NEWSPAPER ISSUE II 2016-17 by David Cary

The Eagle George Washington High School 600 32nd Ave, San Francisco, CA 94121 Issue ii. December 13th, 2016 Website: gwhs.co Instagram: gwhsofficial Twitter: gwhs_official

1937

The school was built on August 4th, 1936. In the first season as a new school, Washington entered the A.A.A and had a fairly successful season. Their record was 4 wins and 4 losses.

The season started great with Wash defeating Mission (who had been the A.A.A champion the previous year). There were many highs and lows, especially after losing to Galileo, who haven’t won a game in the last two years. A player that stood out this year was Jim Sochor, who won the Al Catiman Award, and made it to All-City.

the lost

1956

football

1966

season BY TIFFANY LAU, SAMANTHA SACKS, AND KIMBERLY THAI

This year, the Varsity Football team won the championship against Balboa, 36-6. The season started out by losing to El Camino, but lost only one game to Mission in the next 11 games. Their record was 10-2.

The football team was a group of 17 seniors, 8 juniors, and 4 sophomores. They played hard even without a returning running back or quarterback until week 5. Two seniors, Devontae McLendon and Elia Bini, were named first team all-city football team. continued on page 2...

The varsity team finished with a record of 3-4, but the Frosh/Soph finished with a perfect record of 6-0. The varsity MVP was Jordan Boone.

2011

2006

The team finished with a 7-3 record, and won the AAA round-robin championship led by Academic Athletic Association Player of the Year, Ed Henderson, who ran for 1,672 yards and scored 26 touchdowns.

1996

One of the most memorable game of the year was against Lincoln. The field was wet and muddy and the Eagles couldn’t stop the offensive attack by Lincoln, who eventually won the championship. Lincoln outnumbered Washington 316 net yards to 59.

2016

or almost 80 years, George Washington High School has had the proud tradition of having a football team. The team has certainly had their ups and downs, but in the last few years the football program has been on a decline due to athletes no longer wanting to play, injuries, poor grades, and athletes being kicked off the team. This year, due to a lack of eligible players, the team was forced to forfeit their last two games of the 2016 season. The deciding factors for the football team’s season ending prematurely were a hazing incident involving three players and an off-campus incident involving five players. Principal Susan Saunders was unable to provide additional information regarding these incidents for legal reasons. After these incidents, Saunders and Eric Smith, the varsity football coach, decided to forfeit the last two games of the season. “It is not a decision we made very lightly,” explained Saunders. “We met two times to talk about what was going on. Coach Smith and I wanted to make sure we explored every option before we made that decision.” The decision to forfeit the remaining two games was not a popular one, especially with the seniors. “Football has always been a big part of my life, and now that it’s gone, it just sucks to realize that I’m not going to be able to play anymore,” said senior Brandon Acuña, the team’s captain. Lawrence Yee, a former Washington teacher who coached varsity football in 1997, recollected his memories of what the team used to be like. “Varsity would have 45-60 kids trying out,” he reflected. This year, there were 31 players that were on the team’s roster. After the two incidents, combined with two players quitting, the team was

TIMELINE BY HENRY CHAN

2 News

THE EAGLE

December 13th, 2016

...continued from front page

left with a total of 21 players, less than half of the total from 20 years ago. “All of our teams are smaller in numbers than they used to be,” said Saunders. “I don’t know if it’s because students’ interests are changing or people are worried about the whole concussion theory and all that that’s been out there.” Lack of motivation and drive was also a big factor. Junior Barrat Mohammad, a varsity football player, revealed, “The football team doesn’t receive a lot of support from the community. They don’t really know what we go through and how much hard work we put in.” It becomes strenuous to find motivation to continue playing with a losing record. “When we have people coming in every day and always going to practice, always showing up, [and] for the people who do that, and we still lose every game, it’s heartbreaking,” Acuña admitted. Grades were an additional component that influenced the team’s shortage of players. If players’ grades were not up to par (2.0 GPA) they were ineligible to play. “You have to be on top of your [school] work. There’s no time for slacking. Two hours of practice means you stay up an extra two hours. That’s the difference between a student and student-athlete,” Mohammad said. As anyone who has ever played a sport knows, having a role model to look up to, whether that be a coach or a player, is extremely important to develop a strong team. Yee added, “Just look at schools that are successful in SF. Their coaches are teachers in their school. If you want a good football team, you have to have a football person on staff as a teacher.” Smith, who has 18 years of coaching under his belt, envisions a bright future for the team. “As a program, I would like for more students to come out and be a part of the football program,” Coach Smith said. “Help Washington strive to get the pride back on and off the field.”

“I think we’re going to look back at this as one of the worst years in Washington football ever, but I think it’s going to have a positive effect on us next year because we’ll know to control our behavior and to listen more, and we could build off of this into a winning season,” said Mohammad. Saunders certainly believes that there is hope. “We have a new coaching staff that I’m really excited about,” Saunders expressed, “I really like them, we’re on the same page, and I think they can really build the program.”

THE EAGLE

Editors-in-Chief: Bitota Mpolo, Melody Yan, Winnie Zhang Website Editors-in-chief: Henry Chan, Anthony Chi, Jack Matull, Madison Ross, Tobias Sunshine Photographers: Christina La, Mandy Yu Graphic Designers: Robin Fong, Amy Hilomen, Jessica Thai Staff Writers: Gabriel Cywinski, Malika Golshan, Simone Herrera, Zoey Hou, Tiffany Lau, Christopher Lee, Corinne Leung, Belinda Li, Kevin Li, Chidinma Onyeonwu, Samantha Sacks, Kimberly Thai, Casey Toy, Anna Voloshko, Erin Wong, May Yang, Carmen Zhen Advisor: David Cary

Washington Sweatshirt Scandal

BY ROBIN FONG

here your clothes are made may not be the first thing you consider when shopping, but maybe it should be. If you check the tag of the charcoal grey hoodie with “GWHS” printed in red bold letters, you’ll see the words “Made in Honduras”. Honduras is a country in Central America, infamous for their use of sweatshops and child labor, according to United States Department of Labor. In our society, we regard sweatshops as unethical and unacceptable. On the other hand, in developing, third world countries, occupational alternatives to sweatshop employment are scarce. The factories have dangerous working conditions that fail to protect their employee’s health. As reported by theworldcounts. com, a website created to raise awareness of important global issues, in the worst kinds of sweatshops, people are forced to work 72 hours straight, without sleep. Some people can earn as little as 1 US cent an hour, for over 100 hours per week, while working in extreme heat and poor air quality. Cases of physical, sexual and verbal abuse are frequent and well documented. These sweatshops, located in countries of free trade zones (areas where goods can be made or exported without customs authorities intervening) like Honduras are subcontracted with big apparel industries like Gildan, the brand of our school sweatshirts. In November, 2014, The Globe and Mail , a nationally distributed Canadian newspaper gave a detailed report about Gildan’s history, stating that, “Complaints about labour conditions have followed the company since the late 1990s.” They also investigated the wages of the Honduran employees, revealing that the workers were being paid less than a living wage: “gross average weekly pay of $76.91 for working four 11-hour shifts.” Moreover Gildan has many complaints of threatening and firing employees who have attempted to unionize. Since then, Peter Iliopoulos, Gildan’s senior vice president, said that the company has cooperated with a Honduran Labour Ministry investigation into their case of terminating their workers who have sought the help of a human rights NGO (non-governmental organization) in order to improve working conditions. In an article on Rabble.ca, a canadian based news source, Reyna Tejeda, a former factory worker and a representative of a feminist labour organization says, “Conditions in Canadian-owned Gildan factories are among the worst in Honduras.” While Reyna’s organization fights for the

right of women from many different factories, most accusations are made towards Gildan. The apparel company oversees that their employees work by what they call the four by four system, where they are expected to work four, 11.5 hour days in a row, and then given four days of rest. The extended hours of rigorous labor results in frequent injuries and severe health problems. Reyna claims that it is illegal in Honduras to have employees schedule shifts longer than 8 hours, but the government won’t enforce this law and GIldan continues to exploit their workers. Larry Chan, the purchaser of our school sweatshirts(hoodies and crewnecks), explains that we order our school merchandise from the printing shop, Dynamo Athletics, in which they select the clothing products and then prints the design based on the school’s choice. As to why we chose that specific printing shop, Chan says, “They quoted the best price.” Chan was unaware of Gildan’s labor history. Dynamo Athletics charges the school $12.00 per (dark gray) hoodies for sizes Small-XLarge, $16.00 for size 2XLarge, and $16.50 for size 3XLarge. The school sells the hoodies for $20 each. Using the online t-shirt design company, Custom Ink, I discovered that to order sweatshirts ethically made in the USA, the school would have to pay $41.71 for each hoodie, just for sizes Small-XLarge. And most likely the retail price would be more than what the school paid for them. When surveyed about which sweatshirt they would rather have 78 out 132( 59.05%) students prefer that our school sells the USA made hoodies. While others reason that they can’t afford the the pricier option, those in the majority explain,” Buying something that harmed the people during the process to make them(referring to the hoodies) makes me feel guilty and sorry that I even bought t h e m .” Another individual says, ”It’s worth the money if the employees are paid fair wages.” When asked about whether the school would consider changing the manufacturer of our shirts based on the results of the survey, Principal Susan Saunders responds,” Looking into some other vendors might be a good idea, but we have to make sure that the price is affordable for our students. Finding a Made-in-the USA vendor with low prices may be difficult.” Vice Principal Paul Fan also adds, “ The actual cost or retail price would be a major problem. We should look into options and find a middle ground.”

