The Talon | Senior Issue | 07.17.2020

The Talon // 14

, Editor-in-Chief

For many of us, the end of this school year is bittersweet. Although we’ve been anxious to experience life beyond high school, it feels strange to move on without many senior festivities, maybe even wrong to shift our focus away from the ongoing pandemic and injustices against the Black community.

These past few months haven’t gone as planned, but that doesn’t mean that the last four years have been for nothing. Yes, the coronavirus and police brutality are more pressing issues, but that doesn’t mean that the unforgettable friends and achievements we’ve made throughout high school have no value.

This magazine isn’t for 2020, but rather for the class of 2020, for the people we’ve become and the great things we’ve done. Even in the face of a global pandemic, we didn’t cave; even in the face of racist policing, we didn’t stay silent, and I’m beyond proud of our resilience.

So whether you’re reading this in 2020 or many years from now, I hope this magazine reminds you to cherish the past couple of years and all of the wonderful, priceless memories we’ve made at Los Altos.

What will you miss the most about Los Altos?

Elena Mujica

John Kostka and all of his hats.

Kat Nasif

Sitting in the quad during my free period and getting told by Julie that we weren’t allowed to be there. We always went back anyway.

What is your most memorable or embarassing moment from high school?

Aaron Feldman

Watching the musical in senior year. It was a great way for the whole school to come together to produce something.

Divya Jakatdar

I called Ms. Oliver “Mom.”

Ella Maluf

The spirit rallies where we would sit together and make a big deal about being seniors. There is a lot of camaraderie that makes us feel like a class.

Jackie Teng

I fell into one of those sewer holes in the quad and I was on crutches for a month.

Cover by Kylie Akiyama, Katrina Arsky Graphics by Katrina Arsky, Cedric Chan, Suzanne Guo, Stella Huang, Elli Lahdesmaki, Emily Zhu

- The Slate

4 6 9 10

14

15 18

26

Daniela Gloster Emily Zhu Janie Dent

Arts & Culture Editor Graphics Captain News Editor

T

he Climate Justice Coalition Club led a group of Los Altos students on a march to Mountain View City Hall as a part of the international Climate Strike movement called “Fridays for Future.”

Their demands to the Mountain View and Los Altos City Councils included reduced fossil fuel and plastic usage as well as endorsement of the Green New Deal.

This strike was inspired by Swedish 17-year-old Greta Thunberg, an environmental advocate and founder of the Climate Strike movement. Thunberg gave a popularized speech criticizing the lack of environmental action at the 2019 United Nations Climate Action Summit that same week.

“We want to make our voices heard,” senior Lexi Crilley said.

“We can no longer save the world by playing by the rules.”

T

he MVLA school district suffered a ransomware attack that locked teachers out of Google accounts, shut down the internet phone systems, corrupted files and enabled fraudulent charges to credit cards.

However, the district claims no student data was compromised.

“The attack is the latest in what has been an unfortunate trend of such attacks on school districts across the country,” Superintendent Nellie Meyer wrote in a letter to district families.

The district’s IT department worked with a cybersecurity team from Kroll, a corporate investigations and risk consulting firm, to analyze the threat for future preventative measures.

4 // June 2020

T

he House of Representatives impeached President Donald Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress after he allegedly pressured the Ukrainian government into launching an investigation of political rival Joe Biden by withholding military aid. He was later acquitted by the Senate and remained in office.

Trump’s impeachment marks the third impeachment in U.S. history, following Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton. Republican Senator Mitt Romney also became the first senator to break party lines when he voted “guilty” on the first article for abuse of power.

M

embers of the Advanced Science Investigations (ASI) class traveled to England to present their year-long research projects at the International Student Science Conference at Tonbridge School.

Although aspects of the trip were cancelled due to the coronavirus, students still presented their findings and visited iconic English landmarks such as Stonehenge, West End and the Tower of London.

This was the first trip of its kind for the research class, who typically present their research only at the Synopsys Technology and Science Championship in San Jose, which was moved online this year due to the pandemic.

Cedric Chan Katrina Arksy Kylie Akiyama Graphic Artist Photo Captain Media Editor

A

series of destruc tive wildfires erupted throughout Australia, hitting the state of New South Wales the hardest. Thirty-four people were directly killed by the fires, with an additional 417 dying from smoke inhalation. Over 27.2 million square acres of land and 9,000 buildings were destroyed.

This fire is joined by several other California fires in recent years, all made more devastating by their rapid spread and increasingly dry conditions—raising concerns about the increasing impact of climate change.

O

n Friday, March 13, the MVLA School Board voted to cancel all in-person classes in the district due to increased outbreaks of the coronavirus in Santa Clara County.

Four days later, Santa Clara County, along with six other Bay Area counties, issued a shelter-in-place order to reduce infection rates and ease the strain on hospitals. California Governor Gavin Newsom subsequently issued a state-wide shelter-in-place order, and all other states soon followed.

Under new social distancing requirements, all non-essential businesses shut down and wearing masks in public became the new norm. Los Altos remained closed through the end of second semester, with discussion about continuing distance-learning in the fall.

T

he Los Altos performing arts departments worked together—combining acting, singing, dancing and instrumental music—to put on a production of High School Musical. There was cross-collaboration with new school departments as well: the stage sets were built by the Design and Prototyping class and painted by members of the National Art Honor Society.

Rehearsals started at the beginning of second semester, with performances only a month later from Thursday, February 6 to Saturday, February 8.

G

e o r g e Floyd, an unarmed Black man, was arrested on the suspicion of using counterfeit money. He was pinned to the ground and subsequently killed by police officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota. After nationwide calls for action, main perpetrator ex-officer Derek Chauvin’s third degree murder charge was upgraded to the second degree. The other three officers involved were charged with aiding and abetting his murder.

Floyd’s death on Monday, May 25 sparked nationwide protests against police brutality and support for the Black Lives Matter movement. The demonstrations were, in several instances, met with aggressive crowd control measures such as tear gas and physical violence. Some protests resulted in rioting and looting, causing the implementation of city-wide curfews in San Jose, Santa Clara The Talon // 12 and Palo Alto, among other major U.S. cities. As of publication, 31 states and Washington D.C. have mobilized the National Guard.

The Talon // 5

ISABELLA BORKOVIC, WEB MANAGING EDITOR | NIKHITA BODDU, OPINIONS EDITOR | ETHAN RUYACK, SENIOR WRITER, | CEDRIC CHAN, STELLA HUANG, GRAPHIC ARTISTS

EVELYN BAHER-MURPHY

DISCLAIMER: RESPONSES HAVE BEEN EDITED FOR CLARITY AND LENGTH

Basketball Colorado College Environmental Studies

What is your favorite pump-up song? I Like to Move It Move It - Remix.

What are your pregame and postgame rituals?

Pregame: I usually dance with my teammates then put my Crocs into sports mode.

Postgame: I put the Crocs back into leisure mode.

What’s the worst injury you’ve had? At one of the rallies during tug-of-war, the rope pulled tight around my wrist and my bones clicked together. I was in a cast for a week and missed CCS. I have not played tug-of-war since.

