The Talon | Senior Issue | June 3, 2016

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Senior Magazine

Silicon Valley Los Altos High School Class of 2016 The Science of Goodbyes · Graduation Speakers · 3 News Snapshots · Top news moments of the year · 4 Hometown Heroes · Recruited Athletes · 6 Humans of Los Altos High · Senior Superlatives · 9 Maps · Post Graduation Plans · 16 In the Cloud· Senior Columns · 28

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Try: A letter from the editor: Dear Class of 2016, Congratulations! We are entering the adult world prepared to take on any challenge or obstacle. It’s time for us to say goodbye to the familiar classrooms and walkways of Los Altos High School and to tread new ground, whether it be close to home, in a different state or on another continent altogether.

Growing up in Silicon Valley has given us a unique perspective on connection.

We live in a culture where the ways in which we connect are so diverse and so accessible that graduation can only be considered a goodbye, a disconnection, in name. In this age of seamless connectedness, goodbyes are see-you-laters, and graduation has transformed into a particularly meaningful see-you-later.

No matter how far apart we may drift, we will always be connected. The relationships we’ve formed and lessons we’ve learned in high school will always follow us.

And as part of the brightest, most connected and advanced generation of millennials, we have the potential to truly move mountains and solve the world’s most critical issues.

We’ve grown up witnessing enormous advancements in technology that only continue to accelerate our abilities to connect with one another and people all over the world. Generation Z, do what you do best: Connect with those who share your passions and ultimately, your futures.

Class of 2016, this is not a goodbye. Good luck and ttyl.

Reflections How have you changed since freshman year?

“I’m taller and my nose is less straight.” — Josh Kirshenbaum “I used to be straight.” — Kayla Engle What would you change about your high school experience?

“Not a thing. Except maybe fish more. That’s always a good one.” — Eli Wilson

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Independence

Heritage

Spoons

Evelyn Crisanto Evelyn never considered writing a graduation speech until her brother inspired her by doing the exact same thing three years ago.

“When my brother graduated in 2013, I saw that a Latino spoke and that made me want to write a speech myself,” Evelyn said. “I knew there was going to be tough competition because there’s a lot of good writers, but I was confident in myself that I would be able to get the spot. Little did I know, I [would get] it, and I’m so happy and proud of myself because it’s one of the biggest honors.”

In her speech, Evelyn encourages her peers to follow their dreams through perseverance and determination. Part of Evelyn’s high school journey involved learning to embrace her Hispanic heritage, a theme which she incorporates into her speech.

“My speech has Spanish in it,” Evelyn said.

“Some parts are in Spanish and some parts are in English. It starts with all the activities I’ve witnessed at Los Altos like dodgeball and homecoming. Then I talk about how we all need to pursue excellence and not just follow the norm, but go the extra mile.”

Evelyn has appreciated both the ups and down of her time at LAHS. In particular, she remembers a sophomore year teacher taking the time to care about her mental well-being.

“When I had a really bad time sophomore year, and I felt like I couldn’t go to anyone, my teacher came up to me and asked why I didn’t seem [like] myself in class,” Evelyn said. “She helped me out of that phase. [She taught me] that no matter what hard time a person is fac-

Written by Tino Tugwete and Savita Govind

Will Alexander & Bianca Champenois

ing, always remember that it is important to stay positive and not lose motivation.”

As she leaves LAHS, Evelyn will cherish the best memories of her high school experience.

“Some of the happier moments would be when I heard back from colleges where I got accepted [and] getting my driver’s license.”

Evelyn said. “These moments are special to me because I will always remember them with each new milestone I reach in my life.”

Though she has not yet decided which college she will be attending this fall, Evelyn plans to study to eventually become a nurse.

“The one thing I want people to take away from my speech is to really remember to keep going,” Evelyn said. “Keep going no matter what the challenge in your path is and always stay strong, but I also hope my speech just makes people smile and laugh.”

Will Alexander, a four-year stand-out member of the Speech and Debate club, and Bianca Champenois, president of Green Team and a major environmentalist, combined their different backgrounds and personalities to write a speech for graduation.

“Our speech is about independence, spoons, compost and the amount of time I’ve spent inside trash cans,” Bianca said.

“I know that those don’t seem connected at all, but I promise that it will be entertaining and inspiring.”

Both of the speakers described themselves as introverts at the beginning of high school and credit their experience at LAHS for push-

ing them to become the confident and passionate people they are today. Their speech also centers on the idea of taking initiative and shares how it has shaped their lives.

“Our speech is supposed to motivate students to take things into their own hands because I have always found that this is the best way to be successful,” Bianca said. “I hope the speech makes people realize that we all have within us the power to do what we believe matters. Rather than passively living life, we should take advantage of what we have and take a stand for what we value.”

Though Bianca and Will have very different interests, their lives are parallel in the sense that they have gained similar values from LAHS and will be taking the next step in their lives at UC Berkeley. Will plans to major in both political science and economics, and later attend law or business school in the hopes of entering the nonprofit sector. “[High school has] taught me the importance of taking initiative,” Will said. “The community here is very supportive and all of us can just get by in life pretty easily. Over the past two years in high school, I’ve found that there are so many opportunities for us to take that there’s really no excuse not to.”

Both Will and Bianca hope for their audience to be inspired by their speech.

“We were trying to make the speech inspirational, but not preachy,” Will said. “It is supposed to be a celebration of how much our class has achieved in the past four years, and we hope that it inspires people to continue doing great things in the future.”

SILICON VALLEY · CLASS OF 2016 SENIOR MAGAZINE | 3

THE TOP FIVE MOMENTS OF THE 2015-2016 SCHOOL YEAR Written by Julia Santos

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1.

TOP LEFT: TALON FILE PHOTOS, TOP RIGHT: PHOTO-ILLUSTRATION BY ANDREW YOUNG, BOTTOM: COURTESY JORDAN AUERBACH

TALON FILE PHOTO-ILLUSTRATION

1. GAFE After the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) program was introduced last year, the school continued the push for a more technology-based classroom environment by implementing Google Apps for Education (GAFE), educational tools to help create a digital classroom. Google Classroom, the most novel feature of GAFE, provided students with a more organized alternative to notebook planners and teachers with a way to assign and grade homework and projects on one platform.

2. Freshman P.E. Exemption This year, all freshman with six academic classes and participation in a school sport had the choice to opt out of P.E. while their sports were in season.

Previously, only students nationally ranked in individual sports outside of school could request P.E. credits by filling out monthly reports of their activities. Any other student-athlete was required to take a year of P.E. during freshman year. The new policy allows freshman student-athletes to finish their school days and leave for their sport practices without missing any classes.

3. Wi-Fi As a result of increased demand on networks due to the BYOD and GAFE programs, the school continued to work on fixing unreliable WiFi throughout the year. Initial issues were caused by the lack of important updates for routers, which the IT department is responsible for maintaining. During the second semester, the administration added a second Wi-Fi system, labeled “MVLA student,” which allowed for faster Internet usage on average across the campus.

Eagle geofilter courtesy Jaclyn Saik

TALON FILE GRAPHIC

4. Junior Prom On May 21, junior Jordan Auerbach hosted a junior prom unaffiliated with the school at the Palo Alto Elks Lodge. Unlike the annual school-sponsored senior prom, the Auerbach family funded the dance and asked for donations of $40 from each guest. All of the funds raised toward the goal of $5,000 were donated to the Have Faith Be Strong Foundation, a charity created by senior Bailey Thayer’s family to honor the loss of two of their children, Jalen and Breanna, to cancer. A total of 254 juniors attended the event and filled the lodge to full capacity.

can be assigned for certain types of classes and encourages students to communicate with their teachers when faced with concurrent deadlines. In addition to the homework policy, the school also began implementing various changes to alleviate student stress. Some of the improvements include suggestion boxes for at-risk students, increased library hours, frequent bathroom maintenance and upgraded school furniture. Through these changes, the administration also hopes to foster a culture of dialogue on student stress and mental well-being on campus.

5. Homework Policy & Student Wellness In the past year, the district increased its focus on student wellness by passing a new homework policy that will take effect next school year. The policy clarifies how many hours of homework

SILICON VALLEY · CLASS OF 2016 SENIOR MAGAZINE | 5

Written and Compiled by Olivia Jerram, Josh Kirshenbaum, Julia Santos, Alex Wong, Kevin Yen and Ben Zaeske cation skills and it’s encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone more often,” Adera said. “Despite being across the country, Arcadia is the perfect school for me and I’m happy I found it.”

1. Lauren Jacob Cross Country Johns Hopkins University Lauren Jacob has run on the varsity cross country and track and field teams since she was a freshman. Next year, she is moving to Baltimore, Maryland to attend Johns Hopkins University, where she’ll run on its Division III team.

“I’m really looking forward to the community I’ll have with the other track athletes right off the bat,” Lauren said. “Other freshmen typically come in not knowing anyone but I’m glad that I’ll have the team to make the transition [to college] easier.”

