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TRICOLORTIMES.COM
March 2020 LXII-VII
Jelena Dragicevic invites Lancers to apply to Harvard By Kara Givens HARVARD University is an Ivy League school located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. As an Ivy League school, Harvard is considered to be an elite school. Other schools in the Ivy League include Brown University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University, and Yale University. Jelena Dragicevic (‘19) is a freshman at Harvard University with an A.B. Candidate in History and Literature, a Secondary in Government, and a Citation in Russian. As a Granger alumna, Dragicevic feels very strongly about helping students from the West Valley City area gain information about college. In any discussion about college, questions about applying, housing, and studies may arise, which can cause confusion on the topic.
On January 16, Dragicevic came to Granger High School to present a slideshow containing important information about Harvard University. She introduced the idea of applying to Harvard to the twelve curious students who did not see themselves ever going to an Ivy League school. “I love this school dearly and am glad I had the opportunity to talk about Harvard to fellow Lancers,” Dragicevic said. “I didn’t expect to be invited, but the information was really helpful,” Kimberly Chaporro (9) said. Although the invitation was surprising and had caught her off-guard, Chaporro was very grateful for the opportunity to be able to attend the presentation and learn about Harvard. “I definitely will be applying to Harvard as a senior,” Chaporro said. For Keanne Castellano (10), getting invited to the presentation was an honor. “I didn’t know that
I had the potential. Out of everyone, I was chosen because of how hard I work in school,” Castellano said. High expectations are a thing most students hold themselves to. Having standards when considering education is very beneficial and can even allow achievable goals to emerge. There are many rumors about Harvard. Some of these rumors include lots of absurd things like how a student applying needs to have a perfect ACT score of 36 or an SAT score consisting of reading and writing being 730790 and a math score of 730800. Although various students at Harvard have gotten rather high scores, there are students that have gotten accepted due to other factors while having a standardized test score that is not extremely high or perfect. Another rumor happens to be that a student applying to Harvard has to have come from a
rich family. Many students attending the Ivy League school actually come from low-income families, condemning this rumor to be completely false. Despite coming from a low-income family, Dragicevic is a happy, thriving, and successful student at Harvard. “I felt out of place because I just felt like there were other people that should have had my place. They all have 4.0’s and I don’t. I just didn’t think that I belonged,” Jarene Ibarra (10) said. A student’s GPA and CPA play a crucial role in getting accepted into a good college. Ibarra may not have a 4.0, but she is involved in school through Latinos in Action (LIA). She has lots of service hours and does many activities outside of school, which also plays an important role attending a good college. Although Harvard Univercontinued on page 2
Granger alumna Jelena Dragicevic (R) attends a Harvard vs. Yale football game with her roommate, Leilani Wesley (L). Dragicevic wants Lancers to aim high.
Kobe Bryant’s accidental death saddens his Lancer fans By Alyssa Luna ON JANUARY 26, 2020, the world was in complete shock. It was reported that NBA AllStar Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna Bryant, and seven other passengers were killed in a helicopter crash near Calabasas, California. Kobe had inspired many basketball players to pursue their sports careers. He seemed to be an inspiration for many sports fans and athletes. His influence was so widespread that his influence reached those far outside casual viewers of the NBA. The whole world grieved their sudden death. Both students and teachers at Granger were very surprised. A variety of students gave their condolences on social media. Gene Nelson (11) grew up admiring the “Black Mamba.”
He was a massive motivation for Nelson to start playing basketball at an early age. Along with having so much love for the NBA player, he had studied his iconic moves and tried figuring out the type of mindset he had throughout his games. Once the news of the Bryants’ deaths reached Nelson, he was in a shocked state. It has affected him ever since he found out, but he will do his best to keep their legacies alive. “I study him a lot, and I use him as a guide. Not many people could do it like he did. He was the best to ever do it, and he will forever be a legend,” Nelson said. Yonis Abdi (12) wasn’t really a big fan of Kobe. Although, he did grow up having knowledge of who Bryant was. Abdi did truly adore Bryant’s ways of thinking
while he was on the courts. He also loved the way he lived his life with his family which made Abdi take pleasure in living his own life. During school, whenever he had a piece of trash, he’d take a shot by throwing it into a nearby trash can while yelling, “Kobe!” It’s still so surreal to Abdi to know that the famous basketball player is gone and is even sadder to acknowledge that Gianna Bryant had such a bright future ahead of her. “Enjoy everything you can when it’s given to you,” Abdi said. Mr. Hughes has always enjoyed basketball. He sees Bryant as an enormous icon. When finding out about the deaths, he shared the same emotions as Nelson and Abdi. Hughes has been working for quite some time at the Vivint Smart Home arena
where Jazz basketball games are held and has been present multiple times at games in which Bryant played. He admired a lot of things about Bryant, especially what he did as a family man. “Kobe Bryant is legendary, and his fame has certainly transcended basketball and into other areas of life,” Hughes said. For basketball fans and nonfans alike, Kobe and Gianna’s deaths were a shock for everyone. It was shocking to see the end of the legacy they left behind, and to see lives cut so short when there was so much left for them to do. Despite the many hardships he faced in his life, Kobe found a way to prosper and treat the people close to him with kindness. Kobe was known to be a truly kind, hard-working man.
ACT: Get ready for it
By Leila Puentes THE ACT is a standardized test used for college admissions in the United States. The ACT started in 1959, and focuses on English, math, reading, and science topics. Students typically take the ACT for the first time their junior year, however they are allowed to take it earlier. Many students also do not take it only one time. “My feelings were that really studying can really go a long way and asking for advice from other people who have taken the ACT. Also, you can look at the online options that can help you study if you have no time to go to school to study,” Matthew Espinoza (12) said. Some Granger seniors have already taken the ACT at least once, while many juniors are preparing to take it this spring. “What I did to prepare myself for the ACT, was asking people how it was, study, take the study reviews online. I got a 20 on the ACT, it isn’t the best score, but for the first time of not knowing what to expect I did OK. I will definitely take the ACT again,” Espinoza said. Taking such an important test can make some students feel nervous, but not all students have the same experience. “I feel cool, good, and comfortable while I took the ACT. I practiced with the teachers to study for the ACT and my score was in the middle,” Edilberto Reyna (12) said. Many students study for months, and sometimes even years, in advance for the exam. “I mainly just studied about the week before for the whole week, I stayed up late some nights to study extra to get a good score on the ACT. Honestly the ACT is not as bad as people say or think it is. It is really very easily and smoothly, if you are prepared,” Jonathan Vernazzani (12) said. Some seniors have a more positive outlook on their experience with the ACT, while others express their relief that they no longer have to worry about it. “I prepared for the ACT by going to the afterschool ACT classes that Granger had and having the ACT books that I have read. The ACT is not as horrible as people say, it just mentally breaks you down as if you pace yourself and trying to not be at one question at a time. Plus, you have to keep moving on even if it is stressing you out, bugs you. I guess that it just mentally hurts you for a bit,” Ethan Nguyen (12) said. The ACT test typically takes three to four hours to complete, so students tend to get quite tired and antsy.
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