AMID NAMJI

OLIVIA CAIRNS

Water Polo Claremont McKenna College Environmental Analysis

KATRINA ARSKY

ADAM COHAN

Why did you choose your school? I wanted a liberal arts education and close relationships with my professors and peers. I also really bonded with the water polo team.

What’s your proudest sports moment? Winning Division I CCS for two consecutive years.

What’s the common stereotype about your sport? Is it true? Water polo is known as an extremely physical sport, and this is true. Lots of things happen underwater that the referees can’t see.

Cross Country Harvey Mudd College Undecided

What is a common stereotype about your sport? Is it true? The biggest stereotype is that everyone looks like a stick, and yeah, it’s pretty true.

What are three words to describe your sport? Rewarding, persistence, puke.

What are your pregame and postgame rituals?

Pregame: Every runner eats pasta the night before a race. I guess this isn’t a unique pre-race ritual, but I’d feel a little less confident if I didn’t do it.

Postgame: Skip my cooldown, get sore, and cramp up in the middle of the night.

COURTESY DANIEL ADAMS

ANNABEL FLINT Basketball Haverford College Biology/Studio Art

KATRINA ARSKY

6 // June 2020

What is your favorite pre-game meal? I don’t really eat a whole bunch before games, but 10 to 15 minutes before, I eat a handful of Lucky Charms or Fruit Loops. It started as an accident and now it’s part of my routine.

What is your favorite pump-up song? It’s a bit silly, but Focus by Ariana Grande. I listened to that song nonstop right before a game where I then made 5 out of 6 three-pointers. It’s the first song on my pregame playlist now.

KAYLEEN GOWERS Soccer Princeton University Architecture

What is your funniest soccer memory? When I was younger, I accidentally called my coach “mommy” at practice.

What are your pregame rituals? I put athletic tape around my left wrist and write “D.T.” in honor of my friend Dustin. I also meditate before all games. For the next 90 minutes, I’m there to win.

Meditating helps me get into a state of complete focus by allowing me to visualize the game ahead.

COURTESY KAYLEEN GOWERS

LINDSAY HALDEN Field Hockey Lindenwood University Nursing

What’s the worst injury you’ve had? We were playing against Los Gatos, and we were tied 1-1. I was in front of the ball, defending our goal, and this defender hit the ball super super hard and it nailed my thigh. I had a HUGE bruise, bigger than the palm of my dad’s hand for a good two to three months.

What is your favorite pre-game meal? I usually eat a sandwich.

EMILY MCNALLY

AMIR ISSA

Soccer New York University Economics Why did you choose your school? NYU gives the perfect mix between athletics and academics, and I wanted to experience life in the Big Apple.

What is your pregame ritual? I always wrap my necklace pendant around my wrist with tape— it’s my lucky charm.

What is your number and why did you choose it? I do not have a number yet, but I usually wear number seven because it represents my position and one of my favorite players—Ronaldo.

COURTESY AMIR ISSA

CARIS KIM

Golf Princeton University Undecided What’s your proudest sports moment? My proudest sports moment was winning an American Junior Golf Association tournament last summer. I’ve always wanted to complete that goal before my time as a junior golfer was over.

What is a common stereotype about your sport? Is it true? A common stereotype about golf is that it is easy because it is not physically demanding and requires no skill. Golf requires an intense amount of stamina, mental concentration and repetition that many people do not realize. All they see is a person hitting a tiny white ball with a “stick.”

COURTESY CARIS KIM

KATIE KISHTON Volleyball Emerson College Communications

What’s your proudest sports moment? Winning the NorCal championship in our own gym.

What’s your favorite pump up song? Lose Yourself by Eminem What’s your number and why did you choose it? I was number nine in high school because it was my sister’s number at Los Altos, but everywhere else I am six. My role model’s number is 16, but I got rid of the one to make it different.

AMID NAMJI

NICOLE PLAYER Track and Field Pomona College Undecided

COURTESY NICOLE PLAYER

What is your funniest sports memory? In seventh grade, I tripped on the last hurdle in my final race and did a full roll on the track. I was sprawled there in shock for a couple seconds before I got up and finished last. Pretty sad in the moment, but the video is hilarious.

What is your pre-meet ritual? I always go to school in my uniform, mostly because I’d rather not change at school but also for the ritual.

The Talon // 7

PORTIA PLIAM

Squash George Washington University Exercise Science/Public Health What’s your proudest sports moment? My proudest sports moment was being awarded the U.S. Squash Sportsmanship Award last year. For me, being a sportsman to your opponents is equally, if not more important, than the game itself. Anyone can win or lose, but being kind regardless of the outcome is not always easy.

What’s some advice you would give to your younger self? I’d tell my younger self to have fun and live in the moment. Winning isn’t everything, and you’ll remember the good times and the friends you make for life over winning a match or tournament.

COURTESY PORTIA PLIAM

NATALIA ROMAN Soccer Mills College Psychology and Sociology

What was your worst sports injury? I tore my ACL in my last game of the winter season, right before spring season was about to start. Then COVID-19 canceled the spring season and postponed my surgery.

What is your number and why did you choose it? 23, it was my grandpa’s birthday and he died about a month before I joined my club team. It’s become my favorite number, and I wear it for him.

COURTESY PORTIA PLIAM

ADAM SAGE Cross Country Harvey Mudd College Undecided

What is your funniest sports memory? The entire varsity team packed into my bathroom to shave our teammate’s head on the night before our CCS race.

What is some advice you would give to your younger self? Don’t worry about the times, race against the people.

What’s the common stereotype about your sport? Is it true? I think that it’s true that everyone who runs has to be at least a little bit insane.

COURTESY MAUD DAUJEAN

RAUNAK SOOD Tennis Santa Clara University Computer Science

COURTESY RAUNAK SOOD

JAMES WANGSNESS

What is your proudest sports moment? Winning a doubles pro tournament with my coach as my partner.

What are three words to describe your sport? Technical, mental, physical What’s your favorite pump up song? First Day Out by Tee Grizzly What is a common stereotype about your sport? Is it true? That tennis players grunt loudly and yes, it’s true.

Soccer Princeton University Undecided

Why did you choose your school? I wanted to go away for college and Princeton was unlike any other school I visited. There was a strong sense of community and the coaching staff was the perfect fit to further my soccer career.

What is your pregame ritual? Bump music in the shower, go into the backyard to juggle the ball and get shots on goal, drive myself to the game and listen to a pregame playlist.

COURTESY JAMES WANGSNESS

ANNA ZAESKE

Track and Field Johns Hopkins University Molecular and Cellular Biology

EMILY MCNALLY

8 // June 2020

Why did you choose your school? Johns Hopkins is an amazing school for pre-med and biology, which are the two subjects I am most passionate about. It’s also a Division III school, so I can still put academics first.

What’s your proudest sports moment? My proudest sports moment was from the 2019 spring season when our 4x400 team ran at the state meet and got the school record in the race. We had all worked so hard and each member of the relay team got PRs on our splits.

