Volume XI, Issue Ii May 17, 2022
Aquila University Preparatory Academy
31 What Happened
To The Birds
And The Bees? students react to the
return of sex education
Farewell From the ART AND DESIGN BY ZAINAB SHAIKH
Take a look at the front of this magazine. Beautiful, right? In my last year as Co-Editor-in-Chief, I leave you with a suggestive orchid on the cover—shoutout to Georgia O’Keeffe and her inspirational paintings! Also, shoutout to UPA’s sex education program (finally). Just had to get that out of the way first. And take credit for the orchids. In truth, these past few weeks have been bittersweet. At a recent editorial board meeting, I was struck with the realization that I am embarking on a series of lasts. The last issue I would ever produce with Aquila. The last article I’d ever write for our newsmagazine. The last production nights spent at UPA, deliriously brainstorming headlines and talking to designers, fueled solely by caffeine and the kind of relentless drive only a student journalist can conjure. All the same, as I write this goodbye, it also signifies a new start. As I turn the page to start the next chapter of my life in L.A, I recall the young freshman girl who was intimidated by all the new faces in her small journalism class, and she’s almost unrecognizable. Journalism has shaped who I am, and will always be a part of my identity. I’ll admit, I was not endowed with the natural gifts of confidence and charisma. I was born shy and reserved (you should have seen my kindergarten self trembling in fear, refusing to answer questions in front of the class), but my experiences with journalism immediately challenged me and pushed me outside of my comfort zone. Under the guidance of former adviser Laura Gordon Reska, I found my voice covering topics like racial profiling in the TSA and the experiences of the LGBTQ+ community at UPA. At a Chicago convention years ago, my anxiety spiked when a team-building activity required us to talk to a stranger next to us. I learned to look past my anxiety and instead focus on my inherent curiosity—to be profoundly intrigued by other people and their experiences. “Comfort the afflicted, and afflict the comfortable,” —
these famous words have found a home in my soul. I love journalism for its ability to educate people, open minds, spur change, and most of all, touch hearts. Sometimes I felt that these EIC shoes were too large to fill. Sometimes doubt clouded my mind, and I wondered if I was truly capable of leading others when I wasn’t sure I believed in myself. With the help of Ms. Gordon Reska’s guidance and Ms. Gong-Guy’s empowering support, I’ve grown into this role. I’ve learned to trust my instincts while also learning to trust others. I am excited to see the gifts and passion of this year’s staff and know that Aquila is in good hands. Thank you to Ms. Gordon Reska. A sense of fire and immense knowledge coexist in you, and they’ve helped shape me into who I am today. Thank you to Ms. Gong-Guy, for your wise words and support. Your intelligence, compassion and on-your-feet thinking will continue to serve Aquila well. Thank you to Alyssa Garcia and Haylie Yee, who have breathed new life into Aquila through their primary roles in design and illustration. Thank you to Vidya Achar, who continually strives to represent the unheard voices of our community. You have demonstrated what integrity and compassion look like. Thank you to Alexandra Rozmarin, who I would affectionately describe as “intense”—in a good way. You are the embodiment of tenacity, and I’m certain that you are bound for greatness. Thank you to all of my journalism peers, past and present. For the laughs, for the friendship, for the infinite lessons you have taught me. I can’t wait to take my hands off the steering wheel and see where Aquila will go next. Before I sign off, I want to encourage all of you to read my piece on page 29. The endless support I’ve received from my editorial board and adviser have empowered me to be candid and vulnerable while sharing my thoughts and experiences. I hope my stories and reflections don’t match your own, but I do hope they resonate with you. Take comfort in knowing that we are not alone. With that, I bid you adieu. To Aquila, to readers, to everyone: embrace your passion and don’t be afraid to take risks.
JANESSA ULUG
1
eDitors-in-chief PHOTO COURTESY OF PNGTREE Over the past few weeks, I have often quipped in class that my dictatorship is finally coming to an end. Then, my editors and I had a passionate discussion about if dictatorship is the right term; maybe authoritarian rule would fit better. Nevertheless, my three-year reign as Co-Editor-in-Chief has reached its final days. Journalism has taught me uncountable lessons, paramount of all being that my Eastern European “gut feeling” genes have survived the dilution of an American upbringing. I signed up for journalism at the end of my eighth grade year for—quite uncharacteristically—no logical reason. And being in journalism these past few years has shaped me into the person I am today. I remember the first time journalism affected me emotionally. I sat next to Desiree Pekar, as a freshman, in a session about photojournalism at the National High School Journalism Convention in Chicago in 2018. Chicago Tribune photojournalist Brian Cassella projected images from “The Next Day,” his project on how gun violence affects Chicago communities. In that moment, journalism’s impact transformed from abstract slogans to a tangible weight on my chest. Although I still believe, and frequently repeat, that journalism is a “cornerstone of democracy” and “the first rough draft of history.” Cassella’s project made me understand how gun violence, something I had never experienced, devastated a community I had never been a part of, and it moved me to care. Perhaps my fundamental belief that knowledge is first and foremost empowering originates in that moment. I have a deep appreciation for journalism’s ability to inform. Ignorance is unethical bliss, and empathy is formed in a vulnerable understanding. However dramatic, journalism has given me everything I am. I would not be going to the elite university I am without journalism on my resume. I would not be interning on Capitol Hill this summer without journalism’s role in catapulting my passion for fighting disinformation. At 17, I do not know what I want to be when I grow up. But I do know that “student journalist” will always be an integral part of the way I see myself.
As a young woman, I expected my high school experience to be fraught with gendered obstacles. Instead, in the journalism classroom, I found a welcoming space of autonomy. I have former journalism advisor Laura Gordon Reska, current advisor Kathryn Gong-Guy and every student who has taken journalism over the past four years to thank. To Ms. Reska: I am forever grateful for your support and passion. Your passion, work ethic and genuine empathy was a lighthouse. To Ms. Gong-Guy: I could not have asked for a better senior year with your guidance. You taught me humility and authenticity. To Nicole Rendler and Emily Hung: You both were the reason I loved journalism so much my freshman year. You both will always be my EICs. To Kristian Crowther: You taught me that being a mess is OK. I have never seen anyone with your same capacity for creativity. I still want to be in one of your movies; I’ll never let that go. To Janessa Ulug: I still remember the day we stayed on that Zoom call until six in the morning. You have defined intelligence for me. To my editorial board: You are some of the most talented individuals I have ever seen. You all know I have trouble letting go, but your work makes walking away easy. Aquila is in the best hands. To all Aquila’s readers: Never stop reading. Critique when necessary. Question your own beliefs. And let empathy and passion lead. Thank you for all the support. Just as “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” is Quentin Tarantino’s love letter to filmmaking, consider this farewell my love letter to journalism and Aquila. Except I won’t make it three hours long. I’ll keep it terse: my reign may be over, but promise me you will ensure quality journalism will always prevail.
ALEXANDRA ROZMARIN
2
ABOUT AQUILA MISSION STATEMENT
Aquila is a student-produced, student-edited high school newsmagazine. It serves as a designated public forum for student expression. We aim to reflect the diversity of our community and build unity through true and accurate reporting, in hopes that each of our readers will find an article they can connect with.
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ON THE COVER Volume XI, Issue Ii may 17, 2022
Have a story to share? Scan the QR Code to submit your suggestions or email us at aquila@upatoday.com.
AquilA uniVersity PreParatory academy
31 What haPPened
to the Birds
and the Bees? students react to the
return of sex education
The front cover, shot by Tyler Yuen, features the colloquially-named “vagina flower” and bees illustrated by Alyssa Garcia. See page 31 for April Nguyen’s “What Happened to the Birds and the Bees?”
STAFF Editors-in-Chief Janessa Ulug & Alexandra Rozmarin Managing Editor Vidya Achar Social Media Manager Nadia Hines Web Manager Shayna Tran Co-Multimedia Manager Abhishek Mynam Co-Multimedia Manager Kyla Ulug Copy Editor April Nguyen Copy Editor Ria Pandey Editor Akhila Ayyadevara Editor Amanda Reboredo Editor Haylie Yee Editor Isaac Rios
3
Editor Tyler Yuen Reporter Abenezer Fissha Reporter Aidan Beaver Reporter Alyssa Garcia Reporter Anibal Gonzalez Reporter Chloe Luu Reporter Christopher Alvarez Reporter Dahlia Paul Reporter Daniella Alvarez Reporter Deven Mangar Reporter Gabriela Zurek
Reporter Joe Shem Reporter Julia Wong Reporter Lucas Lang Reporter Mariah Myers Reporter Meghan Earle Reporter Melawit Solomon Reporter Sana Purdhani Reporter Shibani Ghosh Reporter Taylor Nguyen Reporter Zainab Shaikh Adviser Kathryn Gong-Guy
TABLE OF CONTENTS News
5 Administration lifts mask mandate on march 21 6 mental health program expands to four counselors, introduces art therapy 7 Tom GUEVARA Retires from athletics 9 How upa uses its $8.5 m budget 11 students celebrate a heavenly prom night at the silver creek country club
FEATURES
OPINION
13 The other face of BURNOUT 15 Hanging out at new heights 18 Study buddy puppy 19 Serenity snapshot. 21 the fan-tastic world of fanfiction 23 no student left behind 25 always on the lookout 26 welcome to the office
27 Prestige comes at a price 28 it’s time to update the handbook 29 the woman’s dileMma: man or monster?
IN-DEPTH
31 What happened to the birds and the bees? 35 The unspoken fear 38 not just a hairstyle
ARTS & CULTURE 42 we do talk about encanto 43 fashion on campus 45 more sesame! 46 what are you listening to?
DESIGN BY SHAYNA TRAN
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Administration lifts mask mandate on March 21 Removal of mask requirement elicits mixed reactions from community ARTICLE BY SHIBANI GHOSH • ILLUSTRATIONS BY ALYSSA GARCIA • DESIGN BY AIDAN BEAVER
O
n March 14, Executive Director David Porter notified the student body that effective March 21, masks would no longer be required on campus. The announcement came after releasing the results of a March 8 survey where the staff, families and students answered questions about their level of vaccination, contact with immunocompromised persons and comfortability with current UPA COVID-19 guidelines. Santa Clara County itself announced its relaxation of the mandate on March 1 due to the high vaccination rate and low numbers of COVID-19 cases. The mask mandate was moved from required to recommended, and only required in certain locations, such as public transit, healthcare facilities, shelters, jails and long-term care facilities. The announcement informed the public that other than places with low vaccination and booster rate, as well as highly populated places, masks will not be required. In the March 14 email, Porter explained that even though he wanted to keep the mask mandate for the rest of the year, Santa Clara County Health declined his plan and decided otherwise. This was mainly due to UPA’s high vaccination rate of 90.1% and booster rate of 70.4%. Porter explained in a subsequent email that due to these compelling factors and UPA’s vaccination and booster rates being higher than schools that have lifted the mandate, the mask mandate would be lifted 5 | News
on March 21. 38% of people responding to the survey said they did not think it was necessary to establish masked and unmasked zones. Sophomore Kian Dowlatabadi chose to go unmasked on campus once the mandate was lifted. “[It’s] mainly for the convenience issue,” Dowlatabadi said. “I don’t care about the anti-mask stuff. It’s just annoying, fogging up your glasses, smelling your own breath, and it’s really uncomfortable. [It] made going to places more uncomfortable.” While some students chose to take off their mask, eighth
protocols, such as removing one-ways and giving teachers the choice to remove plexiglass. Though some protocols will be lifted, UPA will continue to enforce the hygiene protocols and provide necessary materials to students. Students are provided hand sanitizer before they enter buildings and continue to wipe down desks and shared materials with paper towels and cleaning spray containing soap and water after use. Every classroom also provides masks along with these materials for student use. “What a great gift to show up to a classroom and sit down at a desk and know that it’s go-
“It’s a step forward into going back to how it was before the pandemic.” —aislinn reid grader Avanthiga Vijay chose to keep her mask on. “I feel like things would be moving too quickly if people just suddenly stopped wearing them,” Vijay said. “I don’t think it’s necessary to take them off when we wore them throughout the whole year.” Along with students, many teachers took off their masks, including history teacher Aislinn Reid. “It’s a step forward into going back to how it was before the pandemic,” Reid said. “It allows me to make better connections with my students.” Porter also announced a change in other COVID-19
ing to be clean when you sit down,” Porter said. In Porter’s survey, he included questions about students’ and staffs’ opinions on the effectiveness of certain COVID-19 protocols. One of the protocols that have been lifted is the one-ways throughout campus. Their purpose was to create a system of pathways and entry points with the least amount of contact with other students to lower risks of getting infected. When it was implemented, students and staff were concerned with the congestion and inconvenience it caused them, their fellow classmates and staff members.
“The CDC was pretty clear on what they thought [...] that these [protocols] were not really necessary anymore,” Reid said. “One-ways were not that effective, but it’s different because I like the one-ways in the learning center. It was easier to have that flow, but other buildings don’t have that.” After Porter sent out the Google survey in his initial email, computer science and math teacher Nicole Sebek created her own survey for her students gauging their comfort with the mask mandate being lifted and posted it on UPA’s learning management system, Schoology. Sebek explained that she wanted everyone to feel comfortable. “Everybody’s sitting next to each other,” Sebek said. “And if you don’t agree [with their choice of wearing or not wearing a mask] and you don’t agree with their decisions, we still have to figure out how to work together because we’re going to be in class for another couple months together.” As the school year is coming to a close, the UPA community is still figuring out how to tackle COVID-19 while protecting its students and staff and making sure they are comfortable. “If we can all pause and recognize that as a community, we are safer because we all work together and we united over this issue, that tells me that if we were to approach other issues or even global problems, [we’d do so] with a sense of community and connectedness and single-mindedness,” Porter said.
