Scales Magazine (Dec. 2021) by EmiliaSalazarCretton

CONTENTS Introduction

About Balboa Talks Editor’s Note

Fiction

Smaller Wars — Emilie Mendoza Snow on Halloween — Emilie Mendoza The “Kafka’s Train“ Exercise — Emilie Mendoza Nonfiction

Esports Should Be Considered Sports — Isaac WrightMuller Mythical Creatures: Hellhounds— Lorens Ramas Something — Daniella Castillo The Dangers of an Artificial World — Hailey Jensen Inside the Black Hole — Gabriela Serrano Voice of Democracy — Wilson Dillon The Necessity of the Abolishment of Capital Punishment — Dogeun Lee poetry

Yesterday’s Violence Forgotten — Ben Codirla Cántiga de amor— Emilia Motta Trovadoresca — Emilia Motta Participación en concurso “La gran pared” — various authors

about balboa talks Balboa Talks is a high school club in Balboa Talks intent on encouraging self-expression, conversation and learning. It does so via mankind’s most effective tool: words. The club hosts the monthly book club, Book Talk!, organizes writing competitions and poetry fests, and publishes the semesterly magazine, Scales, in order to accomplish the aforementioned intentions within Balboa’s high school community Currently, B-Talks is led by Emilia Salazar (president), Mai Lee Berghaus (vicepresident), and Emilie Mendoza (secretary) who have persevered with the Book Talk! book club, the Scales magazine, and more activities to come

Editor’S Note I am pleased to be publishing another issue of Scales: a short yet delightful student magazine. Our school, Balboa Academy, has incredible artists and writers who deserve recognition beyond the classroom as well as a place for their work to be compiled and praised by other than their teachers or classmates. It is with this purpose in mind that Emilie, Mai Lee, and I have put the 2021 edition of this project together to hopefully allow our readers to discover the remarkable talents of the faces we see across the hallways every day.

- EmiliA Salazar

FICTION

ART BY JUAN DAVID LESCURE

EMILIE MENDOZA

CLASS OF 2024

SMALLER WARS As soon as I boarded the train, I began my letter to my sister. I did it. I sold everything and am on my way to Amsterdam. The sun streamed in through the window to my right. This would be the first of many trains I’d have to take. It had all happened so quickly; this train was the first time I’d even stop to think about it all. I had at least six hours to get my bearings together and finish writing the letter. Then, I’d get off this train and find the run down building I’d been advised to stay at until my sister replied to me. The difficulty of the next phase of my life had just started to hit. I lit a cigarette and put it between my teeth, pulling the window slightly open to let the smoke out. The war had been brewing for years now. Well, that’s a bit of a naïve way to put it. There’s never a single big war to fight. No, that’s what they always want you to believe so you’ll think that when one is won, all is won. The truth is that we live in a never-ending quantity of smaller wars all waged by people who know better than to ever let it rest. The problem is that you only realize this once it's too late. I’d made the mistake of playing it safe until now. My parents were content with staying neutral while my sister, Clover, commanded her own part of the resistance. I was done with letting people die now. So here I was, nineteen and alone on a train after having my own near-death experience. It’s funny really. Hugo and I – Hugo was my childhood neighbor – had found out where one of these powerful officers from the other side was living. It was a huge manor in the middle of London.

EMILIE MENDOZA

CLASS OF 2024

Weird that we had never noticed it before, but I digress. We’d waited out for weeks and right when the family had left for some vacation, we’d snuck in and poured gasoline in all the rooms. It was meticulously planned, quite frankly. All that was left to do was strike a match and watch it all go up in flames. For a moment, the blaze was the most beautiful thing either of us had ever seen. Then we heard the police and started running. Hugo took the blame. He stayed back to hold off the police while I kept running. I hadn’t even noticed until I’d finally gotten them off my scent, but by then it was too late. In that moment of impulsivity, I went home and packed everything I could into bags and sold it all except for a backpack with my documents, phone, cigarettes, a lighter, and a stationery set. With my newly acquired wealth, I called Clover’s boyfriend from a payphone and then called another person he’d told me to contact first. They offered me a place among them to fight, so I bought my train ticket and now here I was. I doubt they’ll even try to find me, I wrote in the letter. In all honesty, I hoped more than I thought. Getting out of London was a smart move, I was sure of it. In recent times, the air in the streets has gotten harder to breathe. Something about the grimy power that slipped through the sewers made my skin crawl. The war wasn’t going to end anytime soon. If I was going to spend my youth drenched in it, I might as well fight. The rest of the train ride was fairly uneventful. I finished my letter and sorted through my legal documents to make sure I had enough to get around. We would survive, I was sure of it. Even just another day was eno Let the fire never go out. Let us not be at peace ever again. This is how we start winning smaller wars. Yours, Alice.

EMILIE MENDOZA

CLASS OF 2024

SNOW ON HALLOWEEN Outside the frost of the window, it was snowing. Halloween and snow. The woman hadn’t seen many snowy Halloweens in her lifetime, so something about this familiar falling of snowflakes dancing across the horizon made her insides warm up. It was a Saturday, too. Saturdays were for Aquarius, prosperity, obsidian, moss, and Saturn. She couldn't quite explain how she knew that, but she did. Most people would listen to her ramblings and pay no mind. She preferred it that way. Those who paid attention were prone to asking for more elaboration and more explanation. That would be fine if the woman had the words to reply. Most days, whatever words her mind conjured up would die on her tongue and be replaced by simple sentences full of conflicting messages. On this Halloween, the woman sat at her round kitchen table and watched the snow trickle down through the window. She lived in a house with big windows and she lived alone. Looking out and nature and the way life goes on wasn’t unfamiliar to her. She had done everything right. She was cheer captain at her highschool. She went to college and graduated. She met a man she could happily live with for the rest of her life. She got married. She had two kids. She watched them grow up and cleaned their scrapes when they fell. She helped her kids move into college. She took vacations to Vermont.

EMILIE MENDOZA

CLASS OF 2024

She held the hand of her husband as he died. She watched her kids move on from her to their own families. And now, she lived in a house with big windows and watched the snow fall on October 31st. The world had gone quiet in her old age. It seemed the earth no longer told her stories and the people no longer spared her glances. Loneliness only became all-consuming sometimes. On November 1st, the woman walked outside and into the snow. She let herself dissolved and lay her own bones to rest.

