Aquila May 2023 (Vol. 12, Issue 4)

farEWELL

I’ve always said you have to be at least a little bit crazy to keep coming back to journalism, especially as an Editor-in-Chief. On the surface, there’s always something to edit, someone to check in with and some problem to solve. But underneath that, I feel a deep sense of community that I couldn’t have found anywhere

I sat in Mrs. Westerhoff’s office my freshman year, one week after school had started, waiting to join UPA. Three days later, I nervously introduced myself to the journalism class. In the almost four years since that day, I’ve grown from a shy freshman to a speaker at the National High School Journalism

My first article was about the 2020 impeachment of our former presParalyzed with nerves, I walked into my very first interview,

with Ms. Ariana Rodriguez, who not only reassured me throughout the interview as I stuttered and stumbled, but later fostered my passion for law and politics. Thank you.

It’s impossible to talk about my achievements without recognizing the trust and luck that brought me here. After the impeachment article, I was entrusted by former EIC Alexandra Rozmarin, with reporting on a situation involving seventh-graders distributing drugs on campus. To Alex: thank you for believing in my power to tell this important story and for shaping me into the reporter I am today.

It’s well known that our reporting often conflicts with the UPA administration; I have first-hand experience reporting on sexual assault, politics, homophobia and racism. However, I want to express my gratitude to Mr. Andrew Yau and Mr. David Porter, among others, who were respectful and appreciative of the work I did, even when I antagonized them with confidential questions. I hope

the administration will continue supporting our journalism program and fostering our passion.

I often think about what my high school experience would’ve been like if not for that fateful day in Mrs. Westerhoff’s office. To Mrs. Westerhoff: thank you for recommending this amazing opportunity and for forever changing the course of my life.

Thank you also to Ms. Gong-Guy and the staff of Aquila, both past and present. From the late production nights that inevitably turn into karaoke sessions, to the competitive White Elephant celebrations that devolve into strategic bartering, this class truly is my favorite way to spend the day. Even though years have come and gone, I’m hit by the way everything is the same. In freshman year, we stacked plates, baskets and salt shakers on top of a wobbly table at a Greek restaurant in D.C. In senior year, we stacked ice from car hoods into snowmen in St. Louis. I will carry these memories with me forever.

In my evolution from a Team Editor to an Ed

itor-in-Chief, I truly feel like I’ve lived an entire life already. I hope I’ve left behind a legacy of ambition that will continue to inspire future Aquila reporters. In between the fast news cycles that stack on top of each other, a never-ending to-do list of edits to make, sources turned to friends and reporters turned to confidantes, I’ve felt a deep sense of appreciation and now a beautiful sense of acceptance that my time at has come to an end.

This letter is not the end of my connection with Aquila. I’ll continue to eagerly await new social media posts, online articles and newsmagazine releases (I’ve been promised mailed copies to my new home in Canada!) So although I’m leaving Aquila, I don’t think I’ll ever fully be away. To our readers: thank you for picking up our magazines, even if you just read the headlines or admire the pretty designs. You’re in great hands. To Aquila’s fu

frOM thE EdItOrS-In-chIEf

DESIGN & ILLUSTRATIONS BY SNEHA MADAN

as the last months have passed, any mention of the future has sent me into a flurry of “let’s not talk about it”s and “it’s so far away”s. Now, with only a few weeks left and the feeling of finality sinking into my chest, I have begun to reckon with my departure.

A story I tell often is my first day ever as a part of Aquila – my first day ever at UPA. I sat down in the back of the class, a ball of nerves. I spent the rest of the in-person school year nervous. Nervous of putting myself out there, nervous of failure. After a rocky freshman year, I was not sure if Aquila was the right fit for me.

I joined Aquila with the hopes of finding a sense of community. Little did I know that it would light a fire within me, becoming my greatest passion.

The last four years of Aquila have changed, and defined, who I am. My former EICs, Janessa Ulug and Alexandra Rozmarin, empow-

reporter, in turn making me a better leader. My goal, my legacy, was to continue to do the same for others. As an editor for two years, I aimed to not only give advice but also to impart the love of reporting and truth upon each member on my team. As EIC, I hoped to be a pillar of guidance and comfort.

Whether or not I have done that, I can say that my staff has done that for me. The friendships that I have made in this traveling classroom have impacted me beyond belief.

To my staffers, you have taught me trust and determination. You have shown me the meaning of journalistic drive. Thank you.

I am ever grateful for my advisors, Ms. Reska and Ms. GongGuy, for guiding me through this journey. To Ms. Reska: you impassioned and nurtured my love of reporting. To Ms. Gong-Guy: thank you for supporting my personal growth and well-being. You both have made me brave.

My time at Aquila has been marked by the

akhiLa ayyadEVara cO-EditOr-in-chiEf

passages of eras. I have had the privilege of seeing us evolve through “unprecedented times” – a phrase that I once deeply loathed. Having to do interviews over zoom, as a sophomore still struggling to find her footing, gave me the confidence to endure. Half-baked rough drafts taught me perseverance through frustration. Each edit I have given has pushed my capacity for curiosity. Throughout this last year, we have published four issues – one returners-only – setting a new precedent for our publication. As I wrap up my journey through Aquila, I have reached a goal I had never thought I could achieve: becoming a role model for my beloved staff.

This publication pushed me past my boundaries, redefining my comfort zone. I got denied the position of team editor the my first time submitting an application. This made me sit and

year, these four issues have brought me noth ing but excite ment for uila’s future. I am far from dis appointed about where we have come.

Surveying the room I take in my staffers, and their passion and tenacity fills me with joy. I sit in the back of the classroom for one last time– not nervous, but proud.

ABOUT aQUIla

MISSION STATEMENT

Aquila is a student-produced, student-edited high school newsmagazine. It serves as a designated public forum for student expression. We aim to reflect the diversity of our community and build unity through true and accurate reporting, in hopes that each of our readers will find an article they can connect with.

ON THE COVER

Have a story to share? Scan the QR Code to submit your suggestions or email us at aquila@upatoday.com.

SHARE AN IDEA STAFF

Editors-in-Chief

Vidya Achar & Akhila Ayyadevara

The front cover, illustrated by Vidya Achar and shot by Kyla Ulug, shows a tarot card and palm reading displaying a constellation in the shape of the ‘Aquila’ constellation. Read “What’s Your Sign?”on page 13.

Managing Editor Haylie Yee

Publicity & Web Manager Taylor Nguyen

Publicity & Web Manager Lena Nguyen

Multimedia Manager Kyla Ulug

Copy Editor Samita Golla

Copy Editor April Nguyen

Copy Editor Ria Pandey

Copy Editor Katrina Tran

Editor Vishaka Anand

Editor Shibani Ghosh

Editor Nadia Hines

Editor Nadia Hamilton

Editor Chloe Luu

Editor Zainab Shaikh

Editor Shayna Tran

Editor Isaac Rios

Reporter Lorenzo Almario

Reporter Tobie Charbonnet

Reporter Shreya Choudhury

Reporter Rajeev Devanath

Reporter Angel Froumis

Reporter Karen Heng

Reporter Olive Luong

Reporter Sneha Madan

Reporter Samira Madden

Reporter Jordan Mathew

Reporter Ben Meyer

Reporter Beza Mitachew

Reporter Abhishek Mynam

Reporter Christopher Park

Reporter Lance Peraza

Reporter Aubrey Phung

Reporter Matthew Tapia

Adviser Kathryn Gong-Guy

Aquila Broadcast @upa_aquila upaaquila.org

Aquila Podcast upaaquila

DESIGN

#2 Pencil Becomes Dull

Exploring students’ reactions towards the digitization of the SAT and PSAT

ARTICLE, ILLUSTRATION & DESIGN BY ZAINAB SHAIKH

collegeBoard announced the replacement of the traditional paper Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and Practice Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT) in favor of a digitized version of the standardized tests. Presented to educators on Jan. 25, 2022, it was described as a quicker, student-friendly alternative. The tests’ duration will be cut down to two hours and 14 minutes instead of three hours, with the reading and writing passages of the exam shortened and combined as one whole section.

According to “The Digital SAT® Suite of Assessments Specifications Overview’’ by CollegeBoard, the digitized exam is expected to be marketed internationally as soon as spring of 2023 and reach schools across the United States by spring of 2024. Similarly, PSAT-related assessments in the United States will remain on paper until spring of 2024, while international students will have the opportunity to take the digital PSAT in fall of 2023.