Mental Health Program Expands to four counselors, introduces art therapy ARTICLE BY ANIBAL GONZALES & ALEXANDRA ROZMARIN • PHOTO BY ALEXANDRA ROZMARIN • DESIGN BY MEGHAN EARLE
U
PA’s mental health program, in its sixth year of operation, has expanded to include a total of four therapists and launched its art therapy services on March 23. The expansions come in response to student needs. The 2021-2022 school year has seen a 52% increase in referrals. A spike in referrals in March 2022 is correlated to increased advertising like therapist introduction visits to seminar classes, Mental Health Program Coordinator Jill Buencuceso said. Since January 2020, hours the counselors work have more than doubled from 35 to 85 hours monthly. As of April, counselors Iris Beaumont, Melissa Hinshaw, Hinshaw, Makenna Welch and Johnny Duran support 50 to 60 students a week combined. Buencuceso spearheaded the mental health program in 2016. “I never even imagined it would get to this point, which is fantastic,” Buencuceso said. “I can’t say that I even had a clear vision. To me, it’s always been in response to whatever is the need.” UPA has contracted its counselors through Advent Group Ministries since the 2016-2017 school year. Although UPA originally partnered with Counseling and Support Services for Youth (CASSY) in April 2016, the financial burden made that program unsustainable. “We needed to be a lot more creative,” Buencuceso said. Former Executive Director Daniel Ordaz reached out to pastor Raymond Menchaca in his church’s community, who was also a therapist. Ordaz’s wife also worked as Director of Human Resources at Advent Group Ministries. Menchaca, associated with Advent Group Ministries, provided counseling once a week and worked under the supervision of Director of Counseling Services Bruce Pickett. Pickett. “He’s been the mainstay, really and truly,” Buencuceso said of Pickett. All counselors under Advent Group Ministries are interns collecting their supervised hours to become licensed counselors. They complete those hours under Pickett’s supervision, meaning Pickett and the counselor discuss notes on patients, speaking clinically about the case needs of the clients. As a result, counselors usually conclude their time at UPA once their hours have been fulfilled. Pickett describes the partnership between UPA and Advent Group Ministries as both “symbiotic” and “synergistic.” Beaumont and Duran are currently working to fulfill their hours under Advent Group Ministries. Hinshaw, too, is being supervised by Pickett, but she is also part of a specialized art therapy program. Hinshaw began working at UPA as a virtual therapist in November 2020 as a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor trainee. After her hours were completed, Pickett pitched an art therapy program to Hinshaw as a separate certificate program, leading her to stay at UPA with the title of associate Professional Clinical Counselor. “Melissa is tremendously talented,” Pickett said. “She gets it. She’s been an important part of the mental health team at UPA, and I wanted to unleash her.” The art therapy program is sponsored by architect Josh
Melissa Hinshaw teaches an after school art therapy session with five attendees on April 28. Moore, who reached out to Pickett looking for an Advent Group Ministries program to fund. Hinshaw first experienced art therapy while working at Children’s Berman Hospital in Sacramento. “Creativity is inherently helpful,” Hinshaw said. “There’s so much you can do with words, and there’s so much you can do without words. It’s great to be able to go back and forth. When are words serving me? When are they not? When do I really need to talk something out, and when do I need to shut up and feel it? That balance is super interesting to me.” Hinshaw has structured each art therapy session around a different aspect of identity, hoping to give students a space to explore themselves outside of being a student, friend or athlete. Hinshaw currently sees that space as missing in the UPA community. Sessions delve into cultural, family, gender and sexual oridentation identities. Hinshaw minored in studio art during her undergraduate years, which she said lends itself to the core of art therapy. “Composition has meaning,” Hinshaw said. “There are reasons we shape things the way we shape them. And there are reasons we use the materials and colors we use. It’s really cool to have it be applicable to how people interact in social and interpersonal settings.” 40 students total are signed up to attend art therapy weekly. Seven to eight students attend each meeting on average, split by grade level. “Therapy is the process of making the unconscious conscious,” Hinshaw said, “and art can tap into our unconscious in a way words can’t.” NEWS | 6
Tom Guevara
Retires
From Athletics HEAD VOLLEYBALL AND BASKETBALL COACH STEPS DOWN AFTER 11 YEARS
ARTICLE BY ABHISHEK MYNAM • CLIPART COURTESY OF PNGTREE • DESIGN BY ZAINAB SHAIKH
A
fter the girls’ varsity volleyball season ended last semester during the semifinals of the Central Coast Section (CCS) tournament, head coach for the girls’ varsity volleyball, boys’ varsity basketball and boys’ varsity volleyball teams Thomas Guevara retired from coaching. The recent volleyball season was historic for UPA, as no UPA varsity volleyball team made it that far in the CCS tournament prior. Guevara decided to retire from coaching sports because he was not able to manage the time commitment. Guevara has four children, ranging from ages four to 14. Coordinating the pick up and drop off for all the kids who go to three different schools in Morgan Hill and San Jose made it difficult to fit the next basketball season in his schedule, as it was a large commitment having morning and afternoon practices as well as evening games. “I didn’t see a way to be able to manage the time commitment, and it killed me because this is the first time in a decade that I haven’t been in the gym,” Guevara said. In high school, Guevara was a sports enthusiast, as he played multiple sports including varsity basketball, club volleyball and varsity cross country. Guevara also played basketball at Gavilan College for two years. Playing these various sports enriched his love for the game, which increased his passion for coaching. Guevara started working at UPA in 2007, since the school needed new staff and teachers.
7 | NEWS
“At first I thought it was just going to be a short-term thing while I helped get UPA off the ground, but I found that I really, really enjoyed working with kids and enjoyed the environment,” Guevara said. Guevara first started coaching high school sports as a boys’ JV volleyball assistant coach for Independence High School in 1988. Previously, Guevara coached eight different club volleyball teams in Northern and Southern California and multiple basketball camps as well. He later started coaching high school basketball in 1990 as a freshman coach at Rim of the World High School. Guevara then coached for various other teams such as the volleyball team for Leland High School, and he coached multiple club volleyball teams, but he did not coach as a full-time job until 2011, when UPA started its athletics program. Guevara coached because he was excited to share his experience and knowledge. Sports such as volleyball and basketball have always played a significant role in his own life. He also felt it was rewarding to witness the growth of a team—to come together in order to achieve something as a unit. “What I love about coaching is seeing the growth in a player and that passion for something that they love,” Guevara said. When Guevara first started coaching at UPA, the school only had a junior varsity basketball program, since there were not enough graduating seniors to make a varsity team. As UPA grew as a school in size and funding, there was more empha-
sis on sports programs. Bringing sports to UPA was a challenge because the sports programs were self-funded at first. Before, money for referees, league fees, uniforms and equipment were either fundraised through UPA’s sports boosters club or was paid for by the students. But over time, as UPA sports were more formalized and established, the school started to make space for sports in their budget and pay for what was previously fundraised. “I’ve been really proud to be part of the athletic tradition here at UPA and hopefully they can continue the tradition,” Guevara said. Senior Ashritha Cheeyandira has played varsity volleyball at UPA since she was a freshman, and every year she was coached by Guevara. Cheeyandira thinks that Guevara is a very strict coach, and he expects discipline, but in the best way possible. Compared to other coaches that Cheeyandira has had, she recalls how Guevara had the most experience coaching. He had knowledge about her position as middle blocker that her other coaches could not replicate. “In the ninth grade, I was a little intimidated by him,” Cheeyandira said. “But this year we got a lot closer and I could really see that he cares for our growth and that he knows what’s best for us.” One of Guevera’s favorite high school basketball moments as a coach was the 2018-2019 season during the CCS game. The varsity team only had seven players because half their team was on the junior
trip and the team captain was injured and in a cast. Guevara expresses how that match was one of the best games he had ever coached, as the team played flawlessly throughout the game. Even though the game ended in a loss by three points, he was able to see every player raise their level of play. “He was a really good coach even though he wasn’t perfect,” Cheeyandira said. “He had a really big impact on all of our lives.” The current varsity basketball coach at UPA for the past season and UPA alumnus Caleb Plasschaert was coached by Guevara all four years of high school, playing on the varsity basketball team from 2010 to 2014. As a player, Plasschaert was glad to be coached by Guevara since he helped him build a good foundation for basketball. “I always knew he cared about us as
people first which I think is the most important thing,” Plasschaert said. “And on top of that, he really was dedicated. I know that he was a very busy man since he lives very far away. But he always tried to get practice for us. He would come in early in the morning. So when you got a guy that cares about you, that’s doing everything he can to get the most out of you and the best for you, it’s gonna be a good experience.” Plasschaert described Guevara as very dedicated and passionate about coaching. He would always come in at 6 a.m. for practice even though he lived an hour away. Another anecdote that came to mind was when Guevara had a foot injury and still came in to watch every open gym and help the players. Even though Guevara does not coach sports, he still pays attention to the basketball season. He believes Plasschaert did a
“fantastic” job coaching the players and improving their games from the beginning of the season to the end. “Coaching is about discovering something about yourself that you’re passionate about, that you care about,” Guevara said. “Something that brings a challenge out in you. It’s about finding the best of yourself against a challenge with groups of people around you to make you better. It wasn’t just about the game and the x’s and o’s and knowing everything there is to know about that. But it was about finding the best in yourself by facing a challenge. A very tough challenge with people around you, where you make them better and they make you better.”
Tom Guevara high fives players from the 20142015 girls’ varsity volleyball team.
“Coaching is about discovering something about yourself that you’re passionate about, that you can care about.” -Tom Guevara Guevara watches and coaches a regular season home game from UPA’s 2013-2014 girls’ varsity volleyball team as former player Melissa Izquierdo serves the ball. NEWS | 8
$167,500
$41,388
UPA needs at least this amount from students selling cookies, boba and pizza to fund dances like prom.
UPA estimates that student payment for field trips will reach $41,000, which UPA will use to offset the estimated $65,000 cost for the trips.
field trips
fundraising
$48,960
food service sales
$92,500 donations
supplies
revenue
$458,455
$8,893,030
how upa uses its
$12,936 substitute pay
$8.5 m budget REPORTING & DESIGN BY VIDYA ACHAR
$3,048,404
teacher salaries
salaries
$5,642,735 $1,105,328
employee benefits
$816,329
classified salaries
9 | News
$21,000
other certificated salaries
$638,738
supervisor and administrator salaries
$2,500 uniforms
$50,000
internet/website fees
$60,000
my green lunch
$20,000 computers
$20,000
$45,450
student health services
security
UPA’s budget for security jumped from $5,050 last school year to $20,000 this year.
operating expenses $2,430,772
$39,000 sports
$76,000
professional development
$15,150
special ed instructors
UPA’s Budget At A Glance UPA’s 2021-2022 budget is used for administrator and teacher salaries, operating expenses and school supplies. A majority of the school’s funding comes from the state government, which provides money to charter schools and votes on reauthorization of the school every five years. As per Education Data Initiative, Californian K-12 schools receive $1,149 per student from the federal government, $8,017 per student from the state government and $5,158 per pupil from local funding each year. The total is about $14,424 per student per year, funded by income taxes and state funding. As such, UPA and other charter schools’ funding is directly tied to average daily student attendance records, with California being one of only six states that rely on student attendance. This year’s budget is based on last school year’s attendance records, which show an average daily attendance of 678.84 students. Along with attendance, the school’s size and facilities are factored into the finalized budget. Although UPA transitioned to distance learning for the 2020-2021 school year, the school still had operating expenses, albeit with less overall allocated funding. As UPA brought students back for in-person learning in August 2021, costs for sports, repairs and building maintenance and security jumped. While sports such as cheer, volleyball and basketball were put on hold because of the ongoing pandemic, starting Aug. 9, 2021, all sports teams have been playing games, which has led to a $39,000 allocation for sports alone. UPA’s security budget also rose from $5,050 in 2020-2021 to $20,000 in 20212022 to fund traffic police in the mornings during student drop-off. The traffic police are contracted through the Cathedral of Faith; the $20,000 goes towards the police’s hourly rate. UPA’s budget is available at upasv.org under the section BoardDocs.
$31,000
repairs and building maintenance news | 10
Students celebrate a heavenly prom night at the Silver creek country club
T
REPORTING BY ISAAC RIOS • PHOTOS & DESIGN BY CHLOE LUU
he senior prom committee hosted the junior and senior prom “A Heavenly Night” on April 29 from 7 to 11 p.m. at Silver Creek Valley Country Club. Unlike the 20202021 prom, juniors attended this year’s prom. Director of Community Development Laura Gordon Reska worked with senior advisers Ariana Rodriguez, Loren Schwinge and Esther Chen as well as the prom committee in order to plan the decorations, layout and choose the venue starting in October. “You have to plan months in advance and at the time, COVID-19 was pretty strong, so I had to pick a place that would meet pandemic needs,” Reska said. All Saturday dates at the Silver Creek Valley Country Club were already reserved, so a Friday date was chosen. As a result, 115 juniors and seniors—48% of those cohorts—were absent that Friday, and 28 went to school but left early to get ready for prom. Most teachers and faculty were aware of the mass absences which resulted in the creation of an email thread where teachers talked about the absences of their students. Upon arrival at the venue, students took many photos in front
of the entrance to mark the momentous occasion. Senior Blue Cuenco was even more fascinated by the inside of the venue. “I didn’t know what to expect,” Cuenco said. “I didn’t know what the venue looked like because I’ve never been here before, but it’s really nice.” Science teacher Vivien Chern, who volunteered to chaperone, saw prom as an opportunity to interact with her students. “I thought it would be cool to see my students outside of the classroom setting,” Chern said. “And after a year and a half of quarantine and the changes to the [flow] of the school year, it’s nice to bring a lot of that back here and see the juniors and seniors being able to experience that.” Upperclassmen enjoyed an engaging night at prom and they hope to fully cherish this meaningful event. “I want [prom] to be a core memory,” junior Alisa Tran said. “I want to have these pictures [of prom] and look back and say, ‘Oh my gosh, I had so much fun when I was a junior.’”
Attendees spend the night on the dance floor singing and dancing to the music.
11 | NEWS
Juniors Siddhartha Sarvepally, Kate Feng, Belinda Ho, Kelly Nguyen, April Nguyen and Reya Yeddula.
Senior Sainiranay Mantrala and junior Abdoulie Ceesay.
Seniors Raiden Miller, Quynh Tran and Ranveer Saini.
From left to right: Math teacher Esther Chen and seniors Sainirnay Mantrala and Ashritha Cheeyandira pose for a picture in front of Silver Creek Country Club.
Juniors Belinda Ho, Mahima Bhella, Kelly Nguyen, Taya Mapakdee and an outside guest.
Senior Rohan Khattri and an out-
side guest.
Students frequently visited the terrace throughout the night to enjoy the view, eat food and take photos.
Students took advantage of the photobooth, taking pictures with the white and gold setup throughout the night.
NEWS | 12
Teachers struggle with fatigue from school year ARTICLE BY SHAYNA TRAN • PHOTO ILLUSTRATION & DESIGN BY CHLOE LUU When many teachers dreamt of their future, they imagined the joy and fulfillment of teaching a subject they are passionate about. They got excited thinking about the students being able to fully understand and appreciate their exciting subject, but they did not realize the toll that it would take on them. “You’re thinking to yourself, man, I failed that test,” science teacher Reo Sato said. “But if several students fail a test, as a teacher, I feel like I failed those students. But I feel like sometimes teachers, including myself, have too much of an attachment and get too invested to a point where we’re kind of being stretched all over the place.” Teacher burnout is a psychological condition that leads to exhaustion, depersonalization and decreased teache r achievement and self-worth. It is typically a temporary condition in which an educator has exhausted the personal and professional resources necessary to do their job. Demoralization occurs when an educator believes they are unable to perform the work in ways that uphold the high standards of the profession. Sato, AP Chemistry and chemistry teacher, describes it as becoming too attached to the idea that they are doing something wrong. Science teacher Vivien Chern’s first year of teaching was during the transition from in person to online learning in 2020. “Being a new teacher, it’s really difficult to separate work from home, even when I go home during distance teaching,” Chern said. “It was even harder to separate that sometimes after school after everyone logs off Zoom. I would still be sitting at my computer until the evening past dinner.” UPA transitioned back to in-person learning for the 2021-2022 school year. Science teacher Elisheva Bailey was excited to come back to school and see her students, but she was worried about how the students would behave and how they would adapt to in-person learning. 13 | FEATURES
Chern agrees and feels the ninth graders are still in middle school because they lost that year and a half of social interaction. “I think there is still some learning loss, and I think students are still struggling to try and catch up with that,” Bailey said. “I was really worried when we first started school in August that everybody was just going to be socially inept.” Though teachers want everyone to do well in their classes, they find it hard to keep track of everyone. Bailey also finds it difficult to remember all of the small details that are important. Recently, she woke up at 2 a.m. and remembered she needed to prepare for a lab she had in the afternoon. “It’s important that they know I have 135 students, and I can’t be chasing everybody down all the time to turn in assignments because it’s hard,” Bailey said. “I have high expectations of them because they’re here at the school for a reason. I want them to do well, but they also have to meet me halfway.”