Art by Juan Posada

EMILIE MENDOZA

CLASS OF 2024

The ‘Kafka's Train’ Exercise At the edge of the forest, there are train tracks. On these train tracks is a train that makes exactly eight stops, running at all hours of all days – save for when it needs maintenance. This train belongs to a town of hollow people with hollow commutes. I am one of them. It’s always the same. Get on at Sweetwine Avenue and get off on 13th Street. Get on at 13th Street and get off on Sweetwine Avenue. Easy to remember, easy to repeat. I always stand in the third car from the right, gripping the railing nearest to the door because I don’t really go on the train for anything other than a means to an end. The only reason someone would choose to change their spot on a daily commute is if they’re looking for something different to happen. I’m good without that. The train either stays the same or deteriorates. Sometimes the posters are replaced. Sometimes the posters are ripped out. Sometimes the lights stay on exactly as they should. Sometimes the lights flicker. Sometimes my usual car is full. Sometimes it is empty. Every single time, the woods drift by the window quickly, like they have someplace to be, just like I do. It is a Wednesday afternoon when I decide to stray from my routine. I’ve lived in this town for five years and a Wednesday afternoon is the first time since my arrival that I’ve chosen to sit. Because it was a Wednesday afternoon to a miserable Wednesday morning. When I had gotten off at 13th Street that morning, I had no reason to suspect a terrible day to be incoming.

PAGE 15

EMILIE MENDOZA

CLASS OF 2024

I’d made my way down the street past the children skipping to school and the elderly waving hello with a pep that could even make me smile. I weaved past the butcher and his wife who argued in the morning dew and past the town gossip who always raised an eyebrow when she saw me as if I would have anything new to tell. I jumped over the usual puddles and made my way to the same bookshop I’d been working in since I’d arrived here all those years ago. I entered through the side alleyway and dropped my bag behind the register before going to the front to put out the same table of used paperbacks that we always put in the front. My boss called after me on my way out. “You’re late!” she said. “No, I’m not,” I said. She said something after, but I didn’t catch it. We both knew I was right on time, but that wasn’t the point. When the table outside was done, I came back inside and took my place behind the register, ready to turn on autopilot and get through the day without thinking much about it. At some point, I sold a poetry book. At some point, I sold a cookbook. At some point, I got fired and slammed the door on my way out. And now I was headed back to the train at the end of the woods so I could go home, and scream surrounded by my own things rather than the other hollow people with hollow commutes I shared a town with. I waited patiently for the train to arrive because I knew its schedule backwards and forwards, therefore knowing that

EMILIE MENDOZA

CLASS OF 2024

and got in my usual car but felt my legs ready to give out so I sat in one of the chairs and covered my face with my cardigan so I could let myself drift away. It had been hard to get the chair, since this moment of the train was completely different to the way it was when I typically took it home in the dark of night. I can’t remember the last time a conductor passed by. We have those, I know that for sure. They’ve always been in the background doing their jobs quietly. There hasn’t been one since I woke up. How long has it been now? I’ve been sitting quietly, staring ahead indefinitely for, what? Half an hour? Probably more. I leave my bag and my cardigan on the chair and reach for the door at the end of the car nearest to me. I pull at it, and nothing happens. Locked. Or maybe, never meant to open. I slip by to the other end and try that one. Nothing again. I sit back down and stare ahead some more. The pixie cut girl is watching old seasons of a reality show now. The boy with rings has wire in his hands to make more rings. The woman with pearls is using a reading lamp to read a vintage crime novel. The man with the tie has fallen asleep on the floor, under some seats. I pull my knees to my chest and fold into myself. What can I really do but wait for this train to stop? I would draw in a notebook, maybe, if I had one. I abruptly look up and reach for the pocketknife in my bag. It’s not the same as a pen, but a chair is not the same as paper, so I feel it is fair. I think back to a sigil for protection someone I had once loved had once made me and I begin to cut. I can extend it, maybe, make it bigger. If it won’t keep me safe, it’ll keep me distracted.

PAGE 15

EMILIE MENDOZA

CLASS OF 2024

So, sorry I kept cutting until I accidentally cut myself and decided I had done enough, and I put the knife away so I could return to folding into myself. It was still dark, and we were still going, and I felt like that little Mars Rover that had died months before, saying that its battery was low, and it was getting dark. The only difference was that it had gotten dark many hours before and my phone’s battery had been dead since I had broken the charger three days before. So, I did the only thing I had left to do; I closed my eyes and drifted away again. At the edge of the forest, there are train tracks. On these train tracks is a train that makes exactly eight stops, running at all hours of all days – save for when it needs maintenance. This train belongs to myths of souls stolen by the old gods who hid away in the trees until they found someone to steal away under the cover of night. I am one of them.

Art by Esther Mazariegos

N O N FI C TI O N

Art by Juan Posada

ISAAC WRIGHT-MULLER

CLASS OF 2024

Esports Should be Considered Sports Did you know that there was a video game tournament with a prize pool worth over 34 million dollars? Yeah, 34 million dollars! That is more than 78 times the average American’s yearly salary. This shows an obvious demand for such tournaments, and unlike other sports, there is no risk involved for the players, so long as they put effort into staying healthy. Some people say that there is no physical activity involved, or that it does not require the hours of training and well-honed skills that are necessary in other sports. While it is true that playing video games does not require any physical activity, there are other sports, such as archery and darts, where there is little need for fitness. As for claims that gaming does not require the same skill as other sports, that simply isn’t true. The people who win millions of dollars from gaming tournaments are spending as many waking moments as healthy in front of their computers, and even people who don’t compete in these big tournaments are spending an average of 1 hour a day on video games. Because of this large and increasing interest in video games, I believe that they should be considered sports. There have been over 100 video game tournaments

