The Epitaph, Volume 58, Issue 6, 2020-2021

SEE INSIDE: INDIA IS DYING on page 4 | STUDENT GARDENERS on page 5 | HYPE HOUSE SHOW on page 6

The Epitaph Vol. 58, Issue 6 Homestead High School 21370 Homestead Rd, Cupertino, CA 95014

Saying farewell to the Class of 2021

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Thursday, June 3, 2021

Seniors celebrated with in-person graduation

By Lia Klebanov and Macy Li

O’Neill said in a Zoom inThis year, seniors had the opportunity to attend in-person graduation ceremo- terview, she delivered her joint nies during the first week of June. Due speech with Jackie Huong, her to the ongoing pandemic, the structure of closest friend, making the whole the ceremonies was altered and a variety of experience come full circle. safety measures were implemented, prin- O’Neill hoped their different percipal Greg Giglio said in a Zoom interview. sonalities would provide a contrast In the past, one large ceremony had to the audience and an intriguing been held for all graduating seniors, he said. aspect to their speech.

The senior quote for the class However, this year’s graduation was shortened and hosted over the course of four of 2021, “the struggles along the different sessions, from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 way are only meant to shape you Photo by Mae Richardson p.m. on June 2 and June 3. Students were for your purpose,” allowed O’Neill COMMEMORATING ACHIEVEMENTS: able to choose which ceremony to attend to reflect on all the challenges her In-person graduation allows seniors to celebrate classmates expe- their hard work, Hebbar said. and invite up Photo by Miya Liu rienced throughto four houseTO THE FUTURE: Seniors show off their college gear. out the year and getting cially given the circumstances of the past hold guests.

“THE WHOLE ACT OF WALKING through it together, she year,” Hebbar said. “They’re very excited “We can’t fit ACROSS THE STAGE IS WHAT the school [commemorated] our efforts.” said. too many peoFor some seniors, like Hannah McGoMAKES GRADUATION SPECIAL. Senior Mayuri Hebbar ple in the quad ran, it was disappointing to not be able said in a Zoom interview, safely, so this is WHEN THINGS GET TRANSFERRED to graduate with all the friends she made she was looking forward really going to TO A VIRTUAL FORMAT IT FEELS to attending an in-person along the way. However, she still preferred be a shortened LESS PERSONAL.” graduation ceremony and the in-person graduation to a virtual one ceremony — a was appreciative of the and understood the circumstances. chance [for you] Hannah McGoran (12) “The whole act of walking across the school’s efforts in making to celebrate stage wearing your cap and gown, being the experience possible. and for your “Besides the whole symbolic moment seated next to your classmates [and] hearfamily to see you walk across the stage to get of graduating, being able to see at least ing your name being read, is what make your diploma,” Giglio said.

During the ceremonies, each group of part of the senior class again is really graduation special,” McGoran said. “When guests were asked to sit together, and all amazing,” Hebbar said. “I missed being things get transferred to a virtual format it groups were positioned at least six feet apart able to interact with the rest of the senior feels less personal.”

Photo courtesy of Alejandro Solis Giglio said he thinks the in-person from each other. Additionally, masks were re- crowd.”

AVID GRADUATION CEREMONY: A big aspect of graduation for Hebbar graduation ceremonies helped end the quired for all attendees and concessions were AVID class of 2021 celebrated for their was allowing family members to attend. year on a positive note and is glad the senot sold. achievements.

Auditions were held for students interest- Hebbar said her family was eager to see niors were able to come together one last time to celebrate their achievements. ed in delivering speeches. Six seniors were her graduate in person.

“The seniors deserve more,” Giglio “My parents were very happy because selected to speak, including Kiarra Ning, Erin Su, Jackie Huong, Ayush Maurya, Hasith they know how much this means to se- said. “But this is the most that we could do, niors and how hard we’ve worked, espe- so I’m happy that we were able to do it.”

Basnayake and Abby O’Neill.

New club aims to reform sexual assault education SENIOR PROM DINNER: Attendees

enjoyed performances and music.

Photo courtesy of Matthew Yu

MUSIC AT GRADUATION: Senior

Kabir Batra played the national anthem.

Photo courtesy of Erin Su

GRADUATION SPEAKER: Erin Su said she was honored to be chosen to represent her class.

See SENIOR SPOTLIGHT on Page 9

By Ritaja Subrahmanya

Junior Nicole D’Souza founded Project Action Awareness Reform, a districtwide initiative, in April to push for sexual assault education reform, after her experience with FUHSD’s Title IX process.

A Title IX investigation occurs when the district receives complaints regarding sexual harassment and assault, following the procedures listed in the Title IX, Gender Equity section of California’s Education Code, assistant superintendent Trudy Gross said in a Zoom interview. Gross is also the district Title IX coordinator.

“Probably a week after my Title IX complaint ended, I realized I wish I knew more about the Title IX process,” D’Souza said in a Zoom interview. “I wished other people also wanted to speak up about their situations to get closure and help.”

Project AAR hopes to expand FUHSD’s sexual harassment and assault education to reduce the stigma surrounding sexual assault, D’Souza said. She said Project AAR would like to implement sexual harassment education regarding consent starting in middle school with more in-depth discussions at the high school level.

“One of our long term goals is to

Photo courtesy of Nicole D’Souza Photo courtesy of Nicole D’Souza

Photo by Saanvi Thakur

ACTION AWARENESS REFORM:

D’Souza hopes to create a safer community through AAR’s efforts.

reform Title IX as well as spread more awareness about sexual assault and harassment within FUHSD campuses,” D’Souza said. “There are so many jokes being made about sexual assault and it’s not funny. These jokes are very triggering to people who have actually experienced sexual assault.”

D’Souza contacted students from across the district to create Project AAR’s executive team, which includes FHS junior Keerti Jammalamadaka, LHS junior Adrienne Wang, FHS junior Sharada Mahesh and HHS sophomore Satomi Hamano.

See PROJECT AAR on Page 2

FUHSD prepares reopening plans

By Amber Birrell and Erin Loh

Due to a countywide drop in COVID-19 cases and increased vaccine roll out, schools in Santa Clara county are preparing to reopen their campuses in anticipation of a normal school year.

Students will return to in-person school five days a week in the fall, according to an email sent by FUHSD coordinator of communication Rachel Zlotziver on May 10.

Superintendent Polly Bove said reopening plans will follow safety guidelines set by the county. While logistics are not concrete, thorough disinfection will likely be less frequent, however equipment will still be cleaned regularly, she said.

Principal Greg Giglio said masks will likely be necessary. The district is waiting for county guidelines on whether social distancing requirements will be six feet, three feet or not necessary at all. Additionally, Giglio said he does not yet know whether students will be required to be vaccinated before in-person learning resumes next year.

“The coronavirus vaccine can’t be required legally yet,” Bove said in a Zoom interview.

“When the vaccine moves from emergency authorization to full authorization, then it can be considered by legislators.”

Regarding indoor eating, Bove said the district does not know if it will be permitted. With most of the cafeteria being used for grab-and-go food services, Bove said there may not be space for student dining areas.

See SCHOOL REOPENING on Page 2

PAGE DESIGN BY MAE RICHARDSON AND RITAJA SUBRAHMANYA

Thursday, June 3, 2021

Sexual assault initiative harassment throughout the school year, Hamano said.

As one of their main education reform goals, Project AAR is working to find professional organizations that can depict sexual harassment more accurately, and hopes to work with schools to implement them in seminars, D’Souza said.

D’Souza said she wants Project AAR to help survivors feel acknowledged within the school environment and get the closure they deserve.

“I truly hope AAR can offer survivors a safe space, both mentally and physically,” Hamano said. “I hope AAR can be the reason why survivors carry less weight on their shoulders and provide them with what every survivor deserves: feeling safe rather than uncomfortable and supported rather than alone.”

Economics Club places fourth at states

Members discuss preparation, team dynamic

By Madhavi Karthik and Erin Loh Economics Challenge for over ten years, and many of these teams have also placed in state championships.

“I get materials together that the kids can use to help study, and then if they have questions I try to find them the answer,” Heaton said in a Zoom interview. “But they're really studying on their own, which is why I'm so impressed because they figure out how to learn economics. They also learn from other teams that have competed in the past.”

To prepare for the AP macroeconomics and microeconomics tests, the team members Photos courtesy of Avery Chen, Harry Guan, Andria Xu and Jasmine Yuan

ECONOMICS CHALLENGE TEAM: Four sophomores

contributed to HHS's victory at the Economics Challenge.

Editors & Reporters Naomi Baron Editor-in-Chief Shreya Partha Editor-in-Chief Leila Salam Managing Editor Senior News Madhavi Karthik Erin Loh Junior News Macy Li Senior Opinion Ritaja Subrahmanya Senior Opinon Karuna Chandran Senior Lifestyles Lia Klebanov Junior Lifestyles Amber Birrell Senior Arts & Culture Christine Kim Junior Arts & Culture Senior Sports Josh Cantwell-Nahrung Hope Saena Junior Sports Seoyoung Hwang Senior Design

formed a study group last summer. The team was able to use their test review books to equip them for the economics challenge, Guan said in a Zoom interview. In the upcoming weeks before the challenge, the team met regularly for additional support.

“I learned a lot about teamwork because every time we didn't know topics after a practice test, we would split up the work and teach each other what we researched based on what we didn't know,” Yuan said in a Zoom interview.

Despite obstacles formed from distance learning, Guan said working as a team was an engaging experience. “[The most memorable part was] the preparation for the challenge. Working together as a group with so much passion and so much interest is a really heartwarming thing during the lockdown,” Guan said.

After reflecting on his time participating in this year’s challenge, Guan said economics has helped him gain a better understanding of how the world works.

“Especially in our increasingly progressive society, understanding how to cope with the changes in an economic standpoint is really important,” Guan said. “It makes you able to understand and weigh the pros and cons of actions and what the impact would be on the economy.”

Graduating Seniors Junior Design Senior Social Media Senior Multimedia Copy Editor Senior Business Manager Junior Business Manager Website Manager Reporter Reporter Reporter Reporter Reporter

Ashley Orozco Plata Bobby Gorelick Mae Richardson Bobby Gorelick Yukari E. Zapata Ariana Juliette Tejeda Moreno Jack Xu Nitya Kashyap Xochitl Neely Raymond Ranbhise Saanvi Thakur Alyssa Zimmerman

Nika Bondar Elaine Huang Miya Liu Evelyn Solis Sahil Venkatesan Allen Zhang

Adviser Natalie Owsley

Similar to this year, Bove said the district hopes to continue distributing free meals to students and the community next year.

Bove said coronavirus checks will likely continue to be implemented next year, such as the daily symptom checker, which is currently required.

Giglio said the schedule next year will look similar to this year’s remote learning schedule.

However, instead of having asynchronous We d n e s days, a ‘skinny’ day will be implemented on either M o n d a y, Wednesday or Friday.

“All five schools in the district will have the same schedule for next year,” Giglio said. “Just in case variants pop up and cases get worse again, having the same schedule will allow us to easily revert back to remote learning.”

Bove said the district is planning to continue implementing advisory classes next year. The district does not yet know how advisory will fit into the schedule, nor how frequent the class will be.

As safety restrictions continue to ease, Bove said traditional high school activities will also continue next year with modifications.

“My guess is the outdoor capacity restrictions will get closer to 66% by next school year,” Bove said. “We may hold rallies outdoors because we have big stadiums.”

Although some students may be resistant to return to in-per-

son school, Giglio said an alternative schooling option will only be considered for students with legitimate health concerns.

“It is the law that you come to school,” Giglio said. “Students have to be able to do whatever the district is able to offer.”

Next year, the district will continue requiring staff to return to campus.

“We had conversations with staff members based on their needs that determined whether they would be back fully or try to work r e m o t e l y,” Bove said.

“Those conversations will happen again next year if there are teachers with certain needs and challenges.”

Although school may look different than it did before the coronavirus, the district is excited to move toward a more traditional format, director of communications Rachel Zlotziver said in a Zoom interview.

“Hearing from teachers, they're really excited to see students. That energy is good to see back on our campuses,” Zlotziver said. “The mental health benefits of seeing their friends again is important for students.”

Bove said the district’s ultimate goal for the upcoming school year is to bring students back to campus safely to become accustomed to in-person learning and have them ready to involve themselves in their school community.

“Sometimes people worry we're not eager to return, and that's not the case,” Bove said.

“It is the law that you come to school. Students have to be able to do whatever the district is able to offer.”