Over her three years of experience, Chern learned that being a teacher is not how she thought it would be like in elementary school. She pulled up a tweet that said, “Teaching: the only job
you have to work before you get to work, so you have work to do at work. Then, because there was no time at work to do work, you have to do work after work to catch up on the work you didn’t get a chance to do at work.” “Now I feel like I understand when my teachers in high school would be like, ‘You guys have no idea how much work or how long it takes to grade things and to get things back as fast as students wanted,’” Chern said. While teachers are helping to foster an educational environment with working computers and engaged students, they are also creating an environment where students feel comfortable enough to share their problems with their
teachers. “In an ideal environment, the teacher teaches, right? That’s technically what the job is, but teachers do so much more,” Sato said. “Within a classroom, they’re adult role models. They care about the students. If a student is having some sort of emotional struggle, we deal with that.” When there are moments during class that he can sense students are not paying attention, it makes Sato feel like they are not respecting him as a teacher. He understands that all students have off days, but he wants students to know that teachers are also human and it does affect them. “I think every teacher has had days where they were just like, ‘I am so ready for the end of the day,’” Sato said. “‘I want this class to be over. I want the school day to be over. I just want to go home and sit on the couch and watch TV. Do something else. I just don’t want to be here.’” Bailey feels like “the guy that spins the dishes on the stick, but new dishes keep being added.” She finds it hard to want to turn on the computer and do work when she gets home when all she wants to do is watch Netflix. Even though this year has been especially hard, when she experiences the “aha moment” with her students, it reminds her of why she started and is still teaching. “It’s the moment where the one student is struggling with something and all of a sudden they go, ‘Oh my gosh, I just got it right,’” Bailey said. “We call that the ‘aha moment,’ the lightbulb moment. It’s that one moment where it clicks. It means I’ve done my job and that student has done the critical thinking for them to do their job because it is their job to be here at school and sometimes that job is hard for both of us.”
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Hanging Out at New Heights Seniors battle their fear of heights by bouldering ARTICLE & PHOTO BY HAYLIE YEE • DESIGN BY VIDYA ACHAR
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enior Britney Stout’s fear of heights began at a young age, stemming from her father’s own fear. Whenever they came across high areas, he would retreat from the edge, and Stout followed in his footsteps. As she grew up, her fear of heights persisted despite her being old enough to make her own decisions. Due to her fear, Stout initially struggled to climb up the 15-foot walls when she began bouldering—rock climbing without ropes or harnesses—earlier this year with fellow seniors Arya Medapati and Sainirnay Mantrala to cross off an item on their holiday bucket list. “I used to go halfway up and then decide that was far enough and climb back down,” Stout said. “I’m very competitive, even with myself, so eventually it was like, ‘Okay, well, just keep going,’ ‘Do it, bet you won’t,’ in my mind and then I would push myself to keep climbing to the top. The more I did it, the more comfortable I got with being that high.” Stout, Medapati and Mantrala started with bouldering as it was more accessible than climbing with rope, also known as belaying, which required a license. While Medapati does not have a severe fear of heights similar to Stout’s, being high up in the air still induces some anxiety. “I feel pretty scared when I fall sometimes,” Medapati said. “I still have to overcome the fear, but it’s gotten a lot better since I started. Sometimes when I’m close to the top, I’ll be afraid to make a hard reach because I’ll be scared of falling and hurting myself.” When falling, boulderers are recommended to land on their feet, with their legs shoulder width apart with a slight bend. They roll on their backs with their arms crossed on the thick mats to prevent fracturing any bones. Climbers coat their hands
in chalk to prevent slipping, but minor injuries are still common. These can include blisters or small cuts from the holds. In non-emergencies at Movement Gym—where the seniors climb—the injured are given ice packs, but in the case of severe injuries, like torn muscles, sprained ankles and broken bones, the fire department is called. Spencer Kennedy, a gateway programs instructor, private coach and front desk worker at Movement, said at least one person a month has a severe injury. On March 1, Stout suffered a major
climbs and movements to try. In a climb called the “No-Hands Traverse,” climbers are not allowed to use their hands but can palm the walls. A dynamic movement, also known as a “dyno,” requires them to leap from hold to hold up the wall. “You need to be pretty fearless and pretty cocky,” Kennedy said. “I like to do a lot of dynos, and you have to get out of your own headspace and go for it. Ignore the consequences and go for it.” Additionally, there are different wall types that affect the climb too. The first, and simplest is a slab that requires balance and careful moves since the wall angle is greater than 90 degrees. The next wall is vertical, meaning the wall is mostly straight up. The last is overhang, when the wall angle is less than 90 degrees. “I like the concept of them, but [overhangs] are hard,” Stout said. “You literally have to put so much trust in your ability to hold yourself up onto that overhang, but they’re very accomplishing when you do complete them.” Each bouldering climb is graded on a V-scale from 0-17, however, at Movement gym, they range from VIntro to V9. V-scale is an abbreviation for Vermin after its creator John “Vermin” Sherman, a famous innovative climber. At Movement Gym, sections of walls are changed every week. They take down routes and create new paths of colored grips for climbers to attempt. “I used to run a lot for track, which was a good way to stay in shape, but then it’s also monotonous and boring,” Kennedy said. “Just running around a track. There’s nothing to do, nothing to spice it up. Climbing is a great way to stay in shape. There’s always something new to be doing, but then you’re also being healthy.” While the seniors have only bouldered indoors at Movement Gym, outdoor boul-
“Climbing is a great way to stay in shape. There’s always something new to be doing but then you’re also being healthy.” -Spencer kennedy
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sprain on her wrist while bouldering, not by landing badly but by slipping while her arm was stuck in a hold. “My mom asked me after she got to the ambulance when this happened,” Stout said. “She’s like, ‘Are you gonna go back?’ and I was like, ‘Yes. I will be back.’” Another critical tool required to prevent injuries and slipping are climbing shoes. They provide support and stiffness with thick rubber caps around the toes and heel. These prevent the shoe from coming off and allow climbers to perform movements called toe hooks and heel hooks. “They put a lot more rubber in the heel,” Kennedy said. “And that heel cup holds the shoe and that way you can utilize every inch of your foot.” In climbing there are a multitude of
Britney Stout returned to bouldering on March 28 after the doctor cleared her for climbing. Stout is pictured climbing a V1 on the blue path.
dering is a whole different world. Kennedy initially bouldered indoors but leapt at the chance to try outdoors with his co-workers. “Indoor bouldering is much different from outdoor bouldering—it’s a completely different experience,” Kennedy said. “When you go indoors, it’s very obvious where the holes are and how to grab them. Whereas outdoors, it’s really confusing on what to grab because you’ll see this big boulder and you’re like, ‘Can I hold on to that?’ and you got to go feel all around this little tiny crack and figure out how to properly climb.” Climbers cannot boulder outdoors during wet months because some rocks are made of sandstone that would rip unless the rock has dried for two weeks. “Outdoors is a lot more natural,” Medapati said. “It’s not in front of your eyes, and I think it’s a lot harder to plan if it’s
outdoor because there’s not like a direct route or anything to use and it’s more like a flatter rock.” Both Medapati and Stout are interested in outdoor bouldering yet equally terrified of it. “A lot of people say it’s less fun unless you’re a really good climber,” Stout said. “For example, I can climb a V6 at the gym and be bad at it and fall on to a mat, but if I try a V6 on the outdoor rock, and I’m not properly equipped or I’m taking bigger falls on thinner mats, that’s always a lot more dangerous.” In the gym, climbers have noticed a gender divide. Kennedy reported about a 60% male and 40% female demographic. During Stout’s first bouldering experience, she felt left out by the male domination of the sport. “When we first went, my friend and I met this other girl and she helped us by showing us all the techniques for beginners,” Stout said. “It was super nice to talk to another girl in this sport, especially since it was the first time I was there.” Medapati was the first to begin bouldering and to draw more UPA students into the sport. More recently, Stout invites anyone who might be interested as she believes it is a beneficial experience. “It became the same thing as texting our friends ‘Oh, you want to go get boba?’” Stout said. “We all liked it. It’s all something we enjoy doing and spending time with each other. So, it’s like you text a random group chat, or you text random people and then they text more people and it’s like, whoever shows up, shows up.” Stout and Medapati often go bouldering after school or on the weekends with friends from school or Stout’s soccer team. The size of the group varies from one to four but on occasion can reach seven people. features | 16
all have their own unique way of doing the boulder,” Medapati said. “I think with a group it’s a lot more efficient, and you can find the right way to do it and teach each other.” Stout found it easier to boulder with a small group of friends coming from the same school or the same team as they all have similar mindsets that aid planning or offering solutions to a difficult climb. “I don’t like when there’s a huge crowd of people watching me or helping me,” Stout said. “Because as much as I do appreciate the support, when there’s a lot of different opinions and thoughts coming in, it can cloud your personal way of thinking.” Along with her fear of heights, Stout’s stage fright makes her nervous when climbing with larger groups. The nerves create a fear that if she fails, there will be embarrassing consequences, so Stout takes fewer chances in front of a crowd. Medapati and Stout both use an app called KAYA where other climbers post videos of themselves doing climbs. They utilize it when stuck on a climb to see different routes others have tried before attempting the climb again. “[I] look down and see what I can grab onto,” Medapati said. “But most probably it fails because it’s hard to think of it in the moment, so I have to jump down and try again.” Even without the app, Stout and Medapati said the bouldering community was kind and helpful when they struggled. “There’s always people there that can help you,” Medapati said. “I remember once I struggled on something for a bit, and this guy came up to me, he told me what I might be able to do better. So, they’re very helpful.” While Medapati and Stout regularly boulder with a group, they occasionally go alone too. “It’s an isolated sport, but the people are always wanting to help,” Stout said. “If you want to know how to do one you can easily just walk over and ask someone. I really like that part because I don’t have to be disturbed but I have other people there.” Stout finds herself most stressed when she struggles to complete or finish something. She and Medapati have a love for bouldering because it takes their minds off their current troubles. “I like that it’s a workout on its own, but also that it lets me problem-solve in a different way,” Stout said. “I’m not thinking 17 | features
Arya Medapati took an introduction to bouldering class offered at Movement Gym where he learned techniques such as keeping his arms straight and standing on his toes to easily pivot. It aids him in devising his own strategy while climbing.
about a math problem. I’m looking at literal colored rocks. Like holes on a wall.” While bouldering is defined as a form of free climbing without the use of ropes or harnesses, Kennedy defines it differently. “It’s like a puzzle on the wall,” Kennedy said, “You get from point A to point B, and you have to solve it using your body and your strength. It’s a really weird way to describe it, but I like describing it that way.” After four months of bouldering and a sprained wrist, Stout is still afraid of heights. Her experiences have presented her with opportunities to manage the fear, and when Stout reaches the top of a climb, it reassures her that nothing terrible has happened yet. “I am still terribly afraid of falling from heights, but I’ve learned that they don’t have to be as scary as I thought by testing the limits and pushing myself to try harder climbs once I’ve become comfortable in the last,” Stout said. “But to be honest, sometimes when I [climb] I give my glasses to [my friend] because heights are a lot easier to manage when the floor is all blurry.”