The Eagle

December 13th, 2016

News 3

Before New Computer Lab BY WINNIE ZHANG

ashington High School will soon have a new and upgraded computer lab which John Hajel, current AP Computer Science and AP Computer Science Principles teacher, fundraised for over the past two years. Knowing that the current computer labs weren’t the best learning or teaching environment prompted Hajel to propose the idea of having a “state of the art” computer lab. “We knew that, bringing back computer science 4 years ago, this lab was not ideal for teaching computer science. The computers sometimes don’t work and people trip over the wires,” Hajel says. The new lab will have wires out of the way, a teacher-friendly U-shaped desk setup, new big 24 inch monitors and Lenovo computers, more lab space and more space to do offline projects. “This new computer lab will enhance the learning environment for computer science students,” said Hajel. Through proposal after proposal and meeting after meeting, Hajel was able to accumulate a sufficient amount of funds to reconstruct room SH5 into a cutting edge computer lab. It all started with proposing the idea to the head of the math department, Tracy Thompson, who helped him push the project forward along with a few other teachers. As soon as previous principal Ericka Lovrin approved of the idea, they started to bring forth ways to receive grants. Eventually, Washington received a grant of $160,000 from the district to go towards the construction of the lab, as well as numerous smaller grants. Participating in different organizations was one factor that helped Hajel raise money. A $40,000 grant came from Salesforce, a company that supports STEM programs. Hajel had proposed this grant during a meeting where a group of computer science teachers from all over the city met up to speak about their school’s computer science classes. A state fund called the California Career Pathway Trust (CCPT) provided a $60,000 grant, which promotes computer science education and is working to develop pathways for students from high school to college. The remaining $20,000 came from the school, which mainly provided for the furniture (desks, chairs, etc.). Along with building a new computer lab comes frustration. Hajel described that, “The district in general is a bureaucracy; you have to talk to so and so and they say no, then you have to find out who you need to talk to... it’s not easy to get through it, any bureaucracy is tough to get through. We had trouble ordering the equipment, logistically, so we had to kind of push that through. Since it’s a bureaucracy, you have different money in different accounts so you have to order it under a certain account, so that was difficult.” The construction started at the beginning of September and is expected to be finished early next year. After many months of planning and proposing, Hajel states, “We’ll be proud of this space. It’ll be nice, and clean. It’ll be a nice place to bring potential students and their parents to come see it. We’ll also have a dedicated space for our robotics team… I am excited about that aspect of it as well.” When the lab is complete, Hajel is hoping to have an opening party for students, teachers and parents to see the new lab.

October 2016

November 2016

December 2016

JOHN HAJEL FACTS:

-Went to University of Michigan, where he studied Mechanical Engineering

-Sponsor for various clubs: Robotics, Girls Who Code, Coding team, and League of Legend -Brought Computer Science classes back to Washington, 4 years ago -Favorite thing about Washington: ”I like the community here. Not just beyond teaching a class, it is a community that is enjoyable to be around; it’s fun helping the school other than teaching the class, you feel part of something.” -Loves traveling; has been to Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe

4 Features

The Eagle

December 13th, 2016

J A M I N Z E G A R T Photos provided by Jamin Zegart Photo Creds: Jack Matull

BY WINNIE ZHANG

rance, Egypt, Kenya, Nepal, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji... Some people can only dream of traveling around the world, but ceramics teacher Jamin Zegart is one of the few who make those dreams a reality. From going camping and traveling around the states to exploring Russia, Finland and Sweden, Zegart has always been one to live the adventure. By the age of five, he had already started working with clay. His mother and father were both involved in art themselves. His mother was a printer and painter and his father was a photographer and painter, and both of them have their art featured in museums all around the world. When you first meet Zegart, he may seem like an amiable and chatty teacher, but there is more to him than just that. Zegart has been teaching ceramics for the past 30 years, and this is now his 16th year teaching at George Washington High School. Starting out with only $300 a year to fund the entire ceramics program of 200+ students, it has now bloomed into a class full of tools and supplies. Although the ceramics program had already existed before Zegart had started teaching at Washington, he expanded the program even more by purchasing banding wheels, kilns, extruders, and many other supplies. Zegart holds two credentials: Social Studies and Art. He chose to pursue a career in ceramics because it is what he loves to do. Zegart reveals, “If I wasn’t teaching, then I think I can make more money being a potter than a teacher.” But because Zegart loves to teach, he chose to be a ceramics teacher. “[I love] the diversity of the students and faculty, [and that] everybody gets along well. For a large school, 2,200 students and roughly 150 [teachers working], it’s a very good mix,” Zegart says. Zegart’s favorite part about teaching at Washington is that, “I get to teach what I love to do and I love the interaction with the students and watching their work grow. If you look around the room, now, their work is gorgeous.” For Zegart, his dedication to ceramics doesn’t just stop once school ends. During my interview with Zegart, he had casually mentioned that, “Last night, I was in my studio until about two in the morning, throwing bowls because I have a craft show coming up.” “It’s like days and nights; I love getting up early, but I love staying up late. The only time I get alone is late at night. I run a pretty hectic schedule,” said Zegart. During his free time, he likes to participate in local craft shows, such as for the upcoming Marin Open Studios craft show in May. Zegart has also been hosting his own craft shows, at his very own studio for about the past 16 years, where he invites a group of people — including students. Besides Zegart passion for ceramics, he also has a love for traveling and exploring. “Growing up at the foot of Mt. Tam, I’ve always liked nature — hiking up mountains and riding bikes,” says Zegart. Being the youngest of four, Zegart followed the lead of his older brothers, who loved to explore and were very adventurous. “Our whole family was like that, which we probably got from our mom who always went and showed us museums and [brought us] traveling, camping, and across the country — twice, in a car,” he adds. Growing up, Zegart set three life goals. His first goal was to travel around the world, which he had accomplished at the age of 30, “when I was growing up, I always talked to my brother about where we wanted to go — to fly there or go here.” As a kid, he and his family had driven across the country twice, but since he had a motorcycle, at the age of 21 he decided that he wanted to ride his motorcycle across the country and back — and that’s what he did. Zegart’s third goal was to live in Paris, which was something that he was interested in during his college years. He had met a whole bunch of French majors, which triggered him to wanting to learn French and figured that the best way to do that was to live in Paris. Seeing different things, seeing different cultures, and eating different foods have been things that Zegart has always enjoyed doing. To this day, Zegart and his family, which consists of his four kids and his wife, continue to go on adventures whenever they can. He mentions that the great thing about being a ceramics teacher, and his wife being a nursing teacher at College of Marin, is that they “get to do what they love during the school year, and get to do what they love during the summer—traveling.” During the winter, they go to Mt. Shasta every weekend because his kids are on a ski team up there. When asking what his greatest accomplishment is, Zegart responded gratefully, “Having a full-time ceramics job, at a great school, having four kids who are all good and responsible people and a great wife. My family is my greatest accomplishment.” Zegart is going to work until he is able to retire, but he shares that since he has an eight year old son, he doesn’t know when that will be. He has numerous goals, “ [I want to] ride my bike more, work in my garden and studio more, ski as much as I can, fish, and get out — by camping, traveling, and driving around,” he explained. “And maybe one day get on my motorcycle again, but my wife doesn’t like me doing that.” “I think I am really lucky to be teaching ceramics at Washington because the students are great and they are doing phenomenal work.” Zegart’s piece of advice is, “Travel anytime you have the opportunity. Take time to smell the roses. Work hard, play hard, and get your sleep.”

December 13th, 2016

Features 5

The Eagle

ARTISTS AT WORK BY ZOEY HOU

Hilary Tang

ART MEDIA: PENCIL, PORTRAIT, OIL PASTEL Junior Hilary Tang has taught herself to master the form of portraits by use of pencil and oil pastel. What’s special is her ability to use very cheap materials (i.e. construction paper and Daiso supplies) to create her beautiful celebrity portraits. “For every person, they look different. There is always some aspect of their face that is really beautiful.” Art has not only had an effect on her perception of people but also towards life in general. “Before I started doing art I thought everything was very black and white. Something [either] looks good or doesn’t. But after I started drawing, it made me appreciate how things looked. Like when you look at scrap metal [you think,] how does the light affect how it looks?”

Ariel Hilomen

ART MEDIA: ANIME, MANGA, FREELANCE, COMMISSION, DIGITAL ART

“I learned art at a very young age, before I started kindergarten. It usually starts with scribbles like I’m trying to copy things from TV or [from] my dad’s sketchbook. You develop your own style and you get inspired by other artists that you see as role models and you kind of climb up from there,” says senior Ariel Hilomen.

For Junior Ella Lawton, art is a whimsical concept that comes from the inspiration of people, surrounding, and observations. She doesn’t have a particular style but enjoys drawing figures, creating comic pages, graphic design, 3D modeling and animation, and still life painting. Lawton is currently in advanced painting class and computer art 1 at Washington, takes pre college art classes, has created the T-shirt design for the company Lotta, is the vice president of art club, and is a set painter. When asked about her future as an artist, Lawton says, “Washington helps students prepare for college, but I haven’t been encouraged by any other staff to look for an art college or career. Visual art is a risky career path, so I understand why it is overlooked. It is even more difficult for young artists to get a career that they are passionate about.” Despite some doubt in her career path she knows for certain that being an artist isn’t just about the title. “If a person considers themselves an artist, it doesn’t matter where they end up. If an artist finds themselves in a career completely unrelated to art, it doesn’t change the fact that they are artists.”

