“STOP ASIAN HATE”
How the slogan glosses over deep-rooted issues in America pg. 18
Ethics Behind Exposing Abusers pg. 8
LIFESTYLES
College Decision Video Culture pg. 20
INVESTIGATIONS Addiction Among Students pg. 22
SPORTS
Privileges of the CHS Football Team pg. 28
ISSUE 6, VOL 63
THE PROSPECTOR
P
OPINIONS
IN THIS ISSUE
news
How Covid-19 Impacted Local Businesses................................. 04 California’s Fracking Ban Legislation.................................. 06 Return to In-Person Learning...... 07
opinions
Ethics Behind Exposing Abusers...................................... 08 Toxicity of Glow Up Culture....................................... 12
features
Students Across the Globe......... 14 featuring Neha Joseph, Anamika Sangwan and Elizabeth Wang
Quarantine 38: How Benefitted Me
investigations
Addiction Among Students.......... 22
sports Privileges of the CHS Football Team........................................... 28 MLB Moves Playoffs out of
lifestyles
Atlanta due to Voter Suppression
Asian Hate”................................ 18
perspectives
The Problem with the Slogan “Stop The Problem with College Decision Video Culture.............................. 20
Among 22: Addiction Students
Bill............................................... 32 If I Could Customize my Keyboard Using Only Emojis....................... 34 Struggles of a Messed-Up Sleep Schedule..................................... 35
postscript
COVER DESIGNED BY JENNY WU
Anatomy of a Student’s Brain....... 36 Comic: Teachers in Hybrid Learning....................................... 37 Column: How Quarantine Benefitted Me............................................... 38
THE PROSPECTOR
STAFF 2020-2021
editors-in-chief Avi Pandit Jenny Wu Juliet Shearin
copy editors Joan Thyagarajan Jun Kim Raissa Ji
news editor Anand Ashar
photo editor Kriti Kaushal
opinions editor Sonia Patil
online editors Arnav Vishwakarma Megumi Ondo Rajasi Laddha Saniya Laungani
features editor Kevin Jia lifestyles editor Theresa Nguyen investigations editor Katelyn Chu sports editors Arushi Arora Dhruv Kerai perspectives editor Meghana Vinjamury postscript editors Ananya Anand Kavya Kaushal
business managers Henry Ma Norman Chow writers Alexandria Hunt, Stella Jia, Lawrence Fan, Rachel Park, Krithika Venkatasubramanian, Sarah Pollans, Ankita Acharya, Keerthi Lakshmanan, Sanat Singhal, Joshua Lee, Megana Kashyap
advisor Ann Peck Editorial Policy
“The Prospector” is an open forum of expression for student editors to inform and educate their readers. It will not be reviewed by or restrained by school officials prior to publication or distribution. Advisors may and should coach and discuss content during the writing process. The staff of “The Prospector” seeks to recognize individuals, events and ideas and bring news to the Cupertino community in an accurate, professional and unbiased manner. “The Prospector” will not avoid publishing a story solely on the basis of possible dissent or controversy. If you believe an error has been made or wish to have your opinion expressed in “The Prospector,” please contact us via mail or email. Letters sent become the sole property of “The Prospector” and can be edited for length, clarity or accuracy. “The Prospector” editorial board reserves the right to accept or reject any ad in accordance with its advertising policy.
Contact Us: prospector.chs@gmail.com The Prospector 10100 Finch Avenue Cupertino, CA 95014
A LETTER FROM THE EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Dear Reader, One year ago, The Prospector published its first issue completed entirely on Zoom. Six issues later, we’ve finally returned to a somewhat familiar production experience with Cupertino High School’s new hybrid schooling model. The return to in-person learning, covered by Norman Chow on page 7, is now on the horizon. From proposed anti-fracking legislation on page 6 to the MLB playoffs moving out of Atlanta on page 32, this issue explores seemingly-simple news on a more complicated level. In the year that The Prospector has functioned remotely, we’ve learned a lot about how silver clouds (no school!) can have dark linings (can’t see your friends!). It’s not easy diving into difficult issues. As Rachel Park, Lawrence Fan and Jun Kim take a sensitive look at addiction among students on page 22, they discover how people form dependencies that are nigh-impossible to shake. Glow-up culture, another problematic phenomenon, receives an equally probing look from Ananya Anand on page 14. Among her critiques are that glow-up culture perpetuates consumerism and classism. Not everything seems bleak, however. We’re looking forward to summer. Whether it brings fires or Fourth of July fireworks, we’ll look back at the struggles of quarantine and long-distance magazine production, and meet it with open arms. Sincerely, Jenny Wu, Avi Pandit, and Juliet Shearin
NEWS
How Covid-19 Impacted Local Businesses NACHIKET KERAI Business Manager
Two businesses that are very important to Cupertino High School students have either closed or are closing in the near future. The Kebab Shop, a middle eastern restaurant chain at Mainstreet Cupertino, closed at the beginning of the pandemic and has not opened since. The Target located at Main Street Cupertino is closing within the next month and a half.
The Target at Mainstreet Cupertino is set to close on June 26th. While Target was not negatively impacted by the pandemic, in fact Target experienced record growth, plans to expand in other areas in Cupertino and the proximity to another store on Stevens Creek led to the Main Street Target’s future closing. This spot is somewhat sentimental to CHS students. The store was a hub for students to meet during lunch time, a place to buy food, and a general hangout area. Sujay Mehta, a junior at CHS, reflected about the Cupertino Target, “The Mainstreet Target is an important part of Cupertino Culture, it is an important place where students and nearby residents could access”. CHS students and residents nearby the store will be definitely affected. Residents and students will have to access the Target which is further down Stevens Creek.
4 | DESIGNED BY ANAND ASHAR
Despite the timing, these businesses are not closing due to the pandemic.
The Kebab Shop at Mainstreet Cupertino closed at the beginning of the pandemic; a “permanently closed” sign hangs outside the store. While The Kebab Shop has closed its Cupertino location, it has expanded in other cities over the country during the pandemic. Like Target, The Kebab Shop is focusing on different business strategies during this pandemic. Before shutting down, The Kebab Shop was always bustling with students during lunch time and after school. This restaurant was another hot spot at Mainstreet Cupertino for many students. Dozens of students would line up to order The Kebab Shop’s popular fries and bowls. Sean Chang, a junior at CHS, often ate lunch at The Kebab Shop,
TKS was my go-to restaurant at Main Street!
“I would often go there and get a wrap or some fries with a couple of friends. Now that it’s closed, I’m not sure if there are similar options that are available, which is quite sad”. Like Chang, many other Cupertino students and residents will definitely miss this important restaurant. Since the pandemic hit, companies are looking for other ways to increase their profits. While Target and The Kebab Shop did not close their locations because they could not afford to keep them, they shifted their business plan and invested in locations which draw in more traffic and profit. Cupertino students will definitely miss the Mainstreet Target as it is essentially an important part of CHS culture.
