could threaten the future of discourse through the Internet by potentially limiting free speech and rights, contradicting his “free speech” ideologies. Billionaires should not hold the power to create guardrails on free speech and other fundamental human rights – Musk’s potential acquisition represents yet another case in the increasing consolidation of big tech into the hands of a few wealthy individuals. Yet, this public privatization isn’t only limited to Musk’s Twitter acquisition; from the creation of trusts during the Gilded Age to the privatization of healthcare access today, billionaires have unjustly privatized government responsibilities. Musk plans to abide by his “free speech” values through a series of changes on Twitter, one of them being allowing more content to go unmoderated. This mission contradicts the very nature of billionaires; because they are judged by their quarterly reports and how well they are serving the fiscal interests of their shareholders, CEOs often don’t fulfill these promises, especially when budgets are scrutinized. Because what is ethically valuable to the world often does not align with the profit incentives of the top executives, billionaires have never been able to prioritize the people’s wellbeing, and thus shouldn’t be allowed to control these group’s rights. Musk is no exception — while he praises “unrestricted free expression,” his companies’ policies and actions show a different story — one that is profit-driven. For instance, Tesla employees have openly criticized Musk’s non-disparagement clauses, which prohibit employees

from speaking negatively about the company, its prodUnfortunately, the problem of the wealthy amassucts, and services in any form of communication, which ing overbearing control over the public extends beyond demonstrates how his policies are profit-driven. This hy- the technology industry as it steers away from equitable pocrisy revealed by Musk claiming to be dedicated to so- access to free speech, healthcare, and other fundamental human rights. The wealthy often have an inherent This hypocrisy revealed by Musk bias that prevents them from being anything close to claiming to be dedicated to social re- fair judges of socioeconomic equity. Corporate giants’ sponsibility exposes the concerning control over booming industries is exemplified through authoritarian morality that prevails the healthcare industry; as a result of profit-hungry priin the billionaire mindset. vate companies and executives, more than 79 million Americans are struggling with crippling medical debt as cial responsibility exposes the concerning authoritarian healthcare costs continue to spiral out of control. Indeed, morality that prevails in the billionaire mindset. the University of Pennsylvania reported in 2020 that by Musk’s control over Twitter sits in the center of ram- 2060, there will be more than three times the number pant speculation over what happens when the world’s of uninsured Americans than there are today. Even as richest man, one who revels in unpredictability, gains millions of people are dying, billionaires continue their control over this social influence. Not only can Musk’s money grabs when they prioritize making money over newfound power give him maximum leeway to tweet saving lives. As Reuters reports, this phenomenon behowever he sees fit, his acquisition also offers a valuable came even more apparent during the pandemic, when bargaining chip with politicians. In fact, multiple Re- pharmaceutical companies raised drug prices astropublican officials such as Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis have asked Musk to consider moving As unregulated billionaires continue Twitter headquarters to their states in a bid to gain more to overtake our rights, we must learn leverage over public media platforms and spheres of in- to consume information from multifluence. Consequently, through Twitter, Musk can gain ple sources and lobby for progressive leverage over government officials who seek to appease change. him. Similar to the Twitter acquisition, there are multiple nomically in response to lower demand resulting from other instances where corporate giants have taken over workers losing their jobs and health insurance. This rebooming industries. With Google dominating online sulted in a 65% increase in drug expenses compared to searches and Facebook’s Meta buying up the world’s big- pre-pandemic levels. The evident solution is to transfer gest social media platforms to amass 3.6 billion monthly public rights such as healthcare from private-owned to active users, online discourse has centralized under a free, but America continues to lag behind as a result of handful of corporate umbrellas. Worse, it’s not just a few private corporate interests. The Commonwealth Fund companies shaping this conversation, but a few indi- reports that all other high-income countries have free, viduals. According to the 2021 Forbes 400, eight of the universal healthcare, but America’s billionaires lobby top 10 richest people in the US have a significant stake around government regulations and resist such efforts, in online media or the public’s access to it. This consoli- causing America’s healthcare to be ranked last among all dation does not create the conditions under which free high-income countries. speech thrives. Such conditions would include healthy Thankfully, there are still steps we can and must restrictions that are enforced in order to prevent inap- take to regain our own voice and representation. Govpropriate content from being posted, while enabling so- ernments playing their part in preventing wealth conciety to share its thoughts. The wealthy are then able to solidations such as Musk’s pending Twitter acquisition is spread their power, eventually controlling human rights just the tip of the iceberg — the public must retake our and the government. rights from the hands of the extremely elite and push

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By Selina Kao, Vedesh Kodnani & Priyanka Shah Staff Writers

PHOTOS BY STAFF WRITERS SANAH BHARDWAJ, PRATHAM BHASHYAKARLA, AMY LUO, ANNIE XU & STEFFI ZHOU.

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Feature 7

Farewell to Teachers By Charlize Chiu, Jason Tang & Darshan Thirumala Staff Writers

As the 2021-22 school year comes to a close, a few staff members will be saying goodbye to MSJ and beginning a new chapter in their lives. The departing staff come from the social studies, special education, world language, science, and math departments, and they will be dearly missed by the MSJ community. To celebrate their years at MSJ and appreciate the impact they’ve had on our community, the Smoke Signal interviewed some of the departing staff to hear about their experiences as well as what they plan to do in the coming years. This article only reflects departing teachers whose names were supplied by the administration and who wanted to be featured in the Smoke Signal.

Sally Tse: Turning the tables on your students and pranking them might be a strange way to combat nervousness, but that’s exactly what Special Education Teacher Sally Tse did in her first year at MSJ. Over the years, Tse has exclusively taught in the Special Education Department, cherishing it and saying “Teaching special education insulated me from the more academic environment [at MSJ].” Today, Tse has seven years of experience being the Department Chair of Special Education. Being a special education teacher, Tse believes she has the pleasure of teaching in almost every department, from math and science all the way to her favorites — economics and business math. Tse cherishes fond memories of doing Rube Goldberg projects and constructing marshmallow catapults with her students. Throughout her career and in her final days at MSJ, Tse hopes that her students will always remember that they had a teacher who cares for them and that her asynchronous teaching style helped them realize their individual potential. Tse believes she is not truly retiring because she will be taking on another demanding and fulfilling job — raising her daughter. As Tse parts ways with the MSJ community, she has a final message that she hopes students will take to heart. “Life will be difficult, but you are resilient,” Tse said.

Rachel Tevlin: Rachel Tevlin began her teaching career at MSJ in 2010, following her student teaching in Oakland. She started out teaching the World History and US History classes, and eventually taught AP US History, AP Psychology, and Peer Resource. She encourages her students to creatively innovate and apply the knowledge they’ve learned, an example being the Lifeline project she assigns in AP Psychology, which blends psychological concepts with abstract fanfiction. “If you can Google it in 30 seconds, I don't need to teach it to you. My job is to show you what to do with the data that Google gives you and how to implement it,” Tevlin said. Outside of the classroom, Tevlin served as an adviser for Link Crew and MSJ High Performance Computing. Despite taking a sabbatical, Tevlin plans to oversee Link Crew in the following school year which would reduce some of the workload of English Teacher Jean Dotson who is poised to take over Link Crew. In the future, Tevlin hopes to relax, travel and explore the outdoors, and write a book on neurotypicality.

Charles Brucker: 15 years ago, Charles Brucker stepped into B3 for the first time in his second year of teaching, having taught at Castro Valley High School previously. Before his foray into education, Brucker was a materials researcher for Seagate, but the overwhelming travel and time commitment required by the job — and the consequential inability for him to be there for the people most important to him — motivated him to become a teacher. During his time at MSJ, Brucker taught Geometry, Algebra 2/Trigonometry, and AP Computer Science A. He has been the advisor for clubs, including 3D Printing Club, Odyssey of the Mind, Girls Who Code, Academic Challenge, and several other clubs as well. Having struggled with focusing in classes when he was younger, Brucker hoped to help his students be more productive with their time through quick, student-centered lectures and more relaxed rules. After stepping away from MSJ, Brucker hopes to continue checking off his bucket list: reading more, refurbishing his house, woodworking, working in climate science, making breakthroughs in the electronic emission of smell, and more. “I don’t like the word retirement, it’s re-careering. I'm just grateful for the opportunity to get to know this particular demographic [group], and it’s pretty fortunate that I stumbled into it,” Brucker said.

Belinda Eugster: Belinda Eugster’s first years of teaching began at Washington High School and Irvington High School. Soon after, she transferred to MSJ in 2011, teaching a mix of US History, American Government/Economics, Enterpreneurial Marketing, and Entrepreneurship classes. From mock trials to impromptu presentations, Eugster integrates an interactive experience in her class so students learn skills applicable to real world situations. As a co-adviser for DECA, and as past advisers of Junior State of America and Technovation, she saw her students blossom in multiple conferences and competitions. “I hope [my students] ... learn how to lead, how to follow, learn how to be proactive, [and] learn how to feel comfortable asking questions,” she said. With her newfound free time, she plans on kayaking, embarking on house projects, running a small business, and spending time with her grandkids.

Mariko Okamura: In 2004, MSJ students went to visit at-the-time Ohlone College Japanese Professor Mariko Okamura for an open house into the Japanese classes Okamura had been teaching. Upon seeing the classes, the students realized that MSJ needed a Japanese program and persuaded Okamura to begin teaching Japanese at MSJ. Nearly two decades later, Okamura has been the only Japanese teacher at MSJ, giving her the special opportunity to work and form meaningful relationships with the same groups of students across four years. Teaching Japanese culture is integral to all of Okamura’s course plans, which involve frequent in-class discussions to facilitate understanding of the language. Apart from teaching, Okamura is heavily involved in the school’s Japanese club, for which she organizes the Annual Karaoke Festival and Japanese Undokai Athletic Tournament. In the coming years, Okamura hopes to divide her time between Japan, where she will take care of her mother, and Fremont, where she will be taking photography and piano classes at Ohlone College. Her extensive career of teaching is coming to an end with her becoming a student at the same institution she taught at, with an unforgettable 18-year-long journey at MSJ in between.

Leonard Chen: Although most students know of Chemistry Teacher Leonard Chen’s presence at MSJ from this school year, he joined the MSJ community in the 2020-21 school year as a student teacher, to at-the-time Chemistry Teacher Sai Kumar, during distance learning on Zoom. His experience as a student teacher, as well as being an alumni of a competitive high school, aided him in the normally difficult process of transitioning to MSJ’s highly academic atmosphere. A former engineer, Chen found that he enjoyed working with students when he was in graduate school, inspiring his decision to become a teacher. Chen believes a good classroom environment comes from a mix of synchronous and asynchronous work. “Students do need some guidance, especially regarding concepts they haven’t seen before, also especially with chemistry since it is so abstract, but at the same time, for the best learning to occur, students do have to process things over time by themselves,” Chen said. In the future, Chen hopes to continue teaching. For now though, he anticipates enjoying his summer off after his eventful first and only year at MSJ as a full-time teacher. “It was definitely really great getting to know this community this year. As far as schools go, students actually behave here, and seeing that was very heartwarming,” Chen said. PHOTOS BY STAFF WRITERS CHARLIZE CHIU, JASON TANG & DARSHAN THIRUMALA, COURTESY RACHEL TEVLIN & SALLY TSE. GRAPHICS BY FEATURE EDITOR LILY OH

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When parting from family members and old friends, recalling memories made throughout the years is more important than ever. Especially amidst difficult times in college, students can draw motivation from photos that honor inspirational and impactful people they’ve met throughout their journey. “My favorite item was probably an old set of pictures of my parents from when they were [in college]. It's just nice to have them around and remind me how hard they worked to come to America so that I could get a college education,” Class of 2021 Alumnus Kiran Patel said.