2. Adera Ahern Field Hockey Arcardia University Adera Ahern has played on the field hockey team for three years.

Ever since her parents nudged her to pick up another pastime after softball, Adera has been head-over-heels about the sport. She credits much of her personal growth to field hockey.

“Field hockey has helped me work on my work ethic, my communi-

3. Nusly Zuniga Field Hockey Earlham University Three year field hockey player Nusly Zuniga loves field hockey. Nusly will be attending Earlham University in Indiana, a Divison III school for field hockey that also boasts a strong medical program.

“Getting to be aggressive, happy, free and just ready to kick butt is why I love this sport,” Nusly said. “I want to pursue a medical career, so [being recruited by Earlham] was a huge plus.”

4. Patrick Vargas Football Univeristy of La Verne After a successful four-year career on the football team, Patrick Vargas is moving on to play Division III football at the University of La Verne. For him, becoming a Leopard was the best way to continue his athletic career.

“They’ve been recruiting me since [I was] a freshman and never stopped until I signed, which proved to me that they actually cared a lot about me when other schools were fake and flippant at times,” Patrick said.

5. Carina Burdick Tennis Villanova University After a successful career in the girls tennis program, Carina will be bringing her talent to Villanova University.

She is glad she will be able to continue playing tennis in college.

“I really like the school,” Carina said.

“There’s something about it that I noticed when I stepped on the campus.

I just felt this comfort, and this calm that this is the right place for me. I really love the school’s community, and team spirit, and the school was letting me major in biochem which is what I wanted [to study].”

7. Lulu Kishton Volleyball Johns Hopkins University Louisa “Lulu” Kishton was recruited

by Johns Hopkins University to play Division III volleyball. She is excited about going to school in Baltimore and joining the close-knit team there, which has become more competitive in the last few years.

“I’m excited to join a program that’s becoming stronger rather than weaker, [and] a team with such a great atmosphere,” Lulu said. “I’m definitely going to have to train a lot more [and] it’s going to be more intense, but I think the level of play will be a lot better too.”

6. Juliette Martin Tennis Harvey Mudd College Juliette Martin has been playing tennis since she was four years old, and she will continue her tennis career for the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps women’s team while attending Harvey Mudd College.

“I chose Harvey Mudd because academics were the most important aspect of college to me, and after visiting Harvey Mudd, I fell in love with the atmosphere there and the style of teaching,” Juliette said. “I also really admire the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps tennis team there because the girls are such great players, so I know that they will constantly challenge me to be my best.”

8. Sarah Tritschler Volleyball Claremont McKenna College Sarah was recruited by Claremont McKenna College to play Division III volleyball. Despite breaking her leg the summer before senior year, Sarah still played a large role on this year’s team. She looks forward to a more intensive volleyball season in a larger college team.

“I’m mostly excited for the entire atmosphere of the school,” Sarah said. “Balancing academics and sports at the same time is going to be a challenge, but I’m definitely looking for to it. The school is just so fun, and everyone I’ve talked to just said it’s amazing and you’re never really bored.”

PHOTOS 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 13 AND 16 BY KUNAL PANDIT, JOSH KIRSHENBAUM, KEVIN YEN; 8 TALON FILE PHOTO; PHOTOS 1, 3, 9, 12, 14, 15, 17 COURTESY JEFF ADAMS, SPORTSWURLZ, MATTHEW KORPONTINOS, JANELLE MCAFEE, ALBERT GWO, ANDREW ZAESKE, MALCOLM SLANEY

how far the best program in the world can take me,” Albert said.

9. Matthew Korpontinos Soccer Seattle University Next year, Matthew Korpontinos, who plays for the San Jose Earthquake’s youth academy, will be moving north to play at Seattle University. He’s excited for the chance to play Division I soccer, and the challenges the next step will bring.

“I’m excited to come in as a freshman and have to work my way up,” Matthew said. “I’m used to being in the top of the spectrum when it comes to soccer, and college ball is going to be the first [time] where I have to start at the bottom and work my way up.”

10. Drew Coan Baseball De Anza College Drew Coan won’t have to move that far for the next step in his baseball career, moving from the center field grass at Los Altos down the road to Cupertino to play at De Anza College. He is enthusiastic to keep playing past his four years in high school.

“I am most excited to play at the next level, and for the new memories in store for me,” Drew said.

11. Trevor Rogers Baseball University of San Francisco After four years in the baseball program, Trevor Rogers is moving on to the University of San Francisco.

He’s excited to join the Dons and for the opportunities USF presents.

“I’m really excited about going to the city and continuing to play baseball,” Trevor said. “[I] love the school and am really just excited to get going.”

12. Janelle McAfee Softball West Valley College Janelle McAfee’s next step in her softball career will be at West Valley College, a two-year junior college in Saratoga. The chance to continue her career and local job opportunities made West Valley an obvious choice for Janelle.

“I’m excited about getting to play softball at the collegiate level and getting to stay home and have internships and opportunities around here while I’m in college,” Janelle said.

13. Lizzy Beutter Softball UC San Diego Lizzy Beutter has played on the varsity team as a pitcher for all four years at LAHS. Next year she’ll take her pitching talent to Division II softball at UC San Diego.

“I visited UCSD a few years ago, and I remember being totally awed by the field, which is gorgeous,” Lizzy said. “Now that I’m signed to UCSD, I can’t wait to get out there.”

14. Albert Gwo Swimming UC Berkeley Next year, Albert Gwo will be taking his talent to UC Berkeley.

He is excited to study mechanical engineering and compete for one of the top swimming teams in the world.

“Swimming wise, [I’m looking forward to] racing and seeing

15. Amanda Mell Track and Field Claremont McKenna College Amanda Mell is moving on from Los Altos, and will be on the womens track and field team at Claremont McKenna College.

She is especially excited about the combination of CMC’s topnotch academics and Division III athletics.

“I chose Claremont McKenna because I wanted to attend a small liberal arts college with intimate class sizes and individual attention,” Amanda said. “In terms of athletics, their track team is Division III, which I felt would allow me to have a relatively balanced lifestyle.”

16. Nathan Smith Volleyball Pennsylvania State University After four years of leading the boys volleyball team, Nathan will be taking his talent to Penn State to play Division I volleyball. Nathan says volleyball has been an integral part of his high school experience and is excited for what is to come.

“I’m really excited to be going into college sports to see what I can do at the next level,” Nathan said. “It’s exciting to me to be entering an environment like that which is really going to push me to be the best athlete that I can.”

17. Bailey Thayer Track and Field Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Next year, Bailey Thayer will be attending California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) at San Luis Obispo, where he will be competing for the Mustangs as a decathlete on the track and field team.

He looks forward to next year both on and off the field and already has some long term goals.

“I think [Cal Poly] is a great academic school and I’ll have some great opportunities there both on and off the field,” Bailey said. “Also it’s a Division I [school] so it’s exciting to be able to compete at that level and it’s something that I’ve always been looking forward to. Next year I’m looking forward to just getting on the grind and maybe win the Big West Conference as a junior or senior.”

Top Moments of the 2015-2016 School Year

Girls Volleyball wins League

Seniors Win Tennis CCS Doubles Title

KUNAL PANDIT

Sarah Tritschler “The team dynamic was super close.

Everyone was always so willing to join in on the cheers to help the people on the court, and I think that that enthusiasm only comes from teammates that truly have amazing bonds with one another. I’m mostly proud of how our team upheld people’s expectations... This year we had a lot of other teams gunning for us, and even though we lost a lot of great seniors, we were still able to win league and do well in CCS! I’m so proud of our team for pushing through the adversities that faced us.”

Boys Track Wins First De Anza Title Since 1999

COURTESY ANDREW ZAESKE

Joe Kull “This season overall has been great and I truly view the team as a second family. I was so thrilled that the varsity boys team won the league as it was well-deserved and overdue. I am so proud of my fellow teammates for stepping up this season and for competing at such a high level. I could never have been as successful without them for sure and I will always remember the friends that I have made out on the track.”

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COURTESY CARINA BURDICK

Juliette Martin “Playing together has helped our friendship a lot since we wouldn’t see each other that often if we didn’t play tennis together.”

Carina Burdick “The idea of us joining forces for CCS started sophomore year... An unfortunate injury kept Juliette out of play her junior year, but CCS was a moment we looked forward to for most of our senior season.”

Senior Defends State 50-Yard Freestyle Title

COURTESY ALBERT GWO

Albert Gwo “I’ve changed the way I race to enjoy it and have fun rather than worry about winning or racing faster... I’m most proud of how much harder I’ve been able to work this season and how much stronger I’ve become. The races and achievements just prove that my hard work is paying off, but I’m more proud of the countless hours of practice I’ve gone through with my team and even though in the moment I may not [have been] exactly enjoying it, afterwards I’m really thankful that I did everything I did.”

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Senior Superlatives

HUMANS OF LOS ALTOS HIGH 2016 Senior Superlatives

Compiled by Spencer Dembner, Keith Bohrer, David Lisbonne, Eric Thiem, Avi Varghese, Cole Hanson, Andrew Young, Britt de Visser, Alexis Malgesini, Jim Hollingworth, Kimia Shahidi, Carl Faust Timeline

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Maribelle Dickins

Question: Do you have any advice to underclassmen?

