Issue 7/Senior Issue - May 2022

THE PROSPECTOR

P

SENIOR ISSUE spreads and articles dedicated to the class of 2022

NEWS

Senior Send-off Rally pg. 04

SPORTS

Senior Commits at CHS pg. 12

A Letter to My Freshman Self pg. 20

POSTSCRIPT A Year in Review pg. 28

ISSUE 7, VOL 64

COLUMNS

IN THIS ISSUE

news

Behind the Scenes: Senior Send-off Rally.............................. 04 Leaving CHS: Teacher Edition......................................... 06

lifestyles

Memorable Locations on Campus................................. 08 College Dorm Essentials............. 10

sports

Senior Commits at CHS....................................... 12

features

CHS Seniors................................ 14

12: Senior Commits COVER DESIGNED BY HENRY MA AND JENNY WU

senior issue

2021-2022 Staff: Quote Board................................ 16 Column: Mirror Mirror on the Wall........................................ 18 Column: A Letter to My Freshman Self............................... 20 Final Words from Prospector Seniors....................... 22 Column: Family College Legacy......................................... 24 Column: A World Away................ 26 A Year in Review.......................... 28

THE PROSPECTOR

STAFF 2021-2022

A LETTER FROM THE EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Dear Reader,

editors-in-chief Jenny Wu Henry Ma Avi Pandit page editors Arnav Vishwakarma Arushi Arora Megumi Ondo Sonia Patil Raissa Ji Jenny Wu Henry Ma writers Dhruv Kerai Kriti Kaushal Arushi Arora Jun Kim Avi Pandit Slava Miroshnichenko Anand Ashar Kavya Kaushal Vishal Shenoy Juliet Shearin Joan Thyagarajan

special thanks to Katelyn Chu Theresa Nguyen Saniya Laungani Rajasi Laddha Kevin Jia Meghana Vinjamury Prithika Sundar Natalie Chen Soha Roy Taruna Anil Tanvee Sai Caroline Cheng Lisa Zivanic Olivia Hwang Evan Lu Jolie Han Rishita Shah Sania Mehta Norman Chow advisor Ann Shriver-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: chsprospector@gmail.com The Prospector 10100 Finch Avenue Cupertino, CA 95014

Give us a piece of metal, and we’ll give you a rocket ship. Or maybe we’ll give you the worst attendance record in 64 years. Point being, that what we’ve accomplished with our brownies has taken each of us on different adventures. Everyone has done something different with their four years at Cupertino High.

But it would be inaccurate to characterize our experience at Tino as entirely sweet; at times, our ride experienced turbulence and rough patches. Like the stress and anxiety we thought would never end, that turbulence is only temporary. How we choose to react, or overcome that stress or anxiety, is much more important. And whether that be through baby steps or giant leaps, it is how we respond to the adversity in our lives that defines us.

Exactly 12 months ago, we were each sitting in our bedrooms, on Zoom, I (Avi) eating apple pie, I (Jenny) sipping on tea, and I (Henry) eating hot cheetos with chopsticks, wondering how we should readjust the publication to in-person school. Trying to build off the progress from the year online and also expand on what we have accomplished before the pandemic, we as a class learned to become more of a family than ever before.

Looking back on the past four years, with the greatest pleasure and gratitude, we thank you for all the memories you’ve let us in on to record and experience. Thank you, Class of 2022, for allowing us to be a small step in your journey. Now that we’ve finally finished high school, it’s time to enjoy that smooth rocket ride into the future.