Isabella Borkovic, Nikhita Boddu, Ethan Jerram, Elli Lahdesmaki, Barrett Wong, Elana Eisenberg and Cameron Cox Eight Los Altos athletes—seniors Adam Sage, Daniel Ghasemfar and Adam Cohan, juniors Kevin Andrews, Hans Holst and Collin Hepworth, and freshmen Lauren Soobrian and CROSS COUNTRY RACES Boden Sirey—all made history last November at the California Interscholastic Federation TO SUCCESS (CIF) State Cross Country Championships, held in Woodward Park in Fresno.

Lauren ran her way into fourth place in the Division 1 Girls Race, breaking both a school and personal record with a time of 17:42.7 on the 5K course. Her race solidified her spot as the fastest freshman girl in all of California.

Adam Sage broke the second record of the day with a time of 15:27.2, finishing in 21st place in the Division 1 Boys Race. This is the fastest time that any Los Altos boy has ever run on the Woodward course.

The varsity boys team came together to run a total time of 81:05, breaking their previous record by 30 seconds. This is the third year in a row the boys team has broken the Los Altos record at Woodward, and they finished in 16th place overall.

CARIS KIM SWINGS HER WAY TO STATES

FALL SPORTS COMPETE IN CCS SEMIFINALS

LOS ALTOS WELCOMES NEW VARSITY COACHES

For the first time in Los Altos history, girls golf had an individual qualifier—senior Caris Kim—compete at the State Championship. After ranking high enough in the El Camino Division, she was able to qualify for league finals. She then moved on to CCS, then NorCals and finally made it to the state championship, where she placed 13th out of 54 girls.

“It feels really special that I was able to make history for our high school, and even more special that it happened my senior year,” Caris said. “Especially because the girls golf team only started when I was a freshman, it feels amazing that in such a short time the team has made so much progress.”

After having made Los Altos history, Caris plans to continue playing golf competitively at Princeton University this fall.

“I am super stoked about it and have been looking forward to it for a while now,” Caris said. “I am excited to continue playing at a competitive level!”

This year, field hockey, girls volleyball and girls water polo advanced to CCS semifinals.

Here’s what the senior captains had to say about their teams’ success: Field hockey captain Olivia Ih: “It was really rewarding to see the team continue on this upward trajectory over the past four years. Getting to the semifinals was a memorable way to end my time playing field hockey, especially since I was team captain.”

Volleyball co-captain Claire Kwok: “After the seniors left last year, there were many vital positions that were left open, which were then filled by the new varsity players. Despite the new players having less experience, they proved themselves on the court. We improved our team dynamic, which helped us make it as far as we did.”

Water polo captain Olivia Cairns: “Our team was relatively young; we had only three seniors, and a lot of players struggled with a lack of confidence even though they were skilled players.

I think that we got to where we did because of our fight and drive and over the course of the season.”

With 14 years of teaching experience as a P.E. teacher at Graham Middle School, new varsity football head coach Dave DeGeronimo blends his personality as a teacher into his coaching style. Along with DeGeronimo, coaches Steve Rochlin, Vince Juarez, Robert Mitchell and Nigel Smith joined the varsity football coaching staff.

Brandon Gilchrist—the new varsity cheer head coach—inspires the team with his exuberant spirit and positivity. He’s also an experienced coach and cheerleader: he’s cheered since he was seven and has coached All-Star Cheer since 2014. One of his main goals for upcoming seasons is to instill a sense of school spirit within Los Altos.

The badminton team also saw a change in leadership when previous assistant coach Michelle Nieda took over as the head coach this year. She worked to change the role of team captains, allowing for more athletes to get experience with leadership by having different players run each practice and lead each game.

A familiar face came back to coach the varsity boys soccer team this year: Roberto Magellan. Magellan coached the varsity girls soccer team at Los Altos from 2005 to 2008, during which they made CCS twice.

The Talon // 9

Seattle University (1) University of Washington, Seattle (5) Lewis & Clark College (1) Reed College (3)

Brigham Young University-Provo (1) University of Utah (1)

University of Colorado Boulder (4)

University of W

Oregon State University (2) University of Oregon (3)

California State University, Sacramento (1) Sonoma State University (1) University of California, Davis (9)

University of Nevada-Reno (2) California State University, Monterey Bay (1) De Anza College (1) Foothill College (3) Mills College (1) Mission College (1) San Francisco State University (4) Stanford University (2) West Valley College (1) San Jose State University (3) Santa Clara University (1) University of California, Berkeley (15) University of California, Merced (1) University of California, Santa Cruz (4)

California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (5) University of California, Santa Barbara (11) California Institute of Technology (2) Claremont McKenna College (2) Harvey Mudd College (1) Loyola Marymount University (3) Occidental College (1) Pitzer College (1) Pomona College (1) University of California, Los Angeles (9) University of La Verne (1) University of Southern California (3) 10 // June 2020

Arizona State University-Tempe (1)

University of California, Riverside (1) University of Redlands (1)

Chapman University (2) University of California, Irvine (5)

San Diego State University (1) University of California, San Diego (5) University of San Diego (1)

NOTE: Senior participation in this post-grad map was optional, and the deadline for inclusion was Friday, May 22. Schools represented on this map only reflect 203 out of 538 members of the senior class.

DePaul University (1) Northwestern University (3) University of Chicago (2)

Wisconsin-Madison (2)

ACROSS THE SEA:

Case Western Reserve University (1)

University of Michigan-Ann Arbor (5)

Hawaii Pacific University (1)

McGill University (1) School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London (1) University of British Columbia (1)

Boston University (1) Emerson College (1) Harvard College (1) Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2) Northeastern University (2) Reed College (3) Smith College (1) Tufts University (2) University of Massachusetts Boston (1)

Dartmouth College (2) Wesleyan University (1) Cornell University (2)

Carnegie Mellon University (4)

Brown University (3) Barnard College (1) Columbia University (1) New York University (5) Pratt Institute-Main (1) Princeton University (1) Gettysburg College (1) Haverford College (2) University of Pennsylvania (1) Goucher College (1) Johns Hopkins University (1) George Washington University (1) William and Mary (1) Duke University (1) Emory University (1)

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (3) Lindenwood University (1) Tulane University of Louisiana (2)

Texas Tech University (1) Indiana University-Bloomington (1) Purdue University (5)

The Talon // 11

NOTE: Senior participation in this post-grad index was optional, and the deadline for inclusion was Friday, May 22. Names and colleges in this index only reflect 203 out of 538 members of the senior class.