Don’t feel like you have to fit any specific mold to be successful; it’s the people who don’t that are remembered.

Write something on this Page...

Emily Goto

Question: Do you have any advice to underclassmen?

Be the one to stand up to speak when no one else will.

Alex Faché

Question: Do you have any advice to underclassmen?

Make friends with your teachers.

Sonia Uppal

Question: How have you changed since freshmen year?

Well, I don’t wear lime green pants anymore…

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Alice Dai and Katherine Yen May 23 at 11:17AM

Class of 2016, how did we get here? The first answer is obvious. Four years ago, the slightly shorter, less perceptive versions of ourselves walked onto campus, and that was it. We became high schoolers, doing high schooler activities, having exclusively high schooler conversations, thinking elevated high schooler thoughts. In theory.

How did we get here, really? The second answer is less clear. Four years ago, the prospect of graduating seemed like an 18 year legend. Despite the imminent arrival of graduation, for many of us, ending this chapter of our lives is still surreal. But “back then,” we could barely think about leaving after surviving only the first week of freshman year.

So how did we get here? Our answers are bound only by the shared passage of time at the school. In all other respects, the last four years meant something different to all of us. Fortunately, there is no comfort in conformity. In the wise words of fellow graduating seniors, be perceptive. Look around when the Wi-Fi isn’t working.

Remember to remember. The next time we ask ourselves how we got here, perhaps in a different graduation four years from now, our answers will be wrought with more insight and awkward stories and sweet memories. The physicality of walking to class everyday got us here just as much as our amorphous transformations from young people to slightly older young people. Life is happening. Everything from the last four years helped get us to the hereness of graduation. Class of 2016, thank you for helping all of us find this answer. It’s been real.

SILICON VALLEY · CLASS OF 2016 SENIOR MAGAZINE | 9

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Senior Superlatives

Most Dedicated to Learning Page Liked ▪ June 3

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Katherine Yen GPS? More like GPA. Christina Pao I’m so Intelligent!

Most Sleep Deprived Page Liked ▪ June 3

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Brittany Haley I wish I wasn’t so tired.

Selynna Sun There’s a-napp for that!

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Most Changed Since Freshman Year Page Liked ▪ June 3

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Syndey Nierman I don’t even get SD carded anymore!

Dani Anufriev I’ve had quite a few software updates.

Friendliest Page Liked ▪ June 3

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Kelly Little I send everyone friend requests!

Olivia Jain I favorite every tweet I see!

SILICON VALLEY · CLASS OF 2016 SENIOR MAGAZINE | 11

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Senior Superlatives

Most Likely to be President Page Liked â–Ş June 3

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Andreas Godderis I will have the best Facebook wall...

Julia Khan John Kasich tweeted about me!

Most Likely to Write the Next Great American Novel Page Liked â–Ş June 3

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Eli Colbert While the rest of you were on Facebook...

Jim Hollingworth We actually had our faces in books!

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Most Likely to be a Talk-Show Host Page Liked ▪ June 3

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Carl Faust Some people like emails, but I prefer Letterman.

Keith Bohrer When I see “The Tonight Show,” I always Fallon the floor laughing.

Most Likely to Win an Oscar Page Liked ▪ June 3

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Luke Dzwonczyk I can perform roles on every level, from Windows XP to 10!

Will Bassett Well I already Excel-ed to an Office-al role in the academy!

SILICON VALLEY · CLASS OF 2016 SENIOR MAGAZINE | 13

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Most Likely to Perform at Coachella Page Liked ▪ June 3

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Nate Spencely (Larry Brr) I hope I win a Grammy soon!

Brad Guesman An instaGrammy!

Most Likely to Perform in Carnegie Hall Page Liked ▪ June 3

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Ashwin Krishna We’re going Bach to the Future...

Ellen Roper The future won’t be able to Handel our musical talent!

14 | THE TALON

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Yuna Park I sure have come a long way since kid pix.

Vanessa Mark I send in so many drawings, they dropped my framerate!

Best Dancer Page Liked ▪ June 3

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Lexi Kanerva My 80s dance moves are kinda wobbly.

Audrey Chang A floppy disc-o!

SILICON VALLEY · CLASS OF 2016 SENIOR MAGAZINE | 15

Western Washington University (1) University of Washington (3), Seattle University (3)

Maps

Gonzaga University (1)

Pacific University (1), Reed College (1) Oregon State University (4)

Univer

University of Oregon (6)

Boise State University (1)

Southern Oregon University (1)

University of Wyom

Humboldt State University (2)

University of Nevada, Reno (3)

University of Utah (2) Brigham Young University (3)

California State University, Chico (6)

Colorado Colleg

Sacramento City College (1), California State University, Sacramento (1) University of California, Merced (1) Cogswell Polytechnical College (1), De Anza College (18), Foothill College (71), Menlo College (2), Mission College (4), San Jose State University (15), Santa Clara University (4), Stanford (2), West Valley College (3), San Jose City College (1)

Arizona State University (2)

The University of Arizona (4)

California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (13)

Santa Barbara City College (4), University of California, Santa Barbara (8)

Moorpark College (1)

Pepperdine University (1) Azusa Pacific University (1), California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (1), California State University, Fullerton (1), California State University, Long Beach (1), Chapman University (3), Claremont McKenna College (2), Harvey Mudd College (2), Scripps College (2), University of California, Los Angeles (4), University of Southern California (4), University of La Verne (1) 16 | THE TALON

Johnson and W University (1)

University of Nevada, Las Vegas (1)

University of California, Davis (8) Sonoma State University (2) California State University East Bay (3), Chabot College (1), Saint Mary’s College of California (2), University of California, Berkeley (23) San Francisco State University (8), University of San Francisco (2) Cabrillo College (2), University of California, Santa Cruz (7)

Colorado School of Mines (1) University of Colorado Boulder (8)

University of California, Riverside (3) University of California, Irvine (5) University of California, San Diego (7), University of San Diego (3) San Diego State University (2)

T

Babson College (1), Bentley University (1), Boston University (2), Emerson College (1), Harvard University (2), Northeastern University (9), Tufts University (1) Vassar College (1) Ohio Northern University (1)

Purdue University (4)

St. Olaf College (2) University of Wisconsin—Madison (3)

University of Notre Dame (1) Scott Community College (1) West Virginia University (1)

Knox College (1)

ming (1)

University of Illinois at Urbana—Champaign (2) Washington University in St. Louis (5)

ge (1)

Texas A&M University (1)

University of Vermont (1)

Cornell University (1)

Loyola University ChiColgate University (1) cago (1), Northwestern Syracuse University (1) University (3), School University of Rochester (1) of the Art Institute of Chicago (1), University of Chicago (1), Illinois Carnegie Mellon University (1) Institute of Technology Michigan State University (2) (1) University of Michigan (4)

rsity of Minnesota, Twin Cities (2)

Wales

Barnard College (2), Columbia University (1), New York University (3), Pratt Institute (1), Sarah Lawrence College (1)

The Ohio State University (1) Earlham College (1) Indiana University Bloomington (1)

University of New Hampshire (1) Yale University (1) Brown University (1) University of Connecticut (1) St. John’s University, Queens Campus (2) Stevens Institute of Technology (1) Arcadia University (1) Villanova University (1) Johns Hopkins University (2) University of Delaware (1) Georgetown University (1), The George Washington University (2)

University of Virginia (1) Hampden-Sydney College (1) Pennsylvania State University (4) Duke University (2)

Belmont University (1)

Georgia Institute of Technology (2) The University of Alabama (1) Southern Methodist University (2)

Rice University (2)

Other Plans:

Gap Year (2) Grenoble Ecole de Management (1) Seoul Institute of the Arts (1) Université de Montréal (1) University of British Columbia (1) University of Hawaii at Manoa (2) University of Victoria (1) Vancouver Island University (1) SILICON VALLEY · CLASS OF 2016 SENIOR MAGAZINE | 17

OK, CLASS OF 2016

STARTING ROUTE TO...