With love, Henry Ma, Jenny Wu and Avi Pandit

NEWS

Behind the scenes of the Senior Sendoff Rally, taking place on May 23rd Said Julie Yang, ASB’s spirit director, “We had to kind of start over.” The dance choreograt has been over three years phers faced issues after the since Cupertino High School send-off rally was moved to the has hosted its last senior send- gym. Since the gym is smaller off rally. With very few people on than the football field, the chocampus with experience hosting reographers had to significanta senior send-off rally, the spirit ly shrink the dance formations commission, class councils, and which they had initially designed dance choreographers faced for previous rallies. The space constraints many hurdles to and overovercome while AFTER THE SPIRIT flow of stuplanning this COMMISSION WAS TOLD dents onto rally. gym T h e THAT NO INDOOR RAL- the floor during WOULD HAPPEN first hurdle was LIES the location. THIS YEAR, THEY WERE indoor rallies posed Previous ral- SURPRISED TO HEAR a significant lies this school year have been THAT THE SENIOR SEND- c h a l l e n g e hosted on the OFF RALLY WOULD TAKE for choreographers like football field, PLACE IN THE GYM Kathleen but the send-off Hua. Said rally was moved Hua,, “I’m kinda scared that [the to the gym. After the spirit comdancers] will hit [the students mission was told that no indoor rallies would happen this year, watching].”

The second hurdle was they were surprised to hear that finding inspiration. Said Yang, the senior send-off rally would “Because we haven’t done the take place in the gym. The spirsenior send-off rally since our it commission had to learn how freshman year, it’s been very to use the audio in the gym and difficult trying to find out what completely change plans from people usually do and how they what they initially designed. have done it in past years.” The NACHIKET KERAI writer

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spirit commission came up with the idea to have the rally be a mashup of all the rally themes done by the class of 2022. Each of the classes at rally would have a theme matching one the class of 2022 had already executed at previous homecomings.

The third hurdle was choosing which groups would perform. Many clubs on campus wanted the opportunity to perform on campus. In order to give every club wanted to perform an opportunity to participate in some way, the spirit commission spread out club performances throughout spirit week and selected only a few to perform at the rally.

Despite challenges ranging from the switch to the gym, the tight schedules due to APs and finals, the amount of clubs wanting to participate and the lack of references to draw inspiration from, every person involved in planning the rally has worked their hardest to give a special moment to the seniors

SENIOR SENDOFF

NEWS | 5

PHOTOS COURTESY OF GOOGLE

TEACHER’S LAST YEAR YEAR:: MS.ROBISON MS.ROBISON

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An interview retrospective interview with Ms.Robison on her experiences as a teacher and future as an educator

KRITI KAUSHAL writer

Biography: Ms. Robison has taught at Cupertino High School for the past thirteen years where she was honored as Teacher of the Year for the 2021-2022 school year.

Ms. Robison will be pursuing a PhD at Howards University, studying educational leadership and policy this fall. She aspires to work with high schools to help develop educational policies and work with teachers, specifically teachers of color, helping them sustain themselves. Looking back at her years at Cupertino, Ms. Robison is grateful to Ms. Tomberlain for giving her the opportunity to teach challenging curriculum and to her Tino family and brunch table friends who have helped her grow and given her the love needed to take the next step in her education goals.

What made you pursue teaching in the first place?

I always knew I wanted to be a teacher. In eighth grade, I had this really fantastic teacher named Ms. Jacobson, and every single day you came to her class, she held everyone accountable. [...] if you didn’t know the answer when she came to you, you got detention, but her version of detention was that you spent your day after school with her doing the learning that you didn’t get before.

Therefore, there was never this culture of “you’re the smart kid” or “you’re not the smart kid”. It was rather “we all are smart kids” and we all have the ability to learn; it just might take you a little longer. She made everybody feel worthy of an education, and I hadn’t always had that experience [...]. Everybody deserves to feel wanted at school or to feel like it’s a place they’re deserving of being, and I knew I could do that [as a teacher]. I also love history so much, and I think just wanting to make sure I could share historical narrative[s] with people was something I’ve always been interested in.

What prompted you to pursue a PhD?

Do you have any memory that stands out to you when you look back at your time in CHS?

I taught ELD in the ELD program for seven years before I started teaching AVID so I think seeing students who are not always seen find their thing or have that “light bulb moment”, is a memory that stands out to me. One of my students from my first year teaching here was Shing, and he was one of my ELD1 students who was just learning English… and he was just grappling with who he was. And recently he graduated from college, went to London to study acting and was just in a play on Broadway. Seeing kids find the willingness to be vulnerable because I was able to provide a space for them to feel safe enough to do so [is a gratifying feeling]. And I hope that’s something that others can be cognizant of and be willing and able to do as well.

What learning would you like to pass on to the student body?