C/O 2021 Alumnus Kiran Patel Living in a new environment can be a nerve-wracking experience that causes many students to feel homesick. Bringing items that represent passions and beloved past experiences can allow students to maintain their hobbies and find others with similar interests. Class of 2018 Alumnus Sohum Desai brought his frisbee, a symbol of his love for the game and the memories he made in high school through tournaments and playing with teachers. He now plays intramural frisbee in college and has made many new friends from it. “Just don’t forget the things you used to love and ... keep up your hobbies,” Desai said.

C/O 2018 Alumnus Sohum Desai When students first leave their childhood homes to stay in college dorms, it can be difficult to adapt to the sudden lack of familial support. However, many college students close this gap by bringing their beloved stuffed animals with them to their dorm. Stuffed animals can serve as a piece from home and can also be used as pieces of room decor without taking up valuable desk space. “I'm going to bring my Corgi plushie because it's very small, compact and convenient to just hug around, especially when I'm missing my family,” Senior Charlize Chiu said.

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Guide to Dor m Packing By Shaily Desai, Julia Peng & Kaitlyn Wang Staff Writers

As many seniors head to college for the next school year, packing for dorm life is a daunting task that weighs on the minds of many. To help guide their way, the Smoke Signal reached out to current MSJ seniors and alumni for their tips on making the dorm a second home.

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clean my dorm

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As college students enter their dorms, the bare walls and lackluster decor always seem to deprive the rooms of their much-needed liveliness. However, adding personal touches is something that many college students can look forward to. “Before I left for college, I designed art posters of things I hold close to my heart — nostalgic childhood movies, travel spots with my family, and songs I enjoyed with my friends,” Class of 2021 Alumna Allison Peng said. “This way, I can hang up the posters and keep my memories close even when I’m far away from home.”

C/O 2021 Alumna Allison Peng One aspect of dorm life that many students look forward to is unleashing their inner interior decorator and stylizing their dorm to their own and their roommates' personal liking. Whether that be through a minimalist approach or with a special theme in mind, students have the freedom to express themselves and feel more at home through their dorm decor. “I’m hoping to decorate the [dorm] walls with some fairy lights and polaroids or wall prints,” Senior Ragalina Palaka said. College students will be able to make their spaces more customized, and set an overall welcoming feel to the dorm.

Senior Ragalina Palaka

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college dorm essentials

College Dorm Essentials 649,400 views May 27, 2022

Dorm rooms are the place where students go after a long day of classes, meaning dorm comfort is essential. In addition to a staple comforter, additional blankets may also become a necessity. “I will definitely bring ... my fuzzy blanket because I literally can’t fall asleep without having it wrapped around me,” Senior Noah Francisco said. “Missing [the comfort of my blankets] would make me a living zombie by the next morning, due to the lack of sleep.” Adding touches of warmth around the room is sure to improve both sleep and relaxation.

Senior Charlize Chiu Although many students are excited to meet new people and begin a chapter of independence, keeping a little token of the past serves as a reminder that all relationships hold a special meaning that must be preserved and commemorated. Whether these gifts are mementos of special moments or ones from everyday life, they each hold unforgettable memories. “I have a box of notes and posters that my friends have made for me, and I want to keep [those] with me,” Senior Warren Chang said. Other gifts from friends that Chang hopes to bring to his dorm are stuffed animals, which can also serve as a nostalgic keepsake or a reminder to catch up with friends and family.

Senior Warren Chang

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Senior Noah Francisco

Tips “Less is more! If you are hesitating whether to bring something or not, chances are you aren’t going to use it in college and it’s just going to take up space.” — C/O 2020 Alumna Jacqueline Zhang “It’s helpful to pack your clothes already on hangers because it makes moving into the dorm a lot easier.” — C/O 2018 Alumnus Sohum Desai

Staple Items - IKEA “RÅSKOG” cart - Command hooks - Brita filter pitcher - Soft-sided laundry basket - Whiteboard for to-do lists PHOTOS BY STAFF WRTIER SHAILY DESAI, COURTESY OF SOHUM DESAI, KIRAN PATEL & JULIA PENG, GRAPHICS BY FEATURE EDITOR NITHIKA VALLURI.

10 Centerspread

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Distribution Across States

>50%

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Centerspread 11

Class of 2022’s Future Aspirations By Rohan Bhagat, Christy Huang, Andria Luo & Kaylee Wei ^ȿǙω vȵȈȿǲȵȸ

10-12%

As the end of the school year approaches, the Class of 2022 is preparing to leave MSJ and take the next leap in their lives. Whether it be going to college, joining the military, directly entering the workforce, or stepping foot onto another unique path, all have their own journeys to embark on to pursue their goals. To celebrate the aspirations of these students, the Smoke Signal compiled a voluntary list of seniors about their future plans.

3-6% Note: This spread is a representation of students who willingly submitted a response to the Google Form by May 18, 2022.

<2%

California Sanaa Ahmed, UX Engineer in NYC or SF Sabeen Al-Khasib, Published Author Nisha Annamalai, Global Disease Biology Tannvi Banerjee, Computer Science & Business Iha Bharadwaj, Pre-med Biology Daniel Bielin, Neuroscience Alicia Chen, Entertainment Design Crystal Chen, Computer Science Charlize Chiu, Media Studies Justin Cho, Tech Nemi Desai, Computer Science Pranav Doddi, CEO Sriya Donepudi, Biology Aarushi Garg, Software Engineer or Data Scientist Suhas Gouru, Labor Law Attorney Harsh Gurnani, Computer Science Isabella He, Tech/Social Entrepreneur Aditi Hedaoo, Neurobiology Clinical Researcher Albert Ho, Computer Science & Engineering Advaith Jagathesan, Computer Science Ishan Jain, Join PHOXB & attend college Dhruv Jayaram, Sports Orthopedic Surgeon Dishita Jhawar, Computer Science Krrish Kainth, NASA Aerospace Engineer

Naveed Shakoor, Media/Marketing Karthikha Sri Indran, Biomedical Sciences Tanisha Srivatsa, Public Health & Law/Media Bonita Wankhade, Applied Psychology Jessica Yu, Finance - IB/PE Alina Zeng, Graphic Design/UX Design Allison Zheng, Business Fnu Kalkin, PHOXB Data Scientist Anvi Kalucha, Software Engineer Shafin Kazi, Intelligence Community Sara Kuang, Geriatrician & Guitarist Mythri Kulkarni, Computer Science Anish Kumar, TikTok Influencer Mitchell Ling, Stay-at-home dad Lily Oh, Lawyer Bhavya Patnaik, Molecular/Cell Biology Aishi Rao, Chemical Biology Elyes Serghine, PHOXB Backend Software Engineer Aarav Sharma, Computer Science Udhav Sharma, Surgery Aneri Sheth, Battery & Nanotechnology Research Rafael Shiguedomi, Computer Science Sarah Silverberg-Rajna, Public Health

Radha Srinivasan, World Domination Brandon Sun, Business & Technology Azra Tasneem, Healthcare Darshan Thirumala, Aerospace Engineering Akshay Trivedi, PHOXB Backend Developer Chloe Tse, International Consulting Sakshi Umrotkar, Political Science & Economics Nithika Valluri, Computer Science Sanika Vivek, Psychologist/Therapist Alicia Wang, Mechanical Engineer Emma Wang, Nurse Mingxin Wang, Design, Tech & Business Lindsey Wen, Computer Science

Illinois Texas Diya Shah, Honors Sciences & Humanities Jackie Wong, Pediatrician in NYC Jeslyn Wu, Biochemistry Roland Yin, Astronaut Kailyn Yu, Molecular Cell Biology Edison Zhang, Computer Science / Engineer

Washington Neha Arunkumar, Biomedical Patent Lawyer Rushyendra Katabathuni, Anesthesiologist Gayatri Kundassery, Food Science

Missouri Ria Kolala, Health Management

Louisiana Aditi Morumganti, Pub Health/Psych Pre-med

Wisconsin Shubh Arora, Mechanical Engineering+Computer Science Jeffrey Liu, Robotics Engineer

Alison Bai, Human Behavior Aditya Prerepa, PHOXB Penetration Tester Shivani Ravikumar, Brain/Cognitive Science Tarun Suresh, PHOXB Front End Software Engineer Kaushik Varadharajan, Computer Science & Linguistics Kyle Yuen, Civil Engineering Science

Michigan Tisya Mukherjee, Cognitive Science

Indiana Aditya Aneja, Business Management

Pranav Gunda, Investment Banker Chloe Lin, Data Security Saarah Nazar, Computer Science Siddh Patani, Computer Science & Data Science

Ohio Arnav Rao, Doctor Julia Zhan, Travel Nursing

Georgia Warren Chang, Chemistry & Professorship Ansh Gandhi, Computer Science

New York Megh Basu, Actress Rachel Dias, Neurosurgeon Nihar Duvvuri, Actor/Filmmaker Gracie Li, UX Design Jennifer Liong, CAA/Anesthesiologist or Pharmacist

Pennsylvania Amanda Pang, Medicine Larry Shi, Product Manager

New Jersey Hrithik Jariwala, Graphic Design Shatkratu Swarnkar, Data Analyst at Goldman

Maryland Anish Bhupalam, Computer Science

New Hampshire Yawen Xue, Neuroscience

Massachusetts

Riya Bhattacharjee, OB/GYN Richard Chen, Computer Science Vedant Madabushi, MD/MS-PhD in Biochemistry Inimai Subramanian, Electrical Engineering/CS

GRAPHICS BY CENTERSPREAD EDITORS NAVEED SHAKOOR & JACKIE WONG

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Restaurant Review: Pho loverS a pho-nomenal experience By Vedesh Kodnani & Bryan Xiong ^ȿǙω vȵȈȿǲȵȸ

Opened in 2015, Pho Lovers is a family-owned restaurant that strives to recreate the authentic taste of Vietnamese cuisine. The Smoke Signal visited the recently-opened Newark location to try dishes including their signature pho, spring rolls, and crispy sesame chicken wings.

Food: 8 / 10 As their name suggests, the restaurant’s signature item, the pho special, did not disappoint. The broth was clear and light while still packing a wonderfully beefy punch. Similarly, the slices of beef and tendon were flavorful and melt-in-your-mouth tender. Their pho ga was just as addictive with a hearty broth and well-seasoned chicken to accompany the rice noodles. Despite specializing in pho dishes, the restaurant’s spring rolls were fully stuffed with fresh veggies, shrimp, and rice noodles perfectly complemented the peanut sauce, providing a refreshing start to the meal. On the other hand, while the sesame chicken wings were lightly crispy and coated with a delightfully sweet and savory sauce, they proved to be a little tough to chew. In addition, the Thai iced tea was lightly sweet but slightly watered-down, resulting in an underwhelming flavor.

