volume xiiii, issue 1 oct. 19, 2023
AQUILA university preparatory academy
21 Hi Barbie! Greta gerwig’s “Barbie” explores themes of patriarchy and societal standards of women
letter from editors-in-chief ILLUSTRATION & DESIGN BY TAYLOR NGUYEN
A quick drive to Target and $10 scored us a blonde, blue eyed, plastic Barbie doll. Her lifeless face filled us with a sense of nostalgia that transported us back to our pink obsessed brain at the age of six. Over ten years later, it seems fitting to us that she will be the face of our last first issue. This issue is a testament to our growth in our time with Aquila, and that word growth was what made the nostalgia of a Barbie cover significant to me. We hope that, as you read this issue today, you become a piece of the journey we have traveled with Aquila. In “Changes in Program Funding Lead to Increased Athlete Fundraising,” Reporter Rajeev Devanath explores this new development within the athletics department. Coaches and students alike shared how their different fundraising goals have affected their mindsets going into their playing seasons. Learn more on page 5. The Writers Guild of America strike started on May 2, launching discourse over the treatment and rights of workers in the entertainment business as actors later joined the writers in their strike. The strike went on for multiple months causing delays in productions while the guilds and production companies refused to budge on either side. Read “No Script No Show,” on page 11 for Reporter Aubrey Phung’s discussion Despite the show taking place in July of this year, the anticipation for Taylor Swift’s “Era’s Tour” began in Nov. of 2022 when presale and controversy took place with ticket sale issues. This left costumed fans—decked in glitter and friendship bracelets—at the doors of the concert divided in two: those who had scored tickets and those who hoped to hear her from the streets. Read about the u n forgettable night in those different perspectives through the eyes of Reporters Angel Froumis and Sneha Madan in “And By The Way, I’m Going Out Tonight” on lucky number page 13. Going to the gym has become a growing trend within the student body at UPA. On page 15, Reporter Abhishek Mynam dives into gym culture in his indepth “Hustle for Muscle.” Mynam discusses the rea-
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sons students start to work out and why they continue through personal stories of body dysmorphia, religion and childhood. With the help of science teacher Loren Schwinge, he explores the biopsychosocial factors that play into why working out may feel addicting to many. Director Greta Gerwig’s film “Barbie” took childhood dolls to the big screen with pop songs, pink convertibles and a deeper conversation on the realities of being a woman today. The film brought the plastic figure to life and the titular character, portrayed by Margot Robbie, explored what it meant to be in the world beyond a Barbie. In “Hi Barbie!” on page 21, Reporter Olive Luong discusses the different thoughts that students and teachers have surrounding the movie. As seniors, we are proud to kick off the year with such hard work from our team, but also sad to begin our countdown to the end. We thank our EIC’s of the past, those who departed from their tyranny (haha) and paved the way for us to step into the role of (not really) evil dictators over Aquila. Thank you for reading and without further ado, welcome to Volume 14, Issue 1.
Chloe Luu
Haylie Yee
The Aquila staff of 2022-2023 group together after completing production night for their last issue—Vol. XIII, Issue 4—on May 18.
AQUILA Staff Chloe Luu Editor-in-Chief
Haylie Yee Editor-in-Chief
Shayna Tran Managing Editor
Abhishek Mynam Web Manager
Taylor Nguyen Publicity Manager
Samira Madden Multimedia Manager
Angelica Froumis Design Editor
Zainab Shaikh Design Editor
Olive Luong Copy Editor Lead
Isaac Rios Copy Editor
Kyla Ulug Team Editor Lead
Nadia Hamilton Team Editor
Sneha Madan Team Editor
Christopher Park Team Editor
Lance Peraza Team Editor
Shibani Ghosh Team Editor
Lorenzo Almario Reporter
Rajeev Devanath Reporter
Karen Heng Reporter
Aubrey Phung Reporter
Matthew Tapia Reporter
Kathryn Gong-Guy Adviser
ABOUT AQUILA
Jessica Wall Adviser
MISSION STATEMENT
“SOARING TO NEW HEIGHTS”
Aquila is a student-produced 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 accurate reporting, in hopes that each of our readers will find an article they connect with.
From the shift of a newspaper to a vibrant newsmagazine, a broadcast channel and an active Instagram presence, we continue to innovate the way we tell stories. We do this not just because we are student journalists but because this is what it means to be a member of Aquila.
ON THE COVER The front cover, shot by Kyla Ulug and edited by Christopher Park, features two Barbie dolls standing against a pink backdrop and a third—”weird”—Barbie sitting in a split across the center. Read “Hi Barbie!” by Olive Luong on page 21.
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Aquila Broadcast
@upa_aquila
upaaquila.org
Features
NEWS 4 T.e.a. program 5 increased athlete fundraising
7 9 11 12
New roles, new rules no script, no show beyond the numbers bullseye
upaaquila Aquila Podcast
TABLE OF CONTENTS Design By Sneha Madan
opinion
in-depth
13 And by the way, i’m going out tonight
15 | hustle for muscle
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Arts & culture 19 across the animation-verse 21 hi barbie! 23 a cup of the bay 25 u-don’t want udon?
student wellness team launches therapeutic expressive art ARTICLE, DESIGN & ILLUSTRATIONS BY SHIBANI GHOSH • PHOTO COURTESY OF DANIELLE TU
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n Feb. 28, 2022, Academic Counselor Jill Buensuceso sent a Google Form via Schoology, asking students if they would be interested in Art Therapy. Since then, the Therapeutic Expressive Art (TEA) program has gained attention and engagement from over 60 students. TEA — and art therapy in general — has gained interest due to it tapping into students “endless creative potential” according to former UPA therapist, Melissa Hinshaw. The Student Wellness Team at UPA has been an aspect of the school’s culture since 2016. With regular therapy, students have the flexibility to choose the therapist they interact with as well as whether they meet during class or before or after school hours. According to Psychology.org, therapists utilize art therapy as a tool to aid patients to express their emotions and thoughts. Hinshaw started the art therapy group at UPA on March 23, 2022 and under her management, art therapy had a guided weekly group session that housed up to 40 students per session as well as individual sessions. “You don’t necessarily have to be creative to get a lot out of art therapy,” Hinshaw said, “You just need a space you feel comfortable expressing yourself in somehow, and someone you trust to express yourself to”.
Art gives [therapy] a different dimension, because art in itself is a different language. You can speak without using words, which is beautiful. - Danielle TU Following Hinshaw’s departure, therapist Danielle Tu took over the art therapy program in Fall of 2022 and renamed it “Therapeutic Art and Movement,” now known as Therapeutic Expressive Art (TEA). TEA was first introduced to students on Aug. 25, 2022, through a Schoology announcement by Tu, stating that art and movement therapy is an excellent tool for decreasing anxiety, depression and stress. Last year’s group sessions were separated by grade level, this year TEA will combine into two groups of approximately eight students, one for middle school and one for high school. In a group session, Tu provides a set of activities for students and walks them through how to accomplish it in a therapeutic manner. Tu checks in with each student as they complete the activity, but for the most part, observes the session. She takes note of the materials students choose, and how they go about the artmaking process as well as which students are more quiet or talkative. Students are then encouraged to discuss the deeper meaning of the activity, and what it truly means to them. Tu describes individual sessions to be
“less structured” as students are able to choose their activity as she tailors the session towards their needs. In both session types, Tu offers her observations and help to each student, but in individual sessions it is more personalized. Some examples of activities that Tu completes in both individual and group sessions are “Calm Brain v.s. Anxious Brain,” “Cloud Watching” and “The Johari Window.” “Calm Brain” engages students in drawing what they feel like their calm brain looks like in comparison to their anxious brain. Student’s different feelings and sensations are expressed through various colors, shapes and textures. “Cloud Watching” is a mindfulness exercise where students imagine their mind is a sky and write every thought in the clouds. This is to remind students that despite some thoughts being darker than others, all of them will pass on by. “The Johari Window” is a drawing exercise where students reflect on themselves by sectioning their traits, experiences and anything else they deem important to their identity in four squares with categories labeled as “Open Area”, “Blind Spot”, “Hidden Area” and “Unknown”. Other types of activities incorporate various mediums or art like magazine clips, play-dough, watercolor, paper mache, acrylics and many more. Both Tu and Hinshaw agree that art therapy provides many benefits to students. According to the National Library of Medicine, art therapy gives clients a new medium to express themselves as well as aid their mental health and interpersonal relations. Hinshaw adds that it provides a foundation for clients’ self-esteem and helps combat anxiety and depression. Tu reflects on the uniqueness of art therapy in aiding her students’ journey “Art gives [therapy] a different dimension,” Tu said. “Art in itself is a different language. You can speak without using words, which is beautiful”. “The Johari Window” is a drawing exercise in which students reflect on themselves by sectioning their traits, experiences and anything else they deem important to their identity in four squares with categories labeled as “Open Area”, “Blind Spot”, “Hidden Area” and “Unknown”. News | 4
Senior Aida Duong, captain of the girls varsity volleyball team, spikes the ball against Summit Shasta on Oct. 3
CHANGES IN PROGRAM FUNDING LEAD TO INCREASED ATHLETICS FUNDRAISING ARTICLE & PHOTOS BY RAJEEV DEVANATH • DESIGN BY MATTHEW TAPIA
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t the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year, the athletics department decided that moving forward, all sports teams will be expected to fundraise $5000 each. “All of the coaches had a meeting to talk about new protocols,” varsity volleyball coach Esther Chen said. “The board decided to not budget any money for sports this year. So moving forward all sports teams are required to fundraise $5000 [per team].” While the athletics department first discussed a participation fee of $250, they decided to request a $250 donation from families and the team would be expected to fundraise the rest. This meant that although it would be optional—whether the donation comes out of pocket or not—it is expected that each student raises the money for their team in some way. “We pay for officials, which is roughly $150 per game officiated per sport, league fees, roughly $4000 in fees to par5 | NEWS
ticipate in leagues and with the state, section fees, to be able to participate in the central coast section, and equipment replacements: volleyballs, basketballs,” Athletics Director Thomas McMahon said. “We got a new pair of volleyball poles a year ago, and a new shooting machine for basketball.” Another factor that played a role in this decision was taking into account the past expenses in previous years of athletics. “It gave us an idea of how much the athletics department needs to fundraise,” Executive Director David Porter said. “In order to be sustainable.” The idea of fundraising, however, is not unfamiliar to the UPA community. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, athletes knew they were expected to fundraise. Each team had similar fundraising goals to reach to be able to provide for their team’s equipment. But before, they were not on their own. Boosters—a parent group— pitched in for the cost of running athletic teams, which al-