There’s a Rebelution song called Courage to Grow, and the whole song was asking you at the end of the day, “I hope you find the courage to grow. If you want to make a change, you have to do it. You have to take action.” I just hope people here have the courage to go beyond the confines of what they think is their expected existence. I hope more people here find the “courage to grow”, be vulnerable and be willing and able to learn even when they’re uncomfortable

NEWS | 7

I’ve always wanted [a PhD] and during COVID, I really had some time to pause. As much as I love teaching, it is a lot of [classroom time] and there’s not a lot of “you” time. One of the things I’ve noticed over my 13 years, including student teaching, is [teaching] becomes your identity and once you’re so bound up in it...

...,can forget to do those things for your life that you might’ve been really passionate about or that are really important to you simply because you’re trying to teach and be a teacher. COVID just gave me more time to pause and reflect on places to go.

I applied to different schools and I got into USC, Vanderbilt and Howard and I knew I wanted to do something in education. [Last year] I had the opportunity to teach a class at Stanford in their graduate school of education and I thought, ‘Huh, I know I can help make education better and if I can help make education better, then maybe I can help one more person want to be a lifelong learner. [I could help] one more person want to make their space a better one to be in.’ So that’s how I decided and how I picked Howard. I wanted a big change, and I felt like that is where I would get the most growth.

LIFESTYLES

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STAFFER CHOOSES: MEMORABLE PLACES ON CAMPUS SLAVA MIROSHNICHENKO writer

You have traversed the grounds of our Cupertino High School. You have passed by hundreds of faces and don’t think about where you are going unless lunch or brunch. Yet, there are still some places that stick with you. Memories are associated with different locations, good or bad, so let’s recap on some of them.

THE HALLWAY You have passed it and smelled it. The hall that intersects the 200 wing and the quad is on the way for most of our classes. As a result, many avoid this area during passing periods because the smell is atrocious. But, even with the scent, it is undoubtedly a spot we all remember, and not for a good reason.

SCIENCE LAWN This fake turf is located outside the science buildings and is often a spot to relax for most students, whether during lunch, brunch, or class time. Most of us remember the first-year orientation and the story associated with the turf. The belief is that if you roll down the hill, you are guaranteed good grades. While I cannot speak for my own experiences, it worked for other students. Who knows if the turf does its magic. All we know is that sometimes it works and sometimes it does not. It is unfortunate when the “magic grass” does not do its job.

CAFETERIA The true staple of every school around the world. The place where we get food and some use as a place to hang out. We all have our opinions about the food served, but we can agree that sometimes the food is pretty good.

Aside from the food, the cafeteria provides easy access to the library for when you need to speed through that last-minute homework. The cafeteria serves as a calm place to hang out, but there is always a spill of some sort on the floor for some reason. Nobody knows what spilled or how it spilled. But, we know that something spilled, and it is something new every day.

THE QUAD The area for meeting up with friends. The place for waiting in obnoxiously long lunch lines. The site to do anything and everything at this school. Our quad is always bustling with activities, whether it be performances, college fairs, or pop-up booths. The quad is unavoidable when navigating the school, making it a unique place even if you don’t hang out there. With the constant activities and social environment, the quad will go down in many students’ memories as a place you either go to hang out or avoid.

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ANAND ASHAR writer

Wow, high school flies by fast. It’s already time to prepare for the transition to college and it’s undoubtedly nerve racking. There are so many things to take care of from cut-throat class selection and adjusting to dorm life. Below, we will cover the dorm essentials that you’ll need to thrive: You’ll definitely bring your laptop and charger, but don’t forget those dongles if you have a USB-C Mac. You may not need them daily but they’ll come handy in many situations. Many students purchase an iPad to organize their notes in college, however notebooks for each class and writing utensils will work just fine.

Regarding bedding, many college dorms have unique extra large twin mattresses, so you will likely have to purchase sheet sets and pillows. If you want more comfort, bring along a body pillow. Your friends will appreciate that as well.

Do you need a morning run of coffee or hope to sip on hot chocolate on a cool Saturday? Then get yourself a coffee maker. Just be careful, your roommates might use yours profusely so don’t leave those coffee pouches on the table.

Your dorm will not have a kitchen but be sure to bring silverware to gobble the instant ramen you’ll cook in your in-room microwave.