ISAAC WRIGHT-MULLER

CLASS OF 2024

with prizes worth a million or more dollars. But these people don’t play just for themselves, no. Around 456 million people watch others play videogames, via platforms like twitch or vimeo, and in total they payed about 1.1 billion dollars for the privilege in 2019 alone. And that is just the tournaments! The video game market is expected to be worth almost 275 billion dollarsby the end of 2025. There is so much interest in esports that there are actual gaming stadiums popping up all over the place. From Florida to LA, Philadelphia to South Korea. Some of these stadiums cost as much as 50 million dollars and can hold thousands. Interest in gaming events is growing, and people are adapting to fit these new demands. Injuries. They are catastrophic, and can end a player’s career, or finish a team’s hopes of advancing. There have been many terrible injuries over the years. Neymar jr. in the 2014 world cup, Andy Murray’s pelvic injury, Steph Curry’s numerous ankle problems, and thousands of American football related injuries. However, none of this happens with videogames. In the NFL, a team’s hopes can be smashed by an unlucky injury. In the NBA, careers can end in the same way. However, with videogames, there are never any serious injuries on stage. That is because there is no physical contact. However, that does not mean that in the game no contact can occur. There are games like madden NFL, NBA live, and FIFA that can simulate a sports match quite accurately. With a few more advancements to

ISAAC WRIGHT-MULLER

CLASS OF 2024

video game graphics and VR, it is conceivable that in the future, we see injury free sporting events played by people who, in real life, are as helpless as you and I at the sports they are playing. There are over 2.5 billion people worldwide who play video games. That is almost a third of the population of the world! The only other sport that comes anywhere near that many players is soccer, because of its simplicity. And these people aren’t playing video games to earn money, they are playing them for fun. There are over 1 billion games on the market! That gives people a lot of room to maneuver around, and to find a game they like or are good at. As opposed to other sports, where you might not have enough money or enough people around to play with, there is no need for that in video games. So long as you have a device hooked up to the internet, your options are limitless. Don’t have enough money to go golfing? Try one of the thousands of golfing games available to you online. Don’t like one of them? Try another. The options are endless, both for the users and for the creators. Video games are the future of sports. Their popularity is soaring, with almost half a billion people watching others play games, be it online or in person in one of the new fancy stadiums companies are building. And unlike other sports, there is no risk involved for the players. No fractures, no tears, no breaks. So, with all this interest, and all these benefits, why aren’t video games sports? I think it is time we made them so.

Art by Lorens Ramas

LORENS RAMAS

CLASS OF 2024

Mythical Creatures: Hellhounds There's a story that dates back a long time, about a creature that roams at night. If you were to lose yourself in the forest, dark and foggy, the moon lost in a clump of clouds, watch out for the smell of rotting flesh, for this creature could be near. With their mangles of black fur, and their glowing red eyes, the best advice would be to steer clear from any sign of this creature being nearby. Not many can say they have encountered it, but the ones that do haven't been the same since. If you ever see or hear the howl of this creature or the incessant rattling of chains, beware, for they say this signifies that death is forthcoming. Searching for lost souls to guide into the underworld, this huge dog-like creature finds itself crossing the border between the living and the dead rather often. If you're still wondering what creature I've been talking about, well, it's hellhounds. Hellhounds are ghostly or phantom creatures that roam the underworld, watching over the souls of the dead. The concept of their appearance has overall stayed somewhat similar even though it has been present in many different places. In some places, hellhounds are seen as huge dogs that roam the night, looking for lost

LORENS RAMAS

CLASS OF 2024

souls to guide into the underworld. In other places, people describe hellhounds to be of some average dog size or a little bigger and are said to be guided by a horse rider, who hunts at night. In either case their physical features are almost identical, black fur and red eyes. Their fiery red eyes are said to be their most frightening feature, although their eyes can be seen as yellow or green in some cases. Sometimes they might appear to wear a collar of chains that rattles as the creature walks. Hellhounds are also known to have super strength and speed, and sometimes even more than one head (usually just one or three). They are believed to have demonic origin, which attributes to most of their characteristics. Many could argue that such a beast has no weaknesses, but some others believe it is vulnerable to things like iron, silver, religious icons, salt, exorcism, and worship and prayers. The true origin of hellhounds is unclear but can be brought back to most commonly Greek mythology. Hellhounds have made appearances in a variety of places, from Greece, to Great Britain, to Wales, even America. Depending on the place, these hellhounds are given different names. The first written record of a hellhound is believed to be at least a thousand years old. Long ago in England, during the year 1577, there was an incident in a church that involved a creature which residents had described as a hellhound. In said incident, the creature broke into the church, caused a commotion and even bit the neck of two people, who died due to the attack. They called the beast Black

LORENS RAMAS

CLASS OF 2024

Shuck. In another particular incident, the huge dog left scorch markings at the church’s entrance, and these markings were given the title “the devil's fingerprints” from the locals. Similar stories were collected and could account to about 500 sightings of a creature that targeted worshipers and rampaged into churches all across Europe. There are many more examples of beasts perceived as hellhounds. From Cerberus to Black Shuck, other examples include Church Grim, Gwyllgi, Dip, and Cŵn Annwn. In some cultures, hellhounds are believed to guard places like graveyards and burial grounds or to be looking after souls or supernatural treasures. Whatever the task was, it usually had close ties with the afterlife. From these folk tales, hellhounds caught the attention of many authors and have made appearances in books, films, and games ever since. The first surfacing of a hellhound in a game was in Greyhawk in 1975, as a part of the fictional world designed for the roleplaying game Dungeons and Dragons. Hellhounds also appear in films such as Hellhound – a 2009 horror film, and books such as Hell on Earth and Eternal Rider. It’s no mystery why such an astonishing creature like the hellhound has managed to stay relevant even today. Despite being an old folktale, hellhounds haven’t ceased to appear all over the world. The dog with black fur and red eyes can be seen in many different regions across the globe. The fear that this creature instilled in people and the rumors of it being a bearer of death might be an

LORENS RAMAS

CLASS OF 2024

important factor on why they're so prominent in pop culture. I think people have continued to tell stories about this creature over the years because of how much they believed in its existence and how so many people claimed to have had encounters with them. To me, hellhounds are such amazing and interesting creatures because of their close ties with the underworld. The fact that they were believed to look over the gates of the underworld is quite impressive. There’s an old legend that goes, “if you stare into a hellhound’s eyes three or more times, it is certain you will die...”