lowed athletes to focus more towards performing their best in the sport, rather than allotting much of their time towards fundraising. “Our goal is to explain [to parents] the importance of athletics and supporting student athletes by having parents be able to buy into the program,” McMahon said. “We’re hoping that parents see the value of booster programs and come together to recreate it.” After the shelter-in-place restrictions were lifted in 2021, sports at UPA resumed and the state government supported the reignition of athletics with financial aid and grants. Additionally, the school wanted to allot some of its money into supporting this, creating a strong foundation for athletics at UPA to thrive. “I made a conscious decision that we would support athletics until we were fully out of the pandemic and the athletics culture had been fully repaired,” Porter said. “Last year we had a very successful season and I felt like we had strong support
from the community and it was time to make that shift back to how athletics was traditionally run.” At the start of their season, each coach devised a plan delegating specific roles and responsibilities to each student athlete to fill, in order to reach their fundraising goals efficiently. “The cross country team needs to cover the cost of the actual competition fees, snacks and water, workout bands, a tent for our meets, tarps, and for team bonding events,” freshman Saanvi Bandaaru said. Therefore, cross country coach Madison Algarin set a personal goal for each athlete of $250 and a communal goal for the team of $2500. Senior Bilaal Syed plans to participate in multiple sports this school year. Currently, he’s a member of the cross country team—a season that started towards the end of September. “We do have time to fundraise,” Syed said. “The varsity basketball team and I held a fundraiser before the season
started and looking at the profits, versus how much money we’ll need, it’s not looking feasible, especially for a team as big as the cross country team.” A team with more people means more money to raise and especially for Syed—who wants to play multiple sports— the fundraising goal triples with volleyball, basketball and cross country. “The convenience of school [sports teams] is that it is free,” Syed said. “I’d never played [on an official team] before this school. I played street ball because it was free, and I joined the team because it is free.” Despite this, there is an expectation of athletes to fundraise, and Syed is unsure about how well he can do justice to those expectations. Even with the fundraising pressure, Syed still feels that the UPA athletics program is supportive of its athletes because they offer more tolerable expectations in comparison to club teams. “If I were to play a sport outside of school, I’d have to pay regardless,” Syed said. “The fact that we’re at school and paying $250, is not that bad when you look at how much money you have to pay [to] play club soccer, club basketball and other sports” Syed believes that the pros outweigh the cons when it comes to playing at school rather than playing in a club. With
the option to fundraise with his and make a substantial effort knowledged that the process team, there is less pressure on to help pay for their sport. But would have been much more him and his family to provide there are no fees, and if anyone stressful and time consuming if out of pocket for him to play the says there are fees, they should she hadn’t received the prelimsports he is passionate about. write a formal complaint to the inary out of pocket donations Although it is tough to raise the office, and by law, I will inves- from each of her athletes. amount of funds “To be comexpected, he still pletely honest, prefers it over a it’s our first year club sport. [fundraising],” The fact that we’re According boys varsity basat school and paying to California ketball coach CaEdCode 49011, leb Plasschaert $250, is not that bad public schools said. “But I would when you look at how cannot impose say, in terms of participation practicality, it’s much money you have fees in order for doable. In the past to pay [to] play club students to parwe haven’t really ticipate in athletput as much of an [sports] ic activities. UPA emphasis on it. -Bilaal Syed is a public charBut this year, it’s ter school so it from the jump, cannot enforce a from the first day fee upon athletes to allow them tigate it.” of practice, there will be an exto play. On the other hand, there are pectation set, everyone needs to “We won’t say, give me this benefits to enforcing the dona- bring in $250. I think when you money and I’ll let you play, or tion. Chen believes that without set the tone in that way, it’ll be give me this money and it’ll the push for a $250 donation a lot easier to get done.” dictate your playing time,” Por- from each student, reaching the Plasschaert expressed hopes ter said. “We will, however, say fundraising goal would have to fundraise over the minimum that it costs $50,000 for all of been a lot more difficult. $5000 in order to utilize extra our athletics to run successful“I was able to encourage profit towards more equipment ly, in terms of what we need each of my players to donate or utilities they might want. from the community.” $250 and that really helped us With a more prominent Porter recognized that the meet our goal halfway,” Chen emphasis on the importance pay-to-play rumor was blown said. “We were able to get the of fundraising, athletes have a out of proportion. other half of our goal through clearer message of what is ex“If someone can’t afford to [online fundraisers] and the pected of them. But these explay, it doesn’t change their en- fundraisers that we held on pectations do not just need to rollment on the team,” Porter campus.” be conveyed, they need to be said. “It means that they have Chen’s volleyball team carried out. a responsibility to help and do reached their fundraising goal “Every team is going to have their part in team fundraisers quickly—however she ac- to participate in making this happen. That’s the goal.” Porter said. “If we don’t reach the goal, scheduled [games] that are already booked through our partnerships with other schools won’t stop. What will stop, is that we can’t continue to pay for other outside tournaments if the team is not willing to help fundraise. The key is that teams have to set those fundraising amounts with [McMahon] and [Assistant Athletics Director Bea Davis] and do everything that they can to make it hapSophmore Kalebe Girma approaches the hoop pen.” against Apostles Lutheran on Dec. 15 2022
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NEWS | 6
NEW ROLES, NEW RULES Introducing UPA to their new director, dean and policies
Lucas K ell her dur eing an adminis trator meetin g. Photo c ourtesy of N athalie Tran.
ARTICLE BY LORENZO ALMARIO • ILLUSTRATIONS & DESIGN BY NADIA HAMILTON
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PA hired two new administrators for the 2023-2024 school: Director of Student Services Lucas Kelleher and Dean of Student Services Alicia Hill as the Director of Student Services, Kelleher oversees high schoolers whereas Hill oversees middle schoolers as Dean of Student Services. These two positions might be similar but the two people holding them lead different lives. As the new administrators arrive at UPA, so do new policies. LUCAS KELLEHER Kelleher loves baking and sharing his recipes with English teacher Kristin Moore, science
Alicia Hill poses for a headshot in front of . a fountain rteu o c to Pho sy of Hill.
7 | features
teacher Loren Schwinge and Director of Curriculum and Instruction Jean Mastrogiacomo. One of Kelleher’s hobbies is keeping up with sports. At Hinsdale South High School in Chicago, he played national-level badminton and even low-level pro-series throughout China, Indonesia, Thailand and South Korea. After playing tournaments for 14 years, Kelleher’s final tournament— the Susan Jurkonis Memorial Tournament—was very important to him. His mother had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer a month prior and the tournament’s profits went towards brain cancer research. Kelleher decided to play only single games and ended up winning the singles tournament after facing a difficult opponent. Due to badminton’s prominent role in his life and the effects it had on him as a person, Kelleher wishes to bring badminton to UPA. “It taught me a lot about discipline, mental toughness and remaining calm,” Kelleher said. “No matter who I was facing, I always gave it 100%.” In his teaching career, Kelleher taught both gener-
al and special education, working with students who were at a kindergarten reading level up to an AP English Literature and Composition reading level. He also taught reading recovery within special education and oversaw a network of mostly middle schools for more than two years in East San Jose. Kelleher came to understand that patience and compassion is key with special needs students. After teaching, Kelleher later became an instructional coach mentoring teachers in 2015. This led to his transition to the administrative field, where he was then accepted into an administrative mentorship program called “New Leaders’’ before becoming an administrator for a school in Chicago. After around a year, Kelleher moved to the Bay Area, working as a chief operating officer for the youth development non-profit “San Francisco Conservative Corps’’. Kelleher then worked at the Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) enjoying their partnership due to the supportive environment and helpful staff that helped him learn and grow. When Kelleher saw an open position at UPA—a charter school under SCCOE— he decided to apply. Kelleher had a good feeling about his interview due to the welcoming
environment from the people that interviewed him. “When the interview was over, Executive Director David Porter offered me [the position] and I just accepted on the spot,” Kelleher said. ALICIA HILL Hill had a similar path to UPA. At first, Hill did not intend to be in the field of education as she came from a family of educators and wanted to branch out, instead deciding to study psychology and law. Life took a different turn and she ended up going back home to the Great Lakes region. After her aunt told her about the field of special education, Hill felt a calling to help students who, due to their circumstances, were led to believe that they could not achieve their goals. She graduated from the University of Toledo with her bachelor’s degree in education. Hill also attended Park University in Missouri where she received her first masters degree in “Educational Administration Leadership” and then did an extensive study at the University of Toledo on severe behaviors. Hill also obtained her mas-
ter’s and doctorate in Christian counseling with an emphasis on severe behavior in hopes of addressing mental health issues and learning in the faith-based community. “My philosophy is to teach children and teach people the way they learn, not just teach them,” Hill said. Hill was a director of education at an alternative school in Missouri. “When we say alternative it is students who have emotional, behavioral or medical challenges which do not allow them to attend traditional school,” Hill said. After Missouri she moved to California as a special education case manager called a process coordinator in California. Then she was traveling between California and Missouri as a traveling educator for three years, and in 2023 she officially moved to California for her first school year with UPA. Now, Hill is shifting to an administrative role as she sees it as a way she can make a change for the better and help reach decisions that will best benefit students and