California’s Fracking Ban Legislation RAJASI LADDHA writer
Governor Gavin Newson has recently taken bold steps to ban new fracking permits by 2024 and stop all oil extractions by 2045. “The climate crisis is real, and we continue to see the signs every day,” Newsom said in a statement released on Friday, April 23rd. “As we move to swiftly decarbonize our transportation sector and create a healthier future for our children, I’ve made it clear I don’t see a role for fracking in that future and, similarly, believe that California needs to move beyond oil.” Newson’s concern for fracking’s role in the growing climate change issue is not without warrant. Fracking is a problematic extraction method that entails pumping water and chemicals into geological formations to break them open and induce the release of gas or oil. Fracking can potentially cause earthquakes, water contamination, hazardous spills, greenhouse gas emissions, and higher rates of asthma and cancer for people living near drilling sites.
6 | THE PROSPECTOR
Earthquakes, water contamination, hazardous spills, greenhouse gas emissions and higher rates of asthma and cancer. Newson has currently declared that new permits will not be issued for a few years until the California Department of Conservation drafts the mandate. He has also called for the California Air Resources Board to evaluate how to ban all extractions in the next 25 years. Newson announced the ban on fracking permits and his support about safety buffer zones around
wells in September of 2020. On April 13th, the new proposal for the ban failed to pass the first step in the legislative process, the Senate’s Natural Resources and Water Committee. Sen Scott Weiner’s bill, one of the co-authors for the bill, failed to receive the five votes due to one Democrat voting against and two Democrats’ refusal to cast votes. Sen. Hertzberg, one of the Democrats who opposed the bill, explained that the bill did “nothing to foster that transition by reducing demand for oil in our state or the global marketplace.” Other officials such as Rudy Gonzalez of the San Francisco Building and Construction Trades Council also argued that the legislation could incur the loss of thousands of union jobs at California’s refineries and other petroleum-related industries. Many have also asserted that the mandate for the 2,500-foot buffer zones around the wells would negatively impact the majority of the oil production in California. Weiner responded to these comments from officials by proclaiming that he was open to making amendments on the bill and conversing with the opposition; however, he still wants to push for the bill and believes that at least the buffer zones may still be mandated by administrative action. Although the bill would help relieve the impact California has on climate change and improve the health of families living around drilling sights, the legislatures also have to consider the thousands of jobs in the petroleum industry and California’s economy while constructing the bill in the following years.
The Return to In-Person Learning NORMAN CHOW writer
Cupertino High School has returned to in-person schooling through a hybrid model. This is the first time that students will return to campus in over a year since the start of the pandemic in 2020, other than non-class related activities. The system that is put in place currently allows for classes of students to return in 2 groups, with each group being socially distanced to ensure safety. However, the option for going back to school has not been popular. Classes rarely see more than a quarter of their students returning to campus. Especially with the split between two sections, there are rarely more than five or six people per classroom. The reason for this unpopularity is varied; students stated reasons including safety, inconvenience, and the fact that after more than a year of online learning, some are unaccustomed to going back on campus to learn. However, the relative unpopularity of the hybrid learning system does have its benefits. It allows for almost empty classrooms, making a safe and easier learning environment, which means that there is less risk involved for both teachers and students. Additionally, it allows for teachers to become reaccustomed to in-person schooling. As students will be returning in small groups, it allows for instructors to gradually return to the normal, and the eventual shift to completely in-person lessons will be easier. Among the greatest benefits are still to students. Af-
ter over a year of zoom classes, those who are returning are eager to come back to normalcy. Students will be able to benefit from directly seeing their teachers, and are no longer prone to run into a myriad of technology problems, including things such as server crashes and internet downtime. This change has taken place as of April 19th,
Students will be able to benefit from directly seeing their teachers. and the timeframe as to which students will return fully is still uncertain, but is expected to be at the start of the next school year. For now, the optional hybrid system at CHS will allow for especially motivated students, or just those who seek to find a return to normalcy, to return to campus and meet up with their teachers and friends.
NEWS | 7
ALL PHOTOS BY KRITI KAUSHAL
8 | THE PROSPECTOR
OPINIONS
OPINIONS | 9
SARAH POLLANS writer
While sexual abuse and harassment are sensitive subjects, social media and the internet have made it increasingly simple for people to call out their abusers. And similar to most phenomena on the internet, some who have come forward have come under fire for doing so, but for no good reason. Those who expose sexual abusers online are not only providing information and awareness for the public: they are also setting an example for victims that they have the ability to grasp control over their situation.
tal health and can be incredibly isolating. If a person who has been in an abusive situation feels safe and comfortable speaking about their experiences, there is no good reason they should not. Several circles and groups have popped up around social media dedicated to supporting victims and survivors. Moreover, having a community online where multiple people share similar experiences rids of that isolation, at the very least in a subtle way. Continuing on the desire to increase awareness, sharing stories of abuse online also can aid in lessening the prevalence of it. If someone reads through a victim’s post and realizes that their actions parallel those of the abusers, they could feel compelled to change their ways. If they see how drastically their decisions affect people in a removed situation on a large platform, it may help them come to terms with the fact that there is room for error and that they can change. A New York Post article from 2016 exclaims, “Exposing Sex Abuse r s is the Best Use of Social Media Ever.” And while that may sound like an exaggeration, it surely is not an extreme one. Writer Sara Stewart mentions, “The snowball effect of Bill Cosby’s being outed as a serial rapist happened, in large part, because of the easy dissemination of information on social media, and the informality with which a victim can come forward with her story.” Referencing the women who exposed Cosby, Stewart brings up a critical point. Essentially, because the internet provides victims with such an open platform to share their stories, it allows
10 | DESIGNED BY SONIA PATIL
Because the internet provides victims with such an open platform to share their stories, it allows them to have control over their narrative. Recently, several statistics have been offered for how many people, mainly women, are abused. However, whether the number is 97%, 90%, or another percentage, does not necessarily matter. What matters is that sexual abuse is prevalent, people must be aware of it, and abusers need to be stopped. The internet, for one, is an excellent resource for spreading information on all of these topics, and those comfortable with taking advantage of it should do so. Seeing other victims call out abusers online can encourage others in abusive situations to reach out and ask for help as well, creating a positive return cycle. As evident in our own Cupertino community, watching our peers coming forward and talking about their experiences with sexual abuse has led to several others speaking up as well. Additionally, as more people share stories and details, it informs their audience of potential signs and behaviors of abuse. This is incredibly important for people who might brush off abuse as a “onetime incident” or “an honest mistake.” Increasing the amount of information there is on sexual abuse there has the capability of helping many people. As the title of a New York Times article on sexual violence states, “Silence Is the Enemy.” Keeping such traumatic encounters bottled in is detrimental to men-
them to have control over their narrative, and they can give the details that they want to give. Without it, the story might get bombarded by local press and gossip, twisting the details into one that paints the abuser in a potentially less harmful way. One of the main proponents against exposing abusers on social media is related to the idea of performative activism and how doing so does not truly solve anything. Perhaps this is true for individual occurrences; the incident has already happened and posting about it won’t take away from that. However, posting about it raises awareness so that other people can avoid the abuser and understand the situation better. If the person posting is doing it out of their own volition, they must feel at least a bit comfortable doing so, and no one should judge them for that or say that it is immediately wrong. Additionally, some say that potentially destroying a reputation by online exposure is not worth the chance that the person may be lying. However, according to a 2016 peer-reviewed academic journal of sexology, Archives of Sexual Behavior, only 5.2% of cases in the study proved to be false. Authors Claire Ferguson and John Malouff mentioned that the true percentage of false claims might be greater due to confounding variables. Even so, lying about abuse happening to someone is not a casual idea to toss around. Any type of abuse, let alone sexual, is a
traumatic experience for anyone, and to accuse people going through it to be liars is only adding fuel to the fire. This is not to say the 5% of false reportings should ultimately be ignored; rather, that the graveness of sexual abuse should be taken from the word of the statistically significant 95%. Awareness is key. Sexual abuse is a widespread issue that affects entire groups of people. Speaking up and calling out those responsible on social media is a tool that people can use to keep everyone in our community a little safer. The more people are aware of how abusive situations begin and look like, the more likely people can stop them before they escalate. Going online can act as a sanctuary for survivors of abuse, a temporary escape from the isolation that can come with abuse. It’s not wrong to be wary of exposing people online and the truth of it all, but when facts and emotions are on the other side, it might be time to switch up the way we look at these situations in order to better our community
OPINIONS | 11
Toxicity of Glo ANANYA ANAND postscript editor
Look smaller, look prettier, look mature. That’s the expectation. One day you walk home next to your older sister, and then the next day you’re expected to be her. Is that expectation reasonable, or does it indicate that you are not enough as you are?