DANIELLA CASTILLO

CLASS OF 2023

Something... I have no one. I am fine with that though. I used to have so many people, or at least I thought I had. I am drowning. . . . Drowning...I feel sick, I feel like I am okay but that I am dead and numb and completely not okay. I don't know what to do, I have–I I I don't know. I don't know anything. I stand up and I feel dizzy and go to the bathroom sitting on my knees if my stomach feels full, I am sad but I am happy, I am a roller coaster of emotions, I am an ocean of every thought and secret that roams around in the space that we call Earth. home, school, life...I am drowning, and I have no one; no one to listen to, no one to hug, no one to talk to, no one to laugh with, no one to live with, no one to read with, no one to do nothing with, no one to be alone with, no one to be there for me, no one to hold me, no one for me to hold, no one for me to protect, no one I can make happy, no one I can dance in the rain with; no one I can call friends, or best friend, sister, or my person, boyfriend or girlfriend or partner or just someone. I have no one...

DANIELLA CASTILLO

CLASS OF 2023

I Have No One ........I shiver every time I walk the hallways. So many of you have people and so many are just as lonely. But loneliness is art. And art defines who we are, and maybe because of that I am just no one. I have no one after all. Sometimes it feels like if I disappear no one would notice, probably no one would. Maybe I am that invisible, hiding behind every thin line that holds life together, watching as everyone becomes someone. Maybe being no one makes me special. But it doesn't. I wish I did. I wish I was special. I wish I was someone. But drowning in thoughts and words seem to just make you alone. Maybe I am that lonely. Lonely enough to dream of being someone or with someone. Maybe daydreaming is my passion, the romantic side of my mind drips and fills every river with new tears, and my bed with new memories of who I am. I just think that I can be someone, but sometimes all the talks and the whispers bring me down. And they don't, I kinda don't care. I have developed this way of living that just requires me. But the moment that I let that wall down and mind gets dizzy, the laughs and whispers, the stares and the rumors consume my anxiety. They drown it in their ideas and what they think of me. I am me. I am someone. I have myself. I have myself and that's enough. I am enough. I am beautiful. I am smart. I am

DANIELLA CASTILLO

CLASS OF 2023

alone, but I still have me. I AM ENOUGH I HAVE ME I AM ENOUGH I AM WORTH SO MUCH I AM ENOUGH I AM NOT ALONE I keep screaming those words at the top of my lungs maybe one day I would be able to hear me But For Now I am just no one.

Art by Melis Ayhan

HAILEY JENSEN

CLASS OF 2024

The Real Dangers of an Artificial World Megan Meier, a 13-year-old middle-schooler, had an online friend named Josh. She thought he was attractive and fun, and he seemed to like her. Having this online friend made Megan feel popular and pretty, the way she imagined other girls were. After a while, Josh’s messages became less friendly and eventually he told her that “the world would be a better place without you” (Steinhauer). Devastated, Megan told her parents about it, and as they went to prepare dinner, she went to her room and hanged herself. Later, it was discovered that a mother, her daughter, and another young adult created a fake account to “mess with” Megan. There never had been a Josh (Steinhauer). This story and others like it reveal a number of troubling issues about social media: its role in damaging comparisons, the need for addictive upkeep to artificial goals, and its dangerous anonymity. For these and other reasons, teens should not have access to social media. Social media is constructed of staged and curated experiences, which encourage damaging selfcomparison, particularly for youth. Social media is known for its users who post pictures of themselves on vacation or at the pool looking beautiful and flawless.

HAILEY JENSEN

CLASS OF 2024

There is no malice in this; everyone wants to look good for the public. However, this goal means that most pictures and messages on the internet are staged and edited. Teens, who are building an identity, subconsciously compare themselves to these carefully crafted posts. One author, speaking to young adults, states, “You see your friends posting smiling selfies at exotic destinations and ‘humblebragging’ about their professional and personal accomplishments, and you end up thinking your own life doesn't measure up” (Stillman). Although society has made efforts to make youth aware of the harm of self-comparison, research shows that staged atmosphere still leads to depression, anxiety, eating disorders, or other mental illnesses. A report states that by 2015, 92% of teens had a smart phone, and a 2017 study of half a million 13 to 18-yearolds found that in these youth, “depressive symptoms increased by 33 percent” and “the suicide rate for girls . . . increased 65 percent” (Miller). Researchers concluded, “The rise in depressive symptoms correlates with smartphone adoption during that period, even when matched year by year” (Miller). In a separate study, Instagram use is linked to “feeling anxiety, depression and worries about body image” (Miller). Although it has always been human nature to compare ourselves to others, the key point researchers found is that social media creates comparison to idealized images and stories, not to reality. It is this which creates a sense of inadequacy and low esteem over time.

HAILEY JENSEN

CLASS OF 2024

In addition, the nature of social media requires constant upkeep, which leads youth to place excessive value in an artificial world. By setting up likes, badges, alerts, and ever-filling feeds, social media is designed to grab the attention of the user for hours a day. Research has found, “When [a teen] receives a like, a share, or a favorable reaction to a post, it can trigger the release of dopamine in the brain, the same ‘reward’ chemical that follows winning on a slot machine, taking a bite of chocolate, or lighting up a cigarette, for example” (Robinson and Smith). In an effort to maintain this good feeling, youth continue to “check in.” The same study found that the more teens log on, the more social media created “psychological cravings” to have yet more followers, more likes, more comments on their posts, and so on (Robinson and Smith). Although checking one’s feed in itself is not harmful, the daily usage can be detrimental because these affirmations do not really lead to a better life or identity. Research studies found that more engagement with social media leads teens to loss of relationships “with family members in the household, declines in the size of their social circle, and increases in their depression symptoms and loneliness” (Sampasa-Kanyinga et al. 191). The fact that teens can be more connected on social media and yet also lonelier sounds like a contradiction. However, what creates genuine satisfaction is the interaction with real life work and effort. The fact that social media involvement rises but real-life social interaction decreases shows that