-- Greg Giglio

STUDENTS' LEVEL OF COMFORT ON RETURNING TO IN-PERSON SCHOOL y

b

“A lot of people were speakhaving infographics regarding ing up about how they were sexual harassment and Title IX survivors of sexual assault, and in every classroom.

I didn't know so many stuProject AAR has also been dents around me, including my meeting with Gross to discuss friends, were affected by sexual their ideas for a stronger sexual assault, sexual assault educaharassment tion, Title IX and rape,” reform and "I didn't know so many Hamano said. give suggesstudents around me, “When Nicole tions for imincluding my friends, were reached out provements to me, I was to the disaffected by sexual assault, invested in trict website, sexual harassment and making a safD’Souza said. rape." er community Project for everyone.”

AAR plans -- Satomi Hamano (10) In May, to increase Project AAR transparency began workregarding Tiing with the founders of the tle IX investigations by makMonta Vista Girls Empowering information regarding the ment Project, seniors Sachi investigation process more acRoy and Rachel Kim, to create cessible to students. educational resources. D’SouProject AAR intends to inza said they want to mandate crease education on sexual

Continued from page 1

ph ic

Continued from page 1

As participants of the HHS Economics club, sophomores Avery Chen, Harry Guan, Andria Xu and Jasmine Yuan finished fourth place at the state level of the California Council on Economic Education's National Economics Challenge on April 27.

The challenge evaluates participants on AP economics material including microeconomics, macroeconomics and current events. It consists of two individual testing rounds and two team rounds.

Economics club adviser Christy Heaton said she has advised teams competing in the

News

School reopening

E

rin

Not comfortable at all 8.8 % Uncomfortable 11.9 %

h Lo

Inf og ra

2

Very comfortable 32.2%

Based on a survey of 227 students

Comfortable 47.1%

RETURNING TO SCHOOL: The majority of students feel comfortable attending in-person school next year.

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PAGE DESIGN BY MACY LI AND RAYMOND RANBHISE

New, unjust bills restrict voting access

By Amber Birrell

All eyes are on Texas, the latest turnout, not much has changed Republican battleground state since the 2020 election. As a to introduce voter suppression result, there is no real need legislation after a presidential for these laws at all. Yet unforelection with the highest voter tunately, they do not stop here, turnout. but instead they become even Members of the Republican more ridiculous.

Party are suspicious the increase According to The New York in voters is due to voter fraud, Times, a long standing tradition The Washington Post reported. in Black communities across Unjust bills are being created in the U.S. is to vote after Sunday an attempt to solve a non-existent church services. However, the problem of voter fraud.

Georgia House of RepresentaFor instance, a bill in Texas tives proposed a bill to elimiwould prohibit election officials nate or limit voting on Sundays. from sending out absentee The proposed bill speballots or applications for cifically targets Black them before they are revoters and takes quested. Additionally, it away their voting would give partisan poll rights. watchers closer access to The lengths to voters, The New York which some Times reported. people are This delay going to in which voters suppress get their ballots people’s and applications voices is utwill prevent many terly absurd, people from placespecially ing their votes. in a country This is unacceptthat preachable and unneces freedom essary.

There of speech. If should be no free speech restrictions for was really how early election valued in the officials can send LET PEOPLE VOTE: U.S. U.S., lawmaklawmakers need to make out absentee balers would not voting more accessible. lots or applications be trying to sibecause it does not affect the in- lence people’s voices. tegrity of the election.

Voting is a way for people to For example, in Iowa a bill feel heard, take part in democthat significantly restricts voters racy and vote for future leaders was passed on March 8. If a voter that represent what they stand misses a federal election, they are for. It is empowering, but creatthen moved to an inactive status, ing obstacles for people to cast meaning they do not receive any their vote is an infringement on mail related to elections, such as our Constitutional right to vote.

Instead of focusing on how ballots, according to a report by to suppress votes, lawmakers Brennan Center for Justice.

U.S. citizens have the right to need to find ways to make votvote, however, members of the ing more accessible to people GOP are taking that right away across the country.

Forty states across the U.S. by implementing many obstacles that make it difficult for people offer online voter registration. to cast their vote. Similar to Tex- Why not make it 50?

Seventeen states have impleas, many other states are creating laws to make it harder for people mented automatic voter registration as a part of the DMV, the to vote.

As of March, policy makers Brennan Center for Justice rehave proposed 361 bills ultimate- ported. Expanding this to more ly making it harder to vote, in- states would save people the cluding stricter ID requirements, hassle of registering to vote and limited mail and absentee voting increase voter turnout.

We should know better than and limited early voting hours, which will increase lines on Elec- to try and suppress voters. Lawtion Day, according to a report by makers should be protecting our voting rights, not taking Brennan Center for Justice.

Besides an increase in voter them away.

3

Thursday, June 3, 2021

Caitlyn Jenner lacks qualifications Celebrities do not belong in politics

By Lia Klebanov When celebrities want to spice up their careers, politics is usually the direction they go.

This is not a new concept, according to The Guardian. Caitlyn Jenner is the newest celebrity to add to the list of those running for office.

Jenner, a transgender woman and activist known for her appearances on reality TV show “Keeping Up With The Kardashians,” announced her candidacy for California governor on April 23. However, with no prior political experience, according to Axios, she is completely unqualified.

Allowing celebrities who simply can not relate to the problems of everyday citizens is a disaster waiting to happen.

Political candidates should be able to understand the issues citizens go through in order to make laws that could help them.

Jenner announced her support of the barrier between the United States and neighboring countries to prevent immigration, according to The Hill. But, she will never understand the struggle of sacrificing every-

thing in order to have a better life like those trying to get over the wall.

What sets Jenner apart from her fellow nominees is the fact that she is a transgender woman, which should allow her to relate to others in the LGBTQ community with similar struggles. In the past, she has publicly supported trans athletes competing on sports teams that match their gender identity, according to NBC News. However, after announcing her participation in the upcoming election as a Republican candidate, this view changed.

She no longer supports transgender girls participating in sports because she believes it is not biologically fair and affects the confidence of other girls, according to NBC News.

Jenner’s lack of support can be detrimental to young transgender children who view her as a role model. They might feel that even other transgender people do not support them and their identity.

Jenner no longer supports a cause she can personally relate to, and switching her views with-

in a year is questionable, to say the least.

According to NBC, experts say she only changed her public stance to attract Republican voters, which is twisted on a whole other level. Young kids are looking to her as an example and it is her duty to provide support while staying true to herself and her values.

Celebrities should not treat politics in a carefree manner, and they must realize the actions they make in the current political environment can change people’s lives on a significant level, no matter who they are.

by R tion tra s u Ill

itaja Subra

hm an

ya

Opinion The GOP continues to silence voters

CELEBRITIES IN POLITICS:

Caitlyn Jenner’s lack of qualifications should be a big warning to keep celebrities out of office.

New legislation suppresses voices

Anti-riot legislation restricts freedom of expression

By Ritaja Subrahmanya After racial injustice protests rocked the nation last summer, over 90 bills targeting protests and protesters were introduced in 35 states, according to ABC News.

In Oklahoma and Iowa, Republicans passed bills granting immunity to drivers who injure protesters on public streets, according to The New York Times.

On April 19, Florida enacted legislation tightening punishments for engaging in riots and defined rioting as a demonstration with as few as three people, according to NBC News.

In addition, the bill increases penalties for taking down monuments such as Confederate statues, making it punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis called the bill “the strongest anti-looting, anti-rioting, pro-law-enforcement piece of

legislation in the country,” according to The New York Times.

It is astounding anyone could be proud of a blatantly unconstitutional bill.

Through the passing of this bill, the Republican Party suppressed the voices of countless Americans who deserve the right to speak up about the injustices occurring in our country.

Florida Senate President Wilton Simpson said the bill supports peaceful protests and emphasizes Florida’s zero tolerance for destructive mobs. Yet, Florida was hardly affected by riots last summer, according to The Washington Post.

In fact, the protests last summer were overwhelmingly peaceful, with 96% of protests involving no property damage or police injuries, according to The Washington Post. There is no reason to change the

already effective legislation in states like Florida and Iowa. It is evident the GOP is trying to silence those who do not share the same views.

Additionally, the new bills will make it easier for prosecutors to charge protesters, according to ABC News. This is unacceptable.

People gathering together peacefully should never be punished; It is their First Amendment right to speak out.

There is no need for new riot legislation. The legislation is entirely unnecessary and unconstitutional.

The Republican Party needs to respect everyone’s First Amendment right to assemble. It is ludicrous that anyone thinks these bills are valid pieces of legislation. They need to be overturned now.

SILENCING AMERICAN VOICES:

Illustration by Amber Birrell and Ritaja Subrahmanya

The GOP should not suppress those who oppose their views.

Infographic by Mae Richardson and Ritaja Subrahmanya

Top candidates in the California gubernatorial election CAITLYN JENNER I’m running to be governor for all Californians, to reclaim our true identity, to bring back the gold to the Golden State.

DOUG OSE We cannot allow [Gov. Gavin] Newsom’s private, political agenda of closing prisons to trump our need for public safety.

JOHN COX California doesn’t have to be prohibitively expensive. We can have water and we can cure homelessness.”

PAGE DESIGN BY JOSH CANTWELL-NAHRUNG AND BOBBY GORELICK

4

Opinion

Thursday, June 3, 2021

Indians abandoned during time of crisis Government inaction leads to deaths of millions

By Madhavi Karthik and Ritaja Subrahmanya

OFF THE RECORD

By Shreya Partha

In the past, I often found myself staying firmly neutral in times of conflict. Yet, I soon learned neutrality is far from the safe haven it is made out to be.

It all started with a seemingly innocent conversation with a peer about apoliticism, apathy toward any political affiliation. In hindsight, I should have known that political conversations can never stay innocent. However, once the ball got rolling, I couldn’t find it in myself to stop prodding.

Throughout the heated conversation, human rights issues like abortion, race and sexual orientation were brought up. My peer continued to insist that apoliticism would neither harm nor help laws being passed about human rights. That’s where I drew the line.

Human rights issues shouldn’t even be political. Topics like abortion and sexual orientation are no one’s business but their own, especially not politicians.

It is not just that the same people who control all other aspects of our lives, from education and jobs to retirement, have the ability to dictate who we can and can not be.

Secondly, because human rights issues should not be political in the first place, it is our duty to speak out so we may continue to have these rights.

During such a turbulent political climate, no one should sit back and watch because apathy in any political situation is harmful.

“It makes sense why people prefer neutrality: political issues usually aren’t black and white, and everyone has their own agenda to serve. It’s become clear human rights are seen as a political issue and when that happens, there’s no way to remain ‘apolitical,’” Medium reported.

Choosing silence encourages wrong-doings to continue. Apoliticism is simply another way of condoning misconduct seen as somewhat socially acceptable because it’s under the guise of neutrality.

Families scrambled to hospitals and clinics, desperately hoping to find an empty intensive care unit bed. Hospitals are running out of oxygen supplies, according to The New York Times. Grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins — all infected.

And yet, the Indian government is nowhere to be found, ignoring the cries of millions as they grieve the death of their people.

Despite warnings of a new coronavirus variant issued by scientists in March, Indian government officials continued to hold political rallies and did not condemn attending large religious festivals such as Kumbh Mela, according to Reuters.

It was entirely selfish of politicians, including Indian Prime Minister Nahrendra Modi, to hold rallies and encourage gatherings during this time of crisis. This spike in cases could have been prevented if the Indian government had listened to scientists and imposed social distancing restrictions earlier.

India’s alarming response to the second wave of the corona-

virus sprouted from systemic healthcare issues. According to The Guardian, the Indian government spends less than 1% of its gross domestic product on healthcare funding. And because the Indian government refuses to fund more money into the healthcare sector, millions of bodies are passing through hospitals, clinics and homes undercounted. This is absurd.

The Indian government had many years to prepare hospitals for possible outbreaks, yet did nothing. As a result, the Indian people are dying. All of this could have been prevented.

Illustra

tion by

Early in the pandemic, the Indian government also recognized potential issues regarding a lack of oxygen during the second wave of the virus, according to Quartz India.

Last year, funds were allocated toward implementing oxygen plants, to improve this situation. However, no concrete steps have been taken. Hundreds of thousands of deaths could have been prevented if the Indian government had prioritized the building of oxygen plants last year, Quartz India reported.

Recognizing the issue at hand is the first step. However, executing the plan is more important. The inaction of the Indian government has n o w left Ritaja S

ubrahm

anya

INDIA IS DYING: Officials should have acted earlier to save lives.

many Indians without the oxygen they need to live.