Study Buddy Puppy
Kimberly Gavin’s emotional support dog, Murphy, creates a positive environment for both students and staff ARTICLE BY AMANDA REBOREDO • PHOTO BY CHLOE LUU • ILLUSTRATIONS & DESIGN BY DAHLIA PAUL
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ocial Science teacher Kimberly energy and enthusiasm is so cute.” “It makes me happy that Ms. Gavin Gavin fondly recalls her trip to Gavin considers Murphy calming can bring a dog to school, and it kind of Boise, Idaho as her favorite trip for both her and the students. When she reminds me of [myself] when I’m walkwith her dog, Murphy. Her parents needs support, she appreciates that he is ing my own dogs at home,” Ryan said. live in Boise, and the two went to visit readily available for her to pet. Ryan believes that having Murphy on during winter break. It was Murphy’s first “He’s really good about helping me campus is helpful to the students who intime seeing the snow, and Gavin noted find my center,” Gavin said. “Overall [he teract with him. how animated Murphy was. He was par- has] a calming presence, and he’s good “A lot of people come up to him and ticularly interested in running around and for other people in my classroom. I have start petting him,” Ryan said. “He really digging his face into the snow because of a whole bunch of students that come up helps boost people’s happiness in a way. how enamored he was, which attests to to him at the start of class.” For me, seeing a dog brings [happy] emohis eccentric and curious personality. tions that I don’t normally feel at school.” Murphy Bear Gavin is a Poodle and Gavin describes Murphy as curious Bichon mix that Gavin adopted on and excited, especially when he is at March 15, 2021 from a friend at her school and interacting with others on church. Aside from being her best campus. friend, Murphy is also an emo“I feel like he wants to be able tional support dog for Gavin. to get to know everybody on camIn order for Murphy to pus, and he’s always trying to be certified as an emotional meet somebody new,” Gavin support dog, Gavin had to said. “[English teacher Kristin] get approval by a counselor Moore has a beanbag chair, outside of UPA to prove she so he’s always jumping on the needed one. The certification beanbag chair to spend time with gets revisited and reviewed her too. And then he runs every every year in order to confirm morning to go see [social studies that the dog is still an emotionteacher Ariana] Rodriguez before al support animal. For Gavin to the start of school.” be able to bring Murphy on camAccording to Mussa, Murphy’s pus, she had to get permission from presence on campus brings a positive Executive Director David Porter. energy to UPA’s environment. Gavin decided to adopt “It just gets you excited and Murphy from a friend at her Murphy with his January BarkBox toy, which is a monthly happy and it definitely makes church not only as an emo- subscription service that supplies dog toys and treats. the learning environment not tional support pet but because stressful,” Mussa said. “Esher family has always had dogs. Growing One of these students is sophomore pecially during quizzes and tests, havup, her family owned a Shih Tzu, a West Amanda Mussa, who is in Gavin’s AP ing Murphy there makes it 10 times less Highland White Terrier and a third dog World History class and sees Murphy stressful.” that they could not figure out the breed of. since Gavin brings him to class everyday. Mussa recalls the time when Gavin Because of this, and the fact that Murphy She describes Murphy’s personality as gave her class an extra point on their is hypoallergenic, Gavin saw him as a that of a student. WHAP quiz because of Murphy. good choice for an emotional support pet. “He’ll be really tired and sleepy and “She brought him [off of the desk] and “My mom loves dogs.” Gavin said. lazy during WHAP,” Mussa said. “But let him walk around a bit,” Mussa said. “She was like, ‘Yeah, I think that Murphy when he’s outside and walking around, “And then he started barking really loudwould be a good fit,’ especially when we he gets super excited. I see this all the ly, and whenever Ms. Gavin would walk were looking at pictures of him.” time [but] whenever Ms. Gavin is walk- over to him, and he would go across the Gavin’s favorite thing about Murphy ing him and he sees people, he gets all room. When she walked over, he’d go is his excitement about life. tangled up around his leash.” across the room and he’d be barking. And “Coming to school, he wags his tail Sophomore Taryn Ryan, a student in we were all laughing, and it made the every single morning, and he’s just so ex- Gavin’s World History class, enjoys see- quiz less stressful, especially after laughcited to be at school,” Gavin said. “His ing Murphy on campus. ing and getting positive energy.” FEATURES | 18
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here is a certain beauty in the capability of capturing a raw representation of life in a single snapshot taken in real time. The camera materializes this phenomena into a reality. However, not many are aware of the vulnerability that a camera protects for the cameraman behind the photos. The real beauty of photography lies in its ability to allow the cameraman to communicate their perspective of the world in a non-verbal way. At least, that’s what senior Jenna Mi thinks. This was the reason Mi decided to pursue her hobby of photography and hone her talents into a photography business run communally within UPA. Mi’s interest in photography first sparked when she observed the developing labs used to scan film at her sister’s photography class. Mi quickly took interest in the DSLR camera her sister brought home and considers that moment the start to her photography journey. “As a kid, I was always interested in art, and in elementary school I was really into watercolor,” Mi said. “But then after a while, that wasn’t really my jam anymore, so I started looking for other creative outlets, and that was photography.” Mi transitioned to photography at ten years old with an outdated film camera. Initially, her parents were hesitant to buy her an expensive professional camera, as they believed most ten year olds are not fully aware of their passions and interests. Eventually, they were willing to consider buying her a camera if she was able to demonstrate actual interest. “Most of me showing my interest to my parents was watching YouTube videos to learn photography on big DSLR cameras by learning exposure, shutter speed, ISO, etc,” Mi said. “My parents also had me research camera models to find the best and most affordable model.” In 2017, when Mi was 13 years old, her parents bought her the Nikon D-7500 DSLR camera with 18-55 lens
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and 70-300 lens, which is the camera Mi currently uses, along with her Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra phone camera and Fujica STX-1N film camera. “My dad was definitely, when I started, someone that was a lot more helpful and supportive, taking me to places and judging my photos,” Mi said. Mi never pursued her interest in photography further by enrolling in professionally led courses or summer courses but rather learned from online articles, blogs and YouTube channels. “There is a YouTube channel called
“Photography is a
medium. You catch things in the way you want, the way you see things in the moment.” —Jenna Mango Street, and they have a very unique style that I really liked,” Mi said. “And so I watched a lot of their videos and they also had a lot of tutorials. I was really interested in how they explain things and also their photos, colors, compositions and overall vibe was very interesting to me. That’s what got me interested in creating my own style of photography.” Mi describes her style of photography as casual, yet still looking to find and grow her own individuality in her craft. Her exploration was halted due to the pandemic, impacting Mi’s ability to conduct freelance photography as often as before. “I took a break, and that definitely impacted my flow of taking photos because from 2017 to 2020, I was consistently going out on the weekends and on vacation with friends,” Mi said. “After COVID, I’ve been trying to get it back up, but it’s hard because I’m
kind of going through an artist block right now. It’s hard to want to take photos, but it’s definitely something I can see myself doing for a long time.” Mi prefers to take photos outdoors as opposed to portrait photography. She likes the open spaces in nature settings that allow her to capture different angles and experiment with different lightings. “I am a very socially awkward and unassertive person, so talking to people and posing them isn’t really my cup of tea, which is why I prefer photos of inanimate objects and landscapes,” Mi said. “Even if I have ideas and inspirations for photos and poses, it gets a little awkward sometimes, which is kind of a setback when it comes to portrait photos.” Mi founded her joint photography business with senior Tyler Yuen shortly after she heard of seniors showing interest in her film camera photography. Both had been photography buddies prior and were two of the only seniors to demonstrate interest in photography. “Tyler is definitely the more outgoing and adventurous photographer, so it’s nice to work with someone of his social caliber,” Mi said. Mi had previously offered to take photos of students at UPA’s prom three years ago, free of charge, because the concept of photographing others was still a new venture for her. Mi plans to charge her rates based on rolls of film camera used—$80 per roll for cheap -er film stock and $90 for the pricier film stock—as they can be expensive to purchase in bulk, ranging from $12-15. This cost excludes the cost of scanning, which can be anywhere from $10-30. Mi currently plans to keep her photography business local to the UPA community, as she is more comfortable with photographing students she is already familiar with. Of the photos she captures while photographing students, she prefers to photograph in both mediums of film camera and digital.
serenity snapshot. Senior Jenna Mi’s journey from freelance photography to starting her own business ARTICLE & DESIGN BY RIA PANDEY • PHOTO COURTESY OF JENNA MI “It definitely takes a lot more experience [to shoot on a film camera], and you can’t use trial and error for film,” Mi said. “You shoot it, and that’s it, that’s your only shot. You can’t go back and look at it, and the only time you can edit it is once you get it developed and scanned.” Despite the more elaborate process film demands, Mi uses her late Yeye’s film camera from the 80’s, which she fixed up last January, to capture daily shots of life lately. “I have been reaching more for film these days because when it comes to taking casual photos like your daily walks, film is definitely something
that adds a lot of character into photos,” Mi said. “With digital, I use it more when I am going out to travel or to photograph bigger places.” Mi advises people who want to explore photography to not be afraid to experiment with different styles. “When I first started, I was very against editing,” Mi said. “I was like, ‘You want the most raw photo you can get.’ But the thing with digital photography especially is that you can affect the lighting of photos, shutter speed and all that. The photo you get isn’t necessarily like what you see and through editing, you can get that, but also create something different.
So I would say don’t be afraid to experiment with that.” Mi does not plan on expanding her business after graduating but is open to see how her hobby develops and continues depending on the groups and friends she affiliates with in college, which might in turn dictate whether she decides to expand her business venture. “Photography is a medium. You catch things in the way you want, the way you see things in the moment,” Mi said. “It’s a different form of expression.” Jenna Mi took this photo in Porteau Cove, Canada.
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• The fan-tastic world of fanfiction • Fanatics write stories inspired by popular media ARTICLE BY GABRIELA ZUREK • DESIGN BY ALYSSA GARCIA
“People say ‘It’s weird. It’s gross. It’s cringe to read fanfiction.’ Let me live my life, dude,” senior Blain Michael, who has been reading fanfiction since the seventh grade, said. Fanfiction is a written piece of fiction that is based on another work and has no official affiliation with the creator of the original work. Websites dedicated to hosting fanfiction like Wattpad, fanfiction. net or Archive of Our Own are the most common places to read this form of writing. However, one can find pieces of fanfiction everywhere, from Tumblr blogs to YouTube comments. Although the term fanfiction has only been in use since 1939, it has existed long before the internet and can be dated back to the 18th century with the publication of novels. According to an article by the Atlantic, Jonathan Swift’s “Gulliver’s Travels,” published in 1726, caused a variety of fanworks to be made. In AP English Literature, students at UPA read “Wide Sargasso Sea,” a novel based on the book “Jane Eyre” that explores the backstory of Bertha Mason, a character whose past is not explored in the original novel. Fanfiction has continued to grow in popularity since then, from the rise and fall of fan magazines in the 20th century, to the modern website-based sharing of fanfiction. Michael began reading on Wattpad, which she said is a fairly negatively viewed website even in the fanfiction community. “Wattpad is usually filled by teenagers about the age of 12 or 13, so they’re not usually good,” Michael said. “They’re riddled with grammar mistakes, inconsistencies and dumb plots.” Both Michael and Wansia Suwannahinthorn, an eighth grader who started reading fanfiction last year, currently read fanfiction on Archive of Our Own, a site whose name is often shortened to AO3. According to Michael, the reader demographic on AO3 is older and tends toward high school and college students instead of middle school students, which aligns with the 2013 census on AO3. Another advantage to AO3 is the extensive tagging system, 21 | Features
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which allows authors to tag which characters, relationships, topics and tropes are in the fanfiction and provides an overview of the story’s content that other popular websites like fanfiction.net do not offer, according to Suwannahinthorn.
Fanfiction has a bad reputation, but to be honest, it really doesn’t deserve it. —Wansia Suwannahinthorn
Both Michael and Suwannahinthorn said that there are a large number of well-written works alongside the more poorly written ones. According to Michael, every fandom has standout works, no matter whether it is based on more mainstream media such as the TV shows “Supernatural” and “Doctor Who,” or on lesser known media such as the Dream SMP, a group of Minecraft streamers on a private survival multiplayer server. One of these standout works is “passerine,” a story in the Dream SMP fandom written by blujamas that has been read by over 74,000 people. Additionally, even less popular fanfictions can often reach the writing of a published novel. Michael described “What Bones Unearthed by Spring Thaw,” an Over the Garden Wall fanfiction, as very poetic. There is, however, a stigma that all fanfiction is poorly written. A large part of the stigma comes from the fact that some fanfictions have been made
into published works, with the most famous of these being “50 Shades of Gray,” which was originally a “Twilight” fanfiction titled “Master of the Universe.” “[50 Shades of Gray] is pretty badly written,” Michael said. “Actually, that’s kind of probably where the whole ‘Oh, fanfiction is badly written because it’s a fanfiction,’ originated.” The success of “50 Shades of Gray” led to a more widespread negative perception of fanfiction as its popularity highlighted one of the more poorly written examples of fanfiction. The amateur nature of fanfiction that comes with easy accessibility also helps this perception persist even among those who have not heard about franchises like “50 Shades of Gray.” “I hear about bad writing [in fanfiction],” Maddie Marshall, a freshman who hears about fanfiction from her online friends, said. “People overusing pronouns, [the writing] being not clear, and it being taken too seriously.” However, while the stigma surrounding fanfiction can often be found to have been based on these generalizations, both Michael and Suwannahinthorn said that there are issues in the fanfiction community—publishing pieces about real people instead of fictional characters. According to Michael, there is a common practice in the Dream SMP and related fandoms of asking creators whether they are comfortable with people writing fanfiction about them, and “shipping” them with other people in those fanfictions. “Shipping” means to place someone in a romantic relationship with another person, and often includes writing sexual content about the people being shipped. “You should ask permission specifically because there are a lot of people that are totally fine with it,” Michael said. “For example, Dream [Minecraft YouTuber] was like ‘Hey, you can write me in whatever fanfiction, I don’t really care.’ But then both Tommy and Tubbo [Minecraft Twitch streamers] were like, ‘Oh, I’m not that okay with that.’” Both Michael and Suwannahinthorn do not support shipping real people, however the issue with fanfiction when it portrays real people is that it often covers serious topics such as abuse, assault and suicide, all of which can be easily misrepresented because of varying skill
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levels of fanfiction authors. Sexual content is especially popular on fanfiction websites, with the sexual content tag being one of the most popular on AO3 with over 12,448,000 uses. Nevertheless, the stigma against fanfiction prevents discussion about both the issues and benefits of fanfiction within the majority of the UPA campus. “Fanfiction has a bad reputation, but to be honest, it really doesn’t deserve it,” Suwannahinthorn said. “You only have to make sure you know what you’re looking for and you know how to properly remove stuff that you don’t want to see.” Reading and writing fanfiction still continues to be a form of entertainment for students at UPA. Both Michael and Suwannahinthorn professed to have tried writing fanfiction, but only Michael has posted one of her works back when she was in seventh grade. It was a fanfiction about Team Crafted, an old Minecraft YouTuber group that no longer makes videos together, and though it was never finished, Michael remembers enjoying the experience. “It’s really nice when you got reads because Wattpad had this thing where it told you how many people had seen it and then clicked to the next chapter,” Michael said. “And it made you be like, ‘Oh my God, somebody cared enough to read what I wrote.’ That made me want to write more.”
People say ‘It’s weird. It’s gross. It’s cringe to read fanfiction.’ Let me live my life, dude.
—Blain Michael
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Vol. XI, Issue I February 15, 2022
Volume X, Issue II June 24, 2021
Volume X, Issue I April 27, 2021 Features | 22
No Student Left Behind How students use UPA’s 504 and IEP plans ARTICLE & DESIGN BY SANA PURDHANI • INFOGRAPHIC BY ALYSSA GARCIA
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n 1975, Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) and 504 plans were introduced into school systems to help students with learning disabilities increase their educational outcomes. Under the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHA), students with disabilities’ rights were legally recognized, which allowed them to finally attend public schools for the first time. In subsequent years, there was a gradual increase nationwide in the number of schools and teachers that implemented these optional plans. IEPs help students with disabilities implement specific goals so they are able to receive an equal opportunity in terms of education by motivating and supporting them to fulfill their educational goals. If all parties agree—–typically an administrator, the student and their legal guardians—–these plans can be adjusted when needed based on the individual’s progress, and are typically assessed every three years. There are 13 disability categories covered by the plan, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD), speech or language impairment, visual impairment and traumatic brain injury. Sophomore Lucas Hennings has had an IEP plan for eight years and took a front seat in designing and implementing it in order to feel more responsible for it. “The school is being really supportive of our needs and how we have different ways to learn,” Hennings said. “I can’t think of any problem I have had that UPA hasn’t been willing to talk about. I am quite happy with how my IEP is being handled.” 504 plans have the same end-goal as IEP plans—–to help students succeed in school—–but they are covered by different laws. With a 504 plan, the accommodations have a wider range and are not as extensive, but specifically address disabilities. Accommodations can vary from preferential seating and extended time on assignments to modified textbooks and behavior management support. More students meet the requirements of a 504 plan since there are fewer rules for applying, including having a disability that affects a student’s physical, emotional or cognitive disabilities. Schools prefer to have a diagnosis or some proof of a student’s mental disability to qualify for a 504 plan. Director of Special Programs Jean Mastrogiacomo said just under 10% of students at UPA have either an IEP or 504 plan—
which is around 60 students. This is her second year managing the IEP and 504 plans on campus. Mastrogiacomo said students with these plans have the ability to succeed academically, but the plans provide mechanisms to remove roadblocks and provide students with access to learning in a method that is more personalized to their specific needs. “I think they’re super necessary in a lot of cases,” Mastrogiacomo said. “Because each child doesn’t learn the same way and each child may have different challenges that present itself where they just can’t succeed in the traditional kind of structure with the rest of the kids.” According to EdSource, due to COVID-19 and distance learning, the number of 504 plans spiked nationwide. Last year, nearly one in every eight California children in grades K through 12 received specially designed instruction, an increase of 14%. Although the majority of students in special education have learning disabilities, much of the spike is attributable to increasing autism diagnoses. There has been a definite gradual increase in plans over the past couple of years as noticed by Spanish teacher Aimee Verapinto. “They’ve increased quite a bit,” Verapinto said. “I think there might be a connection to COVID-19 in that era of learning loss, and that year where kids experienced a lot of anxiety coming back to the world, so to speak.” Hennings believes that distance learning was beneficial to finding an important accommodation that works well for him. “The switch to distance learning actually benefited me greatly,” Hennings said. “Because of how well I actually excelled during that time when everything was digital, I actually just recently added the ‘computer for everything’ accommodation ability to my IEP. The decrease in writing and the increase in digital work has benefited me a lot.” Mastrogiacomo believes that more students are being identified, through teachers at school or tests that psychologists provide, and are reaching out for help at UPA. “It could be things that went unnoticed that are being brought up now so people can get the support they need,” Mastrogiacomo said. Verapinto describes her experience working with students that
“The school is being really supportive of our needs and how we have different ways to learn.” — Lucas Hennings
23 | FEATURES
have these plans. “It can be both challenging and rewarding,” Verapinto said. “If you’re able to reach that kid and figure it out and have them succeed, then it’s super rewarding, but I’m not gonna lie or sugarcoat it, it’s also incredibly challenging, especially the behavioral ones.” After Christine De La Roca, the previous Resource Specialist Program teacher, retired, Steve Sellers, one of Executive Director David Porter’s friends, stepped up, came out of retirement, and joined UPA’s staff during the second semester to fill the open RSP teacher position. He has a background of 15 years of teaching special education. Sellers believes that the RSP class for IEP students is beneficial to them because they are able to finish their work and have extra support. “The class is kind of like a study skills class,” Sellers said. “Students have that extra period to get stuff done and ask questions when they need to.” Sellers, in his first two months at UPA, expresses that he has not yet experienced behavioral issues with his RSP students
and his biggest challenge is getting to know them since he joined during the middle of the school year. “Well, for me, it’s because I’m coming in second semester with school already started, so part of it is just building the rapport and relationship with the students,” Sellers said. “The kids are all really respectful and overall pretty responsible when we do oneon-one meetings when I check in with them and make sure they’re on task. There’s not really any behavior issues at all so that’s a plus for sure.” Sellers believes that the RSP class can be very beneficial to students by teaching efficient, tailored learning strategies and supporting the curriculum with resources to help students succeed during classroom instruction. Even after coming in as a teacher during the second semester, Sellers is very positive about his hopes for the RSP class. Sellers said, “I think all students need a consistent person that you know that’s going to be there…I think kids are always looking for that.”