Service: 10 / 10 From start to finish of the dining experience, the staff at Pho Lovers were nothing but friendly and accomodating, offering recommendations and consistently checking in. Even at the restaurant’s busiest, weekend evenings, diners are seated immediately, with tables spread apart to maintain COVID-19 safety. Within ten minutes of ordering, dishes arrive piping hot, and the staff is willing to accommodate special requests. Despite the small staff size, the servers were willing to promptly provide extra utensils and sauces upon request as well as address any concerns.

Ambience: 10 / 10 Situated in a remote corner of the now somewhat-empty Newpark Mall, Pho Lovers immediately greets customers with warm orange lights hanging from the ceiling, relaxing lo-fi hip-hop playing from the speakers, and cozy plant decor adorning the walls of the interior. The quaint establishment’s clean wooden floors and neat, well-lit environment give the restaurant an inviting air of home and comfort, a perfect complement to the deliciously heartwarming dishes that are offered on the menu.

Value: 7 / 10 With more generous portion sizes than similar pho establishments as well as sauces to pair with the broth, the pho bowls are well worth the cost of around $14 each. Unfortunately, the sesame chicken wings, priced at $6.50, were lacking in value. The plate only consisted of four wings with little meat and failed to serve as a satisfying appetizer. Similarly, the Thai iced tea failed to add anything to the meal, other than its $5.25 charge. Instead, pairing a pho bowl with spring rolls is ideal and more than justifies a visit to Pho Lovers.

Overall: 8.8 / 10 Although some items on the menu were a miss, Pho Lovers’ charming ambience and mouthwatering dishes makes up for it. Moreover, their impeccable service made the entire experience nothing less than excellent. The restaurant is a must-try for any fan of Vietnamese cuisine. PHOTOS BY STAFF WRITERS VEDESH KODNANI & BRYAN XIONG.GRAPHICS BY A&E EDITOR HELEN TIAN

Head over heels for Heartstopper By Hannah Shen By Karina Han

Romantic, uplifting, and sugary sweet, Heartstopper is a heartwarming love letter to all generations of the queer community. The show, which is adapted from author Alice Oseman’s webcomic of the same name, delivers a story of love and acceptance using well-rounded characters, phenomenal acting, and unique cinematography. The show follows the relationship between openly gay, self-proclaimed “outcast” Charlie Spring (Joe Locke) and popular rugby player Nick Nelson (Kit Connor). As their friendship quickly develops into romance, the two grapple with their relationship, friendships, identity, and high school drama. Throughout the series, one of the central focuses is the discovery of queer identities. When Nick realizes his feelings for Charlie, he turns to the internet and BuzzFeed quizzes to determine his sexuality, learning about bisexuality from a YouTube video. Through realistic depictions of the struggles that LGBTQ+ youth go through in the modern age, queer viewers can relate to the characters as they discover their identities. Unlike most other queer media, the show also includes an almost entirely queer main cast: Charlie’s friend Elle Argent (Yasmin Finney) is transgender, and Elle’s friends Tara Jones (Corinna Brown) and Darcy Olsson (Kizzy Edgell) are lesbians. Heartstopper presents accurate queer representation for a range of audiences, allowing for queer youth to feel represented on screen and for the older LGBTQ+ community to live vicar-

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iously through the characters. The series truly shines when it comes to its character development. Heartstopper takes a lighter approach to the teen drama spectrum compared to shows like Euphoria or Riverdale, and similar to actual teenagers, Charlie and Nick’s budding relationship is equal parts awkward and cheesy. They have reasonable misunderstandings and drama that are resolved through communication. Charlie’s friends Elle and Tao Xu (William Gao) are also fully fleshed out characters of their own, dealing with many problems common to young adults. Tao fears that his friend group will split up, and Elle worries about finding friends at her new school. Still, the show is unable to escape some predictable plot lines, as some of the characters’ misunderstandings feel too quickly resolved. For example, Tao feels like his friendships are falling

apart, which culminates in a fight with Charlie over his secret relationship with Nick. Despite the fight being the climax of Tao’s story during this season, the two reconcile with a simple apology before the season finale, and they never properly discuss the issue. However, the main cast more than makes up for this with their wit and charm. Their masterful acting and talent allows the characters to come to life. Locke’s on-screen debut as Charlie provides a testament to his acting ability; audiences can feel the emotion in his voice in his scenes with Connor, as well as when he confronts Ben Hope (Sebastian Croft), Charlie’s ex-boyfriend. Connor, who only had supporting roles before this project, delivers a heart-wrenching performance in one of the most emotional scenes, in which Nick comes out to his mother. It’s a scene that mirrors the experiences of many queer viewers, and Connor portrays a hesitant teenager

unsure of his parent’s reaction to his sexuality perfectly. The characters and their interactions are complemented by the show’s dreamy cinematography. Scenes are filmed in vibrant colors and with whimsical lighting, which pays homage to different LGBTQ+ flags. The colors of the bisexual flag wash over Nick in several scenes, and Tara and Darcy are surrounded by rainbow colors as they kiss publicly for the first time. The show stays mostly true to its source material, with some scenes copied directly from the panels in the webcomic. It also harks back to its origins with hand-drawn animations — comic-book-style electric shocks appear between Nick and Charlie when Nick attempts to hold Charlie’s hand to illustrate their attraction, and cartoon butterflies appear next to Tao as he realizes his feelings for Elle. With its realistic portrayal of queer teenagers and beautiful cinematography, the show is the perfect addition to the growing repertoire of queer-focused media. Resonating with its viewers, especially those in the LGBTQ+ community, Heartstopper captivates the hearts of its audience. ɸ Plot/Storyline: 8/10 Characterization: 10/10 Acting: 9/10 Cinematography: 10/10 Overall: 9.3/10

GRAPHICS BY A&E EDITOR HELEN TIAN

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Arts & Entertainment 13

C R I T I C S’ C O R N E R

Doctor st range is a hit, but not on this Kendrick Lamar Steps Big in Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers end of the mult iverse By Esha Potharaju ^ȿǙω vȵȈȿǲȵ Released on May 6 as the latest installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness could have made its mark as one of Marvel’s most original, thought-provoking superhero films yet. The key words? “Could have.” The film, directed by Sam Raimi, introduces themes of sacrifice, motherhood, and commodification, but falls short in its execution of such a narrative. The result is a tangle of excruciating subplots that bombard the audience with shallow character arcs and not much substance. The film follows a superhuman teenager named America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) as she runs from the embittered Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen), who seeks the power she possesses: the ability to travel between different realities, or universes. When her path collides with Doctor Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), the two are thrown into a chase for the only weapon in the multiverse that can stop Wanda, the Book of the Vishanti. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ most distinguishing attribute is its divergence from the archetype of the traditional superhero villain. Rather than being driven by a hunger for power, Wanda seeks to establish a life in a separate universe, one in which she has children. Her purpose isn’t greed or power; she just wants to fill the void of loneliness that the death of her husband Vision (Paul Bettany) in Avengers: Endgame left her with. It’s a heartbreaking motive, but still sinister because she will go to any length to fulfill her desire — even if that means destroying the balance of the multiverse and triggering the implosion of entire universes. In fact, Wanda’s actions are so

By Sanah Bhardwaj ^ȿǙω vȵȈȿǲȵ

malignant that the film adopts the elements of a thriller. It refreshingly marries the typical fantasy and sci-fi of a Marvel movie with spine-chilling scenes that feature graphically gory make-up, edge-of-your-seat jump scares, and slow, horrifically creepy head-turns. The movie establishes its originality in the MCU because it can be seen as a horror movie within the pretext of a superhero movie — two seemingly juxtaposing genres that have rarely been combined in contemporary American cinema. However, the novelty and emotional impact of the film are lost to clichéd dialogue and subpar acting. The script writers fail to create interesting rapport between characters, instead choosing to focus on writing miserably dry jokes. Additionally, seasoned actors like Cumberbatch and Olsen demonstrate a disappointing theatrical skillset, failing to deliver the full emotional gravity of scenes that tackle misery, sacrifice, or revelation. For example, Strange’s stoic mask never falls, even in scenes that intend to show him in a state of vulnerability, resulting in a lack of nuance in the portrayal of his character. Besides the film’s feeble handling of its script and acting, its writers fail

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to bring forward America’s character arc. She is instead used as a prop for the development of Strange and Wanda, commodified by how she is constantly chased down and even betrayed for her power, as if she is merely an object that must be acquired. However, rather than portraying how America navigates and overcomes commodification, the movie abruptly pigeonholes her conflict and takes the easy way out when Strange tells her the absolutely banal classic, “Believe in yourself.” The movie’s swerve from exploring a powerful, relevant topic to resorting to a painfully clichéd catch-all line leaves America’s characterization stale and overdone. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness possesses excitingly unorthodox elements that could have redefined the premises of superhero films, but fails to take full advantage of this potential. Ultimately, it falls back on overworked dialogue and half-hearted characterization, rendering it just another superhero movie. Acting: 5/10 Cinematography: 9/10 Plot: 6/10 Setting: 8/10 Overall: 7/10

May 2022 Student Faves

BOOKBYTES By Maryam Naseer ^ȿǙω vȵȈȿǲȵ Student Recommendation Title: eȅǲ 'ȤͦȅȤȘǲ Ȥɂȵȿ Author: Nora Sakavic Recommended Reading Level: Grade 10 Genre: Young Adult, Sports, Survival Having run away from his murderous criminal father known as The Butcher, Neil Josten joins the Palmetto State University Exy team. As Neil’s former best friend joins the team and new mysteries emerge, it becomes more apparent that Neil is not alone when it comes to hiding secrets. “One of the most important themes is respect for a person, their history, ȠǦǓǩȖ ǈȅȣǿǏƺȖǩǓșॹ ƺǿǏ ΛǦƺȠ ǏǩАǓȖǓǿȠ kinds of support can look like.” — Bhavani Kalluri, 9 ^ȠƺА [ǓǉȅǾǾǓǿǏƺȠǩȅǿ Title: ǙȵȈȞǿ (ȵǲǙȿȘ࣒ͧ /Ȥ͡ ȿȅǲ ȤɂȵǙǿǲ ȿȤ ǲ tɂȘȞǲȵǙǧȘǲ eȵǙȞȸǾȤȵȝȸ ȿȅǲ vǙͧ vǲ @Ȉ͠ǲ࣓ @Ȥ͠ǲ࣓ XǙȵǲȞȿ࣓ ǙȞǮ @ǲǙǮ Author: Brené Brown Recommended Reading Level: Grade 11-12 Genre: Self-help Through her research, Brené Brown dispels misconceptions about vulnerability: it’s not a weakness, but a true measure of courage. Taking a step back to examine one’s life can show that nothing is as detrimental as watching opportunities slip by. “The book mentioned [that] to be vulnerable you have to know your worth, know that you are enough, and have the courage to show up even if [it’s] tough.” — Physical Education Department Teacher Melissa Kaeo Smokie Recommendation Title: 2Ȟ͠ȈȸȈǧȘǲ EǙȞ Author: Ralph Ellison Recommended Reading Level: Grade 9 Genre: Young Adult From the perspective of an unnamed Black man in the pre-Civil Rights movement South, the narrator moves to New York after being expelled from college. There, he becomes the chief spokesman for a group of Black people in Harlem who want to achieve equality in a white world. “I particularly enjoy the nonlinear storytelling, where the narrator bounces between present-day and past memoȖǩǓșঀ ǹǹ 2 ǉƺǿ șƺΡ ǩș ȠǦƺȠ ȅǿǉǓ Ρȅȣ ЙǿǩșǦ reading the book, the title will make a lot more sense.” — Sarina Li, 11