In the shifting scene of standardized testing, the Class of 2024 will be the last class to take the paper SAT offered at UPA. Students will have to adapt to the digitization of the SAT and PSAT and prepare accordingly for it. This academic alteration may change underclassmen—especially middle schoolers’—methods in studying for digital assessments.

Eighth grader Ceesay Galai expects future standardized assessments to be simpler to cram for and a positive experience, contrary to the most recent PSAT she took.

“I think the PSATs we’re taking now, for practice, will help us when we go in and take the actual thing since the future test is digital,” Galai said. “People will expect more but will be given less, so they’ll find it easier.”

However, Galai does appreciate the traditional PSAT for its rawness and flexibility. She believes that working on problems in the test booklet itself helps her connect information and make calculations easier.

“You’re like, ‘I’ll circle this, this relates to this.’,” Galai said, “And you can connect things easier— whereas digitally, it’s harder- and, you know, even if [the digital PSAT] does have the digital annotation tool, trying to use the mouse to navigate sucks, doesn’t it?”

Senior Ayush Rai, who took the SAT in October, thinks the SAT “sucks” in both

digital and paper format.

“The SAT is a really old and lame test that doesn’t measure one’s skill; just reading and math,” Rai said. “There are other things that the SAT doesn’t focus on: science, engineering, technology, other fields like medicine and other more useful fields rather than just reading and math. You know, it’s just a large, huge, struggle. People need to cram for it, like, for months on end. It’s not fun.”

Rai also expressed where he sees the SAT to be in the future, stating that the digitization of standardized tests is foreshadowing their impending removal in the near future.

In the same study, Vice President of College Readiness Assessments at College Board Priscilla Rodriguez said, “The digital SAT will be easier to take, easier to give, and more relevant. We’re not simply putting the current SAT on a digital platform —we’re taking full advantage of what delivering an assessment digitally makes possible. With input from educators and students, we are adapting to ensure we continue to meet their evolving needs.”

Not all students are certain about this decision. Upon learning about the digitized format, Junior Maya Van, who took the SAT on Dec. 3, 2022, was only left with more questions than she started with. Van felt like her paper SAT experience was stressful and looks forward to taking the digitized version.

“When I heard about this, I was a little disappointed since I would not be able to try it, and I heard it will be easier.” Van said. “I assume that the SAT should still be a valid way to assess a student’s abilities, but if it becomes too easy, colleges may look to other standardized tests like the ACT.”

Van shared skepticism on the security of digitized tests.

“Overall I think it will be difficult adapting to this new change,” Van said. “Something else that will be different is how they are going to watch out for cheating. I assume they will have a special program to prevent it, but there still can be ways to get around it.”

“A lot of things that…become online and [usually start] to gradually lose value. It’s just a trend I’ve noticed over time,” Rai said, “So I think the SAT might leave in the next, three or four years? Schools are getting rid of it too.”

The digitization is not a step towards removing the SAT. Rather, it is for students’ personal welfare. According to “Digital SAT Brings Student-Friendly Changes to Test Experience” by Collegeboard, the SAT has gone digital globally on the basis of two concerns: ease and personal decision to submit scores to universities. 80% of students from across the world who participated in the Nov. 2021 global pilot of the digital SAT reported having a calmer experience, while the majority of educators reported having a positive experience while proctoring the exam.

Fortunately, the digital format will generate unique tests for each student, proving difficult and nearly impossible for students to commit academic dishonesty. For an extra membrane of protection, UPA used a lockdown browser window on the digital PSAT administered to members of the Class of 2026 in 2021.

For many UPA students, the future of the PSAT and SAT in their digital formats are uncertain, but there is a glimmer of hope for digital standardized testing in Van’s eyes.

“I like how the test time is cut to 2 hours and 14 minutes, since when I was taking the SAT I quickly became tired during the test,” Van said, “I hope it’ll be easier for students who will take the digital version in the future, like my brother. We’ll just have to wait and see.”

The SAT is a really old and lame test that doesn’t measure one’s skill; just reading and math.

- Ayush Rai “

“

StUdEntS EnjOy a night Of MyStEry

A glimpse into the experience of prom at the Winchester Mystery House

ARTICLE & PHOTOS BY ANGEL FROUMIS AND SNEHA MADAN • ILLUSTRATIONS & DESIGN BY ANGEL FROUMIS

the Masquerade Ball, this year’s junior and senior prom, was held on April 22 from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. at the Winchester Mystery House. There were 207 attendees, eight less than last year, costing them $80 per ticket with all amenities included. The senior prom committee, consisting of seven seniors and two staff members, organized and hosted the event this year. They began planning the event at the beginning of the school year, meeting occasionally during seminar, and almost every week within the last month before the event. The committee worked on logistics such as photos, music and centerpieces, creating a magical atmosphere for all the attendees.

Director of Community Development Laura Gordon Reska and History De- partment Head and Senior Seminar

Adviser Ariana Rodriguez also worked with the committee on other requirements such as venue booking and timings, which were reserved in October of 2022. The Waffle Roost food truck served students with a

variety of dishes including chicken, waffles, and sandwiches, and later, mac and cheese, sweet potato fries, collard greens and cinnamon-sugar waffles.

Senior Meghan Earle had been a part of the prom committee since the start of the school year and explained the ups and downs of planning prom including selecting important details such as selecting the decor and theme.

“There’s been a lot more work than I expected,” Earle said. “It’s been hard to balance everyone’s ideas, but it’s rewarding to see it come to life.”

Junior Jackson Fulton, described what was memorable to him at his first prom, spending much of the night taking pictures of his friends and others.

“Creating memories for people has been the best part for me,” Fulton said.

Senior Mishal Damji enjoyed the catering and charming quality of the mansion.

“The food was amazing and the ambiance was incredible,” Damji said. “I loved getting ready with my friends and the haunted mansion vibe was really unique.”

Juniors Sosina Henock and an outside guest

Seniors Nina Retuta and Jesse Quintero

Former UPA students Richard Calderon and Nayeli Brewster

Students roamed around the courtyard of the venue, talking and making memories with their friends and the staff.

As the night went on, students joined the dance floor outside, and were able to make song requests for the DJ to play.

andSeniorsSiaVashishat FannaKahassai

andSeniorsMaxineDizon AlisaByrd

Students and staff enjoyed food from the Waffle Roost foodtruck stationed outside throughout the night.

An outside guest and junior Micah Swann-Tarrant posed at the photo booth backdrop. The other main photo spot that evening was the 360 rotating photo booth, a new addition to the prom this year.

Juniors Mehul Arunarthi, an outside guest, Panav Vashishat, Aida Duong, Riya Medapati and Eesha Tanugula posed for a selfie in front of the mansion.

Seniors Mahima Bhella and Mishal Damji

Junior Bethel

Seniors Eliud Hadgu and Jonathan Aideyan

SPEEdZaPPErS cOMPEtE in VEX WOrLd chaMPiOnShiPS

Robotics team of UPA students win their division

ARTICLE BY MATTHEW TAPIA • DESIGN BY JORDAN MATHEW • PHOTOS COURTESY OF ANISH RAJ & ZAYN DAMJI

the 392x SpeedZappers is a VEX robotics team composed of mostly UPA students. The team members include UPA freshmen Zayn Damji, Sai Indukuri, Anish Raj, Rajeev Devanath and former member Prayag Barath. VEX robotics is a program in which teams create robots that compete against each other in games. After a year, a new season of robotics starts and new games are revealed so that each team can adjust their robot to better compete. The SpeedZappers have qualified three times to the Vex robotics world competition, meaning that two of their qualifications will go to a different team and allow the next best team to compete. The SpeedZappers have been preparing to compete in Dallas, Texas.

Teams spend at least forty hours a week working on their robot. For the SpeedZappers, Damji codes the robot to move automatically for a short period of time, Indukuri builds and drives the robot for a large duration of a game, Raj designs and builds the robot and Devanath builds and codes the robot.

Robotics has bonded the members and improved their friendships with each other but is also a way to improve themselves.

“Robotics to me means learning and finding new opportunities as well as applying the previous and new knowledge that you learn into competing,” Raj said. “In addition to competing, working with your teammates under multiple constraints like time, parts, as well as knowledge pushes us to maximize results through the decisions we make.”