Ella Lawton

ART MEDIA: CHARCOAL INK COMIC GRAPHIC DESIGN

Hilomen’s style is typically anime/manga based, her art is made by copic pens, sharpie, and even digital art. Her skill has lead her to create her own little business, taking commissions in her free time for cheap prices. Her advice to growing artists and peers is, “You start somewhere, and you can’t just expect that you put something on the paper and it will look like Mona Lisa or something. You just really have to put your mind to it. You have to be really into what you like.”

JessicaYu ART MEDIA: ACRYLIC PAINT WATERCOLOR SKETCH PRINTMAKING

“I took watercolor lessons when I was young, and ever since then art has been a part of me,” says senior Jessica Yu. Her style of art is what she deems “abstract realism”, which is the combination of real life objects with imagination in a painting to create depth and meaning. Her unique form of art has lead her to many accomplishments, some of which include being the treasurer of art club, lead set designer, student at the Academy of Art University, and had her art featured in an art show. Her recent success has been in having her art hung in a cafe in the OctoberNovember show. “This event means so much to me as an artist because my art will be seen by a larger group of people. It is also significant since this is my first art show.” Yu’s continuing success as an artists is bound to grow as she takes on the world one art piece at a time.

6 Features

The Eagle

December 13th, 2016

Tinsae Dilnesaw: Disc Jockey

BY JACK MATULL

veryone loves listening to music. But for senior Tinsae Dilnesaw, that is not enough. His desire to get more out of music began once he found out about disc jockeying, more commonly known as DJing. Dilnesaw learned about the DJ club at Washington during his freshman year, through his homeroom teacher Mr. Choy. Choy was promoting the DJ club to the class and it instantly caught Dilnesaw’s interest. “I was really into music. So it was a really great opportunity for me to expand my knowledge of music and how it was made, and how to make it fun for people to listen to,” Dilnesaw explains. Shortly after, Dilnesaw decided to join the club. Like almost all DJ’s, he needed a stage name. The first part of his name came from the fact that he DJ’s. But the other part was indirectly made up by someone else. In his freshman year, he was waiting outside of Kezar Stadium before the football game against Lowell, and a girl walked up to him. “[She] came up to me and asked, ‘Are you Tinskae?’ I just said yeah and she walked away,” Dilnesaw recalls. This led him to go with the name, DJ Tinskae. “It rhymed so I just went with that,” Dilnesaw says. He started going to the DJ club on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for most of his freshmen year. After many hours of practice, he began to perform at a few school dances and other special events by himself and with fellow DJ club members around San Francisco. The club was unlike most of the others at Washington, since there were only about three people at most in it, including Dilnesaw. Currently, the club is on a hiatus as Choy is on sabbatical and Dilnesaw is the only remaining member of the club. “I was expecting a lot of people to [join the club],” Dilnesaw says. Even so, he has benefitted from the small turnout by spending more time honing his DJ skills. “I get to practice a lot. If you have a lot of people in DJ club, it’s kinda hard [to practice] because you only have one turntable and not a lot of equipment,” Dilnesaw explains. He does not have the equipment at home so he has spent all of his time practicing at school. Another advantage to the small club size was that he was able t0 spend more one on one time with Choy. He taught Dilnesaw almost everything he now knows, such as mixing music, how to use the equipment, and what songs to play for different events. Dilnesaw continually strives to improve his ability by learning from his mistakes and challenges. “[Even now], the hardest part [about DJing] is [playing] what the crowd likes to hear,” Dilnesaw reveals. His challenge of playing to the crowd’s demand

often occurs at school dances, since they often have different music interests than Dilnesaw. “They don’t listen to a lot of trap music, so it’s kinda hard for me to mix it up and play my [trap] music,” Dilnesaw explains. “The music I have isn’t for those type of people. So I had to play some music [that] I didn’t know or had never listened to, [and] it was hard. You gotta sometimes play what the crowd wants.” Dilnesaw has learned through his experiences that part of being a DJ is trying to find the best possible balance of appeasing the crowd and himself. Sometimes, he has to give and take in the battle with the audience. “You can’t please everyone and that’s the hardest part. People want their song now, now, now, but you gotta wait,” Dilnesaw says. Despite the difficulties and frustrations he faces, he finds DJing to be very enjoyable and worthwhile. He remembers once when he performed at a middle school dance in his junior year, and he just knew the crowd was into it. He lowered the volume and he could immediately hear everyone belting out the song. “It felt like you were at a concert,” Dilnesaw says. “It gets you pumped up to play more songs and then you get a feel for what people like.” Dilnesaw continued his story by saying, “Everyone was having a good time. You see that and it makes you feel better and want to do more.” His growing interest led him to DJ at a Beacon Event in front of City Hall, during his sophomore year. The mayor invited the whole San Francisco Bea-

con Initiative there to celebrate the 20 years of service to the city’s communities and youth. The people who came were treated to entertainment that included: Lion Dance, Drum Corps, dancing, and DJ Tinskae. “I was honored. I was also really nervous because I had to make sure to play appropriate music,” Dilnesaw admits. The event was one of his most memorable ones as he remembers everyone having a good time and he had a stage to perform on. “It wasn’t a big stage, but it was a stage. I felt like a professional,” he reminisces. With numerous events under his belt, Dilnesaw wants to shift his focus towards creating original music. He wants to make something that he can call his own but there are challenges in his way of accomplishing that. Creating and recording music beats in a studio is essential to lift any DJ’s career off the ground, but according to Dilnesaw, it is hard to find the time and money to do so. “It’s a long process and studio time is kinda hard because there’s a lot of other people there too, that want to be in the studio,” Dilnesaw explains. Those other people spend almost all of their free time in studios, and like most seniors, Dilnesaw has been occupied with schoolwork and college applications. As his high school career nears the end, Dilnesaw is uncertain about which direction his life will lead him in. His DJ career may be in on the horizon or in its twilight. Whatever happens next, Dilnesaw plans to take it one day at a time. “I’m just gonna go with the flow and see where that takes me.”

December 13th, 2016

The Eagle

What I’ve Learned From My Parents’ Divorce

Identity 7

BY MELODY YAN

hen my parents got divorced, I didn’t think much of it. I was around eleven when it happened, and although I was kind of young, I wasn’t oblivious to what was going on. I was indifferent not because I didn’t understand why my parents were divorcing, but because in a way it felt right that it was happening. When you’re young, the only thing you think about is how your parents won’t be living under the same roof anymore. You don’t really look beyond the divorce and the aftereffects of it. It wasn’t until now that I truly thought about how my parents’ divorce shaped my perspective on life and relationships. The divorce itself wasn’t a messy screamfest with vases and furniture being thrown everywhere. It was fairly civil, so silent in fact, that I barely registered that it was even happening. My sisters and I never had the divorce talk with our parents. They didn’t sit us down in the dining room and discreetly say that mom and dad were going to live in separate houses from now on. It was just expected to happen. We moved out with our mom and the divorce papers were signed not too long after. It wasn’t like this was something that came out of nowhere; there were telltale signs—fighting in the car, the long periods of silence afterwards, and family outings with a party of four instead of five. When my parents were together, I viewed them as this parental unit and as a “team”. I used to get so caught up in viewing my parents as just Mom and Dad, that I forgot that they were their own individuals with their own problems and feelings. If you look at old pictures of your parents when they were younger, doesn’t it make you feel weird? They were teenagers once with dreams and aspirations. They went through heartbreak and most likely had problems with their own parents. We attribute that to the past and we don’t think about how even now, they still experience those kind of problems; this is an aspect of our parents that often escapes us. After my parents got divorced and I grew older, arguments with my mom were inevitable, and most of the time they were about trivial things. What I failed to realize was that there wasn’t someone for my mom to lean on, and she couldn’t step down and have my dad step up and take over. Maybe my parents weren’t the strongest team when they were together, but at least they weren’t alone. This realization hit me hard. I felt like I was the most stuck up, selfish child because I was giving unnecessary stress to my mom and I didn’t think about her feelings—all I thought about was me. She carried the title of mom yet played both the role of mother and father, and I assumed that she would be immune to anything. The phrase “strong, independent woman who don’t need no man” has always been tossed around jokingly, but I find that it describes my mom perfectly. There are still people who think that you need to be taken care of by a man and that being an independent woman is unappealing, but that is complete bullsh*t. My mom has never been the type to depend on or need another person in order to make herself feel “whole”. And I admired this aspect of her so much that I didn’t think about how this strong figure in my life could also be hurt too. My perspective began to shift when my mom started to talk to me about her own concerns and problems. It’s normal for a teenager to rant to his or her parents, but for the roles to be reversed where the teenager is the one listening and offering advice is a rarity. This began a few years after the divorce, and I feel like it created a bond between us that few people will ever be able to experience. I mean, I was still this cranky teenager and she was still my mom. But it was the