MOVIE: |Ȥɂȵ FǙȝǲ ठ Akash Kalita, 9 TV SHOW: Xȵǲȿȿͧ @ȈȿȿȘǲ @ȈǙȵȸ — Shrey Raju, 10 ALBUM: ऒhȞओ ȤȝȝǲȞȿǙȵͧ by Alec Benjamin — Crystal Chen, 12 BOOK: KȞ Ǚȵȿȅ vǲहȵǲ ȵȈǲϬͧ (ȤȵǿǲȤɂȸ by Ocean Vuong — Adriane Wang, 11 GAME: @ǲǿǲȞǮ ȤǾ ǲȘǮǙ࣒ ȵǲǙȿȅ ȤǾ ȿȅǲ vȈȘǮ — Prajit Rajkumar, 11

Overflowing with powerful discourse, masterful lyricism, and heartfelt passion, rapper Kendrick Lamar’s new double album, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, beautifully grapples with sensitive topics like toxic masculinity, generational trauma, gender dysphoria, and the human condition. Released on May 13, the highly anticipated record, split into two discs, is Lamar’s first since the release of his five-time Grammy winning album DAMN. in 2017. Almost two decades into his career, Lamar bears the burden of being one of the greatest rappers of all time — and in Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, he dons this title with pride. “I hope you find some peace of mind in this lifetime,” Lamar and a choir of other voices intone in the first line of the all-encompassing opener “United in Grief,” a fast-paced miscellany of events in Lamar’s life and how they’ve affected him. This line is a concise summary of the first disc, which meanders through the sensitive subjects that have shaped Lamar in some way. Whether he questions societal superficiality in “N95,” defends his people in “Worldwide Steppers,” or discusses issues with his father in “Father Time (feat. Sampha),” Lamar has been through a lot in the five years since his last album (“I’ve been goin’ through somethin’,” he sings), and he expresses his many feelings with intention and poeticism. Each word Lamar thunders hits the listener in their gut because of their rhythmic finesse and Lamar’s passion. While every track on the first disc is polished, no track manifests Lamar’s fiery emotion better than “We Cry Together.” Deviating from the conventional production in his past tracks, “We Cry Together” is a near six-minute argument between Lamar and Taylour Paige, who plays Lamar’s partner on the track. The couple argue-raps viscerally about the issues in their relationship, almost like the listener has interrupted a private conversation. Though the track sticks out musically compared to the rest of the disc, its content stays true to the hefty recurring motif of emotion, and its masterful storytelling leaves the listener awestruck. “We may not know which way to go / On this dark road,” opens the second disc of Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers.

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The second is similar to the first, covering gender trouble in “Auntie Diaries” and generational trauma in “Mother I Sober (feat. Beth Gibbons of Portishead).” At first, it’s unclear why Lamar decided to split his album into two discs, but the opening lines of each disc elucidate his intention. In the first disc, Lamar examines and reconciles his past trauma, finding the “peace of mind” that opened the disc. In the second, he elaborates on the “dark road” he’s forced to walk on as such an influential figure in rap. The perils of this road are made clearest in “Crown,” Disc 2’s second track, as Kendrick sings: “I can’t please everybody” and “Heavy is the head that chose to wear the crown.” In the duration of his 19-year career, Lamar has become a voice for justice whom people rely on to be a mouthpiece for the underrepresented. Because of this, Lamar must carry a huge weight on his shoulders — he chose to wear the crown. Although he doesn’t relinquish this title in the album, Lamar reminds the listeners that he can’t save everyone, and he has to take care of himself as well. The resounding final track of the double album summarizes it best: “I choose me, I’m sorry.” 18 tracks later, it’s clear that Lamar has seen it all, and Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers is a culmination of all of his most dominating experiences. He transcends the trauma and hardship he’s endured and embraces a new Lamar — one who isn’t afraid to face his problems head on. Production: 9/10 Lyrics: 10/10 Vocals: 9/10 Overall: 9.3/10

Everything Everywhere All at Once is everything

By Hannah Shen ^ȿǙω vȵȈȿǲȵ A new and humorous take on the multiverse, Everything Everywhere All at Once has set new standards for science-fiction films with its ingenuity and originality. Released nationwide on April 8, and directed and written by Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert — also known as Daniels — the film incorporates deep emotional messages with hilarious laugh-out-loud moments and intense action sequences to deliver a stunning story about a powerful woman exploring the multiverse and saving the world. The plot follows Evelyn Wang (Michelle Yeoh), a Chinese-American immigrant running a struggling laundromat with her husband Waymond (Ke Huy Quan) and daughter Joy (Stephanie Hsu). However, during a mundane meeting with IRS inspector Deirdre Beaubeirdre (Jamie Lee Curtis), Waymond is momentarily possessed by another version of himself from another universe, which changes Evelyn’s life completely. Everything she thought

was necessary suddenly seems insignificant after Waymond tells her that she is the key to stopping an interdimensional force from destroying the multiverse. Daniels’ representation of immigrant culture is spot-on, complete with Evelyn’s all-business attitude, endless hustle, and subtle hints of Chinese culture in the food they eat and the big Chinese New Year’s celebration. The brief interjections of Mandarin in the script also make for a very realistic description of the immigrant struggle to assimilate into American culture. This portrayal was authentic without feeling racist or stereotypical, making the film, especially the beginning where it focused more on Evelyn’s personal struggles, a true illustration of a typical immigrant family. This film not only represents immigrant culture but also has queer representation with Evelyn’s daughter Joy being lesbian. The film doesn’t edge around topics regarding sexuality and offers an authentic depiction of a queer person struggling to come out to her homophobic family members. Hsu’s characterization of Joy sends an empowering

message to the LGBTQ+ community that they shouldn’t be ashamed of who they are or who they love. Besides the minority representation present in this film, viewers will also be sure to enjoy the intense fight scenes. There was an abundance of action sequences, all choreographed and performed to perfection, designed to get the audience’s heart beating and blood pumping. More impressive is the fact that Yeoh and Huy Quan performed most of them by themselves without the use of stunt doubles. The amount of dedication they put into the film to train in martial arts to make a scene more effective heightens the viewing experience. On top of the fights, the emotional scenes were also delivered convincingly and dynamically. In every emotional confrontation, the audience can feel Evelyn’s distress, Waymond’s heartbreak, and Joy’s frustration because of the actors’ expressions, gestures, and tone. The amount of nuance put into each delivery humanizes these characters and grips the audience throughout this wild ride of a film. Daniels also incorporates humor

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to give the audience some breathing room between the heavy baggage of the other emotionally-charged scenes. From a parallel universe where everyone has sausage fingers to a reality where life never developed and Evelyn becomes a sentient rock, the comedic timing in this film is the cherry on top, with scenes that will make the audience choke with laughter, or at the very least, give out a hearty chuckle. Although keeping track of the plot may be a bit difficult since there are so many settings and scene changes, the acting, minority representation, and humor more than make up for it. The film has been called messy and hard to follow, but the bizarre, chaotic nature of the film is a fitting embodiment of the messy multiverse it is set in. Everything Everywhere All at Once is perfect for moviegoers who want something to make them laugh and cry at the same time. Acting: 10/10 Cinematography: 10/10 Plot: 8/10 Setting: 9/10 Overall: 9.3/10

SMOKIE PLAYLIST: MEGH: “Long Live” by Taylor Swift | AMANDA: “22” by Taylor Swift | LARRY: “See You Again” by Wiz Khalifa, Charlie Puth | ALINA: “Little League” by Conan Gray

May Memories

ISABELLA: “I’ll Be There for You - Theme from ‘Friends’” by The Rembrandts | SAKSHI: “We Are Young” by fun., Janelle Monáe | LILY: “Always love you” by Kassy | NITHIKA: “Night Changes” by One Direction | JACKIE: “Slipping Through My Fingers” by ABBA | NAVEED: “Ribs” by Lorde | HELEN: “Peter Pan - Chinese Version” by EXO JOANNE: “Flicker” by Canyon City | ANVI: “Young, Wild & Free” by Snoop Dogg, Wiz Khalifa, Bruno Mars | JERRY: “Still Life” by BIGBANG | MINGXIN: “Count on Me” by Bruno Mars | JESSICA: “Graduation” by benny blanco, Juice WRLD | TANISHA: “Out of the Old” by Olivia Rodrigo | MRS. COHEN: “O-o-h Child” by The Five Stairsteps

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Arts & Entertainment 15

Class of 2022: College Bound Artists By Sarina Li, Andria Luo, Nessa Tong & Elton Yu ^ȿǙω vȵȈȿǲȵȸ As MSJ’s Class of 2022 gets ready to spread their wings and fly out into the world, some students are preparing to take their passions in art, design, or music to the next level. The Smoke Signal reached out to find individuals pursuing majors in the arts to spotlight their experiences, insights, and plans for the future.

MEGH BASU - DRAMA Since playing the lead in a school production of “Apple Dumplings” at seven years old, Megh Basu has always been a performer. Basu started off acting in school plays and community theaters. Once she reached middle school, she began taking drama classes in San Francisco at the American Conservatory Theater. Here Basu developed a deep appreciation for drama, leading to her attending UCLA’s Acting and Performance Summer Institute, USC’s Summer Theater Conservatory, and NYU’s High School Summer Drama Program in high school. Soon after, Basu realized she wanted to pursue drama as a career while on set for “Blood Moon,” a short film she starred in back in February of 2019. “We were filming on a cold beach in LA in the middle of night. It was absolutely freezing, and I was getting sand all over my costume, but I was having so much fun with the cast and crew that I didn’t mind at all,” Basu said. Throughout the college application process, Basu rehearsed six monologues, did in-person auditions, and attended artistic interviews. Her efforts were rewarded, and she will be attending New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts this fall as a Drama major. For underclassmen looking to go down a similar route, she recommends exploring all the different pathways a particular field of art offers. In the future, Basu hopes to work in film as an actress and create more performing arts opportunities in STEM-focused high schools like MSJ.

SYDNEY BAiLEY - GRAPHiC DESiGN For Sydney Bailey, pursuing a career in the arts has always been their plan. Starting art at a young age, they considered going into architecture and traditional art. They ultimately settled on graphic design, influenced by their time working in the Costanoan Yearbook staff. “Creating an entire book from start to finish was extremely rewarding and it made me realize that this is something I want to do forever,” Bailey said. Taking inspiration from their environment, they find ways to incorporate art and design into everyday life, including class notes and projects at school. Bailey credits their art journey for allowing them to meet many of their friends and even find other passions, including joining MSJ’s Color Guard. Although the college application process for an art-related major was difficult and time consuming, with many requiring supplemental applications and portfolios, Bailey encourages future artists to let their portfolio be a reflection of themselves. “Don’t just put your more technical or deepest pieces,” they said. “Have your personal favorite pieces of artwork that make you happy.” This fall, Bailey will be studying graphic design at San Jose State University. In the future, they see themselves creating magazine layouts, freelancing as a logo designer, or working in a company’s design department. Regardless of the career path they choose to take, Bailey just hopes to be happy with life and enjoy what they do.