As cases rise, India’s vaccine distribution has not improved, with less than 10% of the population getting at least one dose, according to The New York Times. As the federal government opened up vaccinations for 960 million citizens, there is an insufficient vaccine supply, according to The New York Times.

Rather than prioritizing the needs of their citizens, India exported vaccines to other countries, according to BBC News.

While we applaud India’s diplomatic efforts, officials should have ensured there was an adequate amount of vaccines to inoculate their citizens first.

The Indian government has failed its people. It is not the job of citizens to find their own oxygen tanks. Multiple patients should not be confined to one hospital bed. The Indian government needs to take immediate action to provide support for their citizens before more lives are lost.

Ethnic studies will help Normalize asking for pronouns represent community

By Karuna Chandran and Mae Richardson The bill was on its way. In 2020, California was moments away from being the first state to have an ethnic studies class mandated for all high school students. Unfortunately, the bill was vetoed by Gov. Gavin Newsom due to what he deemed as an incomplete curriculum, according to Education Next.

Ethnic studies is the study of racial issues told through the perspective of marginalized groups, according to a study by Northern Arizona University.

While there may have been flaws in the first draft, this is the bold step California needs to take in 2021 to ensure high school curriculum reflects our diverse community.

California has an unusually diverse population. Today, of California’s 6.2 million K–12 students, 55% are Latino, 22% are white, 12% are Asian or Pacific Islander and 5.3% are African American, according

Illustration by Karuna Chandran

ETHNIC STUDIES NEEDED:

Minorities should have a voice in our school curriculum.

to Education Next. Given this diversity, it is a necessity to include and require ethnic studies in our district’s high school curriculum to ensure everyone feels represented.

Having ethnic studies incorporated into the curriculum could help bridge a large academic gap.

According to a Stanford study, freshmen of all races who previously struggled in school were exposed to an ethnic studies curriculum.

They showed significant improvement with an increase of around 1.4 points in GPA. It seems ethnic studies not only promotes inclusivity but also improves overall academic performance.

By making the entire curriculum centered around minorities, perspectives that are left out of history books will gain recognition.

Furthermore, ethnic studies is beneficial for everyone, not just the ethnic groups that would be discussed. For many students, these classes bring awareness to global experiences, encouraging them to think critically about the experiences of others.

If we want politicians such as Gov. Newsom to understand the demand for the course, county officials should push to implement the class on a smaller scale through our district to prove its significance to our community.

By Yukari E. Zapata

When the school year started, I was confused about why teachers had she/her or he/him next to their names on Zoom.

After my history teacher explained to us that it was there to make students feel comfortable, I started to educate myself Illustration by Macy Li on why asking for people’s proIMPORTANCE OF IDENTITY: nouns is so important.

Incorporating pronouns into life Personal pronouns have be- promotes acceptance. come a more integral part of our society, as seen in our everyday avoid misgendering their peers lives by how much we address or anyone they may follow while people. It is simple to look at making the usage of people’s someone and presume they are correct pronouns a norm. With a male or female, but misgen- the new feature, people are able dering someone can have nega- to add up to four pronouns and tive effects as it essentially takes are able to choose from a large away their identity, according variety spanning from he/him/ to Healthline. This harmful as- his, she/her/hers, they/them/ sumption excludes members of theirs to ze/zir, xe/xem/xyr and the LGBTQ community who more, according to Pride. are not cisgender.

It is crucial to respect peoGrowing up, I was only ex- ple for who they are and how posed to she/her and he/him they choose to identify, to make pronouns, but interacting with a safer and more accepting people who use they/them pro- community. Putting pronouns nouns is an important experi- in our social media bios or in ence I feel many people could email sign-offs is a great way take value in learning about. to normalize utilizing accurate As society progresses, the pronouns. normalization of pronouns is Additionally, when meeting seen in big companies like In- someone new, asking for their stagram. pronouns will make both par“Instagram has always been ties feel comfortable. Undera place where users can express standing pronouns takes accepand be themselves and with this tance and open-mindedness to latest feature, IG is excited to learning new things about those normalize pronoun usage while around us. promoting a more thoughtful We need to educate ourcommunity,” the company said selves and others in order to in a statement. make everyone feel comfortable This way, people are able to with themselves.

PAGE DESIGN BY CHRISTINE KIM AND ALYSSA ZIMMERMAN

Lifestyles

Dear Daisy...

How do I deal with feelings of academic inadequacy?

Living in the ultracompetitive Bay Area, we have all felt the looming feeling of inadequacy, especially when everyone else around you seems to be in four AP classes, in leadership positions in multiple clubs and participating in two sports simultaneously.

It can feel lonely and frustrating at times. But mostly, it is hard to shake the feeling you are not doing enough.

It is easy for me to say “don’t compare yourself to others,” but I know it is not that simple, especially in a time when social media allows us to see everybody’s lives.

But how do you cope with these feelings? Truthfully,

there is no straightforward answer. Instead of comparing my accomplishments to my peers, I found what helps me is taking a step back and acknowledging all that I have accomplished so far, instead of dwelling on missed opportunities.

I realize I need to stop putting pressure on myself for things I should be doing, so I can focus more on all I have accomplished.

In the long run, this is much more productive than only recognizing your faults.

Another strategy that helps me is remembering that at the end of the day, we are all on our own paths and only you know what is best for you.

This is important to remem-

ber because what is “enough” for one person may be too much for another.

Especially during an unprecedented year due to the pandemic, you must remember that many of the opportunities you might have had before were not offered this year.

Additionally, it is impossible to expect yourself to handle a normal workload during this mentally strenuous year.

Without comparing yourself to others, if you feel you are currently in a place where you are succeeding academically and on the right track academically, then you are exactly where you need to be.

At the end of the day, you

should be proud of how far you have come and remember that the amount of extracurricular activities and AP classes you take do not define your worth.

Love, Daisy Need advice? Scan the QR code to ask Daisy a question!

Student gardeners share passion for plants

By Erin Loh and Ritaja Subrahmanya grown produce tastes better than supermarket produce. Her family is currently growing tomatoes, summer squash, eggplant and cucumbers.

“Outdoor gardening is a great way to get some fresh air and be more active,” Hinds said. “It’s more productive than sitting in your room, and you get to see the product of your hard work.”

As a gardener, Hinds said she is feeling increasingly worried about climate change. The rising temperatures will make it harder to grow plants in the future, according to the National Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environment. Hinds said she has already experienced heat waves that killed many of her plants last year.

“Gardening as a hobby is environmentally conscious,” Photo courtesy of Lela Hanson Hinds said. “If you grow your own produce it doesn’t have to be shipped around, so it reduces your carbon footprint.”

Growing plants is also a great way to help support the local environment, junior FARM FRESH FOOD: Hanson said her homeBremauntz said grown produce is the best quality, as it does not in a Zoom interuse pesticides.

Photo courtesy of Lela Hanson

view. Bremauntz is part of Grassroots Ecology, a habitat restoration organization in Silicon Valley.

“Part of the Scan for some Pinterest-perfect, picnic-worrestoration work thy treats to enjoy this summer. involves getting rid of invasive plants and replacing them with native to help her local community, speplants to improve the biodiver- cifically those attending Montsity of the community’s ecosys- claire Elementary School. tem,” Bremauntz said.

“My family and I realized that In addition to her restoration the garden boxes in the back work, Bremauntz is also inter- were completely overgrown,” ested in succulent gardening Hanson said in a Zoom interview. and said each plant has its own “So, every weekend we started unique needs and methods of pulling up the weeds.” care.

Hanson said her family be“It’s like having children,” came interested in gardening as Bremauntz said. “You figure out a quarantine project after finding how they work, and then you get themselves with more free time. to see them grow, which is re- Her garden includes lettuce, carwarding because then you know rots, a persimmon tree and chickthey’re happy.” ens that lay fresh eggs, Hanson Most importantly, Bremauntz said. said gardening taught her a lot By separating her plants into about patience. She said it takes sun and shade gardens based on time and experimentation to un- their sunlight needs, Hanson said derstand how to properly care for she learned a lot by observing a plant. how plants use the sun.

“Be gentle with yourself,” “As the sun moves across the Bremauntz said. “Part of figuring sky, you’re going to need different out how to take care of plants is plants to take advantage of those making mistakes, but the results different situations,” Hanson are always better than your fail- said. “That can also be applied ures.” to a lot of situations beyond just Like Bremauntz, sophomore gardening, as this whole year has Hanson uses her love for plants been one of adaptation.”

Summer treat recipes

Photo courtesy of Marcela Bremauntz

5

THE DAY DREAMER

By Karuna Chandran

Gardening: redefining a lost art Before social media, TV and the internet entered our lives, people found joy in exploring nature and participating in outdoor activities, like gardening.

Now, even with technology vying for our attention, students Clara Hinds, Lela Hanson and Marcela Bremauntz still enjoy the age-old hobby of gardening.

Sophomore Hinds said she has been helping her parents take care of their vegetable garden since a young age. However, her true interest for gardening emerged recently.

“It’s nice watching things grow,” Hinds said in a Zoom interview. “Every time a new leaf pops up, you get a little hit of dopamine.”

Hinds said it is nice to have fresh vegetables because home-

Illustration by Ritaja Subrahmanya

Thursday, June 3, 2021

We all say things we regret. I had never felt this more than the first day of fourth grade. I was new to the school and excited for the opportunity to make lifelong friendships. I was buzzing with the excitement of a hyperactive 9-year-old.

As we walked into class on that bright morning, I made up my mind: I was going to make a friend that day. I turned to the girl who was in line in front of me and thought very hard about what I wanted to say.

I decided to start with what we had in common, so I said, “I cannot believe we are all finally in fourth grade!”

In hindsight, perhaps one should not start their first conversation acting as if they have known a person for years, when in reality they have interacted with them for mere seconds.

The girl gave me an awkward nod and decided to direct her attention elsewhere. On that day, and many incidents after, I often felt a sense of shame and embarrassment at comments I made in the past.

I wondered if I tried to think before I spoke, perhaps, I could avoid the embarrassing scenarios I managed to get myself into. Was there some secret to being able to come up with clever things to say off the top of my head?

But eventually, it occurred to me that I still make awkward comments and even when I learn one lesson, another inevitably comes up.

I decided that instead of berating myself for not being the most socially inclined person, I should own it.

I realized no matter how hard I tried, I could not possibly win everyone over and be a model human being. But being myself? That was something I could do quite well.

And if you are wondering what happened with the girl who stood in front of me in line on that fateful morning of fourth grade, she is one of my best friends today.

Photo courtesy of Clara Hinds

RELAXATION THROUGH GARDENING: Hanson and Hinds said gardening helps with destressing and provides them with a place to relax.

PAGE DESIGN BY NITYA KASHYAP AND SAANVI THAKUR

6

Arts & Culture

Thursday, June 3, 2021

Epitaph Summer Picks

By Seoyoung Hwang and Ariana Tejeda Moreno

TV Show: ‘The Haunting of Hill House’

Book: ‘Eliza and Her Monsters’

This thrilling Netflix show constantly flashes from the past to the present and through this, we learn about one family’s traumatic experience in a haunted mansion. While the show is not terrifying, it does a great job of keeping moments intense. Creepy ghosts leave you with an uneasy feeling, and I could not keep my eyes off the screen while watching. I felt a whirlwind of emotions from heartache to happiness.

Get your summer reading started with “Eliza and Her Monsters,” a young adult novel by Francesca Zappia.

The book follows Eliza, an author of a famous web comic and outcast at her school. Eliza meets a student who is the biggest fan of her comic, and she tries her best to hide her secret from him. I suggest keeping a box of tissues next to you while reading this book because by the end, you will become invested in the characters’ lives and their emotional well-being.

Find this book at your local library or nearby Barnes and Noble.

Find this TV show on your Netflix account.

Music: ‘Not Alone’ The recent Japanese release, “Not Alone,” by K-pop boy group Seventeen, sends an important message to its listeners: even when going through a hard time, it’s important to remember you are not alone and there are people who love you. Every time I listen to the song and watch the music video, I feel special and loved, especially during the pandemic when I cannot be with my friends and relatives.

Anyone who listens to this song is bound to feel comforted by the group’s voices, lyrics and jaw-dropping choreography.

Movie: ‘The Little Mermaid’

Find this song on Seventeen Japan Official on YouTube.