fact that we were able to talk to each other on a deeper level, and that she sought my opinions and weighed them as equal to her own, that made me feel significant. As my mom watched my two sisters and me grow up, I realized she was growing as a person too. I hadn’t thought about how her actions influenced my attitude towards life. She took initiative and did what she thought was the right thing, which is the kind of mentality I carry in my life today. So many people stay in unhappy relationships because they think their children need to grow up with two parents. It’s ridiculous for people to assume that you need two parents to grow up “normal”. Growing up in a single household does not equate to living in a broken home; I can easily say that the way I grew up has given me more than living with two parents could ever have. People—especially teenagers—are afraid of cutting off relationships because they fear being alone and isolated. It’s a huge risk to take because the result is a complete unknown, but I’ve learned that the biggest risk is staying comfortable. I’ve learned that you need to be selfish and that sometimes being your own first priority is not always a bad thing. If you need to cut a person off, leave a relationship, or take a risk, then by all means you do it. There’s always that fear of taking the next step, but change isn’t something that should be feared. From my dad, I learned that blame was easy to dish out and that trust would be something I would struggle with. I like meeting new people, but most remain as surface level relationships. It would take years for someone to truly know and understand the kind of person I am, because I find it hard to trust people completely. One of my closest friends has known me for seven years, and although we are as close as sisters, she doesn’t know the complete me. And I think this is something almost all kids with divorced parents can relate to. It’s hard to put your trust in other people because you’re afraid that you’ll be abandoned or that people will only get close to use you. You can give little pieces of yourself to people, but the most difficult thing is letting people in completely. I blamed my dad for my problems because it was easy, and I felt like it was the lack of a warm father figure that made me hesitant in opening up and trusting people. I remember feeling so alone because I didn’t think anyone else felt this way, but when I talk to other people with divorced parents, I realize that this feeling is almost universal. And in the strangest way, it’s almost like a community. I am much more willing to open myself up to those who also have divorced parents. And likewise, people will open up to me. As I grew older, I learned to accept the kind of person I’ve become. I stopped thinking about the “What if ’s...?” and started to focus on what I could change right then. I let go of the resentment I had against my dad, and I had to be honest with myself—I was blaming him for things that neither he nor I had control over. For those who have divorced parents or whose parents are separating right now, you may feel anger, frustration, perhaps even betrayal, and those feelings may never fade. It’s the passing of time that will help you cope with it. I know that there are people out there who hope that one day their parents will get back together so they can be a “family” again, but I can’t say the same for myself. Though I may not have the typical family, I’m happy with the kind of person I am and the way I live now. I wouldn’t change it for the world.

Letter From the Editors

ear readers,

We are happy to share the second issue of The Eagle. These past few months have caused people to become more divided than ever, and so we wanted to focus the centerspread on identity and inclusion. We want to promote an environment in which everyone in the community feels included, and no opinions are left unheard. It is important to not let differing views cause division, but to come together and listen to what one another have to say. We hope that after reading about our fellow George Washington High School students and faculty members, it will prompt you to be open to those who have different views. Hope you enjoy, Bitota Mpolo, Melody Yan, Winnie Zhang Editors-in-Chief

8 Identity

The E

Spilling My Ugly Truth

BY KEVIN TRUONG

hen it comes to romantic relationships, I normally don’t have fear of missing out, but when I see so many couples that are happy, I can’t help but think I am not destined to have that in high school. Mainstream media has continuously portrayed young love as something everyone should strive for because it is magical. My experience with relationships as a young gay man is not something I expected or wanted it to be. Being gay is like being a cactus—nice to look at, but no one really wants to get close. That is what I’ll name my memoir, because it is the story of my life. I was told that in the gay community, if you don’t start establishing a sexual relationship right away, then it can be hard to get into a relationship and you typically just end up being best friends. I might have gotten the wrong message, but in my experience, this is true. If you are straight, you have a plethora of straight dating apps/ websites that are successful at getting you into a relationship, but the most successful/popular gay dating app is Grindr, an app set up primarily for sex. If one of my straight friends were to like someone and make a move, they could start by becoming friends with their crush or wiggle their way into the other person’s life. But for me, I have to make it known; I have to be bold and make my intentions clear and concise. In order to get in a relationship, the only option I have is one that I am not fond of: to leave it all on the table, to dive head first. Believe me when I say I have tried—I have put myself out there and made my feelings known. I shoot for the stars, but when it is all said and done, I still have nothing. I constantly put myself down and tear myself apart because of this and I can’t explain why. Everyone sees me as this outgoing character who fears nothing, but that’s not even half of who I am. I have my own self-esteem issues that all branch out from one thing, my fear that I don’t deserve love from another person. At school, I’m just seen as the loud gay guy who likes to participate a lot in class. I am outgoing, but when I think about my crush, I am

the complete opposite. I get quiet and try to avoid them and it isn’t because I am scared of asking them out; I just get sad when I think about them. I imagine them getting their heart broken and that I will not be able to help them through it. I fear that I will look like I’m just another gay kid trying to swoop in and “turn someone gay” while they are vulnerable. I’ve spent countless nights thinking about young love and how I will never get to experience it. I know it’s irrational but it feels like I will never experience love because I don’t have the experience now. I fear that I am missing out on something everyone is meant to experience. Aside from the fear of never being able to experience young love, I fear how others perceive me. I am not talking about how people will hate me for being gay or if they see me as annoying or obnoxious. I am talking about how I can never be too nice to a guy or he will think I like him. You would think the locker room is a heaven for me, but it is my own personal hell. To this day, I cannot look up and make eye contact with anyone or look straight forward and run the risk of looking like I am staring at their body. I walk through the locker room staring at the floor, hoping that people don’t notice me so they don’t get the wrong idea. Don’t get me wrong: I love being gay. I’ve learned to be outspoken and confident, but I can’t help but feel as though I am inadequate because of all the gay jokes and because of the negative connotation that comes with being gay in high school. I know I’ve been only talking about the negatives, but I just wanted the world to know that it’s not all rainbows and parades, that so many people are lucky enough to not think about the things I do when it comes to love.

Sexuality is generally defined as a person’s sexual preference or the sexual activity they engage in. Although many people use terms like straight, gay, and bisexual, Junior Karina Gomes does not believe in labels. When asked how she defines her sexuality, Gomes replied, “I’m attracted to people,” showcasing her fluid sexuality. Gomes began sharing her sexuality openly with her friends and family in her eighth-grade year. “Everyone has been really supportive... I was really just focused on accepting myself,” Gomes explains. Society depicts the ideal couple as being heterosexual, influencing Gomes to believe something was wrong with her for not being straight when she was younger. As she matured, she realized there was nothing wrong with her. To Gomes, coming out is a process, beginning with accepting and loving yourself, then progressively sharing your sexuality with others. “For anyone who’s still in the process of accepting themselves, it takes time, but you’ll get there,” Gomes advises. After the recent election of President-elect Donald Trump, Gomes and numerous other SFUSD students attended a walk-out protest held on November 9, 2016, in which students civilly marched the streets of San Francisco voicing their beliefs and feelings towards the future President. Gomes believes that the Trump Administration poses a threat to certain LGBTQ+ rights, including marriage. “It honestly terrifies me that one day, I may not be able to legally marry my girlfriend,” says a concerned Gomes. Like the majority of San Francisco’s populace, these students perceive Trump’s victory as a considerable complication to America and its citizens. “It was a way to cope with [Trump’s victory,] it felt good to come together as a community and fight for what we believed,” she says, justifying the protest. Many people associate sexuality with concrete terms like straight and the LGBTQ+ acronym. To junior Simone Herrera, sexuality is a spectrum, meaning that a single word may not define one’s sexuality. “There’s not always a box you can fit into,” Herrera explains, “Just because you would be sexually intimate with a gender, doesn’t mean you would date them.” Herrera relates this back to her own personal experience with sexuality as she is sexually attracted to both males and females, but so far only romantically attracted to males. “You can go through stages of your life as you discover what you like and what you don’t,” says Herrera, implying that there is a possibility she may find herself romantically attracted to females some time down the road. Expressing your sexuality a certain way today does not limit you from changing how you express yourself in the future.

Identity

Eagle

How does the Washington community feel about the election results? “I go online and all I see are reports on hate crimes and how people are being attacked despite being American themselves. I forgot how different the Bay Area is in comparison to the rest of America, we accept any and all types of people. Meanwhile in other parts of America, women, people of color, and people of the LGBTQ+ community are being heavily affected by this election, and in a negative manner.” -karina leung

“I have to accept the results of the election because it’s over and this is what’s happened. If I didn’t and I decided to protest the presidency of someone who has yet to do anything in office, it would be disrespectful and rude. this is someone who is now the president. America is like a ship and the president is the captain, and if we wished for the president or captain to fail, we’re wishing for the sinking of this ship, which is also the failure of our country.” -duy nguyen

“the American people have spoken, and we should respect WHO the American people have chosen.” -anonymous “I took this election very personally because of the magnitude of what was (is) at stake. As a woman, I fear for the protection of my bodily rights. I also fear the validation of sexual predators, bigots, and violent individuals who think their voice has been heard. I fear the de-funding of public education and public healthcare. I fear that my students may grow up in a world that doesn’t support them or, far worse, doesn’t believe they should exist at all.” -MS. STEWART

December 13th, 2016

The Eagle

Women’s Sports Deserve More Recognition

Opinion 11

BY KIMBERLY THAI

hen people tune into sports on popular channels like ESPN, the MLB Network, and the NFL Network, they see male athletes competing. Unless the Olympics or Wimbledon is on, there is a lack of interest in the world for professional female athletes. Not only do female athletes have a drastically smaller audience, but they are also paid substantially less than males. Why is it that female athletes who have been training diligently for their entire lives are less popular and paid less than their male counterparts? There are many sports where the women’s variant, is equally exciting or even more so to me, including soccer. Biologically, males have an advantage over females in regards to muscle mass: the main factor behind how well a person performs in athletics. The more muscle an individual has, the better the individual can potentially perform. The gap between male and female muscle mass is the sole reason soccer is separated by the sexes. However, just because men are more physically built, does not mean women’s soccer is less interesting. Since women are less built than men, their matches consist of focusing more on fundamentals and technical skill.