Source: UPA Board Documents During distance learning in the 2020-2021 school year, around 53% of students in the subgroup of students with special needs had passing grades in marking period 1 and during the in-person 2021-2022 marking period 1, there was an increase to 65% of students having passing grades.
FEATURES | 24
Always on the Lookout A glimpse into the life of campus supervisor Dorene McClung ARTICLE BY DAHLIA PAUL • PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY AMANDA REBOREDO • DESIGN BY TYLER YUEN
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orn and raised in California, Dorene McClung graduated from the University of San Francisco. Some of her hobbies include baking and cooking, which she enjoys a lot during the holidays, especially during Christmas and Thanksgiving. In the future, one of her goals is to travel domestically in the United States by RV. “I just would like to get a better scope of the United States,” McClung said. “I [would] just like to see all the things that the United States has to offer that I’ve heard about all my life.” McClung started working at a tuxedo rental when she was 16 years old, and over the years she has worked in fields such as human resources, event planning, marketing for the high tech industry and pharmacy technology. “I was a stay-at-home mom for many years by choice,” McClung said. “My husband and I made that decision before we had children that we wanted to raise our children ourselves. So by choice, we decided as a married couple that if we were going to have kids, one of us to kind of [decided to] stay home and so I stayed home.” McClung has two daughters who both attended UPA. She learned of the job from students who were a part of her carpool and in a leadership group. They were starting to make the student store and asked McClung if she could buy products for them. “I was dropping off all the stuff that they asked me to get, and the students were in the energy bar by themselves,” McClung said. “I just volunteered. Basically, I just said, ‘Hey, it looks like
McClung waves outside the parking lot where she is normally stationed to supervise duing lunch.
25 | FEATURES
there’s no adult supervision. I would feel better if there was adult supervision.’” McClung has worked at UPA since 2009 and started out with the role of being a parent volunteer as well as helping manage and run the student store. Later on, there was an opening for the front office and she applied, starting out part-time at the front desk and later on moving to full-time. At the front desk, something that McClung looked forward to was opening time. “It was always so nice to come in every morning,” McClung said. “Turn on all the lights, unlock all the doors, get the place
“If I changed one person’s life or helped one person get through a rough spot, then that would be very rewarding.” - Dorene McClung ready for the day, and then start greeting people as they came in, welcoming [students], and trying to help students get what they needed to have their day be a success.” After UPA came back from distance learning in 2020, McClung noticed changes at the front desk, one of which includes the glass barriers which she felt were important but made interaction with students and parents more difficult. So in January 2022, McClung changed roles at UPA from the attendance clerk to a campus supervisor. “When last semester started, I noticed a lot of different things and one thing that really bothered me personally was that I didn’t feel like I was fulfilling my obligation to the school in a way that I had prior to last semester,” McClung said. “[As a supervisor,] I’m providing a better service by doing a better job.” Her transition from working at the front desk to supervising was not complicated for her due to the help from training and support from the other supervisors. “I really like being a campus supervisor,” McClung said. “I’ve been really pleased with the change. Working the front desk changed a lot over the years as most things do. As a supervisor, student interaction is something that McClung enjoys. “Just to all the students being so appreciative like saying hello to me and when I hold the door open they always say thank you and if I say good morning they say good morning,” McClung said. “Just the kindness that I hope that I showed them and the kindness that they definitely show me.”
Welcome to the Office UPA’s front desk recieves a fresh face ARTICLE AND PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY MARIAH MYERS • DESIGN BY SANA PURDHANI
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njelica Frausto has a passion for sports, students and her family as the new front office and attendance clerk starting in the 2021-2022 school year. Sports have had a major impact on her life. “I love sports, such as football, fantasy football, basketball and hockey,” Frausto said. “I play in two fantasy football leagues every year, went into the championships and won.” Frausto’s hobby of fantasy football came from her family and friends who helped her decide which team to be drafted into and participate in. Fantasy Football, in short, is a game in which participants create their own team of players from real players in the National Football League (NFL). “I started a brand new league with some friends, and they invited me two hours before the draft even started,” she said. Frausto has a strategic way of planning who plays during her games to help her win this year. “I do a lot of research and stay on top of injuries of certain players,” Frausto said. “Injuries are the best way to figure out who you want to play during the game.” Frausto does not just spend her free time watching sports; she also has a love for plants. With an interest in plants, she uses her passion to create a business of her own aside from her work at UPA. “I have a plant hussle on the side called ‘Gardening Succs,’” Frausto said. “I sell plants, self-painted pots and little arrangements.’’
“Working in education has just been easy for me, and when I started working, it was kind of natural” - Anjelica Frausto Frausto started her business through Instagram, and over time, she started doing pop-up shops, selling her plants to the public. She would participate at pop-up events hosted by other small businesses at public parks or at someone’s home. She wants her business to represent who she is, so she designed everything herself, including the logo. She named her business “Gardening Succs” with two c’s for a play on words because she sells succulents and succulent arrangements. “I designed the logos on Canva and printed everything out on sticker paper, putting QR codes on them so people could access my account,” Frausto said.
Having been surrounded by plants from her family and friends, Frausto has always wanted to be a “plant person.” The birth of her son helped her to realize she wanted to pursue her personal plant business when she was planning out her son’s nursery room. “I had always loved the cactus aesthetic when my friends first started gifting them to me for my son’s nursery room,” Frausto said. “I filled everything with cacti, so finally I was thinking to myself that I could make a business out of this.” In college, Frausto studied Business at Evergreen Valley College but went in another direction because of her parents, who worked in education. Frausto’s father is a retired teacher and a principal, and her mother worked as a truancy officer. With her family being such a strong influence in her life, she decided to follow in their footsteps which is where she is today. “Working in education has just been easy for me, and when I started working, it was kind of natural,” she said. Frausto started working at UPA on Jan. 21 and former front office and attendance clerk Dorene McClung taught Frausto the ins and outs of working at the front desk. “I was with Mrs. McClung for one day on the job and after that, I just went straight into the position, and it went smoothly,” Frausto said. Since her first day of work, Frausto has come to like the students and staff at UPA, and thinks she will be staying at UPA. “Most of the charter schools I worked at worked with low income students,” Frausto said. “I have worked with charter schools for a very long time. The students here are so well- motivated, well-behaved, very thoughtful and overall so talented too.” Frausto’s hobbies make up who she is inside and outside of her job here at UPA and now knowing this about her will help people get to know her at school. “I am very dedicated to this work and a very big people person which really describes who I am,” Frausto said.
Anjelica Frausto stands behind her desk in the front office waving during seminar on April 7. FEATURES | 26
prestige comes at a price Why UPA’s should change its stance on two-year colleges ARTICLE & PHOTOS BY TYLER YUEN • DESIGN BY AKHILA AYYADEVARA
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t the lunch table, I have heard my classmates crack jokes about the thought of attending community college, many of them mocking its low prestige. Others laughed at the fewer prerequisites needed to attend and believed they were “too good” for these schools. In my nearly six years at UPA, community college has been unfortunately excluded from the popular narrative to make way for the glorification of expensive, prestigious four-year universities. By stigmatizing community colleges, UPA is pushing students to choose routes that may not be best suited for them. Community colleges need to be accorded the same level of respect as four-year universities are. Community colleges have benefits that high school students tend to overlook. 2022 was an exceptional year for college admissions, reaching a record high number of applicants. Despite 20 to 50 UPA students applying to each UC, no more than one to 11 students reported receiving acceptances for each, with the rest being rejected or waitlisted. Community college opens up the opportunity to transfer to the CSU or UC system, which could be a second chance at admission for students. Furthermore, students can save money by taking general education classes at community college and transferring. Unexpectedly, the stigma against community colleges begins in the decoration of our learning environment. By having solely prestigious colleges and universities decorating the hallways and classroom names, UPA demonstrates its bias towards these Founded in 1975, Mission College in Santa Clara, California serves over 10,000 students.
27 | Opinion
schools. Even the name “University Preparatory Academy” roots out community college as a viable option. In order to improve, our school needs to be more inclusive of all colleges and academic decisions, which may start with a simple pennant hung up in the hallway. Student culture is just as bad as the banners we hang on the wall, with an increasingly toxic academic atmosphere driven by college admissions. Students are driven to best their peers instead of choosing the academic route best fit for them. Despite UPA competition being so apparent among students, seminar lessons have never revolved around acknowledging the issue. Our seminar lessons need to incorporate more community-college-inclusive language starting from seventh grade. Class rank only adds fuel to the fire, with students competing to rank anywhere in the top 10% of the class. Therefore, class rank should only be accessible to administrators and college admissions officials, and be classified for students. Being reduced to a number among peers exacerbates the competition to attend prestigious universities. Annual college presentations that we have seen since seventh grade do nothing to introduce community college options, only outlining paths to UCs, CSUs, private and out-of-state schools. This is furthered by the senior project, which makes it a requirement that all students must apply to at least one four-year college, a decision which has the potential to waste valuable time and money for seniors looking to attend community college. A gradewide lesson given by seminar coordinators would open up discussions on how to combat the mental stress of toxic academic competition. This would ultimately enable students to feel comfortable choosing a route through community college when not pressured to choose a path of prestige. Community college has never been an option, unless we take it upon ourselves to make it one.
It's Time To Update The Handbook Delving into the outdated and exclusionary language of UPA’s handbook ARTICLE BY EDITORIAL BOARD • PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY KYLA ULUG • DESIGN BY APRIL NGUYEN
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rom sexist language to a disregard for student mental health, UPA’s student family handbook is rampant with ethical issues that make it unfit to guide student and family behavior. As such, Aquila’s editorial board encourages the UPA administration and Board of Directors to critically review and update the handbook to better represent and care for our student body. On page 25, under “Enforcement of Common Dress,” the handbook states that students who are unable to correct their dress to abide by dress code will be asked to call home for replacement clothing. This guideline not only instills in students that their education comes second to their presentation, but also disregards parent workdays. Unless for practical reasons, this level of scrutiny and importance should not be afforded to such a minor offense.
“If 'females' bully by exclusion, do 'males' bully with violence? How do non-binary students bully?”
handbook, of all places, is unnecessary and sexist, and should be removed or replaced. The handbook only uses he/she pronouns and avoids using “they,” creating an implication that students falling elsewhere on the gender spectrum are not welcome. Additionally, the word “males” is never used in the handbook, making the dehumanizing connotation of the word “females” all the more glaring. On page 47, under suspension offenses, in order to warrant suspension, reported cases of sexual harassment must be “considered by a reasonable person of the same gender as the victim to be sufficiently severe or pervasive to have a negative impact upon the individual’s academic performance or create an intimidating, hostile or offensive educational environment.” Going by this metric, any random person of the same gender as the victim can completely invalidate their experience. The negative impacts listed, too, demonstrate a
surprising disregard for the victim’s mental health—is sexual harassment only an issue when it results in lower grades or an uncomfortable external environment? We implore the administration to consider the internal and often invisible impacts of sexual harassment on the victim’s mental state. These are just as severe, if not moreso, than a drop in grades. Ultimately, it’s time to re-evaluate. We implore the UPA administration to look at the handbook’s language and policy with a critical eye and revise it to fit UPA’s ever-diversifying student body.