In a game, there is a 15 second autonomous period in which the robot moves on its own, relying on its coding to score discs

into a high goal and earn as many points as possible. High goals have a basket underneath chains connected to the top of the goal. The goals are placed on two opposite corners of the square field. Indukuri uses a controller during a 1 minute and 45 second driving period to control the robot and continue to shoot discs into the high goal. Teams earn 5 points for every disc that is in the high goal at the end of the game. However, if a disc misses the high goal and

can bring the team back into the tournament.

“Only around the top 32 teams get to go to eliminations and in smaller tournaments, only the top 16 or 8 go to the elimination round.” Damji said, “So around half the tournament is usually just eliminated after qualifications.”

The SpeedZappers won first place in their division of the bracket. They then were allowed to compete in a separate, more advanced bracket in an arena called “the dome.” In this advanced bracket, the SpeedZappers made it to the semifinals, meaning that they had placed in the top 8 since each alliance is composed of two teams. In the final tournament to decide the champions, there were three fields for matches to take place.

Teams were ready on one field as a different game occured. However, when matches are so rushed, a feeling of stress can be overwhelming for the teams competing in the tournament. Members of competing teams must constantly think about their next match and the status of their robots.

instead falls underneath, into the low goal, the opposing team earns a point. Robots are teamed into pairs of two, called alliances, to compete in games.

During qualification rounds in a tournament, alliances are randomly chosen. After qualification rounds, teams are given ranks based on how many rounds are won. Teams with higher ranks get to pick first who they would like to alliance with. The teams that were not chosen are either eliminated from the tournament or brought into an elimination round, which is a smaller bracket and

“Worlds is basically all pressure and anxiety because you’re constantly thinking about 100 things,” Damji said, “Then surrounding all of [the thoughts], you don’t know whether your robot is even going to completely work during the match as well.”

Though the competition is so stressful, teams can interact to become friends and members of teams can better bond with each other.

“We actually talked quite a bit, sometimes it was shocking, but I would say we made friends with a lot of teams and it was a really fun event,” Damji said.

The SpeedZappers’ robot shoots discs into a high goal during a game scrimmage.

SPEAK FOR THE TREES!

UPA students and faculty discuss the waste created through printing paper assignments

ARTICLE BY AUBREY PHUNG • ILLUSTRATIONS & DESIGN BY OLIVE LUONG

Paper accounts for around 26% of total waste at landfills and according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the material most frequently encountered in MSW landfills. Yet, people continue to use large amounts of paper: two billion trees are cut down per year for it.

Sophomore Catherine Coquilla feels that paper assignments can be wasteful at times because many paper assignments end up being recycled at the end of the year.

“I do prefer doing work on paper because it helps me learn better compared to doing assignments online, but sometimes certain assignments are pointless to do on paper,” Coquilla said.

Paper assignments can be beneficial to some. For example, math and science classes need paper for showing work for equations or performing labs. But over time, those assignments can pile up and take up space in backpacks.

“There are a lot of random papers in my backpack from mostly math, world history, and English because the teachers give out the most paper handouts,” Coquilla said. “But especially seminar assignments, as they just take up more space and clutter up my bag.”

Coquilla and many other students agree that seminar assignments are the most wasteful when it comes to making paper assignments since they aren’t “important enough” to keep.

The World Counts is a company that raises awareness about important global challenges facing our world. Their website states, “The environmental effects of paper production include deforestation, the use of enormous amounts of energy and water, as well as air pollution and waste problems.” Other negative im- pacts include deforestation, pollution, the production of methane and rising heat temperatures.

Sophomore Daniella Alvarez, co-president of Green Team, says that she recycles her paper assignments at home once she no longer needs the assignment.

Green Team is a club at UPA focused on sustainability. Alvarez founded the club to help people at UPA learn about ways to reduce their carbon footprint and make UPA more of an environ-

Lopez initially decided to be the adviser of the Green Team after hearing about their ideas for a recycling program because there were little to no recycling opportunities on campus.

During online learning he developed a deeper understanding of how wasteful paper can be to the environment, and did not have the privilege to constantly make paper assignments for students.

mentally friendly place: by volunteering to work at urban nurseries and cleaning up our community.

Alvarez believes that the UPA community should also start recycling if they are able to. The club’s Instagram account posts about their process to implement a recycling program at UPA, expressing her concerns about how damaging paper waste can be to the earth.

Alvarez thinks that because so many students don’t know the negative effects paper waste can have, they don’t always think about how they are gonna discard their papers. Sometimes, students want to start recycling but just don’t know where to start.

“It’s super easy to just put your papers [in boxes] there… So, it’s not like you’re going out of your way to go somewhere to put the paper down,” Alvarez said. “Most of the time it will be in classrooms, too. That’s why I think we decided on trying to start [paper recycling].”

Alvarez feels that paper winds up to be wasteful and, in the end, has no purpose. She thinks it is understandable for teachers to use paper for classes such as math, but some teachers could try reducing the amount of paper sheets they use by shrinking font sizes or limiting the amount of paper they utilize.

Pablo Lopez, 8th grade American History teacher, and adviser for UPA’s Green Team, conveyed his opinions about the paper waste.

“I think my perspective changed a lot after the pandemic because we didn’t really have the bandwidth to provide paper to all the students like the old fashioned way (paper),” Lopez said. “At first, it was a bother, but then I came to realize how much paper we really use and how we can do the same exact job, if not better, using digital assignments instead of paper.”

The process for the Green Team’s recycling program begins with members of the club handling it all on their own. They provide cardboard boxes to each class, and a volunteer goes around at the end of every week and recycles it in their own trash at home, due to the fact that there is no recycle dumpster at school.

Lopez also tries to help with the pro- cess of recycling paper, even on his own time and in class.

“Whenev - er students want to throw something away, like if it were an assignment, I collect it and recycle it at home,” Lopez said.

Lopez is a believer in being a steward to the Earth by taking care and protecting our planet. “We can’t just be negligent to nature and just the way we live our lives. We have to be sustainable.” Lopez said.

Lopez’s opinion on paper waste is that there is an importance to conserving the quality of the environment, and that our actions have consequences.

“In a way, mindfulness kind of stems from a more holistic view of how we view waste,” Lopez said. “So the same thing you can say for using paper or throwing away bottles or cans in the garbage, can be an illustration of how you treat people.”

“Whenever students want to throw something away, like if it were like an assignment, I collect it and recycle it at home.”

- Pablo Lopez

TREASURES AND TRINKETS

Dive into the collections of UPA students

ARTICLE BY ABHISHEK MYNAM • ILLUSTRATIONS & DESIGN BY CHRISTOPHER PARK PHOTOS COURTESY OF EMILY UY & SOHAM BHATIA

Hundreds of large, shiny eyes follow you as you enter your room. This is an ordinary sight to junior Dominic Gamino, an avid Funko Pop collector. Like Gamino, other UPA students have a passion for collecting unique items. Where do such interests in collections come from? Let’s dive into the different reasons why UPA students have collections.

Freshman Soham Bhatia collects basketball cards. Bhatia first started collecting when he was nine years old and currently, he has around 700 cards in his collection. Bhatia was first introduced to basketball in 2014 and two years later he started collecting cards. When he heard about a card company called Panini, which makes sports cards such as basketball cards, he thought to check them out since they seemed interesting to him. He felt that collecting cards would allow him to learn more about the players he was watching on T.V., allowing him to get closer to the game of basketball. Since buying his first pack in 2016, Bhatia has continued to purchase packs throughout the years and collect them.

Bhatia usually buys a few basketball card packs at the beginning of each NBA season to expand his collection while getting cards for new NBA players as well. One of Bhatia's favorite cards in his collection is a Kobe Byrant card since it is one of his rarest cards, and he looked up to Kobe growing up. Another of Bhatia's favorite cards is his Jordan Poole card.

“My Jordan Poole card that I recently got is one of my favorites because Jordan Poole is my favorite player on the Warriors,” Bhatia said “is my top two favorite players of all time and I try to model my basketball game after him.”

Bhatia has also continued collecting since he plans to sell some of the cards in the future or give them to his children so they can learn about the basketball players that used to be around during his time.

"I enjoy collecting because it just brings passion and joy to me,” Bhatia said “And I honestly feel happy when I go out and collect.”

