MISSION SAN JOSE HIGH SCHOOL
VOL. 54 NO. 3
November 16, 2018
41717 PALM AVENUE, FREMONT, CA 94539
Agents of Change starts a conversation on domestic violence Conference featured a variety of speakers aiming to raise awareness for domestic violence By Anisa Kundu & Gokul Ramapriyan Staff Writers The Leaders of Today and Tomorrow Conference, hosted on October 28, aimed to raise awareness for domestic violence and repressive gender norms that exist in today’s society. The student-run organization Agents of Change, and nonprofit organization Maitri organized and hosted this event. A variety of high school students, members of the workforce, and college students and graduates spoke at the summit. American High School Agents of Change Fighting Discrimination Committee Co Vice-Chair Ambar Mishra spoke in favor of the #MeToo Movement, and Agents of Change Founding Adviser and Executive Director Tarun Galagali spoke about the effects of toxic masculinity. In addition to addressing how these affect women in Asian-American households, they also discussed how gender norms prevent males from showing vulnerability. Mishra said that those who spoke out during this event are role models for other males who face similar personal issues such as domestic violence and body shaming. Concluding the event, Domestic Violence Lawyer Janani Ramachandran presented on the
different types of abusive relationships. She also provided tips to help domestic violence victims, such as keeping a list of emergency numbers and calling for help using code words.
“Prevention begins with generations; if we fix an issue or misconception with the younger generations, they will be guided in the right way.”
— Maitri Representative Alaap Murali
Maitri, which sponsored the event, is a nonprofit organization based in the Bay Area that provides domestic violence support services in more than ten South Asian languages. Maitri representative Alaap Murali said, “Maitri is a very prevention-focused domestic violence agency. Prevention begins with generations; if we fix an issue or misconception with the younger generations, they will be guided in the right way.” Agents of Change Fighting Discrimination Committee Adviser Angeli Patel, Maitri representative Nandini Ray, and the Fighting Discrimination Committee Chairs from other FUSD schools began the initial planning for the
STAFF WRITER GOKUL RAMAPRIYAN
Conference attendees meet in groups to discuss their personal experiences and thoughts on domestic violence.
event in late May. Irvington High School Agents of Change Fighting Discrimination Committee Chair Aadhiti Ghankota said, “I think it has been running well so far. We expected a few more people, but the speeches went really well and [the speakers] were well-prepared.” Ghankota hopes to attain a bigger audience turnout next year, and plans to explore different media for publicity. American High School Fighting Discrimination Committee Co Vice-Chair Aarya Vaidya said that another way for them to improve in the future is to make the event more interactive between the speakers and attendees, by possibly adding more group activities.
“We need to believe the survivors of domestic violence. We need to stop doubting the credibility of those who don’t look like what we think are victims.” — Domestic Violence Lawyer Janani Ramachandran
Highlighting that the South Asian community often overlooks domestic violence, Ramachandran said, “We need to believe the survivors of domestic violence. We need to stop doubting the credibility of those who don’t look like what we think are victims.” ▪
Leadership 2 members attend League of Leaders Leadership programs from several high schools come up with ways to promote leadership By Riya Chopra & Ian Park Staff Writers On October 30, Irvington High School hosted the annual League of Leaders conference for students involved in leadership programs throughout FUSD schools and Newark Memorial High School.
“There were so many minds from so many different backgrounds being put together, and just being in that social environment helps a lot with finding new ideas.” — Senior Salman Hakim
The conference began with a speech by Guest Speaker Eddie Slowikowski, a professional author and former Olympic runner and professional author. Slowikowski spoke about
the importance of having a positive outlook on life and ended his speech with a highly entertaining performance of classic dance moves from different years. Irvington High School Student Junior Nava Babaei said, “When the whole crowd got up and everybody was dancing with him, it was really energetic and inspiring to see all that passion.” Much of the conference was dedicated to presentations, discussions, and workshops that allowed the different schools to share information and ideas with each other. One of these was the “SLAM,” in which a small group of students from each school had three minutes to present on topics relevant to their school. MSJ students talked about publicity efforts, campus beautification, and events such as the Charity Fashion Show. Throughout the event were several “energizers,” which were bonding activities such as spirit and dance competitions
that encouraged students to step out of their comfort zones. In the final segment of the day, each school presented on various leadership events at their respective schools. Then, groups of students from different schools met together and discussed improvements that could be made. Senior Salman Hakim said, “There were so many minds from so many different backgrounds being put together, and just being in that social environment helps a lot with finding new ideas.” The conference took on a passionate and collaborative approach to instill positivity, leadership, and communication among students from the different schools. As the day progressed, the atmosphere dramatically increased in spirit and energy and students began feeling more comfortable connecting with each other. Each school left the conference with a variety of new ways to promote leadership and gained a better understanding of what it means to be a leader.
“The purpose of League of Leaders is to bring all the student leaders together ... to collaborate, to really draw upon each other’s strengths, and also to help with their weaknesses.” —L2 Advisor Ben Breazeale
In contrast to previous years when the event was student-organized, this year’s conference was run by Herff Jones, an educational
Guest Speaker Eddie Slowikowski speaks about the importance of having a positive outlook on life. SPEECH AND DEBATE AT UOP
Speech and Debate competed at UOP, where both teams won a Gold bid to the Tournament of Champions. Go online to find out more!
Senior Ananya Verma talks about MSJ’s leadership events, including the Charity Fashion Show and other publicity activities.
company that sells motivational material. ASB President Senior Flora Chang said, “It felt a lot better organized. Everything had smooth transitions and there was meaning to each activity.” The event last year took place in May, leaving very little time for Leadership 2 (L2) members to implement any of the ideas from the conference during that school year. However, since the event happened earlier this year, L2 is hoping to actually execute some of the improvements they came up with. L2 Advisor Ben Breazeale said, “The purpose of League of Leaders is to bring all the student leaders together ... to collaborate, to really draw upon each other’s strengths, and also to help with their weaknesses.” ▪ PHOTOS BY STAFF WRITERS RIYA CHOPRA & IAN PARK
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