On page 43 of the handbook, under examples of “specific observable bullying behavior,” it is stated that “isolation and exclusion of the victim is common among females who bully.” This section and the handbook as a whole not only include zero information about corresponding “male” bullying tactics, but also conform to an idea of binary gender that is not inclusive or representative of UPA’s students. If “females” bully by exclusion, do “males” bully with violence? How do non-binary students bully? The use of binary gendered language in the bullying section of the
OPINION | 28
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The Woman's Dilemma: Man or Monster? For those of us who can’t tell the difference anymore ARTICLE & DESIGN BY JANESSA ULUG • ILLUSTRATION BY ALYSSA GARCIA 29 | OPINION
Trigger warning: Includes mentions of sexual assault and harassment. hen I was nine, the son of my next-door neighbor put his hand in my pants while we were swimming in his pool. Later that day, his brother watched me through a window as I changed in the bathroom. Even as a young child, my first instinct was not one of recoil— of disgust and offense—but rather shame and insecurity; he had seen my ugly, prepubescent body naked. When I was twelve, jumping awkwardly at my first school dance, a boy pulled the hem of my sleeve to tell me, “I can make you feel pressure between your legs.” I wanted to laugh out loud at his overblown confidence. By that point in my adolescent life, my faith in boys had already been eroded. I knew the lay of the land; I no longer flinched in surprise when boys rated our swimsuit bodies during P.E. or groped us on “Slap Ass Friday” in the hallways. Depressingly enough, I bought into the mantra we all know: boys will be boys. When I was thirteen, a senior prodded me to tell him “how far” I’d gone. “Have you touched yourself?” His eyes gleamed with satisfaction, and I wondered if he got some sick pleasure out of the question. Maybe the answer would be material for him to think about while he masturbated. Maybe to gauge how “pure” I was—innocent, untouched by the hungry, corrupting hands of lust—and fantasize about the extent to which he may unravel me. The thought that my mere existence could be so sexual in the eyes of a man disgusted me to my core. When I was fourteen, a boy in my grade wrote two erotic stories about me and a couple other boys who had been crushing on me. They spread through text message, and I got a firsthand glimpse of how boys saw me. A perverse fairytale through which I could grasp the fruits of their desire. I, a scrawny, awkward nerd with A-cups, was depicted as some sort of sex goddess—an object to satisfy these boys’ desires. The blue sweater I wore to school every day was a garment I could seductively remove, and my flat chest was a pair of “cute boobs.” When the administration called me in to testify about the stories and against a student who would eventually be expelled, I felt surprisingly indifferent. Numb. And, somehow, I found my feminist self shrugging and repeating the same phrase I’d vowed never to believe: “boys will be boys.” Sitting here, recounting this, I’m stupefied, and all my brain and fingers know to do is write. Write to vent, write to educate, write to “raise awareness.” It all feels so futile, knowing my words will never reach the ears of those who need to hear them. And, if they do, they might just smirk with the knowing air of someone who won’t be caught or insist they’re not like the men I speak of. In all of this confusion, I have one question. Are they all like
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this in the right situation? The perfect circumstances—down to the ambiance, the time of day, the alcohol content. Is this evil just waiting in all good men, dormant, like some kind of virus? Perhaps it is parasitic, and my dreams are its host. Perhaps that could explain the nightmares that leave me paralyzed with defeat in the dead of night. In my dream, I am talking to a friend. He is telling me it wasn’t his fault, and to trust him, and that she wanted it. In the next dream, a handsome man with friendly features is breaking into my home and telling me to be quiet. In the next, I try to scream, try to move, but I can’t. I am silent and still, waiting for what is inevitable. Waiting for the day that I, too, can add my name to the statistics, add my account to a catalog of sad stories we read online. I think this to myself in the calm of dawn as early birds begin to chirp—the only welcome I receive upon waking up from my nightmare. I find myself crafting scenarios that could unearth that virus, that urge—that instinct in hibernation. Picture this. Just the right party, with just the right number of guests and just the right reverberating bass, deafening everything in its wake. Just the right low lighting and just the right amount of guests wallflowering in the corner, dancing with friends, throwing back shots, hooking up on the couch, so you can slip away with just the right vulnerable drunk girl, undetected. It was consensual, right? You hardly know, and who could blame you? The night was a whirlwind, and now, you have a headache— just go to sleep and forget about it. There won’t be any consequences, after all. Maybe a questioning text in the morning from a girl you used to be friends with and the awkward distance that ensues. But you get to keep the rest—your friends, your family, your education, your reputation. What a deal. I don’t know what my point is, exactly. What I do know is that a friend I trusted to accompany me home when I was being harassed by a man in my neighborhood is now being investigated for raping one of my classmates. What I do know is that a sober man will jump at the opportunity to hook up with a drunk girl. What I do know is that I don’t have enough fingers to count the number of women I know who’ve been assaulted. I feel like I’m shouting into a void. I feel like we’re all too far gone to call out misbehavior when we see it. I feel like I don’t trust myself to tell the difference between a man and a monster. And, most of all, I’m struck with a profound sense of mourning. What does it mean to be a good man? And are there any left?
I feel like I’m shouting into a void. I feel like we’re all too far gone to call out misbehavior when we see it. I feel like I don’t trust myself to tell the difference between a man and a monster.
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OPINION | 30
Wht a hapend to the Birds and the Bees? Sex education unit returns to UPA after three years ARTICLE & PHOTOS BY APRIL NGUYEN • ILLUSTRATIONS BY ZAINAB SHAIKH • DESIGN BY AMANDA REBOREDO
31 | IN-DEPTH
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hen eight grader Romita Pakrasi and her classmates believed they already knew everything about puberty, sex and everything else this play was trying to teach them since they were “all-knowing” pre-teens and teenagers. During the 2017-2018 school year, Kaiser Permanente Educational Theater’s production of “Nightmare on Puberty St.” paid a visit to UPA’s seventh and eighth grade students. When asked about it, Pakrasi laughed and faintly recalled filing into the gym as an eighth grader to see a huge stage set up. Although she had forgotten most of the play, she remembered a specific scene about a suicide hotline and number and “that’s about it.” “Everyone just thought it was stupid and funny,” Pakrasi said. “No one was actually paying attention to anything they were saying. It really did not inform us at all, about anything relating to sex.” Science teacher Elisheva Bailey, who teaches ninth grade biology and human body systems, joined the science department at the start of the 2020-2021 school year and brought with her the idea and dedication to teach a comprehensive sex education unit: Health Connected’s Teen Talk. This curriculum meets the requirements of the California Healthy Youth Act, teaching about sexual health and sexuality using gender inclusive language. It specif-
“"We live in the
2121st century; I feel like we don't have to focus on such a traditional paradigm because I think there's a lot more interesting ways to discuss sex." - Daniel Tarbet
healthy relationships, decision-making and communication skills, improving family communication, sexual safety, consent and the law, gender, sexual identity, sexual orientation and sexuality in the media. Bailey believes the sex education curriculum should be introduced during the second semester of freshman year, as incoming freshman lack a level of maturity and attentiveness for the first several months of the school year. Furthermore, the human body systems unit in the biology curriculum conveniently segues into sex education, and by late into the second semester, Bailey would have already established a connection with students to make the unit a more comfortable learning experience. “I absolutely anticipate giggling and lots of snickering, and I have to account for that,” Bailey said. “I’m just like, ‘Get it out,’ you know, ‘Go ahead and do it,’ It’s uncomfortable, Science teacher Deana Arnold reads a scenario about a especially when lesbian couple. She asked the seniors to stand up at any you’re having this point of her reading the story when they feel the relainformation given tionship becomes abusive. They collectively stood at the to you by somebody mention of one partner's possessiveness over the other. who’s not your parent.” UPA closed in reically covers sexual and reproductive anatsponse to the COVID-19 pandemic in the omy, birth control options, STIs (including 2019-2020 school year starting March 16, HIV), personal values, abstinence and rewhich is approximately a third of the way fusal skills, developing and maintaining
into semester two. Since the sex education unit is better suited for the latter half of the semester, the class of 2023 was never taught the curriculum, as Bailey worked with the UPA administration to decide the content can be too personal and uncomfortable for virtual learning. For a similar reason, the class of 2024 also missed out on this unit in their full year of distance learning for the 2020-2021 school year. In the absence of this unit, the current sophomores and juniors have turned to other sources of information including parents, siblings and cousins, friends, online platforms including social media, TV shows and online sources. “I think a lot of people have misconstrued conceptions of how relationships are,” Bailey said. “They don’t know the law. They don’t know how to say no. They see things online, and they see things on TV, and they think that that’s how it is, how relationships are or how people interact with each other. It’s just not true; what’s on TV is fiction. What happens in real life is different, and people just don’t know. There’s just things that they don’t get.” However, the beauty in having all that information out there is that there is so much to explore that goes beyond the bounds of even the most comprehensive curriculums, especially for the topic of sexuality that has a widely undiscussed history and nuanced psychological complexities. “There are a lot of other things I learned that were more interesting. For example, queer theory from Michel Foucault, or podcasts about unconventional relationships— the types of stuff I feel like we don’t get to learn a lot,” junior Daniel Tarbet said. “We live in the 21st century; I feel like we IN-DEPTH | 32
“They see things online, and they see things on TV, and they think that that's how it is, how relationships are or how people interact with each other. It's just not true; what's on TV is fiction.” - Elisheva Bailey
don’t have to focus on such a traditional paradigm because I think class. there’s a lot more interesting ways to discuss sex. I remember Mrs. “A lot of us are already 18 and doing sex education now,” PaBailey was planning to talk about transgenderism and stuff. I want krasi said. “It’s good that they’re doing it, but it’s really late.” to learn about that.” Schwinge believes the missing curriculum was due to two facAccording to Health Connected, an estimated two weeks of 11 tors: UPA’s shared space with a church and state requirements. Alsessions are recommended to effectively cover all the topics of the though UPA is not a religious school, in Schwinge’s experience, curriculum. However, the current plan included teaching a con- the expectations of the church and community of parents might densed version of Teen Talk only to seniors during seminar periods have affected the presence of sex education. Moreover, the state of on March 31, April 5 and April 7. Working with science teach- California did not require more than an education on HIV preveners Loren Schwinge and Deana Arnold, Bailey explained that the tion for charter schools before 2019. For Schwinge to teach sexual senior class was divided into three groups to be taught in three health, she had to approach the UPA Board of Trustees. 60 minute periods each run by a different teacher. Each session “The board did not allow me to teach sexuality to ninth graders, will cover one of three topics—STIs and HIV, contraceptive and so I was able to only do so in AP Psychology because it’s literally birth control options and healthy relationships—that Bailey and the other teachers believed to be the most essential topics of the entire curriculum. “We decided we’re going to take three topics that we think are relevant because they’re graduating, and they’re going to college,” said Bailey. “We’re not gonna have time [to cover the entire curriculum]. If I were a mom, and I am, I had to pick [these three topics]. I had to narrow it down; I had to make the call.” Previously, Schwinge taught biology to the freshman class, and embedded a unit on the teenage brain with information covering reproductive anatomy, safe sex and STDs. However, when former science teacher Christopher Lucas and current science teacher Vaishali Patil taught ninth grade biology, sex education was not included in the curriculum. This resulted in several cohorts of freshmen going about A group of students works together to read descriptions of different sexutheir high school careers lacking a formal ally transmitted infections and match them to the correct name given on a sex education, including UPA’s current senior separate worksheet. 33 | IN-DEPTH
Students follow along as Arnold demonstrates the proper use of a condom. part of my curriculum, but that was still not received well with the original board,” Schwinge said. “And that’s different. Our board members are very different now.” With an established curriculum and plan in motion, a comprehensive sex education is expected to be taught to both cohorts of seventh and ninth grade students by the end of this school year. However, Tarbet believes that freshman year is not the best time to teach this unit. “I honestly think [as a] sophomore or junior, you have a higher level of being able to process the information you’re taking in and being able to have mature discussions about it with your classmates and your teachers,” Tarbet said. In contrast, Schwinge thinks it is both appropriate and important to educate students in these grade levels. “The more we make it normalized, the better it is because kids will have all the data they need to make the decisions that are best for them and to be aware of things that might happen in the future,” she said. “What I love about some of the junior high content is talking about toxic relationships and being pressured, and I wish someone had told me some of that stuff when I was younger.” The version of Teen Talk designed for middle school includes all of the same topics as the high school version. Arnold explained that she plans to use collaborative worksheets to teach these topics and to assign questions to ask their parents to start the discussions at home, regardless of the comfortability. Bailey explained that for the high school curriculum, each topic includes an interactive activity that will allow the freshmen to actively participate and exchange information with each other. For example, to practice healthy relationships, the students will receive different scenarios to consider and act out that might challenge their ideas and knowledge about what a healthy relationship is. In addition, both teachers plan to anonymously collect at least one question or topic of interest from each student related to sexual health or sexuality
at the end of each class period to answer or discuss the next day. However, not all the seventh graders and freshmen will be receiving this engaging learning experience as two students’ parents have already made the decision to opt their children out of this unit. They will instead be given the material to read on their own and demonstrate participation and understanding in the form of an assignment. This passive learning plan will give students the opportunity to learn everything that is covered in the regular curriculum, but they will not experience active interactions with their peers. On the other hand, some parents feel very strongly about ensuring their children have a comprehensive knowledge regarding sex and sexuality, such as Joe Felchlin, a UPA parent. “For a lot of kids, their parents don’t want to talk about it with them, and the school does a very light treatment of [sex education],” Felchlin said. “I think that’s a disservice to our youth,” Felchlin said. “I wish that schools would have a frank discussion about sex and what it is and not in a context of religion or morality, but just what it is, the risks from disease and early pregnancy, what those consequences can be, etc.” Ultimately, the science teachers, with the support of the administration and the board, want to educate students in order to give them, as young adults, the opportunity to make informed decisions in their lives beyond UPA. “The core message is that everybody has questions, whether they want to admit it or not,” Bailey said. “The second thing is that people think that there’s something wrong with them because they think about it all the time, whatever it is, and I want to allay the fears that in most cases, whatever you’re doing or thinking or feeling is normal. That’s really, I think, the core of what I want to get across, and the curriculum lends itself to that, in addition to just making sure that they know what’s real and what isn’t real.” IN-DEPTH | 34
The Unspoken Fear Undocumented immigrants discuss their experiences living in uncertainty ARTICLE & PHOTOS BY ANIBAL GONZALEZ • DESIGN BY ABHISHEK MYNAM Editor's Note: Given the sensitive nature of the topic, Santiago's name has been changed to protect the student's identity.
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ere in our beloved Bay Area, known for its diversity and progressive culture, immigration is a powerhouse which contributes to its beauty. But as much as we as a community accept each other and refrain from discriminating based on legal status, it does not take away from the fact that legal persecution is still practiced. This reality is something many individuals all over the Bay deal with and our close community at UPA is no exception. In this piece, I wish to discuss not just the statistical aspects of immigration but rather dig into the reality immigrants share from an emotional standpoint: mental strain that is applied on a daily basis. Fear is an emotion that I found is greatly shared in the community, beginning with association. Undocumented immigrants are very skeptical of seeking aid regarding their immigration status as they fear the association of not having documentation. Many avoid the topic entirely and try to stay under the radar at all times. T h i s became vividly evident to me as I attempted to set up interviews with individuals to discuss their experiences. Unfortunately, I was met, time after time, with the same response: “my relatives do not feel comfortable talking about this.” It opened my eyes to the fear of associ-
Maria Murillo’s boyfriend jumped over the border fence to be with her. 35 | in-depth
ation—that mentioning anything related to their immigration could link them to the U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or other authorities that would get them deported or in legal trouble. Fortunately, I was able to find a few individuals that were kind enough to sit with me and share their experiences coming from the standpoints of a teacher, student and family relative. All my sources immigrated at a young age and have been living here most of their lives. The U.S. has become their second home— something I, myself, can relate to as an immigrant from Nicaragua. The teacher who was able to sit and discuss with me was Spanish teacher Maria Murillo who explained the lack of choice she had in her immigration from Mexico. “I was undocumented because, in 1988, I was still a little bit of a minor and only had six months left to become of age, and at that time, my father did not ask me if I wanted to come to the United States or not,” Murillo said. “Simply, ‘I am the father and you do what the father says.’ So, father told us we had to go. So, here I was—we could say that I was undocumented without choice.” Murillo has mourned the life she could have lived in her homeland. “Even these days, I feel that I was ripped off of my homeland, which was rightfully mine,” Murillo said. “Of course, now seeing the beauty of my country through videos and images, well, it makes me sad.” As those words came out, I could feel the somberness in her voice. Murillo lived 33 years of her life in a place where she did not want to be. Being brought to the United States by their parents in hopes of a better future is a harsh reality that is known throughout the immigrant community, like Murillo, who has lived 33 years of her life in a place where she did not want to be. Nevertheless, the feelings of homesickness were never mended. Murillo had to move on since back home, there were not many financial opportunities left for her. Upon immigrating, Murillo also became wary due to the prevalence of misinformation regarding how to obtain citizenship. Traditionally, there are three ways of obtaining citizenship: individual petition, alien relative petition and asylum. “When there are people that are undocumented just getting here, in most cases, there is no information on how to get started in any kind of legal process,” Murillo said. “This is one of the first fears in which one as an undocumented immigrant goes up against. The first fear is that there is no information or much misinformation. So, when they misinform you there is no other option but to wait.” So, that was what she did—Murillo ended up waiting for more than 20 years to secure her citizenship in the United States. She first attempted to have peace of mind through her brother who came here before she did; he was more legally stable and was able to inquire about citizenship for her. “Asking for a relative,” or Petition for Alien Relative, is a term used in the legal system to represent the action of wanting to change the legal status of a relative
between close relatives. It is often easier and quicker for sons and daughters to ask for their parents and siblings, rather than them applying as individual cases. On the other hand, it is a longer process as the government ranks cases by priority with siblings being one of the most lengthy.