Glow up culture, the idea that children have to become a better version of themselves physically, over the course of their teenage years, has become a prevalent topic recently. As of now, the expectation of having a glow up over quarantine has become more pressing than ever. However, there has not been an adequate look into the toxicity of this concept. The phrase glowing up insinuates that you are not good enough as the person you already are. It indicates that you have to conform to society’s standards of what a teenager these days must look like, act like, and be like. According to Emily Mildenhall in her article “Glow Up Culture: Just Another Consumerist Trick”, “there’s a difference between putting work into yourself to make healthier life decisions versus throwing yourself into all the new beauty trends and comparing yourself to how models look.” Her quote goes to show that caring for yourself does not equate trying out diet culture’s new detox tea. Taking walks, getting fresh air, and eating healthier are all ways to become healthier both physically and mentally without buying into the toxicity of glow up culture. The results of this toxic expectation can be seen through various aspects. Starting off with eating disorders amongst teenagers; just last year alone resulted in a 66 percent increase for eating disorder hospital admissions,
ow Up Culture according to Dr. Jake Linardon. Kids of this generation are told that their appearance defines them, and that if they do not have society’s ideal body, they will be singled out immediately. In order to prevent this from happening, many young teenagers go on diets to have a so-called glow up. Not only has this caused eating disorders, but it has also cause extreme self loathing which has led to an increase in suicide rates. According to Julia Ries from Healthline, teen sucide rates have spiked 56 percent just in the last decade. This number is absurd, and the advocacy to glow-up just makes it larger.
lip fillers, does not mean that we have to pick on our own body for not glowing up and gaining bigger lips. By refraining from doing that, society’s body standards will have lost one more follower. Some people may argue that glow up is used as a phrase of encouragement instead of one that brings you down. Although this can be seen as true to some, bettering yourself does not have to regard your physical appearance. Instead, bettering yourself could mean becoming more confident through art expression. It could mean embracing your body for the way it is through yoga and meditation. Media, diet culture, and those around us have taught us that we are not good enough the way we are. As a society, we need to reclaim the idea that our bodies are temples. We must nourish them and love them for what they are. In doing so, the concept of glowing up will slowly go out of business.
Just because we see a side by side picture of Kim Kardahsian before and after lip fillers, does not mean that we have to pick on our own body. Similarly, as talked about by Shameeka Voyiya in her article “The Problem with Glow Up Culture”, the media has played a huge role in inflicting these harmful ideas. Over the past year, there have been numerous trends involving glowing up including ones over Twitter and Tiktok. Voyiya writes, “Glowing up usually requires the subject to be more visually appealing than before, and while this can be achieved through natural means, many celebrities get plastic surgery, receive Botox, fillers and undergo other artificial processes to obtain a desired look. We may see Instagram models glowing up, but we are not aware of the amount of money and resources they have at their disposal to go through that process.” To elaborate on this, just because we see a side by side picture of Kim Kardahsian before and after
OPINIONS | 13
14 PROSPECTOR 14 || THE DESIGNED BY KEVIN JIA
FEATURES
NEHA JOSEPH MEGANA KASHYAP writer
In another timezone was especially tiring because I had to adjust to taking classes at night and sleeping in the morning. at restaurants and grab boba while sightseeing. Compared to America, Taiwan had a much more organized fight against COVID-19. This played a big role in her ability to go around the city and enjoy luxuries like dining in at restaurants, something many Americans have not been able to do for the past year. Joseph’s half a semester in Taiwan shows that Cupertino High School students have constantly risen to the challenges that online learning has brought along. Her incredible story, one for the books, shows the incredible experiences that pandemic has also brought on.
TAIWAN
It is no secret that online school has been unique for the average student at Cupertino High School. Yet, in order to maintain a sense of normalcy, students at Cupertino have stayed engaged in online zoom classes and continued to hang out at parks with friends. But what about when a student is in a different country? The added layer of being in a different country introduces an extremely unique aspect to the experience of online school. Students like Neha Joseph, a senior at Cupertino High School, took the opportunity of online school to partake in classes in another country, something that very few Cupertino students share. Joseph travelled to Taiwan in June to meet family in Taiwan but it soon turned into an extended stay that ended in September. Through that time, Joseph experienced online school in Taiwan which she explains no easy task. While it gave her the opportunity to explore Taiwan, she had to adjust to the 15 hour shift in the time zone from California. Said Joseph, “Doing online school in another country especially in another timezone was especially tiring because I had to adjust to taking classes at night and sleeping in the morning, so I had to adjust to my school schedule and time zone, but I still wanted to partake in the daily activities in Taiwan so I also tried to sleep as little as possible, it was hard to balance”. She says that the change
in schedule from last year, the new online schedule, contributed to the huge adjustment to the online school in Taiwan. Joseph explains that last year’s schedule had very limited Zoom classes and was more focused on adjusting to the pandemic, this year, however, required students to join in all Zoom classes and had a much stricter deadline. Her teachers were, however, extremely accommodating to Joseph and understood the strain of time zone shifts. Joseph’s near-nocturnal class schedule included her being awake for most of the night. During classes, she explains, it was easier but during breaks was when the challenges began. Said Joseph, “To stay awake during breaks in my classes I had to scroll through Instagram in order to stay awake, I didn’t trust myself to take naps”. While her mother was asleep during the night she was working away at classwork. But, when it came to homework she often had extensions for which she could go to sleep and complete her homework in the morning. During the day, Joseph explored Taiwan. She would go out with her mother and sister to dine
ANAMIKA SANGWAN INVESTIGATIONS
ANKITA ACHARYA writer
You have the entire web in front of you. Who’s gonna choose to study? You go to the buffet and you’ll choose the chicken instead of the salad, every time. to spend comparatively less time in front of a screen than students in India. “We have six classes every day, and it’s from morning 8 to 4 in the evening, and outside of school, I have extra studies, so that is like 5-8pm, so I have 12 hours of classes every day. It’s really bad for me.” Students also have different focuses in the two countries. Said Sangwan, “There’s a big gap. Over here, people are so focused about their future and what they’re gonna do in college; people care about the future more than they do about the present, and like, mental health does not exist.” She believes that CHS students have a healthy, simultaneous focus on both the present and the future. Ultimately, while online school has become a universally common part of student lives worldwide, it’s important to note that our experiences are often very different.