A

Abkowitz, Talya.................................................................. California State University, Chico Acevedo Perez, Antonia................................................................................Foothill College Aceves, Patrick...................................................................................University of Delaware Adams, Gregory.............................................................................Sacramento City College Aguilar, Katherine........................................................................................Mission College Aguilera Zapata, Zajari..................................................................................Foothill College Agustin, Kaya....................................................................................University of San Diego Alexander, Will.................................................................University of California, Berkeley Alvarado Ahern, Adera..............................................................................Arcadia University Alvarez, Maryjane..........................................................................................Foothill College Amador Zetina, Jesus...................................................................................Foothill College Ambler, Emma..............................................................................................Scripps College Ammini, Krishna...........................................................................................Babson College Antonio, Anna...............................................................California State University, East Bay Arista, Marcel.................................................................................................Foothill College Arora, Daughty.............................................................California State University, East Bay Avendano, Lizbeth.......................................................................................De Anza College Ayala Ornelas, Brenda.................................................................................Mission College

B

Baer, Alexander...............................................................................Northeastern University Bai, Claire..........................................................................University of Southern California Baker, Sean....................................................................................................Foothill College Barcelona, Cassidy........................................................................................Foothill College Bassett, Michael............................................................University of California, San Diego Bassett, William................................................................University of California, Berkeley Bauer, Amanda......................................................................University of California, Davis Baum, Kimberly.........................................................................................Boston University Bautista Hernandez, Ismael........................................................San Jose State University Baykin, Leo..............................................................................................West Valley College Beagle, Madeleine....................California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo Beck, Harrison...............................................................................University of Connecticut Bednarski, Carly...................................................................University of Colorado Boulder Bettinger, Rebecca.....................................................................Brigham Young University Beutter, Elizabeth..........................................................University of California, San Diego Biggerstaff, Nicholas.....................................................................................Foothill College Binesh, Sam...................................................................................San Jose State University Bishop, Chase..................................................................................Northeastern University Blockhus, Donna.....................................................University of California, Santa Barbara Bohrer, Keith...................................................................................Northwestern University Bonte, Jeremy...........................................................................................Colgate University Botsford, Cole................................................................................The Ohio State University Boulgakov, Mikhail.......................................................University of California, San Diego Bray, Meghan..................................................................................Oregon State University Buhr, Samantha.................................................................................Santa Clara University Burdick, Carina.......................................................................................Villanova University Butaney, Varun............................................................The George Washington University

C

Cabrol, Sebastian........................................................................Colorado School of Mines Caddes, Garrett............................................................University of Minnesota, Twin Cities Cai, Dongjian................................................................................................De Anza College Callan, Sarah......................................................................................University of Michigan Campos, Paola..............................................................................................De Anza College Cappelletti, Alec.............................................................................................Foothill College Carbajal Aguilar, Gredys...............................................................................Foothill College Cardenas-Salazar, Frida.........................................................................West Valley College Carroll, Matthew.........................California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo Casillas Rocha, Teresa....................................................................................Foothill College Castillo Morales, Ana....................................................... California State University, Chico Castillo-Musante, Cristian....................................................San Francisco State University Champenois, Bianca.......................................................University of California, Berkeley Chan, Christian..............................................................University of California, Santa Cruz Chang, Audrey.......................................................................................Columbia University Chang, Chaz..................................................................................San Jose State University Chang, Claire...............................................................California State University, Fullerton Chavez, Juan.................................................................................................Foothill College

18 | THE TALON

Chelluri, Karna...........................................................................................Bentley University Cheng, Claire......................................................................Georgia Institute of Technology Chevallier, Raphael..............................................................University of British Columbia Chi, Helena....................................................University of Illinois at Urbana—Champaign Chin, Alina......................................................................University of California, San Diego Chin, Jennifer................................................................................................Duke University Chung, Dasom..........................................................................Carnegie Mellon University Cigarrero, Rigoberto...........................................................................San Jose City College Cipres, Selena................................................................................................Foothill College Cipres-Perea, Danniella................................................................San Jose State University Coan, Andrew...............................................................................................De Anza College Colbert, Eli........................................................................................Sarah Lawrence College Colman, Adam.......................................................................................New York University Cooper, David............................................................................................Purdue University Costa, Haley...................................................................................Sonoma State University Cummins, Cole..........................California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo Cuson, Nathaniel............................................................................................Vassar College Cyron, Caitlin...................................................................................Northeastern University

D

Dai, Alice.........................................................................................................Duke University Dai, Ellen........................................................................Washington University in St. Louis Daney de Marcillac, Humbeline...................................Grenoble Ecole de Management Darvish, Darya............................California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo Davila, Julia.....................................................................................................St. Olaf College Davila, Patricia................................................................................................St. Olaf College Davis, Zack......................................................................Washington University in St. Louis Dawson-Bowman, Rebekah........................................................................Foothill College DeBacker, Jacob............................................................................................Foothill College Delamare, Scott.......................................................University of California, Santa Barbara Deng, Kathy......................................................................University of Southern California Dennig, Paul.....................................................................University of California, Berkeley Denton, Caden.............................................................................................De Anza College DeShetler, Marie...........................................................University of California, Santa Cruz Dexter, Jack...................................................................................Scott Community College Diaz, Karina..............................................................................................Syracuse University Diaz, Randy....................................................................................................Foothill College Dickins, Maribelle....................................................................................Harvard University Dillon, Katherine...............................................................................University of Michigan Dolce, Isaiah...................................................................................San Jose State University Dominguez-Ochoa, Josue...........................................................................Foothill College Dowdell, Chad................................................................................The University of Arizona Drasbek, Lane............................................................................University of Nevada, Reno Drzysga, Helena............................................................................................Foothill College Durana, Jason................................................................................................Foothill College Dutt Singkh, Devyash.....................................................Saint Mary’s College of California Duvillier, Paul............................................................................Vancouver Island University Dzwonczyk, Luke..............................................................University of California, Berkeley

E F

Elizalde Alcantar, Maira................................................................................Foothill College Ellis, Samantha..............................................................................................Foothill College Engle, Kayla.................................................................University of Minnesota, Twin Cities Enriquez, David............................................................................................De Anza College Enthoven, Margaret................................................................................Stanford University Esquibel, Kristian.........................................................................................De Anza College

Fache, Alexander................................................................Georgia Institute of Technology Faust, Carl...................................................................................................Moorpark College Feldman, Addison...........................................................................Northeastern University Fisher, Audrey....................................................................................................Knox College Fong, Patrick............................................................University of California, Santa Barbara Foulke, Stephen.........................................................................Hampden-Sydney College Fredriksson, David......................................................................San Diego State University Friend, Sara.....................................................................................Northwestern University

G

Garber, Callan...............................................................................................Barnard College Garcia Gatica, Guadalupe................................................ California State University, Chico Garcia, Cristian...............................................................................................Foothill College Garcia, Matthew.........................................................................Humboldt State University Garduno, Fernando.....................................................................................De Anza College Garvey, Andrew..........................California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo Gavra, Inbar......................................................................University of California, Berkeley Gee, Megan............................................................................University of California, Davis Gee, Stephanie..................................................................................................Reed College Geng, Rachel..........................................................................................New York University Gibson, Tatiana...........................California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo Giron Velazquez, Bryan................................................................................Foothill College Glein, Rachel.................................................................................University of Notre Dame Godderis, Andreas......................................................The George Washington University Gomez Martinez, Ana...........................................................San Francisco State University Gomez, Daniela..........................................................................Santa Barbara City College Gomez, Ivonne..............................................................................................Foothill College Gomez, Lorena...........................................................................Santa Barbara City College Gomez, Mateo................................................................................................Tufts University Gonzalez, Jesus.............................................................................San Jose State University Goto, Emily.........................................................................................................Pratt Institute Gounod, Kyle....................................................................................University of Wyoming Govani, Hitesh...............................................................................................Foothill College Grosvenor, Sean..............................................................................Arizona State University Guerrero Lubarsky, Isabel.............................................................................Foothill College Guesman, Brad...........................................................................................Brown University Guo, Sung-Yaa..................................................................University of California, Berkeley Gwo, Albert........................................................................University of California, Berkeley

H

Haley, Brittany............................................................................San Diego State University Hamel, Kenneth............................................................... California State University, Chico Hamlin, Andresen..........................................................................The University of Arizona Hanson, Cole.............................................................................................University of Utah Hareb, Kanishka.................................................................Cogswell Polytechnical College Harry, Lauren.................................................................... California State University, Chico Hartenbaum, Sophia....................................................Washington University in St. Louis Heintzen, Matthew...................................................................University of Nevada, Reno Heinzmann, Trevor..............................................................Southern Methodist University Hernandez, Jesus.........................................................................................Foothill College Herrera-Ramos, Kevin.................................................................................Mission College Ho, Katherine....................................................................................University of Michigan Hollenbaugh, Daniel..........................................................................Texas A&M University Hollingworth, Jim............................................................University of California, Berkeley Hood, Kieran....................................................................University of California, Berkeley Horovitz, Tal.....................................................................University of Wisconsin, Madison Houdek, Jessica...................................................................................University of Oregon Howell, Hayley..............................................................University of California, San Diego Huang, Amber............................California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo Huang, Annie...................................................................University of California, Berkeley Huch, Kylie...............................................................University of California, Santa Barbara Hung, Charles...............................................................................San Jose State University

J K

Jacob, Lauren...............................................................................Johns Hopkins University Jain, Olivia........................................................................University of California, Berkeley Jerram, Olivia...................................................................University of California, Berkeley Johnson, Tiffany.........................................................................Brigham Young University Jow, William.....................................................................University of California, Berkeley Juneja, Shruti............................................................................................Cornell University Kabakibo, Danny...................................................................Illinois Institute of Technology Kanerva, Aleksis.............................................................................................Foothill College Katsev, Sarah...............................................................................................Colorado College Kawaguchi, Alec............................................................................San Jose State University Kerr, Sierra..................................................................................................................Gap Year Khan, Julia....................................................................................................Barnard College Khodadad, Keana................................................................. University of California, Irvine Kim, Jin................................................................................University of Colorado Boulder