If your dorm has communal bathrooms, you will need to buy a shower caddy to transport supplies like towels, bodywash, shampoo, and a toothbrush. Your dorm may offer lockers in the communal bathrooms to store your supplies, so you may need to purchase locker lock.

Do you hope to keep your room sparkling clean with little effort? Well, your ROOMBA robot will solve all your tensions, but realistically a hand-held vacuum will do just fine to clean up the occasional spills.

You’ll have plenty of fun if you bring your flat-screen TV and both your Xbox One and PS5, though good luck convincing your roommates to take over the entire space. Perhaps just bring your Nintendo Switch for those occasional gaming needs?

Thinking about bringing your Tesla to college, well enjoy the ride there because you won’t see it again. Instead, bring a bike or electric scooter. Both will take care of your acceleration thrills just fine.

Just bring a strong U-lock to prevent theft.

Don’t forget to bring batteries to power your alarm clock or an umbrella for those pouring days. Most dorms do not have air conditioning, so unless you love the sweltering heat or plan to camp those hot months under the stars, bring a fan.

LIFESTYLES | 11

Of course, you will definitely need other supplies specific to your needs but this covers all the essentials and some things that you may not want to bring. Happy Shopping!

SPORTS ARUSHI ARORA page editor/writer

SENIOR ATHLE Beginning his diving career nine years ago, senior Raphael Tourette will be joining the Division 1 Swimming at Diving team at Harvard College.

Inspired by his brother’s decision to commit to Harvard for fencing in 2017, Tourette began to take his own steps toward an athletic career in the NCAA. Said Tourette, “I had no idea that I would be going to Harvard as well, this just opened my eyes to the possibility of diving in the NCAA. Knowing that being chosen to join a division 1 sports team is extremely difficult and competitive, I began to take my sport a lot more seriously.”

Weighing several factors before committing to Harvard, said Tourette, “I had visited the school 3 times prior to committing to visit my brother, and I fell in love with the campus and atmosphere. There’s no arguing that it is objectively one of the top schools in the country, but there was a lot more that drew me into this school than just that [...] the swimming & diving team and coaches are a group of immensely uplifting and kind people who instantly made me feel like part of their family upon the start of the recruiting process.”

Said Tourette, “I am overjoyed to be able to attend a university where I can pursue my biggest athletic and academic dreams. I cannot wait to compete for this incredible school with such talented and driven teammates.”

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From finding her passion in the water at the age of six to getting her first National Record at the age of ten, Mia Tandingan is ready to make strides as she looks to further her swim career at the Division I swim team at Bringham Young University.

Having to make a difficult decision between BYU and her other offers, Tandingan considered several factors through her recruiting process before finally making her decision. Said Tandingan, “The college recruiting process for swimming began on June 15th during the summer of sophomore year and I had several college coaches reach out to me. After going on an official campus visit, BYU stuck out to me the most. The school offered many beneficial programs to my major and the support system is well-rounded for both academics and athletics [...] I was convinced that BYU is the right fit for me!”

After the school joined the Big 12 Conference last September, Tandingan is thrilled to be a future student-athelete at BYU. Said Tandingan, “I’m excited that my teammates and I have the opportunity to compete against other higher level schools [...] I’m looking forward to meeting new people, making more memories with new friends, and exploring what Utah has to offer!”

Every athlete has a different recruiting experience. For Vithiyashankar “TV” Thulasinthan, a football commit to San Jose City College, the college recruitment process was one rife with twists and complications.

Said Thulasinthan “Cupertino High School isn’t a prestigious school in terms of athletics and especially football, we pretty much get no recruits to our games, and even when we had a historic season we didn’t get any recognition even from our own school. It’s hard to get recruited from a small school in terms of athletics. The second reason is my height [...] I am considered short for my position and being short while also being from a small school turned away a lot of recruits.”

Despite the setbacks, his perseverance paid off. Said Thulasinthan, “I received many offers from prestigious universities for football and some I even wanted to attend but a major barrier was the living cost and personal reasons.

So when I was at a crossroads at where I wanted to go, San Jose City College came to me and told me that they were extremely interested in me and pretty much offered the world to me.”