Podcast: ‘The Science of Happiness’

Even high schoolers are not too old to watch princess movies. This summer, go watch one of Disney’s classic animations, “The Little Mermaid,” to get in the summer mood.

The film follows Ariel, the mermaid, as she goes through obstacles to be with her love, Prince Eric. Although the movie has been popular for many years, every time I watch it I feel a different emotion. I can relate it to different aspects of my life and learn a new lesson each time.

Find this movie on your Disney+ account.

Unlike the typical “stay positive” advice often featured on podcasts, “The science of happiness” includes psychological research behind happiness and successfully explains difficult concepts in a simple way. After listening to the podcast, I tried multiple methods that were researched and discussed. Since I began practicing these methods it has helped me experience more gratitude and gain an overall better attitude. I also was able to understand the science behind what makes these methods work.

Find this podcast on your Spotify account.

Illustrations by Seoyoung Hwang

Blame their followers, not the Hype House

By Naomi Baron Throughout the history of so- tive intention, raises their status. cial media platforms, one comI do not blame the Hype mon trend I have noticed is there House for accepting Netflix’s ofalways seems to be a group on the fer. It would not be the wisest top of the food chain — one that choice to refuse the show when overshadows the other content they are looking to expand their creators, racking up more mon- brand, which is why the hate the ey and a larger following. A few Hype House is receiving is unyears ago it was the Vlog Squad, warranted, to a certain degree. then Team 10 and now it is the I am disappointed the offer was Hype House. made in the first place, but the The Hype House is a group of blame should be directed toward TikTok creators who live in the their haters who give them a platsame house and produce content form. together to increase their followI believe the show will be just ing. as boring and unentertaining as While Hype House members the group itself. Who cares about have a huge cumulative follow- these people who do a 15 second ing, they are met with extreme dance? amounts of hate. When the Hype While I do not plan on watchHouse announced they were get- ing the show, I know that others, ting a reality TV show on Netflix, the same people who gave the the public had an extremely neg- Hype House their opportunity ative response, sending tons of and platform, will. So, before crehate comments to both the Hype ating a petition to get the show House and Netflix. Currently, dropped, I suggest people help there is an ongoing viral petition, take away their platforms by unwith over 21,000 signatures, to get following them or stop sending Netflix to stop the show. hate toward the creators.

Is the hate warranted?

Yes and no. Do not get me Photo courtesy of The Verge-wrong, the Hype House does not deserve to get a show at all. However, the only people to blame for them getting a show in the first place are those who follow the Hype House creators and give them the platform to do this show.

I blame all the teenagers who follow the Hype House accounts solely to make fun of them. Simply giving them a larger fol- HYPE HOUSE SHOW: The new lowing, despite any nega- Netflix show sparks hate.

Drawing parallels of love and hate ‘Pose’ serves awareness for days

By Saanvi Thakur Underground ball culture has always been a haven for the LGBTQ community, especially for people of color. Drag ball culture provides a safe space for queer identities and has contributed significantly to the LGBTQ community I am part of today.

“Pose,” a TV show featuring one of the most diverse casts I have ever seen, explores the world of the underground ballroom scene during the AIDS epidemic in the late 1980s through the eyes of Blanca (Mj Rodriguez) and her journey of becoming a house mother. The show not only exposes the discrimination transgender people face, but each episode also gives viewers a breathtaking look into LGBTQ culture and an escape into the world of underground ballroom.

The escape the show provides is especially relevant now, as American politicians have passed a new wave of anti-trans legislation that attacks the transgender community yet again. These legislative setbacks for the LGBTQ community are not anything new, as transgender people have continuously been discriminated against.

However, “Pose” plays an essential role in educating people on the ongoing struggle the transgender community has faced and continues to face daily.

Similarly, I found that Blanca faces many obstacles for the mere reason of being transgender and not passing. Her powerful character is symbolic of the constant struggles the transgen-

der community continues to face in America, making the show more than just another drama series.

Feelings of frustration are also prominent in “Pose” through the devastating effects of AIDS, a disease that killed hundreds silently while the government barely acknowledged its impact on the LGBTQ community. The show follows different characters’ journeys with grief and anger that come with losing a loved Photo courtesy of FX Networks one, while also bringing attenICONIC QUEER PORTRAYAL: tion to the lack of government LGBTQ representation is essenaction to address the epidemic. tial for effective advocacy.

As I was watching “Pose,” I was able to learn a lot about However, the progress made LGBTQ history and felt like by shows like “Pose” shouldn’t the show itself was almost like end at spreading awareness a documentary capturing the about society’s shortcomings in struggles of being LGBTQ in response to issues within the America. “Pose” documents the LGBTQ community. As Pride progress LGBTQ activists have month approaches, shows like made, progress that allows for “Pose” play an essential role people to be open about sexual- in amplifying queer voices but ity without being penalized, fur- should also be used as a startther adding to the power behind ing point to create change. Anthis show. ti-LGBTQ legislation is just the “Pose” also does a great job beginning of the discrimination highlighting the inequalities that LGBTQ people face, which during the 1980s while also is why work to ensure equality pointing out these same trends for all starts now. of hate in the present. As I drew many parallels between the show and the present, it has become obvious that the LGBTQ community will always face a level of discrimination, but this show takes the first step towards equality.

PAGE DESIGN BY LIA KLEBANOV AND XOCHITL NEELY

‘Pose’

Genre: LGBTQ/Drama

Release date: May 2, 2021

Sports

ATHLETE SHOWCASE A LOOK INTO TRACK AND FIELD

Meet Allison Park and Ningning O’Brien

By Karuna Chandran and Madhavi Karthik Ningning O’Brien (10)

me moving around and ready for competitions.”

Reflecting on her time with the throwing team, O’Brien said the most rewarding aspect was the friendships she formed with her team members.

“Being in that environment with my teammates and being able to laugh while sharing experiences [is great],” O’Brien said.

“That’s why track is a really good sport, because we all have such a great connection.”

Photo courtesy of Allison Park

Now on the track and field team, sophomore Ningning O’Brien kicked off her passion as a thrower for shot put and discus in sixth grade.

O’Brien said she missed the experience of throwing on the team. She is grateful to have a season amidst hybrid learning so she could stay fit. “[Track] has made me look forward to something besides sitting at my desk,” O’Brien said. “It gets

Photo courtesy of Ningning O’Brien

TWO T&F PLAYERS: Ningning O’Brien (left) and Allison Park both

participate in track and field as throwers, with Park doing other events, such as hurdles.

BY THE NUMBERS All records as of May 23

Varsity Boys Baseball

“To sweep Santa Clara and Cupertino early on with our top two pitchers injured was huge because we needed those wins to secure our spot in the upper division and it proved we could compete.”

– Simon Kirschenbaum (11)

“We had three or more games per week so the season felt rushed. However, tennis was a bit different than other HHS sports since we had the opportunity to compete in CCS.”

Varsity Girls Softball

“Each girl on the team put out a lot of effort throughout the entire year, which ultimately lead to our success.”

– Kaylee Ramirez (12)

– Ayush Maurya (12)

0-4 Track and Field Final score from May 15 Meet

Photo by Miya Liu

New faces in HHS athletics Scan the QR code to learn more about freshmen playing their first HHS sports.

6-7 6-5 Varsity Boys Tennis

Junior Allison Park is used to juggling activities, having to manage her time well to make sure she is able to practice for all four of her events: 100 meter and 300 meter hurdles, shot put and discus.

“One thing I found surprising would be how much more of an environment it is than I was expecting,” Park said. “Yes, you’re competing against [your fellow team members], but they’re also there to cheer you on and support you.”

This year has been an adjustment period as she worked to get back into her usual rhythm after quarantine, Park said. The junior said she believes the sport is what each individual puts into it.

“Our coach emphasizes [that] if you skip the warm ups, maybe he’s not gonna know,” Park said.

“But at the end of the day, you’re the one who is competing and that’s gonna hurt.”

Photo courtesy of Edmond Kwong

6-9

Allison Park (11)

“In my four years of track, I’ve never seen this kind of focus from the team. I think the shortened season has motivated us to make it count.”

– Dana Johnson (12)

Thursday, June 3, 2021

7

FreshmAn Athletes REFlect Playing sports provides community for athletes

By Hope Saena and Ariana Tejeda Moreno Despite this year’s freshmen having little to no in-person school experience, playing sports has brought some freshmen a sense of what being on campus is like.

Khalil Neely, JV basketball shooting guard, said he feels he entered a more ambitious environment.

“In middle school, a lot of kids played for fun but at Homestead, I feel like we get taught [basketball skills] more often,” Neely said.

Getting to play alongside his fellow teammates makes him feel more a part of the HHS community, Neely said “In middle school, I [connected with my teammates], and that’s what I’m doing here as a freshman — building a bond with other freshmen, sophomores and even kids on varsity,” Neely said.

As the only freshman participating in shot put and discus, Alan Ma shares similar sentiments to Neely and said joining the Track and Field team exceeded his expectations.

“I didn’t expect to have done so much within the short season we have had but we’ve done quite a lot,” Ma said.

“Though I couldn’t go inside the gym and lift weights, I’ve learned a lot about technique.”

Despite shot put and discus being more of an isolated

sport since players are alone in the ring, Ma said he is ready to get with his team through weight training once school returns to in-person.

Nathan Enders, a freshman playing on both the JV and varsity baseball team, said being able to play baseball this year has been a blessing.

“The first day I came out to practice, I noticed everybody on the team was already really good,” Enders said. “Everybody here just wants to win games and that is important to me.”

Enders said he has high hopes for baseball next year and wants to participate in higher levels of competition.

“I think it will be a lot more competitive next year, and I’m excited for what’s to come,” Enders said.

Photo by of Hope Saena

ON THE BALL: With a short-

ened season, Enders said he takes every opportunity at practice to improve his skills.

BATTERS UP Meet Shaan Dias

By Karuna Chandran and Madhavi Karthik Currently a senior, varsity baseball co-captain Shaan Dias is no stranger to the sport, racking over six years in playing time.

“Little League is the ideal time to play baseball when you’re young,” Dias said. “It is a lot more fun and there is a lot of energy that everyone brings to the sport.

That might have been the peak.”

Now during his final year of playing baseball in high school, Dias said this shortened season was more fast-paced compared to previous years.

However, baseball as a sport, Dias said, is played at a much slower pace than other sports such as basketball or soccer. He said it involves more specifics that need to be considered.

Therefore, developing a “baseball IQ” requires lots of prior experience, the senior said.

“Playing for a long time and watching games allows you to see all the intricacies of what specific players or teams do really well and what doesn’t work,”

Dias said. “Being in the sport for “In my opinion, there is more to a long time helps to pick up on think about in baseball [than with those details.” other sports such as basketball or When starting baseball, Dias soccer]. It is those small details said he was initially surprised by that add up and help you win or the variety of skills players need- lose.” ed to be prepared for the high demand baseball requires.

Photo courtesy of Edmond Kwong “There’s always ways to improve on your hitting and there’s a million different drills you can do to work on that, but that’s only a small part of the game,” Dias said. “There’s also fielding drills or as a catcher different receiving drills and just generally being in shape.”

As a catcher, Dias said it is his job to be the eyes of the field and communicate with the team so everyone is up to speed.

“I’m looking at the other team and seeing where we are in the lineup, and the previous RELIVING CHILDHOOD EXPEat bats [the players who have RIENCES: Shaan Dias has been already batted]. They’ve had to playing baseball since elementry to plan how we’re going to tary school and said he has fond pitch to each batter,” Dias said. memories of his Little League.

PAGE DESIGN BY KARUNA CHANDRAN AND MADHAVI KARTHIK

Illustration by

Spotlight

Thursday, June 3, 2021 Zoe Li

IllustrationbyMo Chuang

8

Through the influence of music, students have been able to improve their lifestyles

Carter follows passion of music creation Sophomore Mason Carter produces music to bring joy to others

By Mae Richardson and Jack Xu When sophomore Mason Carter began pursuing music in eighth grade, he had no idea it would become a burning passion for him. Carter said in a Zoom interview his motivation to start producing music was from Canadian musician Andrew Huang, who he has looked up to for a long time.

“I played an instrument in fourth grade. That was really my first taste of music and then I stopped because of sports for a long time,” Carter said.

Though he did not start producing music until eighth

grade, Carter said he was first introduced to it two years prior.

“I saw Huang make a video about the software he uses, and I was really intrigued,” Carter said. “I could produce my own music using software and combine any sounds I wanted.”

In addition, Carter said the end result and witnessing people enjoy his music makes all the long hours and costs of producing worth it.