HAILEY JENSEN

CLASS OF 2024

social media encourages teens to invest more time in a world that cannot bring value to their lives. Last, due to social media’s essentially anonymous and unsupervised platforms, it can open the door to dangerous situations. People can easily be someone other than themselves on social media. By faking as someone else, the user can get away with performing inappropriate behavior, like harassment and cyberbullying. This is seen in the story of Megan Meier and the story of many other youth. Journalist Nick Visser reports that in 2019, Facebook removed “3.2 billion fake accounts . . . as well as millions of instances of hate speech and child nudity.” The stunning number of false profiles on just a single platform reveals how simple it is for people to hide behind social media. As an example, a major world-wide survey of young people ages 13-24 found that 39% “knew of private online groups within the school community where children shared information about peers for the purpose of bullying” (“UNICEF”). The ability to create a private group, hidden not only from peers, but also parents, is something that would not likely exist without social media. It is not a surprise that the same report found that “one in three young people reported having been a victim of cyberbullying” (“UNICEF”). In essence, hiding behind screens creates an atmosphere that allows young people to act without accountability. There are benefits to social media, particularly as more of the world uses it. Schools, businesses, groups,

HAILEY JENSEN

CLASS OF 2024

and clubs all use it to communicate, and even parents who dislike social media usually must give in so that their teen can stay on top of activities. The problem is that teens, even those who believe they are using social media responsibly, are vulnerable in ways they do not completely understand. Last summer, during the pandemic, I was struggling. My mom gently suggested that I use social media less, and she presented evidence that it leads to depression and anxiety, but I told her I was certain this was not the case for me. I was not like other teens who might be influenced. The things I looked at were good and supportive, not encouraging low esteem. Looking back one year, I realize that spending my time on homework, with my friends, and with family, has significant value over spending time and energy browsing through social media. The point of this story is that teens cannot always judge what is safe or good for them. For this reason, teens should not be allowed to have social media accounts.

BUBBLES

Concentration by Alexandra Gris — Class 2023

GABRIELA SERRANO

CLASS OF 2025

Inside the Black Hole Teenagers. Every time that this word is mentioned there are a lot of comments that arise. For most people teenagers are annoying attention seekers that are disrespectful and are impossible to deal with. Even though I may see the reasoning under this statement I stand up as a teenager to defend us. This part of the life of a human is one of the most difficult ones because it is the one in which you start developing and are going to have to start experiencing and making decisions that may have a big impact on the rest of your adult and elderly life. There are a lot of things that we must take into consideration when talking about a teenager. There are not only changes in our bodies, minds, and soul happening, there are also people and situations that hit us hard every day. Even though most of us like to act like we are strong and can carry whatever comes our way it isn’t like that. We need help from the passing generations that can tell us how we can be better, not only that but also, we need support instead of rejection. Teenagers need to start to feel comfortable and reinforced instead of small and unappreciated. Like Henry Wadsworth Longfellow said: “Every man has his secret sorrows which the world knows not; and often times we call a man cold when he is only sad.”

GABRIELA SERRANO

CLASS OF 2025

Depression is a common and serious medical illness that negatively affects how you feel, the way you think and how you act. This term has been very misunderstood by people and is often used without an actual backup. It isn’t hard to notice when someone isn’t having a great day. I’m pretty sure that every one of you has passed between a kid in class that always seemed to be dispersed, at least I know I have. You may ask why I am doing so much emphasis in this type of person, and that is because I am that person. I didn’t have the best childhood and I had to grow up mentally at a very fast rate. Including my problems at home and others at school, they were a big part of why I felt so alone. When I was younger, I used to be bullied for my weight and in general for my appearance, and that affected me in many ways that I haven’t been able to get through even up to date. An example of this may be that I am not able to take pictures very often because every time I see myself in them, I remember about the days that I had to see my pictures on the internet talking about how bad I looked, and since then my mind can’t think about anything else than the fact that every single picture of me is being judged by someone on the outside. In my opinion the life that I was experiencing in such a time wasn’t something that a little girl should go through. I remember every single day that I woke up and I loved that I had to go to school because being in my house was my biggest nightmare. I am talking about this very openly because I understand how depression feels and I

GABRIELA SERRANO

CLASS OF 2025

don’t commend it to anyone, personally I dealt with it by going to school and laughing. Laughing has always been my defense mechanism. If I am sad, I laugh, if I am angry, I laugh, if I am stressed or anxious, I never stop laughing. At the end of the day that is just a mask that my own body has prepared to protect myself from reality. My family has passed through a lot, starting with my brother who was born with a terminal disease which made my parents extremely sad and made them grow up and plan out a life that wasn’t even in their ideas of what they wanted for themselves, my brother later was able to get through it and you may think that that made it better, but it didn’t. Later, the problems at home started and at least for me they destroyed every single idea of happiness that I had. I heard my parents discuss divorce at least 3 times each year and that broke my heart immensely. I had to see the two people that I love the most in the world fall apart slowly. Talking about my feelings is not something that comes easy to me, and right now I am putting myself into a lot of pressure by thinking that people are going to be reading this and are going to know a little more about my softest spot. I am not talking about this to make anyone feel bad for me, but because as I expressed, I feel that it is important to know how to open up to be helped, and today I am starting, because I want you reader to feel comfortable and know that you are not alone. “Even if the waters look strong and solely, know that at the end of the storm there is always a rainbow. “I understand

GABRIELA SERRANO

CLASS OF 2025

that most people don’t know what they could do to help because it isn’t easy to help someone that doesn’t want to be helped. Today depression dominates adolescents as current situations give them an opportunity to feel alone and overwhelmed. According to the Irishpaho page “On the world scale, it is estimated that almost 300 million people suffer from depression, which is equivalent to 4.4% of the world’s population.” It is suggested that this disease prevails in children under 13 years of age, which reaches 2.8% and increases to 5.7% in adolescents and young adults. It seems absurd to me that as a society we are not doing anything to help these people who are lost in their own thoughts. If we think about this, we realize that the people who suffer the most from depression are adolescents and young adults, which means that if we don’t do something to improve this situation our next generations will not be able to move forward correctly to train a better population that brings us all further as humans. What can we do to improve this situation? One of the things that accompanies depression is pessimistic thinking. As difficult as it may be to accept it, the only thing that can help people with depression is to cope with their problems. If I write it this way people might think that I am trying to say that it is an easy task, but I can confirm that it is not. As Dorthy Rowe puts it, "Depression is a prison where you are both the prisoner and the cruel jailer."