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are not able to go back, and if they do, they will most likely restart from square one. What they can control is not going back. “Nowadays, I kinda just accept it. I have gone through so many things, you kinda just accept it… If it’s meant to happen, it's meant to happen. It’s still a factor in the back of my mind,” Santiago said. This constant mental burden weighs on his self-esteem. “I used to think of myself as inferior because I was undocumented,” Santiago said. Today, Santiago embraces his status and proudly said, “I am part of that community.” Spanish teacher Nico Mendoza's dear friend for many years, Fernando Vega, was kind enough to speak with me on the phone. As a busy, hard working man, that was the only way he could make time for me; the hour and a half long talk was nonetheless very helpful. He explained the initial changes he faced upon immigrating to the U.S. “The first few years are the hardest, especially the first one when you come to a change,” Fernando said. “A new country, a new culture. The friends, family, the girlfriend—you leave it all behind to come here to something new. The first year is the hardest.” Santiago Vega initially came to the US in immigrated 1984 with the intention of preparto the U.S. ing a home for his mother. when he “I am going to the U.S. for one was five. year, so I can build my mother a brick house, so that we would live a little better as there were so many shortcomings. That was my plan, that was my goal. But as time went on, I kept adapting, and without realizing, I stayed for all this time,” he said. He started to enjoy living in the U.S. more and more, adapting to the new culture, new people, and the new lifestyle. He stayed here indefinitely which led him to a period of undocumentation lasting more than 30 years. However, responsibilities started to pile up on him. After having met his now wife and starting a family, he was faced with having to look out for his new family. Vega took it upon himself to try more seriously to obtain legal In-Depth | 36
But sometimes I do miss my family back home- it's been years since I have seen them. - santiago
U n f o r t u n a t e l y, this did not end up working out for Murillo. She explained that in 1995, she claimed political asylum, but ultimately, it did not work out. This process put her in a sort of “legal stasis,” allowing her to try and find another way to secure her stay. Ultimately, the factor that allowed for this to work later on was her son, as him being a U.S. national compelled the U.S. embassy to grant her residency in 2000. “The only thing I remember is the judge told me that the case was dismissed because of what I had presented and the necessities of my son because he would have suffered as a U.S. citizen in Mexico, so they would give me the residency so that my son wouldn't go through that,” she recalled. However, it took another 15 years of hard legal appeal to get her naturalization. Those years were rather difficult for her as she suffered from depression ever since she can remember. Changes in her life certainly aided her in this mental battle, such as her boyfriend at the time, starting a family and having a son. There were setbacks, of course; her brother passed away early in her stay in the U.S. She still does not feel fully content living here. “I would say that 80% yes [immigrating was worth it] and 20% I would say no, because life in the U.S.A is too much in a hurry.” However, this feeling is not comparable to her being completely discontent living here when first arrived. A student at UPA experienced a similar process of immigrating to the U.S. Santiago, who is going by a pseudonym to preserve his anonymity, is someone I have known for quite a while. They are a very caring and driven individual who is always shooting to do their best. They were brought here to live with their mother in 2009 to seek a more successful life. “I pretty much do enjoy living here—there is much potential in the U.S.,” Santiago said. “But sometimes I do miss my family back home. It’s been years since I have seen them.” Opportunities in the U.S. are very difficult to take advantage of, but that does not stop immigrants from trying. In Mexico, struggles such as poverty and violence are common. “The struggles here are way better than they were in Mexico,” Santiago said. Regardless of that, unfortunately, because of their immigration status, they can not go back. Something that all immigrants go through is the pain of missing their relatives and not being able to go see them or losing them and not saying their last goodbyes. If they did, the cost of that would be all of their hard work lost. They
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I thought I would just sneak back in. The turning point was when I got married in 1991. When I got married I now had a family which led me to buy a house in 1994 and apply for a loan which I thought would not get approved, which ended up being approved. I understood now that I had goods and also that I now had two kids. Fear started to creep in, fear of not being able to pay my mortgage if deported. Would I be able to support my family?” Unfortunately, his efforts to obtain U.S. citizenship were unsuccessful. Vega tried to pretend to be a field crop picker to obtain a work visa but was ultimately discovered to not have been a worker. He then attempted to obtain legal status through legislation which fell through due to him not meeting a requirement of arrival time in the U.S. He then opted for naturalization through the request of an Alien relative. His son started the process and gained his nationality. All of the individuals I spoke to came from different backgrounds and came here for different reasons but with each interview, I kept seeing similarities of their experiences throughout the years. One question I asked all of them was, “Are you and were you fearful of deportation?” All their answers were alike: they all stated that towards the beginning, fear was ever present. “If it’s meant to happen, it is meant to happen,” Chino said. But each had a goal that needed to be accomplished. As time went on, the fear never went away, but rather, it became more repressed in their minds. For the adults, there was a turning point for them where the fear became absolutely constant for them—when their family was involved. “The reason I had a fear of deportation was because I already had kids,” Vega said. Once a child was involved in the situation, they lost all care for themselves and put their minds to their children. What they feared the most was that if they were to get deported, they would no longer be able to take care of their children. All of them stated that they, in fact, did not have a plan if they were to get deported but rather rode on the assumption Vega now considers the U.S. his that they home.
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would go to their family members back home. The major issue as to why they had no ability to save money or prepare was due to time constraints. “You need six circles to get a rectangle,” Murillo said. She explains that here in the U.S., life is extremely fast-paced compared to Latin American countries, so to survive here, you need four wheels (four circles), a steering wheel (one circle), and a watch (one circle) to get money (the rectangle). It is difficult to strike a balance with all of those, and adding the difficulty of being undocumented, always looking over your shoulder and trying to fit in, it can be very stressful and draining to live this way. The more I listened, the more I could sympathize with what they went through or are going through. Being an immigrant myself, I have had the privilege of having documentation all my stay here in the U.S., which I am truly grateful for. But discrimination and fear are experiences that I have shared with them—my parents telling me even though I was a resident, that did not mean I was safe, advising me to always be aware of the police and be on my best behavior. Never raise too much attention to yourself, as you are never truly safe legally until you are declared a national U.S. citizen. The process and feelings they expressed to me about adapting to the new environment resonated so deeply that I found myself nodding my head to every word that they said. Murillo’s interview especially stayed in my mind long after it took place when she told me that she does not enjoy living here completely. She went on to compare the lifestyles she saw when she visited Mexico, describing it as a more difficult lifestyle, but the people are happy, seeing them relaxing on their front door chatting, drinking, playing, socializing and just enjoying life. I have never been to Mexico, but when she was telling me about it, all I could picture was me at my home town in Nicaragua, walking down the street looking for my friends to play something while the neighbors asked how my dad was doing as they chatted about the hot gossip in town. Late at night, the adults would go inside, and we would just sit in front of someone’s house and tell jokes, play games and just chat until we got yelled at to come back inside. It made me feel a sort of melancholy comfort, relating to her experiences and remembering things I have not done in half a decade. Truthfully, I cannot fully say I relate to them completely because I have been very privileged for my stay in the U.S. as a documented immigrant. But their stories truly showed me the hardships of someone not as privileged as me and how strong they have to be to keep fighting this battle. These individuals go through so much in their lives but never lose their hope of working for a better one.
Fear started to creep in, fear of not being able to pay my mortgage if deported. Would I be able to support my family? - Fernando vega
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NOT JUST A HAIRSTYLE Youth of color explain the impacts of cultural appropriation ARTICLE & PHOTOS BY AKHILA AYYADEVARA • DESIGN BY HAYLIE YEE
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the origin has been erased from natural practice,” she said. “That spirituality where you’re really focusing on the Indian caucuses, Indian values—a lot of that has been taken away.” Though Kantipudi has nothing against non-Indian people who practice yoga, she said that the practice is not fully appreciated. “A lot of yoga studio owners are white, and they’re profiting from the whole practice of yoga,” she said. “I wish there was some sort of credit that was given to Indian practice.” Kantipudi puts emphasis on giving recognition to other cultures when wearing something from a different culture. “If you’re going to borrow that culture, and you’re going to wear a henna tattoo, know what it means, know where it comes from, who actually wears it and how it was created,” she said. Senior Tiffany Tran believes that aspects of East Asian culture are appropriated mostly in media. “I see a lot of Asian people getting their inspiration from Black people and a lot of Black people getting their inspiration from Asian people,” she said. “But it’s not always well-executed, like Nicki Minaj and Chun Li.” In rapper Nicki Minaj’s music video for Chun Li, Minaj wears a Qipoa, a traditional Chinese dress, but in a sexualized manner. Tran also notes that both Qipoas
and Ao Dai, a traditional Vietnamese garment, are sold on fast fashion sites and are altered to be more revealing. “It’s a traditional garment, and it’s meant to be conservative,” Tran said. “But if it’s a miniskirt that’s about to show off your a--, I wouldn’t consider that very conservative, and I wouldn’t consider that respecting the idea of the garment.” When Tran sees these altered garments worn in public, she is often shocked. “I’m just like, ‘Do you know how stupid you look right now?’” she said. “Because if you genuinely wanted to embrace the culture, you would put at least an ounce of research into it and see that it’s not meant to be worn casually.”
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They only have the pros, but not the cons.
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unior Fanna Kahassai fondly recalls getting her hair done as a child. “There were a lot of family members around and me and my sister were getting our hair done,” she said. “It was just very fun and energetic; everybody was just laughing.” Kahassai personally defines cultural appropriation as using a culture that is not one’s own without an understanding of that culture. “As a Black person, you are going to go through struggles and you have [your culture] with it, but other people, if [they] appropriate Black culture, don’t have to [deal] with the problems that come with it,” Kahassai said. “So they only have the pros, but not the cons.” Senior Sriya Kantipudi observes that Indian practices are often commodified in the West and are not appreciated—for example, yoga. Kantipudi has practiced yoga for eight years, and the type of yoga she practices is rooted in spirituality, tracing back generations. However, she finds that Western yoga is devalued of its authentic practices, and yoga is instead turned into a gimmick, referencing classes like goat yoga. “It’s the spirituality and
—Fanna Kahassai
Sophomore Salma Rivera Almanza cites seeing people dress up in stereotypes of Mexican culture as a common form of cultural appropriation. “I choose not to comment about it, even though sometimes it bothers me,” Almanza said. “When they choose to dress up like Cholos—one of the most common stereotypes about Mexicans is that we are all like that, so it is uncomfortable.” Cholos are a subculture in Mexican American culture, stemming from the Chicano Movement. The Chicano MoveSenior Tiffany Tran wears an áo dài cách tân, the short version of the áo dài, that is usally worn on special occasions like weddings and Lunar New Year.
ment was a social and political movement amongst young Mexican Americans in the 1940s and 50s, and was inspired by the Black Power movement. Cholos or cholas are Mexican Americans who identify with this subculture. Along with this subculture there is an associated way of dress; one that is often appropriated in Halloween costumes. Although Almanza chooses not to make comments about cultural appropriation she witnesses, she questions appropriators’ reasoning. “It’s like ‘why?’ It is disrespect towards the culture, and it is disrespect towards the people and they have no reason to be doing that,” she said, “Because, easily, someone could do it about their culture.” She said that the best way to appreciate Mexican culture is to participate in festivals and observe days like Cinco De Mayo or Dia De Los Muertos. “It’s important to make sure each of our cultures are respected. If you’re going to do something, make sure to think about it and make sure you don’t do it disrespectfully,” Almanza said. “Even if you think it’s silly, don’t make a comment about it.” Cultural appropriation does not stop at Mexican culture. Historically, Black people are discriminated against on the basis of the way they look and talk. African American Vernacular English (AAVE), a dialect of English pioneered in the United States, is historically spoken in African American communities. Words and phrases that are AAVE, such as “go off,” “ pressed,” “finna” and “tea,” have slowly been adopted on TikTok and mislabeled as “Gen-Z slang.” Kahassai argues that non–Black people hear AAVE and think that it is trendy, only using it when they see fit and not in their daily lives. “People have used a lot of AAVE, and you can tell that it’s really forced,” Kahassai said. “It kind of sounds like a mockery, when I do not know if they mean to; it just does not sound right.” As well as AAVE, another common form of appropriation is the use of protective styles, such as locs, cornrows and box braids. During the Trans-Atlantic
Sophomore Amanda Mussa wears a Habesha Kemis sent from her uncle in Ethiopia. It is typically worn to celebrations.
Slave Trade, B l a c k w o m e n would braid rice into their hair as a means for survival while transported. These styles date back to 30,000 BC and are found commonly in West Africa. Kahassai said that nonBlack people who wear protective styles do not understand their history, and it can often be difficult to educate them since she finds people often do not listen. “If your hair is too thin, then it’s just gonna fall out,” she said. “And then, whenever people try to warn them, and they say that, ‘Oh, Pictured you’re just on the first page left to gatekeeping right: Junior Mahima Bhella, who is your culture,’ a Punjabi Sikh, wears a salwar kameez, and it’s like, which consist of an embroidered tunics with ‘No, we’re slits up the side and palazzo-style pants. Jutrying to help nior Mishal Damji, a Pakistani Muslim, wears you.’” a lengha, a two piece set comprised of a Senior Nashorter tunic or cropped blouse with an hum Hintsa embroidered maxi skirt. Junior Reya said that Black Yeddula, Hindu Indian, sports people, and spea lengha voni, which is a cifically Black lengha wrapped in the style of a sari, anothContinued on next page er traditional South Indian garment. in-depth | 40
women, set modern trends— leading Black culture to influence these
trends. “When Black people wear it, a lot of people want to follow because they think it’s cool and trendy and want to get the approval of the internet,” Hintsa said. Hinsta believes that Black women have the greatest influence on modern trends. “You can see a lot of Black women wear and make that thing look amazing, beautiful and popular, and that’s what gets non-Black people, non-Black women or white women onto [trends],” Hinsta said. This commodification of Black culture by non-white people is nothing new. In 1979 celebrity Bo Derek wore cornrows in the movie “10,” making the hairstyle boom. Later in 1981, Renee Rogers wore cornrows to work, and her employer, American Airlines, deemed her hairstyle unprofessional. She sued them, stating that cornrows were a cultural style, but the airline rebutted this, citing Derek’s popularization of the style. They claimed that cornrows were “not the product of natural hair growth but of artifice.” Rogers lost her case. “It makes me mad because Black people have been wearing [protective styles] since I can’t remember how long,” Hintsa said. “So when you see a celebrity of that high power, especially a white woman, do it, it becomes trendy and unprofessional for Black people.” Kahassai said that white and whitepassing women like Kim Kardashian use 41 | in-depth
Black culture for profit and influence people to further appropriate. “I feel like she’s just romanticizing it and she’s an influential person,” Kahassai said. “She knows people are going to follow after her.” Hintsa notes that there can be a difference in the connotation between a non-Black person of color appropriating Black culture versus a white person appropriating Black culture. “It is different, but in a way it has to be different,” Hintsa said. “Because, obviously, if you go back to the basics, white people back in the day oppressed colored people.” Kahassai agrees, saying that the power imbalance between people of color (POC) and white people can make appropriation by other POC viewed as less offensive. “The difference is white people are above everyone systematically, so if you are not white, you are on some degree oppressed,” Kahassai said. She often does not know how to feel when she sees people appropriating Black culture. “We all know that it’s wrong, nobody’s gonna force you to stop but we’re gonna try to tell you, educate you,” she said. “But it’s nobody’s job to educate you; you have the resources.” Kantipudi believes that celebrities might appropriate, not out of malicious intent, but to show that they are more cultured and accepting. She said that no matter what a person’s race is, cultural appropriation has the same impact. “It shouldn’t be ‘Oh, you’re white, you’re appropriating,’” she said. “ I think it should be more like, you are someone who’s appropriating someone else’s culture and you should be giving respect to it in a way that the other community would be happy that you’re representing their culture.” Tran mentions that seeing celebrities appropriate her culture hurts because she was often looked down upon for expressing her own culture. “It’s just so annoying when the same thing that you’re made fun of in elementary school is the same thing that everyone’s trying to get nowadays,” Tran said.