EMiLY MARCELiS - ANiMATiON/ILLUSTRATiON Although she has been drawing since her childhood, Emily Marcelis first began drawing seriously in ninth grade. Inspired by her favorite cartoons and animated movies, she developed a passion for animation and illustration. She knew she wanted to pursue animation or illustration by her sophomore year of high school. Now, she will be attending Savannah College of Art and Design as an undecided major, though she leans heavily towards animation and illustration. Savannah College had a rolling admissions process, which allowed Marcelis to begin her application in the summer and receive her acceptance letter in October. She noted the importance of her portfolio, which she built up over many outside lessons and summer camps. Marcelis spent approximately 150 hours on her portfolio, primarily focusing on figure drawings, still life drawings, and self-portraits done with charcoal pencils and watercolors. “Creating [a] good portfolio is something that you can’t cram for, it takes time and practice to build up the kinds of skills colleges want to see,” Marcelis said. Her advice to underclassmen pursuing a similar career path is to go for a genuine interest no matter what anyone else says. “Success will come if you put in the honest effort and aren’t afraid to take charge of chasing your dream. At the end of the day this is your life, not your friends’ or your parents’ life,” Marcelis said. In the future, Marcelis hopes to work on a Disney or Pixar film since she has always loved watching them.

KYLE YUEN - PERCUSSiON Kyle Yuen first picked up playing percussion at around eight years old. Initially overwhelmed by the number of instruments, he was able to adapt quickly, motivated by his teachers and peers. With his parents as the “backbone” of his journey, Yuen developed a passion for music. “They were always there for every concert I performed at and were always so supportive,” Yuen said. Now, he plans to pursue a dual degree in Percussion Performance and Civil Engineering at Northwestern University. Having spent most of his extracurricular time in high school on music, pursuing his passion as a major felt natural. Applying to a school of music required sending in recordings and traveling for in-person auditions to play for faculty, and Yuen warns about early art major deadlines that may not appear on the Common App. However, he encourages prospective art students to reach out to other students or alumni for questions and, most importantly, believe in themselves. “Auditions may be scary,” Yuen said, “But you need confidence in your abilities to do well.” In the future, he plans to work as a civil engineer while being a private music teacher on the side, or join a community band or orchestra.

ALiNA ZENG - INTERACTiVE MEDiA ARTS With over 14 years of art experience, Alina Zeng began her journey in drawing and painting as a simple hobby. Since the age of three, Zeng has loved creating aesthetically pleasing images and she developed a true passion for arts and design when she noticed the impact design had on the backbone of society. “Especially when I became super driven by activism on issues such as women’s rights, racial justice, and social good, I realized how important art was in driving discourse and telling stories,” Zeng said. Despite her interest in the field, Zeng never seriously considered art as a potential career path due to the negative stereotypes surrounding art professions. However, about a week before the January 1 deadline for college applications, a conversation with her older brother helped her realize the versatility and potential that art careers had, and she ultimately decided to study interactive media arts at the New York University Tisch School of the Arts. “I don’t have any goals yet, but I definitely see myself either working in CGI, animation, or UI/UX depending on where college takes me. [In the future, I] probably will be back in California, drawing as a hobby and having a decent work life balance,” she said.

GRACiE Li - UX DESiGN Gracie Li first started exploring her passion in design in middle school, working on flyers for different local organizations and small personal projects. It was difficult for her at first due to design programs’ steep learning curve, but she eventually got a hang of it and transitioned from traditional art to digital painting. “I was impressed with the efficiency of art tools like the paint bucket or quick selection,” Li said. Eventually, after picking up the hobby of video games during the pandemic, she found interest in how video game interfaces worked. Combining her love for technology and art, Li found UX Design to be the perfect fit. Next year, Li will be attending Pratt Institute with a major in Communications Design, and hopes to join the program’s new minor of UX Design. “I always knew I wanted to have a career that allowed me to be creative, but also realistic,” Gracie said. To Li, the best part about design is that it aims to make people’s lives easier and creates a positive impact on products. Although the path to become a professional designer is tough and filled with obstacles, including the infamous portfolio presentations, Li hopes “to land an internship in UX Design to get my foot in the door. In ten years, I see myself staying in New York or California as a Lead UX Designer,” she said. PHOTOS BY STAFF WRITERS SARINA LI, ANDRIA LUO, NESSA TONG & ELTON YU, GRAPHICS BY A&E EDITOR JOANNE PARK

16 Arts & Entertainment & Sports

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The Smoke Signal

Friday, May 27, 2022

Student Spotlight: Reva Srivastava By Andria Luo & Annika Singh Staff Writers

)URP +RPHFRPLQJ DLUEDQGV WR 0XOWLFXOtural Week performances, it’s clear that MSJ is home to countless skilled dancers. In early 0D\ 6HQLRU 5HYD 6ULYDVWDYD UHFHLYHG WKH 86 3UHVLGHQWLDO 6FKRODUV LQ WKH $UWV DZDUG IRU GDQFH 3ULRU WR WKLV LQ 'HFHPEHU 6ULYDVWDYD ZDV VHOHFWHG DV D 1DWLRQDO <RXQJ$UWV )LQDOLVW :LQQHU LQ WKH 'DQFH 'LVFLSOLQH IRU the Kathak dance style, a prerequisite for being nominated as a US Presidential Scholar in the $UWV 2XW RI DSSOLFDQWV RQO\ ZHUH FKRVHQ DV ÀQDOLVWV DQG HOLJLEOH WR DSSO\ IRU WKH 3UHVLGHQWLDO 6FKRODUV LQ WKH $UWV DZDUG DQG

RQO\ DSSOLFDQWV ZHUH XOWLPDWHO\ VHOHFWHG DV 3UHVLGHQWLDO 6FKRODUV LQ WKH $UWV ´$V DQ ,QGLan classical dancer, it means a lot to be recogQL]HG DW D QDWLRQDO OHYHO IRU D GDQFH IRUP WKDW originated in a whole different country on the other side of the world and I feel really proud to be able to represent my Indian culture and KHULWDJH WKURXJK WKLV DZDUG µ 6ULYDVWDYD VDLG $W VHYHQ \HDUV ROG VKH EHJDQ OHDUQLQJ .DWKDN IURP KHU PRWKHU $QXSDPD 6ULYDVWDYD ZKR IRXQGHG LQ6\QF.DWKDN 'DQFH 6FKRRO IURP WKHLU JDUDJH 6ULYDVWDYD KDV EHHQ GDQFLQJ IRU DOPRVW \HDUV DQG KDV H[SORUHG YDULRXV dance styles in addition to Kathak, such as /\ULFDO -D]] %DOOHW DQG &RQWHPSRUDU\ GDQFH Her experience in these other dance forms, PDQ\ RI ZKLFK KHDYLO\ HPSKDVL]H VWRU\WHOOLQJ and expression, taught her how to express herself more when dancing Kathak. Her mother’s WHDFKHU 6KRYDQD 1DUD\DQ LV D UHQRZQHG FODVVLcal Kathak dancer, choreographer, and teacher, and has been performing and experimenting with fusing Kathak and other dance forms for DSSUR[LPDWHO\ IRXU GHFDGHV 6ULYDVWDYD KDV KDG opportunities to learn from her directly and DFFRPSDQLHG KHU RQ D QDWLRQDO WRXU LQ 7KH WRXU ZDV DQ LQVSLULQJ H[SHULHQFH IRU \HDU ROG 6ULYDVWDYD DV VKH KDG WKH RSSRUtunity to perform with a world-class Kathak GDQFHU DQG VKH SHUIRUPHG IRU VHYHUDO ORFDO RUJDQL]DWLRQV VXFK DV WKH 1DPDKD )RXQGDWLRQ IRU WKH $UWV ZKLFK LV D 7UL 9DOOH\ EDVHG RUJDQL]DWLRQ VWULYLQJ WR EULQJ WRJHWKHU FRPPXQLWLHV through the arts, in subsequent years. UnfortuQDWHO\ IRU DOPRVW WZR \HDUV 6ULYDVWDYD ZDV XQable to participate in in-person or group perfor-

mances due to the pandemic; instead she took FODVVHV DQG WUDLQHG RYHU =RRP ´,W ZDV GHÀnitely still great to keep learning, but it’s always GLIIHUHQW ZKHQ \RX KDYH WKH HQHUJ\ RI RWKHU people in the room with you…getting to perform with my friends after [the pandemic] was VXSHU VSHFLDO µ VKH VDLG +RZHYHU WKHVH UHVWULFWLRQV FDPH ZLWK D VLOYHU OLQLQJ DV 6ULYDVWDYD ZDV able to spend more time dancing and choreoJUDSKLQJ ZLWK KHU PRWKHU DQG HYHQ ZDV DEOH WR DWWHQG D IHZ YLUWXDO ZRUNVKRSV ZLWK 1DUD\DQ $V D EXV\ KLJK VFKRRO VWXGHQW DQG D GHGLFDWHG GDQFHU 6ULYDVWDYD KDV OHDUQHG WR PDQDJH KHU WLPH HIÀFLHQWO\ WR PDLQWDLQ VHSDUDtion between these two aspects of her life. ´,·YH OHDUQHG KRZ WR SULRULWL]H VSHFLÀF DVsignments and then go to dance and dance and not think about school at all and then FRPH EDFN DQG NHHS ZRUNLQJ GLOLJHQWO\ HYHQ WKRXJK , PLJKW EH WLUHG µ 6ULYDVWDYD VDLG +DYLQJ EHHQ WUDLQHG LQ VHYHUDO GLIIHUHQW VW\OHV WKURXJKRXW KHU GDQFH MRXUQH\ 6ULYDVWDYD IHHOV WKDW WKH EHVW SDUW RI GDQFLQJ LV WKH ZD\ LW PDNHV KHU IHHO ´)RU PH GDQFLQJ DQG Kathak are nice ways for me to express myVHOI FUHDWLYHO\ DQG LQ UHDO OLIH , IHHO OLNH ,·P PRUH LQWURYHUWHG DQG TXLHW EXW ZKHQ ,·P dancing, I’m less hesitant about who I am DQG , IHHO D ORW PRUH FRQÀGHQW VR , IHHO OLNH , OLNH WKH FRQÀGHQFH ERRVW LW JLYHV PH µ 6ULYDVWDYD VDLG ´, DOVR OLNH KRZ ZKHQ ,·P GDQFLQJ , GRQ·W KDYH WR ZRUU\ DERXW DQ\WKLQJ HOVH µ 6ULYDVWDYD SODQV WR FRQWLQXH GDQFLQJ LQ FROlege, both on her own and with friends, while carrying on her mother’s legacy as a Kathak dancer. She hopes to pass on the dance form

to the next generations by teaching students DW LQ6\QF.DWKDN 'DQFH 6FKRRO $IWHU FROlege, she dreams of becoming a professional dancer. “I really hope that I can teach and hopefully make an impact on my students’ OLYHV OLNH ,·YH KDG IURP P\ PHQWRUV 1R PDWter what’s going on in the world, I hope that my dance can be something that I’m proud of and I hope that it can hopefully inspire RWKHU SHRSOH WR DOVR GDQFH µ 6ULYDVWDYD VDLG. ɸ PHOTOS COURTESY REVA SRIVASTAVA.