view with Porter who charmed Hill with his authenticity and gave her a genuine feel of UPA. “If I could sum it up in two words, [they] would be authentic and relational,” Hill said. NEW POLICIES “I think we brought back common dress [policies] from previous years,” Kelleher said, “I came on board and this Almario poses with a detention slip. UPA detention slips are a was a policy that was strongly enforced invitations to serve an hour detention after previously decided by school. Photo courtesy by Samira Madden. staff moving forward into the [2023-2024] reflect on what they can do in Kelleher said. school year.” the future to avoid another inAlong with the common When Kelleher and Hill fraction. dress policies there are also were hired, the common dress In terms of dress code vio- new phone policies brought policies were already in ef- lations, students are first logged on for the 2023-2024 school fect for the 2023-2024 school as being out of dress code, year. These new policies proyear. The pair were in charge which is then followed up by hibit students from having of creating the responses to an administrator talking to the their phones out or earbuds in out-of-compliance students, student or seeing if they are during school-time, except for such as the three R’s—“restore, actually out of dress code. Stu- break and lunch. The main goal repair and reflect.” During af- dents will then be issued a de- of the new policies is to lessen ter school detention, students tention slip and have their par- students’ phone usage and proengage in “restore, repair and ent or guardian notified through mote social interaction. Elecreflect” through a six ques- ParentSquare. Dress code tronic devices have been seen tion questionnaire writ- violations vary from case to as distractions, lessening stuten in both English and case, but there is flexibility for dents’ attention span and dampstudents who can talk ening social skills. Porter noted to administrators about that phone policies and restrictheir specific violation. tions have been on the wish-list Students are notified of for many adults, teachers and their infraction on their parents and guardians alike. detention slip. Although students both Detention is typically agree and disagree with the assigned the day after new approaches for the 2023being notified of a vio- 2024 school year, the overall lation and students are intention of the policies is to expected to be in the benefit them. Both the comassigned classroom after mon dress and phone policies dismissal for 30 min- are intended to create balance utes. If there are repeat- and enhance UPA’s mission of ed infractions, it would preparing students to attend and result in Saturday school excel in college. with a parent confer“There is a strong desire to Spanish. The ence. If a student is not able to develop students’ abilities to questionnaire asks students to stay after school for detention, engage presently with each othrecognize their offense, reflect they have the option to sched- er in the classroom as they’re on why they decided to engage ule community service for the taking on new learning tasks,” in the action that led to the in- school instead. Porter said. fraction, to realize the effects “I’m always open to stuof their actions on themselves dents scheduling community and others around them and to service in lieu of detention,” features | 8
ìMY PHILOSOPHY IS TO TEACH CHILDREN AND TEACH PEOPLE THE WAY THEY LEARN, NOT JUST TEACH THEM.î - ALICIA HILL their families. She interviewed for the position at UPA, she had a very similar experience to Kelleher. “It was very organic to me, very comfortable, not forced and very relational,” Hill said. She had her final inter-
NO SCRIPT NO SHOW Delayed production in the entertainment industry due to ongoing strike ARTICLE & DESIGN BY AUBREY PHUNG • ILLUSTRATIONS BY ANGEL FROUMIS The Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike started on May 2 over labor disputes on unfair pay wages against Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). Both writers and actors in the United States have decided to strike together this year. 11,500 screenwriters have striked, joined by 160,000 actors under the Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). As of Sept., an actor in the United States is paid an average of $2189 a month. According to the actors this is not a liveable wage. Rent in these cities doesn’t count the cost of living of today, so making only a little more than $2000 a month isn’t going to cut it if people want to have a sustainable life, where they can provide merely basic necessities. Currently the writer’s strike has been going for more than 100 days since May 2, and studios have only agreed to speak with WGA four times. Actor strike started on July 14th, declared by President Fran Drescher, in which AMPTP hasn’t been unwilling to speak to them at all. A writer and actor strike this significant hasn’t occurred since the Great Writer Strike of 2007, which lasted until early 2008. Writers and actors are demanding companies to pay livable wages that are fair for the efforts in the writers’ and actors’ jobs. So far, AMPTP has rejected both SAG-AFTRA and WGA’s requests, lacking willingness to pay their actors and writers adequately.People on strike are being affected quite negatively and having a loss of remuneration, as they aren’t working on projects.
9 | FEATURES
English teacher Kristin Moore fully supports the actors and writers and thinks they should continue to strike, as she is a person who loves to watch movies and television, and whose career heavily has to do with the art of watching movies for class and writing. “I think their demands are absolutely reasonable,” Moore said. “I hope that the studios take their demand seriously, although I don’t think they are at least at this point. Even though it’s going to mean less television and movie content in the upcoming year or maybe even years, it’s very important they’re doing it.” She believes that actors and writers going on strike right now is vitally important to the film industry as she thinks they have such a significance in how films and television shows are made, and they still aren’t getting paid fairly for the media they create. “It’s important that their demands of studios not being allowed to use artificial intelligence to create content because we are getting to a point where AI is becoming more and more nuanced and powerful and can be used in a variety of interesting ways,” Moore said. “I don’t think that we should rely on that to create content, because ultimately, we’re going to lose out on interesting stories, if we use AI.” Large companies such as Disney have decided to replace writers with generated artificial intelligence technology to create scripts. Even Disney announced that they are willing to pay engineers to program AI data systems.
“Writers are the foundation of movies and TV shows,” Moore said. “If you don’t have a good story or script, then it doesn’t matter how much the production value is, or how great the actors are. Everything starts with the script and I think that is the most important part.” Students in Moore’s English 12 class are watching “Sunset Boulevard,”—a film about a Hollywood screenwriter. The Hollywood screenwriter said people don’t know that someone writes a movie. The audience thinks that the actors make it up as they go because that is who the audience saw when they watched a movie. Which is why she believes writers play such a vital role in making media for the world. Hence, writers decided to go on strike against these large companies in protest of unfair pay wages, as studios and production companies pay them low wages in exchange for the work they do, even for such popular shows and movies they work on. Since there are no more writers on set, a lot of shows have left production on a hiatus or terminated production entirely, such as season five of “Stranger Things” and “Yellow Jacket.” Sophomore Gabriela Yee is a film and television lover who spends a decent amount of her time watching them. “It’s really terrible because writers put in so many hours and effort into making these shows and movies for us to enjoy,” Yee said. “If they’re not getting paid properly, then they’re doing all this for nothing.”
T S ON
Yee expressed how writers and actors have such big roles in the industry as they implement so much creativity and emotion to the audience’s screens. People find comfort and joy when watching the shows they love as a result of how much thought the writer put into their scripts. She believes that the writers and actors should be supported for their work, contributions and impact in the field. “I think that it’s unfair that actors are not being paid,” Yee said. “I understand that actors who are more known and more famous are obviously going to be paid more. But even lead actors in popular shows don’t make as much money as their fans might expect because contracts are negotiated before shows are released.” Yee fully supports the writers on strike. She tries to stay updated on the strike, as well as WAG and SAG-AFTRA rulings. Yee thinks it really should not be so difficult for billion dollar companies to pay their writers because that’s what they hired them for. According to Yee, the company is responsible for paying their workers. “If you’re already a big name, but these people who are like small struggling actors, you don’t know how hard it is for them to make it in the industry,” Yee said. “I was really sad to hear about the Netflix show ‘Big Mouth’ being put on pause for the production of season 8 because I really want to see a final season.” Because of the writer’s strike, many shows are going on an immediate halt. All production for movies and shows that were planned to be released in the future have stopped, including the show “Big Mouth.” Writers were six weeks into writing when the strike was announced and they were forced to stop production from labor disputes. Senior Fern Woertink tries to stay updated on the current strike announcements and events as they also want to get into the film
industry in the future as a career “It’s awful what these CEO’s are doing because they don’t care if they comply with what the writers and actors are asking for,” Woertink said. “All of the companies would be losing less than 1% of their income which is how much actors and writ-
“Writers behind the camera should also be getting recognition too” -Kristen Moore ers are asking for.” Woertink mentioned that some of the things CEOs of major com- panies are doing is horrendous, as even the CEO of Disney explicitly said that he was waiting for them to go homeless and run out of health care. “AI writing isn’t gonna go anywhere,” Woertink said. “But with AI writing, you’re not gonna have the same emotional effects. Anything that is written or created by using AI is not going to be the same as what a real human being could write. It’s a [writer’s] whole job, their whole purpose, and they are just being phased out of the picture.” Woertink mentioned
the power AI has on writing. Though they know it’s a powerful tool that can be used for advantage, AI also can be very alarming as it’s taking real human’s jobs. “The actors also went on strike for something similar, like in the new Flash movie, but there’s a scene where they have Nicolas Cage as Superman,” Woertink said. “Nicolas Cage was not involved in the movie at all. They did credit him but he wasn’t there. They didn’t do scans of his face, Nicolas Cage’s Superman was entirely CGI generated.” Accidentally, AI is taking over human jobs of not only writers but also actors at this point in time. Engineers are now able to produce CGI characters of real life actors. “Streaming has definitely had a big impact on the actors and the writers because they don’t need to be paid for streams. The streaming services are taking away money from actors and writers. Because they don’t need to be paid royalties. Streaming services give the companies more money, but nobody else can profit off it.” Woertink said. Contracts are built around shows being broadcasted on television, but not streaming services because it’s a newer medium. Hence, they are paid significantly less, meaning labor contracts need to be updated to match the change in technology. As of Oct. 5, the actors strike is on-going while the writer strike officially ended on Sept. 26. The union leaders approved an agreement made with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, sending a new contract to union members for approval after 148 days on strike.