Aaron, Jessica…………………………University of Chicago Ahmed, Sameera………………………New York University Akiyama, Kylie……………University of California, Berkeley Albrecht, Katelyn………………………University of La Verne Alten, Mayu………………………………Wesleyan University Andrews, Kirsten………University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Arnold, Peter………………University of Colorado Boulder Arsky, Katrina…University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Atluri, Elena………………………………Stanford University Aydin, Damla……………University of California, Berkeley

Babu, Lara……………………Tulane University of Louisiana Baginski, Patrick………………University of British Columbia Barkan, Rachel……………University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Baum, Matthew……………………………Cornell University Begun, Valentina………………………University of London Biczek, Avery………University of California, Santa Barbara Bistrain, Kyle………………University of Colorado Boulder Black, Roman………University of California, Santa Barbara Bobba, Mahita………………………Northeastern University Bobde, Riya………………………Carnegie Mellon University Bratt, Owen…………………San Francisco State University Brett, Alex…………………………………University of Utah Brinkman, Kayla…………………………………Pitzer College Brito, Ian………………………Loyola Marymount University Byrne, Samuel………………………………Goucher College

Cabalu, Sophia………………University of California, Davis Cairns, Olivia……………………Claremont McKenna College Carlson, Eric………………Indiana University-Bloomington Chang, Julia……………University of California, San Diego Chen, Zachary………………………………Purdue University Chmyz, Jackson…………University of California, San Diego Chou, Cassandra………University of California, Los Angeles Chou, Hannah……………………………………Pratt Institute Chow, Marilyn…………………University of California, Davis Cohan, Adam……………………………Harvey Mudd College Coleman, Annika……………………………Brown University Colton, Calvin……………………Sonoma State University Corn, Gregory……………………………New York University Crilley, Alexandra…………University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Crissman, Robert…………University of Washington, Seattle Cummins, Cameron…University of California, Santa Barbara Custodio, Courtney…………University of Colorado Boulder

Das-Goel, Kiran…………………………………Smith College DeMoss, Lea………University of California, Santa Barbara Demyanenko, Roman………………………Foothill College Denebeim, Kathleen………………………Seattle University Dent, Janie………………University of California, Berkeley Dhanotra, Parth…………………………Dartmouth College Doria, Joanne……………………San Jose State University Eckinger, Alexander…………………University of Chicago Enos, Johnathan…………………San Jose State University

Fagin, Mia…………………University of Southern California Fan, Kristen…………………………………Boston University Feldman, Aaron……………University of California, Berkeley Fernandes, Justin…………………San Jose State University Fletcher, Anna…………University of California, Santa Cruz Flint, Annabel………………………………Haverford College Fong, Tia………………………University of California, Davis Fu, Nathaniel……………University of Washington, Seattle

Gaw, Tyler………………University of California, Santa Cruz Geldmeyer, Alexander...University of California, Santa Barbara Gibbons, Courtney……University of California, Los Angeles Gilbert, Campbell…………………………Occidental College Gloster, Daniela………………………………Cornell University Gomez, Luis……………………………………Brown University Graeser, Alexandra………………………Gettysburg College Guh-Siesel, Alexander………………………Harvard College

Halden, Lindsay……………………Lindenwood University Halden, Nicole……………………………West Valley College Hamamoto, Alyssa……University of California, Los Angeles Hanley, Brennan……………………………University of Oregon Hein, Timothy………………………………Purdue University Hejna, Joshua………………California Institute of Technology Hernandez, Allison……………San Francisco State University Hershfeldt, Hannah…………………………DePaul University Hindman, Aurora……………University of Southern California Hocquet, Tom……………University of California, San Diego Hu, Daniel……………Massachusetts Institute of Technology Huang, Natalie………Massachusetts Institute of Technology Huang, Nathan…………………………………Duke University

Iaccarino, Massimo……………………Lewis & Clark College Ih, Daphne……………………………………Emory University Ih, Olivia…………………………University of California, Irvine Jackson, Kayla…………………………………Reed College Jacobs, Rachel………………Loyola Marymount University Jacobsen, Sarah…………Brigham Young University-Provo Jakatdar, Divya……………University of Southern California Januario, Nicholas………………University of Nevada-Reno Jimenez, Kieli…………………………………Mission College Joffe, Talia…………………………Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo Johnsen, Sydney………………………University of Oregon Johnson, Kyle……………University of Wisconsin-Madison

Kasso, Justin………California State University-Sacramento Kendall, Conner…………………University of Nevada-Reno Kiedaisch, Emily………………………Texas Tech University Kim, Caris…………………………………Princeton University Kishton, Katherine…………………………Emerson College Klaassen, Connor……………………………Purdue University Kostka, John…………………………………De Anza College Krauss, Courtney…………………Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo Kuper, Ilse………………………University of California, Davis Kuramoto, Jennifer………………San Diego State University

Kuramoto, Kelli…………………Carnegie Mellon University Kutsyy, Alice………………California Institute of Technology Kwok, Claire……………………University of California, Davis Lahdesmaki, Ilona……………………………Tufts University Lam, Tony…………………University of California, Berkeley Lama, Khusbu………………San Francisco State University Lee, Allison………………University of California, San Diego Lee, Mia………………………………………McGill University Li, Klaire……………………University of California, Berkeley Li, Richard………………University of California, Los Angeles Li, Sean…………………University of California, Santa Cruz Lim, Daniel………………University of California, Berkeley Liu, Matthew………………University of California, Berkeley Liu, Megan……………………………………Brown University Lopez, Yaire…………………University of California, Merced Loto’aniu, Meleseini…………University of California, Davis Luk, Isabel……………………University of California, Davis Luo, Jiayan……………………………Northwestern University

Ma, Larry…………………University of California, Santa Cruz Mahajan, Leela……………………………Stanford University Maluf, Ella……………University of California, Santa Barbara Manglore, Nikhil………………………………Purdue University Martinez Bautista, Christian…University of California, Irvine May, Gabriel………………………………………Reed College McGrath, Catherine……University of California, Los Angeles Melchor Barragan, Annabriza……………University of Oregon Mell, Natalie………………………………New York University Merchant, Karim……University of California, Santa Barbara Meyn, Teresa……………………………Santa Clara University Milliken, Ava…………………………………Tulane University Moore, Rosemarie…California State University-Monterey Bay Mujica, Elena………………University of California, Berkeley Murphy, Derek………University of California, Santa Barbara

Rao, Shilpa…………University of California, Los Angeles Rashid, Aisha………………University of Washington, Seattle Reddy, Nidhee……………University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Reed, Justin…………………………………Haverford College Roman, Natalia……………………………………Mills College Ruan, Franklin………………………………Dartmouth College Rubinstein, Benjamin……Case Western Reserve University RusselHapp, Samantha…University of Wisconsin-Madison Ruyack, Ethan………………………Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo

Sage, Peter…………………………Oregon State University Salkola, Mikko………………………University of Pennsylvania Sanchez, Karla…………………………University of Redlands Sanjeevan, Riana…………University of California, Berkeley Sarkar, Sreoshi…………………………………Barnard College Sastry, Manasi………University of California, Santa Barbara Scher, Mia…………………University of California, Berkeley Senke, Lillian…………………University of Colorado Boulder Shan, Kaiyan……University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Shieh, Garrin…………………………Northeastern University Shing, Isabelle………………………………Purdue University Silver, Maxwell……………University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Sotelo Zavala, Paola…………University of California, Irvine Sukhdeo, Hannah…………………………Chapman University Sweet, Cassandra………………University of California, Irvine Szalay, Lily……………………………………William and Mary

Tan, Avery……………………………Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo Tang, Steven………………………Carnegie Mellon University Tavrow, Doran…………………………………Tufts University Tellefsen, Lina…………………University of California, Davis Truong, Andrew...…………………Johns Hopkins University Tsao, Emma…………………University of California, Davis Tsunoda, Marisa……………University of Washington, Seattle

Nasif, Katherine…………University of California, Los Angeles Ng, Mika………………………………Northwestern University Ng, Nathan……………………University of California, Irvine Oblena-Garcia, Kiran………Arizona State University-Tempe Odnert, Michelle…………University of Washington, Seattle Ongchin, Justin…………………Claremont McKenna College Orozco-Tejada, Miguel…………………………Foothill College