Farewell Coach Thomsen By Angela Xiong & Aaron Zhou Staff Writers yeah, I can see myself doing that. So that’s what I did. I went into teaching and coaching EHFDXVH , ZDV MXVW KDSS\ GRLQJ WKRVH W\SHV RI things when I was young, and I wanted to continue. SS: What was your most memorable moment as a PE teacher? TT: I don’t think there’s any one moment. >+RZHYHU@ ZDWFKLQJ VWXGHQWV JURZ DQG PDture throughout the year, coming in and getWLQJ DFFOLPDWHG WR WKH VFKRRO DQG HQMR\LQJ 3( and being able to transfer the knowledge that physical education is important, for lots of reaVRQV EXW PRUH LPSRUWDQWO\ IRU OLIHORQJ ÀWQHVV [is memorable].

After more than three decades of being an instructor at MSJ, Coach Thomsen has announced his retirement and taken on the future position of MVAL Commissioner. Coach Thomsen’s work as a PE teacher, Director of Athletics, and Wrestling Coach along with his exceptional contributions and legacy will continue to shape our community. Throughout his years at MSJ, Coach Thomsen has been a FKDUPLQJ DQG LQÁXHQWLDO ÀJXUH WRZDUGV KLV SXSLOV wrestlers, and fellow coaches alike. The Smoke Signal interviewed Coach Thomsen regarding his career and favorite experiences as a coach at MSJ. The Smoke Signal: What inspired you to become a PE teacher? Thomas Thomsen: My dad was a longtime FRDFK DW &KDERW &ROOHJH DQG KH ZDV WKH ÀUVW ZUHVWOLQJ FRDFK WKHUH , KDG ÀYH EURWKHUV WKDW ZHUH DOO LQYROYHG LQ DWKOHWLFV DQG LW MXVW VHHPHG natural for me to go into something I saw that HYHU\ERG\ HOVH HQMR\HG 7KDW ZDV MXVW SDUW of my life. When I was a sophomore in high school, my football coach and PE teacher, Mr. Brosnan, told me [being an athletics teacher] is WKH JUHDWHVW MRE LQ WKH ZRUOG $QG , WKRXJKW

SS: +RZ KDV \RXU SHUVSHFWLYH RQ WHDFKLQJ changed throughout your career? TT: , GRQ·W NQRZ LI P\ SHUVSHFWLYH KDV FKDQJHG EXW , WKLQN ,·YH MXVW DGDSWHG WR WKH FKDQJHV LQ WKH ZRUOG FXOWXUH DQG HYHU\WKLQJ WKDW KDV WDNHQ SODFH RYHU P\ \HDUV RI WHDFKing. But I think how I teach, how I get my message across to my students, based on the curUHQW FOLPDWH RI ZKDW·V KDSSHQLQJ ,·YH DGMXVWHG and I think that’s been helpful. SS: :KDW GR \RX EHOLHYH LV \RXU JUHDWHVW DFcomplishment during your time at MSJ? TT: Being able to get students to understand that physical education is important if you want to lead a long, healthy life, is something ,·P YHU\ SURXG RI >$V@ WKH $WKOHWLF 'LUHFWRU IRU \HDUV , KDYH EHHQ PRVW SURXG RI KDYing half our student population participate in VRPH W\SH RI VSRUWV 7KURXJKRXW WKH WLPH WKDW ,·YH EHHQ WKH GLUHFWRU HYHU\ \HDU DW OHDVW [students] participate in some type of sport. :LQQLQJ WKH (OPHU %URZQ $ZDUG WKUHH RU IRXU WLPHV DV WKH $WKOHWLF 'LUHFWRU KDV EHHQ YHU\ UHZDUGLQJ VLQFH WKDW·V RQH RI WKH ELJJHVW DFFRPSOLVKPHQWV IRU D VFKRRO WR >UHFHLYH@ IURP NCS.

The Elmer Brown Award of Excellence is an annual award provided by NCS to schools with an exceptional number of championships and scholastic championships.

SS: How do you feel about being selected as WKH QHZ 09$/ &RPPLVVLRQHU" TT: ,W·V DQ KRQRU 3HRSOH KDYH WKRXJKW WKDW \RX NQRZ , ZRXOG GR D JRRG MRE DQG KRSHIXOO\ , ZLOO , WKLQN WKDW IRU PH LW ZDV MXVW D VWHS WR WKH QH[W OHYHO RI ZKDW , ZDQWHG WR GR LQ P\ FDUHHU &RDFKLQJ ZUHVWOLQJ IRU \HDUV DQG QRZ EHFRPLQJ WKH FRPPLVVLRQHU ² LW·V MXVW DQRWKHU VWHS WR EH DEOH WR VHUYH RXU VWXGHQW DWKOHWHV DQG FRDFKHV 6R , WKLQN LW·V D YHU\ QLFH KRQRU SS: What inspired you to coach the wrestling team, and what does wrestling mean to you? TT: $V IDU DV ZUHVWOLQJ DQG JRLQJ LQWR FRDFKLQJ ,·YH EHHQ YHU\ OXFN\ WR KDYH RXWVWDQGLQJ mentors in my life for the wrestling coaching part of my career. My dad, and his close family IULHQG ZKR WRRN RYHU KLV >FRDFKLQJ SRVLWLRQ DW Chabot College], inspired me to [coach]. WresWOLQJ LV VRPHWKLQJ WKDW ,·YH GRQH P\ ZKROH OLIH DQG , ZDQWHG WR JLYH EDFN WR D VSRUW WKDW LQspired me to be the best that I could be. SS: :KDW DGYLFH GR \RX KDYH IRU FXUUHQW DQG future instructors in athletics? TT: Be fair, be honest, treat people with reVSHFW 8QGHUVWDQG WKDW HYHU\ERG\ ZDQWV WR EH KHDUG $QG WKHQ GR WKH EHVW \RX FDQ WR PDNH VXUH WKDW \RX·UH EHLQJ IDLU WR HYHU\ERG\ QRW MXVW RQH SHUVRQ RU RQH VFKRRO ,I \RX VWLFN WR WKRVH >YDOXHV@ WKHQ \RX·OO EH ÀQH SS: What is your message for students and staff as this is your last year here? TT: %H LQYROYHG LQ QRW MXVW \RXU OLWWOH SLHFH RI the school and your own little world. I would like to see more teachers and more students go to games and support our student athletes, because they’re putting [in] a lot of time and it’s important for teachers to see other aspects of VWXGHQWV , ZDV D 6SHHFK DQG 'HEDWH DGYLVRU IRU \HDUV DQG WKDW JDYH PH D ZKROH GLIIHUHQW SHUVSHFWLYH RQ VRPH RI WKH VWXGHQWV KHUH DW 06- , GLGQ·W KDYH DQ\ FRQWDFW ZLWK DV D FRDFK and as a PE teacher. Being able to connect with 6SHHFK DQG 'HEDWH NLGV KDV JLYHQ PH D EHWWHU SHUVSHFWLYH RI RXU ZKROH VWXGHQW ERG\ LQ terms of other things that they do that don’t

apply to athletics. I would encourage teachers and students to take a chance and go out to experience other things and not get caught up LQ MXVW WKH GD\ WR GD\ JULQG RI WHDFKLQJ DQG going to school. Schoolwide [awareness] is important in terms of continuing [MSJ] as a great VFKRRO ɸ

´$V D FRDFK KH ZDV YHU\ VXSSRUWLYH DQG YHU\ RSHQ WR KHOS >RWKHUV@ (VSHFLDOO\ >ZLWK@ P\ ÀUVW \HDU FRPLQJ LQ DV a coach about six years ago, he was alZD\V WKHUH WR KHOS RU JLYH DGYLFH +H GLG D JUHDW MRE VXSSRUWLQJ DOO KLV FRDFKHV µ – Coach Melissa Kaeo ´&RDFK 7KRPVHQ KDV DOZD\V EHHQ D team player. He’s always worked to make MSJ a better place and willing to do the WKLQJV WKDW LW WDNHV WR LPSURYH WKH VWXdents’ experience within our school. :H·UH JRQQD PLVV KDYLQJ KLP DURXQG µ – Coach Pete Vaz ´,·YH NQRZQ DERXW &RDFK 7KRPVHQ VLQFH , was a freshman in high school [when] I saw one of his wrestlers win the state championship. He’s a legend of the sport in this area. He [co-founded] the Mission San Jose ,QYLWDWLRQDO RQH RI WKH EHVW WRXUQDPHQWV LQ WKH VWDWH 7KH VW\OHV DQG VWUDWHJLHV KH ZDV WDXJKW ZHUH KLJK OHYHO DQG KH·V RQH RI WKH EHVW >SHRSOH@ ,·YH HYHU FRDFKHG XQGHU µ ² $VVLVWDQW :UHVWOLQJ &RDFK )UHGG\ Saldana ´>&RDFK 7KRPVHQ@ LV D JRRG UROH PRGHO because he really pushes us to try our best. He really emphasizes going to practice and working our hardest, and he calls us out if ZH GRQ·W +H MXVW LQVSLUHV DOO RI XV WR WDNH WKLV VSRUW YHU\ VHULRXVO\ 7KDQN \RX >&RDFK 7KRPVHQ@ IRU FRDFKLQJ WKH WHDP DQG WKDQN \RX IRU KHOSLQJ XV <RX UHDOO\ JDYH XV FRQÀGHQFH LQ RXUVHOYHV DQG LQ WKH VSRUW µ – Girls Wrestling Co-Captain &DWKHULQH =KHQJ

PHOTOS COURTESY THE CALIFORNIA WRESTLING HALL OF FAME. GRAPHICS BY STAFF WRITER KARINA HAN.