GABRIELA SERRANO

CLASS OF 2025

The only person who can make a change in your life is yourself; if we don't work hard to improve our society, no one else will. A problem like this is not going to end overnight, but it can get better. It is a wrong thought to think that only people who look sad are those who are depressed, on the contrary. The biggest change there must be for this to improve must come from adults. There are many people who are not very up to date with mental illnesses, and don’t realize that it is very important to be aware of everything new that is happening to help in the best way. Life is difficult and we all go through situations that can lower our spirits, but the important thing is that we all stick together and be hefty. To change the world, you must start at the roots, and today's adolescents are the ones who are going to use those roots to grow and make a better tomorrow.

Art by Melis Ayhan

"There are a lot of things that we must take into consideration when talking about a teenager. There are not only changes in our bodies, minds, and soul happening, there are also people and situations that hit us hard every day."

WILSON DILLON

CLASS OF 2023

Voice of Democracy According to the United States Census Bureau, only around 48% of U.S. citizens of the age of 25 and older have attained any level of college education or degree. That would leave half of the population of people over 25 without any sort of college education. But that’s not the only issue, only around a half of highschool students nationwide go to college right after they graduate. And, most of the time most of these students, if they are not able to pay the tuition, have to apply for student aid or not go to college at all. In order to move on from where we are now, the improvement of the public education system in every state is a necessity so, us, the younger generation, the future of humanity and its legacy, can improve upon humanity’s past and current mistakes and our problems that have been plaguing us for decades, even hundreds of years, in order to help us create a better future for the future generations. Around 69% of highschool completers move onto higher education as in, college. 63.1% of them go to public universities, and 36.9% attend two year institutions. Although all of that seems good, there is still that 31% that don’t make the transition, whether it may be due to educational reasons, economical reasons, or societal reasons. Many students aren’t able to move

WILSON DILLON

CLASS OF 2023

on to higher education due to their grades or it may be due to a cultural, societal reason of why they cannot go seek higher education, but also some of them simply cannot afford it, and if they are able to get a loan or something along those lines, they may not even be able to afford it afterwards. The average tuition cost of private colleges in the U.S. is around $41,411, and for public universities it is around $11,171 for in-state students and $26,809 for out-of-state and international students. Considering that the average income for a U.S. household is $79,900 a year, you may be able to see how it may be difficult to afford such an education. This is due because from that income, you have to pay taxes, bills, insurance, healthcare, clothing, food, and a whole plethora of necessities. All of that piles up, and eventually stresses the budget of the person to its last cent. That's why most students apply for a student loan or scholarships. Scholarships are always a student's objective because it’s free education, but it’s very competitive, only reserved for very few applicants and therefore the process is very selective. So, most students who still want an education but can’t afford it, apply for a student loan. After a student has finished his or her education, they would have a certain amount of student loan debt that they would have to pay back. Firstly, undergraduates averaged a salary of $50,000 on their first job and graduates a salary of $85,000. But the big issue is the amount they would have to pay back for student debt. Student debt often ranges from $36,000 to

WILSON DILLON

CLASS OF 2023

even sometimes more than $100,000 although it isn’t the norm. Now, imagine trying to pay that amount back with an average salary of $50,000 to $85,000 when you’ve just recently graduated. During that time you’d start thinking about getting a car, a house, and start getting the necessities for yourself. It is extremely difficult for most who have to undergo that. Plus, to just put into perspective how much student debt there is nation-wide and how big of a problem it really is,, there is around 1.6 trillion dollars worth of student debt owed, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Although being one of the most technologically advanced and just in general, advanced countries in the world, students nation-wide have been struggling with applying for colleges and in the end, paying for them. First, some students are able to afford college but most actually have to opt for student aid. Therefore causing stressful debt. It is imperative that improvements should be made to the system in order for students and recently graduated students don’t drown in stress and in student debt, because in the end, it helps no one, it doesn’t help the student with his or her mental health or the world when it is in need of innovative, educated, and creative people in order for us to advance and flourish.

DONGEUN LEE

CLASS OF 2024

The Necessity of the Abolishment of Capital Punishment The death penalty, also known as capital punishment, is the execution of the delinquent sentenced to death after being convicted of a criminal offense by a court of law. However, extrajudicial executions carried out without due process of law are separated from capital punishment. Under the laws of Draco- formulated in the 7th century BCE, "capital punishment for murder, treason, arson, and rape" (Hood) was commonly utillized in ancient Greece, however, Plato claimed that "it should be used only for the incorrigible" (Hood). Furthermore, the death penalty was exploited by the Romans for a variety of misdeeds, "though citizens were exempted for a short time during the republic" (Hood). Most of the world's main religions have also sanctioned it at one point or another. For instance, followers of Christianity and Judaism have maintained that the theological text "Whosoever sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed" (Genesis 9:6) justifies the death penalty. Furthermore, numerous offenses that do not result in death, such as adultery and blasphemy, have been sentenced to death. The ancient legal precept Lex talionis, which is found in the Babylonian Code of

DONGEUN LEE

CLASS OF 2024

Hammurabi and means "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a life for a life," was used in some communities to ensure that capital punishment was not imposed unfairly. Due to the injustice of such cold-blooded punishment critics started to rise. Conflicting the death penalty, the abolition movement was first initialized under the impact of the European Enlightenment at the hindmost of "the 18th century" (Hood). Before opponents of the death penalty started to abnegate such callous punishment, most crimes were able to be punished by death. After the European Enlightenment, however, many began to condemn this brutal punishment. Corresponding to this abolition movement the U.S. started to take action. In 1794, Pennsylvania became the first state of the U.S. to hamper and "restrict the death penalty to merely first-degree murder" (Hood). Accordingly, other states followed on (Hood). Although modifications have been made in many countries, the pragmatists and the abolitionists of the abolitionists of the death penalty still clash up to this date. However, with logical reinforcement of all data and analysing history of capital punishment, the death penalty should be abolished due to its moral, practical, and utilitarian factors. Firstly, the death penalty or capital punishment is certainly inimical in terms of moral implication. Pragmatists proclaim that offenders, mostly murderers, have confiscated their own personal rights by taking others' lives. In addition, they claim, that punishment is a legitimate form of vengeance by enunciating and