“Since my genre is chill and jazz, I want my listeners to feel relaxed,” Carter said. “It’s feelgood background music that

to producing more dark, cinematic-sounding music,” Carter said.

Even though Carter faces criticism from people regarding his music, he still tries to remain positive and focus on his passion to produce music to bring people joy.

“The biggest challenge I have faced is believing I have something special and posting it, even if others will give me criticism,” Carter said. “You just have to keep working at it and make sure it’s the best it can be.”

people can use in their YouTube videos.”

When producing his music, Carter said he looks at Virtual Studio Technology plugins to gain inspiration on what to produce next. He said VST plugins can be used to apply different sounds and effects to the music.

For his next piece, Carter said he wants to tackle a different genre than the light style that he has produced in the past.

“I want to stray away from producing chill music and shift

Photo courtesy of Mason Carter

CREATING WITH INSPIRATION:

Carter uses VST plugins with piano keyboards to produce music.

Scan the QR code to listen to Carter’s project “Pain” on Spotify

Song lyrics that have impacted the HHS community

“We ain’t picture perfect but we worth the picture still.”

– Crooked Smile by J. Cole

Based on a survey of 203 students

“Take a look inside of your heart without a cover, it’s okay to be yourself.”

“I just might have a problem that you’ll understand.

– Holo by Lee Hi

We all need somebody to lean on.”

– Lean on Me by Bill Withers

Illustration by Zoe Li

How has music impacted your life?

Lydia Huang (12) “Music has a big impact on my life. I’m in the marching band, and we have a lot of fun. The energy is good so it’s always a blast playing music with the band. We play fun songs like ‘September,’ ‘Word Up’ and ‘Gabriel’s Oboe.’ I like playing music with the marching band, because it’s super cool hearing so many different instruments come together in one song.”

What is Homestead listening to?

What is your favorite genre of music?

HHS FAN FAVORITES: This graph

showcases that the majority of students listen top pop, while the second favorite is other genres.

R&B 8.4%

Hip-Hop 5.9%

Pop 37.9%

Rock 10.3%

Photo courtesy of Lydia Huang

Other 35%

Jack Guidi (12)

Photo courtesy of Jack Guidi

Country 2.5%

“I would certainly say music has positively impacted my life and given me great motivation. I have been playing a musical instrument since third grade, and have been an avid member of Homestead’s amazing music program for all four years of my high school career. Music can funnel my emotions through songs that reflect my current mood, or it can shape my emotions.”

Based on a survey of 203 students

What decade has the best music?

‘60s 2%

Other 13.3%

‘70s 8.4%

Grace McGoran (9)

‘80s 12.3%

“Music has improved my lifestyle because not only does it motivate me to try harder, it also provides bonding experiences with my friends and family. It’s so awesome when you play a particular song or artist and someone else is like, ‘Whoa! I love this song too.’ It definitely sparks a whole new conversation.”

2000s 53.2%

MUSIC THROUGH DECADES:The

majority of students prefer music from the 2000s, the decade they were born in.

‘90s 10.8% Photo courtesy of Grace McGoran

Based on a survey of 203 students

PAGE DESIGN BY HOPE SAENA AND JACK XU

Home Sweet Homestead Unlike any other class before us, the class of 2021 has had to spend its final, and arguably most eventful, year apart. With the pandemic, we were given the challenge of recreating our school communities from home, whether it be friendships, clubs or athletics. This special senior issue celebrates the class of 2021, shining a light on our unique experiences over the past four years.

PAGE DESIGN BY ELAINE HUANG

2

Senior Spotlight

Thursday, June 3, 2021

Somehow, we did it. We made it to the finish line after four years of constant trials and tribulation. Each one of us will leave a far different person than we came in. Take a moment and step back, look at everything you have accomplished in the last four years.

It’s okay to get nostalgic. Surround yourself with pictures and memories of your favorite moments throughout the years. Sure we never get a proper prom or homecoming, but no other class can boast of spending their entire senior year in pajamas.

We were put in a situation that no other class has had to face, and we adapted.

And through the past year and a half, we didn’t falter once.

We took the pandemic head on: shopping for senior citizens, creating makeshift masks and tutoring elementary and middle school kids who were falling behind because of the online circumstances. We advocated for ourselves, whether it was about national or local issues. The strength of this class is our ability to adapt.

In a time of need, friends banded together to support one another in dealing with WiFi and power outages. Twice in our high school career we were forced to deal with fires raging around us, anxiously waiting to return to normal once the smoke cleared. And yet, our normal was everchanging, through different schedules, platforms and teachers.

We got our first experience of life earlier than most, and we are stronger for that. We learned no matter what, the ability to adapt is key in not just surviving, but thriving. Because we thrived during the pandemic.

As you go off into the world, remember that when facing change and adversity, you are most powerful.

To: The Senior Class From: The Epitaph Staff

Photo courtesy of Kaitlyn Chow

Photo courtesy of Jackie Khuong

Photo courtesy of Sahil Venkatesan Photo courtesy of Allen Zhang

Photo courtesy of Claire Chen

The business of baking

Caravan helps

Senior turns passion into business

Senior uses CS, business skills

By Allen Zhang

By Allen Zhang

If you ever stumble across the Instagram page @adelis_patisserie, you will see an assortment of gorgeous baked goods, ranging from carefully constructed hazelnut and almond tiramisu entremets to beautifully arranged pineapple, apple and rum deconstructed tarts. No, the account does not belong to a professional pastry chef, but rather Homestead’s very own Adele Basturk.

Basturk, a senior, has been baking for as long as she can remember.

“As a kid, I watched a lot of Food Network; that was my go-to entertainment,” Basturk said in a Zoom interview. “From that, I was most into the baking.

I would [also] be watching ‘The Great British Baking Show’ or ‘Cupcake Wars’, and then I would try to imitate [them].”

Basturk’s bakes began getting more

Come autumn, senior Raj Ragunext couple months, but we still need lan plans to continue working with to find investors and a bigger team to Caravan, a startup he helped comake it a full-on launch,” he said. found, instead of attending college Because of this, Ragulan chose to like many of his peers. take a gap year to continue to help “In the most basic sense, [Carathe company grow in his position van] is a company that is trying to do as the chief technical officer, which good for local businesses,” Ragulan means he helps develop and manage said in a Zoom interview. “Our whole the platform that hosts the sales. tagline is, ‘Caravan brings the prodAlthough they are just getting ucts to you.’” started, Ragulan said he has learned After noticing that people starta lot already from working at Caraed ignoring local businesses in favor van. of ordering products online from “The biggest thing is you need to multi-million corporations like Amaremember what you’re fighting for in zon during the pandemic, the founda lot of cases,” he said. “Even though ers of Caravan wanted to find a way it’s slowly painful and maybe it’s a to help local businesses compete hard task to do, it’ll be worth it in with them, Ragulan said. the end. It’s okay to fail, but you can’t The struggle of local busigive up. You have to learn nesses hit home for Ragulan, from your mistakes and get who said his friend’s family back up.” struggled with during the pandemic.

“One of my friends [from] Danville was struggling a lot [because] his family business was doing really badly, and nobody was coming in to help them,” he said.

Caravan helps by serving as a platform for local businesses to display their products and even helps them with shipping and delivery.

“The great thing about Caravan is your sale goes directly to [local businesses] through our platform. We don’t take a dime of your money; your money goes straight to the local business,” Ragulan said.

After being started in the spring of 2020, Caravan has helped facilitate over 4000 sales from about 25 local businesses during its prePhoto courtesy of Raj Ragulan launch phase, Ragulan said.

ASSISTING LOCAL BUSINESSES: Caravan “Launch is coming up in the aims to help local businesses sell products.

complicated, starting off from the basics like cookies and cakes then moving on to harder techniques, she said.

“I would always bake, [but] the failures never deterred me from trying again,” Basturk said. “Maybe like 10% of the things I would make when I Photo courtesy of Adele Basturk was a kid were good.

There were some realway she likes it, she said. ly bad ones, but I kind of Basturk said she found just kept going with this a market selling the surdesire to create a desirable plus bakes, so about once product.” a week, she bakes a brandAfter submitting her new creation and sells the college applications, Basextras. turk said she suddenly While managing her found herself with a lot own business, Basturk of free time and turned to said she has learned many baking again. That’s when things that she wouldn’t she started experimenting have learned by baking with her most complicatalone. ed bakes yet, chock-full “Advertising and marof intricate layers and keting are personally outmouth-watering fillings. side my comfort zone be“The second I finished cause I tend not to bother my college apps, my brain people, but I definitely exploded in a say use it as a useful skill sense,” Basturk in business,” she said. “I said. “[Baking] was [also] learned how to effecthe one avenue tively present a product, where I felt like because I’ve noticed that a I could express good photo will often lead myself and be to better sales.” creative, and so I Basturk said she plans went crazy.” to continue selling her Basturk debaked creations over the scribes her cursummer. “I’ve had a great rent baking as time with this; I don’t re“over the top” and Photo courtesy of Adele Basturk member the last time I had ORANGE MACARON DELIGHT: having “as many this much fun with anySenior Adele Basturk makes unique components as thing,” she said. baked creations. possible.” That’s the

PAGE DESIGN BY EVELYN SOLIS

Senior Spotlight

A lifetime of racing Senior Drew Fenton speeds into the future

By Allen Zhang

Life goal achieved

3

Senior Jess Matkovich recruited by CSUN

By Allen Zhang

For a majority of students, running may be considered an unpleasant activity we have been forced to do in PE and therefore not a popular activity, senior Drew Fenton said. However, for him, it is so much more.

“I’ve done it for so long that it stopped becoming something that I do, and it’s become part of who I am, and I think it’s not really a hobby anymore; it’s something I couldn’t live without,” Fenton said in a Zoom interview. “I can’t imagine not running.”

Like many of us, Fenton said he was first introduced to the sport of running during PE in elementary school.

“I’ve always been a good runner, ever since elementary school,” he said.

“When we do PE in general, they’ll be like ‘okay go run a mile,’ and I’d always do pretty well.”

In third grade, one of Fenton’s neighbors, Gary Chan, invited him to go running with his son. Fenton accepted, and together, they began going on longer runs.

“Without him, I may have never gotten into running in the first place,” Fenton said.

The next year, Fenton started training with Coach Kenrick Sealy, who coaches cross country 2013 TO 2021: Fenand track and ton’s personal record field at HHS. for the mile is 4:23.

2013

Thursday, June 3, 2021

“[That’s] when I got competitive,” Fenton said. “The only competition at that age group is the Junior Olympics, so [Sealy] entered me in a race and I won it. I was like, ‘whoa, I’m actually kind of good.’”

He continued to participate in races and qualified for Nationals later that year.

“That was a really cool experience, to go to a national [event] and see all the kids from all around the country and compete against them,” Fenton said.

In high school, Fenton joined both the cross country and track teams. Since then, Fenton has continued to push himself to new levels to achieve longer distances and record speeds.

“I’m really proud of how I persevered throughout the years, through injury and through hard practices to get where I am today,” Fenton said.

Fenton has committed to Boston University, where he will continue his running journey as part of the cross country and track and field teams.

“I started to meet the guys.

They’re really cool, and it seems like it’s a really good community, so I’m really excited,” Fenton said.

2021

After more than five years of hard work, senior Jessica Matkovich has made her dream of playing collegiate water polo a reality by getting recruited to play at California State University, Northridge, a Division I school.

“It is the highest level that I could play at without playing in the Olympics,” Matkovich said in a Zoom interview. “For me, that’s a big deal. I worked so hard and I ac2017 TO 2019: Matkovich’s ultimate goal tually got somewhere with it.” was to play water polo at the collegiate level.

Matkovich said she originally picked up the sport in fourth grade, be more understanding of other people’s but because she was also involved in other situations. sports at the time, she later stopped. How“Other people are here for different ever, in seventh grade, Matkovich joined reasons, and I have to support them,” she the West Valley Water Polo club and start- said. ed playing with the team, she said.

Reflecting on her journey, Matkovich “Ever since then, I [have become] ad- said she is extremely proud of how far she dicted [to water polo.] I was like, ‘this is so has come. much fun; I want to keep doing this,’” she “It’s something I can look back on as said. an accomplishment that I did well in,” she When she entered high school, she im- said. “I did well enough to get to a major mediately joined the junior varsity team. goal that I had set for myself since I first During her freshman year, she was even started. It’s a major achievement, and it invited to play in some of the varsity games. was an incredible mountain to climb in However, she quickly realized that play- terms of my personal character growth, ing on a school team was much different more than anything else.” than playing on a club team.