E K I R T FEATURES | 10
THE NUMBERS
A look into the perspectives of staff and students at UPA on the College Board
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M P H I T H E AT E R — On a cold morning day in May, a restless crowd of students gathers in front of the multipurpose room for one purpose: to take an Advanced Placement test. The doors open, prompting the students to enter. In a jumble of remarks, students walk into the testing center. The doors close, and will remain closed until students complete the exam. The College Board is a nonprofit organization responsible for administering Advanced Placement courses and the SAT exam with a budget exceeding $1.66 billion USD. The College Board serves more than seven million students in the United States per year. The magnitude of the College Board’s role in the college admission process through the Advanced Placement courses and the SAT exam cannot be overstated. High stakes and high stress, this system of academic evaluation will likely remain inseparable from secondary education. Student involvement in AP courses relies on the essential presence of teachers to take on and instruct the AP curriculum. Science teacher Loren Schwinge has taught AP Psychology for over a decade. From her teaching experiences, Schwinge has developed frustration with the College Board’s role in the education system. “I love teaching psychology. It’s absolutely one of my favorite classes,” said Schwinge. “However, what I consider 11 | FEATURE
ARTICLE, ILLUSTRATIONS & DESIGN BY CHRISTOPHER PARK important for genuine student Placement course] in high learning is often at odds with school… So often I’ll hear from what [the] College Board feels UPA alumni coming back and is important.” they’ll say, ‘I felt really well Advanced Placement (AP) prepared.’” said Westerhoff. courses are designed to sim- “And that means that we’ve ulate a college-level experi- offered classes of rigor here, so ence, characterized by rigorous that when [students] walk out course load and high volume of and go into a college campus, content, as stated by the College they do feel prepared.” Board. Nishchay Jasuja, a seThe passage of the AP exam nior, is currently taking five AP offers transferable credit for inclasses in and out of troductory college coursUPA. He provides a “... what I es, though depending on student perspective consider the college. The College on the widespread important Board website claims concern that the nathat “More schools than for genu- ever before are acceptture of AP courses can potentially lean ine student ing AP scores for credit towards cramming learning or advanced placement.” and the monotothe case that rhe wideis often at In nous process of spread acceptance of the memorization — odds with AP exam scores. potentially imped- what [the] The College Board maring the promotion College kets their curriculum on of critical thinking their websites through Board feels various statements, inand creativity. “The level of mem- is importcluding “‘AP’s on your orization varies be- ant.” high school transcript tween AP classes,” shows colleges you’re - Loren said Jasuja. “All AP motivated to succeed, classes do expect Schwinge and taking the exam students to have a strong un- demonstrates your commitment derstanding of a wide range of to tackle and complete collegetopics, though some classes re- work,” and “Most high schools quire a bit more memorization offer a GPA boost to students than other classes.” who take AP.” Still, there are benefits drawn Schwinge shares concerns from the Advanced Place- about how a student’s ability ment curriculum at UPA. High to succeed in college cannot be School counselor Dot Wester- necessarily seen through parhoff, who has been working as ticipation and performance in an academic counselor since courses marketed to students 2013, offers insight to the mat- for GPA boosts and the “lookter. ing good on the college appli“It is a huge step forward for cation” factor. a student to [take an Advanced “It’s this gigantic cyclical issue
where you guys want to have a high GPA so you take more credits, all while credits are no longer accepted [by colleges],” said Schwinge. “and so you’re paying money [for the AP exam], not saving it just to get a grade boost,” In addition, factors such as adaptability, resilience, and the ability to navigate challenges play a critical role in a student’s ability to thrive in college. Scores for standardized exams in isolation, including the AP and SAT exam, do not necessarily guarantee a student’s academic or personal success. “It’s about the person who’s doing what they’re doing,” said Westerhoff. “and the drive they have to do it. It comes down much more to that.” Both Schwinge and Westerhoff agree that a student’s motivation can fluctuate throughout their academic career. Schwinge emphasizes that this fact makes test scores an unreliable predictor of future success in college. “You can have students with amazing [standardized exam] scores that literally just crack under the pressure of freshman year and drop out [of college],” said Schwinge. “and you’ve got kids who barely got in with a low score and they do fine.” While the College Board holds benefits in shaping the future of students at UPA, the study culture and conformity it promotes calls upon students, policymakers, and educators alike to scrutinize its influence over the American education system.
BULLSEYE!
Delve into Dylan Sim’s journey in competitve archery ARTICLE & DESIGN BY KAREN HENG • ILLUSTRATIONS BY ANGEL FROUMIS
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ringing one’s imaginations to life might sound difficult but it is possible. Eighth grader Dylan Sim is a competitive archer whose interest in archery stemmed from a TV show he watched: “Arrow.” Not only did he find the show’s depiction of archery cool, but also how it displayed the bow and arrow’s simplistic design and function. Shortly after—when Sim was 10—his parents signed him up for an archery class, and he has played for three years since. For a year, Sim played recreationally before transitioning to competitive archery. According to Sim, competitive archery requires more focus and has more concepts to it than one might initially think. In competitive archery, there are different layouts of tournaments with a boys and girls division. The competitions that Sim competes in are individual. In order to win, the archer must score the highest over four rounds. Each round consists of six or twelve ends, the six ends consisting of six arrows and the twelve ends consisting of three arrows. There are usually three categories of bow types: olympic recurve, barebow and compound. Sim started off using a barebow but later switched to an olympic recurve. In addition, there are age categories within competitive archery and Sim is currently in the cub category. He usually practices twice a week on Thursdays and Sundays in open fields for around an hour to an hour and a half. Sim attends a tournament every few months and prepares by first going for an equipment check in the morning and then shooting two to three ends for practice. During the competition, competitors take breaks in-between for half an hour before starting the next six ends. The two day tournaments typically last 16 to 18 hours and single day tournaments take eight to nine hours, depending on if there are any delays. Sim feels nervous and anxious at the start of his tour-
naments but after a few ends he becomes more confident. Sim recently individually competed at the 27th Annual Grapestakes Tournament that took place in the Sacramento Discovery Park from Aug. 26 to Aug. 27. Sim placed sixth out of the 22 people competing. There are about 20 people in his category and Sim usually places in the middle of his group, but this time he noticed an improvement from his past rankings. Sim was happy about his performance as it was one of his best competitions that he has done so far. Sim always creates a self-goal in order to see if he can perform better than his last competition. This is currently Sim’s personal best, but he hopes to keep doing better in his future competitions. “When you reach a scoring you haven’t reached,” Sim said. “[It creates] a self-goal to reach a high number each time.” For Sim, the most difficult part about archery is remembering all the concepts within archery, keeping focus and not being nervous in order to shoot a good shot. However, this only motivates Sim to keep improving his archery skills, as he someday hopes to be good enough to compete in the Junior Olympics. Archery also pushes Sim to try his best and has taught him perseverance in difficult circumstances. A tip Sim has for people who want to get started in archery is that practice and patience are key. “There are going to be some times when the arrows are not going to go your way but if you keep practicing, you’ll soon be better,” Sim said.
“There are going to be some times when the arrows are not going to go your way but if you keep practicing, you’ll soon be beter.” - Dylan sim
Sim preping to shoot the target during practice. (Photo courtesy of Dylan Sim.)
FEATURES | 12
AND BY THE WAY, I’M GOING OUT TONIGHT
Experiencing the Eras Tour: in stadium vs. Tay-gating ARTICLE BY SNEHA MADAN & ANGEL FROUMIS • ILLUSTRATIONS & DESIGN BY ANGEL FROUMIS
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he Eras Tour, a journey through the ten albums of her discography, is singer-songwriter Taylor Swift’s sixth and most extensive stadium t o u r yet with 146 shows across five continents. After not being able to debut many of her newer albums such as Folklore, Evermore and Midnights which were released during the pandemic, the tour has become an international phenomenon. Though shows started in March of 2023, ticket presales started back in November of 2022 and the tour is now the highest grossing tour to be recorded at $2.2 billion. At every show, thousands of fans who were unable to get tickets opted to enjoy the concert from outside the stadium as well – a process known as tailgating, or as Swifties call it, “Tay-gating.” With our different experiences under our belts, we wanted to compare the perspectives of “Tay-gating” versus experiencing the concert from inside the stadium.
SNEHA’S PERSPECTIVE: Ticket Struggles:
On Nov. 15, 2022, I frantically attempted to log onto the Ticketmaster queue with my registered presale code and watched it crash with frequent interruptions just for the presale to be shut down and delayed. Five hours later, I tried to log on and join the queue again. Watching each minute pass in the countdown, I was determined to get these tickets. My heart sank as I saw the presale open with over 2,000 people ahead in the queue. But, as I slowly watched the number lower, I was hopeful. Finally, I got to the stage of choosing seats and I excitedly looked at the prices ranging from about $100 to more than $1000, going back and forth consulting my brother and his friends. 13 | Opinion
After what seemed like an eternity, I somehow had tickets for the lower bowl area of the stadium for about $250 each. Fast forward to July 28, 2023, my brother, his friends and I walked to a Starbucks nearby as we waited for the concert to start. As we entered, we noticed many people in the coffeehouse dressed up for the concert in their cowboys hats and shimmery outfits with their computers open, desperate as they searched for tickets. When we ordered, the barista herself also had the resale tickets pulled up on her phone hoping to find a good price.
Fan Experience:
In every city, Swift’s team does an “early merch day” typically the day before the first show, selling exclusive tour merch for a full day. For the Santa Clara show weekend, it occurred on July 27. Though the merch lines opened at 10 a.m., I showed up at 5 a.m. with my brother and his friends, pulling an all-nighter and arriving there at 3:45a.m.. We were fifth in line, eagerly dedicated to get merch. Despite everyone present having the same goal and knowing the merch would sell out soon, all the fans we talked to in line were respectful and nice, maintaining their personal space. We also met a few girls who brought a speaker and played Swift’s music and everyone vibed along. News reporters from differ-
ent channels such as NBC, ABC and CBS also arrived around 4 a.m. and stayed the whole day interviewing Swifties in the line who talked about their experiences of being there. It was fascinating to see how big of an event the merch day had become as we made it on the news as well. We even got to talk to the merch company’s team who were also surprised by the amount of organization at the event, describing it as one of the best they had seen on any merch day they had been a part of. We later heard that by the end of the day there had been over 20,000 people there for early merch. Overall, it was just such a heartwarming experience to be able to interact with fans from all over the Bay Area, e v e n fur-
ther around California and out of state.
Concert Experience:
Merch lines hundreds of people long, food lines taking hours, a sea of bracelets being traded and the excitement of all the fans rushed through Levi’s Stadium as we were mere hours away from seeing the artist we had been waiting for for months. The openers for our show, Gracie Abrams and HAIM, each performed a 45 minute set beginning at 6:30 p.m.. An hour and a half later, I watched the countdown, feeling the anticipation and enthusiasm of everyone around me waiting for Swift to get on stage. The next three hours went by in a lavender haze as we watched, danced, sang and screamed the lyrics to all 45 songs she performed, taking in every moment. The way she was able to interact with her fans and give different speeches as she sang and danced throughout the show was so memorable to be a part of. Throughout the whole tour, fans had been so engaged with chants and fan projects through different songs. Since the stadium is next to Great America, which had a fireworks show that night, the entire stadium lit up causing surprised reactions from fans and even Swift at the beginning of the Speak Now set. At every show, Swift additionally plays two “surprise songs”– songs that are not on her setlist and change at every date – one on the guitar and one on the piano. As she brought out Aaron Dessner – one of her main producers – and described the song, that was the moment I knew it would be “Right Where You Left Me,” one of my all time favorites. I was overjoyed to be able to hear it live and as an acoustic piece. I could feel the joy and excitement of everyone in the stadium through the song and additionally in “Castles Crumbling,” the second acoustic. At the end of the show, I was able to talk to some of the security who were all so considerate, and even helped me get some confetti that had been popped around the stage and floor. It was an unforgettable night.