DONGEUN LEE

CLASS OF 2024

fortifying not only the moral outrage of the victim's relatives but also the ethical indignation of all lawabiding individuals. However, such claims are not only outdated but also invalid in countless aspects of moral indignation. In essence, according to "the writings of Cesare Beccaria, specifically in On Crimes and Punishments [1764] " (Hood), capital punishment is futile because it legitimizes the precise behavior that the law aims to prohibit–murder. Furthermore, while capital punishment is utilized by numerous states in the U.S. for a perspicuous purpose––a diminution in the number of murders––it is immoral due to the fact that "it is wholly disproportionate to the harm done" (Hood). Capital punishment, most fundamentally, "violates the condemned person's right to life and is fundamentally inhuman and degrading" (Hood). Albeit the death penalty was promulgated to restrain violent felony in multifarious "sacred religious documents and historically was practiced widely with the support of religious hierarchies" (Hood), no consensus is being formulated throughout miscellaneous religions and faiths hitherto on the ethical sector if capital punishment. Nevertheless, from the 20th century, "increasing numbers of religious leaders, particularly within Judaism and Roman Catholicism, campaigned against" (Hood) capital punishment. More specifically, capital punishment was exterminated "by the state of Israel for all offenses except treason and crimes against humanity" (Hood) Pope John Paul II added on by

DONGEUN LEE

CLASS OF 2024

claiming that the death penalty is "cruel and unnecessary" (from the 27 January 1999 homily of Pope John Paul II, St Louis, Missouri). Additionally, there also has been a matter of contention about whether lethal punishment can be carried out in a fair and reasonable manner. Proponents of "the death penalty surely believe that those who" (Hood) merely deserve death should be executed. However, historically, it has been manifested that "any attempt to single out certain kinds of crime as deserving of death will inevitably be arbitrary and discriminatory" (Hood). The definition of the death penalty is not explicitly delineated anywhere, which means that prejudice could motivate an outcome of the death penalty. Racial prejudice is especially consequential. Predominantly, white juries may convict non-white defendants into disproportionate numbers (Hood). For instance, the case of a black man named Kwame Ajamu is representative. Ajamu was accused and convicted to death at the age of seventeen. He was accused of murdering a salesman named Harold Franks in a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio. He was found guilty, primarily due to a testimony of a thirteen-year-old boy erroneously accusing Ajamu. After Ajamu's innocence has been proven, the thirteen-year-old boy revealed that the detectives threatened him that they will arrest his parents if he does not make false testimony. "Not a shred of evidence, forensic or physical, connected Bridgeman to the

DONGEUN LEE

CLASS OF 2024

slaying" (Morris). "He had no prior criminal record," (Morris) Morris added. Despite his death sentence, fortunately, the death penalty of the falsely convicted Kwame Ajamu did not proceed. However, he had to spend the vast majority of his life in jail (Morris). The case of Kwame Ajamu strengthened the fact that injustice invariably exists. Innocent people may face their fate tragicaly. In addition to prejudice, legal assistance is a stumbling block too. People with low social status, especially financial ones, tend to have substandard legal assistance which leads to different outcomes. Valuable and competent lawyers consistently seek money, which inevitably leaves the incompetent and invaluable lawyers to inferiors. According to an article written by Kristen Mckintosh, staggering racial disparities have been manifested in statistics based on the black and white wealth gap. In 2016, for instance, the white community had virtually ten times, average net worth per family juxtaposed to the black community. The former was at $171,000 while the latter was at $17,150 per family (Mckintosh et al). As shown in evidence, the accumulated evidence reveals the significant differences between two groups of races. This manifests that the death penalty inevitably contains discrimination corresponding to the financial status of different races. Thus, the cynicism of whether the death penalty can provide adequate practical factors continues on to this date. Besides, some claim that the manipulation of capital punishment in order to deter prospective violent

DONGEUN LEE

CLASS OF 2024

offenders is an effective modus operandi "for whom the threat of imprisonment is not a sufficient restraint" (Hood). Au contraire, in essence, multi-varied analysis and a cumulative set of research tell otherwise. The results indicate that the presence of the death penalty does not hamper cases of violent crimes. For instance, in the U.S., laws concerning the death penalty vary significantly throughout the region. This means that if the death penalty does mitigate the crime rate, murder rate, and violent crime rate, states with death penalty laws should have lower murder rates. In fact, "states that have death penalty laws do not have lower crime rates pr murder rates than states without such laws" (ACLU). Also, "states that have abolished capital punishment show no significant changes in either crime or murder rates" (ACLU). More specifically, as of 2020, twenty-seven states sanctioned the application of capital punishment, "by the federal government and the U.S. military" (Widgery and McInnis). The data supported by multifaceted analysis not only showed that there is no correlation between the presence of capital punishment and crime rate, but explicitly revealed that states with death penalty conveyed higher crime rates In data, "the average of murder rates per 100,000 population in 2018 among death penalty states was 5.34, whereas the average of murder rates among non-death penalty states was only 4.1" (Widgery and McInnis). This not only refutes the claim that the death penalty effectively diminished the number of crimes,

DONGEUN LEE

CLASS OF 2024

but reinforces the idea that violence is not always an answer to combat violence. Moreover, multidimensional statistics show that the procession of execution is more dear than non-execution trials. According to a legislative audit conducted "in KAnsas in 2003, the anticipated cost of a death penalty case was 70% higher than the cost of a non-death penalty case. The cost of a death penalty case was calculated from start to finish-median cost $1.26 million. The expenses of non-death penalty cases were calculated from the beginning to the conclusion of the incarceration-median cost $740,000" (Amnesty). Tennessee, in addition, claimed that the death penalty trials cost 48% more than prisoners who spent their entire life in prison (Amnesty). Into the bargain, the most significant expenditures of the death penalty are incurred before and during the trial, not after the conviction. The death penalty would still be more expensive than alternative sentences even if all post-conviction actions (appeals) were discontinued. The shreds of evidence yet again reinforce skepticism towards efficiency and utility of the death penalty.