Men’s soccer can be unenjoyable to watch because of how often plays stop due to a player flopping to draw a penalty kick. I’ve been to a handful of San Jose Earthquakes games where I was bored out of my mind waiting for the players to actually play soccer instead of rolling around on the grass pleading for a penalty to be called. I’m not saying this applies to all male athletes, but it’s something that I observed at the majority of the matches I’ve witnessed. On the contrary, when watching women’s soccer, I noticed the athletes go all out and instantly get back up every time they fall. You can really tell that they’re playing to compete and not just win off an easy penalty shot. Of course, there are some floppers, but the men’s game has more. Another issue I have with men’s soccer is that they can get really greedy when it comes to possessing the ball, so you end up watching one guy trying to dribble through 11 opponents all by himself. In the women’s game, it’s all about passing and running around to make open spaces for through-balls. Personally, I enjoy watching Tobin Heath, who plays midfield for Portland Thorns FC and the United States Women’s National Soccer Team. She may have only scored one goal during the 2016 National Women’s Soccer

League season, but she racked up numerous assists, exerting her selfless personality on the field with potent passing and creative dribbling skills. Sunil Galanti, the president of U.S. Soccer, as well as Gianni Infantino, the president of the International Federation of Association Football, argue that women should not be paid as much as men because their matches do not produce nearly as much revenue as men’s soccer. In my opinion, it is fair that the salaries of soccer players should be directly linked to how much revenue they produce. However, there is an absence of broadcasting and advertising for women’s soccer, so without the proper exposure, they cannot be expected to create as much revenue as men’s soccer, which is advertised ubiquitously. Undoubtedly, there is a lack of interest in professional female soccer. This has a direct correlation to the lack of promotion their games receive. In order to increase the popularity of women’s soccer, U.S. Soccer and FIFA need to more actively promote the sport. I see the appeal of men’s soccer, and watch the Earthquakes and international soccer frequently. If you give women’s soccer a chance, you will see that it has its strengths as well.

College Admissions Should Be Hollistic BY TOBIAS SUNSHINE

Recently, in my American Democracy Honors class, we watched a 1999 PBS documentary called Secrets of the SAT that chronicled the path of eight Bay Area students applying to UC Berkeley. One of these students was a girl named Jenny Lee who lived in Chinatown and went to Wallenberg High School. She was a 4.0 student and had an okay SAT score but, the thing was, a significant part of my class didn’t like her. Maybe it was because people saw themselves in her or maybe it was because she did absolutely nothing other than school work and they thought she was boring. On the other hand, the class absolutely was in love with a kid named J.K. Delaine, from Richmond, California. J.K. had a 3.5 GPA and an 880 out of 1600 SAT score, but he was the class president, participated in multiple clubs, and held a job, among other things. We admired his hard work and respected what he had to overcome; he had a hard life in Richmond, was raised by a single mother and did not have many opportunities available to him. For example, when he went to a school-sponsored SAT class, he spent more time teaching the teacher than learning material! At the end of the video, we find out that they both got accepted to UC Berkeley. Our class responded with cheers for J.K. and jeers for Jenny. However, what if only one of them could be admitted? Would you accept those like Jenny with the highest grades, or the students like J.K. who don’t have the highest grades but have a lot of other activities and unique traits? I believe that all colleges should take extracurricular activities and the person’s background into account when deciding who to admit to their university. I believe that colleges should accept more people like J.K., because the J.K.’s of the world make the college experience better by offering unique perspectives and opinions. There are huge problems with only considering GPAs and SAT/ACT scores, like the CSUs do. While I must accept that GPAs will probably always be the highest factor in the admissions process, there are so many factors that shape your GPA. Students have different teachers and different life circumstances, so you can’t determine someone’s abilities and work ethic based on GPA alone. Likewise, while the creator of the SAT meant well by trying to close the gap between the elite and common folk, he’d be rolling in his grave if he saw what the SAT has become. Now the elite has an even higher advantage by

paying for prep courses and tutors, thus furthering the achievement gap. So yes, even though these two academic factors must be used to roughly predict a student’s freshman year grades, they should not be used as the sole reason for admission or rejection. I believe that the mission of college is not about bringing the smartest people together, but instead to give the student different perspectives from around the country and world. In this historical time, with the recent presidential election and our changing world, many people refuse to leave the bubble of their home. I remember the night Trump won: numerous students were surprised that many people in America had differ-

While I hold in the highest regard people that work hard to achieve high grades and test scores, I really don’t want a majority of people on my college campus to just go to class and then study for the rest of the day. I want kids from all walks of life and backgrounds to come and be happy to be at the college, participate in the many activities that the campus offers and teach me lifelong lessons that will stick with me forever. Colleges that admit unique and diverse students will produce adults that will help make this country a better place to live in for all people regardless of class or creed at greater rates than colleges who only draw from the super elite and “smart” kids. Extracurricular activities benefit you in a way that no class could. If you stick to your common interests and don’t develop them, you will learn nothing. By trying new things like playing a new sport or finding a new favorite music genre, you meet new people who could be different from you and with your common bond, learn something new about each other and the world. Personally, joining the political debate organization JSA allowed me to meet people who had the same interests, but were from different places such as the Central Valley and the Midwest. They taught me about the views they had on issues that affected our country such as gun rights or immigration and just life in general outside of the city. This experience changed me for the better because now I can understand how people outside the Bay Area see the nation and the world. I have used that knowledge to educate my classmates and I ent views than them. People need to expand their views hope to do the same in college. Simply put, meeting new and go places that are vastly different than where they people and doing more things is better than just studylive. ing all the time. Having a campus with diverse backgrounds helps I say this not to spite people who wish to study hard everyone because it allows students to understand their for their four years of high school, but instead to motiworld from different points of view. Everyone has a vate those people to get involved and do something that unique story to share and by allowing other college stuwill make them enjoy life and become a better person. dents to hear and reflect on other viewpoints, they will I understand that some students have strict parents or be more likely to understand them and find solutions to lack the time, but it’s not that hard to go to a club meetthe problems that face our country and world. ing once a week or volunteer once a month. Even the As the former president of Harvard Derek Bok said, simplest extracurricular activity is better than none at all “[The decisions] have to be made not on the basis of and studies prove that it actually helps boost your GPA. who has achieved a certain test score result at this point At the end of the day, while I’m sure your grades and test in their lives, but on the basis of which set of applicants scores will always be a factor in college admissions, I will really contribute most to the quality of education at hope colleges start to weigh extracurricular activities and this institution and to the larger purposes of American the person as equally as academic histories in order to society, to the need of the society for diverse leadership...” improve our colleges and country.

12 Arts & Entertainment

The Eagle

December 13th, 2016

Top 10 Places to Go on a Date in San Francisco BY CORINNE LEUNG

Cinderella Bakery & Cafe 1. Macarons and cheesecakes here are a must! Cinderella Bakery & Cafe located in the Richmond district is famous for their selection of pastries. Cozy up with a nice cup of latte and get to know each other!

The Church of 8 Wheels

The Ice Cream Bar

Stow Lake Boathouse

There’s nothing better than classic roller skating on your fist date! Located in the Lower Haight, this church is open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Although this place is small, it does offer an unique experience, especially if you’re in the mood for something different. The Ice cream Bar located in Cole Valley has a 1930’s theme. The place has a vintage feel that would be retro-cool to hang out in. Not only do they serve sundaes, floats, and an assortment of homemade sodas, but they also serve lunch! This would be a great place to hang out with your date and see how food was like in 1930’s. Also, everything is organic! Go on a boat ride in Golden Gate Park! At Stow Lake, you have the choice of renting out pedal boats or rowboats. I suggest pedal boats if you want to sit back and enjoy the view. This would be a great first date for those who like being outdoors!

The SFMOMA or the De Young museum 5. Great to explore new art pieces and to learn about the history behind it. This activity is a great way to bond over similar

interests and you’ll always have something to talk about! Another great thing is that both of museums are free for high school students!

Smitten Ice Cream

Smitten Ice Cream is famous in Hayes Valley! Their famous ice cream is made with liquid nitrogen, adding a twist to classic ice cream. Seasonal flavors like Pecan pie and strawberry white balsamic are a must! This would also be a perfect place for a quick dessert. You and your date can enjoy a nice conversation, and obsess over ice cream together!

Planet Granite Rock Climbing 7. If you want to try something fun and new, try rock climbing! There’s a rock climbing gym, Planet Granite Rock Climbing, in Crissy Field. It may seem tiring to rock climb, but it would be interesting to try out with each other. The daytime passes are around $18-$22, you can also rent out equipment like a harness or some shoes which costs around $6.

Ike’s Place & Mission Dolores Park 8. In the Mission district, consider stopping by Ike’s place and order a sandwich to go. These sandwiches may be on the pricier side but it definitely lives up to its price. Walk to the famous Mission Dolores Park nearby. The weather certainly never dissapoints and many often enjoy soaking in the sun. Consider stopping by Bi-Rite Creamery for ice cream as well!