Kirshenbaum, Josh.....................................................................University of Washington Kiselev, Rachael...................................................................University of Colorado Boulder Kishton, Louisa.............................................................................Johns Hopkins University Kliman, Kyra.........................................................................................University of Oregon Knight, Graham..............................................................................Arizona State University Koblas, Sonja......................................................................................University of Vermont Kokona-Dussau, Isabelle.................................................................Université de Montréal Kolstad, Alexander..........................................................................Oregon State University Koppisetty, Shashwath.................................................................San Jose State University Korpontinos, George.................................................................................Seattle University Koujikov, Eva..............................................................School of the Art Institute of Chicago Kouvelas, Stephanie....................................................Indiana University at Bloomington Krishna, Ashwin........................................................................................Harvard University Ktitareff, Thomas............................................................................................Foothill College Kull, Joseph............................................................................University of California, Davis Kull, Ryan....................................California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo Kuo, Jeffrey......................................................................University of California, Riverside Kuper, Nils......................................................................................................Foothill College

L

Larson, Nathan...........................................................................Brigham Young University Lau, Kristen....................................................................Washington University in St. Louis Leak, Connor.........................................................................................Chapman University Leak, Simon..........................................................................................University of Oregon Leal Hernandez, Karla...................................................................................Foothill College Lebakos, Keila.......................................................................................University of Oregon Ledingham, Amanda..................................................................................De Anza College Lee, Liam........................................................................University of California, Santa Cruz Lee, Nathan...................................................................................................De Anza College Lee, Nikolas..................................................................................The University of Alabama Lee, Stephanie............................California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo Leon, Oscar....................................................................................................De Anza College Leong, Alicia.....................................................................................................Rice University Lin, Yuxi............................................................................University of Wisconsin, Madison Little, Kelly............................................................................Southern Methodist University Long, Jarod.....................................................................................................Menlo College Lopez Melchor, Luis.....................................................................................De Anza College Lopez, Mariana..............................................................................................Foothill College Lunsford, Lauren.............................................................................Northeastern University Lussier, Max...................................................................................................Foothill College Lynch, Kimberly.............................................................Washington University in St. Louis

M

Maclean, Rory........................................................................................University of Victoria Maeso, Allegra................................................................................Northwestern University Magana, Lizbeth...........................................................................................Foothill College Mahoney, Liam...............................................................................West Virginia University Makower, Jessica.......................................................................................Emerson College Malgesini, Alexis........................................................................................Seattle University Mantiply, Kasey..........................................................................Santa Barbara City College Martin, Juliette...................................................................................Harvey Mudd College Martinez Cibrian, Verilinn............................................................................Foothill College Martinez, Emely............................................................................................Foothill College Martinez, John..............................................................................................Cabrillo College Martinez-Cerna, Mariano............................................................................Mission College Matthews, Rachel................................................................University of Colorado Boulder Mayer, Travis.........................................................................................Chapman University McAfee, Janelle......................................................................................West Valley College McCarthy, Cassandra....................................................................................Foothill College McConnell, Nicholas........................................................ California State University, Chico McDermott, Sacha...............................................St. John’s University — Queens Campus McKinney, Megan......................................................................................Pacific University McMahon, Danielle.................................................Johnson & Wales University (Denver) McMillan, Bradley.........................................................................................Foothill College Mehan, Aaron................................................................................................Foothill College Mell, Amanda.........................................................................Claremont McKenna College Meza Mercado, Julian..................................................................................Foothill College Milkey, Analisa........................................................................University of California, Davis Miller, Harrison................................................................................Oregon State University Minor, Angelica.............................................................................................Chabot College Mitchner, Daron...................................................................................Chapman University Mohajer, Nicole.......................................................University of California, Santa Barbara Molina Perez, Christina................................................................................Foothill College Montebello Millan, Joceline.......................................................San Jose State University Montes Sanchez, Aldo.......................................................University of California, Merced Moore, Geralyn...............................................................................Northeastern University Mora, Jose.....................................................................................................Foothill College Morales Vernet, Edgar..........................................................San Francisco State University Moran, Kelsey.........................................................................................Gonzaga University Morimoto, Samuel.........................................................................................Rice University Morris, Tre.......................................................................................................Foothill College Mueller, Caitlin..............................................................................................Foothill College Muenchow, Spencer...................................................................Michigan State University Munoz, Marilyn.............................................................................................Foothill College Munro, Kathleen.........................................................University of California, Los Angeles Murphy, Megan........................................................................................University of Utah Myastkovetsky, Ilya.......................................................................................Foothill College Myers, Brennan....................................................................................University of Oregon Myers, Paul..........................................................................University of Colorado Boulder

N O P

Nagpal, Varun............................................................................................Purdue University Narain, Sasha....................................................................University of California, Berkeley Naumovski, James.............................................................................University of Chicago Navarro Ulriksen, Paula................................................University of California, Santa Cruz Nelson, Jessica.....................................................................................University of Virginia Nemelka, Devon..........................................................................Michigan State University Nero, Anne.......................................................................................Northeastern University Newman, Paige.............................................................................................Foothill College Nguyen, Anson.............................................................University of California, San Diego Ni, Jenice................................................................................ University of California, Irvine Nichols, Michael............................................................................................Foothill College Norton, Ryan..................................................................................Sonoma State University Ogrodnik, Julia......................................................................Pennsylvania State University Ogrodnik, Monica.................................................................Pennsylvania State University Oku, Kalie....................................California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo Oleson, Kimberly..........................................................................Ohio Northern University Orozco-Tejada, Daniela.................................................................................Foothill College Ortiz, Rafaela.......................................................................University of Nevada, Las Vegas Ottoes, Zachary...................................................................................Santa Clara University Ozawa, Erika................................................................................................Seattle University Padilla, Leyla............................................California State Polytechnic University, Pomona Pagett, Sienna...................................................................................Pepperdine University Paige, Emma....................................................................University of Southern California Palma Hernandez, Lourdes.................................California State University, Sacramento Palmer, Nathaniel......................California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo Palting, Sheryl................................................................................San Jose State University Pao, Christina...................................................................................................Yale University Park, Jane................................................................................University of California, Davis Park, Yuna.....................................................................University of California, Los Angeles Parvizi, Amin..................................................................University of California, Santa Cruz Pasturel, Forrest......................................................................University of California, Davis Paulick, Avery.........................................................................San Francisco State University Perez, Jose.....................................................................................................Foothill College Perna, Meghan.......................................................................................Belmont University Phan, Isabelle................................................................................................Scripps College Phelps, Sonnet.................................................................University of California, Berkeley Philippe, Alexandre.......................................................................................Menlo College Ping, Eric.........................................................................University of California, San Diego Pingol, Alessandra...........................................................................University of San Diego Pon, Brendon...................................................................................University of Rochester Poon, Serena...................................................................University of California, Riverside Potts, Dylan....................................................................................................Foothill College Prater, Travis...................................................................................San Jose State University

Smith, Nathan.......................................................................Pennsylvania State University Soto, Angel.....................................................................................................Foothill College Spencley, Nathan..................................................................Pennsylvania State University Spielman, Adam............................................................University of Wisconsin—Madison Spruill, Amy......................................................................University of California, Berkeley Steffens, Caroline....................................................University of California, Santa Barbara Stein, David.........................................................................................Santa Clara University Stitt, Madisen.......................................................................University of Colorado Boulder Suh, Julia..........................................................................University of California, Berkeley Sun, James.............................................................................University of California, Davis Sun, Selynna...............................California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo Suzuki, Ann..................................................................University of California, Los Angeles

T

Tapia Cortina, Andy...............................................................San Francisco State University Tejada-Siordia, Cristobal..................................................................Azusa Pacific University Terada, Emily....................................................................Saint Mary’s College of California Thabit, William.................................................................University of Southern California Thayer, Bailey..............................California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo Thiem, Eric..................................................................................................Purdue University Tippett, Jace.......................................................................Western Washington University Tomkins, George...........................................................................................Foothill College Townsend, Sierra..............................................................................Georgetown University Trainor, Miana..........................................................................Southern Oregon University Tritschler, Sarah.......................................................................Claremont McKenna College Trott, Donna...................................................................................................Foothill College Trujillo, Gabriel...............................................................................................Foothill College Tseng, Alexander...........................................................University of California, Santa Cruz Tuyls, Jens.............................................................................. University of California, Irvine