Vaidyanathan, Arthi…………University of California, Berkeley Van Deloo, Mia……………University of California, San Diego Vansover, Danielle………………………New York University Vera, Andres Rodrigo…………Loyola Marymount University Walsh, Alexander……University of California, Santa Barbara Wang, Anderson……………University of California, Berkeley Wang, Jamie……………University of California, Los Angeles

Pannikkat, Meera………………University of San Diego Parekh, Nathan…University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Park, Eugene……………University of California, Los Angeles Parsons, Michelle…………………Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo Pashenkov, Hannah…………………Hawaii Pacific University Penn, Cornelia……………………………………Reed College Pessi, Lorenzo……………………………Chapman University Piercy, Alesia………………University of California, Berkeley Player, Nicole…………………………………Pomona College Pliam, Portia…………………George Washington University Pragin, Noah…………………………Oregon State University Prunty, Trevor…………………San Francisco State University

Yadalam, Nidhi…………University of Massachusetts Boston Yao, Elvymond………University of California, Santa Barbara Yih, Carolyn……………………University of California, Davis Yip, Michaela………………………………Columbia University Yu, Oliver……………………University of California, Berkeley Yung, Sarah……………………………Northwestern University Zhang, Ruixuan……………………………New York University Zhang, Yihuai………………University of California, Riverside Zhao, Xianhui…………………………………Foothill College Zhu, Michelle…………………Carnegie Mellon University Zuniga Vazquez, Isidro……University of Southern California

Meet the Grad Speakers Daniela Gloster

Stella Huang

Arts and Culture Editor

Features Editor

Isidro Zuniga Vasquez

Growing up as a first genertation student and the son of immigrants, senior Isidro Zuniga Vazquez has been looking forward to his high school graduation for years.

“Seeing my parents in the crowd as I walk the stage– it’s something that I’ve worked towards,” Isidro said.

Throughout the pandemic, Isidro has contributed

greatly to the Los Altos community through his work in ASB and as Vice President of the Senior Class Council. He helped organize the Diversity Assembly and the senior slideshow.

Now more than ever, he thinks it’s important to speak at graduation.

“Everyone is reflecting on what’s going on with the coronavirus,” Isidro said. “I was one of those people, so I just want

Caris Kim

Senior Caris Kim has lived and breathed golf for all four years of high school. As a freshman, she joined the girls golf team for its inaugural year, eventually qualifying for state championships her senior year (and got recruited by Princeton University along the way.) This year, she made an effort to seek out new—and maybe even uncomfortable—opportunities in order to diversify her high school experience.

“In the past, I was really focused on golf, and that became my identity,” Caris said. “This year, I told myself that I wanted to try new things, including being in the school musical— which ended up being one of the best experiences of high school.”

As a Brainiac in High School Musical, Caris interacted with people she otherwise wouldn’t have crossed paths with, which, after a month of rehearsals, left her with a broadened perspec-

Janie Dent News Editor

to share my view of this situation.”

In his speech, Isidro touches upon past setbacks his generation has faced, including recent terrorist attacks, school shootings and the 2008 financial crisis. Through these examples, Isidro hopes to share a special message with his peers.

“It’s not the first time we’ve gone through instances of distress, fear and uncertainty, and every single time we’ve been able to come out on top,” Isidro said. “We should strive to become the best versions of ourselves and continue fighting for a world that is deserving of all of us.”

Isidro’s high school experience reflects this as well. AP classes and college applications were not smooth sailing for him because he had to compete with students of higher socioeconomic status. However, Isidro chooses to view his chal-

lenges in a more positive light. “[Los Altos] is a very competitive school and one that has pushed me right to my boundaries,” Isidro said. “At the same time, I’m very pleased to be able to share this experience with a lot of brilliant students. There’s always strength when we come together.”

While the postponement of graduation comes as a disappointment to many seniors, for Isidro, it is a day to be grateful.

“I’m very thankful,” Isidro said. “We’re very close to achieving a normal graduation, and the only aspect that we’re missing is the live audience. We have graduation speakers, everyone’s walking the stage and getting their diploma. We’re doing it at school on the same stage as everyone else, and that means a lot.”

tive and new friendships.

In an effort to continue putting herself in new situations, Caris applied to become a graduation speaker—taking what she’d learned from the musical with her. In true High School Musical fashion, Caris’s overarching theme of her graduation speech is that “we’re all in this together.”

“This area can be very individualistic and competitive, but we're all one team and we made it here as a team,” Caris said. “That's important to acknowledge and know, especially with all that's going on.”

Throughout the pandemic, Caris has come to rely on the appreciation for community that Los Altos fostered in her; she has used it to find the silver linings of the unforeseen times she and the rest of her class have found themselves in.

“I think this united our class because we'll always look back and remember that this was a

crazy year,” Caris said. “This is a class that’s making history, which is really special. It shows that we're resilient.”

Regardless of the circumstances in which she’s giving her speech, Caris still wants to focus on everything the class of 2020 has achieved, rather than what they have lost.

“I feel very strongly about not letting the pandemic take away from our accomplishments. I really wanted to have graduation be a day of celebration.”

When asked if she had any final words to the graduating class, Caris replied, “I guess the one thing that comes into my head is, I love you all. That sounds really cheesy, but with all that's going on, it’s made me appreciate everyone for who they are. I'm glad that we could all come together one last time, even if it's not what we imagined it to be.”

Senior Columns: Reflecting on the last four years On Graduating... From the Kids’ Menu

M

y grandmother always used to tell me, “Janie, if you eat too much macaroni and cheese, you’ll turn into a macaroni noodle.”

I’d sure hope to become more than a noodle someday. But there I was, continuing to spoon-feed myself the familiar child delicacy. A day without macaroni in my hot pink Thermos was honestly a tragic one.

My first true heartbreak, though, occurred when a waiter at my favorite Mexican restaurant told me I was too old for the Kids’ Menu. So you mean to tell me I have to order actual Mexican food and not the plain burger? Outrageous.

I’ve retreated to the comfort of the cheesy carbohydrate concoction and the 12-and-under menus for much of my life. I just never saw

the point of delving into a new cuisine if I was perfectly content with my current palette.

This hesitance to venture out of my realm of normalcy applied in my academic and social life throughout most of high school, too. I took zero real risks. Beyond my bland taste preferences, I hardly spoke up in classes, didn’t stand up for myself when I was mistreated, and didn’t make room for anything without a slot in my Google Calendar.

But senior year brought a wave of panic when I realized that I hadn’t experienced everything that these years have to offer. I wanted to have genuine value in my last moments at home, even if that meant sacrificing my rigid ways. So I let myself go a little—as cliché as it sounds, you

only live once.

I’ve gotten three hours of sleep some nights after texting my sweet time away. I agreed to attend a bootcamp workout class and fell off a treadmill in front of at least 30 people (and have the scars to prove it). I jumped into Lake Tahoe fully clothed in the middle of February.

I’ve overlooked my parents’ late night texts saying, “It’s really time to come home now.” The list goes on.