Off the Grid 9. Want to go out and try new food? Hang out at Off the Grid in Fort Mason on Friday nights, where there are several food

trucks parked inside and you can buy any type of food you want. They also recently opened one at Stonestown! Walk around with your date and sample some food from different food trucks. You can get to know each other’s interest in

10. Biking across Golden Gate Bridge

You can also try biking across the Golden Gate bridge with each other. Bring your own bike or rent one, and bike across the bridge. This would be romantic because of the nice view of the ocean. Take some pictures, have a nice talk, or just enjoy the ride across the bridge.

Fall Recipes BY MAY YANG

Peppermint Bark

Ingredients: - 8 ounce of white chocolate, broken into pieces - 8 ounce milk chocolate broken into pieces - 1/2 teaspoon of peppermint extract, divided (optional) - 25 peppermint candies, crushed

Directions: 1. Lightly grease pan and line with wax paper; set aside. 2. Place milk chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl; melt in 30 second intervals for 1 to 5 minutes, stirring to avoid scorching 3. Once chocolate is melted, stir in ¼ teaspoon of peppermint extract. Pour melted chocolate into pan; spread evenly 4. Sprinkle 1/2 of crushed peppermints over the chocolate layer. Refrigerate until completely hardened, about 1 hour 5. While the chocolate hardens, place the white chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and repeat chocolate melting step 6. Pour white chocolate over the milk chocolate layer; spread evenly. Sprinkle remaining crushed candy; gently press in 7. Refrigerate until completely hardened and remove from pan; break into small pieces to serve. Enjoy! For more info, visit http://allrecipes.com/recipe/185194/peppermint-bark/

Caramel Brownies Ingredients: - 2 sticks (1 cup of butter) more for greasing pan - 5 ounces of unsweetened chocolate - ¼ cup of unsweetened cocoa powder - 2 cups of granulated sugar - 1 tablespoon of vanilla - 3 large eggs - 1¼ cups of all-purpose flour - Half of a 14 ounce can dulce de leche - Powder sugar, for powdering afterwards

Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 350° F and grease an 8 by 8 inch baking pan 2. Melt butter with chocolate on low heat, continue to whisk it to make it smooth and creamy 3. Add cocoa powder into the melted chocolate and continue to whisk, cool for 10 min 4. In a separate bowl, mix granulated sugar, vanilla, and eggs. Then mix flour with the melted chocolate 5, Warm dulce de leche in microwave for 30-45 seconds 6. Drop large dollops of dulce de leche on the surface of the brownie batter; use a knife to spread it out evenly 7. Bake for 40 minutes, use a toothpick to check of the brownie are gooey or not. 8. If gooey, put it back into the oven to bake for another 5 to 10 minutes 9. Very important, let the brownie cool down COMPLETELY, then sprinkle powdered sugar For more info, visit http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/caramel-brownies.html

December 13th, 2016

The Eagle

Election 13

2016 ELECTION We Will Not Be Silent

“

BY GABRIEL CYWINSKI

What’s the point in protesting? It’s not like it’s gonna change anything.” This was a sentiment felt by many students and adults alike after hearing about the November 10th protest. Students from multiple high schools in San Francisco, including Washington, walked out of class and took to the streets to protest the results of the 2016 election. Huge sections of downtown San Francisco were closed off as over a thousand students marched for miles to City Hall to show their disapproval of our current political climate and the election of Donald Trump. As I walked beside my George Washington peers and students from nearly every other SFUSD high school, hundreds of people cheered us on and honked their horns to show support for the cause we so rightfully believe in. This reaction was not shared by other students and adults, who believe that our protest was meaningless. They think that we should “stop whining” and simply accept what is happening in our country. This belief goes against not only the very principles the United States was built on, but it also undermines the severity of this election’s outcome and how much it could alter people’s lives. We have always been taught that if we believe something is wrong, we should speak up and do everything in our power to make the change we want to see in the world. In elementary school, we saw Rosa Park’s and Martin Luther King Jr.’s peaceful protesting as courageous and inspiring. Their actions forced white Americans to open their eyes to the mistreatment and discrimination the African-American community faced on a daily basis. As we grew up, we learned that protesting peacefully may not always be the answer. After months of being abused and tormented by police for simply being at a gay bar, the people of Stonewall, Manhattan, New York, decided that they would take matters into their own hands and fought back against the police with the same force the police had shown them. This incited what is now known as the Stonewall Riots, a moment that helped kickstart the Gay Liberation Movement and showcased the mistreatment

LGTBQ+ people faced at the time. Without trailblazers like them protesting and fighting for what they believed in, the world would be a completely different place. With all the progress that has been made, it is still abundantly clear that there is still a need for protesting in the world we live in today. Just recently, the Sioux Native Americans from the Standing Rock, along with several other Native American communities from across the country, banded together to stop the construction of a pipeline that would potentially “contaminate their drinking water and damage sacred burial sites” (BBC News). Their peaceful protesting was met with brute force from police, who responded to protesters by dousing them with freezing water, pepper spray, and rubber bullets. The protesters refused to back down and on December 5th the construction of the pipeline was halted by the Army Corps of Engineers who is now reconsidering rerouting the pipeline’s trajectory, showing that protesting can lead to change. Without people protesting and using their voices to speak against the injustices that they face, the world would not have progressed to the point it is at today. There wouldn’t have been a Civil Rights movement without someone like Martin Luther King Jr. There wouldn’t have been a Gay Liberation Movement without the people of the Stonewall Riots. The Dakota Pipeline would’ve been constructed if not for Native American protesters not backing down in the face of police brutality. We did not walk out of class and march across the city because we thought that doing so would result in Trump magically being impeached. We protested to show that although we are not able to vote yet, Trump is not the president we want representing us. We will not stand idly by and pretend that what is happening is normal--because it isn’t. What the President-elect has promised to do once he starts his term could directly affect many immigrant and Muslim students at our school, along with the thousands of families living in San Francisco right now. We are not whining. We are scared. But that does not mean we will be silent.

Women in Politics

BY SAMANTHA SACKS

he 2016 presidential election is certainly going to be one for the history books. There was Donald Trump, the businessman who had half of America loving him and the other half hating him. There was Hillary Clinton, the Secretary of State who was the first woman to be a major party’s chosen candidate. Then there was us, the people, who were split very much down the middle for who we wanted to win. After the ballots had been casted and counted on November 8th, 2016, we had our new President elect: Donald Trump. For some it was a day of joy, but in San Francisco it was met with outrage. Many of us hoped that Clinton would win the presidential race this year, and when Trump won instead we were shocked and angry due to the fact that we did not see Trump as a legitimate presidential candidate. While Clinton didn’t win, she did make history this year by being the first elected nominee of one of the major political parties. This year was a big step for women in politics, especially since Clinton did win the popular vote, and while it isn’t as big of a step as some of us hoped it would be, it certainly was a large crack in the metaphorical glass ceiling Clinton is always talking about. It wasn’t until 1916, a hundred years ago, that a woman was elected into Congress. Jeannette Rankin was the first woman to break the barrier that kept women out of politics, and that opened the door for many more to follow. The first woman elected to be Governor was in 1925, and in 1932, Hattie Wyatt Caraway was elected into the Senate. People of color, both male and female, have had a long and hard path in politics from prejudice, to hate, to people thinking that they are inferior. It wasn’t until 1969, less than 50 years ago, that Shirley A. Chisholm, an African-American woman, was elected into Congress. In the entire history of the United States, there have only been 313 women in Congress. If you compare that to

the 10,573 men who have served in Congress, that means that only .03% of congress members have been female. These statistics clearly show just how hard it has been for women to get a foothold in politics. While 313 is a pretty large number, in the scheme of things, it seems startlingly low for a country that prides itself on equality. I believe that part of the reason why Clinton did not win this presidential election is because she is a woman, and people in this country still believe that a woman has no place in the government, let alone a position governing the country. There are people across the country who voted for Trump solely because they do not want a woman running their country. In politics, women face this all the time. They are constantly being pushed aside, neglected, and diminished simply because they are a woman. More than that, women are faced with double standards. Again and again we have seen this double standards between men and women, and in politics it shines brighter than anywhere else. When a woman is opinionated, she is bossy. When a man is opinionated, he is a natural leader. When a woman doesn’t yield to another’s ideals, she is considered difficult. When a man doesn’t yield to another’s ideals, he is considered strong. When a woman acts masculine, people think that she is trying to be something she isn’t. When a woman acts feminine, people do not take her seriously. In politics, no matter what a woman does, she will be criticized and treated differently than her male counterpart. It has long been said that a woman’s place is to take care of the house. It seems that what every male politician is forgetting is that they work in the White House. The key word here is house. You say the woman’s place is in the house? Well then why don’t you move out of the way and allow the women to run the household, just like you say they should.