On top of this, Thulasinthan has also broken barriers with his football career.

He will be the first Sri Lankan football player ever at San Jose City College.

ETE COMMITS Senior Harry Singh is prepared to begin the next part of his football career as a wide receiver at San Jose City College. After just having begun playing football his freshman year in high school, Singh is now looking forward to taking his abilities to the collegiate level.

Said Singh, “I committed to my school was because the coaching staff had a lot of connections and are known for getting their athletes scholarships to the next level, on top of that the offense they run is very similar to what we ran here at Cupertino so it has been a lot easier to pick things up.”

Looking back at his experience in high school, Singh values the support and encouragement that Coach Oswald provided him through his journey with football. Said Singh, “Coach Oswald is the main reason I am still playing football. As a freshman, I did not get much playing time but coach oswald decided to bring me to varsity as a sophomore because he had a gut feeling that I would do well [...] Coach Oswald has helped through every step of my journey and I would not have had the success that I had in high school if not for him.”

With his last season at Tino, Singh celebrated winning the league championship as well as breaking the school record for receiving touchdowns.

After just beginning his athletic career last year at Cupertino High School, senior Hyunmin Shin has committed to Tufts University’s Division III Track and Field Program, with plans to study biopsychology on the premed track as well.

After qualifying for CCs and receiving recruitmenter letters in the mail, Shin’s recruitment process was only sightly impacted by the pandemic.

Said Shin, “The only thing was that between it being my first season, and the season being short because of covid, I didn’t have any film of me competing at meets. I had to send in homemade film but most coaches didn’t mind. Eventually, I got offered a visit to Tufts where I could meet the team, professors, and see the facilities.

Ultimately choosing to spend his next four years at Tufts University, said Shin, “I knew Tufts is great for pre-med and it’s in Boston which is a hotspot for hospitals and med schools. They were also one of the programs that were more interested in me. I also grew up in the greater Boston area so I know the area pretty well.”

SPORTS | 13

For senior Jacqueline Solomon, softball was love at first sight, and plans to continue pursuing her passion at Claremont Mckenna College.

Said Solomon, “I started playing softball when I was four years old. Maybe a year later, I was riding in the car with my mom and was telling her how much I loved it, and in that moment I decided I was going to play softball for as long as I possibly could.”

Solomon felt that same serendipitous love for Claremont Mckenna. Said Solomon, “ [my coach] made me feel like I was part of her family, and that night while driving back home, I realized I would never have an experience that could be any more amazing than the one I had just had.”

Despite her dedication, Solomon highlights the stigma she has faced as a student-athlete. Said Solomon “At Tino, I personally have heard people say that I got into an amazing school without even having to try or work hard to get in. [...] We dedicate our lives to our sports and our education to get into good schools, so please don’t take away from our accomplishments and hard work.”

FEATURES “My most memorable memory about high school was taking pre prom pics with my friends. I’ve known these guys for like 6-7 years and taking pre prom pics was pretty emotional. It might be the last time I take a picture with a group of friends. It might be the last time I’m seeing them, which I hope not. I hope I was able to encapsulate my past memories through a picture” Siheon Park, Most Memorable Moment “Advice that I’d give to the underclassmen would be enjoying your time throughout high school. I know Cupertino High School is very focused on academics, but I think it’s pretty important for you to have the balance between academics and free time. Because you’re never going to get this time again, living with our families and having the sense of safety within us, I think it’s important to practice the work and life balance” Sejal Kanikaram, Advice to Underclassmen “I think the one thing that I regret the most during high school is like not talking to more people. I feel like in the beginning of high school, I was very intimidated to approach people and with quarantine it definitely did not help because talking online was actually much harder than in-person. But definitely during senior year, I talked to as many people as I can and now I have close friends that will be there for me in the long term” Jewel Lin, 1 Thing You Regret “One of my key moments during my senior year was the clash of the classes, specifically the dances.

Even though the rally was held outside rather than the indoor gym, we were able to hype everyone up. Seeing everyone in the crowd and our class working together made me remember this particular

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event.

Eugene Seoh, Favorite Event of Senior Year “Something that I regret not doing especially during senior year is not going out with friends. I feel like I have been too focused on academics and did not do too many fun stuff throughout high school.