Freshman Janie would have been bewildered by this lack of discipline, public humiliation, disregard for “Do not jump off this dock” signs, and disrespect for authority. Senior Janie recognizes that not all of her decisions are the most rational, but is willing to endure the consequences and learn from past mistakes. Plus,

Young, brown and down

I

n the fall, I’ll be attending the University of California, Davis—a school I never thought I’d end up at. As a matter of fact, I never thought I’d go to a four-year university at all. I’m the daughter of Tongan immigrants who are relatively unfamiliar with the prospect of attending college. My father even told me straight up that he has no money to give me. But throughout high school, I didn’t let these obstacles weigh me down.

As a low-income Polynesian student, the education system isn’t where people like me thrive. Some of us fail to finish high school or decide not to continue in higher education. Many people take one look at me and lower their expectations—they try to explain things in simpler terms or walk right past me. They made me feel belittled and not worthy of success.

At one point, I started to believe them. I was usually the only low-income or first-generation student in my AP classes. Sitting among my privileged peers made me feel uncomfortable and afraid to speak up

because. I felt like I didn’t belong.

The College Admissions Scandal, when parents paid to cheat their children into college, promulgated that to me: I could work as hard as I can, but in the end, a rich white kid would beat me to it.

However, I persevered and pushed myself. I did test corrections, attended review sessions and stayed after school to get a headstart on lessons. I always asked for help when I needed it. As a result of my efforts, I maintained strong grades every semester.

The promise of a better future—attending and graduating college, earning my own income, moving out of the flats and into my own house—motivated me.

Just thinking about seeing my parents smile and clap in the audience, even post pictures on Facebook about my graduation day was enough for me to not give up.

I imagined myself helping younger Polynesian students who were

Janie Dent

News Editor

I’ll have some good stories to tell my grandchildren one day.

And even though the coronavirus pandemic has put everything on halt, I’m still living my life to the fullest extent that I can. I don’t need an unbearingly long, sweaty graduation to validate the growth I’ve had over the years. As cheesy as it sounds, I feel fulfilled by the friendships I’ve strengthened, the sticky situations I’ve navigated, and all the times I’ve made an absolute fool of myself.

After four years of high school, I’m finally growing out of my sheltered phase to move on to bigger (and tastier) things. As long as I don’t relapse and live off of microwavable Kraft macaroni in college, I’ll be good to go!

Meleseini Loto’aniu

trying to navigate a system that isn’t built for us.

And my hard work inevitably paid off. When it was time to apply for college. I spent hours perfecting my essays, telling admissions officers the hardships I faced being a low-income and first-generation Polynesian student in a place as fast-paced and advanced as Silicon Valley. I ended up getting accepted into more than half of the schools I applied to.

Being a first-generation, low-income, Polynesian student isn’t a disadvantage. It motivates me.

The color of my skin and

Staff writer

my socioeconomic status does not define my work ethic and willingness to succeed. I’ll never stop working hard because I can show people what I am capable of. More brown, low-income, first-generation students are on the come up and we all have the same goal: changing our trajectory.

We’re breaking stereotypes and defeating the odds.

The Talon // 15

Becoming a Masterchef W

hen I think of my freshman self, I am reminded of the saddest episode of Masterchef Junior that I ever watched.

One overly-ambitious 11-year old dreamed of owning a Mexican-Italian fusion restaurant, and for his meal, he planned to create an intricate salmon and Sous Vide multi-course meal to present to the judges. However, throughout the course of the episode, it became very clear that he was in over his head: He forgot his salmon in the oven, his Sous Vide took too long, and with about two minutes left, he had abandoned all but one side veggie. When it came time to taste his food, all he had to present were two poor spears of asparagus on an 8-inch plate.

I came into high school with the

expectation of perfection. I wanted to take the hardest classes, have a job, write compelling A+ essays and be self-disciplined. I was going for a salmon and Sous Vide delicacy, but by setting my sights so high, I inevitably fell short. My job application was still in the oven, my goals were taking too long on the back burner, and with two minutes before the essay deadline, I had an undercooked outline and half a thesis statement.

I decided I would never rip out a page. This changed my entire attitude towards failure.

It was through journaling that I learned these things don’t happen

overnight.

During my freshman year, I tried to journal every day. But every time I missed a day, I would rip out the previous pages because I wanted a fresh start. This time, I’ll never miss a day. Instead of seeing setbacks as a part of the learning process, I tried to flush my failures away.

Then, five months ago, I decided I would never rip out a page.

This decision changed my entire attitude towards failure. Instead of trying to change myself overnight by ripping out pieces of myself, I accepted them as a whole, and as a part of the process.

The process is slow. When I was constantly ripping out pages, I was shedding a false skin and acting like I was somehow a different

We’re All Going to Die! A

few weeks ago, my friend asked me if I was afraid of death, and I said I definitely wasn’t. Death is inevitable. Why should we be afraid of it if it’s going to happen anyway?

It took a terrifying experience for me to realize that I was wrong.

I was rock climbing and as soon as I reached the top I looked down at the 50-something-foot drop below me.

I felt this overwhelming feeling

of fear rush up my body. That fear made me confused: How could I be afraid of falling and dying, when I was supposedly also unafraid of death?

That moment made me realize that I’m terrified of death, and I think it has to do with where I am in life at this point. I’ve spent so much of the last four years pouring time and effort into my future.

I’ve made countless sacrifices to get myself into a good college and get good grades. I can’t tell you how m a n y times I’ve abandoned a video project because I had

Lucas Bricca

person who couldn’t possibly fail this time around. In fact, I was the same.

Once I accepted my failures, I began to make concrete changes.

I wasn’t going to ace my tests without doing the homework. I wasn’t going to dissect Zora Neale Hurston before I could read Dr. Seuss.

Instead of going for fancy French techniques and “New York Times” recipes, I learned to boil water.

Next year, I’m going to be in a whole new kitchen. I know that sometimes I might go for a Mexican-Italian salmon Sous Vide fusion and feel like I ended up with two limp pieces of asparagus on national television—but armed with a spatula and the knowledge that it’ll all be okay, this time around, I’m ready for life.

Greg Corn

too much homework, or told someone I couldn’t hang out because I needed to study. I think I spent something like 14 hours studying for my second semester Geometry Honors final. Fourteen hours!

My fear of death has given me the chance to adequately reflect on the way I’ve spent my time in high school. Looking back, I think I could have done a lot more to make the most of it, and I could have spent a lot more time living in the moment.

Of course, there’s a balance to this. You can’t be completely satisfied with your circumstances and not prepare for the future, because otherwise, you won’t improve as a person. However, I think we’ve all struggled to live in the moment. We all spend a vast portion of our life preparing for what’s to come that we forget to appreciate where we are now. We try and justify it to ourselves, but at the end of the day, we can always make better use of our time.

Now that I’m off to college, I’m

Senior writer

Videographer

psyched, and my main concern is how I’m going to make the most of the next four years. I’m thinking about how I’m going to spend my time and what kinds of sacrifices I’m going to make. I don’t expect to be making all the right decisions, but thinking about my decisions is the first step.

I’ll be afraid of death for the rest of my life. Weirdly enough, I’m thankful for it.