Eighth grader Miles Hines also collects basketball cards. He started in 2015 and has over 300 cards in his collection. Like Bhatia, Hines began collecting to learn more about basketball and get closer to the sport. Hines noticed that if he collected

cards, he could sell them and make money. Hines has continued to order the collectibles over the years since he can trade with his friends and show them his collection. Also, he plans to sell some of the cards soon and make a profit. Hines' most expensive card is a $150 Lebron James card which he hopes to sell in the future. Hines has gotten closer to basketball as he can learn about players' statistics from his cards. He also has a card with a player's jersey and a signature card, allowing him to feel as if he has a part of the NBA with him. Hines also likes looking back at his old cards of players and seeing what teams they used to be on. He keeps his cards organized in a binder, with each NBA team on a specific page in the binder. One of Hines' favorite cards is his Giannis Antetokounmpo card since that was the first significant player he pulled out of a pack.

Both Hines and Bhatia enjoy the thrill of opening up basketball cards and hoping they get certain cards they want.

“When I open the pack, I get thrilled. I expect like what if I get this player or what if I get that player? Or oh my gosh, I haven't seen this card before” Hines said.

Freshman Emily Uy collects K-pop photo cards whenever she buys K-pop albums. Each album comes with a few photo cards, and pictures of different artists that could be featured in that album. Currently, Uy has over 100 photo cards, and she first started her collection in around 2017.

She got into K-pop since she enjoys watching the dances and likes the meanings behind the lyrics she hears. She likes the different lyrics that K-pop songs have and enjoys listening to them.

Soon, Uy started to buy photo cards online and go to events where they sell photo cards so she could get different versions of K-pop artists she enjoys. Uy enjoys groups such as NewJeans, Stray Kids and BTS. She enjoys collecting specific people from those groups, such as Hyein from NewJeans, in different poses. Uy stores her photo cards in top loaders, like plastic sleeves that can cover the card. She enjoys decorating her different top loaders with stickers to make them aesthetically pleasing.

“It kind of brings me excitement and joy,” Uy said. “And I think that I feel like people should enjoy something in their life and I feel like for me, collecting photocards just makes me really happy.”

It kind of brings me excitement and joY, And I think that I feel like people should enjoy something in their life..."

-Emily uy

While some students collect items that relate to their interests, Junior Soyme Mekuria started her collection accidentally. Mekuria currently collects green items. Her collection started as a coincidence when she realized that many items she had or started to buy were green. The first green item that she bought was a green mug. After buying that mug Mekuria bought more green items, coincidently from clothing items to accessories.

Mekuria does not know why she is drawn to the color green, but if she sees something green that she likes in the store, she will buy it. Currently, she has over 15 different green items and recently added two more, a keyboard and a computer case. Mekuria’s current favorite green items are a fuzzy green sweater she got from Costco and light green Crocs she often wears.

Mekuria is often seen wearing green items since she thinks the color goes well with her clothes. Since she is often seen wearing green, her friends associate the color with her and think green is her color.

“For me personally, [green] looks good. And with the other things that I have paired with them, so yeah, that's why I probably have a lot of green” Mekuria said.

Like Mekuria, Gamino views collecting as a hobby, but simultaneously sees collecting Funko Pops as a business. The first pop Gamino bought was a Jason Voorhees pop at a flea market in 2020. Gamino considers himself to be a “horror guy”, so when he saw the pop, he was instantly intrigued. When he bought the pop, he saw on the back that others were in the same horror genre, which got him interested in pops. He soon wanted to collect more to complete the different collections on the back of the boxes.

Right now Gamino collects pops in the genres of anime, horror and old cartoons. He adds a few pops to his collection every couple of months when new designs he likes are released. Gamino finds collecting pops an interesting hobby and a way to get closer to the genres he is interested in.

“I've been kind of made fun of for collecting them because they [people] kind of think like it's a toy, but I don't really care. I mean, I collect them as I find it as a big hobby of mine. Something that I can't stop,” Gamino said.

Since certain pops can become very expensive over time, Gamino has had the opportunity to get some of these valuable pops. One of the pops Gamino has is a Goku pop, which he sent

to an autographing website, where he got the pop autographed by the voice actor for the show.

One of Gamino’s favorite pops is a Scream pop that his grandma bought. Gamino and his grandma have a very close relationship, and he has been close with her since he was in elementary school. One day when his grandma saw that his collection was growing, she asked him which pops he would want to add. Gamino listed a few, and his grandma bought the most expensive one he requested.

Furthermore, since some Funko Pops have large values and prices can skyrocket, Gamino resells the pops he buys, sometimes with autographs. Gamino bought an autographed Arkham Knight Batman pop and made $100 selling it. Similarly, Gamino bought a Joker glow-in-the-dark pop for around $700, and the pop is now worth over $1000. Gamino sees collecting pops as a small business that can teach him about managing money.

“I kind of feel like a businessman, and I get to make money from something that I am passionate about,” Gamino said.

Perhaps it feels secure for some people to rely on the movement of heavenly bodies beyond their control. Instead of worrying about the reality of what each day brings, maybe it feels better to leave things, not up to chance, but up to the planets and stars that are out there. Out of sight, out of mind. Or, for some others, it is simply fun to see what kind of nonsense the internet can make up.

Since the Greeks of the Hellenistic period, people have been attempting to find meaning in the planets and stars. Today, astrologers and online wordsmiths put out a variety of sources for people to participate in this pseudoscience. Based on one’s date of birth, an abundance of predictions can be made from personality traits to advice and warnings.

While there are endless variations of horoscopes and methods for creating them, the type that was recently popularized is Western astrology, with the 12 zodiac signs. Celebrity astrologer Aliza Kelly described the process of determining horoscopes as solely based on how an astrologer interprets an ephemeris, which essentially is a table that gives calculated positions of celestial bodies at regular intervals, typically a day.

In astrology, space is divided into twelve sectors, and star signs are determined by the position of the sun hiding behind one of the 12 Zodiacal constellations at the time of birth. Each sign has its characteristics, which is what predictions of personality are based on. Additionally, the planets have their own properties that help astrologers create predictions about future events for each individual.

For a daily horoscope, an astrologer might look at planetary ingress, when a planet moves into a new sign of the zodiac. They also consider planetary transits, which are the angles that planets create together, retrogrades, which is backwards movement of a planet, and phases of the moon.

Regardless, the alignment of planets or arbitrary arrangement of stars has no effect on a person, according to Dr. Christopher Baird, physicist and associate professor at West Texas A&M University. Not by any known physical force of nature, anyway. Unlike the sun or the moon, whose positions relative to Earth are significant, skep-

tics doubt that the movement of faraway celestial bodies can be felt by people in such a manner that can justify horoscopes. However, the effect of these predictions are definitely felt in the mind, whether positively or negatively.

There are several factors at play when it comes to the inclination to believe in horoscopes. More often than not, people willingly accept what they read, scientifically verified as the placebo effect. A person’s satisfaction or disappointment with their prediction is wholly defined by their belief in it.

For some, like sophomore Kate Zhang, who occasionally checks her horoscopes with friends, the predictions do not weigh so heavily on her mind.

“I think they’re funny most of the time,” Zhang said. “You can also compare and see who’s compatible as friends or like signif-

namely the future, hence, its popularity.

Like most trends, social media played a huge role in the growth of the astrology community and industry. Astrologists and tarot card readers effectively used popular platforms to reach an audience that appreciated their concise and relatable advice, often finding that their insight was presented in an amusing yet sincere manner.

People follow influencers, like Lavendaire and NicLoves, who use horoscope sites and healing crystals, some even adopting those things to be a part of their routine. This is especially true for many that engage in the wellness trend as mysticism is claimed to play a huge role in building one’s spiritual health.

Apps like Co–Star and Astrology Zone are especially popular for reading daily horoscopes. Co–Star starts the user with a questionnaire about their birth date and time, and instantly, a detailed birth chart is created that is shareable to friends. Astrology Zone is another favored app, run by Susan Miller, who is a widely-known and well-trusted name in astrology.

Chen will open Co–Star from time to time to check her daily horoscope or just to read about her personality. Sometimes, she is able to use that information to prepare herself for the day or reflect on events of that day. For her, the fun of it is applying what she reads to herself.

icant others.”

Others are able to use certain aspects of astrology, such as predicted traits, to find connections and explanations for what is already known or present in their lives.