16 | THE PROSPECTOR
INDIA
Anamika Sangwan, a former Cupertino High student in the class of 2022, has faced the unusual circumstance of having to attend online school in two different countries: India and the US. Said Sangwan, “In the US, I did [online] school for three months, from Feb to the end of sophomore year. In general, I’ve been doing it since Feb till now.” Similar to how Cupertino High School (CHS) reduced curriculum in the spring of 2020 to account for remote education, Sangwan noted that in India, “they have reduced 30% [of the curriculum].” However, unlike CHS, this reduced curriculum has continued on into this school year, continuing to negatively impact students. “We have an entrance exam before college [...] So they reduced the 30% from schools, but we still have to study it for college. So it’s not really helpful for me,” Sangwan stated. Instead of being taught the curriculum, students are now forced to self-study. She has also seen impacts on standardized testing, similar to how the SAT and ACT were cancelled for US students. “There’s a final that you take in 10th and 12th grade and those have been canceled. You’re losing the practice of having tests conducted off-line, because everything’s online. So you can just search up the answers,” said Sangwan. She continued to note the changes in work ethic that online school can bring about, stating, “You have the entire web in front of you. Who’s gonna choose to study? You go to the buffet and you’ll choose the chicken instead of the salad, every time.” She believes this will impact her even after remote education ends. “After this, I go into college, and the jump is going to be big, and I wouldn’t know what to do, because the environment is lost,” said Sangwan. Sangwan believes that CHS students have the advantage of administrators and teachers that care. “In the US, they cared [...] and they tried to keep the stress level low, limit the number of assignments. But here, you have to log into every single class and take notes and turn in stuff and go to school, you get what I mean? And the assignments over there were pretty easy and the assign-
ments over here are [not].” Sangwan also noticed that CHS students have
PHOTO COURTESY OF ANIL SHARMA
PHOTO COURTESY OF MAKEMYTRIP
ELIZABETH WANG SONIA PATIL opinions editor
Here, students themselves are pushing themselves, so it’s a lot more of kids against kids.
INVESTIGATIONS | 17
on her childhood. Rather than living carefree as a child, the future always was in the back of Wang’s mind. Said Wang, “There were these national examinations, and the teachers were like ‘you’re going to become janitors or failures if you don’t do well’ or ‘Oh, you’re gonna pull down our school’s name.’ And actually, there were suicides for 11 or 12 year olds because of the stress [...] There’s a disadvantage because I wished I had a [more fun], stress-free school [experience].” Despite her struggles with both countries’ education, the move from across the world brought out the more independent side of her personality. Said Wang, “[In Singapore] We’re not really encouraged to think for ourselves. So it’s like, listen to the authority, listen to your elders and follow… America is pretty individualistic, and we didn’t have that there. So it was nice living here and actually being able to learn more about things going on, and then actually speak out about it.”
SINGAPORE
It is no secret that there are vast differences between American education compared to other countries’ education systems. From the changes in culture to the teacher-student relationships, major factors affect the stress and community for schools in Singapore. The jump from the Singaporean education system to the hyper-competitive Cupertino High school environment for current junior Elizabeth Wang was a shock. Said Wang, “Over there, it’s more of parents pushing the kids, but the kids are still together and supportive. It was just a chill environment, where we could all relate, and we were all ‘suffering’ in the same school […] Here, students themselves are pushing themselves, so it’s a lot more of kids against kids.” Less competition between students helped her create closer bonds with her entire class, where academics were seen as a collective effort. With an environment she felt comfortable in, traveling with her school became one of the highlights of her education. Said Wang, “I got to go to a lot of camps, basically huge sleepovers. We went on this one week camp in China for a week, and we got to meet students from there, kind of like an exchange program, but it was really fun […], and if you have low income, the government pays for you.” While she has many fond memories of her schooling in Singapore, she did come
across a few setbacks. Said Wang, “The teachers were a lot more strict. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing because you’re being pushed and know that the teachers care for you, but at the same time, it’s a bit too much.” Coming to America provided a considerable change, as most of Wang’s teachers had laid back attitudes towards school work. However, having been used to the demanding nature of Singaporean teachers as an incentive to work harder, she faced a new struggle to find self-motivation in American academics. On the flip side, the overwhelming academic pressure in Singapore at a young age took a toll
LIFESTYLES
THE PROBLEM WITH THE SLOGAN
“STOP ASIAN HATE” KATELYN CHU
18 | DESIGNED BY THERESA NGUYEN
investigations editor
In recent months, especially following the Atlanta spa shootings, a larger conversation has been sparked about Asian hate and increasing cases of violence against Asians in America. In 2020, hate crimes against Asians rose almost 150 percent, with almost 3,800 incidents reported during a year of the pandemic. Alongside these rising rates, more people have begun to stand up and discuss anti-Asian racism, including on social media and in more coverage by news outlets. With this momentum, the slogan “Stop Asian Hate” became popularized and is used as the title of the “Stop Asian Hate” movement, at rallies and in social media posts as a way to spread awareness and show solidarity. The slogan acts as a rallying cry and a hashtag to spearhead a movement against anti-Asian racism and violence. However, despite the positive intentions behind the phrase, “Stop Asian Hate” does a disservice in its failure to express the depth of racism Asians have faced, and continue to face, in America. The word “hate” implies smaller, isolated incidents of violence. By simplifying and passing the problem off as hate or just as a strong dislike of a certain demographic, the reality of deep-rooted anti-Asian racism in America is ignored. There is a long, existing history of bigotry, prejudice and racism which needs to be learned and addressed as such–something the slogan glosses over. With no shortage of anti-Asian incidents throughout the United States’ history, it is not hard to find prominent examples. In 1854, California’s Supreme Court estab-
lished that Chinese Americans and immigrants did not have the right to testify against a white person in court. Called People v. Hall, the case ruled that a Chinese man’s account of him witnessing a murder was not valid, based on the belief that the Chinese were “a race of people whom nature has marked as inferior, and who are incapable of progress or intellectual development beyond a certain point”, a sentence written in the case itself. Subsequently, in 1871, 20 Chinese Americans were lynched in LA, an event that was later called the Chinese Massacre. Then in 1882, the Chinese Exclusion Act was signed, banning the immigration of Chinese laborers to the United States for 10 years. A federal law, the Exclusion Act specifically targeted and discriminated against people of Chinese descent and is described
A A P O #ST
E T A PIH
as being “the first and only major federal legislation to explicitly suspend immigration for a specific nationality.” Another large-scale injustice occurred during World War II when 120,000 Japanese-Americans who were living on the West Coast were forced to live in internment camps. 62 percent of them were U.S. citizens, but it made no difference. Following President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Executive Order
There is a long, existing history of bigotry, prejudice and racism which needs to be learned and addressed as such—something the slogan glosses over. 9066, which set up the groundwork for their removal, many Japanese-Americans lost their property, homes, businesses and the majority of their private belongings. And in the weeks that followed the 9/11 terrorist attacks, one thousand “bias incidents” were reported against Arabs, Muslims and South Asians, including 19 murders, assault, vandalism and harassment–a myriad of violence and discrimination they were subjected to because of stereotypes and generalizations. From People v. Hall to outright murders and internment camps, there is an ugly, obvious pattern that becomes apparent throughout history–a pattern wo-
From People v. Hall to outright murders and internment camps, there is an ugly, obvious pattern that becomes apparent throughout history […]
treating it as a recurring and historically systemic issue. With this in mind, we can move forward, continuing to read books and resources on the topic, reach out among our close circles, donate and report incidents. Nonetheless, despite the flaws with the phrase “Stop Asian Hate”, it remains a step in the right direction, and there is a lot of work to be done–beyond criticizing a slogan.