A lot of people you see in high school, you are not going to meet the exact same people in college. So cherish the time that you have with friends and make sure you spend time well aside from academics” Seif Abdelaziz, 1 Thing You Regret Not Doing JUN KIM writer

AVI PANDIT online editor-in-chief

“Something that is important to remember while you are in high school is getting involved in school clubs. I personally did not join any school clubs until the end of my sophomore year and that is one thing I regret. Don’t hesitate to explore your interests and feel free to discover what you may want to do throughout and beyond high school” Evan Lee, Important Thing to Remember “An event that is quite memorable to me during senior year was going to Monterey for the Monterey Bay Regionals for Robotics. It was definitely cool because we were able to stay at hotel and be in the same room with my friends who were in robotics for the last 4 years with me” Bhuvana Betini, Favorite Memory from High School “When I first walked in as a freshman, I met a lot of people from places you’ve never heard about or from different schools and you feel like you will click with everyone. But that’s always not the case.

Throughout high school, I found out that it’s important to set boundaries with certain people and that’d make you feel safer and happier. When you do find your circle of people, it drives you to make more memories and time, making everything so memorable” Aneesh Bhat, Most Surprising Discorvery “I would say that specifically teachers had a bigger role in changing me as a student. Specifically to name a few, Mrs. Padgett and Mr. Bui, teachers had a positive impact in students’ lives. They ensured to encourage students’ interests and they especially knew what made their students important and I think that made it clear for me to explore my interest and grow as a student” Colleen Ranney, Biggest Influence

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2022 HALL OF FAME

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COLUMNS

2021-2022

Staffer Quote Board

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COLUMNS COLUMN

Mirror Mirror On the Wall MIRROR MIRROR ON THE WALL KAVYA KAUSHAL Age 5, Late Nights in the Middle of June Mirror Mirror on the Wall. Who’s the fairest of them all? Of course, it’s me. I love my life: It’s so exciting and fun. My second home is the outdoors, and I play with my neighborhood friends all evening long until the crickets chirp louder than our voices, and the sky is a navy blanket speckled with white. When I come home, I wash my dirty hands and face until I’m squeaky-clean. My smile is so wide that it hurts my cheeks. I trace it, and now the reflective glass is wet. My mother will be mad at me for touching the mirror, but nothing matters because right now, with all of my friends and family, life couldn’t be better. Humming, I skip out the restroom door to the dining table, where my family members sit talking among themselves.

Age 8, In the Palm of Your Hands My parent’s homeland, India, is vibrant and lively, even at nighttime. As I cross the bustling alleys, I grip my mother’s right hand so hard that our knuckles turn white. In today’s episode of Kavya Conquers the World, starring the one and only superstar me, I pick out what I should bring to my friends from a local bazaar.

My fingers glide over the organized rows of bangles and hair ties. Suddenly, glaring sunshine blinds me.

Disoriented, I search for the source.

The light is radiating from the most detailed, beautiful boxes I have ever seen. They’re so tiny that they won’t even fill half my palm. The friendly vendor tells me they are coated

with famous Jaipuri mirrorwork.

My eyes widen in the hundreds of mini-reflections of me made in the delicate diamond-cut mirrors that span the entirety of the jewelry holder. I say, “I’ll have eight!”

Age 10, Don’t Forget About Me “Okay, let’s see how many students want to volunteer. Everyone interested, raise your hands.” My arm shoots up in anticipation. My twin sister and I instinctively lock eyes, buzzing with excitement. It would be awesome to be a part of the student council with my second half.

My teacher starts counting students. “One, two, three, four, five — Kavya, why is your hand raised?” I look around, startled by all the eyes on me. Heat rushes to my face and I probably resemble a tomato. Why is the teacher asking me that question? Did I do something wrong?

“It’s just that Kriti already has her hand up… You two are basically the same, so could you please do me a favor and lower your hand to give your other peers an equal chance?” My face burns up, and I look at the ground, away from my classmates’ stares. Hot tears start pooling in my eyes. For the first time, I feel ashamed of sharing physical features with my fraternal twin. If only I didn’t mirror her face when I was born second. Maybe then I would finally be acknowledged as my own unique person.