“I’d say I believe fairly strongly, I guess. Because for like a lot of the traits for, let’s say, Aries, it resonates with me,” math teacher Esther Chen said. “And then I have a pretty good friend who’s a [Sagittarius], and fire signs tend to thrive with other fire signs.”

Additionally, some people can have a greater external locus of control, which means a greater degree to which a person believes that external events influence their lives. Though, in general, people enjoy the sense of control that horoscopes can provide over their lives and the unknown,

“It speaks a lot to inside, like my psyche, that I’m maybe not as aware of, and so, I read about it and can explain things,” Chen said. “Maybe there’s a little bit of a placebo effect, but I can say, ‘Okay, that’s why I’m extra moody today,’ or something like that.”

As with many other divinatory practices that are not scientifically sound, there are nonbelievers and critics. According to Zhang, depending on the people she surrounds herself with, she has experienced judgment for participating in astrology. It is not a common occurrence for her, though, because its popularity has lent itself to being a trend that many have experienced, if not immersed in, for themselves.

With or without the help of astrology, there are a multitude of external opinions and judgments that might influence someone’s perception of themself. At the end of the day, it is the individual’s choice what to believe in, including faraway stars.

“And then I have a pretty good friend who’s a [Sagittarius], and fire signs tend to thrive with other fire signs.”

-Esther Chen

THIS or THAT?

Aquila surveys UPA students about their food favorites

ARTICLE, ILLUSTRATIONS & DESIGN BY NADIA HAMILTON

On Feb. 17, 2023, Aquila asked UPA students about their food preferences. Two weeks and 160 responses later, the results are in.

Chocolate or Sour Candy?

The first question, “Do students prefer chocolate or sour candy?” resulted in a close win in favor of chocolate with 54.5% of the votes. Those who preferred chocolate said that they enjoy the taste because it is richer and high quality, some saying that they enjoy the variety that chocolate has to offer. Others dislike sour candy because it hurts their tongue or it is too artificial and processed whereas chocolate is more likely to be organic.

Pancakes or Waffles?

Between pancakes and waffles, 66% of students preferred waffles because of their crunchy texture and fun shape. They said that pancakes are too soft or soggy and don’t have the same satisfying texture. Waffles hold toppings better because of their convenient shape, forming pockets to hold syrup and other condiments, and some students remarked that waffles are just “pancakes with abs.”

Sweet or Savory?

About 71% of students preferred savory snacks. Some students say that they are more used to the salty flavors of savory snacks or that they seem like more of a substantial meal than sweet snacks.

“By far, savory is much better than sweet snacks because, in my opinion, salty snacks fill you up more and can be eaten for a longer period of time than sweet snacks,” eighth grader Radha Achar said.

Additionally, they have more variety to offer because of the many kinds of chips that students tend to enjoy, including spicy alternatives. People leaned away from choosing sweet snacks because they are supposedly less healthy, and make some students feel sick.

KFC or Popeyes?

Another close battle, the Popeyes versus Kentucky Fried Chicken debate ended with 56.4% of students preferring the former, despite their, according to some students, dry biscuits. Popeyes fans say that their chicken is better because it is the fresher of the two alternatives, and their other food items such as mac and cheese and seafood add to the appeal. Some students even made their decision based on the mascot of the restau-

rants like freshman Aidan Tran.

“[I choose] Popeyes because Colonel Sanders and I have beef,” Tran said.

Students believe that while KFC is too greasy, salty and sometimes soggy, Popeyes always has crunchy skin, just the right amount of flavor, and is juicy. Additionally, they say their spicy sandwiches and chicken are more flavorful and high quality than KFC.

“[Popeyes] has spices and an audible crunch,” freshman Brandon Nguyen said. “I don’t know if I have a KFC being not-finger-lickingood curse, but every time I get KFC, it is quite soggy.”

Sit back, relax & enjoy

Reporter Beza Mitachew rates five of San Jose’s movie theaters

ARTICLE BY BEZA MITACHEW • DESIGN BY SHIBANI GHOSH • ILLUSTRATIONS BY NADIA HAMILTON

an Jose is home to a variety of movie . theaters: some located inside malls and others that are individually owned. I reviewed and rated five movie theaters in San Jose and evaluated them based on the quality of the popcorn, the comfortability of the seats and the entire theater experience, including their restrooms, lines and location. I’ll be rating out of 10, 6 out of seat comfortability, and out of 4 for the popcorn.

AMC Eastridge 15, located inside Eastridge mall, is a relatively large theater with a small bar and concession stand. I paid $10.29 for a ticket to watch “Knock At The Cabin,” which was a pretty good price. AMC has a membership program called AMC Stubs, which is differentiated into three levels: Insider, Premier and A-List. Their program has plenty of benefits including free size upgrades on popcorn and fountain drinks, priority lanes at the box office and concessions and waived online ticketing fees.They also have $6 tickets on Tuesday. Since I was not a member, I paid $9 for a small popcorn and free refills, but it was hugely overpriced because it was cold and stale. The room itself was average-sized, and was definitely outdated, with old decor across the whole theater. The chairs were not modern, and didn’t have spacious and cushioned chairs like other theaters. It was also stiff and uncomfortable. When the movie started, the screen was pretty blurry and it did not have a 4K screen. Other than that, it was clean with little to no trash around, and the bathrooms were also spacious and clean.

SEat cOMfOrtabiLity:

POPcOrn:

OVEraLL:

CineLux Almaden Theater, located inside Willow Glen Plaza, is quite small with a very tight entrance and a narrow hallway. I paid $5 for a ticket and watched “80 for Brady.” CineLux does not provide a membership/rewards program. The concession stand was smaller than an average

sized movie theater, and there wasn’t an individual bar like other theaters. I paid $8 for the popcorn, which tasted fresh. The cinema room was very small and empty. The seats were old-fashioned, similar to the Eastridge cinema. The screen had 4K resolution, but it was somewhat dark. The theater and bathrooms were clean, but the bathroom was small.

SEat cOMfOrtabiLity:

POPcOrn:

OVEraLL:

Century Great Mall had a huge concession stand that had hot foods such as pizza, chicken tenders and hot dogs. There was also a cafe that served coffee and tea. While you wait for the film, there is a small arcade and a picture booth. I paid $6.50 for a ticket to watch “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” and $6 for buttery popcorn. Since I went on a Tuesday, there was a 50% discount. They have a membership program called Cinemark Movie Rewards, which has 2 levels: MovieClub and MovieFan. The perks include redeeming points for tickets, member access to screenings and advance tickets, discount days only for members on any given day, and extra discount Tuesday savings. . The cinema room was huge, from the screen to the seats which were very modern, and reclined easily. I enjoyed the seats although the cushioning was a bit firm. The screen had 4K resolution, and it was mildly crowded. The bathroom was slightly dirty, but the theater was relatively clean.

SEat cOMfOrtabiLity:

POPcOrn: OVEraLL:

cinEartS Santana rOW

CinéArts, located inside Santana Row, has a nostalgic theme from old 90’s movie posters to the patterns around the whole theater. The popcorn cost $6.50 and was buttery and hot, which was worth the price. I purchased a ticket to watch “Cocaine Bear” for $13.75. Since the theater is owned by the same company as Century Great Mall, Cinemarks, they

have the same membership program. The seat type is very similar to the Great Mall’s, but these seats have a seat-warming option. The cinema room is average-sized, and it wasn’t very crowded. The screen was 4K and large. The hallway was kind of small, but the bathroom was average-sized and clean.

SEat cOMfOrtabiLity:

POPcOrn:

OVEraLL:

VaLLEyfair ShOWPLacE icOn thEatrE

ShowPlace ICON Theatre, located in the middle of Valley Fair Mall, has 2 floors. The first floor has cinema rooms and the second floor has a lounge for V.I.P. members with a restaurant open to the public. Their membership program has 2 options. ICON Extras is free but ICON Extras Plus costs $9.99 per month. The benefits include free V.I.P & ICONX Upgrade & Online Booking, half off 3D Fees and many more. They also have discount Tuesdays, when tickets are $6. I paid $19.25 for a ticket to watch “Creed III’’ which was quite expensive but somewhat worth it from how extravagant the theater was. I also paid $8.75 for a regular sized popcorn which was warm and buttery. The cinema room and TV screen was enormous. The quality was 4K and was great. The seats were grouped into loveseats, which was quite different from other movie theaters. The seats were fairly big, reclined and had a heated seat option. During the movie, you could order food and drinks from the kitchen menu and have it delivered directly to your seat at no additional cost. The restaurant has food ranging from burgers, pizza, poke to lava cakes and cookies. The bathroom was very spacious and clean.