LIFESTYLES | 19
ven
from the long-existing racism and anti-Asian sentiment. Without a doubt, it is crucial to learn the past that the movement’s newest slogan seems to gloss over. However, as with a lot of topics surrounding social justice, it is also imperative that we be careful not to fall into the tricky trap of nitpicking movements. Oftentimes, criticism is welcomed as it highlights places to improve. But in the cases where hypercriticism is taken too far, the intense scrutiny can quickly become counterproductive, distracting from the crucial, hard-hitting activism. For example, some could argue that when one says the slogan, people already know the mention of “hate” includes the whole American history of it. The problem outlined in this article about the phrase “Stop Asian Hate” dances in the gray area between “making a big deal out of a minor detail”, nitpicking, and a message that rings true. Either way, this is a valuable critique to think about in that it pushes activists and those of us involved to delve deeper into the issue. Hearing the argument opens our eyes to reconsider if we have been approaching anti-Asian racism appropriately, educating ourselves about the past and
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THE PROBLEM WITH COLLEGE DECISION VIDEO CULTURE 48,884 views • April 8, 2021 KRITHIKA VENKATASUBRAMANIAN, RAISSA JI
20 | THE PROSPECTOR
writer, copy editor
It is not a college application season without hundreds of “College Decisions Reaction Videos” accompanying it. From reacting to Harvard, to UMich, to Kentucky State, these light-hearted videos can be a source of entertainment, reassurement and information. However, the culture of posting these videos is not as beneficial as it seems. These videos can leave viewers expecting too much or too little from their own college admissions process and can be demoralizing sources of misinformation. Many YouTube channels take off when their creators post a “College Decision Reaction” video, as these videos typically gain a lot of popularity. Subscribers subsequently ask for their “stats” (GPA, standardized test scores, etc.) and what extracurriculars they participated in; multiple videos usually follow describing all these things, with clickbait-ey titles such as “How I got into Stanford with a 3.0 GPA!” or “The One Thing UPenn is Look-
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ing for in an Applicant!” Although these seem like innocuous titles, they often mislead those watching them. YouTubers who make these videos present themselves as a repository of college admissions know-how, using their perfect grades and test scores to pull prospective students to watch their videos. Some college YouTubers go as far as to start their own essay editing programs or college consulting businesses, all accompanied with a hefty membership and fee. This is problematic in many ways. College admissions are known to be a crapshoot, so even though general advice on how to “get into top schools’’ is fine, college Youtubers simply have no grounds on giving advice as to how they got into prestigious schools because of their lack of knowledge and data. Additionally, some Youtubers have even been exposed to plagiarizing their essays, therefore making them even less reliable to offer essay ed-
iting services or tips. Take Arpi Park, a junior at Stanford, for example. Park was recently exposed for plagiarizing parts of his essay in response to a prompt asking to “[describe] something meaningful to you and why.” His essays followed an almost identical structure to Jessica Bennet’s “I’m Not Mad. That’s Just my RBF’’ article in the NY Times. Part of Bennet’s essay reads: “My mouth curled slightly downward, my brows were furrowed, my lips were a little pursed. My eyes aimed forward in a deadpan stare … Die” Park’s essay reads: “My eyebrows angled sharply, my eyelids slanted downwards, my lips slightly pursed, my eyes locked in a cold stare … Burn in Hell”
To reiterate, college applications are a crapshoot; you can do everything right but still get rejected. Though this is not to say Park is completely undeserving of getting into Stanford, it is morally questionable for him to offer essay advice. In a broader scope, it is impossible to know whether these college YouTubers got into college fully on their own merit. Thus, it is similarly questionable for those groups of people to start essay tutoring programs or college consulting businesses. Just because someone got in does not mean they know how they got in. Adding on, every applicant is different. Financial status, school area, essays and recommendation letters are examples of an application’s various aspects. When looking at college reaction videos, it is extremely easy to become self-critical or overly hopeful in oneself. To reiterate, college applications are a crapshoot; you can do everything right but still get rejected. To make matters worse, YouTubers that post college reaction videos are also very often self-selecting, meaning that college admissions video compilations are often overrun with people that have gotten into multiple Top 20 or Ivy League schools. Because the demographic of these YouTubers is so skewed, it is easy for watch-
ers to become demoralized and discouraged. This is not to say their content is bad, but rather the culture of their videos can be perceived as toxic. Many might think that those who don’t like this genre of videos should simply not watch them, and it is definitely true that no one can control what content other people choose to put out on the internet. However, it may not be as simple as that. For people who cannot afford private admissions counselors and have to navigate the college process on their own, these videos serve as one of their only options to learn more about the admissions process and help them craft their own application. It is often these people that bear the brunt of the negative effects of these college admissions videos. Based on a number of factors, such as socioeconomic status, school district and/or living conditions, the opportunities afforded to students can differ through no fault of their own. It is fundamentally impossible to expect a student who works multiple jobs to help support their family to have a similar application to a student who does not have to work and thus has more time to spend on extracurriculars—this does not make either student weaker or less qualified. Therefore, there is no singular formula to get into college, but many of these YouTubers phrase their videos in such a way that it seems like getting into college is impossible without a 4.0 and 1600. Even though this is false, it makes prospective applicants lose confidence in themselves, contributing to society’s toxic culture of viewing grades and test scores as a measure of someone’s worth. On the flipside, those with impressive test scores and grades are often led to believe that this will lead to their acceptance into top schools—something nobody can guarantee, let alone a college YouTuber with no real insight into the admissions process. College admissions are a very subjective process—no one knows why they did or did not get in, and that automatically disqualifies anyone from being able to offer concrete advice on what does or does not get an applicant a ticket to a particular university. But these “College Decision Videos” take advantage of prospective students’ fears of not being qualified enough, feeding them incomplete information for YouTube views.