R

U V W

S

X YZ

Ramamurthy, Kavi.......................................................................University of Washington Ratner, Ryan................................................................................................Boston University Rattner, Evan..................................................................................................Foothill College Reddy, Naveen..............................................................................San Jose State University Reelfs, Christopher.........................................................................The University of Arizona Renfrew, Natalie........................................................................................................Gap Year Rexha, Samir.................................................................................San Jose State University Reyes Lopez, Vanessa...................................................................................Foothill College Reyes Morales, Jennifer..............................................................................De Anza College Rivera, Jisel...................................................................................................De Anza College Roach, Benjamin..................................................................University of Hawaii at Manoa Rodriguez Ayala, Lorena.......................................................San Francisco State University Rodriguez, Aaliyah........................................................................................Foothill College Rodriguez, Alexei....................................................University of California, Santa Barbara Rogers, Trevor.............................................................................University of San Francisco Rojas, Alexis...................................................................................................Foothill College Roper, Ellen..............................................................................................Stanford University Rossi, Krystal..................................................................................................Foothill College Saldana, Kassandra......................................................................................De Anza College Salgado Cruz, Salvador................................................................................Foothill College Sanchez Tellez, Diego...................................................................................Foothill College Sandoval, Juan..............................................................................................Foothill College Santos Valdez, Arlene..................................................................................De Anza College Santos, Chelsea.............................................................................Seoul Institute of the Arts Sartori, Alice..................................................................................Loyola University Chicago Schachter, Evelyn................................................................University of Colorado Boulder Scher, Jonathan.................................................................................University of Michigan Schmiesing, Megan...............................................University of California, Santa Barbara Schoppet, Gabriel.................................................................San Francisco State University Scott, Duane..................................................................................................Foothill College Scott, Marshall...............................................................................................Foothill College Sehgal, Riya............................................................................University of California, Davis Sehgal, Tanvi....................................................................................Northeastern University Shah, Kamen......................................................................... University of California, Irvine Shapiro, Gabrielle.....................................................................................Purdue University Shih, Annabelle.............................................University of Illinois at Urbana—Champaign Small, Audrey..................................................................................Northeastern University Small, Colin............................................................................University of New Hampshire

Unlu, Azad......................................................................................................Foothill College Uppal, Sonia.....................................................................University of California, Berkeley Uppunda, Ankith........................................................University of California, Los Angeles

Van Eck, Nathan.................................................................Stevens Institute of Technology Varela, Jose....................................................................................................Foothill College Vargas, Patrick......................................................................................University of La Verne Velazquez Ocegueda, Juan.........................................................................Foothill College Vera, Jocelyne...............................................................California State University, East Bay Verity, Robert.......................................................................................Boise State University Verma, Ankit..........................................................................San Francisco State University Vieyra, Kevin..................................................................................San Jose State University Villa Yepez, Karen.........................................................................................De Anza College Virga, Isabel...................................................................................................Cabrillo College Vohra, Aditya.................................................................................University of Washington Waln, Samantha....................................................................................New York University Wang, Julia.........................................................................................Harvey Mudd College Weber, Maxwell............................................................University of California, Santa Cruz Welsh, Kyle....................................................................................................Foothill College Weltz, Selena..............................................................................Humboldt State University Wemyss, Nicholas.....................................................................University of Nevada, Reno Wendelken, Carrie...........................................................................University of San Diego Wendelken, Tess............................................................................The University of Arizona Wheatley, Kaitlyn.......................................................................Santa Barbara City College White, Caitlin.................................................................................................Foothill College White, Jennifer..............................................................................................Foothill College Whitney, Natalia.........................................................................University of San Francisco Wilhelm, Megan..................................................................................University of Oregon Williams, Ashley.....................................................California State University, Long Beach Wilson, Elias.....................................................................................Oregon State University Wingate, Kira...........................................................St. John’s University, Queens Campus Winter, Charles...................................................................... University of California, Irvine Wong, Jason....................................................................University of California, Riverside Wong, Zachary......................................................................University of Hawaii at Manoa Xia, Katherine.....................................................................................Santa Clara University Xiong, David.....................................................................University of California, Berkeley Yen, Katherine..................................................................University of California, Berkeley Yen, Kevin..........................................................................University of California, Berkeley Zaeske, Ben..........................................................................University of Colorado Boulder Zhang, Grace.....................................................................University of California, Berkeley Zubarev, Kyrylo.............................................................................................De Anza College Zuniga, Nusly...............................................................................................Earlham College

SILICON VALLEY · CLASS OF 2016 SENIOR MAGAZINE | 19

LA

Senior Superlatives

Most Likely to Cure Cancer Page Liked â–Ş June 3

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Paul Dennig These tumors will be easy to Spot-ify using my new technology!

Alice Dai The answers can be found in the Chrome-osomes.

Most Likely to Launch a Successful Startup Page Liked â–Ş June 3

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Nathan Larson My inner Oracle tells me my stock prices will rise...

Sonia Uppal But I want to Tes-la the market before I invest!

20 | THE TALON

Seniors2k16

Home

Most Athletic Page Liked ▪ June 3

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Bailey Thayer I run a four minute mile! I think it’s time to GoPro. Allegra Maeso Sure you can run places, but do you even Lyft?

Most Active on Social Media Page Liked ▪ June 3

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Forrest Pasturel I update as much as Adobe Flash does.

Andrea Torres I’m always Linked-In!

SILICON VALLEY · CLASS OF 2016 SENIOR MAGAZINE | 21

LA

Senior Superlatives

Class Clown Page Liked ▪ June 3

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Chad Dowdell It’s just a prank bro — let’s not startup a fight!

Scott Delamare Everyone laughs when I’m hurling Zyngas!

Most Likely to Get Arrested for Standing Up to the Man Page Liked ▪ June 3

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Patrick Vargas You don’t CTRL me!

Callan Garber Fall in command line!

22 | THE TALON

Seniors2k16

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Most Likely to Crash a Wedding Page Liked ▪ June 3

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Stephanie Kouvelas We may crash the wedding...

Tess Wendelken But we always reboot the party!

The DMV’s Most Wanted Page Liked ▪ June 3

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Aaron Mehan I should really get a self-driving car...

Sarah Katsev I already drive with no hands!

SILICON VALLEY · CLASS OF 2016 SENIOR MAGAZINE | 23

LA

Senior Superlatives

Most Likely to Save the World Page Liked ▪ June 3

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Tatiana Gibson From the Safari to the Amazon, we’ll save you!

Bianca Champenois I will Control “S” the environment!

Most Likely to Take Over the World Page Liked ▪ June 3

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Kieran Hood I create robots to do all my dirty work.

Adam Colman My world?

Soon it’ll be MySpace!

24 | THE TALON

Seniors2k16

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Most Likely to Backpack the World Page Liked ▪ June 3

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Eli Wilson Let’s get away from all the technology for a bit!

Sonja Koblas Yeah, who needs Google Maps anyways?

Biggest Flirt Page Liked ▪ June 3

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Sonnet Phelps I’d love to Kinect with you sometime.

Aditya Vohra I’m Pinterest-ed in getting to know you better.

SILICON VALLEY · CLASS OF 2016 SENIOR MAGAZINE | 25

LA

Senior Superlatives

Best Dressed Page Liked ▪ June 3

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Audrey Small I ditched my Google glasses for some sweet shades.

Caroline Steffens Spotify? I’m Spoti-fly.

Best Hair Page Liked ▪ June 3

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Nate Cuson My hair catches the light in high resolution.

Maribelle Dickins I love my hair — I think I’ll weave some braids Intuit!

26 | THE TALON

Seniors2k16

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Cutest Couple Page Liked ▪ June 3

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Keith Bohrer I love you!

Alexis Malgesini I love youtube!

Should Have Been a Couple Page Liked ▪ June 3

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Kasey Mantiply Hey there… I have Google-y eyes for you!

Lane Drasbek Be my E-Bae!

SILICON VALLEY · CLASS OF 2016 SENIOR MAGAZINE | 27

IN THE CLOUD THIS LITTLE PIGGY Carl Faust Media Editor

little piggy went to college. This Ttookhis little piggy got a job. This little piggy a gap year. This little piggy went to

the military.

Right now, I feel like the last little piggy, the one that went “wee-wee-wee” all the way home. I came to Los Altos High School sophomore year, completely unprepared. Hailing from Thousand Oaks, the least creatively named town in Southern California, it took a while to adjust to the Bay Area lifestyle. It rains five days a year here instead of only one, and nobody knows what Vons is. Also, I live down the street from Google, and it’s no big deal.

It’s been a wild ride. Freshman year, I was just an awkward, skinny kid who played too many video games and avoided doing homework.

Moving to such a different environment has forced me to open up to people and ideas I would have never met with otherwise.

I’ve had to develop confidence to stay headstrong among such competition.

I was finally in an area where things seemed to actually be happening; one of the weirdest experiences was hearing people on TV reference Silicon Valley during the news. I was used to living in a place 28 | THE TALON

SENIORS REFLECT ON THE LAST FOUR YEARS

where you would have to give a lesson in geography when someone asked where you’re from: “45 minutes north of LA, 45 minutes south of Santa Barbara, and right in the middle of nowhere.” Now I was in a hub of energy and innovation, where being in the same lane as a self-driving car was seen as more of nuisance than a spectacle.

But the most difficult thing for me to adapt to was the people. To me, it felt like everyone at LAHS grew up drinking a different kind of milk. Like, I was the only person who hadn’t decided on a major by freshman year. If you hadn’t planned out the next 15 years of your life, you were a nobody. I thought that you would have no chance of being accepted until you could effectively answer the question, “So, what do you do?”