14 Election

The Eagle

December 13th, 2016

2016 ELECTION Why You Shouldn’t Be Shocked That Trump Won BY KEVIN LI AND TOBIAS SUNSHINE

n November 8th, the greatest upset in recent political history occurred when Donald J. Trump was elected President of the United States. Everyone from the mainstream press to our social media platforms are blaming the upset on a variety of factors, including racism, sexism, and third party voters. While there is a kernel of truth to these criticisms, these are largely bogus explanations that distract from the main culprit. For a start, the third party candidate that received the largest vote share was Gary Johnson, who was likely to take away more votes from Donald Trump than from Hillary Clinton, and 8% of those who identified as Democrats voted for Trump. And while white males did mostly vote for Trump, many of these voters helped elect Obama twice in the last two elections. The truth is that Clinton was the single worst candidate the Democrats could have put forward. While many of us would agree that Trump could potentially be an absolute nightmare for the world, we can’t deny the fact that Clinton represents everything that is wrong with our political establishment. We already know that she got paid $2.9 billion to give 12 speeches to big banks as Secretary of State. Add onto that the email server and Clinton Foundation scandals, and you’ve got yourself the worst possible candidate. By contrast, Bernie Sanders ran on the same sort of anti-establishment rhetoric that arguably propelled Trump to make huge gains among the working-class in the Rust Belt, where manufacturing and industrial jobs have been shipped overseas under Obama. When the question was asked whether one would support Sanders or Trump in a general election, Sanders led by about 10 points on average (when they still did polling on this question). On the other hand, in polls between Clinton or Trump, they were virtually tied. Yet the Democratic establishment did not take advantage of Sanders and did everything they could to prop up Clinton. According to letters published by Wikileaks, the Democratic National Committee (who organizes the Democratic Party primaries) even plotted to expose Sanders as an atheist. (Yeah, in the world of US politics, being an admitted atheist is pretty much a death sentence.) Supposedly, Clinton was given a golden path to the nomination and the presidency but she ended up shooting herself in the foot. In the weeks leading up to the election, her husband and other advisors in states such as Wisconsin and Michigan begged her to come out there and spend money on outreach and canvassing because the white working class voters in those states were warming up to Trump. This is not because they are overtly racist or sexist, but because the establishment Democrats would not go out to these people and tell them,

“We have a plan for you to get work again, maybe not in manufacturing, but in new industries.” Instead, Clinton’s message was simply “this other guy is mean, so vote for me instead.” She could have attacked Trump for being a con man, like how he says he’s against trade deals with China while outsourcing jobs to China for his own companies. She could have attacked him on being unknowledgeable on things that a President should know, like how he doesn’t know the difference between Hezbollah and Hamas, and how he voiced support for torture simply because “we have to beat the savages”. Clinton focused on blasting Trump for being racist, and if people weren’t with her they would automatically be sexist, racist, and deplorable. Her strategy was destructive and even caused Bill Clinton to toss his phone off his roof in frustration at Hillary and her campaign. By contrast, Trump’s campaign focused on putting America first, bringing back jobs from overseas, and toppling the political establishment, all in a raw, “uncensored” way. Although it was defined by xenophobia and bigotry, many voters looked past this as his message resonated more with them. While Hillary continued running a campaign of “Donald Trump says mean things” and “we’re going to break the glass ceiling”, Trump ran on the real issues virtually unopposed. The economy was the issue that won Trump the election. According to exit polls, 64% of Trump voters believed that international trade takes away US jobs. Trump took advantage of this sentiment, especially in the blue-leaning states in the Rust Belt, whereas Clinton largely ignored this issue. In the end, Hillary Clinton lost to the guy with no political experience who once claimed that he has grabbed women “by the pussy” without consent, which should say something about how abysmal her campaign was. This election should be a wake-up call to the Democrats if they would like to be within range of electability in the future. It’s time for old leadership like our Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi to step down and allow fresh faces like Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard or Senators Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker who aren’t funded by corporate interests to take over. Unfortunately, the House Democrats have already re-elected Pelosi as the Minority Leader on the basis that she “raises important money for the party.” Another worrying sign is that in the 2018 midterm election, it’s virtually impossible for Democrats to take back the House and Senate, since many of the seats up for re-election are already held by Democrats. In simple terms, if the Democrats do not improve their message or leadership soon, it could take a very long time for them to recover from their recent slump.

Thoughts on the Election With Emily Ferguson BY BITOTA MPOLO

: What were your views on this election? : I thought this election was kind of ridiculous. As many people know, both candidates were not the ideal people to be our president and no one really liked them very much. I never liked Hillary and I never really liked Trump that much either, so I was kind of against both of them. But then I watched one of the debates and I was listening to some of their points; I just thought that [based on] all the craze people seem to have about Trump, he didn’t seem that bad in the debate. So, I watched that one, and I watched bits of the third debate as well… and I just thought well, [Trump] seems like a better person than what I’ve heard about Hillary, with a lot of her scandals and the fact that she is not really honest. From my point of view, I decided that —if I could vote, I probably would’ve voted for Trump at least to ensure that Hillary wasn’t President because that would’ve been awful. But, I felt like [Hillary] was going to win, because everyone thought she was going to win and then [Trump] won and I was really relieved when that happened. So many kids in my classes were really angry. I mean, I think Trump is kind of… There are things that are definitely bad about him. He is not perfect and I don’t think he will be a great President. But, at least maybe he can DO something and we can fix some problems.

: Back before the parties selected their candidate, who were you supporting? : I didn’t really like any of them. I know some of my friends liked Kasich. I don’t know… I didn’t get really political with it. I just figured that Hillary was probably going to get [the nomination] for the Democrats; I didn’t know who [the nomination would go to] for the republicans. But, I liked Romney in the [2012 election]. But I didn’t really know much about any of [the candidates].

: Would you say that you identify as a Republican? : I’d say I’m just not Democrat… so yeah I guess I would be a Republican. I’m not like very strictly Republican. I’d say more conservative than Republican, and they are not the same thing, but sometimes they identify in the same category.

: What aspects of Trump’s campaign did you like? : Hillary talked a lot about family [issues], she talked a lot about things that she would fix and she made promises(I mean that’s what people do when they’re campaigning). It seemed like…. I mean, a lot of the things she was saying, I just knew they weren’t going to happen. She’s been in office for a long time—not a President, but as Secretary of State— and it seems like she hasn’t really gotten much done there.

December 13th, 2016

Opinion 15

The Eagle

Open Letter to the Washington Community BY THE SOCIAL STUDIES DEPARTMENT

n 1941, Ms. Blinick’s Jewish family, who had lived in Poland for hundreds of years, feared for their lives due to the rise of anti-Semitism, Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Two of their children survived the war because they were taken in, for a price, by Polish Catholic families. Their third child and the parents were killed in one of Hitler’s death camps. In 1942, in response to Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor and wartime hysteria and racism, Mr. Ochi’s father and mother (a freshman at GWHS) were forcibly removed from their homes in San Francisco and imprisoned in desert concentration camps in Utah and Wyoming, respectively. Both were American-born citizens. Here they spent 2 1⁄2 years behind barbed wire, cut off from their homes, communities and lives as free Americans. These are just two of our stories. You can imagine our horror when we heard that several sophomores at the fall rally made the “Heil Hitler” salute during the mannequin competition. We couldn’t believe that in San Francisco, at Washington High, our students would do such a thing. The excuse that it was “just a joke” makes it worse. When ethnic and racial groups are targeted by politicians in real ways, there’s nothing funny about hate speech. At the same rally, a JV football player yelled a violently sexual comment aimed at women and girls into the microphone. A number of GWHS students and adults have been victims of sexual violence. The player’s offensive behavior creates an unsafe environment, reinforces victims’ fears, and is a detriment to students speaking up about abuse. The students who did the Heil Hitler salute and the student who yelled

the threat into the microphone should be suspended, and they should publicly apologize to the entire Washington community. The Washington community and SFUSD must make a commitment to educate students about hate speech and players about sexual violence and its impact on their friends and community. In both cases from the rally, we would also like to see restorative justice sessions. The concept of RJ is that the perpetrators engage directly with those who were offended or traumatized by the event, so that they must face the impact of their inappropriate actions. We propose that all future rallies are cancelled until the offending students sincerely apologize. Since the recent election, there has been a significant spike in hate crimes like we have never seen in our lifetimes. The targets? Muslims. Latinos. African Americans. Women. Jews. Immigrants. LGBTQ people. These are many of the people that make our city and nation rich. We firmly believe that as a community we all agree that hate and intimidation are unacceptable behaviors. Here at Washington as well as in San Francisco and the nation, we must come together to stop racist, anti-immigrant, anti-Semitic, sexist and homophobic attacks. Teachers, students, staff, and administrators need to come together in an on-going conversation about how to prevent hate speech in our community and treat each other with respect. Some positive activities might be teach-ins, workshops, and conversations about how to stand up for each other. We must not be bystanders; we must become upstanders, people who actively intervene in support of equal respect for all.

Fashion: Free or Unfree, That is Thy Question

BY ZOEY HOU

hat’s so wrong with denim on denim?!? Being that Washington is a public school, everyone gets to dress how they please as long as the outfit fits dress code boundaries. However, such things as “fashion don’ts” and peer comments confine what we wear. Particularly in my choice of denim. Plenty of my acquaintances and friends have criticized me for pairing a pair of blue jeans with a denim jacket. I strongly believe that people in general, but mostly students, are afraid of expressing themselves in regards to fashion. Apparel expression is not only a decision, but can even be looked upon as a visual art form. The way we express ourselves in clothing is a conscious decision that gives the wearer confidence and comfort. So, why do we make rude/offhanded comments on other people’s clothes? One reason may be that we make remarks and point out differences that we don’t really see as hurtful, but these can have a large effect on the person who receives the criticism. The most important notion to keep in mind about fashion, is that it is not our place to express negative opinions on what someone chooses to put on in the morning. Often, students will say remarks like, “Isn’t it too cold to be wearing shorts today?” or “Isn’t your shirt a bit too revealing” or “Why are you wearing plaid?” These simple remarks that may come off as jokes can unconsciously change the way someone may feel about a certain article of clothing. Therefore, offhand comments confine a wearer’s choice of fashion, so it’s important to be mindful of what one says. Another reason can be that we’re just not used to seeing “strange” choices and are used to the typical jeans and t-shirt combo. Sometimes it feels as if anything different that doesn’t fit the mainstream style is ridiculed or immediately judged. I remember wanting to sport the t-shirt under dress look but felt too scared to try it, and now that it’s coming into trend, I regret not doing something that I wanted to do. Stu-

