MISSION SAN JOSE HIGH SCHOOL
VOL. 53 NO. 7
March 29, 2018
41717 PALM AVENUE, FREMONT, CA 94539
Alumni speak about happiness and success Six panelists share their stories at the second annual alumni panel By Riya Chopra, Ian Hsu, Shreya Sridhar & Evie Sun Staff Writers MSJ faculty invited six alumni to speak at a panel attended by the MSJ community on March 6 in C-120. The panelists have all chosen unconventional career paths and shared their accomplishments and failures throughout and after high school. This alumni panel is the second of a series of annual alumni panels supporting the theme that there are multiple paths to success. The panel, hosted by Assistant Principal Jeff Evans, welcomed six speakers: Class of 2008 Alumni Navreena Sahota and American Government & Economics Teacher Spenser Peterson, Class of 2009 Alumnus Jose Ruvalcaba, Class of 2010 Alumna Emmeline Wang, and Class of 2012 Alumni Matthew Farberov and Helina Wang. After a brief introduction from each speaker, Evans asked the panelists about a time when they felt like giving up and how they persevered. Helina Wang shared how others disapproved of her decision to drop out of college. She explained how in the end she knew it was the right choice as it helped her become the successful Oakland Raiders professional cheerleader and Lululemon Athletica store manager that she is today. Ruvalcaba shared that being a part of a sports team in high school helped him remain optimistic and encouraged him not
to give up. Evans went on to ask the panel members about the misconceptions they had about college as high school students. Peterson shared how he always believed that in order to be successful, he needed to go to a top school but later realized that the ability to communicate and interact with others is much more important that what school he attends. Farberov spoke about his experiences in transforming from a student who routinely spent time in detention to a US Special Forces Lieutenant. He shared that he began to learn more about himself after graduating from high school, finding happiness in making a difference and serving others. Farberov said, “Whether it be developing an intelligence report that saves a US soldier’s life or contributing to taking an enemy off the battlefield, the impact of my work makes me happy.” When Evans asked if the panelists faced any conflicts with their parents regarding the choices they have made, Sahota, who is now an accomplished dentist, responded saying that her parents always supported her through everything. She said, “What made me actually want to excel and succeed is that I didn’t have that pressure from my parents.” Farberov shared that his parents always had faith in him and allowed him the freedom to make mistakes, which helped him mature. Peterson emphasized that parents should allow students to explore a path that they love,
STAFF WRITER SHREYA SRIDHAR
Class of 2010 Alumna Emmeline Wang discusses her experience as a barista and writing her coffee blog.
instead of pressuring them into a particular field. The last question Evans asked was, “What is your definition of success today?” Emmeline Wang, who owns her own coffee blog called EmmMeetsCoffee said, “I used to think in high school that happiness meant succeeding in all areas of my life, but I’ve come to realize that through the grit and sometimes even failures come the appreciation and gratitude for becoming stronger as an individual.” Sahota, Ruvalcaba, and Farberov all agreed that success comes from giving back to the world and serving others. Parents and students also had the opportunity to ask the alumni questions following
the panel. Sophomore Andrew Xu asked if they had a solution to going against the traditional belief at MSJ that success comes from being better than others. In response, Helina Wang stressed the importance of patience and said, “It’s not a race and you just have to focus on yourself and being happy.” At the end of the panel, Evans also talked with teachers, students, and parents in the audience about the importance of having alumni come back to MSJ and share their stories. He said, “We picked these kids because they’ve had struggles in life and we want students to see that it’s okay. It’s okay to fail. It’s okay to change your mind ... There’s really a message for every student here.” ▪
MSJ Quiz Bowl succeeds in Cal Cup #4 Quiz Bowl teams place fifth and 11th at state tournament By Praveen Nair & Julia Park Staff Writers Two teams from MSJ Quiz Bowl competed in the Cal Cup #4 tournament held on March 3 at Bellarmine College Preparatory. The A-team finished with an 8-4 record and in fifth place, while the B-team placed 11th
with a 3-9 record. In Quiz Bowl rounds, two teams of five compete to answer 20 toss-up questions, usually a paragraph long, by buzzing in first with the correct answer; earlier buzzes are worth more points. The team who answered a toss-up correctly is asked three related bonus questions as well. The topics of these
STAFF WRITER JULIA PARK
Some Quiz Bowl members Freshmen Ashish Basetty, Avinash Iyer, and Vibhav Athreya, Seniors Vikshar Athreya and Gabriel Chuang, Juniors Suprav Goswami and Srikar Voleti, and Senior Prasana Guthy pose for a picture. STUDENTS TAKE PART IN NATIONAL SCHOOL WALKOUT
On March 14 at 10 a.m. sharp, hundreds of MSJ students flooded into the amphitheater to show solidarity for the 17 victims of the Parkland massacre.
tossups are diverse, covering history, literature, fine arts, science, and pop culture. “For the competition [we go] over old packets and find the clues that appeared the most often and tried to memorize them,” said B-team member Freshman Anika Wadhera. Most high school tournaments have preliminary rounds that determine placing in a final playoff bracket. Despite only recently resuming competition under the MSJ name, Quiz Bowl has existed at MSJ since 1999. This year, MSJ competed at a record number of tournaments, including the Early Fall Tournament, the Penn Bowl against college teams, and the Davis Classic, where the A-team was crowned undefeated champion. At the Cal Cup #4 tournament, MSJ’s Ateam consisted of Seniors Vikshar Athreya, Gabriel Chuang, Alex Tseng, and Prasana Guthy, while MSJ’s B-team consisted of Senior Chandan Hegde, Junior Amit Sant, and Freshmen Vibhav Athreya, Wadhera, and Riya Patel. Despite the fact that half of their usual team members were missing and that others had to be shuffled around for the tournament, Quiz Bowl still performed
RESPECT AND EDUCATION: THE N WORD
At MSJ, it is not uncommon to hear the n-word tossed around casually. In this online opinion piece, we analyzed the history of the word and why we, as a school with a diverse student body, have a responsibility to respect it.
exceedingly well in the competition pool of 60 schools. “Although we didn’t do as well as expected, we put up a lot of close games against usually victorious opponents,” said Vikshar Athreya. The tournament also keeps track of which team member answered each question during the team’s rounds; Athreya won an individual award for being the sixth highest scorer in the tournament. Cal Cups #1 through #4 are used as qualifiers to the National Academic Quiz Tournament’s (NAQT) state and national tournaments; teams must place in the top 15 percent of the team pool. Both the Ateam and the B-team did so at Cal Cup #4, although they were already qualified to the national tournament through previous Cal Cups. Later this year, MSJ will attend the NAQT Northern CA State Championship, which MSJ has won for four years running. Two national tournaments, the NAQT High School National Championship from May 25 to 27 and the Partnership for Academic Excellence National Scholastic Championship from June 2 to 3, will finish MSJ Quiz Bowl’s incredibly successful season this year. ▪
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