Since I had no idea what I wanted to do with my own life, I thought that the only way for me to fit in at Los Altos was to stand out.

I looked around my small circle of friends, and looked for something that would make me unique. I noticed nobody seemed to do anything in film and video production, so the second semester of sophomore year I dedicated myself to watching one movie a day until the end of the year. It was a fantastic exercise, except for the crippling effect it had on my grades. My number one priority was becoming the school’s “film guy,” that guy everyone wanted in their group when the teacher announced a video project.

It’s been a wild ride. Freshman year, I was just an awkward, skinny kid who played too many video games and avoided doing my homework. Moving to such a different environment has forced me to open up to people and ideas I would have never met with otherwise. I’ve had to develop confidence to stay headstrong among such competitiveness. By challenging myself to evolve as a person, I have discovered the tenants of my personality which are most deeply rooted. I discovered my love for creating and my love for people, but along the way I have developed a stronger sense of empathy, cooperation, and self-assurance. However, I’m still awkward, skinny, and I still don’t do my homework, so maybe not much has changed.

I’ve met some fantastic people in the last three years. The students I’ve met at this school will go on to do truly wonderful things. I eagerly await the day I see someone from the 2016 graduating class in the news or on the cover of a best-selling book. I know the day will come that I will Google some of the people I tangentially knew in high school and see that they’ve solved one of the world’s crises or become

a successful community leader. I came to Los Altos completely unaware of how the future of our world might look, and I leave reassured that the world is left into the good hands of my class.

Now, like a carpetbagger, I’m packing up and going home. I’m moving back to Thousand Oaks, into my old house, to attend college. I’ll reconnect with all those people I’ve missed and meet a lot more people I’ll know forever. While all the other Los Altos kids are heading off to new and exciting cities to live out the next four years, I’ll be returning to the town I’ve been missing for the last three. In a way, it’s like the closing of an old book and the opening of another, but isn’t that what everyone experiences graduating anyway?

SLOUCHING THROUGH LIFE Sofia Guo Editor-in-Chief

around this time of year, the idea Eat specially of absolute independence is casually tossed us, often with mixed feelings. We high school graduates like to take on the challenge in full stride, but the truth is that 99 percent of us still lack many basic skills to function in the real world.

Take me, for example. The other day, I drove myself to the doctor for the first time.

I was really nervous about the whole ordeal, because I had (still have) no idea how health insurance works, and I was terrified that I would accidentally screw up the appointment so badly that I would somehow cost my family thousands of dollars.

Until that day, the thought had never even occurred to me that as an adult, I would do this thousands of times for the rest of my life, without my mom or dad by my side ever again.

As I sat in the waiting room, I felt so proud that I made it there without bungling anything major, but I also felt kind of terrified. Everyone else looked like they knew what they were doing; I felt like I was the only one lost and alone. And I hated it.

Obviously my fears seem exaggerated or irrational in hindsight, but the truth is that

painful. But who better to do it than we?

I’ve actually started liking my new adult responsibilities; I couldn’t help but feel a little surge of pride when the doctor asked me which pharmacy I preferred to pick up my medication at. I stopped slouching for a moment and happily flaunted my grown-up-ness.

“I’d prefer to pick it up at the nearest CVS, please. Thank you.”

Then I went straight back to slouching and embracing that strange, joyful mix of childishly expecting life to give me answers while also pretending to be a real adult.

I still wish that there was such a thing as an all-encompassing life handbook. Some people have tried to organize TOOTHBRUSH life into neat little self-help Jim Hollingworth books, like the iconic bright Staff Writer yellow “[Insert life skill] for Dummies” series. And there’s no shame in accessing those resources — I’m definitely starting my collection soon. many of us experience more fear of growing up than we show to others. We’ve already come so far and achieved so much, so it’s only natural that we hate to admit we handled a situation badly, or made a stupid mistake, like leaving the headlights on (and then calling our parents to ask for help).

What older adults call stubbornness is our attempt to rationalize our ideas of being mature, even though we know that we probably don’t see the “big picture” as well as older people do. But part of that half-adult, halfchild behavior is the idea that we don’t have to listen to anyone but ourselves. And in a way, practicing our stubbornness is one of the best ways to grow up, because we’ll really understand the consequences when no one is there to catch us.

The best part about going through this phase of feeling lost is the realization that every other adult on the planet doesn’t really know what they’re doing either. As a child, I had the impression that all people who could drive and do adult things had a “life handbook” that told them all the steps to lead a happy and successful life. Even until last year, I still believed that when I turned 18, I would magically mature into an ideal adult — whatever that means.

I still wish that there was such a thing as an all-encompassing life handbook. Some people have tried to organize life into neat little self-help books, like the iconic bright yellow “[Insert life skill] for Dummies” series. And there’s no shame in accessing those resources — I’m definitely starting my collection soon.

But the most important thing isn’t hitting every checkpoint or cruising through life.

It’s looking forward to and learning from the aches and pains, major screw-ups and feelings of being lost in general that make growing up worth it. Embracing our worst and weakest sides has never been more embarrassing or

go to bed later than the rest of my family, so Ievenings I get a few minutes of complete silence most as I brush my teeth and stare at my-

self in the mirror.

And every night this thought sneaks into my head: “Where did the day just go? It was only a moment ago that I was standing, right here, brushing my teeth.”

There’s this ancient story about a Persian king who wanted an object that could make him happy whenever he was sad. After much debate, his team of royal philosophers handed him a metal ring with an inscription: “This too shall pass.”

I heard that phrase and it quickly developed into a useful mantra. I would say it 50 times in my head as I biked in the brisk air from my house to the pool deck; I would say it 50 times as I braced myself, speedo-clad, against the cold early-morning water — and then, suddenly, it would be two hours later.

It was useful at first, but it slowly twisted into something more sinister. Every time I thought about that phrase, I would think back to the last time I’d said it. “Where did the day just go? It was only a moment ago that I was standing, right here in the locker room, about to begin practice.”

It began to eat up my life. I brushed my teeth and thought about the most recent time I’d brushed my teeth. It was Monday, and then it was Wednesday, and then suddenly it was Sunday, and there I was, brushing my teeth, staring at myself in the mirror, seven days

taller, older, going: “This week passed so fast.”

The converse that emerges in the story of the Persian king is that the ring’s phrase doesn’t just make him happy whenever he’s sad — it also makes him sad whenever he’s happy. He

My favorite, absurd brunchtime conversation that I hear all the time is this: Some brighteyed senior says, “Woah, isn’t it so weird that we’re graduating in a month?” And we all go, “Yeah, the inevitable passage of time is so damn surprising, you’d almost tink we hadn’t been approaching this moment for the last 18 years. can’t enjoy moments, because he’s always conscious of their brevity.

My favorite, absurd brunch-time conversation that I hear all the time is this: Some bright-eyed senior says, “Woah, isn’t it so weird that we’re graduating in a month?” And we all go, “Yeah, the inevitable passage of time is so damn surprising, you’d almost think we hadn’t been approaching this moment for the last 18 years.”

But, despite that cynicism, it is weird. The other day I took my last ever standardized test, but I still have a very distinct memory of standing on the carpet stairs of my house, waiting for my dad to come home on the first day of fourth grade. He opens the door, throws his arms wide and says, “I can’t believe you’re in fourth grade!”

I can’t believe it! I can’t believe it!

I finished high school. You finished high school. I was a tiny, awkward, thirteen-yearold freshman and now I walk the hallways with flip-flop-smacking confidence. I wore obscene board shorts to my first day of water polo practice; now I growl at nervous freshmen on the pool deck.

I don’t want to be an unhappy Persian king. I can look back on my four years with emotion beyond panicked dumbfoundedness; yeah, time passed, as quickly as it does. But I had a good time. I’m less awkward, less uncomfortable, less inexperienced, and less dumb than I was when I walked onto this campus for the first time — and what more could I ask from high school?

So, I’m not worried about the future — next year I get to go to college and brush my teeth in a communal bathroom with a bunch of weird freshmen.

SILICON VALLEY · CLASS OF 2016 SENIOR MAGAZINE | 29

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BIOGRAPHIES · 17 Top comments

Sofia Guo, Editor-in-Chief Sofia may be just 4 feet 11 inches and drive a Sofia-sized car, but her small stature is more than compensated for by her exceptionally caring heart and impish smile. In addition to her on-point emoticon game, her constant struggle to reach the projector screen (a feat that requires much jumping) provides an endless source of amusement for the rest of Talon and cements her place in our hearts as the most adorable and beloved editor-in-chief to grace room 409.

Alice Dai, Print Managing Editor The resident Talon interior designer always manages to make the team a tad more lively and stressed out at every late-night. A-Dizzle’s refined palate mixed with her wannabe hipster mode creates an angsty character, who can be found anywhere from rocking out to Kendrick Lamar and sipping on boba to setting editors on edge that their sections might be subject to a supernova of creativity at any moment. Alice is seemingly determined to save the world, but we all know that deep down inside her is a supervillain in the making. The A-Dizzle package includes catchphrases: “What a butt,” “I’m such an idiot” and “Dudesicle.”