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22 | DESIGNED THE PROSPECTOR BY KATELYN CHU
INVESTIGATIONS
Addiction
LIFESTYLES | 23
Among Students
The Science Behind Addiction RACHEL PARK writer
Addiction is defined as a treatable, chronic medical disease that involves complex interactions among brain circuits, genetics, the environment and an individual’s life experiences. Whether it is heroin or video games, what is common across all substance and behavioral addictions is the increased levels of dopamine in the brain. Dopamine is a molecule which stimulates the brain’s reward centre, giving the people the sense of pleasure while also reinforcing critical behaviours for survival, such as eating food. Drugs have a stronger effect on the dopamine system on the brain. Marijuana and heroin have chemical structures similar to a neurotransmitter that tricks brain cells into stimulating the release of dopamine, while drugs such as cocaine and amphetamines prolong the effect of dopamine on the neurons, which disrupts normal communication in the brain. As individuals continue with addictive habits, the brain adapts: neurons begin to produce less dopamine and reduce the number of dopamine receptors. Consequently, individuals feel the need to continue their behaviour to bring their dopamine levels back to the new “normal.” According to Dr. Hitoshi Morikawa, an associate professor of neuroscience at the University of Texas at Austin, without dopamine creating feelings of pleasure in the brain, individuals also become more sensitive to negative emotions such as stress, anxiety, or depression. While there are various addictions out there, we decided to examine the addicting effects of video games, drugs and social media among high school students. The World Health Organization lists three main criteria for the diagnosis of gaming disorder: the inability to control the urge to
play video games; the feeling that gaming is more important than any other activity; and the continual desire to play video games despite the negative consequences of the behavior on relationships, academic performance, and/or work. According to video game addiction statistics, as many as 12 percent of boys and 7 percent of girls are addicted to gaming. Some research shows even higher numbers; a study published by Addictive Behaviors found that among 3,000 students, 19 percent of males and 7.8 percent of females were classified
Consequently, individuals feel the need to continue their behaviour to bring their dopamine levels back to the new ‘normal.’ as having gaming disorder. Prevalence of various drug addictions have concerning numbers. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 37.3 percent of 10th graders and 46.6 percent of 12th graders have used illicit drugs in their lifetime, and 18.2 percent and 22.2 percent in the past month respectively. While its negative consequences may be less than those of drug addictions, social media addiction is also a growing concern, with high numbers increasing every year. The Newport Academy reports that 92 percent of teenagers go online everyday, and 24 percent of teens are online “almost constantly.” Among those surveyed, 50 percent believe they are addicted to their devices, while 59 percent of their parents believe their children are. According to Christopher Hickey, a school based therapist at Cupertino High School, “the main issues, during the pandemic, are not so much substance abuse issues, but video games, internet, social media. “I think, overall, motivation and engagement with
Talk about what’s going on in your life: whether it’s addiction issues or any issue. Don’t isolate, even though there’s a temptation to isolate. I think it’s really important to reach out to your friends, trusted adults, teachers that you’re particularly connected to, or family. Just don’t isolate and keep it all in”
INVESTIGATIONS | 25
school has been challenging for the students. Every day kind of seems like the same day over and over again, and it’s kind of hard to stay engaged over time,” said Hickey. Melinda Nafrada, Assistant Principal at Cupertino High School, states that “one of the first signs is declining grades, attendance, or sleeping in class. A student who used to be very engaged and alert becomes completely focused on something else, spending a lot of time outside of school, or staying up late doing things and then having a hard time being alert at school.” For students who are facing addiction issues at CHS, there are various resources available to help them. Said Nafrada, “we have two or four guidance counselors, and our two school based therapists for the general education students. Then we also have two school psychologists and two other school based therapists that serve the special education population. We also have a schooling services liaison, who can help if a student doesn’t have health insurance, and help them get low cost to no cost coverage.” Despite the available resources, it could be difficult for students to come and ask for help. “So the thing that is difficult with addictions is getting the person who is addicted to admit that it is a problematic issue, rather than just like a hobby or something they do every once in a while.” said Nafrada. Furthermore, breaking an addictive habit is a collaborative effort. Said Nafrada, “When I have witnessed us be successful in helping students break their addictions, it has to be a very collaborative approach with the students, the family and the staff. If there’s only one of those components trying to say ‘hey this is a problem,’ then it’s almost next to impossible to make any progress.” For someone who is facing addiction issues, both personnel advise talking with other people. Said Nafrada, “first start by talking about it. If they don’t feel comfortable talking with their family, start with friends or a trusted staff member, either a teacher that they can confide in or the counselors.” Similarly, said Hickey, “I would always say, talk.
Examination of Data LAWRENCE FAN writer
In an era of instant gratification, increased stimulants, and heightened expectations, addiction has become a grave concern among students in Cupertino High School. While anyone can fall into addiction, facing high expectations from those around them and going through a traumatic experience can make one more susceptible. An anonymous CHS student, who we will call Liam, opens up and shares their story with substance abuse. Their grandfather passed away when they began high school, and to cope with the grief, they turned to drugs. Said Liam, “[taking drugs] put yourself in that state, so you don’t feel that pain anymore, and you keep on wanting to go back to that feeling.” Liam is far from the only student who has struggled with addiction. In a survey conducted by The Prospector staff, 31% of students have suffered from an addiction or are currently suffering from an addiction. Meanwhile, 67% of students know friends or peers who have an addiction problem. Scaled up to the entire school population, this means that over 700 students have at least once considered themself an addict. Although shocking at first, these numbers should not be surprising considering the risk of falling into addiction. Naturally, teenagers are especially susceptible to becoming addicted partially because the parts of the brain responsible for rational decision making and restraint are not fully developed. Outside factors from the pressure of school and parents to the fear of being ostracized also contribute to the difficulty of overcoming an addiction. Said Liam, “I feel like it’s difficult for parents [to help because] the stresses of their time are completely different from our time… we
Have you struggled with any form of addiction before?
no 69%
yes 31%
no 69%
Total Addiction Statistics shopping 10%
video games 24%
substance abuse 38%
social media 28%
don’t want to let our parents down because they have high expectations and we want to impress them, so we keep it a secret.” From the data gathered, substance abuse remains the most prevalent among students, with 38% of addicted students struggling with substance abuse. This is followed by social media and video games, with 28% and 24% of stu-
dents attributing those as sources of their addiction, respectively. Meanwhile, 10% struggle with an addiction to shopping. The results prove that addiction is a ubiquitous challenge for students. Notably, it shows that students, who may feel isolated and embarrassed by their struggles, are not alone in their fight. Said Liam, “I did not know that so many people are facing the same problems as me. I am empowered knowing that I’m not alone in this journey.” There are many steps the school administration can take to combat the addiction epidemic. Something that can go a long way towards prevention is to decrease academic stress since those under pressure will likely turn to fast pleasure. For those already under heavy dependence, teacher empathy and flexibility like giving extensions are extremely helpful. Additionally, schools should take action to destigmatize addiction. Said Liam, “I feel like the school should have spaces for people who are struggling from addiction. By having this space where they can open up, I feel like it can help a lot in them getting out of this rabbit hole.” After seeing outside therapists and taking up new hobbies such as creative writing and running, Liam has overcome his substance abuse addiction. Yet, he still recognizes the problem the culture of high expectations within the family can bring to students and has resigned to the fact that without a radical shift in ideology, the situation can not be alleviated. Said Liam, “I don’t know if parents can ever do anything because as long as they have an expectation of how we should act because it would be hard for them to accept it. They must first accept addiction as part of who I am.”