Was it Worth it?
Though my voice was basically gone, my hair was a mess and my feet were cramping by the end of the night, I would not change a thing. Swift has had such a positive impact on me and so many people I know, as a singer, but also just as a person. I am so thankful I was able to get tickets and connect with so many amazing fans. I still cannot believe I got to experience this concert, but it was truly one of the most enchanting nights of my life.
ANGEL’S PERSPECTIVE: Ticket Struggles:
On July 29, the last day of Swift’s Santa Clara shows, I panicked and refreshed Stub Hub and SeatGeek obsessively for hours. I had heard that the previous night, last minute ticket prices had lowered down to even $376 for floor seats, so I had high hopes that I might be able to obtain tickets. Unfor-
tunately, on the second night of the Santa Clara show, the lowest possible price for nosebleed seats was $765, which was far too expensive. By the time my mom and I had arrived at the stadium, the WiFi connection was so unstable that the SeatGeek and StubHub sites could no longer be refreshed and we gave up on trying to get tickets.
Concert Experience:
After accepting the fact that we would not be getting tickets, my mom and I walked down the street, to the right of Levi’s Stadium, and put enough distance between us and the stadium speaker announcements to be able to hear Swift perform. There were
metal barriers on the side of Tasman Drive and the street was closed off, becoming the place where we and other fans congregated. From our spot, we could faintly see the jumbotron in the reflection of a building. So while the view was decent, if fans became too loud, it became immensely difficult to hear Swift performing, especially during softer Folklore songs like “Betty” and “Cardigan.” The surprise songs she played that night were “Stay Stay Stay” and “All of the Girls You Loved Before,” which received very enthusiastic responses from the fans. Halfway through the concert, news cameras also briefly showed up to capture footage of the fans who were eagerly “Tay-gating”, and the fans waved to the cameras. Further into the show security forced several fans to move out of the street, so for many, the experience was interrupted. I felt sorry for the fans who I noticed were angered at this disruption.
Fan Experience:
Just before the concert, my mom and I met a fan standing right outside of the stadium, wearing a sparkly bejeweled RED era dress also trying to desperately find discounted tickets as Swift was getting onstage. She was sweet and hopeful despite her low odds, and while I still do not know if she got her tickets, her enthusiasm and kindness stuck with me. I appreciated the warmth and kindness of all the fans, who, despite being unlucky in finding tickets, showed kindness and community around the stadium. The view was not great, but we were surrounded by other enthusiastic Swifties who were thrilled to just be near the concert.
Was it Worth it?
Overall, I am grateful that I went to Taygate, and I have no regrets. For fans considering Tay-gating in the future, I would advise that they be aware of security and of the rules and regulations for Tay-gating in their city. Although it would have been more ideal to find tickets, the experience was still exciting and bonding with the fans created a night beyond my wildest dreams. Opinion | 14
HUSTLE FOR MUSCLE Dive into the story of why UPA students work out, and why they continue ARTICLE & PHOTOS BY ABHISHEK MYNAM • ILLUSTRATIONS & DESIGN BY OLIVE LUONG 15 | IN-DEPTH
Trigger warning: Includes mentions of body dysmorphia
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rasping a dumbbell, sweat trickling down as determination fuels each lift, going to the gym is a familiar activity among UPA’s high schoolers. Students work out for various reasons, whether it’s losing weight or gaining muscle. This motivation can be seen through the story of senior Naman Nair, who initially found his inspiration due to his struggles with being overweight. When Nair was 14, he weighed 185 pounds, standing only 5 feet 4 inches tall. His friends constantly criticized him for being skinny and fat. Nair was ashamed of having “scrawny arms that looked like sticks” and a “big belly that protruded out from his shirt.” “I used to get bullied for the randomness of things,” Nair said. “If I told a joke or ate food, people would always bring up my weight out of nowhere.” From the constant pressure from the bullying to hating how he looked in the mirror, Nair knew that he wanted to lose weight and build muscle. Playing basketball in middle school, Nair had managed to lose some, but he still felt that he was overweight with a big belly. After quarantine, during his sophomore year, Nair injured his leg while playing basketball. A few months after his injury, as his leg started to recover, Nair started lifting weights to improve his body. Even before Nair began working out, he had always struggled with body dysmorphia and felt ashamed of his body. When Nair started working out, it was hard for him to go to a gym, so he started working out at home with his father’s dumbbells “Working out at home was much better for me
“THE FEELING OF A PUMP IS THE
since I can be in my own home comfort,” Nair said. “I was very insecure about my body, to a point where I did not want to go to the gym and be around people.” After a few months of working out at home, Nair began to feel more comfortable in his body and decided that due to the limited equipment he had in-house, a gym membership was needed. The transition was difficult at first, but going to the gym frequently, Nair got used to the environment and felt comfortable over time. Now Nair regularly goes to the gym as often as five to six times a week. Unlike Nair, junior Matewos Araya has always had the primary goal of getting stronger. Araya’s father would always taunt and tease him by showing off his muscles, which would result in Araya becoming jealous and wanting to be like his father. Eventually, as Araya’s friends started going to the gym in the summer of 2022, he joined them. He instantly fell in love once he started. Both Nair and Araya go to the gym several times a week and they consider the gym addicting since they started. For Araya, he enjoys the
MOST SATISFYING EXPERIENCE. IT'S LIKE EATING YOUR FAVORITE MEAL. AFTER YOU ARE DONE EATING YOU FEEL SATISFIED ."
Naman Nair does a deadlift.
-MATEWOS ARAYA
feeling of a pump—the temporary increase in muscle mass after a workout. “The feeling of a pump is the most satisfying experience,” Araya said. “It’s like eating your favorite meal. After you are done eating you feel satisfied.” Araya also enjoys the sense of accomplishment working out brings. Araya never thought that he would be able to bench 175 pounds. When he eventually did, he felt amazing. “It looked like a lot of weight,” Araya said. “I got down there. I did it. After that, I felt like I could do anything. I felt like I was on top of the moon.” Similarly to Araya, Nair also enjoys this “pump” feeling, but what exactly is this feeling? According to AP Psychology teacher Loren Schwinge, when one works out, the body releases endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers. These endorphins can release this high feeling that can be addicting. When people work, their body has a rush of hormones such as oxytocin, dopamine, and serotonin. These hormones make the body “feel” good, so when these hormones are released during a workout, they give a pleasant feeling that can be addictive. Besides the rush of hormones, working out can also be addictive because of the reward factor it gives. Since working out gives a sense of progress, people can be addicted to that achievement. Schwinge men tioned that people may not have a tool to measure improvement Continued on next page IN-DEPTH | 16
i n other aspects of life, such as in academics or emotional growth, but while working out, the progress is trackable and measurable. “So much of it is that there’s not a lot of metrics that we use in our society to actually make us feel proud of what we do,” Schwinge said. “So much of our day just feels like a daily grind. We don’t feel like we’re making actual progress. But being able to go to the gym and knowing that you lifted heavier that day than you did last week, what a beautiful sense of accomplishment but it also can create a kind of an addictive drive to just keep getting bigger and better and bigger and better.” When junior Benyam Bizuayehu was on a weight loss journey, near the end of 2021, he enjoyed tracking his progress and seeing his weight drop. “Losing weight makes you so happy,” Bizuayehu said. “Seeing the scale and seeing your weight drop makes you want to go more and more and see how far you can get.” Unlike Nair and Araya, Bizuayehu started to work out for a different reason. He was motivated by the verse Corinthians 6:19-20 in the Bible. “I read a verse that said, keep your body as a temple for God not only for God but as for your physical body,” Bizuayehu said.