Tran thinks that most appropriation in the Bay Area happens in more subtle ways. “Specifically, like the whole rise of the swagga-pinos,” Tran said. “And also like ABGs [Asian Baby Girls] and stuff—‘Kevin Nguyens’ and they use so much AAVE and so many influences from African American culture as well, like long acrylic nails and the fake lashes.” The line between appreciation and appropriation is drawn between whether or not things are done with education and the right intention, Tran said. “If you put your thought into it and research into it, and you actually consult with people of that culture and like you were on the right occasions, that’s appreciation,” Tran said. “If your friend was like, ‘Oh, I can let you borrow an Ao Dai’ for Lunar New Year’s — I love seeing that.” Kahassai believes that education around cultures will help people to appreciate rather than appropriate. “People only see the influencers that they want to see, and if they see people doing it, they’re gonna do what they want to do,” she said, “but if you educate them and be like, ‘well, that person’s not right, it’s just spreading awareness.” Appreciation can be demonstrated by wearing cultural clothing and eating cultural foods in a respectful way, Hintsa said. “I have no hate against other people wearing other types of clothing,” he said. “That makes me feel proud.”
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It’s nobody’s job to educate you; you have the resources.
—Fanna Kahassai
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Freshmen Gurpreet Manotra is outfitted in traditional Punjabi clothing. Her head piece, known as a tikka, and her bellshaped earring, jhumkas, are traditional Indian accessories.
WE DO TALK ABOUT
Encanto Reporter Isaac Rios reviews of one of Disney’s bestselling films ARTICLE BY ISAAC RIOS • ILLUSTRATIONS BY ZAINAB SHAIKH AND DEVEN MANGAR • DESIGN BY SHIBANI GHOSH Editor’s note: this article contains spoilers for “Encanto.”
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hen I saw the “Encanto” commercial on TV, I thought to myself, “Great! Another movie that’ll probably do a poor job with representation. What animal will they turn the characters into this time?” But after watching “Encanto” with my family, I came out excited. “Encanto” is one of my favorite movies that Disney has released so far because of the portrayal of generational trauma in Latino communities, as well as the absence of a traditional “villain,” a style found in the Disney film “Coco” as well. I first thought “Encanto” would be about a random family that lived in a magical house in Colombia, but this magical realism has significance to the story. “Encanto,” released on Nov. 24, 2021, centers around the Madrigals—a family blessed with supernatural powerscome from a candle that was enchanted after Abuela Madrigal’s husband, Pedro Madrigal, was murdered by Guerrilla soldiers during the Guerrilla movement in Colombia. Due to the traumatic experiences Abuela goes through, from losing her home to losing her husband, the miracle grants her family gifts which they use to help the village and build their own home. “Encanto” highlights the way generational trauma affects Latino families. The trauma Abuela experienced is passed on to her children and grandchildren, with Pepa Madrigal, one of Abuela’s children, being affected heavily. In an attempt to be “perfect” in Abuela’s eyes, Pepa is forced to bottle up her true feelings as to not affect the village and ruin the day because her mood and emotions influence the weather. Like the Madrigals, my family has experienced generational trauma. When my mom was a child, many of my aunts and uncles were on the brink of poverty and had lost their jobs. Due to these circumstances, they chose to immigrate to the United States. Because of their immigration journey, my grandparents had exceptional expectations, including expecting their children to help around the house while working to support themselves. The trauma in “Encanto” also affects Luisa, the middle child
with super strength. Luisa is burdened by all tasks that help the village; she never takes time to relax, which overwhelms her. Her song “Surface Pressure” details how hard it is to help the village and most importantly, manage her grandmother’s expectations. Isabela, the eldest child, grows beautiful flowers and is portrayed as the “golden child” due to her perceived “perfection.” Abuela sets high expectations for Isabela, as she wants Isabela to have a perfect life—a life she was deprived of. Isabela does everything she can to be perfect and please Abuela. In “What Else Can I Do?”, Isabela experiments with her gift to see what other imperfect plants she can grow, after growing perfect and pretty flowers the majority of her life. Finally, Mirabel, the main character, is the only one who does not receive a gift, which makes her feel unappreciated and unworthy. It prompts her to “save the miracle” to stop the house from crumbling before the family loses their home. Mirabel seeks validation because she didn’t receive a gift, an effect similar to some Latino families when the role of “favorite” is placed on the child who meets their standards. This label is one of the most toxic things to encounter as a child and it’s time to dismantle that label. Disney decided to approach this storyline by incorporating magical realism, a crucial aspect of Latin American culture dating back to pre-colonial times where stories were told through indigenous folk tales and myth. This tradition can be seen through the Madrigals’ gifts that were normalized by the village to be a part of everyday life. The magical realism adds a sense of cultural authenticity; it makes me feel heard despite not being Colombian. Additionally, there is a brief moment when Agustín says “Miércoles” (which directly translates to Wednesday in Spanish). “Miércoles” is used as a Colombian alternative to the curse word “mierda.” I really like that Disney used this expression; it is something cultural that really inspired me to look more into Colombian idioms. Disney also depicts Colombian food like arepas, which made me want to try them after watching the film. So there you have it—one of the best movies to come out of 2021. I repeatedly stream it on Disney Plus and jam to the songs along with my siblings. Disney crafted a masterpiece this time, and I hope they continue to make bangers like “Encanto.” ARTS & Culture | 42
Fashion
REPORTING BY KYLA ULUG & APRIL NGUYEN • PHOTOS & DESIGN BY KYLA ULUG
On
UPA’s updated dress code policy allows students to more freely express their style rom no jeans to jeans and from strictly official polos with an embroidered school emblem to college themed shirts, UPA’s dress code has expanded to become much more lax going into the 2021-2022 school year. Previously, students were restricted by the banality of the common dress code that limited students’ styles to the articles of clothing specifically recommended in the code. Presently, students across all grade levels find that they are able to express themselves within the parameters of the guidelines of “professional dress.”
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APARNA AYYADEVARA SEVENTH GRADER
Ayyadevara’s biggest fashion inspiration is her older sister, Akhila. “Seeing her evolve into her own fashion sense helped me develop my own style,” she said. Ayyadevara also defines her style by its variety. “Sometimes I’ll wear streetwear and sometimes I’ll dress more put-together,” she explained. “Sometimes I like wearing super baggy clothes, depending on my comfort level. There’s no specific word to describe what I like to wear; it’s kind of everywhere, it’s messy.”
HIEU NHI DO FRESHMAN
Do has adapted many different aesthetics to suit her personal style including dark and light academia, cottagecore and soft tones. She explained how the school dress code limited her use of floral patterns, so she opts for solid-colored layers instead, wearing vests, jackets, skirts and leg warmers on a daily basis. Do finds inspiration on social media as well as random experiences in real life. “If I just go to the mall, I see people and I think, ‘I find your style very nice!’” she said. “I take some notes on them or even people here.” However, she still has concerns about carefully choosing her clothes. “I’m just worried about the color restrictions because I asked the office, and they were very specific about other vest colors.,” Do said.
MISHAL DAMJI JUNIOR
Rings. Hoops. Earrings. Necklaces. Damji described how her style, within the parameters of uniform, involves simply wearing a T-shirt, sweater and jeans. To add her personal touch, she accessorizes with an assortment of jewelry. “It’s an easy way to make your outfits less boring. Like, the same T-shirt and jeans everyday? Gotta spice it up. I wear different jewelry everyday,” she said. Damji explained that each year, she acquires a new “obsession” with a type of jewelry, and this year, it is necklaces. “I saw people wearing very distinct kinds of necklaces,” she said. “Every time I [went] to a formal event, I don’t think it was anything deliberate, but I started noticing like, ‘Oh, that necklace added something to the outfit. Maybe I should emulate that.’ So, I did that.”
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Campus ELIAS JUAREZ EIGHTH GRADER
Juarez expresses his personal style through streetwear influence. With UPA’s dress code, he accessorizes using jewelry like earrings, bracelets and necklaces. “I feel like jewelry puts [an outfit] together,” Juarez said. “You’re not so plain even if you’re just wearing a plain t-shirt.” Juarez usually wears ripped jeans outside of school, so he supplements his in-school attire by wearing different styles of pants. “Since we can’t wear ripped jeans, I get vintage colors and styles so I can get the look I’m going for,” he said. “I have a pair of jeans that have strokes of colored paint, I like using my pants to add a little bit of style.” By expressing his fashion at school, Juarez has become more relaxed in the learning atmosphere. “Now I’m able to be more comfortable at school and find more clothes that I’m comfortable in.”
JASMINE NGUYEN SOPHOMORE
Nguyen’s style consists of keeping everything solid and monochrome, and she sticks to a soft, simple style for several reasons. She thinks that her current style suits her even though she wants to explore streetwear, graphics and brighter colors. However, Nguyen feels limited both financially and by her own confidence. She also continues to be inspired by her mom’s style. “She likes neutrals and pastel colors,” she said. “Ever since I was little, she always dressed up for herself, and I admired that because she didn’t really care about what other people thought. I also want to dress however I would like.”
ROHAN KHATTRI SENIOR
Starting sophomore year, Khattri decided to experiment with designs, and he found the dress code very limiting in the past. However, after a year of distance learning, he discovered a new minimalist style that he felt suited him much better. “I kind of recognized that I preferred solid colors,” he said. “I think I could still look stylish without having a bunch of crazy designs.” By layering solid coats and jackets over plain shirts, Khattri described having a clean look that was not boring but not flashy. He appreciates the new inclusion of colors in the school dress code that allows him to wear most of his clothing. Khattri also wants to explore accessories in the future when he feels that he is able to “put in the effort.”
ARTS & CULTURE | 44
More Sesame! Reporter Shayna Tran reviews SweetHoney Dessert ARTICLE BY SHAYNA TRAN • PHOTOS & DESIGN BY TAYLOR NGUYEN
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ccompany my friends and I on an adventure to SweetHoney Dessert! SweetHoney Dessert is a franchise that began in Hong Kong and started opening more shops in the U.S. and Canada; they have over 600 now. There is one in Milpitas located in Milpitas Square right next to Xiang Home Kitchen and Shancheng Lameizi Hot Pot and is open every day, except on Mondays, from 2 to 10 p.m. It offers both savory and sweet items and is dedicated to creating the freshest and finest Hong Kong desserts with consistency and integrity, so let’s see if that’s true. When you first walk in, the cafe is very roomy and the decor is super pretty. It has that sort of minimalist Pinterest vibe with the abstract shapes on the walls and cute hexagonal lights. Along with the nice and inviting atmosphere, the staff was very approachable. Before we ordered, one of the workers approached us and asked if we were going to eat there or take out, and they did not rush us at all. My friends and I decided to get the mango pancakes, durian pancakes, durian and vanilla ice cream with vanilla frost—similar to shaved ice but with vanilla milk—and the sesame and almond soup with sesame rice balls. The total came to around $40. You can pay at the front counter and sit anywhere. If you’re not in the mood to chat, there is a QR code on the table that shows the menu and allows you to order from your phone. Ten minutes after ordering, we got our desserts. At first glance, it was a bit disappointing because they came in recyclable bowls, plates and packaging. Their dishes used to come in cool, light yellow bowls with yellow spoons, but they unfortunately stopped doing that. Even with the small disappointment, the desserts looked scrumptious, and the fruits looked fresh. The mango pancakes and durian pancakes were delicious. My only complaint was that the mangoes were slightly hard, so they were difficult to cut into. Even so, it was so cold, sweet and delicious. My friends Haylie Yee and Taylor Nguyen thought the durian pancakes were disgusting, but Chloe Luu and I personally thought the durian pancakes and all of the durian desserts we tried that day were glorious. Durian is often an acquired taste because some people find it too stinky and others find it amazing. Chloe and I were forced to eat durian as kids, and we just grew to love it. My mom would always come home from the market with either a durian
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or a jackfruit. Watching her cut up the durian and jackfruits is such a nice memory because it brings me back to my childhood when I would jump around the table begging to eat more fruit. I became allergic to it, but I still love eating it because it is so creamy and absolutely delicious. Remember to eat the durian and vanilla ice cream with vanilla frost as soon as possible because the frost melts fairly quickly. The ice frost was really soft and fluffy and tasted amazing with the two toppings. There was a nice plop of durian that I enjoyed because Taylor and Haylie gave it all to Chloe and I. You can also add more toppings including fresh fruits, grass jelly and more. We didn’t add any because we wanted to see if the treat was worth it as is. The sesame and almond soup with sesame rice balls garnered mixed reactions. The black sesame was like crunchy peanut butter but without the actual crunch, and had a very roasted, nutty flavor. However, the almond soup had no flavor; it just gave the soup a jelly-like texture. My favorite was the sesame rice balls, which had the texture of mochi: a pleasant chewy texture that was not hard. The buttery and addicting black sesame inside left Taylor and I speechless because it had this amazing, earthy taste with a sweet, bitter undertone. It was a nice balance between the flavorless almond soup and flavorful black sesame. The desserts were underwhelming at first because of the disposable bowls and utensils. However, I want to return and try the desserts that I was not able to try this time. There are also a number of restaurants in the same plaza, so after you finish eating lunch or dinner, you can make a quick stop at this dessert place. If we were to come back, the pancakes and the black sesame balls are a must. See you on our next foodie adventure!
What are you listening to? REPORTING BY KYLA ULUG, TAYLOR NGUYEN & CHLOE LUU • ILLUSTRATIONS & DESIGN BY KYLA ULUG
Peek into UPA students’ playlists with Aquila Broadcast’s new video
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rom rock to rap to blues, UPA’s already diverse student body has an even more varied taste in music. Come along as reporters Taylor Nguyen and Kyla Ulug explore UPA’s campus while asking students, “What are you listening to?”
in my blood shawn mendes st. tropez j.cole take me where your heart is Q breed nirvana only exception paramore deadline grouplove city of gods fivio foreign through the wire kanye west cameras drake wonderland taylor swift more than friends malo
Want to see more of your favorite songs? watch the full video ON Aquila Broadcast here Arts & culture | 46
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