Recovering From Addiction HYUNJUN KIM copy editor
Addiction sounds intimidating and seems impossible to overcome, but science has proven otherwise. Understandingly, people seek pleasure — whether it be through substance (drugs, medications, and alcohol) or behavioral abuse (gaming, eating, and self-harm) — to ease their stress and motivate themselves in school, work, and tasks. However, their over-reliance on those activities slowly roots within an individual’s subconscious mind and serves as a compulsory “exit ticket” to finishing their day. If people’s coping mechanisms gradually become habits, it becomes their utmost priority despite possible adverse consequences. On a positive note, most people who have an addiction understand that a change needs to happen. They devise plans to achieve a specific goal in mind. Whether it is to quit entirely or simply reduce their addictive behaviors, establishing a clear goal before putting it into practice is critical in a successful change. Ideally, setting short-term goals can help people construct a defined path and heighten their confidence in overcoming their addiction. Once a clear plan is established, preparation is a highly recommended step; changing the environment and removing potential triggers in one’s life is a critical process. For example, someone who is addicted to gaming should consider removing their computer and gaming equipment from their room or
slowly reducing their screen time per day. Regarding students at Tino, senior Brandon Pan shares his experience with smartphone screen time control. For the sake of losing work productivity, he has tried different methods to reduce the amount of screen time. Said Pan, “I went on a hiatus by either deleting the apps or finding some way to restrict my access.” For substance addictions, consulting a doctor or visiting a local drug clinic can help the person receive proper guidance and medications
deemed a failure because it is nearly impossible to taste success in a single try. Rikhil Konduru, another senior at Cupertino High, advises, “[create] a mindset that you’re ultimately in control of and you can eventually break out of it.” Said Pan, “Find someone who can hold you accountable! It’s helpful to have a friend who can keep you from getting back into old (damaging) habits.” Thus, people must analyze their mistakes and reduce the chance of relapsing again, such as further changing the environment or strictly monitoring their progress. Although it requires a great measure of devotion and resilience, overcoming an addiction exudes a palpable sense of empowerment and liberation to the overcomers. A long-recovery is not the final destination, but the process of living life without relying on addictive substances or behaviors is. There are resources and dependent professionals who will ensure that the overcoming experience of addiction serves as an important step in people’s lives and health
Quitting an addictive behavior is an empowering decision, but it does not happen in a blink of an eye.
INVESTIGATIONS | 27
in alleviating the withdrawal symptoms. Quitting an addictive behavior is an empowering decision, but it does not happen in a blink of an eye. Maintaining a strong self-efficacy while achieving goals helps people power through the frustrating process and successfully reach the finish line. Yet, people commonly face relapse due to cravings and overconfidence in self-control. However, relapse should not be
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SPORTS
SPORTS | 29
30 | THE PROSPECTOR
PRIVILEGES OF THE
FOOTBALL TEAM
HENRY MA writer
From dance to badminton to football, Cupertino High School (CHS) offers a wide variety of sports for its student body. These sports have become integrated into the lives of students, for both athletes and spectators. However, a problem arises when one sport becomes more favored than the others, causing more funding and privileges to go toward that specific team. The CHS football team has always been held up to this
But if they did that, they did that on their own, absence of approval from the administration. standard, with many athletes believing that the football team sees more benefits to their sport counterparts. Football was commonly seen to have more privileges during the normal season, commonly believed to gain more funding and priorities. Currently, during the quarantine season, football has been thought to have more access to locker rooms and the freedom of having their masks off. Even some football players believed this to be a privilege. Said Saaketh Kanduri, “I feel like the football team had it easier with masks because we could wear helmets instead of masks. The only other privilege was access to the locker room but it wasn’t as if we were allowed to stay in there. It was just a place to drop your equipment or put your jerseys and pick them up.” Without understanding the situation from the perspective of a football player, many athletes developed the misconception that the administration was letting certain sports have access to locker rooms. Teams that had access to locker rooms were supposed to use them as storage
rooms rather than as a place to hang out or discuss plays. Said James Gilmore, Athletic Director at Cupertino High School, “Locker room spaces are not available for anybody, but there is storage space available for people. So if football has all that equipment, they were able to store their equipment in the locker room, but they weren’t supposed to use the locker room as the locker room. Some specific sports have specific spaces where they’re able to store some stuff, but nobody has an official locker room where they can change and do those things.” There are restrictions in place that each sport has to follow, and there are no sports that are exempt from these guidelines. Said James Gilmore, “The state came out with specific guidelines for each sport. So each coach had to follow those specific guidelines that were geared toward each specific sport. And they were very specific.” Football, similar to all the other sports, had to follow these specific guidelines created for them. Football players did not receive any more privileges than other teams from the administration. Said Gilmore, “From an administrative perspective? The answer is emphatically
From an administrative perspective? The answer is emphatically no. no. It’s basically up to the coaches to make sure that [the guidelines are followed]. There probably have been times where [the football team] hung out in the locker room where they shouldn’t have been, it should have been just a storage space. But if they did that, they did that on their own, absence of approval from the administration. So if that happened, it was outside the knowledge of the administration.”
SPORTS | 31
MLB Moves Playoffs Out of Atlanta Due to Voter Suppression Bill ARNAV VISHWAKARMA
32 |DESIGNED BY DHRUV KERAI
podcast editor
On April 2nd, the Major League Baseball (MLB) announced that it would be moving the 2021 All Star game and draft out of Georgia after the passing of a bill that would threaten voting rights for many Americans. The draft, which was scheduled to take place in early July, is a time when MLB teams draft amateur players. The All Star game is typically a highlight of the MLB Season and held around the mid-summer (the middle of the season) between fan-chosen rosters. This year, it was scheduled to be held in Atlanta, Georgia on July 13th, following the draft, but was relocated due to the state’s misalignment with MLB and ultimately American values. Georgia’s newly passed bill was quite controversial, as it severely limited the access to voting for many Georgians, specifically those belonging to minority/Democratic communities. The voting bill is quite extensive and intricate, but essentially grants the Republican controlled legislature more control over voting in the state by granting them power to suspend election officials; in effect, this provides an advantage for republicans. It also makes it significantly harder for many to vote by actions such as reducing drop boxes and its accessibility, banning mobile voting centers, providing voters less time to request absentee ballots, making it a misdemeanor to distribute food and water to voters in line, etc. The bill especially affects people of color, which is an issue that has plagued the voting scene in the United States from the nation’s beginnings. Voter suppression is an issue that the nation is familiar with, as it was founded with many not even having the right to vote. Even after the ratification of the 15th amendment in 1870, which prohibited governments from denying citizens the right to vote based on race, voter suppression continued well into the 1960s, and as demonstrated recently is even seen today. Women were only technically granted the right to vote with the passing of the 19th amendment, and suppression continued to exist for many with the form of literacy tests, poll taxes, accessibility to voting, etc. Taking note of the situation in Georgia, the MLB has stated that the bill’s implications do not align with the league’s values. While the league faced a fair share of criticism for the economic
PHOTO COURTESY OF GETTY IMAGES
Many other leagues, such as the NBA, WNBA, and NFL have also been able to use their platforms to push for change. ALL PHOTOS BY JASON CHEN
PHOTO COURTESY OF CNN
In 2016, NFL Athlete Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the national anthem, which drove many other athletes to follow in a protest against racial injustices and police brutality. Similarly, WNBA athletes paved the way for certain NBA protests with various movements such as wearing attire with messages calling for social justice. Despite the criticism and backlash that these athletes may have faced, they continued to push for social change. Ultimately, the MLB’s decision to relocate from Georgia to Denver was a political one, fueled by the league’s values and belief in democracy. The push for social change is one that is not new to the sports scene, but is welcome and has the power to make a difference.