Friday, May 27, 2022

The Smoke Signal

WWW.THESMOKESIGNAL.ORG

Sports 17

Badminton Re-Establish Former 15-Year Win Streak with a Dominant NCS Performance By Sahas Goli & Aaron Zhou Staff Writers Completing the regular season with a winORVV UHFRUG RI DQG D ÀUVW SODFH ÀQLVK LQ HYHU\ FRPSHWLWLRQ FDWHJRU\ RI WKH 09$/ &KDPSLRQVKLSV 06- %DGPLQWRQ TXDOLÀHG D URVWHU RI ZHOO URXQGHG SOD\HUV DQG QDWLRQDOO\ VHHGHG DWKOHWHV IRU 1&6 2Q 0D\ WKH Warriors entered the game determined to reFODLP WKHLU \HDU WRXUQDPHQW ZLQ VWUHDN DQG DFKLHYHG WKHLU JRDO E\ WDNLQJ ÀUVW SODFH RYHUDOO 7KH WHDP WUXPSHG VHFRQG SODFH ,UYLQJWRQ +LJK 6FKRRO·V VFRUH RI DQG WKLUG SODFH 'RXJKHUW\ 9DOOH\ +LJK 6FKRRO·V VFRUH RI ZLWK D FXPXODWLYH VFRUH RI SRLQWV Because the team lacked a coach during the beginning of the season, the team has mostly been training independently, with the captains leading practices and organizing training VFKHGXOHV :KHQ %DGPLQWRQ &RDFK .HYLQ 7UDQ VWHSSHG XS DQG HQDEOHG WKH WHDP WR DWtend league tournaments, he was impressed by WKH VNLOO OHYHO WKH WHDP DOUHDG\ SRVVHVVHG HYHQ

EHIRUH WKHLU ÀUVW JDPH ´,W·V PRVWO\ WKH SOD\HUV ZKR KDYH EHHQ LPSOHPHQWLQJ RXU VWUDWHJLHV µ 7UDQ VDLG ´$QG WKH\·UH SUHWW\ JRRG >DW LW@ µ :KLOH WKH WRS WHDPV DFURVV WKH UHJLRQ participated in this year’s NCS, MSJ immediDWHO\ DVVHUWHG LWV GRPLQDQFH (YHU\ DWKOHWH ZRQ WKHLU ÀUVW WZR PDWFKHV DQG FUXLVHG LQWR WKH TXDUWHU ÀQDOV ZLWK PRUH WKDQ KDOI RI 06- DWKOHWHV TXDOLI\LQJ IRU WKH VHPL ÀQDOV 6LQFH VHYHUDO DWKOHWHV IURP ,UYLQJWRQ +LJK 6FKRRO DQG $PHULFDQ +LJK 6FKRRO ZHUH RQ SDU ZLWK WKH :DUULRUV WKH VHPL ÀQDOV SURYHG D VLJQLÀFDQW VWHS XS IURP DOO SUHYLRXV PDWFKHV %R\V 'RXEOHV VDZ &R &DSWDLQ 6HQLRU $VKWRQ /HH DQG 6HQLRU $QGUHZ :DQJ IDFH DQ XQIRUWXQDWH WZR JDPH ORVV DJDLQVW ,UYLQJWRQ ZLWK VFRUHV RI DQG 1HYHUWKHOHVV WKH :DUULRUV FRQTXHUHG DOO RWKHU HYHQWV ,Q WKH 0L[HG 'RXEOHV VHPL ÀQDOV 6HQLRU 0LKLU 5DMD DQG 6RSKRPRUH :HQOX 6KH GHIHDWHG RSSRQHQWV IURP $PHULFDQ +LJK 6FKRRO ZLWK VFRUHV RI DQG 6RSKRPRUHV $QQDEHOOH =KRX DQG .RG\ 6HRZ DOVR VHL]HG D FKDOOHQJLQJ WKUHH JDPH YLFWRU\ DJDLQVW

Senior Mihir Raja jumps to smash the birdie.

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RI DQG +RZHYHU WKH :DUULRUV HYHQHG WKH WLGH LQ WKH *LUOV 'RXEOHV ZLWK Co-Captain Senior Emily Han and Sophomore 6DYDQQD /HH GHIHDWLQJ ,UYLQJWRQ DIWHU D WZR JDPH YLFWRU\ ZLWK VFRUHV RI DQG By the end of the tournament, MSJ took home IRXU RI ÀYH JROG PHGDOV WKUHH RI ÀYH VLOYHU medals, one bronze medal, and two fourth/ ÀIWK SODFH ÀQLVKHV 7KH :DUULRUV KDYH RQFH DJDLQ SURYHQ WR EH IRUPLGDEOH RSSRQHQWV ZLWK DQRWKHU ÀUVW SODFH YLFWRU\ LQ WKLV \HDU·V 1&6 &KDPSLRQVKLSV 2Q 0D\ WKH WHDP DOVR FRPSOHWHG WKH LQGLYLGXDO DWKOHWH EDVHG &,) &KDPSLRQVKLSV ZLWK WZR JROG ÀQLVKHV WKUHH VLOYHU ÀQLVKHV WKUHH EURQ]H ÀQLVKHV DQG WZR IRXUWK ÀIWK SODFH ÀQLVKHV “We aimed to get as many golds as possible [this season], and I’m super happy with [our RXWFRPH@µ +DQ VDLG ɸ

The Badminton team acquires 10 event medals at CIF.

PHOTOS BY STAFF WRITER AARON ZHOU, COURTESY ADAM TAY.

Boys Tennis Win NCS for the First Time Since 2009 ment that resulted from practices and exercises WKURXJKRXW WKH VHDVRQ 'XULQJ SUDFWLFHV WKH players come to the court with pre-established JRDOV DQG LPSURYHPHQWV LQ PLQG 7KH WHDP DOVR VSHQW D ORW RI WLPH SUDFWLFLQJ FRPSHWLWLYH scrimmages. “Simulating match plays helps us prepare for tough situations and tournaments. We were expecting [to win this game against 0LUDPRQWH@ EHFDXVH ZH KDYH EHHQ UHSOLFDWLQJ WKH FRPSHWLWLYH >PDWFK@ VFHQH VR PDQ\ WLPHV LQ SUDFWLFH µ &R &DSWDLQ 6HQLRU $QVK 5DL VDLG Going forward into the NCS competition prompted apprehension within the team who KRSHG WR PDLQWDLQ WKH 06- 7HQQLV WHDP·V ZLQQLQJ VWUHDN ´>7KH *LUOV 7HQQLV WHDP@ ZRQ 1&6 WKLV \HDU VR JX\V IHHO WKH SUHVVXUH RI WKDW µ &RDFK 0LFKDHO -DQ VDLG (QWHULQJ WKH JUDQG Ànal match against Redwood High School, the team showed off their skills that had been re-

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The Boys Tennis team wins NCS.

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PDWFK DJDLQVW WKHLU ÀUVW WZR RSSRQHQWV -HVse Bethel High School and Campolindo High 6FKRRO 7KH WHDP·V PDWFKHV ZHQW VPRRWKO\ RQO\ GURSSLQJ D IHZ SRLQWV LQ HDFK PDWFK ÀQLVKLQJ DJDLQVW ERWK VFKRROV DQG DGYDQFLQJ WR WKH VHPLÀQDOV RI 1&6 $ QRWDEOH GLVSOD\ RI teamwork between doubles partners SophoPRUH :D\ORQ /L DQG -XQLRU 0DUFR <DQJ DLGHG in the Warriors’ numerous seamless plays in the beginning stages of the tournament, which set the team in the right direction for their remaining games. ,Q WKHLU VHPLÀQDO JDPHV WKH :DUULRUV VDZ tougher competition with Miramonte High 6FKRRO ZKLFK XVHG DQ RIIHQVLYH VHUYLQJ VWUDWHJ\ WKDW WKH :DUULRUV KDG WR DGMXVW WR +RZHYHU after losing a couple points, the team learned from their mistakes and dominated the rest RI WKHLU JDPHV ÀQLVKLQJ ZLWK D WLJKW ÀQDO VFRUH DQG DGYDQFLQJ WR WKH ÀQDOV 7KH PDWFK DJDLQVW 0LUDPRQWH +LJK 6FKRRO LQ WKH VHPLÀQDOV IXUWKHU XQLÀHG WKH WHDP DQG ZDV D GHPRQVWUDWLRQ RI WKH WHDP·V LPSURYH-

Sophomore Waylon Li smashes a serve towards the opponent.

PHOTOS BY STAFF WRITERS AARYAN SURI & ANGELA XIONG.

18 Sports

WWW.THESMOKESIGNAL.ORG

The Smoke Signal

Friday, May 27, 2022

Class of 2022: College-Bound Athletes By Ayushi Kashyap, Shaily Desai & Kaitlyn Wang Staff Writers

Elyes Serghine

Josie Warner

Running cross country and track at Caltech this fall, Senior Elyes Serghine began running in freshman year when he joined Cross Country to prepare for the upcoming soccer season, and his enthusiasm for the sport quickly grew. “I realized that not having a run in the day doesn’t really make the day feel complete,” Serghine said. “It feels like something is missing.” He ended up continuing track and cross country throughout high school, with his most memorable moments being the 4x800 Meter Relay he ran in sophomore year with the juniors and his personal best competing in the 800 Meter Dash at MVAL Championships. His running career did not come without obstacles, however. Serghine endured a hip injury that caused him to miss portions of his track season in freshman and junior year and his cross country season in sophomore year. To stay motivated and have a plan after his recovery, he made an effort to keep in touch with the team and his doctor. Serghine is excited to race at the collegiate level and practice the discipline he has gained thus far. “You need to have mental strength because a lot of [running] is just pushing yourself during the race and you can’t cave in,” Serghine said.

In 2012, Senior Josie Warner began her water polo journey at a local aquatics club, eventually continuing all through elementary and middle school. After a brief hiatus in 2017, Warner moved to Fremont in her freshman year and rekindled her dedication to the sport on the Junior Varsity Girls Water Polo team. During the offseason before her sophomore year, Warner trained to be a goalie, eventually landing the Varsity goalie role at the start of the season after successfully blocking three consecutive shots in front of the coach before a game. “Swimming didn't really do it for me because I didn't really like the monotony of lap swimming. But being goalie really stuck out to me, and I really enjoyed it,” Warner said. Warner recalls the setbacks she has faced as a goalie, a position that posed a greater risk for impact. “Most of my knuckles are actually enlarged [and] messed up because of jamming them so much,” she said. Nevertheless, her unwaning perseverance remained, and she now anticipates her new start at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, a Division 1 school for water polo.

Cheryl Chuang

Marianne Chuang

Senior Cheryl Chuang started running in her freshman year and joined Track and Field and Cross Country with her sister and a friend on a whim. After meeting a lot of new people and enjoying the sport, she realized that she had a passion for running and wanted to continue that in college. Currently, she plans to continue to run track and cross country at UC Santa Cruz. Despite her successful cross country career, she has endured the effects of her iron deficiency, which caused her to be exhausted while running. She was able to work towards her goals, setting multiple personal records this season in the 2-mile and 3-mile course. “Running has taught me a lot about how putting in hard work can get [you] results from that,” Chuang said. This hard work has definitely paid off with her most memorable experiences being spent with her teammates during their weekly 14-hour long invitationals. Even though she sees college as the end of her running career, she is excited to meet new people and run competitively at UC Santa Cruz.

Senior Marianne Chuang initially began running track and cross country in her freshman year as a way to condition for the basketball season. Over the next four years, however, she developed a passion for the sport and plans to continue it at UC Santa Cruz this fall. Her journey has encompassed many memorable experiences, such as 14-hour meets packed with carbo-loading and team bonding. Despite sustaining many shin splints, hamstring pulls, and ankle sprains, Chuang has always been able to persevere. “One of the main things to do when you’re injured is to focus on becoming stronger both mentally and physically,” Chuang said. “You’re going to feel left out because you see everyone training hard, but [it] is just going to make you stronger in the end.” Although she does not see herself going professional, Chuang hopes that playing a college sport will allow her to meet new people and build character.