SEat cOMfOrtabiLity:

POPcOrn:

OVEraLL:

Out of all of the movie theaters that I visited, ShowPlace ICON Theatre was my favorite out of the five, and I would definitely go again. Even though it was a little pricey, it was definitely worth the experience.

aMc EaStridgE

cinELUX aLMadEn cafE and LOUngE

cEntUry grEat MaLL

Return of the Quality

Reporter Tobie Charbonnet analyzes the impact of changing directors on the quality of the Star Wars Franchise

ARTICLE BY TOBIE CHARBONNET • DESIGN BY ABHISHEK MYNAM • ILLUSTRATIONS BY ANGEL FROUMIS & ZAINAB SHAIKH

The first Star Wars movie came out in 1977, grossing over $3 billion after accounting for inflation and quickly garnering many fans. It only grew in popularity after the second and third movies came out a few years later. George Lucas, the creator of Star Wars, was also the director of the original movies.

Over 15 years later, the prequels, also directed by Lucas, were made to illustrate the first half of the story about Anakin Skywalker and were commercially successful.

After Disney’s acquisition of Star Wars, ten new series were made. Most notably of these was the Sequel Trilogy, or Sequels, The Mandalorian and Andor.

The Sequels

Though it sold over 68 million tickets when it was released in theaters, the Sequels quickly became known as the worst Star Wars movies. Out of the 70 people that voted for the best Star Wars trilogy on “Gamespot,” only two voted for the Sequels. I would have given it a 1/10. J.J. Abrams, the Sequel’s director, was well known for making the Star Trek reboot series, so what did he get wrong in the Sequels?

First of all, the writing of the characters was inconsistent. One of the protagonists, Rey, has been a scrapper all of her life, with no knowledge of the force. When she meets and battles a Sith Lord who has been training his whole life to wield the force and duel, she manages to defeat him.

Though Rey’s strength with the force could be explained through her having more midichlorians (microorganisms that inhabit cells and connect all to the Force) where the more one has, the greater one’s power and connection to the force, she would not have the means to draw out its power without prior training. Though people may say that it’s for the plot and that the main characters can’t die, there were better alternatives to keep the main characters alive.

Also, Rey uses a powerful force lightning and destroys a transport ship when she didn’t even know force lightning existed. In the movie, the writers explained that it was possible because her grandfather was a powerful force user but force lightning is an ability that is learned, not inherited.

On the other hand, Finn, one of the other protagonists, does nothing of significance in the entire trilogy. In the first movie, he follows Rey around. In the second, he is in a coma then gets captured by the enemy. In the third, he tries to follow Rey on her journey to learn about her past but fails. Characters should be written to be impactful and important, especially when they are one of the main characters but he is just unnecessary and distracts from the plot.

Another reason the Sequels are so hated is because of the inconsistent and negligent plot points. When Finn tries to sacrifice himself to save the entire resistance, an annoying side character crashes into him and stops him because she is in love with him. First of all, she would have gotten hundreds of people and all hope of saving the galaxy killed if Luke had not distracted the enemy. Plus, immediately after she says some corny line about how saving what you love is how you win wars, she passes out from injuries sustained in the crash. The rash decision of crashing his speeder with her own could have cost them both of their lives.

Lastly, George Lucas himself said that Palpatine was gone for good though in the last movie of the Sequels, somehow Palpatine returned and was the one controlling everything.

Either J.J. Abrams didn’t do his job fixing the script, or he changed the script only to make it worse.

The Mandalorian

Though the sequels were terrible, Disney seemed to learn their lesson with J.J. Abrams’ failure as they replaced him with other directors for future ventures. Directors John Favreau and Dave Filoni, who directed the Clone Wars show, were hired for “The Mandalorian,” which became wildly popular soon after its release.

Throughout The Mandalorian, the viewer follows Din Djarin, a

Mandalorian bounty hunter, on his journey to make a living and return a force sensitive youngling to a Jedi that can teach him. There is already better character development with both the main character and supporting ones compared to the sequels. Din starts as a cold, serious bounty hunter but after he had Grogu, he became more kind and loving towards him and others. In Din’s culture, removing their helmet is forbidden and he has never broken this rule until he had to say goodbye to Grogu. All the characters are solid and they all have something that they bring to the table. In Din’s journey, he had to hunt bounties or help solve people’s problems, such as saving a farming village from bandits. All of the mini plots feel important and are enjoyable to watch.

Andor

Andor changes the pace a little, as it is more serious and slower paced than the previous Star Wars shows. Though the first episode came out only about two months ago, it is already popular and well received by Star Wars fans. Many people believe that Andor has some of the best storytelling of any Star Wars show and movie, as well as portraying emotion really well.

Tony Gilroy, the director of Andor and of many popular movies such as “Bourne” and “Rogue One.” It has a very linear storyline. Similar to the “Mandalorian,” Andor has great character development. Cassian Andor, the main character, starts off as a criminal and only cares about money. He owes many debts to the people of Ferrix, a rundown scrapping planet as well as the planet that he lives on. He then pulls off a heist and is able to leave Ferrix for good.

He asks his mom to go with him but she refuses because she wants to fight the Empire. He leaves her and goes off on his own, only to be arrested a short while later even though he hasn’t com-

mitted a crime there. His hatred for the empire grows as he is forced into labor during his time in prison. Once he finally escapes, he learns that his mom has died and he attends her funeral. However, the Empire ruined the funeral ceremony pushing Cassian over the edge and leading him to join the rebellion.

At the beginning, he didn’t want anything to do with the Rebellion and only cared about getting money. He may have even disliked the rebellion because it would cause the Empire to increase security and make his crime more difficult. When he was asked to help the rebellion with a heist, he said no until he was on the run and had no choice but to help. He was only there for the money and left as soon as the heist was over. So when Cassian joins the rebellion, it shows how much his character had developed from the beginning of the show.

A director’s job is to oversee all parts of what they are directing. If they see something in the script that isn’t as it should be, they have the authority to make any changes they want. It is even common for directors to be hired for the sole purpose of improving scripts and making it work in the film. Although some directors may already have a reputation for being good at directing movies of a similar genre to Star Wars, it may not have the best results. Hiring a director that has done well on previous Star Wars media seems to be the best choice for making new ones that are just as satisfying to watch.

“Either J.J. Abrams didn’t do his job fixing the script, or he changed the script only to make it worse.”

FISH out of

Youth of color detail experiences with microaggressions that affected their self perception

ARTICLE BY SHAYNA TRAN • DESIGN, PHOTO ILLUSTRATION & ILLUSTRATION BY CHLOE LUU

makes jokes about her eyes and skin color because she’s able to relate to it, but she finds it “weird” or “awkward” when white people start to laugh since they have no connection to the jokes. However, Le also believes that the minority continues to perpetuate the stereotypes as “Asian people start to associate themselves with the stereotype” taking away the power of other people mak-

Byrd agrees with Le as she follows along with the jokes to avoid problems. She goes with the stereotype because it’s what

“We’ll be confined to what they’re saying because we don’t want to be the butt of the joke,” Byrd said. “‘Of course, I love watermelon. I’m Black.’ We do put it on ourselves, but it’s not

According to Learning for Justice, the Model Minority Myth is

based on the narrative that “Asian kids are geniuses, tiger moms are overbearing, and dads have prestigious jobs in tech compaagrees that the stereotypes around Asians are more positive compared to other ethnicities, but she finds it toxic because oftentimes other people utilize stereo-

“In my life, I see my family friends being successful,” Joaquin said. “But their efforts are undermined a lot to ‘You only got this

Le notes that “there’s a lot more to Asia than just East Asia.” Byrd agrees, believing that there is a very general perspective of black people with only black artists or models being uplifted and

“It isn’t real diversity of who we are,” said Byrd.