“One thing that I learned personally is how to interact with people who aren’t as serious as I am [at water polo,] because I’m so passionate and competitive, and I get frustrated when people aren’t taking it as seriously,” Matkovich said.

She said she had to learn how to “go with the flow” and

2017

2019

‘Almost sisters’

By Evelyn Solis Seniors Alisa Dawson and Erin Kelly said in a Zoom interview they have been through thick and thin since becoming childhood friends in preschool.

“Our relationship has been kind of rocky at some points,” Kelly said.

“But through that all, [when] we’d be super sad and we really needed just a

friend … we were always there for each other, and we are able to depend on each other.”

Although Dawson and Kelly attended different elementary schools, they were able to reconnect in middle school. “[Being separated] didn’t matter because when we came back to each other, it was like everything was normal. No matter what, everything is normal when we are together,” Dawson said in a Zoom interview.

Kelly said building a friendship that lasts almost as long as

one’s entire life, your friends become like family.

“It feels like time hasn’t passed, and we’ve been through so much … that it just feels like we’re almost sisters at this point,” Kelly said.

The saying ‘opposites attract’ is apparent in Dawson and Kelly’s friendship. Kelly said their relationship is very compatible because they have different personalities and deal with different personal struggles. However, that allows them to be honest with each other and grow, she

said.

“We give each other advice when we need it,” Kelly said. “The things HANGOUT DURING COVID: Best friends that we don’t re- Erin Kelly (left) and Alisa Dawson spend time ally want to hear, with each other during the pandemic. they’ll say. [I am] able to open up my mind when group, Dawson said.

I’m going through something, “Through my friendships in and she tells it to me straight, the beginning of high school I and I can reflect on who I am switched from group to group. and the things that I need to be Those groups made me learn better at.” more about myself … [made me Having patience is key when realize] who’s really there for me finding your perfect friend and who’s not,” Dawson said.

A decade of friendship

By Evelyn Solis Amy Bhatta said meeting Namuna Khadka was an unexpected event. Being close family friends, Bhatta and her family were waiting for Khadka to arrive from Nepal when they were 8. “[My friends and I] forgot that she was coming that day, so when we heard that she was there, we walked into my uncle’s kitchen …

She had the shortest haircut, and she [looked] completely different from what she looks like right now, and she was eating so much food,” Bhatta said in a Zoom interview.

After Bhatta and Khadka met, they became inseparable.

“I literally know everything there is to know about her, like her strengths and weaknesses, [we] just [know] everything about each other,” Bhatta said.

Khadka said her friendship with Bhatta reached a new level in high school.

“I grew stronger with her during sophomore year of high school because I actually started to talk about my own feelings and what I

wanted to do,” she said.

Khadka said Bhatta’s ability to disregard what other people think and her boldness influenced her to speak out for herself.

Bhatta said high school is a time when you grow up and mature while experiencing these changes with friends.

“I think it’s really hard to know who are your real friends and [who are not,]” Bhatta said.

“Quarantine really showed you [who is] going to be there and who isn’t. It’s a matter of time to figure out who your real friends are.”

One of the biggest pieces of advice for friendship, Khadka BEACH-Y BEST FRIENDS: Amy said, is keeping in touch with Bhatta (left) and Namuna Khadka each other. enjoy time at the beach.

“Communication is the we lost that connection we used [biggest] one, because with my other friends, when we didn’t to have,” Khadka said. “But, I talktalk for like a long period of time, ed to Amy.” PAGE DESIGN BY ALLEN ZHANG PHOTOS COURTESY OF AMY BHATTA, ALISA DAWSON, DREW FENTON AND JESS MATKOVICH

4

Senior Spotlight

Thursday, June 3, 2021

Alabama

CSU, Fullerton

Foothill College

Santa Clara University

UC Irvine

Ava Aufderheide

Connor Alicaya Tyler Sato

Rachel Lee Fernanda Mendoza

Arizona

CSU, Long Beach

Maile Broadwell Julia Correa Joey Cox Ian Davies Alexandra Deckys Nathaly Garcia Hayden Gutierrez Dolan Hamilton Noy Keyserman Sandra Leyva Tamayo Jazmin Manchester Ameen Qureshi Shaynna Silva Liesel Smith

Monjima Ghosh Nina Liaw William Min Eric Pedley Ayush Satyavarpu Samarth Shah Indy de Smet Lucas Tam Rajvi Umrigar

University of Alabama

Arizona State University

Hudson Cockroft

Ben Carter Nont Kaewtrakulpong Tiffany Fu

CSU, Northridge

Estrella Mountain Community College

California Institute of Technology

Jess Matkovich

Jack Lackey

Adele Basturk

Northern Arizona University

De Anza College

Dominick Barry

University of Arizona Nicholas DeAnda Harper Forbes Jack Gaeta Danny O’Sullivan Logan Pageler Nadim Zarour

California ArtCenter College of Design Yunha Jung

Azusa Pacific University Sophia Leith

CalPoly Pomona Aakriti Adhikari Kaylie Gladfelter Corey Yoshida

CalPoly, SLO Katie Allen Nika Bondar Daniel Brathwaite Nicholas Elich Yashwant Kumar Kannan Sathish Zoe Li Adrienne Liang David Liao Riya Nigudkar Maya Rotstein Mira Shlimenzon Danielle Wortman

CSU, Maritime Academy Gavin Murray

Carnegie Mellon University Kaitlyn Chow Cynthia Wang

Chapman University Michael Zapesotsky

CSU, Chico Chloe Lim Tia Pang

CSU, East Bay Maggie Le John Lee

David Andreasyan Rebecca Andrews Luc Attia Ayla Baig Nina Bair Donna Bundling Celestin Chartier Angela Gayosso Nathan Hanner Hiroki Hibbard Dennis Huang Mia Janes Sofia Johansen Amiri Khetrapal Aleksandr Khvatov Maya Korff Kai Kuehberger Norman Lee Kayla Lee Hal Lenk Sean Malani Andrea Mendez Gilbert Murillo Alysa Newton Eric Nguyen Nina Outlaw Wendy Pacheco Guillen Tiffany Palma Sergio Parra Jacqueline Perez Andonis Perll-Dobyns Van Pham Liam Potolsky John Price Nicholas Pugh Adrian Rivera Kevin Rodriguez Brenda Romero Mehmed Sahan Yusuf Kiana Sandoval Eyal Shay Nolan Shinmoto Vedant Singh Katrina Stadler Adam Tan Kasiet Temiralieva Josie Theobald Vincent Tran Dominykas Umbrasas Emily Vu Michelle Wallerius Romi Weiss Jenya Wood Tasneem Zubi

Humboldt State University Alisa Dawson

Loyola Marymount University

Skyline College Botond Gal

Sonoma State University Yumiko Bellon

Stanford University Hannah McGoran Anna Perronne Anushka Sanyal Josh Sanyal Erin Su

Point Loma Nazarene University Delyth Rauenzahn

Unitek College

Daniel Alvarado Ananya Desai

Fatima Atenco

Occidental College

Claire Chen Shreya Ganti Elena Lagrange Jadon Lam Joshua Lee Allison Lee Emma Lu Mehek Mehta Kiarra Ning Abby O’Neill Sarah Oh Shreyas Ramamurthy Sammie Shenon Daniel Wehbeh Kevin Xu Junsang Yoon

Nicholas Boucher

Pepperdine University Brandon Fwu Sophia Luo

Sacramento State University Namuna Khadka Sukhpal Saini Khushi Thapa

San Diego State University Guy Haiby Nathan Hedgpeth Daniel Karasik Claire Kuo Phoebe Wong

San Jose State University Autumn Barlow Amy Bhatta Devin Chueng Angela Huang Anika Karody Dmitry Kuklenko Krystal Lam Madison Li Samuel Lucas Abisha Muzumder Nicholas Ng Isa Pudiyapura Vincent Shih Alison Urbina Rachel Xalxo

San Francisco State University Brandon Reed

Santa Clara University Isabelle Fejes Hannah Ho Dana Johnson Madison Lakritz

UC Berkeley

UC Davis Akshat Ahuja Maryam Azgomi Trishna Basnet Rithvik Bhakhri Benjamin Chen Naomi Danner Franklin Ding Keenan Eng Liad Hermelin Jonathan Herren Joseph Huang Taner Karaaslan Saniya Kotwal Adee Krepner Kinsey Kwan-Liu Ramssel Mar Ringor Brandon Ng Jeff Nguyen Adyasha Padhi Kathleen Petcu Deepashree Ravi Caitlin Vu Darius Wang Jasper Wong Katie Yasuda Sandra Yoo Arnold Zhou

UC Los Angeles Hansel Desouza Ellery Gee Edwin He Andrea Li Coline Luo Rebecca Ma Samrudh Shenoy

UC Merced Riley Dalton Nathan Hahn Steven Murillo Mario Pan Omar Safi Trevor Stick Jerry Wu

University of San Francisco Jackson Faria Tia Picson Mia Tamura

University of Southern California Mo Chuang Markus Olsson Aryaa Sapkota

University of the Pacific Veda Goskonda Ryan Hook Edric Pham Ananya Srivatsan

West Valley Community College

UC Santa Barbara Hasith Basnayake Braden Beitel Qi Chen Wu Sebastian Cox Brandon Hom Bryan Huang Richard Huang Alexander Lan Jenny MacDonald Harsha Sangam Danny Shum

UC Santa Cruz Faith Dominique Reva Samant Mika Shalem Peer Roshni Sudhakar Rujuta Swadi Justin Truong Zejun Xiong

Louisiana State University

Noah Cohen Morgan Schooler

Tulane University Bella Huang Anoushka Shenoy

Hofstra University Nadya Svidzerskaya

New York University

Daniel Huber Mana Nagampalli

Boston University

Colorado State University Emily Chung Hadley Colwell Devin Lucas

University of Colorado, Boulder Elias Anderson Alice Bainville Kaitlyn Monsen

Drew Fenton Zuzu Hartenstein Yohan Kim Jacob Labovitz Rachel Nozaki

Brandeis University Lauren Lederer

Georgia

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Raymond House

Siyong Huang Ashwini Suriyaprakash

Georgia Tech

Emory University Erin Yoon

Illinois

New School of Music Ori Bruteman

Northwestern University

Northeastern University

Allen Zhang

Vanessa Jiao Karina Kageki-Bonnert Ayush Maurya Yaxin Qiu

Roosevelt University Kaylee Ramirez

University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign Roy Chang Akshay Garud Janani Jayanth Venkatesh Rangarajan

Indiana

Tufts University Serena Meng

University of Massachusetts Amherst Ella Goodwin Joyce Li Sunny Wang

Rochester Institute of Technology Maija Philip Benjamin Schaefer

Syracuse University Anna Pierce Ishaan Teja

Southern Methodist University

Washington

Ivy Chang Misha Studenkov

Lauren Genovese

Ohio

Borna Alavi Divyanshu Singh

Erin Kelly Massimo Pastizzo Charles Rausch

University of Rochester

Case Western Reserve University

Isabella Lucas

Purdue University

Michigan

Kabir Batra Alex Beal Fiona Chen

Katelyn Ma

University of Michigan

Texas A&M University

Patrick Yeh

Texas State Technical College

Oregon

CJ Durand

Oregon State University Blake Riemenschitter Kevin Rossel

University of Oregon Louisa Hahn Kai Levenson Lucas Persyn Aditya Prasad

University of Portland

University of Houston Varshini Chouthri

University of Texas at Austin Sruthi Rayaprolu Eylam Tagor

Utah

Utah State University

Maya Sato

Emily Parent

PenNsylvania

Brigham Young University

Evan Fuccio

Katie Covington

University of Pittsburgh

Rhode Island

Virginia

Brown University

College of William and Mary

Texas

Virginia Tech

Indiana University’s Rohan Zamvar Kelley School of Business Worcester Polytechnic Institute Sahiti Kadiyala

The difference between a school and a home lies in the people surrounding you, in the sense of family and community, which our friends, teachers and staff members have fostered at Homestead. It is time now, for the mustangs of 2021 to roam free and explore the wild and say goodbye to home sweet Homestead. Congratulations seniors!