My sister tries to catch my eye, and although I see her visible concern, I whip my head in the opposite direction.

Age 14, Young and Beautiful The stunning face of Yami Gautam appears on the television screen, her milky white skin stealing the show. The widely-known Fair

and Lovely Cream bottle stands in her hand. Something about the way her skin glows creates a pang in my chest. It hurts inside, but I’m certain it’s not a physical source of pain. I rush to the bathroom and drown my face with water, lathering the same cream-based face wash endorsed minutes ago on the TV between my fingers. The more I aggressively rub my face, the more I hope that I’ll magically turn into someone more white and pretty. I close my eyes so I don’t have to face reality.

Only once I wipe the last remains of the soap with a towel do I stare at my reflection’s dark skin. Why was I born brown? Why can’t I control the color of my skin? Why won’t this stupid face wash work? Why couldn’t I have been born “Fair and Lovely?”

Age 17, If “Happily Ever After” Did Exist

I stand before my senior portrait in my bedroom, adjusting my mother’s pearl necklace. I look in the mirror, and I don’t recognize the girl staring back at me. The girl clenches her fist and grabs a fistful of her hair. She tugs it, and pain erupts from my scalp. She clutches herself in her arms, breath stuttering as she lets out a scream that cracks midway and dissolves into uncontrollable sobs. Knock, Knock.

She hears someone at the door. The emotion drains from her face, and a thin, wispy line emerges, replacing her scowl and furrowed eyebrows.

Wiping her face, she notes the improbable flaws. That’s me? I’m an unoriginal mess of a stew of those around me. I will never be enough.

When did looking at my reflection become this painful? Mirror Mirror on the Wall. When will I finally be ready to accept it all?

COLUMNS

A Letter to My freshman-year self

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4 years later!

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Freshm

POSTSCRIPT | 31

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Even A amo I belie though unt ve tha t h is is t t your from b r u g e, r owth in eing u nfairly m a nifican t u r t reated ity t than is mor any of spect, e s ig fi c er title I only . In re have o regard t r n o ep ing FB LA: ple iece of advic ing a s e a s ense o e try d f fashio evelop incorp n whic orate VISHAL SHENOY h does officer not merch writer andise .Seri-

AVI PANDIT if you see me less, i’m doing more

JENNY WU whats goody my gang

SLAVA MIROSHNICHENKO whaduya mean i’m not allowed in walmart

MEGUMI ONDO i did not go through labor to give birth to loud children

ANAND ASHAR life is a highway... i want to ride it all night long

ARNAV VISHWAKARMA

22 | THE PROSPECTOR

on cap?

JUN KIM punctuality is not my specialty, unfortunately.

SPREAD DESIGN BY JENNY WU

RAISSA JI get ya money up not ya funny up

KRITI KAUSHAL i didn’t choose the twin life...

KAVYA KAUSHAL ...the twin life chose me

HENRY MA poopin blue for four days

SONIA PATIL be yourself, unless you’re dale gribble. the be rusty shackleford

ARUSHI ARORA “That’s what” -She

JOAN THYAGARAJAN no cow with wheels,

VISHAL SHENOY

DHRUV KERAI bih

JULIET SHEARIN rule number one: no fatalities

life’s like a sandwich: no matter which way you flip it, the bread comes first

24 | DESIGNED BY JENNY WU

COLUMNS

Running in the Family Exploring a family college legacy

Runnin in the Family JULIET SHEARIN

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COLUMNS | 25

I’ve spent a long time making choices not because they were the ones I wanted to make, but because the alternatives were worse. That’s not uncommon — look at presidential elections, for one — but it is tiring, especially when it’s done for the wrong reasons. My whole life, I have tried to define myself as someone different from my two older sisters. It took me seventeen years to realize that the narratives I was defying were only in my head.

My sisters are five years older than me, just close enough that I was tolerable as a younger sibling, just far enough to make it difficult for us to connect on a personal level. Moreover, they’re twins; while I was having elementary school problems, there were two people in the household having middle school problems. It was easy to feel overshadowed.