Caovinh Nguyen

Erin Ta

Varsity Boys Baseball Captain Senior Caovinh Nguyen discovered baseball at five years old when his mom signed him up for the little league. When he was 12, his skills began to rapidly improve after receiving private lessons and competing in junior tournaments, allowing him to further his experiences in the sport. “After that, I just fell in love with it,” Nguyen said. From traveling around the country to post-game outings, his most unforgettable moments with the sport have come from his experiences with MSJ’s Varsity Boys Baseball team. Nevertheless, his career did not come without challenges. “As a hitter, you fail seven out of 10 times. You fail more times than you succeed … So it’s a game of failure, and mentally, it is super tough because since you always fail, it really gets to you,” Nguyen said. To overcome this mental barrier, he prioritizes positivity and confidence in his abilities. This fall, Nguyen will play for Ohlone College, one of the highest ranked colleges in junior college baseball in the US. “College is a new experience. I can’t wait to make new friends and new teammates and new coaching … [It’s] just like starting a new life.”

After joining Track and Field as a filler sport for her off-season in her sophomore year, Senior Erin Ta was unaware she would ever find such a passion for the sport. Now, she has decided to pursue the sport at the collegiate level and will be running for the University of Redlands this fall. Because of the pandemic, she could only play two sports, changing her commitment levels and increasing her love for track. In her senior season, while competing in the long jump, triple jump, and 100 meters events for track and field, she was able to set her best records as a member of the varsity team. Moving on to college, she looks forward to seeing how high level athletes compete and how far she can go with proper coaching. “In high school, you’re kind of only at the surface level of your potential and I think I really wanted to continue and see how far I could go, especially at the collegiate level,” Ta said.

PHOTOS BY STAFF WRITERS SHAILY DESAI, AYUSHI KASHYAP & KAITLYN WANG. GRAPHICS BY STAFF WRITER KAITLYN WANG.

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Softball

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16t i m e J NCS champions MS Badminton continued their dominant streak 13-1 this year, going cal MSJ son. Typisea r ula reg n during the hool were shut dow Sc h Hig on ngt Irvi rivals such as played. Though y the es tim h bot with scores of 15-2 first time they l beat MSJ 9-8 the American High Schoo 9-8 rematch. se clo a g nin red by win ed to. MSJ played, MSJ recove ect exp s as well as it wa “The season went we were aland oughout the season stayed dominant thr Ryan Ma said. ior Jun in pta -Ca Co t,” ways the team to bea inton team nships, the MSJ Badm At the MVAL Champio Boys Douin ce pla t firs n, earning swept the competitio gles, and Sin ls Gir ls Doubles, bles, Boys Singles, Gir mbers on the me 50 of out 21 Mixed Doubles. J d for NCS, where MS varsity team qualifie 6 16 h wit rall ove ce pla Badminton won first nts than second points, 105 more poi High School. on ngt Irvi ce pla

MSJ Boys Volleyball has had one of their best seasons in the past few years ending with an overall record of 7-14 and qualifying for NCS before falling short to Las Lomas High School in the first round. The team started off with a few losses in their pre-league games, before quickly picking it up to win several games in a row. One of the challenges the team faced early in the season was coming back strong as a team after the coronavirus pandemic. After having two of their seasons practically canceled or shortened, the team’s performance was rusty in the beginning, but they were quick to bond and get better on and off the court. As for the future, the team hopes to continue their efforts and do even better. “I'm just looking forward to working with the players on JV. We have a lot of potential for those players and I'm just looking forward to getting them on to Varsity and just working with them throughout the year to hopefully do even better than we did this year,” Co-Captain Junior Ryan Liu said.

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M S J Boys Tennis exceeded its goals for the season once more. The Varsity Boys Tennis team was victorious in every match, with a record of 14-0. Undefeated, the team was victorious in MVAL and sent multiple players to the NCS Championships. “The team performed amazing with not a single loss throughout the season. We [were] also represented well in NCS and had a doubles team make it to the semifinals before having to, unfortunately, pull out due to an injury,” Co-Captain Junior Shrish Choudhary said. Even though there were injuries, the team ended the season strongly with a score of 4-0 at NCS. The team performed spectacularly throughout the season and hopes to continue its efforts next spring season. “[They are the] most talented team I’ve ever coached. [They were] blessed with great role models from [the] top-down,” Coach Michael Jan said in regards to this season.

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MSJ s Baseball ha ason se at re g had a g, finishing . this sprin -13 d u e cord of 9 with a re a tough start am was te e th ng , vi g in ha Despite rs graduat ver with and membe r mistakes and reco seniors to injuries ei g th in rn om tu fr re e up m able to pick practice. “We had so and now that they’re d s an ior ar k ye or extra w past few Captain Sen ’t play the than ever,” VID-19 forced er tt be that couldn en O a am has be ries and C back the te en said. Though inju e field, proving to be en th uy m g f N ss of la s nh rc vi er Cao play r unde me rclassmen ce for thei many uppe also offered a chan on the team has beco xt it as e, se the ne r ei to in th t challeng ut iri ho sp same w . Throug to step up and hopes to take this ing and seeing the ne a lot closer forward to just rebuild vel [and] le year. “I look e have at the Varsity rticfaces that w have good parent pa to hopefully hool participation and e of ipation, sc better shap to get into Coach Bobcourse,” said. by Kanno

Sports 19

The Smoke Signal

Te nn

Friday, May 27, 2022

MSJ Boys Golf proved to be the top dog in MVAL this year, going undefeated this season with a record of 100. This year’s team was stacked with talent, and met their own high expectations. The team attributes their success of winning the MVAL Championships and placing 6th at NCS to their camaraderie outside of the game. “Some of the best moments of the season came during team practice rounds. Goofing around, competing against each other, and playing golf in the dark will definitely have a special place in my memory” Co-Captain Senior Nathan Su said. The biggest challenge this team faced was being able to practice easily. Despite the talent of the team, the lack of quality golf courses near MSJ made it difficult for members to get to practice. “Most of our NCS competitors have golf courses much more accessible to them, which puts us at a slight disadvantage,” Su said. Nevertheless, the MSJ Boys Golf team still were favorites at every meet they attended and had a dominant postseason performance.

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Spring Sports Recap By Elaheh Khazi, Aditya Patil & Jason Tang Staff Writers PHOTOS BY THE SMOKE SIGNAL ARCHIVES, COURTESY SAVANNA LEE, COSTANOAN V57. GRAPHICS BY SPORTS EDITOR JERRY YUAN & STAFF WRITER KARINA HAN.

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Friday, May 27, 2022

ASIAN AMERICAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER HERITAGE MONTH By Amy Luo, Hannah Shen & Annie Xu

HISTORY

Staff Writers

Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (AAPI Heritage Month) takes place every May in celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander contributions to the culture and history in the US. The origins of AAPI Heritage Month began in the 1970s when congressional staffer Jeanie Jew approached New York Representative Frank Horton with the idea, but it took more than ten years to make AAPI Heritage Month a permanent annual celebration. In 1978, House Joint Resolution 1007, proposed by Horton, was passed by the US House of Representatives and the Senate, and signed into public law by President Jimmy Carter on Oct. 5, 1978. AAPI Heritage Month is celebrated in May because of the multitude of AAPI historical milestones that have occurred during the month, including the May 1843 arrival of Japanese immigrants and the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad in May 1869 by Chinese immigrant workers. In 1990, Congress officially expanded the observance from one week to an entire month, and under the George W. Bush administration in 1992, May was annually designated AAPI Heritage Month.

AAPIs FOR CIVIC AAPI Heritage Month is meant to celebrate and honor individuals whose EMPOWERMENT EDUCATION FUND WHY WE CELEBRATE

contributions to the nation, along with the hardships they faced here, are often erased and forgotten. This year’s theme, “Advancing Leaders Through Collaboration,” is a continuation of the “Advancing Leaders” theme of 2021, and emphasizes the Federal Asian Pacific American Council’s (FAPAC) attempts to advance AAPI leaders in federal governments. Through collaboration, FAPAC hopes to cultivate unity within the AAPI community.

AAPIs for Civic Empowerment Education Fund (AAPI FORCE-EF) is a CA-wide network of social organizations geared towards building political power for the AAPI community in order to advance AAPI racial and social justice. “The key political issues of the current period impact AAPI communities heavily, such as immigration, health care, reproductive rights, the environment, workers rights, national security, and education. However, AAPI perspectives are missing from the larger conversation,” their website said. In addition to connecting California’s Asian American community through bringing together diverse organizations, AAPI FORCE-EF also works to build broader alliances with other social justice movements, such as the Million Voters Project, an initiative that aims to mobilize 1,000,000 minority and low income voters around an agenda of equity and inclusion, and Asian Pacific Environmental Network, an environmental justice organization created by CA’s Asian immigrant and refugee communities.

CYNTHIA CHOI

Cynthia Choi is a Korean-American AAPI rights activist, Co-Executive Director of Chinese for Affirmative Action, and one of the three co-founders of Stop AAPI Hate. Previously, she served at Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy for nearly ten years, where she worked to devise strategic opportunities including engaging with local communities to aid underprivileged citizens to draw attention to social justice issues. Her current work includes advocating against hate crimes targeting the AAPI community, as well as forging new opportunities for Chinese Americans, such as referral and information services to support Chinese immigration efforts.

YURI KOCHIYAMA

Japanese-American civil rights activist and Bay Area native Yuri Kochiyama was one of the most influential AAPI activists of the 20th century. After experiencing the oppressive discrimination of Japanese Americans during WWII, when her family was forcibly incarcerated in an internment camp, Kochiyama began dedicating her life to social justice, human rights, and anti-war movements. A longtime friend of Black human rights activist Malcolm X, Kochiyama advocated for Japanese American war reparations and promoted initiatives dedicated to building a more political AAPI movement in tandem with the struggle for Black liberation, bridging the sociopolitical divide.

MUSLIM COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION Located in Santa Clara, the Muslim Community Association (MCA) is a non-profit Islamic religious organization, founded in 1981, dedicated to creating community resources for Muslims in the Bay Area. In the 1980s, a few Muslim families founded the MCA and rented a building with a capacity of 75 people, but now the MCA owns and operates two buildings along with three educational service institutes. Aside from holding weekly prayer sessions, the MCA offers a Granada Islamic School, a private co-educational Islamic institution founded in 1988. The organization is geared towards strengthening the local Islamic community within the Bay Area and providing financial and educational services to underprivileged families.

SOUTH BAY CHINESE CLUB The South Bay Chinese Club (SBCC) is a Southern Alameda County-based service organization formed in 1965 and dedicated to preserving Chinese culture and customs in the South Bay. SBCC aims to celebrate Chinese culture within the Bay Area community, hosting events such as Chinese New Year banquets and historical programs in remembrance of Chinese-American WWII veterans. In addition, board members also award scholarships to graduating high school students in the South Bay in hopes of supporting aspiring AAPI students on their educational journeys. GRAPHICS BY GRAPHICS EDITOR MINGXIN WANG, STAFF WRITERS AMY LUO, HANNAH SHEN & ANNIE XU.