“When I read that it really motivated me to keep my body as much in shape as possible.” When he was young, Bizuayehu struggled to match his peers physically. When playing soccer he could not run
as fast as the other children and would often lag behind his teammates. Growing up, this lowered his confidence as he wanted to try to do what other kids could. “When I saw them play, they were always running down the field and back looking like they had unlimited stamina,” Bizuayehu said. “I couldn’t even do that. I couldn’t do half of what they could do.” Reading the Bible verse motivated Bizuayehu to finally make that leap to improve his body’s potential. When he first started working out, he attended the gym a few times a week, but over time, he began going six times a week. To lose weight, Bizuayehu incorporated both weight and cardio exercises and also had to focus on changing his diet. He cut out fatty foods and reduced his snacking. After losing over 40 pounds he noticed that his confidence levels increased and he was able to move way faster, which has led to him to start playing soccer more often than in the past. Bizuayehu’s body transformation is an example of some of the positive effects of working out, but there can also be many
“ YOU SEE PEOPLE THAT ARE
STRONGER THAN AND YOU SEE PEOPLE THAT ARE BETTER BUILT, YOU AIM TO BE LIKE THEM, AND YOU KEEP ON GOING. WHEN I SEE
STRONGER PEOPLE, I WANT TO BE STRONGER. ” -MATEWOS ARAYA 17 | IN-DEPTH
negative effects. For example, Schwinge talks about how working out can get to a point where people do not feel strong enough in their own bodies, so they need t o
continue getting stronger. For Nair, even when he started to work out regularly, he still felt that he was not satisfied with his own body. Even though Nair’s body is unlike the one he had in the past, he sometimes still feels ashamed of it. “I turn [the lights] off and I close the mirror,” Nair said. “I put something on top of my body so I don’t see myself and you know, it just gets bad.” As previously mentioned, Nair suffers from body dysmorphia—a mental illness involving obsessive focus on a perceived flaw in appearance—which causes him to feel constantly insecure about his appearance. “From looking at a weird arm that was way skinnier than my other arm,” Nair said. “From looking at a leg that still feels a lot skinnier than my other because of my leg injury. Being fat, you know, almost becoming 200 pounds overweight at one point. I’d say body dysmorphia has always been there for me as a person.” Nair has mixed feelings about the state of his condition. At times, he feels amazing with his new body, and other times he feels the need to cover himself up. Since Nair has been able to lose a lot of his body fat, his muscles are very defined which makes tiny details more evident in his body. This sometimes results in the persevering feel-
ing of dysmorphia. Even though his condition is persistent, Nair feels more confident in his body and clothing than he did before he started working out. Additionally, another side effect Schwinge talks about is the sense of competition that working out entails and how people are constantly comparing themselves. For example, Araya enjoys the sense of competition that working out brings, and this motivates him to get stronger than the people around him. “Your physique and your strength— you’re never satisfied with it,” Araya said. “You’re trying to get stronger and stronger. You see people that are stronger than and you see people that are better built, you aim to be like them, and you keep on going. When I see stronger people. I want to be stronger.” For Nair, however, when he first started going to the gym he felt kind of insecure about his body when looking at other muscular people. Over time, Nair realized that everyone is in their own “lane,” where they are focusing on trying to improve themselves. He realized that the people in the gym often bring each other up and the gym is a community. For example, Nair felt amazing when he got a compliment from a muscular guy at the gym. “It was from a really nice-looking shredded dude,” Nair said. “He said I’m pretty big for my age. That really pushed me forward.” Similarly, one of Araya’s friends, who goes to the gym at five a.m. on school days compared to Araya going later in the day, has motivated Araya to try working out earlier in the day. These examples from Araya and Nair tie into a theory Schwinge has about the perception that people want from the environment around them. “I would argue that the type of muscle growth that a lot of young men are pursuing is not inherently something that is expressly being sought after by women,” Schwinge said. “It’s often men influencing other men to look
“AND SO IT COMES WITH A FINE LINE OF WHO ARE YOU DOING THIS FOR? IS IT FOR YOU? OR IS IT FOR THE PERCEPTION OF THOSE AROUND YOU ? " -LOREN SCHWINGE
a particular way. And so it comes with a fine line of who are you doing this for? Is it for you? Or is it for the perception of those around you?” In addition to the positive effects on the body from working out, it has also provided students with time management skills and has changed their mindset. For Araya, since working out can take a few hours of his day, he has made sure to manage his time more effectively. He has started to do a small part of his homework every day now instead of pushing everything to the last minute. He also found that his mindset has changed and he has built discipline to have a goal and reach it. “Working out has helped me make sure I keep track of my goals,” Araya said. “To make sure to try my hardest to achieve no matter how difficult they are and to make sure to put in work every single day.” Similarly to Araya, Bizuayehu became very disciplined when he was trying to lose weight. He made sure to be strict with himself to watch what he would eat. At times it would be tempting for him to eat snacks but he saw the end goal he wanted to achieve and he pushed himself to achieve it. “I just thought of the goal ahead,” Bizuayehu said. “Like my dream self. As I moved on to each workout, it felt like it was a job like a to-do list you just check off. I’m moving one step ahead, to go to my goal. So each day was like a step.” To allow students to develop these new life skills, working out requires a significant time commitment and becomes deeply integrated into a student’s lifestyle. For example, Nair and Araya have had to change their diet and eat more proteins such as chicken and steak. Since muscle building requires a large protein intake, students have had to
spend large quantities of money trying to change their diet. Additional sources of protein such as protein shakes or bars add to the cost. On top of the additional costs an ideal body may come with, working out can take a few hours of a student’s day. With a busy schedule with homework and tests, fitting in a workout can be hard for students. Nair has a scheduled time period for every time he goes to the gym, but still, he has found that he needs to rearrange his schedule depending on tests or quizzes. While Bizuayehu was on a weight loss journey, his dedication prevented him from skipping the gym, which in turn posed challenges in balancing school work. “[Losing weight] was challenging because of school whenever I had a test,” Bizuayehu said. “I really didn’t want to skip the gym. So as I went, I had less time to study and do homework. So I often had to stay up late at night studying.” The gym has become more than just a place to work on physical fitness for these UPA students. It has evolved into a source of motivation, discipline, and community. Despite the challenges they face, their commitment to self-improvement and personal growth through fitness remained unwavering.
IN-DEPTH | 18
ACROSS THE ANIMATION-VERSE UPA discusses 3D animation’s evolution in recent years
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ARTICLE, ILLUSTRATIONS & DESIGN BY ZAINAB SHAIKH
rossing $689.4 million worldwide, “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”—released in 2018— surpassed “Hotel Transylvania 2” (2015) for the title of Sony Animation’s highest-grossing picture of all time. Five years later, its sequel, “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” released on June 2, became one of the highest-grossing films of 2023. The second film followed Miles Morales—portrayed by Shameik Moore—as he ventured throughout the multiverse, collectively called “the Spider-Verse.” The film utilizes a 3D animation style combined with 2D animation techniques, creating a unique hybrid. This distinctive technique debuted in the critically acclaimed film “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” with multiple studios such as Dreamworks, Fortiche Production SAS, and Mikros Animation already adopting the unique style. The “Spider-Verse” art style is a mixed medium process that blends various visual elements to create dynamic visuals. At its core, the style draws inspiration from comic book aesthetics and integrates them with modern animation technology. For example, burst shots through the films are drawn in 2-D mediums with vibrant monochromatic coloring, paying homage to classic comic book panels. Multimedia Arts teacher Cameron Seibly,, who studied art in college with Seibly the intention to enter the animation field, thinks the term “pop art” is the best way to define the franchise’s animation style. “[It’s] like pop art,” Seibly said. “In the sense that it’s taking what we know in traditional animation; color schemes, contrast, but it takes it and cranks it to 100, and goes ‘social media.’ So when you think of 19 | Arts & culture
social media, you think of big bright ads and colorful posters and people’s names and so it kind of pops and explodes to your face.” What sets it apart from traditional 3D animation is a blend of art styles, comic book aesthetics, and dimensional layering. Dimensional layering in 3D animation is a technique used to create depth and visual interest in a scene by separating objects or elements into different layers along the z-axis—the axis that represents depth in a three-dimensional space.
“GO OUT ON A LIMB, TRY SOMETHING NEW. BUT DON’T BE AFRAID TO TAKE RISKS.” - CAMERON SEIBLY The creators of the “Spider-Verse” franchise incorporated a diverse range of animation techniques within a single film. This multiverse of styles pays homage to the various Spider-Man comic iterations while giving each character a unique and authentic look. For example, Spider-Punk, portrayed by Daniel Kaluuya, was drawn differently on various keyframes, animated “on twos,” meaning one image for every two frames, or 12 images per second. This was intentionally done to give him a spontaneous, unpredictable characterization.
Meanwhile, CG-animated films are usually “on ones,” or 24 frames per second, which looks smoother. Another example was Scarlet Spider, portrayed by Andy Samberg; the intricate shading and crosshatching in Scarlet Spider’s crevices reflected Ben’s angsty personality throughout the film. The film emulates the visual language of comic books by using techniques such as halftone patterns, onomatopoeia, and thought bubbles. This approach not only pays tribute to the source material but also enhances the film’s dynamic energy, employing a technique called “dimensional layering,” which involves stacking multiple versions of characters on top of each other to create a sense of depth and movement. This approach resulted in a 3D animation that felt like a living comic book page which can be seen with Earth-65’s Vulture (portrayed by Jorma Taccone), a Renaissance-era Leonardo da Vinci-inspired villain equipped with a mechanical wooden suit and wings. Additionally, the franchise’s art style embraces multiple brush textures reminiscent of hand-drawn illustrations. In multiple scenes, lineart is shown to be choppy and sketchy, and painting styles are textured and multidimensional. This choice adds authenticity to the character’s environment. 2D animator and eighth-grader Ethan Choi believes that the use of multiple textures stood out the most in the film. “I noticed that they use halftones whenever there’s light sources, to make it pop out from the rest of the movie,” Choi said. “I feel like it’s my favorite feature- because of the halftone and sketching for lighting and shadows, it’s really, really easy to see
those textures in the color and the shadow. it’s really comic book-like as if it was really popping out from a comic book into your face..” An example of this would be Spider-Gwen’s, portrayed by Hailee Steinfeld, universe; a watercolor style landscape with soft shades of pink and blue among a majorly black and white landscape. The pink and blue colors serve as a symbol of her secret identity as the one-and-only Spider-Woman of her world and her individuality within the monochromatic world around her. “Gwen’s world was genius; there were streaks of paint that dropped and changed color during some moments. Through watercolor, emotions are really shown in the background- like the time when Gwen was talking to her father,” Choi said, ”and the watercolor background bleeds into their conversation and turns blue, then yellow to emphasize different emotions and the worlds of their characters. It was awesome.” Ever since the franchise’s first movie, “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” was released in 2018, animation studios have been forced to adapt to a new animation style to compete with Sony. From then on, a new wave of 3D animation took its course, popular films including “The Mitchells vs. the Machines” (2021), “Arcane” (2021), and “Puss in Boots: the Last Wish” (2022). Even more recently, on Aug. 2, Nickelodeon Animation Studio released “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem,” a tribute to the original “Teenage Mutant
Ninja Turtles” comics. Additionally, “Puss in Boot: The Last Wish” and “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” use clunky action scenes with multiple camera angles, adding frames with sketchy art in between to give the scenes an adrenaline-surging effect. Like the “Spider-Verse”, these films and “Arcane” use intricate, stylized art combined with elements of 2D and 3D animation, lessened frames per second, methodically placed brush strokes, and scrappy action to captivate their audience and relay an artistic statement. However, the creators of the “Spider-Verse” franchise were not the first ones to push the boundary of 3D animation and create the unique art style; they were the ones who took the risk and popularized it. In the video “How ‘Spider-Verse’ forced animation to evolve” by Vox, Lollipop Shaders CEO Christos Obretenov gave insight into the hesitance animation studios had in creating a stylized film when he was working with them. “A lot of people have been playing with this [animation style] for a long time, but to do a full feature film that’s very stylized in 3D, I think people were scared,” Obretenov said. Films such as “Bolt” (2008) and “Monster House” (2006) had incredibly stylized concept art. However, investor’s fear of these film’s failure resulted in changes in the animation, leading studios to opt for the typical “Pixar look,” which is defined as “...extremely high quality, physically based, and in some cases almost photorealistic animation,” Obretenov said. In the article “The Moment When You Have to Reveal Your Work to the World” by Vox, Sony Pictures Imageworks supervisor Joshua Beveridge had doubts about the stylized art while working on “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” himself. “The world hadn’t seen any of it,” Beveridge said. “Some of
the things we were trying to do felt like risks, and we thought there were too many. We thought the majority of people might hate it. We thought it was divisive.” However, the film became Sony’s highest-grossing film of 2018 and gained a wide fanbase. Among its fanbase is senior Simon Berhane, Berhane, who has been a fan of the franchise since the Miles Morales comics. “All these new movies have to keep up with Spider-Verse,” Berhane said. “They have to keep up with the same level of quality because if they don’t, then they’re just going to fall to the side. Puss in Boots, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are very similar to Spider-Verse. I think Spider-Verse is setting a bar in animation, where you have to get on its level to be unique now.” The franchise is reported to finish as a trilogy, with “Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse” as the final film. The film’s direction and storyline are unknown as of now, but Seibly wants to see Sony go big with their ideas. “I want to see them take risks,” Seibly said. “Go out on a limb, try something new. But don’t be afraid to take risks.” Berhane shares a similar sentiment. “I don’t know how the final film is going to be,” Berhane said. “I hope they stay true to the original animation and comics instead of putting it out there for money. I just want them to end it off- for fans and [those of] us who have been following Miles’ story since the comics.”