Angela Zhu

Andrew Han

Massachsetts

Running Free

5

Fashion Institute of Technology

University of Maryland College Park

Colorado College

Andrew Schaub

Sarah Borjigin Justin Chiang Melody Chou Selena Deng Shishir Iyer Akshat Jain Eddie Li Elizabeth Wang

Louisiana

Colorado

Avanti Abhyankar Ashweta Dhungana Gavin Hlady Emma Ikeya

UC San Diego

Gokulkrishnan Harikrishnan Carleton College Elaine Huang Shaan Dias Rishab Koka Ansen Tsan New York Kevin Yeh Cornell University Joanna Lin Rose-Hulman Institute of Victoria Lee Technology Sahil Venkatesan Aditya Senthilvel Tam-Dan Nguyen Brian La

Vanessa Chin Maryland Eileen Hansa Johns Hopkins University Jasmine Wu Anthony Sky Ng-Thow-Hing Maximiliano Fermin

Colorado School of Mines

Tisha Kothari

Minnesota

Atiba Johnson Thomas Ngai Maya Koren Karina Poladian

UC Riverside

University of Redlands

Purdue University

Thursday, June 3, 2021

Baylor University Olivia Lee

Efe Ozen

Jack Crane Pranav Ponugoti

Gonzaga University

University of Puget Sound Kaushal Raghu

University of Washington Hailey Guthery Zoe Jen Jessica Li Kate Muret Cayden Phan James Emily Blake Coby Chun Jackie Khuong Zachary Merlesena Jake Myers Oscar Witt Matthew Yu Selina Zhao Cynthia Zhou

Washington University, St. Louis Matthew Yu

Washington D.C. American University Jack Guidi

George Washington University Miya Liu Libbe Simonsen

Wisconsin University of Wisconsin-Madison

Zachary Gabrielson Anika Shah Ivan Zheng

Working Josselyn Avila Rosa Barriga Jude Catura Jocelyn Lim Gonzales Laurence Stewart III Jenna Sinkinson

Gap Year Yulia Bolotova Mitchell Finkelstein Emmy Gallagher Juan Godinez Colleen Leacock Katie Lee Lorena Marin Alyssa Martin Angelica Ochoa Raj Raghulan Sahrane Zinger

Canada

University of British Columbia Julie Flament Shaqed Orr Gabriel Pollitt

England

Cambridge University Alexander Yule

ISRAEL

MILITARY United States Air Force Academy Grace Hendricks Benjamin Vo

United States Naval Academy Trevor Burgess

Marines Jeremiah Ng Brandon Wright

Tel Aviv University International

United States Military Aademy

Yuval Reingold-Nutman Omri Remez Talia Katz

Sid Shah

Army National Guard

Taiwan

Gap Year in Israel

Lynn Huang Lydia Huang

Ophir Peleg (Garin Tzabar) Ella Rosenfeld (Nachshon) Shahar Segal Ofir Shani (Meitzar) Lihi Waxman (Mechina)

Chung Shan Medical University

Justin Truong

PAGE DESIGN BY NIKA BONDAR AND SAHIL VENKATESAN ILLUSTRATION BY ZOE LI

4

Senior Spotlight

Thursday, June 3, 2021

Alabama

CSU, Fullerton

Foothill College

Santa Clara University

UC Irvine

Ava Aufderheide

Connor Alicaya Tyler Sato

Rachel Lee Fernanda Mendoza

Arizona

CSU, Long Beach

Maile Broadwell Julia Correa Joey Cox Ian Davies Alexandra Deckys Nathaly Garcia Hayden Gutierrez Dolan Hamilton Noy Keyserman Sandra Leyva Tamayo Jazmin Manchester Ameen Qureshi Shaynna Silva Liesel Smith

Monjima Ghosh Nina Liaw William Min Eric Pedley Ayush Satyavarpu Samarth Shah Indy de Smet Lucas Tam Rajvi Umrigar

University of Alabama

Arizona State University

Hudson Cockroft

Ben Carter Nont Kaewtrakulpong Tiffany Fu

CSU, Northridge

Estrella Mountain Community College

California Institute of Technology

Jess Matkovich

Jack Lackey

Adele Basturk

Northern Arizona University

De Anza College

Dominick Barry

University of Arizona Nicholas DeAnda Harper Forbes Jack Gaeta Danny O’Sullivan Logan Pageler Nadim Zarour

California ArtCenter College of Design Yunha Jung

Azusa Pacific University Sophia Leith

CalPoly Pomona Aakriti Adhikari Kaylie Gladfelter Corey Yoshida

CalPoly, SLO Katie Allen Nika Bondar Daniel Brathwaite Nicholas Elich Yashwant Kumar Kannan Sathish Zoe Li Adrienne Liang David Liao Riya Nigudkar Maya Rotstein Mira Shlimenzon Danielle Wortman

CSU, Maritime Academy Gavin Murray

Carnegie Mellon University Kaitlyn Chow Cynthia Wang

Chapman University Michael Zapesotsky

CSU, Chico Chloe Lim Tia Pang

CSU, East Bay Maggie Le John Lee

David Andreasyan Rebecca Andrews Luc Attia Ayla Baig Nina Bair Donna Bundling Celestin Chartier Angela Gayosso Nathan Hanner Hiroki Hibbard Dennis Huang Mia Janes Sofia Johansen Amiri Khetrapal Aleksandr Khvatov Maya Korff Kai Kuehberger Norman Lee Kayla Lee Hal Lenk Sean Malani Andrea Mendez Gilbert Murillo Alysa Newton Eric Nguyen Nina Outlaw Wendy Pacheco Guillen Tiffany Palma Sergio Parra Jacqueline Perez Andonis Perll-Dobyns Van Pham Liam Potolsky John Price Nicholas Pugh Adrian Rivera Kevin Rodriguez Brenda Romero Mehmed Sahan Yusuf Kiana Sandoval Eyal Shay Nolan Shinmoto Vedant Singh Katrina Stadler Adam Tan Kasiet Temiralieva Josie Theobald Vincent Tran Dominykas Umbrasas Emily Vu Michelle Wallerius Romi Weiss Jenya Wood Tasneem Zubi

Humboldt State University Alisa Dawson

Loyola Marymount University

Skyline College Botond Gal

Sonoma State University Yumiko Bellon

Stanford University Hannah McGoran Anna Perronne Anushka Sanyal Josh Sanyal Erin Su

Point Loma Nazarene University Delyth Rauenzahn

Unitek College

Daniel Alvarado Ananya Desai

Fatima Atenco

Occidental College

Claire Chen Shreya Ganti Elena Lagrange Jadon Lam Joshua Lee Allison Lee Emma Lu Mehek Mehta Kiarra Ning Abby O’Neill Sarah Oh Shreyas Ramamurthy Sammie Shenon Daniel Wehbeh Kevin Xu Junsang Yoon

Nicholas Boucher

Pepperdine University Brandon Fwu Sophia Luo

Sacramento State University Namuna Khadka Sukhpal Saini Khushi Thapa

San Diego State University Guy Haiby Nathan Hedgpeth Daniel Karasik Claire Kuo Phoebe Wong

San Jose State University Autumn Barlow Amy Bhatta Devin Chueng Angela Huang Anika Karody Dmitry Kuklenko Krystal Lam Madison Li Samuel Lucas Abisha Muzumder Nicholas Ng Isa Pudiyapura Vincent Shih Alison Urbina Rachel Xalxo

San Francisco State University Brandon Reed

Santa Clara University Isabelle Fejes Hannah Ho Dana Johnson Madison Lakritz

UC Berkeley

UC Davis Akshat Ahuja Maryam Azgomi Trishna Basnet Rithvik Bhakhri Benjamin Chen Naomi Danner Franklin Ding Keenan Eng Liad Hermelin Jonathan Herren Joseph Huang Taner Karaaslan Saniya Kotwal Adee Krepner Kinsey Kwan-Liu Ramssel Mar Ringor Brandon Ng Jeff Nguyen Adyasha Padhi Kathleen Petcu Deepashree Ravi Caitlin Vu Darius Wang Jasper Wong Katie Yasuda Sandra Yoo Arnold Zhou

UC Los Angeles Hansel Desouza Ellery Gee Edwin He Andrea Li Coline Luo Rebecca Ma Samrudh Shenoy

UC Merced Riley Dalton Nathan Hahn Steven Murillo Mario Pan Omar Safi Trevor Stick Jerry Wu

University of San Francisco Jackson Faria Tia Picson Mia Tamura

University of Southern California Mo Chuang Markus Olsson Aryaa Sapkota

University of the Pacific Veda Goskonda Ryan Hook Edric Pham Ananya Srivatsan

West Valley Community College

UC Santa Barbara Hasith Basnayake Braden Beitel Qi Chen Wu Sebastian Cox Brandon Hom Bryan Huang Richard Huang Alexander Lan Jenny MacDonald Harsha Sangam Danny Shum

UC Santa Cruz Faith Dominique Reva Samant Mika Shalem Peer Roshni Sudhakar Rujuta Swadi Justin Truong Zejun Xiong

Louisiana State University

Noah Cohen Morgan Schooler

Tulane University Bella Huang Anoushka Shenoy

Hofstra University Nadya Svidzerskaya

New York University

Daniel Huber Mana Nagampalli

Boston University

Colorado State University Emily Chung Hadley Colwell Devin Lucas

University of Colorado, Boulder Elias Anderson Alice Bainville Kaitlyn Monsen

Drew Fenton Zuzu Hartenstein Yohan Kim Jacob Labovitz Rachel Nozaki

Brandeis University Lauren Lederer

Georgia

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Raymond House

Siyong Huang Ashwini Suriyaprakash

Georgia Tech

Emory University Erin Yoon

Illinois

New School of Music Ori Bruteman

Northwestern University

Northeastern University

Allen Zhang

Vanessa Jiao Karina Kageki-Bonnert Ayush Maurya Yaxin Qiu

Roosevelt University Kaylee Ramirez

University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign Roy Chang Akshay Garud Janani Jayanth Venkatesh Rangarajan

Indiana

Tufts University Serena Meng

University of Massachusetts Amherst Ella Goodwin Joyce Li Sunny Wang

Rochester Institute of Technology Maija Philip Benjamin Schaefer

Syracuse University Anna Pierce Ishaan Teja

Southern Methodist University

Washington

Ivy Chang Misha Studenkov

Lauren Genovese

Ohio

Borna Alavi Divyanshu Singh

Erin Kelly Massimo Pastizzo Charles Rausch

University of Rochester

Case Western Reserve University

Isabella Lucas

Purdue University

Michigan

Kabir Batra Alex Beal Fiona Chen

Katelyn Ma

University of Michigan

Texas A&M University

Patrick Yeh

Texas State Technical College

Oregon

CJ Durand

Oregon State University Blake Riemenschitter Kevin Rossel

University of Oregon Louisa Hahn Kai Levenson Lucas Persyn Aditya Prasad

University of Portland

University of Houston Varshini Chouthri

University of Texas at Austin Sruthi Rayaprolu Eylam Tagor

Utah

Utah State University

Maya Sato

Emily Parent

PenNsylvania

Brigham Young University

Evan Fuccio

Katie Covington

University of Pittsburgh

Rhode Island

Virginia

Brown University

College of William and Mary

Texas

Virginia Tech

Indiana University’s Rohan Zamvar Kelley School of Business Worcester Polytechnic Institute Sahiti Kadiyala

The difference between a school and a home lies in the people surrounding you, in the sense of family and community, which our friends, teachers and staff members have fostered at Homestead. It is time now, for the mustangs of 2021 to roam free and explore the wild and say goodbye to home sweet Homestead. Congratulations seniors!