dents may be scared of self-expression because others don’t regard it as cool or trendy and seem to place whatever is out of mainstream into the “uncool” category. The last reason I feel we criticize others is because their fashion is just plain weird. I totally get it! I don’t necessarily think bell bottoms or cowboy boots are the nicest thing to look at, trust me. But in the end, if that is the wearer’s decision, then everyone should at least respect their choice, even if we think it’s the ugliest thing in the world. Our negative opinion on someone else’s clothing choice is highly irrelevant. If that shirt makes someone happy, then so be it! There is no positive outcome in saying rude remarks or offhanded comments about what someone is wearing. If they like it, bought it, and feel confident in it, then that’s all that matters in the end, isn’t it? As for the people who feel insecure and scared to wear certain things--screw that! Take the initial step to wear something outside of your comfort zone, because that is the hardest part. Once you wear something crazy, it takes the fear away from trying other things as well. Start building an “I don’t care about what people say” attitude, because in the end, what matters is that you like it. From there on, wearing whatever you want becomes second nature. I personally wouldn’t say that I’m 100 percent confident about what I wear, but I have learned how to block out the negative comments and focus on the nice ones. I’ve noticed that more often than not, a lot of people will like what you wear. Overall, people are afraid of expressing themselves due to a lot of peer criticism. I like to think about fashion as being the only form of art that everyone is involved in. If you want to rock neon blue socks or turtle printed pants, I find that entirely cool. What’s

the point in everyone wearing the same things anyways? I’d much rather see someone wearing a crazy outfit than a crop top and Nike shoes. This doesn’t go to say that I dislike crop tops or Nike shoes, just that diversity is important and we live in a society that emphasizes freedom of expression. Let’s take advantage of that! Next time you’re about to comment on your friend’s new dress, think about what you say before you say it. Hopefully, by being mindful of what we say and spreading positivity about fashion, we can create a better environment in which everyone can wear whatever they please. And I can finally wear denim on denim in peace!

December December13th, 13th,2016 2016

Athlete ofof the Issue: Sasha Fuse Athlete the Issue: Sasha Fuse

16 Sports Sports 16

!"#$%&'(#$ The Eagle

BY ANNA VOLOSHKO BY ANNA VOLASHKO

earing the words can’t do can’t this” do from someone who youwho lookyou up tolook is not feeling. for“IJunior Sasha Fuse, this opened hertoo up much. to a brand successhating and achievement. adds, couldn’t take it anymore. It was ” Thisnew ledworld to herofalmost and quitting the earing the“you words “you this” from someone upusually to is nota fun usually a But Thoughfun shefeeling. startedBut outfor as aJunior competitive gymnast at a very young age, Fuse found her hidden talent in volleyball. Although there have been many rough patches and hard times, it helped herinbecome the joy playing. Sasha Fuse, this opened her up to a brand new world of success sport, up until about two years ago. Sometime between then and now, she found the player is today. NotThough many people can say done whatgymnast Fuse has.atShe has young traveledage, acrossThis the occurred country ononce an elite team andvolleyball already hasprogram a full ride to recruiting play volleyball in college. she volleyball was looking at the and process in colleges, andshe achievement. she started outthey’ve as a competitive a very After being competitive gymnast years, herAlthough coach told herhave the drastic newsrough that she was too to compete, she should continue doingachieve. it “recreationally”. This was hard for Fuse, then 11 years old, which but reminded her what she could Fuseafound her hidden talentforinsix volleyball. there been many patches andtallhard to hear since this has been the only sport she has done and that she actually enjoyed. However, she took the advice and stopped. Although it was unfortunate to hear,itFuse admitsperks. by thatFrom pointthe shefew wasyears “reallyshe Although being a student athlete is tough, has major times, it helped her become the player she is today. Not many people can say they’ve done what burnt out” and didn’t havetravelled the sameacross passion used to for the sport. team, and already has a full ride has been playing, she has accomplished more than most aspiring student athletes could dream of Fuse has. She has theshe country, onhave an elite volleyball As months went by, she noticed a difference in her physique. Since she stopped exercising as much, she startedachieving. gaining weight. Her doctor recommended playing Team, a different sport to getof hersome backofinto This includes making the USA National which consists theshape. best volto play volleyball in college. The only other sport she liked was volleyball, so Fuse decided to give that a chance by trying out for her middle school’ s volleyball team. This is where her unexpected journey began. After being a competitive gymnast for 6 years, her coach told her the drastic news that she was leyball players in the US. She has also played tournaments against other countries in Europe, and While playing middlebut school lookeddoing up to ither“recreationally”. teammates andThis theywas gavehard her inspiration give though there As were some calls.itWhen first beganand to play, she didn’t in love even in up, South America. you can close imagine, is veryshe competitive, though it wasfall a long and too tallon to her compete, she team, shouldFuse continue for 11 yearto not with theold sport immediately. “[I]this cried ” Fuse says. She to quit, but herShe father’strenuous s encouragement her to keep process,pushed Fuse is proud to callplaying. herself a member of the national team. Fuse to hear since haseveryday been the after onlypractice, sport she has done and had thatwanted she actually enjoyed. She played days a and weekstopped. for at least two hours eachunfortunate day, and thistobrought plenty of both emotional and physical pain. “It’s ita lot harder it seems. [Ithas comes with] of crying and quit. It’ When comes to than volleyball, Fuse never hadhours an off-season. She wanting plays as to a setter ons tookseven the advice Although it was hear, Fuse admits by that point she not glorious at all, ” Fuse explains. was “really burnt out” and didn’t have the same passion she used to have for the sport. As months Wash’s team during the fall, a libero on her club team called Encore in the winter, and then beach Constantly for games and tournaments inducedSince a great pressure. as “I was always tired,” explains Fuse.inShe adds, Her “I couldn’t It was ” Thisbecause led to her volleyball thelater summer. favoritetake partitofanymore. the season has too to bemuch. summer thatalmost is whenhatshe wenttraveling by, she noticed a difference in her physique. sheamount stoppedofexercising much, she started ing sportgaining until about two years ago. She almost quit. But sometime between then and now, she rediscovered the joy of playing. This occurred once she began looking at the college volleyball recruiting process, weight. Her doctor recommended playing a different sport to get her back into shape. The travels three times a week to Santa Cruz to play beach volleyball. Although it is much more difficult as this reminded whatshe sheliked could only otherher sport wasachieve. volleyball, so Fuse decided to give that a chance by trying out for her to play with a partner instead of a whole team, she enjoys it much more. Although beingschool’ a student athlete isteam. tough, it has been extremely rewarding for began. Fuse as well. From the few years she has been has accomplished more most the aspiring athletes could Afterplaying, sufferingshe through the hardships andthan enjoying prizes,student her greatest achievements middle s volleyball This is where her unexpected journey dream of achieving. Thisplaying includes the U.S.A Team, consists of some of the best volleyball players aged 14 to 18 inhas thetoU.S. hasaalso tournaments other counthroughout her volleyball career be She getting fullplayed scholarship into Sanagainst Jose State University, While onmaking her middle schoolYouth team,National Fuse looked upwhich to her teammates and they gave tries in Europe and South America. As you can imagine, it is very competitive, and though it was a long and strenuous process, Fuse is proud to call herself a former member of the youth national team. her inspiration to not give up, though there were some close calls. When she first began to play, she which she received this previous summer. Fuse admits that getting all these rewards are a good When itdidn’t comes has never had an off-season. plays after as a setter on ”Washington’ s team thebut fall,she a “libero” herfor club calledshe Encore winter, then beach the prize, mainlyon plays funteam because loves in thethe sport. Sheand mentions, “I amvolleyball excited toinplay falltoinvolleyball, love withFuse the sport immediately. “[I] cried She everyday practice, Fuse says. She hadduring summer.wanted Her favorite hasfather’ to bes summer becausepushed that is when travels three times a week to Santa Cruz to playand beach Although it is much more difficult to play with one partner instead of in college seevolleyball. where I go”. to quit,season but her encouragement her toshe keep playing. a whole team, sheShe enjoys it much more. From all the tears and wanting to quit, to being on a National USA volleyball team, Sasha played seven days a week for at least two hours each day, and this brought plenty of After suffering through the and enjoying highs, herthan greatest achievement throughout herofvolleyball beroad getting a full scholarship to San Jose State University, which sheFuse received Fuse ishas ontoher to success. With the support of her family and teammates, has allthis sheprevineeds both emotional andlows physical pain. “It’sthe a lot harder it seems. [It comes with] hours crying career ous summer. Fuse admits thatIt’getting all theseatrewards areexplains. nice to have, but she mainly playsand for fun because she theher sport. SheAfter mentions, amhopes excitedtotocontinue play in college andand seeplaying, where I and go.” see where volto loves achieve goals. college,“Ishe travelling and wanting to quit. s not glorious all,” Fuse She practiced everyday, constantly From alltravelled, the tearswhich and wanting to aquit to being onof a National volleyball team,” explains Fuse is onFuse. her road to success. With the her. support of her family and teammates, Fusework has all sheshe needs to an achieve goals. leyball takes So although her original dream didn’t out, found even her better one. induced great amount pressure.USA “I was always tired, She later After college, she hopes to continue traveling and playing, and see where volleyball takes her. So although her original dream didn’t work out, she found an even better one.