At first, I phrased my fear of death as something that would fade away after high school and college, but I think I’ll be afraid of death for the rest of my life.

Weirdly enough, I’m thankful for it. That fear is ensuring I’m making the most of my time here on Earth. It’s making sure I spend my time doing the things that make me happy, and it’s making sure I’m grateful for the things I have. I have a huge fear of death, and I’m excited to see where it takes me.

H

What I’d Been Looking Fo-o-or

igh School Musical was the soundtrack of my childhood.

Gabriella Montez showed me that just because you were shy didn’t mean you had to be invisible. But for the longest time, it was nothing more than a cruel reminder of everything high school wouldn’t be for me—outgoing kids and big cliques and synchronized dance numbers (boy I wish we had more of those)— until it somehow became my reality.

I auditioned for the school musical (which, ironically, was High School Musical) this year hoping to get Kelsey because people told me I “wear glasses and am kind of weird.”

But then I got Gabriella, and for the first time, when people looked at me, I didn’t hide. I maybe even embraced it.

I’m not really the kind of person who’s supposed to enjoy high school, or at least I never thought I

F

was. My dad died at the end of my junior year, and I always believed that would define my high school experience. Gabriella was not something that was supposed to happen to me: Girls who have cried at least once in every class during junior and senior year don’t get perfect freeze-frame movie moments.

But when that moment was handed to me on a cast list posted outside the attendance office, I started to notice all of the ways that maybe high school was for me.

I have a fantastic group of friends, and I wouldn’t be the person I am without them. I have found a family in Talon, one that has kept me going during the worst days of my life, one who I could not imagine going through high school without. I did a year-long research project with one of my closest friends and went to London to present it. I competed in

the school-wide poetry slam, made life-long friends in marching band.

I’ve grown, I’ve laughed till I’ve cried and also just cried (high school does still suck sometimes), and I have become more of a person than I was four years ago.

I spent so long convincing myself that I was never going to be happy for these four years that I barely noticed the life I had created for myself during them—until High School Musical forced me to. I almost didn’t notice all the good things in my life because I was so hell-bent on believing I didn’t deserve them.

When I got into my dream school, I tried not to tell anyone because I kind of assumed it was a mistake.

When someone I’m not close to talks to me, my automatic assumption is that they either pity me or are making fun of me.

It’s not like everything is mag-

On Living in a Mess of an Age

or most of my life I’ve been utterly delusional. When I was nine, I was convinced I would choke on a grape, so I would chew on my grapes for at least 15 seconds before swallowing. When I was ten, I said goodbye to all of my friends when I anticipated the world ending on December 21, 2012. When I was 13, I was convinced I’d get abducted in Costco. When I was a freshman, I was convinced I’d do horribly in every class and end up flunking out of high school.

None of his ever happened.

So yes, I would say I spent the majority of my adolescence living in fear. And the older I got, the deeper the fear became. It was no longer the fear of choking, getting abducted or the world ending, but rather just the blatant fear of uncertainty. Every assignment I submitted in high school came with crippling anxiety that I would do horribly. Every summer came with the inevitable anxiety attack when it was time for me to go away for sleepaway camps. The thought of graduating high school and moving away was the Volde-

mort of my household.

And then the most uncertain possible thing happened: a pandemic. I spent my whole life crafting a game plan for when I choked on a grape, got kidnapped in a supermarket or Earth split in half. But other than taking notes during the movie “Contagion,” I was clueless about what to do in the midst of a pandemic.

In 1948, C.S. Lewis published the essay, “On Living in an Atomic Age.” The essay was written just three years after the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. People didn’t know how to live in an age where everything could be over in an instant. Lewis’s solution was this: “As you would have lived in the sixteenth century when the plague visited London almost every year… or indeed, as you are already living in an age of cancer, an age of syphilis, an age of paralysis.”

Now, as I sit in my bed under sheets that haven’t been changed in weeks, I can’t help but wonder if I’ll be starting school in August, next January or ever. I can’t help but be fearful that (God forbid) something

Daniela Gloster

ically different after the musical, but I’m trying, I’m learning. High School Musical forced me to accept that good things can happen, but it shouldn’t have taken a big, jarring sign for me to realize that. It should’ve been the small things— daily hugs with my friends, a consistent spot to eat lunch every day, putting on my lab coat and goggles—that made me believe that I deserved happiness. These things are a privilege, and I should’ve seen them as such.

So moving on, moving away, I’m going to try to remember that the good things in my life are meant to be there and will stay, because otherwise I am doing a disservice to both myself and others who aren’t as lucky. If I forget every single other thing I learned in high school, I want to remember that I deserve good things—and you do too.

Mia Scher

happens to my family. But as we all shelter-in-place in our homes and are forced to take things as they come, I’ve come to understand that I’ve been living in a world of uncertainty my whole life.

I’ve realized through isolation that I tackled the uncertainty of adolescence by connecting with people outside my social circle, forming relationships with my teachers and by begging my classmates to give me more Derek Dollars so I could sit in the back with the outlet. These small instances kept me sane throughout uncertain school days and distracted me from those inevitable, and sometimes irrational, fears.

The next time I’ll be in a class-

Arts & Culture Editor

Senior writer

room setting, it won’t be next to peers who I’ve known since kindergarten or taught by a teacher who knows my name and my interests.

This transition comes with dozens of new paranoias and uncertainties, but now I understand that, while my fear of the uncertain is valid, I need to take it day-by-day. As Lewis states, “It is perfectly ridiculous to go about whimpering because scientists have added one more chance of premature death to a world which already bristled with such chances and in which death itself was not a chance at all, but a certainty.”

Kylie Akiyama, Isabella Borkovic, Kristen Fan, Janie Dent, Katrina Arsky, Greg Corn, Marie Godderis, Mia Scher, Cameron Cox, Emily McNally, Amid Najmi | Photographers Emily Zhu | Graphics Captain

18 // June 2020

The Talon // 19

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The Talon// 21

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The Talon// 23

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The Talon// 25

DISCLAIMER: These bios were written by other staff members.

Daphne Ih

Nikhita Boddu

Kristen Fan

Isabella Borkovic

Daniela Gloster

Navya Singhai

Kylie Akiyama

Mayu Alten

Janie Dent

Elli Lahdesmaki

Stella Huang

Cathy Wang

Kylie Akiyama | Media Managing Editor Kylie Akiyama is a woman of many talents: she can put her hair in a perfect ponytail without brushing it, she takes beautiful photos and she’s amazing at tennis (although she could be a bit more humble about it). However, her most admirable talent is owning an Android phone and persevering socially. Her ability to maintain friends even with green texts probably comes from her cool Nike shoes. When people see her shoes, they want to be friends with her.

Mayu Alten | Copy/Content Editor If you think you can finesse, Mayu can definitely finesse harder than you (sorry to say). Although Mayu’s favorite part of latenights is driving to pickup dinner, she is a powerhouse when it comes to CC edits. She has mastered the art of working smart and not hard, and you can always count on her to make you laugh with her crazy stories. If you race her in the hills, you will definitely lose!