When my fifth grade teacher called me by my sister’s name instead of mine for the fourth time, I started to internalize the idea that unless

tioned my sisters to me; now that I’m a senior, it’s a non-issue. The choices I made out of an unfounded fear are still with me. Although I don’t regret them — well, maybe taking drama; an actor I am not — I wish I had made them for different reasons.

I love my sisters, and all available evidence suggests they love me. As they find success in their own lives, I’m starting to realize that I don’t mind if they overshadow me.

They’re good people accomplishing good things. I don’t need to be the main character in life. Trying to distinguish myTRYING TO DISself from my sisters only made TINGUISH MYSLF FROM me feel distant from them.

MY SISTERS ONLY Next year, I will be goMADE ME FEEL DISing to the same college as one TANT FROM THEM. of my sisters. It’s not a choice JULIET SHEARIN I’m making out of a desire to be unique, but because it’s Spanish. I even decided to the best college for me. It feels apply to the Prospector be- good to feel like I’m making a cause my sister had become decision for the right reasons: editor-in-chief of The Nugget. love, not fear I never considered the outsized impact I was letting my sisters have on me. Even as a freshman, not many people menI intentionally distinguished myself from my sisters, people would always confuse us.

When I went to middle school the next year, I knew that my sisters had taken choir and band, so I decided to do orchestra. Although I liked learning to play the cello, I liked the fact that the teacher and my classmates had never even met my sisters more.

In high school, the pattern continued: I took drama because my sister had taken marching band; I took French because they had learned

COLUMNS

A WORLD AWAY Connecting to heritage through clothing

A World Away

26 | DESIGNED BY HENRY MA

JOAN THYAGARAJAN My maternal grandmother has always sent me monthly packages filled to the brim with kaju katli, gulab jamun, murukku and halwa. The sticky, scrumptious sweets are accompanied by bizarre, lavish and inconceivably ornate dresses that are the offspring of my grandmother’s attempt to understand my American taste in clothes fused with our South Indian heritage.

For as long as I can remember, my closet has been flooded with the vibrant hues of kurtas and dupattas that caught every visitor’s eyes despite being shoved to the back corner. I refused to wear them, embarrassed by the flamboyant reds and oranges bedecked with rhinestones and intricate gold designs. They were a discordant clash of a supposed Western-style T-shirt or dress and the designer’s love of Indian design.

Every package prompted the awkward, unfulfilled promise that I would wear them. I ought to. After all, my grandmother had put so much time into selecting these pieces. They were her declaration of grandmotherly affection sent in a package she sewed shut herself and spent substantial money to ship to the other side of the world.

I would wear them once, to the church where the elders would all give compliments while I was just relieved to have fulfilled my duty to wear a dress I hated. It was my penance for living so far from my grandparents and my reluctant proclamation of love. I wore the blouses too long to be fashionable in America, but too short to be considered proper Indian clothes. The clothes reminded me of who I was and ashamed of being: someone who did not fit anywhere.

When the pandemic came, the packages stopped coming. I dearly missed the sweets, but there was a quiet relief that I no longer had new dresses to stuff into the back of my closet.

In August 2021 my maternal grandfather passed away, and in December 2021 my paternal grandmother passed away. All of a sudden, my maternal grandmother was the only grandparent I had left. I was left reeling at the combined loss while also yearning for one of my grandmother’s packages and a semblance of the old, enveloping sensation of grandmotherly affection that ensconced the saccharine treats and colorful fabrics that traveled across the world just for me.

All the blouses and kurta-esque dresses that still sat in the back of my closet had a new value. My grandparents had always been my anchor to my Indian heritage, but now, with them gone, these clothes that I had forsaken for so long were my only con-

nection to the people and the culture that felt much farther than just a world away.

When the first package came after quarantine ended, I treasured the clothes with newfound vigor.

However, college poses a new conundrum to my ever-growing collection of kurtas, saris and indo-western blouses. Will I bring them with me? I hold these garments close to my heart, but that does not stem the embarrassment associated with wearing them. With sparse closet space in my immediate future, there is only so much I can bring. I have to question whether these dresses — impractical for daily life — are essential enough to my identity that I will continue to take them with me wherever I go

COLUMNS | 27

28 | THE PROSPECTOR

Don’t ask me about Yeezys right now

SPREAD DESIGN BY RAISSA JI

2018–2022

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