Katherine Yen, Print Managing Editor Fabulous and lovable, Katherine “K-money” Yen’s most hideous crime to date (other than murdering a Talon pet cactus, which she vehemently denies to this day) is being a tad persistent. She will send an email, two texts, three Facebook messages and four phone calls before she gives up on reaching you. And that’s only for an hour. Then she’ll start asking for your address. It’s all part of her unwavering journalism ethic. In her spare time, Katherine enjoys quoting brilliant lines from “West Wing” and hyperventilating over every dog, cat and guinea pig she sees.

James Sun, Web Managing Editor As the self-proclaimed grand vizier of The Talon, James has spent the past year lording over the paper’s website (visit lahstalon.org). (Please.) When he’s not up past midnight waiting for staff writers to turn in their articles and preparing to tase them the next day when they don’t, he acts as our resident “Super Smash Bros.” champion, president of Handsome Boys Varsity, and surrogate caretaker and paparazzo of fellow Talonite Teddy Chmyz’s cat, Willy. James is a skilled practitioner of jank and is the ultimate sketchmaster, who will unwaveringly get things done when need be.

Carl Faust, Media Editor The shepherd of the media flock, with his gentle voice and signature brand of unassuming comedy has made quick work of LAHS and turned an entire high school into immediate fans of his morning presence. His core disciples in the media department, clumped submissively and deskless together in the back bring a new interpretation to Carl’s Corner and of course, a fresh face to Talon. All hail the King.

Spencer Dembner, News Editor There’s something… different about Spencer that we can’t quite put a finger on. Maybe it’s his inhuman love for puns. Maybe it’s the way he rocks a trench coat better than should be possible. Maybe it’s how he has school board members on speed dial. Whatever it is, it’s made him a one-of-a-kind news editor, and next year when he’s editing the website, he’ll be taking his tremendous talent there.

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Hanna Khosravi, Opinions Editor Behind her quiet and kind demeanor, Hanna runs the Opinions section with an iron fist. Maybe it’s her fearsome ever-present smile or her unnerving understanding toward altered deadlines, but she has never once been the last to finish laying out during a late-night, a feat seemingly impossible for a mere mortal. From her on-point outfits, to her organization skills, to her latenight dinner conversations, every aspect of Hanna is loved by the Talon team. More impressive is her boundless positivity, even in the face of a yet-to-be-exported section, which she’ll be sure to bring to her Print Managing Editor role next year.

2016 2017

Emily Aoki, Features Editor Emily’s awesome assortment of taglines will color any stress-induced 9 p.m. conversation in Mr. Moul’s room — catch her calling out words like “R.I.P-eroni!” (a nice take on two of her favorite things: pizza and saying “R.I.P.” to express her exhaustion) at latenights. Emily must be made up of butterflies and heart-emojis because she is truly the kindest and best cheerleader anyone could ever ask for. Her closet is filled with extremely stylish clothing, and although she might tell you that her life is disorganized just to make you feel better about yours, it’s hard to believe her, because any digging into her easy-to-talk to aura will prove that she’s actually got it all together, which is an attribute that will define her career as Editor-in-Chief next year.

E DITO R -I N -C H I EF Emily Aoki

Olivia Jerram, In-Depth Editor In the self-functioning body that is Talon, Olivia is the heart and soul. Her generous love for those around her is matched only by her affinity for strange and wonderful t-shirts: zombies, Star Wars, Canadian electrocution signage…

When she isn’t running around saving her section from imminent implosion, Olivia is always willing to offer advice and comfort. She is immune to corruption of any sort, except maybe bribes of chocolate and coffee ice cream.

N E W S E DI TO R Alex Wong

Jessica King, Entertainment Editor As the “fashion powerhouse” of Talon and the local pop culture expert, Jessica King is the queen of entertainment. Whether it’s advice on which heels to wear to homecoming, what album to listen to next, or where to get the best bubble tea in the area, Jessica is always willing to share her expertise with those in need. Her passionate love for everything from Twenty One Pilots to steamed soup dumplings (Xiao long bao) brings life to both the Entertainment section and all those around her.

Josh Kirshenbaum, Sports Editor What with his team apparel, encyclopedic knowledge of playoff schedules, and propensity to bring a kickball to latenights and play catch, it’s often tricky to remember which section Josh edits. His merciless gameday article assignment has certainly made him the most feared editor in the room, but he’s also the most dedicated. At late-nights, he’s been known to type and layout so furiously that he has to ice his shoulder afterward — although that may also have something to do with baseball. In his focus and commitment to Talon, Josh is simply unparalleled. One editor. Three pages. One dream.

Claire Bai, Copy/Content Editor As the #2 foodie in Talon (behind A-Dizzle, of course), Claire will “accidentally” ask one of her friends to “accidentally” drive her to Teaspoon during late-nights. Clarinito is simultaneously the mother and the cool aunt of the Cabbage/ Conspiracy. Everybody secretly wants to be her bestie because of her mad skills and chill-ness. When she’s not in Talon, Claire is hanging out with the Dinner Musketeers, saving her friends from death-by-awkwardness and online shopping for hipster clothing. Claire’s overall charm makes her Troye Sivan obsession permissible... kinda; 10/10 would hug.

Teddy Chmyz, Copy/Content Editor Teddy is the great successor of the Copy/Content or “Cabbage/Conspiracy” society and will be the lead elder next year. We’ve asked him to bring his sassy celebrity cat Willy to late nights more than once, but The Ted has not yet had the opportunity. He’s always too busy cutting and fixing up last minute articles and sharing his big smiles that make late-nights much less stressful.

Cole Hanson, Copy/Content Editor Cole’s most prized skill is his unwavering ability to get on the nerves of advisor Michael Moul. Whether it is a late article or his disappearance from many class periods, Cole may very well be the reason for Moul’s frequent grumpiness. Even so, Cole remains a valued member of the Talon Copy/Content squad for his mad editing skills and his laid-back, friendly attitude. This talent for simultaneously making Talon more and less stressful at the same time will be missed next year, probably.

William Jow, Copy/Content Editor It’s 8:15 and you’re speeding down Almond. Out of the corner of your eye, you see a rapidly approaching figure on his bicycle, setting off the electrical speed limit signs. That’s William. As the current Cabbage/Conspiracy Emperor, William always makes sure that everyone is looking bright, especially when he draws lasers on people’s eyes during late nights. He’s always looking to improve The Talon by adding in Illuminati references to the Copy/Content process and becoming the true thuglyfe dankmaster.

Eric Thiem, Business Manager Everyone already knows Eric from his legendary game-winning catch in the Talon vs ASB dodgeball match, but what they may not know is that he is also the Talon’s business manager. He is a master at organizing assembly lines to ship copies of the paper, and his money-counting skills are second to none. While he’s not taking care of business, Eric can be found writing video game reviews. Or maybe he’s actually supposed to be writing a news article and is just playing video games.

Michael Moul, Advisor Since he was just a youthful being, the Moul has always taken a fascination to the precise temperature of perfectly done tri-tip steak. Unsurprisingly, his skills at the grill transfer flawlessly to handling a room full of smelly, ambitious student journalists every day. Admired for both his sharp sense of humor and ability to shoot rubber bands at disobeying Talonites, Mike has been a keen expert on providing precise and profound feedback to editors for almost a decade. Without him, The Talon train probably wouldn’t be chugging quite fast enough to keep up with the next biggest thing.

WELCOMING NEXT YEAR’S STAFF

P R IN T MANAGI N G E DITO R S Hanna Khosravi, Jessica King W E B MA N AGI N G EDI TO R Spencer Dembner

O P IN IONS EDI TO R Akhil Jakatdar F E ATU R ES EDI TO R Tino Tugwete IN - DE PTH EDI TO R Miranda Li E N TE RTA I N M EN T EDI TO R Avi Varghese S P O RTS EDI TO R Julia Santos ME DIA EDI TO R Andrew Young CO PY/CO N T ENT EDI TO RS Teddy Chmyz, Savita Govind S E N IO R WRI T ERS Chris Dadok, Anisha Desai, Dominic Lanni, Rachel Lu, Booker Martin STA F F W RI T ERS Cameron Avery, Ross Avery, Madeline Chu, Priya Dixit, Haley Ecker, Nathan Godderis, Joey Hejna, Brian Huebner, Sana Khader, Yalda Khodadad, Emma Kwan, Avery Luke, Alex Luna, Emily Meza-Perez, Adrienne Mitchell, Javin Pombra, Yolanda Spura, Emma Van Guens, Daniel Vesurai, Madison Woo, Justin Yu P H OTO GRAPH ERS Emily Aronovitz, Francesca Fallow, Katie Klein, Natalie Munguia, Kunal Pandit, Thara Salim, Kimia Shahidi, Michael Sieffert, Yolanda Spura G R A P H IC ART I ST S Ashley Cai, Carissa Lee, Skyler Maeso, Anne Schill V IDE O GRAPH ERS Bobak Afshari, Britt de Visser, Danny Nguyen, Arjin Unlu

SILICON VALLEY · CLASS OF 2016 SENIOR MAGAZINE | 31

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