Katrina Arsky | Photography Captain Kind, freckled and usually dressed like a girl vacationing in the south of France, the quality of Katrina’s photos can only be matched by the quality of her hugs (but definitely not her singing voice). Passionate momager to her dog, Kaya, Katrina can be found choreographing routines for her dance kiddos outside the Talon room or busting out a graphic in record time. Latenights won’t be the same without her distressed milly rocking, obsessive eye for aligning text boxes, and sleep-deprived laughing fits.

Nikhita Boddu | Opinions Editor With endless cardigans, unrivaled kindness, bad vision and pockets full of fruit snacks, Nikhita is Talon’s resident grandma. Although she can’t bake cookies to save her life, she definitely knows how to spice up an article. Nikhita’s fine-line edits can be intimidating, but like any other overbearing (yet endearing) matriarch, she just cares deeply about her writers and their voices. This gentle soul will certainly be missed.

Isabella Borkovic | Web Managing Editor Isabella Borkovic, or “Isa-balla” as she is known on the street, started her journey in Talon as many other sophomores did. However, only a couple months in, she was roped into the sports section and became the queen of the sports section the next year. Now, she reaches the end of her Talon experience having spent her final year eating burrito bowls during Iron Chef and writing articles about Mr. Rojas’s dog. She is on to new horizons, but will always be remembered as a true balla.

Lucas Bricca | Senior Writer 6’ in Heelys. Thinks a jumpsuit is a personality trait. Still upset he wasn’t nominated for best hair. If you think his van is big, you should see his ego.

You thought you just saw Napoleon Dynamite crawl out of the discount bin at Goodwill? That’s Lucas. Cried when Andrew Yang dropped out of the presidential race. He’s a master of the aux, as long as you like Macklemore.

Greg Corn | Videographer Leader of the two biggest cults at Los Altos: the Pretzel Appreciation Club and Los Altos Croc Watch. You might know him from “Is that a robed figure worshipping doughy, salted, delicious, criss-crossed baked goods?” or other hits such as “Who does that guy think he is trying to match crocs with a flannel?” Unanimously won re-election this spring for Mayor of Funkytown.

26 // June 2020

Janie Dent | News Editor If you thought her tolerance as a babysitter for our sophomore writers was small, you should see her food palate. Janie is so adventurous she’ll order anything from mac & cheese at a Mediterranean restaurant to mac & cheese at an Italian restaurant. Her sanity as the news editor is being held together just like her twelve-year-old backpack: precariously pinched together by safety pins. And she’s an aspiring contortionist: the only thing she can’t fit into is your stereotype of a dumb blonde.

Kristen Fan | Print Managing Editor If you’re looking for a great Talon photographer, look the other way because Kristen isn’t one. But if you need a Photoshop “expert,” boba fiend or a girl with a tiny version of a giant FILA shoe on her key chain, then look no further.

Although this print managing editor is almost too-willing to skip class for Talon and uses a stolen Hydroflask, she’s also a creative genius who can put a smile on anyone’s face.

Daniela Gloster | Arts & Culture Editor When Daniela isn’t busy playing Gabriella Montez and stealing the show, she spends her time trying to down-regulate the production of inflammatory cytokines to treat chronic pain or whatever evil masterplan she’s carrying out in ASI. Her talents are endless: From having the entire plot of Friends memorized to bangs that almost never look bad, she can really do it all. Find her in room 409 if you ever need a hug or wanna steal some Ritz crackers.

Daphne Ih | Editor-in-Chief Daphne Ih, more aptly known as Dad-ne, is simultaneously Talon’s mom and dad: She’ll force-feed you the best cookies, brownies and pasta you’ve ever tasted and then drop a groan-inducing dad joke. But don’t let her easy-going manner confuse you—underneath her infectious smile and boundless positivity is a sleep-deprived girl who stays up until until 4 a.m. to edit and perfect an article. She will be remembered as one of Talon’s most supportive, and punniest, editors-in-chief.

Meleseini Loto’aniu | Staff Writer When she’s not writing for The Talon, Meleseini can be found on Netflix, dancing to Fancy, and absolutely rocking a high ponytail. She’s a proud Polynesian, talented flautist, and the definition of sunshine. Follow her on Instagram @ meleseinilatu ;)

2020-2021 Staff Editor-in-Chief Stella Huang Print Managing Editor Navya Singhai Web Managing Editor Cedric Chan Media Managing Editor Emily Zhu News Editor Tomoki Chien

Features Editor Rachel Rudyak

Opinions Editor Sports Editor Nina Crofts Elana Eisenberg Arts & Culture Editor Kate Stadler Senior Staff Allison Bricca, Kaavya Butaney, Cameron Cox, Marie Godderis, Elli Lahdesmaki, Parisa Larson, Emily McNally, Vaishnavi Sirkay, Isaac Tesfaye, Barrett Wong, Staff Lauren Chung, Allan Feldman, Olivia Hewang, Naomi Ichiriu, Nathaniel Joffe, Elyssa Kennedy, Kaley Kwan, Yiwei Liu, Lauren Morimoto, Katherine O’Neal, Anagha Rajesh, Gil Rubinstein, Naomi Schulze, Anika Sikka, Mira Sundar, Rohan Vaswani, Garv Virginkar, Natalie Wei, Kathrina Welborn

Amid Najmi | Photographer There is likely no other person more passionate about photography than Amid. When he’s not advocating for more media representation in Talon, he’s debating his personal philosophies with you. Amid often seems too impressive to be human, from his adamant stance against downloading Facebook to the long paragraphs of personal mindset advice he sends you at two in the morning. Surprisingly, though, he also asks questions relating to the calculus test next week, revealing a shred of humanity.

Ethan Ruyack | Senior Writer Ethan Ruyack is a man of extremes: he is the least likely person to survive in the wilderness; he has the most wholesome Instagram feed in the world; and he is the least intimidating 6’1” man you will ever meet. While he has had many romantic relationships with various members of Talon (that’s a joke), his one true love will always be the pursuit of journalism (that’s also a joke).

Mia Scher | Senior Writer You’ll hear her before you see her, likely screaming “It’s a chocolate truffle!” Meet Mia, or should we say Sage, her new puppy that makes an appearance everywhere she does. Mia is 45 minutes late to everything, only because she’s been yelling at her crew teammates since 5 a.m. In fact, she talked her way out of a speeding ticket once because she was so late. Mia also managed to get a concussion from a bunk bed. But we honestly don’t know what we’d do without her.

Julie Vargas | Senior Writer No matter how stressed out or sleep-deprived she may be, Julie Vargas is full of laughs. She probably eats them for breakfast. Julie is a proud Latina who can be seen rocking her favorite pair of chanclas. She will be attending UC Irvine—a fine achievement, as she’s the first in her family to do so. Outside of school, Julie spends her days watching Gilmore Girls, hanging out with friends and family and reposting Spanish memes.

Cathy Wang | Copy/Content Editor There is no greater combination of Harry Styles, Haechan, the Marvel Universe, the flute, salt & vinegar chips, airpods, Sameera Ahmed and Birkenstocks than Cath(y) Wang. A true legend, she is part of the .05 percent of the senior population that takes seven classes and remarkably shows no sign of senioritis. An Asian representation advocate, film critic, lovely friend and a real one.

The Talon // 27