According to Billboard, in 2020, of the 62 albums that won album of the year for a Grammy, 12 - nearly 20% - are by Black Artists. The most recent Black artist to win the album was Jon Batiste for his ‘We Are’ album, but before him was Herbie Hancock for ‘River: The Joni Letters’ in 2008. They are also only nominated for R&B, Urban or Rap. Since 2006, Pharell’s “Get Lucky” and Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” are the only Black award winners in the three main Grammy categories for album, record and song

“I feel like [the Grammys and bigger awards show] don’t want who is Gambian American, said. “They are jealous that we are able to reach the

“It isn’t real diversity of who we are Alisa Byrd

”

IN SCHOOL

Berhane grew up going to a predominately white school and remembers wanting to dress and act like his peers, as it made him more “white”. He recalls hating how he didn’t have the straight blonde hair and would beg his mom to straighten his curly hair.

“I idolized my one white friend and I wanted to be white,” Berhane said. “I was wondering like ‘Why am I not the same as these dudes?’”

In elementary school, whenever something went wrong in class, he remembers that all eyes would go towards him or all of the blame would be shifted to him. He saw a difference in punishment between him and the white kids when they did similar actions. Berhane felt isolated in a place where he was supposed to be included.

“My friend Praise and I bumped into someone, on accident, leaving the bathroom and didn’t say sorry, but we were immediately sent to the principal’s office for something that I didn’t realize,” Berhane said. “That same kid started pushing others inside the classroom, but nothing happened to him.”

Similar to Berhane, Jimenez attended a mostly white school in Nevada during the 2016 election. Though there hasn’t been a time where he wanted to be white, there were times when he felt ashamed for not standing up for himself.

“I was in sixth grade and I didn’t really understand what was being said to me,” Jimenez said. “A guy just told me “to go back to Mexico” and back then I didn’t fully grasp what was being said to me, but now I look back as it was a very eye opening experi

IN MEDIA

Growing up, Le saw a lack of representation in the media. She was bewildered over the lack of people who looked like her displayed as the superhero or main character of a popular show. If there were Asian people in the show, they were always type casted as the best friend to the white lead. Now, there are more POC leads in TV shows and movies, but when Le was building her own identity, it was difficult to build a positive view of herself. She could not find anyone she could relate to or just be able to say “I look like that girl.” Similar to Le’s disappointment in Asian type casting, Jimenez dislikes how the LatinX community is presented in the media.

“Because they’ve seen in the past what a stereotypical Latino looks like in TV shows and movies,” Jimenez said. “It affects how people perceive us.”

Byrd has attended predominantly white schools since she was in kindergarten, excluding UPA. Attending these schools made her stop appreciating her culture and feel embarrassed by it because it was so different from the kids’ around her.

“Tiana was the only Black princess when I was growing up, but she was a frog,” said Byrd. “I didn’t even start liking Tiana until my parents had to step in and help me love my culture.”

African-American Vernacular English (AAVE) is a dialect spoken by African-Americans with its own unique grammar, vocabulary and accent features. There has been an increasing use of AAVE by non-Black people leading to a misrepresentation of Black communities because of how easy it is to spread the phrases.

“Personally, it was never a big deal because it isn’t something that’s part of my everyday language,” Berhane said. “I don’t really care about anyone using it unless it is offensive or degrading.” Ceesay emphasizes how people are incorporating the n-word into their everyday vocabulary without being black. Byrd sees it as them “rebranding something that doesn’t need to be rebranded”.

“I feel like they want to be a part of us, but they’re not.” Ceesay said. “They’re learning it from social media and saying it without knowing the real meaning.”

MOVING FORWARD

After 21 years, Michelle Yeoh became the second woman of color, after Halle Berry in 2002, to win the Oscar for best actress in her movie, “Everything Everywhere All At Once.” When seeing the trailer for the movie come out, Le was excited because the Asian representation wasn’t full of stereotypes.

With years of feeling conflicted about his culture and isolated because of the color of his skin, Berhane’s perspective has changed. He finally feels comfortable in his own skin.

“Sometimes I’m like ‘What if I was this or that, but I’m always happy to be Ethiopian. That’s who I am.”

Simon Berhane

MORE THAN A BAN? MORE THAN A BAN? MORE THAN A BAN?

Congressional hearing regarding TikTok sparks conversations about xenophobia and censorship

ARTICLE BY EDITORIAL BOARD • ILLUSTRATION BY ANGEL FROUMIS • DESIGN BY APRIL NGUYEN

Editor’s note: Montana became the first state to ban TikTok on May 17, 2023. While this article was updated on May 18, this story is still developing.

“[Chinese citizens] must cooperate with Chinese intelligence whenever they are called upon, and if they are called upon, they are bound to secrecy,” said Rep. Dan Crenshaw to TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew. “That would include you.” Chew is not a Chinese citizen, but a Singaporean one.

The recent TikTok committee hearing, in which the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce voiced concerns about the popular social media app, was uninformed and backed by xenophobic ideals and racist motivations.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testified before the Committee on March 23, 2023 where Congress raised questions about ByteDance, the company that owns TikTok, and its connection with the Chinese government. They wanted to know if those possible connections pose risks for the privacy of American TikTok consumers, who are pri marily teenagers and children.

The proposed course of action was to ban the app in the United States altogether.

As well as the clearly ignorant parts of the trial, the undertones surrounding the hear ing are inherently racist. TikTok being sin gled out for its ownership, as a Chinese company, has xenophobia written all over it.

The Committee asked Chew accusatory questions about the Chinese government and their intentions, despite having no di

on social media platforms unless the content is explicitly violent, including ideas about shootings, war, or national security.

Instead, the CEO’s and moderators of social media platforms should be in charge of setting age restrictions and community guidelines. Social media platforms should take responsibility for the safety of their users, adults or minors, and the consequences of not doing so.

The TikTok logo is covered with barricade tape, meant to represent Congress’s efforts to ban the app. In front, hand-held signs depict the activism of Tiktok users who protest the potential ban.

Apart from the racist questioning of the hearing, was unorganized, uninformed and somewhat laughable. Questions asked by the members of Congress included “Does TikTok access the home wifi network?” and “Can you tell me… that TikTok does not use the phone’s camera to determine whether the content that elicits a pupil dilation should be amplified by the algorithm?”

rect affiliation with them. Chew is a Singaporean citizen and has no ties to China except where his corporation is based. He also explained that all of ByteDance’s data is stored on American soil and that TikTok is a U.S. incorporated company. Chew stated that he has never given information over to the Chinese Communist Party, and they have never requested it either. However, Congress still harassed Chew with insensitive and racist questions that had very little relevance to the safety of American users’ data.

Despite the privacy concerns, there is a significant problem with removing ac-

The government should be able to encourage the owners of social media companies to increase restrictions on photos or videos posted, but should not pass legislation strictly banning apps such as TikTok. Not only does that affect all its users, but banning TikTok would have a ripple effect, to other sources of media. A change like this could redefine what comprises our First Amendment rights. Luckily, Congress will not ban TikTok, however, as the self-proclaimed “land of the free,” the U.S. needs to take a step back to reevaluate its moral standards, especially when it comes to relations with other governments and people from different countries.

NICE TO MATCHA!

Reviewing the South Bay’s newest premium matcha

ARTICLE & DESIGN BY KYLA ULUG & TAYLOR NGUYEN

Summer is on its way, we can almost taste it. What better way to kick off the summer than to grab a cold matcha treat? In 2016, Matcha Café Maiko opened its first store in Oahu, Hawaii and later spread its authentic matcha throughout 16 states in the U.S. Its latest location opened at Westfield Valley Fair Mall on Mar. 25, 2023. The launch was intriguing, with their grand opening special of $3 soft serve; less than half the original price of $6.40!

The grand opening weekend from Mar. 25-26 was packed. When we arrived on Sunday afternoon that weekend, we were shocked by the line that wrapped around the glass railing and felt intimidated by the sea of people. But to our surprise, the line moved at a quick pace, and we reached the front after waiting for about 20 minutes. The menu stumped us with their large variety of delicious treats: parfaits, lattes, floats, teas, frappes — and the main attraction — soft serve! Here’s what we ordered:

MATCHA SOFT SERVE WITH WAFFLE CONE

Matcha soft serve on the waffle cone is a classic. The matcha flavor is robust and authentic. The texture of the ice cream is silky smooth, leaving a soft peak with each scoop. It is delicious on its own; however, pairing the matcha with the light and crispy waffle cone amplifies the sweetness, and watching the workers prepare freshly made waffle cones makes the whole experience more enjoyable.