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Hi Barbie!
Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” explores themes of patriarchy and societal standards of women ARTICLE BY OLIVE LUONG • DESIGN BY ABHISHEK MYNAM • ILLUSTRATIONS BY ANGEL FROUMIS
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ccording to the History Channel, more than a billion Barbie dolls have been sold since their debut in 1959. The doll was first inspired after Ruth Handler noticed that her daughter’s baby dolls limited creativity and incessantly portrayed children who played with the dolls as caretakers. Handler pitched the idea of an adult doll to her husband—the co-founder of their toy company, Mattel—and in 1959, the Barbie doll debuted. With the popularity of the Barbie franchise, a live-action Barbie film was inevitable. The first teaser trailer for the movie was released on YouTube on Dec. 16, 2022. Throughout the months leading up to the official release of the movie on July 21, trends and traditions emerged to watch of the “Barbie” a special event
It is a very diffcult balancing act that women in this country have. Between being likable and wanting to appear presentable and palatable in society, but then that is also a struggle because it doesn’t always align with who you actually are.”
- Kristin Moore such as dressing in pink. “Barbie” starts with the portrayal of the main character, blonde and blue-eyed “Stereotypical Barbie” played by Margot Robbie, living her life in Barbie Land—the women-led, Barbie-owned reality parallel to the real world. Contemplating mortality and experiencing non-Barbie-like imperfect days, Barbie, accompanied by “Beach Ken,” played by Ryan Gosling, ventures into the human world. The struggles of being a woman in a time where physical and emotional perfection is valued and the societal pressure men face to constantly compete to be the alpha male was addressed on “Stereotypical Barbie’s” journey. It also acknowledged the hardships of parenting teens and the widespread idea of Barbie dolls being 21 |Arts & Culture
unideal role models for girls growing up. As a follower of Greta Gerwig, the director of the Barbie movie, English teacher Kristin Moore had high expectations. Moore expected insightful commentary on women’s roles in society, a recurring theme among many of Gerwig’s movies. “I was most impressed with how it was such a divergence for her,” Moore said. “I think it was her most ambitious art direction.” Moore admires the amount of detail put into creating an accurately scaled Barbie Land that mirrors the dolls and their accessories in real life. As a doll, Barbie is slightly larger and disproportionate to her accessories which are down to toy-scale. To replicate that, the buildings and accessories in Barbie Land were scaled smaller than the dolls to give the feel of a claustrophobic world the dolls were stuck in. Moore also loved the appearance of “Weird Barbie”, portrayed by Kate McKinnon. “I loved Weird Barbie,” Moore said. “For me, Weird Barbie was one of the beating hearts of the movie.” Weird Barbie is the product of a kid playing with their Barbie doll a little too roughly, such as coloring on their faces and cutting their hair. Moore enjoyed the character as she herself owned a “Weird Barbie” as a kid and found the character to be
charming. Along with the details put into making the movie relatable to the audience, Moore appreciated its many messages about the difficulty of being a woman in today’s society. “It did bring forward the idea that it is a very difficult balancing act that women in this country have,” Moore said. “Between being likable and wanting to appear presentable and palatable in society, but then that is also a struggle because it doesn’t always align with who you actually are.” Despite the modern messages about women and the patriarchy, Moore didn’t find the movie to be revolutionary. “None of it was new to me,” Moore said. “I felt the message about how patriarchy affects women and men was a good one, but it felt a little simplistic.” As a film and television enthusiast, Moore often exposes herself to the modern-day themes of feminism and women empowerment. However, she found the ideas portrayed in the movie to be common but still valuable for those who might not have been exposed to it before. Sophomore Avanthiga Vijay watched “Barbie “with her friends after seeing the trailer released on YouTube on May 25. Vijay also appreciated the movie’s message about the effect of the patriarchy on both men and women. “It dives deep into how the world really works and how both men and women hate women,” Vijay said. When she first viewed “Barbie,” Vijay was pleasantly surprised by the film’s acknowledgement of patriarchy as she had expected the movie to lack deeper underlying meanings, similar to the children’s show “Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse.” Alongside the strong message about feminism the movie portrayed, Vijay appreciated the underlying meaning about parenting.
“The movie also shows a nice mother-daughter relationship between the two characters,” Vijay said. “If someone went to watch it with their mom, they would come back feeling more appreciative of their mother.” Despite the many messages portrayed in the movie, the one about embracing one’s humanity was most impactful to Moore. After Barbie solves the Ken “takeover” in Barbie Land, she decides to become human and live in the human world. “I enjoyed that because I think sometimes we want our lives to be just easy and just to be fun and not involve any of the more difficult emotions,” Moore said. “But it is important to embrace all of it because that is part of the human experience.” Moore was also pleased that the movie showcased Barbie not only as someone who parties and has fun but also someone who contemplates mortality and experiences depression and deeper emotions. Freshman Abigail Vo heard about the movie after seeing posts about the trailer on multiple social media platforms. Growing up with Barbie dolls, Vo expected to enjoy the movie and be proud of how the producers would portray the message of girl-power. Vo was disappointed when she reached the midpoint of the movie and realized there was no significance to its plot. “There wasn’t really a goal that was interesting,” Vo said. “[The problem] was just because the characters didn’t agree on something and it was just a small thing.” Vo also found the repeating lines irritating. At the beginning of the movie, Barbie wakes up and goes through her day while passing dolls greet her with peppy “Hi, Barbie!’s.” The repetition became annoying to Vo. “It just got too much, and I was just like, Are you serious?” Vo said. Vo also disliked the portrayal of the message about feminism. She acknowledged that the producers of the movie did somewhat address the topic but left it underdeveloped. “I feel like they didn’t show the feminism part well, because all the characters weren’t really representing feminine people proudly,” Vo said. “It just represented stereotypes.” As the main characters, Barbie and Ken were at the forefront of the movie as it progressed and were the characters that had the most development. The pair were the only ones whose issues were addressed and Vo found that that marginalized the relatable side characters who weren’t perfect, such as Allan—the discontinued doll meant to be Ken’s best friend—and Weird Barbie. With its many interpretations and meanings, the movie had a little bit of everything for a diverse audience, leaving a lasting impact on viewers. “I don’t know why anybody wouldn’t like it,” Moore said. Arts & Culture | 22
a cup of the bay! Reviewing and rating four South Bay cafés ARTICLE & PHOTOS BY NADIA HAMILTON • DESIGN BY KYLA ULUG
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ith the busy lives that we lead, oftentimes students need a cup of coffee to start their morning or keep them going throughout the afternoon. After a long day of writing essays, completing reading questions and taking quizzes, I know I always enjoy an iced coffee to refresh me before I go to my extracurriculars. Luckily, Santa Clara county has many coffee shops ranging from popular chain businesses to lesser-known small companies. I was recommended some of these cafés by my peers to test and review. Phin Cafe - 8/10 Despite the surrounding area being rather rundown with trash in the parking lot, faded paint on store signs and a smoke shop next door—the interior of Phin Cafe is very charming, with clean, comfortable seating and plenty of decor. Upon entering the facility, I was greeted
Top: Phin Cafe. Bottom: Coffee & Water Lab. 23 | Arts & Culture
by calming jazz music and the pleasant scent of coffee and milk tea. This café would be a very nice study spot as there is lots of seating and electrical outlets available, as well as guest Wi-Fi. Phin Cafe offers a wide variety of coffees, teas and other food items with a Vietnamese influence. Their menu incorporates cultural flavors like pandan, ube, durian and more. One feature to note is that they do not offer milk alternatives for people who are lactose sensitive. I ordered an egg coffee for $6.90, a pandan coffee for $6.90 and a latte for $5.00. Egg coffee, Phin’s most popular item, features their Vietnamese coffee topped with a sticky egg custard. This drink was my favorite of the three I ordered. The sweetness of the custard complimented the bitterness of the coffee to create a perfect balance of flavors. The second coffee, Pandan coffee, includes Vietnamese coffee with a pandan foam and wafer roll on top. Pandan is a tropical plant
with a grassy and coconutty flavor whose leaves are used to flavor South Asian and Southeast Asian cuisine, making this one of their featured drinks with distinctly Vietnamese ingredients. While the coffee was satisfactory, I noticed chemical undertones in the drink that I assume is a result of artificial pandan extract rather than pandan leaves. Lastly, the latte was on the creamier side and had balanced espresso that was not too bitter. The drink was a good temperature and overall pretty tasty. Philz Coffee - 7/10 A more popular cafe, Philz Coffee, is a Bay Area native chain with multiple locations in Santa Clara. I visited the Los Gatos location, in which I immediately noticed the high ceilings and open layout that was, sadly, not put to good use as there was little seating available for customers. With the lack of chairs, I ended up on a bench with my drinks next to me. Unlike the tranquil environment of Phin Cafe, Philz was playing pop music and the wall decor consisted of pieces from local artists. Even though the diversity in art styles resulted in a slightly chaotic vibe, I appreciate the effort made to support local artists’ work. I would describe Philz’s beverages as “authentic.” Most of Philz’s food options were breakfast items, but I applaud their wide variety of coffee blends. I ordered a Mint Mojito for $6.30, a Mocha Tesora for $6.30 and a Philtered Soul for $5.30. The Mint Mojito, their most popular item, is a classic that I order every time. It is a cold brew with cream, mint leaves and sugar. While the drink is on the sweeter side, the coffee flavor is not lost and is complemented by fresh mint leaves. The Mocha Tesora surprised me with its creamy, velvety formula and quality chocolate that was not too rich. Because Philz does not offer espresso drinks, I could not order a latte from them. Rather, the associate helping me suggested a regular coffee with an equivalent amount of creamer to that of a latte. The Philtered Soul is a medium blend