DONGEUN LEE

CLASS OF 2024

therefore, the death penalty must be considered erroneous due to its moral, practical and utilitarian factors. Proponents of such unscrupulous penalty assert that "a harsh penalty is needed for criminals who have committed the worst crimes, that the punishment deters crime, and that the US Supreme Court has upheld the death penalty as constitutional" (ProCon.org). However, as an aforementioned factor, death penalty genuinely does not deter crimes, and does not provide criminals an opportunity to rehabilitate. For instance, states that have the death penalty in law do not have lower crime rates, but rather noticeably higher crime rates (Table 1). In spite of the abolition movement around the globe, various nations have kept their stance on conserving the law of the death penalty, surprisingly, some nations have gone further. Over thirty nations around the world have stated "the importation and possession for sale of certain drugs a capital offense" (Hood). For example, nations such as the Philippines, Malaysia, Iran, and Singapore have classified the possession of certain illegal drugs a capital crime which leads to an inevitable death sentence. Around three-quarters of those executed in Singapore in 2000 were sentenced for drug charges, which is "by far the greatest rate of execution per capita of any country" (Hood). Various economic crimes, such as bribery and corruption of public affairs, embezzlement of public funds, currency-speculation, and theft of huge sums of money, are punishable by death in about 20 countries.

DONGEUN LEE

CLASS OF 2024

In roughly, "two dozen countries, including most Islamic regimes" (Hood), sexual transgressions of various kinds are punishable by death. China had more than 50 capital offenses in the early twenty-first century. With multiple nations striving to achieve a social utopia, with lower crime, murder and felony rate, utilizing the capital punishment, neither data nor the history of humanity shows an efficacious consequence, meaning the death penalty, or the capital punishment, should not be exploited by any other nations in the world.

poetry

Art by Lorens Ramas

English and Spanish

BEN CODIRLA

CLASS OF 2023

Yesterday’s Violence, Forgotten Am I beast or man as flesh meets flesh, As breath thickens and skin tightens? As pleasure escapes through closing walls of red, and the hue envelopes the scene, blinding vision. As fire exposes the carvenous depths; two becoming one. As layers of facade are stripped away, Blood spilling, meat laid bear, Id pulsating through tarnished bodies. As gnashing jaws yearn the darkness, yearn the flame, Yearn the raw. Am I man or beast as mind meets mind, As the truth becomes too much to bear?

BEN CODIRLA

CLASS OF 2023

As nails are tortured away from their members; Sinewed tendrils of passion grasping to memories of what was, Losing strength as the whole dissociates. As secrets are returned to obscurity, Whispers of normalcy made audible. At sunlight's emergence, the close of day, The conception of love, marked.

Art by Juan David Lescure

EMILIA MOTTA

Cantiga de amor Desde el día que te vi, Supe que eras para mī. Me robaste el corazón Y no se con que razón Porque me dices que no. Si sabes que yo, Por ti todo lo doy. Con el corazón partido Igual me robas el suspiro. Ya no se que hacer con este dolor Devuélveme el corazón.

Trovadoresca Mi señora, yo estoy a tu servicio Pideme lo que sea y para conseguirlo Hasta me tiro de un precipio. Tu eres mi reina, Y yo so tu servidor. Te lo pido, te lo ruego No me digas que no Que yo se que dentro de ti Hay un amor para mi.

CLASS OF 2025

ALEXANDER NAJERA

CLASS OF 2031

Participación en concurso 'La Gran Pared' Hay muchas diferencias presentes en nuestro mundo cotidiano, Muchas personas se distinguen por raza, etnia, nacionalidad, religión y creencias, Pero algo garantizado que cada persona tiene en común es ser un humano, Y al ser todos seres humanos, tenemos la obligación de olvidar nuestras pequeñas diferencias. No debemos ser egoístas, ni dejarnos llevar por insignifcantes odios o enojos, Todos somos una gran familia y para todos solo debe existir respeto y amistad, El momento en que dejemos de cuidarnos entre nosotros, es el momento en el que perderemos nuestra humanidad.

EMILIE MENDOZA

CLASS OF 2024

Participación en concurso 'La Gran Pared' La rumba existe en los corazones de personas que exigen mejor para sus existencias y las de los otros en su tierra. Hay que creer en la gente, en el pueblo. Pues solo así puede continuar la parranda del progreso.

FRANCESCA DESOGUS

CLASS OF 2024

Participación en concurso 'La Gran Pared' ¿Y si Cenicienta hubiese recogido su propio zapato? ¿Si hubiese seguido caminando sin ningún retraso? Con su cabeza en alto y hombros atrás, sin ninguna duda de lo que ella es capaz. El problema es que nadie te contará estas historias, son intercambiadas por aquellas que son superficiales y sin glorias. Sin embargo la nuestra es una por terminar, una historia que se escribe constantemente y sin parar.

SEBASTIAN RAMOS-ESTEBAN

CLASS OF 2023

Participación en concurso 'La Gran Pared' La presión de la sociedad nos hace conformarnos Escondiendo lo que nos hace especial Todos deberíamos ser amados Tal y como somos porque… El amor de alguien no requiere que cambies El amor de tus padres no requiere que finjas El amor de tus amigos no requiere que seas perfecto El amor tuyo solo requiere que seas tú.

MELIS AYHAN

CLASS OF 2024

Participación en concurso 'La Gran Pared' Polución produce problemas para poblaciones. Polución se produce cuando no procuramos proteger nuestro planeta. ¡Protégelo!

Art by Lorens Ramas

ELISA GONZÁLEZ

CLASS OF 2023

Participación en concurso 'La Gran Pared' LAS COSAS PEQUEÑAS DE LA VIDA Nuestro planeta lleno de curiosidades y bellezas Nos enseña nuevas cosas cada día Y si prestas atención a esas cosas pequeñas Te darás cuenta que te llenan de alegría No te enfoques en lo material Ni el dinero ni las cosas te traerán felicidad Sino concéntrate en el encanto de la vida excepcional Y la hermosura que existe en la simplicidad

LORENS RAMAS

CLASS OF 2024

Participación en concurso 'La Gran Pared' Las Puertas del Camino Por el camino de la vida Nos encontramos muchas puertas, Algunas cerradas y otras abiertas. Nos esperan tras ellas cosas inciertas. La puerta hacia la satisfacción, La paciencia es la llave. Conseguirla solo toma intención, Fácil no será; tómalo suave.