MAIKO SPECIAL

This was easily the tastiest item we ordered from their menu. The Maiko Special comes with matcha soft serve, shiratama mochi, chestnuts, matcha chiffon cake, cornflakes, adzuki red beans and agar jelly — a whirlwind of textures and flavors, I know, but they all work together extremely well. Now, let’s do a topping speed round with our three favorite toppings. Firstly, the matcha chiffon cake has a delicious sponginess that works beautifully in tandem with the cold soft serve. The contrasting textures are such a delight. As for the shiratama mochi, its chewiness and light toasted rice flavor pairs so well with the matcha soft serve — and, let’s be honest, they’re just fun to eat. The agar jelly was a fun surprise at the bottom of our cup. It has that perfect firm-yet-smooth-yet-soft texture that’s so fun to eat, plus it has a pleasant brown sugar flavor that really elevated it from just being a plain jelly.

BLACK SESAME LATTE FLOAT

A perfect sweet treat for black sesame fanatics (like us) that has a rich nutty flavor. The latte itself is not too sweet and, paired with the vanilla soft serve on top, does not overwhelm the taste at all. Rather, it enhances the latte to a creamier consistency and harmoniously synchronizes with the deep flavor of black sesame.

HOJICHA CHEESE FOAM LATTE

We tried the hojicha cheese foam latte from their drink menu. The hojicha flavor was present — a toasty, nutty, roasted tea flavor — but definitely could have been stronger. You could truly taste the quality of their hojicha powder. However, the savory, salty goodness that cheese foam should have was less prominent and did not have much of a flavor.

MANGO & COCONUT BOBA SUNDAE

When we went back a second time to try their new soft serve specials for April, mango and coconut, we were definitely disappointed. First, let’s talk about the good news! The boba was the highlight on this sundae. Cooked to perfection, the pearls were soft, chewy and had a deep brown sugar flavor. Unfortunately, the mango and coconut soft serve were a let down. The mango part of the swirl tasted like artificial mango candy and was definitely too sweet for our taste. The coconut flavor we longed for was nowhere to be found. This soft serve also melted quite quickly in comparison to the matcha and vanilla soft serves. If you’re in the mood for boba, definitely get their boba sundae, but substitute their matcha or vanilla soft serve for a better experience.

By the end of the trip, Matcha Café Maiko satisfied our sweet cravings. Now that you know our thoughts on their most popular desserts, make sure to stop by Valley Fair to grab your own!

Mango and coconut boba sundae.

Price: $6.90

• PHOTOS BY KYLA ULUG

Matcha soft serve with waffle cone in a cup from grand opening weekend.

Price: $3 (originally costs $6.90)

Roasted black sesame latte topped with vanilla soft serve.

Price: $6.20

Maiko Special parfait served with a variety of toppings: shiratma mochi balls, Japanese chestnut, chiffon cake, cornflakes, adzuki red bean, agar jelly and kuromitsu syrup.

Price: $9.40

Hojicha latte topped with Matcha Café Maiko’s homemade cheese foam.

Price: $6.10

Matcha Café Maiko staff poses mid-rush hour while serving premium matcha treats.

newjams, newjeans!

Rookie K-pop girl-group NewJeans captures the hearts of fans at UPA with their unique concept and sound

ARTICLE BY OLIVE LUONG • PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY KYLA ULUG • DESIGN & ILLUSTRATIONS BY LENA NGUYEN

K-pop girl group NewJeans has been dominating music charts since their debut eight months ago. The name “NewJeans” comes from the idea that jeans are always in style and shows the group’s intention of being an everlasting icon for generations. The five-member girl group, managed under HYBE Labels, consists of Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin and Hyein.

Their debut single “Attention” dropped on July 22, 2022, followed by their EP “NewJeans” a day later. The album contains four tracks, including “Attention,” “Hype Boy,” “Cookie,” and “Hurt.” It was met with an explosive response, recording the highest first-day sales of any girl group debut album in K-pop history with an impressive 262,815 copies sold within 24 hours.

NewJeans broke another record on Feb. 1 of 2023, with their single “Ditto” which recorded 655 PAKS, the highest amount for any K-pop song in history. PAKS is a music chart achievement where a song simultaneously reaches number one on numerous South Korean music streaming platforms. The record was previously held by their senior BTS with 610 perfect-all-kills.

Many K-pop fans have become enthralled with the rookie girl-group, as they stand out with their energetic choreography and retro music.

Senior and long time K-pop fan Mateo Chavez has been following NewJeans since their debut and was pleased to hear their unique sound.

“They kind of have this Y2K kind of retro vibe,” Chavez said, “and I think that’s kind of what attracts a lot of people to them.”

Chavez finds their music new and refreshing compared to the common “girl-crush” concepts most girlgroups do in this generation of K-pop. The girl-crush concept first started as a concept about embracing the cooler, more mature side of women and female empowerment, but many fans feel that the theme has grown too common that the meaning behind it has become hollow and boring.

NewJean’s distinct concept is not the only thing that is special about them as fans like freshman Lynette Tran also find NewJean’s sound unique.

“Everything they do is different,” Tran said.

Tran has been a casual listener of K-pop since she was in 5th grade and got into NewJeans after stumbling upon their “Attention” M/V on her Youtube page. Ever since then, she considers herself a part of their fandom and continues to keep up with all their comeback songs.

“I think that their music is just something I’m not easily bored of,” Tran said, “like it’s new every time I listen to it.”

She’s drawn to the way their music doesn’t focus on having beat drops for choreographies, like many K-pop songs do, and rather focuses on sounding good to listen to with their electro pop beat, smooth vocals and dreamy mood.

“If Y2K was a song,” Tran said, “it would be their embodiment.”

Junior Amanda Mussa loves not only their music but also their choreographies. She got into K-pop after a friend taught her the dance to BLACKPINK’s ‘뚜두뚜두’ (DDU-DU DDUDU) in 2019 and has been drawn to choreographies ever since. She finds NewJeans’ dance compositions enchanting and can be found dancing to their choreos at random times.

“It’s one of those groups where you just want to learn

“If Y2K was a song, it would be their embodiment”

Lynette Tran

the choreo to every one of their songs,” Mussa said.

The choreography for their song “Hype Boy” even became a viral TikTok dance challenge that numerous K-pop idols and fans participated in.

While many are inspired by NewJeans accomplishing so much at such young ages, others are apprehensive. The youngest member, Hyein, debuted at only 14 years old and is still attending school during group activities.

“I’m a little worried,” Mussa said, “because I know the K-pop industry can be a bit much, especially for a 14-year-old.”

All members of the group were 18 or younger when they debuted, and with a life centered around the media, many fans are concerned about the impact on the members’ mental health.

“I think maybe it would have been better to have waited a bit,” Chavez said, “because the talent will still be there.”

Despite the controversy surrounding their young ages, NewJeans continues to capture the hearts of more and more fans.

Freshman Emily Uy has been a fan of K-pop since 2017, so having rookie NewJeans as her ultimate favorite group is significant for her.

“I’ve experienced so much music,” Uy said, “so this is pretty big but there’s not many groups who have gotten so many awards and are a big movement.”

Uy recalls when their debut music video was uploaded on HYBE’s Youtube channel without any teasers or introduction of who NewJeans were. As this was an unusual occurrence, many people started watching the video out of curiosity. Soon all the widespread social media posts

Uy’s photocard displays all five members of Newjeans. From left to right: Haerin, Danielle, Hyein, Hanni, and Minji.

and talk in K-pop communities skyrocketed NewJeans to fame.

With that explosive of a debut, top luxury brands were quick to make deals with the NewJeans members. Soon after debut, Hanni was named the global ambassador of Gucci, the youngest in Gucci history at 18 years old. The youngest member, Hyein who was 14 years old at the time, soon followed, and was named the youngest ambassador of Louis Vuiton.

NewJeans members have endorsed numerous other brands as well, some of which include Hanni for Armani, Minji for Chanel, Danielle for Burberry, Haerin for Dior, and the NewJeans group for Apple and Levi’s.

In the K-pop industry, representing a brand is a sign of popularity and is a marker of just how influential the group is.

Uy believes that with their impact on K-pop and fashion worldwide, NewJeans will become increasingly famous and impactful.

“They’re going to be a new “It” girl-group,” Uy said.