coffee with notes of hazelnut that creates a solid “latte.” However, I would not recommend it for people who prefer sweeter coffees as it has a more aggressive bitter flavor. For those who do enjoy strong coffees, this beverage has a customizable level of creaminess to personalize it to your taste. Blue Bottle Coffee - 8.5/10 Upon entering Blue Bottle Coffee’s Los Gatos location, I was greeted by the delicious scent of freshly brewed coffee and the sound of relaxing jazz music. Contrary to the typical bustling atmosphere of a common cafe, Blue Bottle has a calmer style–an enjoyable change of pace. A feature that I really appreciated was the open counter space, which allows customers to view baristas making their beverages. On the subject of the staff, they were incredibly friendly and accommodating. The barista that took my order was super friendly and made sure to double-check what I had ordered to ensure that she got it right. I could tell from both the customer service and the quality of the drinks that the staff are very welltrained, which I appreciate. From Blue Bottle, I ordered a regular latte for $6.25, a black cardamom latte for $7.50 and a New Orleans-style iced coffee for $6.75. The coffee was delicious—a feature I attribute to both the quality of their coffee beans, and the talented staff that brews them. The latte had a tasteful amount of foam which complemented the espresso well. I was also impressed by the flavor palette of the black cardamom latte. It tastes as if you were to combine a chai latte and espresso. The spice blend is noticeable enough to complement the latte, but not overpowering. As someone who has never been a fan of the classic pumpkin spice latte, I feel that this black cardamom latte might be the new fall flavor to replace it. The New Orleans-style iced coffee however, which I have no doubt is a high quality beverage, was definitely not my thing. To achieve a true New Orleans-style coffee, the drink was infused with chicory root which tastes like black licorice. I personally did not enjoy it at all, but if you are looking for good New Orleans-style coffee, I would suggest Blue Bottle. Coffee and Water Lab - 9/10 The last coffee shop on the list is Coffee and Water Lab, a cafe that prides it-
Left: Philz Coffee. Right: Blue Bottle Coffee.
self on having perfect water, the finest craft ingredients, and innovative technology. To achieve “perfect water,” Coffee and Water Lab has an intensive purifying process that creates hydrogen-rich alkaline water with minerals, electrolytes and antioxidants that improve hydration. They believe that the quality of coffee is directly linked to the quality of the water used to make it. The aesthetics of the crisp-looking machinery and minimalistic style of the decor reminded me of Blue Bottle Coffee with its simple logo and wood accents. On a Sunday morning at 9:00 a.m Coffee and Water Lab had many customers enjoying breakfast. Luckily, there was plenty of seating, and the baristas were efficient thanks to the high tech appliances available like the Bellwether roaster, the Poursteady, the RAIN craft brewer, and the Ground Control Cyclops brewer. I still felt relaxed while drinking my coffee despite the sound of dozens of conversations and the large number of people fitting into the relatively small space. At this coffee shop I got a latte for $5.69, a madagascar latte for $7.48, and a maple cream cold brew for $5.99. The latte at Coffee and Water Lab competes with that of Blue Bottle for my favorite latte of this review. It was slightly milk-
ier than the latte at Blue Bottle, but I cannot decide which I like more or less than the other. The latte had a precisely delicious amount of foam and a comfortable temperature, but the way I would describe Coffee and Water Lab’s espresso is “silky,” which might be attributed to their advanced technology or special water. The Madagascar latte gets its name from the Madagascar vanilla used to flavor it. I appreciated the change of pace provided by the Madagascar vanilla that was different from a typical vanilla latte. What’s more is that the quantity of vanilla to coffee and milk was enough to enhance the beverage without overpowering the rich espresso. The maple cream cold brew is one of the best cold brew beverages I have ever tried. The cold brew was flavorful and did not have that characteristic bitterness that I dislike about most cold brews. The maple cream was a yummy compliment to the coffee that reminds me of a sophisticated version of caramel. All together, the maple cream cold brew seems to me like an inviting treat for a hot day. Overall, all of these cafes are suitable choices for your daily dose of caffeine.
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u-don’t want udon? Reviewing Udon Mugizo’s unique noodle options ARTICLE, PHOTOS & DESIGN BY SHAYNA TRAN
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earching for new places to eat with my friends on Yelp, I came across Udon Mugizo, and I was captivated by its scrumptious pictures. I got so hungry looking at the pictures and was surprised to see that they offered both broth and cream udons as I’ve never tried or seen cream udons in udon shops before. Udon Mugizo is a restaurant that offers authentic, homemade Japanese thick-cut udon noodles with a variety of broths like tonkotsu, cream, nabeyaki, curry and even cold broth. At the San Jose location, they are open from 11am-2pm and 5pm-9pm on weekdays, and 11am-9pm on weekends. They have a waitlist at the front door, but you can also join the waitlist on Yelp. The wait varies and can average 30-40 minutes on weekends. Just from looking at the exterior of the restaurant, I was already excited. It reminded me of traditional ramen shops, but more refined. It had a black exterior with big wood doors making it look so clean with cute booths and lanterns inside. The
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atmosphere was so inviting that I just wanted to sit down right away and start eating. In the back of the restaurant, separated by glass, you can see the workers’ hands pulling the noodles. There were trays and trays of fresh noodles stacked up against the windows. Though the decor caught my eye first, there was something else that was drawing me towards it: the incredible smell. I felt like the gif of Mickey Mouse being infatuated with a smell and floating, flying towards it. Mesmerized, I didn’t even mind the 20 minute wait as I was taking the entire time looking at the different options on the menu with no idea where to start. In the end, my friends and I decided on takoyaki and assorted tempura as appetizers. For the main dishes, we ordered the mentai cream sauce udon, salmon spinach cream sauce udon, tonkotsu udon and beef sukiyaki. The dishes started to come in one by one on cute plates and
bowls only 10 minutes after we ordered. They gave us huge wooden soup spoons that fit the theme with the rest of their decor and made me feel like a giant. The five piece takoyaki was $8, around the same price as other shops nearby. Takoyaki is a type of Japanese street food made with wheat batter with soft and chewy pieces of octopus inside and cooked into crispy round balls. The fun thing about the dish is it’s topped with bonito flakes, dried, smoked shavings of skipjack tuna, that looks like it’s moving when on top of hot food. The assorted tempura came with three pieces of shrimp, a long piece of squid, sweet potato, egg plant, pumpkin, and broccoli for $12. It was very crunchy and not greasy. My favorite ones were the sweet
Top Left page 1: Salmon spinach cream sauce udon. Bottom Right page 1: Takoyaki. Bottom Left page 2: Mentai cream sauce udon. Top Right page 2: Beef sukiyaki.
potato and the shrimp. Their tonkotsu udon is a pork and fish broth topped with chashu (braised pork belly), shrimp tempura, boiled egg and vegetables. We ordered it at medium spicy and it was a perfect, mild broth. There was also Shichimi, a pepper blend, on the side if you wanted to make it spicier. The chashu was very tender and melted in my mouth. I would recommend eating quick or taking out the tempura, so it doesn’t get soggy. The marinated egg was a sweet soy sauce flavor which was a nice contrast to the savory broth. I’m not really a broth girl, but trying the Tonkotsu broth was life changing. It was the perfect mix of savory,
garlic and I was slurping every single spoon of the soup. Imagine the Costco Tonkotsu ramen, but 10 times better. Nabeyaki udon is an udon soup dish that is cooked and served in a clay pot. We ordered the Beef Sukiyaki that comes with beef, a poached egg, enoki mushrooms, fish cake and lots of onions. Sadly, we left the poached egg for too long, so it didn’t add a custard jelly taste to the ramen and instead just bits of the cooked egg yolk floating around. The broth was on the sweeter side and had a nice deep, garlicky flavor. I would not recommend this if you don’t like onions because of the strong taste. Now, what we’re all excited to hear about; the cream udons! We ordered two of the cream udons not knowing what to expect.
When they came out, it looked similar to alfredo pasta, but with thicker noodles. The mentai cream was topped with seasoned cod roe, parmesan cheese, kaiware sprouts, nori seaweed, tempura bits and vegetables. It had a strong salt and pepper taste, but the seasoned cod roe gave it a more salty, fishy flavor. I loved the addition of the tempura bits as it gave the creamy noodles a nice crunch. The salmon spinach cream was topped with similar toppings with an addition of raw smoked salmon which kind of reminded me of pesto. The sauces were both incredibly rich and different from what I usually had. It was a unique fusion dish of udon and carbonara but I would recommend letting the cheese melt a little and then mixing the noodles together to get the most enhanced flavor and texture. I hope you enjoyed that as much as I did and go try Udon Mugizo whenever you have a chance. Overall, I would recommend trying the tonkotsu udon and the mentai cream udon. It was nice to eat on a cold, rainy day and warmed me right up and I’m definitely coming back to try the cold noodles. See you on our next foodie adventure!
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