Georgia’s newly passed bill was quite controversial, as it severely limited access to voting for many Georgians.
SPORTS | 33
impact that the relocation of the game may have on Atlanta, the decision was ultimately political and would have little to no economic impact on Atlanta amidst the coronavirus pandemic and the majority of ticket sales originating in Georgia itself (New York Times). The league has made plans to relocate the game to Coors Field in Denver on July 13th, as originally planned. Notably, the statement released by MLB Commissioner Robert Manfred ensured that the plans to support local communities in Atlanta through the All-Star Legacy Project would be unaffected. The commissioner also noted that the MLB “proudly used [its] platform to encourage baseball fans and communities throughout [the United States] to perform their civic duty and participate in the voting process”, and supports fair access to voting. While the MLB’s recent actions have proven to be a great stride in raising awareness to the issue of voter suppression, this is not the first time that a sporting league has driven for social change. Many other leagues, such as the NBA, WNBA, and NFL have also been able to use their platforms to push for change.
PERSPECTIVES
IF I COULD CUSTOMIZE MY KEYBOARD USING ONLY EMOJIS KEVIN JIA
DESIGNED BYMEGHANA VINJAMURY
features editor
Normally this emoji would be used to indicate that somewhere or something is ice cold. However, others like me use it when something is cool or fancy. It is sometimes used when somebody makes an amazing play in a game or if they bought something unique and potentially expensive.
The loudly crying emoji is one of my personal favorites as it is used in a sarcastic manner to indicate something is not going their way but sometimes it may not be a huge deal. (not always, but common)
This is another one of my personal favorites as the emoji expresses the sense of “deliciousness” and as someone who loves tasty food, I feel like I vibe with it very well. It’s also an emote that I use quite frequently when talking to friends, family, or even people I don’t know very well.
The Puking emoji usually indicates when something is unpleasant whether it’s disgusting or just not to somebody’s liking. It can be used to any extent whether it is serious or sarcastic. I find it hilarious when my friends use it to make fun of each other, especially when expressing things that we like.
THE STRUGGLES OF A MESSED UP SLEEP SCHEDULE DUE AT 11:59 PM
When was the last time you actually made your midnight deadlines? So many assignments. You’re always asleep. One teacher tried to make it easier on you and set it due at 5 PM, but then you slept through that too.
KEERTHI LAKSHMANAN writer
CAFFEINE, WILL YOU MARRY ME?
1:00 AM
So really, how much is too much coffee? You became friends with all the Philz baristas after a week because you went so often. One of them invited you to their wedding. LIKE PASSING SHIPS IN THE NIGHT
2:00 AM
Honestly, you can’t remember the last time you saw your family. Your dad probably heard you getting cereal in the middle of the night, because your dirty dishes disappear from your room by the morning. NAP TIME!
4:00 AM
PASSING SHIPS IN THE… MORNING?
5:00 AM
Your best friend is a morning person. He wakes up at 6 AM and runs four miles before first period. You texted him back and he told you how proud he was that you were waking up early these days. SCHEDULE? WHAT’S A SCHEDULE?
6:00 AM
You started losing all sense of time whatsoever around month two of quarantine. Yesterday your mother set up a dentist appointment “at 4” and you missed it because your alarms were set for 3:30 AM instead.
3:00 AM
Sometimes you get only two hours of sleep because you stayed up so late and class was at 8 AM. You know teens are supposed to get 9-10 hours, but you figure when you nap after school it’ll add up to enough.
PERSPECTIVES | 35
POSTSCRIPT
THERESA NGUYEN
36 | POSTSCRIPT
lifestyles editor
ANATOMY OF A STUDENT’S BRAIN
TEACHERS IN HYBRID LEARNING: A COMIC KRITI KAUSHAL photo editor
2 Months Ago...
Right now...
2 Months Ago...
Right now...
2 Months Ago...
Right now...
38 | DESIGNED BY KAVYA KAUSHAL
HOW QUARANTINE BENEFITTED ME
MEGHANA VINJAMURY perspectives editor
Ever since I was five years old, people would compare me to Rapunzel because of my long hair. This past year, that comparison stuck with me, and it wcwasn’t because her kingdom’s name is Corona. Quarantine seemed like a never-ending version of Tangled: being stuck at home, not for 18 years, but for a relatively long time. Ever since Rapunzel got locked up in the tower, she dreamt of watching the lanterns released every year on her birthday. Since the start of the pandemic, I, too, longed to see the best version of myself by the end of quarantine, and thus I saw each aspect that I wanted to improve myself in as an individual lantern. The first thing I wanted to work on was my sense of style; I had slowly started to become that person who only wore hoodies. So, I did the only obvious thing and scrolled through Pinterest for hours on end to find and pin outfit inspiration. I also threw away the clothes I did not wear anymore so I could make space for new ones. I feel like my style was also budding before quarantine, but it’s now at a place where I’m not only comfortable with what I wear, but I’m also almost dressing exactly how I always wanted to dress. My next hurdle was my mental health and self-care habits. I often put others before myself, even if I was exhausted, so I decided to try and prioritize myself for once. I picked up a few hobbies like cooking, baking and art to keep me relaxed. I was hesitant initially, but trying new things added variation to the monotonous routine I used to have. I also started a skincare routine so I could look after my skin better because earlier, I just washed my face in the morning and called it a day. Although it was difficult to find a routine that worked for me, I now use a toner, 2 serums, and a moisturizer (thank you TikTok for introducing me to The Ordinary). I saw actual results a couple of months later, but it honestly helped me become more motivated and happy throughout the day. In August, I started to notice that it quickly became harder for me to keep track of my assignments and extracurriculars. I used to only use sticky notes and Google Calendar to document the tasks that I had to finish and plan for things I wanted to do in the future. Although it worked, it was inefficient because all the information I needed was divided among an application and the giant wall of sticky notes I had in front of my desk. After watching countless YouTube videos and Pinterest boards, I found Notion and immediately started to cre-
ate a sophisticated planning system. It took a couple of days to set up at first, but I was able to replicate my sticky note wall and track my homework and classes in a more structured manner. Ever since I started using
I, too, longed to see the best version of myself by the end of quarantine. Notion, I have always finished my homework on time and started to perform better in classes, even in those I found challenging. One of my favorite outcomes from quarantine is that I started to embrace my culture; this past year has truly shown me how beautiful and diverse Indian culture is. I started by watching more movies (maybe a little too many) because I learned Hindi (at least understood it) through watching Bollywood movies. Then, I started to dress up in traditional attire more often (not just for holidays) because my mom does it, and I wanted to try it out. The hardest thing I tried was learning how to cook Indian food. Earlier, I couldn’t cook at all, so I was honestly really confused when I made my first recipe. Now I’m pretty good at it! Throughout quarantine, I had many ups and downs, which at first made me despise it. After using the extra time I had to improve myself the way I want to be, I realized how helpful and eye-opening this whole year has been. Quarantine is kind of like the lantern in my story because it helped me achieve things that I thought I could only dream about.
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