Angela Zhu

Andrew Han

Massachsetts

Running Free

5

Fashion Institute of Technology

University of Maryland College Park

Colorado College

Andrew Schaub

Sarah Borjigin Justin Chiang Melody Chou Selena Deng Shishir Iyer Akshat Jain Eddie Li Elizabeth Wang

Louisiana

Colorado

Avanti Abhyankar Ashweta Dhungana Gavin Hlady Emma Ikeya

UC San Diego

Gokulkrishnan Harikrishnan Carleton College Elaine Huang Shaan Dias Rishab Koka Ansen Tsan New York Kevin Yeh Cornell University Joanna Lin Rose-Hulman Institute of Victoria Lee Technology Sahil Venkatesan Aditya Senthilvel Tam-Dan Nguyen Brian La

Vanessa Chin Maryland Eileen Hansa Johns Hopkins University Jasmine Wu Anthony Sky Ng-Thow-Hing Maximiliano Fermin

Colorado School of Mines

Tisha Kothari

Minnesota

Atiba Johnson Thomas Ngai Maya Koren Karina Poladian

UC Riverside

University of Redlands

Purdue University

Thursday, June 3, 2021

Baylor University Olivia Lee

Efe Ozen

Jack Crane Pranav Ponugoti

Gonzaga University

University of Puget Sound Kaushal Raghu

University of Washington Hailey Guthery Zoe Jen Jessica Li Kate Muret Cayden Phan James Emily Blake Coby Chun Jackie Khuong Zachary Merlesena Jake Myers Oscar Witt Matthew Yu Selina Zhao Cynthia Zhou

Washington University, St. Louis Matthew Yu

Washington D.C. American University Jack Guidi

George Washington University Miya Liu Libbe Simonsen

Wisconsin University of Wisconsin-Madison

Zachary Gabrielson Anika Shah Ivan Zheng

Working Josselyn Avila Rosa Barriga Jude Catura Jocelyn Lim Gonzales Laurence Stewart III Jenna Sinkinson

Gap Year Yulia Bolotova Mitchell Finkelstein Emmy Gallagher Juan Godinez Colleen Leacock Katie Lee Lorena Marin Alyssa Martin Angelica Ochoa Raj Raghulan Sahrane Zinger

Canada

University of British Columbia Julie Flament Shaqed Orr Gabriel Pollitt

England

Cambridge University Alexander Yule

ISRAEL

MILITARY United States Air Force Academy Grace Hendricks Benjamin Vo

United States Naval Academy Trevor Burgess

Marines Jeremiah Ng Brandon Wright

Tel Aviv University International

United States Military Aademy

Yuval Reingold-Nutman Omri Remez Talia Katz

Sid Shah

Army National Guard

Taiwan

Gap Year in Israel

Lynn Huang Lydia Huang

Ophir Peleg (Garin Tzabar) Ella Rosenfeld (Nachshon) Shahar Segal Ofir Shani (Meitzar) Lihi Waxman (Mechina)

Chung Shan Medical University

Justin Truong

PAGE DESIGN BY NIKA BONDAR AND SAHIL VENKATESAN ILLUSTRATION BY ZOE LI

6

Senior Spread

Thursday, June 3, 2021

Around the World

With many seniors choosing to move abroad, here are those stories about students opening themselves up to experiences in another country

By Nika Bondar

See Parvina Stelovska, Pg 8 See Tzlil Nahum, Pg8 See Senior Spread, Pg4-5

Lynn Huang, Taiwan Only a month before graduation, Lynn Huang has committed to a life-changing decision — attending the Chung Shan Medical University in Taichung, Taiwan. Huang’s parents, who grew up in Taiwan, encouraged her to consider this option. Her twin sister, Lydia Huang, has also committed to the same major and university.

“I was originally opposed to the idea just because I didn’t know if I would like the culture,” Huang said. “Eventually I decided to go because I would graduate with not as much college debt, and I also think it will be an exciting experience because it’s a completely new environment.”

Huang said she estimates the yearly cost of tuition in Taiwan to be near $10,000, which is a third of the average cost of attending a UC. In addition to the lower cost, Huang said she was excited about experiencing the student life in the university despite her worries about a greater shift towards academics and away from extracurriculars, which Huang believes she will experience in Taiwan.

“During high school, I was most passionate about marching band, but they don’t have a marching band there,” Huang said. “They do have a concert band though, so I think I’ll be interested in joining that.”

Huang said she is excited to try out the new culture. In the end, she said she decided to take on this challenge because she believes it will be a valuable life experience.

“I’m scared because I do think I’ll struggle, especially in terms of academics, maybe a bit in social life too,” Huang said. “But I’m still mostly excited, especially for the food, because the school built a Photos courtesy of Lynn Huang new food court, so I CHUNG SHAN MEDICAL UNIknow I’ll enjoy that.” VERSITY: Seniors Lynn and Lydia Huang will move together.

Alexander Yule, England

Photos courtesy of Alexander Yule

MATHEMATICS IN CAMBRIDGE:

Senior Alexander Yule follows in the footsteps of his father.

Next year, senior Alexander Yule will be studying mathematics at Cambridge University in England, fulfilling a goal Yule said he has aspired toward since he was four.

“I decided to go to Cambridge because I have a lot of family on my

dad’s side who went there,” Yule said.

“I lived in England for a few years when I was little, and I’ve always wanted to go back. It’s a very pretty school.”

The application process for Cambridge includes three elimination stages, Yule said, a general application, a subject related interview and a final exam.

“I was actually fairly surprised I got in because my application to American schools didn’t go quite as well,” Yule said. “However, England is a lot more focused on scores than the essay portion so I think that helped me out a bit.”

The interview differs from those administered by American colleges, Yule said, because it solely consisted of math problems. Since Cambridge

is broken up into colleges, Yule said he applied to the same one his dad attended 31 years ago.

“It just so happened that the maths professor who interviewed me was the same for his year as it is for mine,” Yule said, “So I actually had an interview with the same professor who interviewed my dad 31 years ago.”

Passing the first two stages, Yule said he is currently preparing for the STEP mathematics exam, administered in mid-June, the successful completion of which will guarantee his admission.

Aside from mathematics, Yule said he is excited to explore new hobbies and find new interests, as well as continue his high school passions, such as fencing.

Marianna Tyrtyshnikova, Russia The first thing senior Marianna Tyrtyshnikova said she would do after moving back to Russia is spend time with her friends and family.

Tyrtyshnikova said after sorting out some documents and visiting her family, she will live by herself in Saint Petersburg. “[Including] preschool in Russia,for 14 out of the 18 years of my life [so far,] I have been told what to do,” Tyrtyshnikova said. “I am tired of that.

I just want to live for myself, learn how to play the guitar, get a massage certification and do anything I want.”

Tyrtyshnikova said she currently works as a copywriter, and would be able to support herself by continuing to advance her writing career after moving. Though Tyrtyshnikova said she is not determined to continue

higher education at the moment, she said she has considered pursuing acting or clinical psychology at some point in her future.

After living in the U.S. for two years, Tyrtyshnykova said she still struggles to assimilate to her new environment. The cultural differences, both in mentality and language, Tyrtyshnikova said, prevented her from finding a similar closeness in the US. “I came here with an already defined character, with certain principles, morals and preferences; on top of that I could not speak English,” Tyrtyshnikova said.

Tyrtyshnikova said she acknowledges some benefits in her experience of living in the U.S. However, she said she wants to leave as soon

as possible because she can’t wait to reconnect with her home.

Photos courtesy of Marianna

FREEDOM TO DECIDE: Senior

Marianna Tyrtyshnikova will live independently in Russia.

PAGE DESIGN BY ELAINE HUANG

Senior Spotlight Sen

Thursday, June 3, 2021

Greetin

7

: e r gs from the futu

iors revea l their post-high

ll. a m rs o g i s, b n a l p d n school goals a

By Nika Bondar and Elaine Huang impacts the climatic ift sh to t I wan our forests ing has on m ar w al ob gl licy, as well ghting and po through firefi industry by e the coffee as to revitaliz e growers th tment of ea tr e bl ta ui eq and farms.

IE BLAKE R

Samarth Shah

ER T T I N H C S N E M

Mayuri Hebbar

Reaching Im mortal in Val orant.

Claire Chen Create something that can better explore the solar system; help apply technology to solve mysteries in archaeology; hike every US national park; and continue building increasingly questionable Tesla coils.

After college , it’s always been a dream of mine to liv e in NYC to experience a more upbeat city culture (a nd eat their bagels).

Ofir Shani

SAUNDER A R S SA

My goal for life after high school is to travel. I would love to travel to all 7 continents and experience and see as many things as possible.

Van Pham I have alway s dreamed ab out traveling the world on my own and being able to help others in the process, so I hope to do that during or after colle ge.

TH SMIT E B A Z H I L E

helping othionate about I’m really pass have a serould love to ers and I w y interests M career. d re te en -c vice place but I’d all over the are kind of foster care, an impact in love to have and/or aid stice system, ju al in im cr the ally in Afverty (specific to those in po rica).

school is to ve after high ha I al go ne O able goal so ant an achiev future. own bees. I w myself in the nt oi pp sa di ’t I won

Victoria Lee

For the next five years, I will be studying architecture at Cornell University.

I hope to explore and use creative ways to make better buildings and spaces that meet ever-changing needs, celebrate culture and diversity, and for people to enjoy.

Matthew Yu

One of my po st-high scho ol goals is to visit Korea and eat lots of Korean food from kim chi to bulgog i to spicy sundubu jjiga e to a whole host of other things I can’t yet fo resee!

PAGE DESIGN BY MIYA LIU PHOTOS COURTESY OF INTERVIEWEES

Senior Spotlight

Photo courtesy of Sid Shah

U.S. MILITARY ACADEMY: After years of hard work, Shah secured the nomination of Congressman Ro Khanna and was then accepted into Westpoint Military Academy.

Sid Shah

Westpoint Military Academy

By Miya Liu and Sahil Venkatesan

LONE SOLDIER PROGRAM: FUHSD students prepare for the next year in the IDF which will foster maturity and discipline.

Photo courtesy of Tzlil Nahum

“During quarantine, I figured out that I’m not ready for college,” senior Tzlil Nahum said.

“My culture in Israel and the maturity and discipline I’ll get from the Israeli Defense Forces is something that I want to experience.”

Nahum is joining the Garin Tzabar, which is the Israel Defense Forces’ lone soldier program.

He will be rooming with other FUHSD students like HHS senior Shachaf Smith. He’s hoping to become a combat engineer, he said.

“It’s going to be extremely difficult, very scary and not fun,” Nahum said, “but [IDF] is something that people [do] because they learned so much from it as a person and grew so much from it.”

This was not Nahum’s original plan, though. His parents and siblings had been through the same program, but Nahum was planning to go to college, and his parents respected that. However, quarantine made him rethink his decision, he said.

“In America, you go straight to school and get a career, and I was on that path,” Nahum said.

“I’m almost 18, and I should spend this time learning and growing in different ways other than school.”

Israeli Defense Forces

Tzlil Nahum

Doors of Opportunity

Senior Sid Shah will be attending the United States Military Academy to get his college degree while also receiving intense military training so that when he graduates, he can be commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Army, he said in a Zoom interview.

Shah said he was interested in military service in middle school and became very committed to the path at the end of his sophomore year. At that point, he started the application process for the academy.

Shah described the multiple steps he had to take in order to be considered as a qualified candidate. First, he had to be academically qualified, which meant maintaining a high GPA. Then, Shah said he had to go through a series of physical fitness tests in which he was scored based on his performance in various categories. After being deemed medically fit, Shah needed to receive a nomination from his Congressperson.

“I applied to both Sens. Kamala Harris and Dianne Feinstein as well as Rep. Ro Khanna,” Shah said.

“I ended up getting the nomination from Ro Khanna, but I had to write four different essays and submit my resume.”

Shah is planning on majoring in geospatial science then going into the military intelligence branch of the Army.

“It’s all about providing the infantry with the correct information they need for their mission,” Shah said. “I was drawn to [this path] because of the combination of the physical strength component of being in the military, as well as the logical or academic side that challenges you in multiple ways.”

“I’m really excited, humbled for the opportunity and inspired to serve and protect,” Shah said.

Thursday, June 3, 2021

Photo courtesy of Parvina Stelovska

8

RETURNING TO SWITZERLAND: Stelovska plans to split her gap year between a part time job and volunteering for a social organization.

Parvina Stelovska

Gap Year

Senior Parvina Stelovska will be living in Switzerland next year. Moving is not something new for her after living in an impressive collection of places, including Hawaii, Czech Republic and her birth country: Uzbekistan.

She is going to spend her first year volunteering for a social organization, like UNICEF or the World Economic Forum and getting to know the culture with a part time job.

“I want a blue collar job like the one I work right now at an ice cream shop,” Stelovska said. “Something where I’m in constant communication with people and in a very buzzing social environment.”

After her gap year, Stelovska said she hopes to attend the best business school in Europe, the University of St. Gallen, a school she has been passionate about attending ever since she decided to pursue business.

Stelovska said her father encouraged her to attend a school in Switzerland since he found the environment nurturing to immigrants and the reduced tuition costs.

Parvina said her mother is another huge inspiration, since she works with a lot of startups in clean technology.

“I’m really interested in world welfare and social programs since they do a bunch of innovative business technology programs and I want to get my foothold there,” Stelovska.

“I want to do this type of work when I have life inside of my bones and it would make me feel like I have fulfilled some sort of purpose in life.”

PAGE DESIGN BY SAHIL VENKATESAN ILLUSTRATIONS BY ROHAN VENKATESAN