May 2019

2Ol9 THE AZTEC MARK KEPPEL HIGH SCHOOL

VOLUME LXXVIV NUMBER IX

MAY l6, 20l9

ll theaztecnews.com

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Congratulations, Class of 20l9 !

THE AZTEC

2 NEWS

MAY 16, 2019

From the Editors Dear Aztecs, This may not be something you’re used to seeing, or something you’ve ever seen before.

But, as graduating seniors and your newspaper’s co-Editors-in-Chief, we would like to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your consistent support and viewership.

Whether this is the first time you are reading our newspaper or the 36th time, you are the reason why we continue to do what we do. Our passion is to properly inform you of the things that are happening on campus; thus, there is truly nothing greater than seeing students interacting with our newspaper or sharing our content online, and it is to you all that we owe the deepest gratitude for this unending support.

Our team has worked incredibly hard all year, and with a mere 15-person staff, we have been stretched as thin as possible. But, as Margaret Mead, a famous author and speaker, once said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

Our staff may not be changing the world, but thanks to their dedication, our small team was able to accomplish feats that are impressive for any school newspaper, let alone one without funding and with only 15 members.

While everyone played a major role in contributing to our success, we would like to particularly recognize our fellow graduating seniors because quite honestly, without their leadership, our newspaper may cease to exist.

Most importantly, none of our success could have been achieved without the tremendous support from our advisors and the administration, to whom we wish to sincerely thank because their encouragement has helped us arrive at where we are today.

Lastly, we hope that you continue to support us in our future endeavors. With the print industry rapidly losing its place in society, our priority has been to maintain our presence as a print newspaper on campus.

We see the value in staying informed through traditional print journalism and news that is accessible to all. In today’s society, it is more critical than ever to stay informed, and what better way to do so than by supporting your school newspaper?

Your school. Your voice. Your newspaper.

Sincerely,

Timothy Chuman and Sophie Wong Editors-in-Chief

Dance team performs their gun control contemporary routine on Friday night.

THE AZTEC/ TIMOTHY CHUMAN

Dance show culminates historic year TIMOTHY CHUMAN Editor-in-Chief/ Chief Photographer Mark Keppel’s Dance Company has thrived in the national spotlight this year, and after quite possibly their best year in program history, they concluded the year with their eighth annual dance show last Friday night.

“This was the first year that I was able to stand in the tech booth in the back and watch the show from beginning to end without ever going backstage once,” said director Activate Arroyo.

“It makes me feel like after being here for eight years, the program is finally a well-oiled machine that I don’t constantly have to have my hands over for it to function well.”

The show, featuring 45 solo and

group performances from All Male, Dance team and the Beginner and Intermediate dance classes, was a fitting way to celebrate the achievements of this year’s program. The program took on a lighter genre this year, using entertainment-themed backgrounds such as Charlie Brown, Lion King and High School Musical to go along with the performances.

“This year, I wanted to use the projections to set the ambiance and atmosphere and because we were trying to do something light and colorful, I thought it was effective,” said Arroyo.

While the lighter theme set the tone for the night, Dance Team’s gun control contemporary routine preached a more serious message, one that they felt was necessary to convey through their per-

formance.

“Sometimes, when you’re presented with a problem like gun violence or lack of gun control, it takes more than just looking at the news to put two and two together. The fact that we’ve had a normalcy of lockdowns here at Keppel, it’s becoming normal and that is something that didn’t exist when I was in high school,” said Arroyo. “I think using dance to address a problem that is societal in our country, to make a political commentary, is appropriate for students trying to develop their own voice with regard to what they feel is important to them beyond prom and clubs and getting good grades.”

For the full article, visit theaztecnews.com

Monterey Park celebrates 103rd birthday QUENNIE ZENG Staff Writer Monterey Park’s birthday celebration, Play Days, was held last Thursday, May 9, to Sunday, May 12. The event included countless rides, food stalls, and a parade, featuring Mark Keppel’s very own Aztec Band and Color Guard, clowns, and drill teams. This year’s parade occupied a new area, starting on Ramona/ Newark and ending at Barnes Park.

Attendees of the event enjoyed the rides that brightened up their weekend. “[Playdays] was exciting. I went on most of the rides and it made me feel like a kid...I had a fun time,” says junior Maggie Shi. Freshman Iris Wang agrees saying that “there are those special rides like Pharaoh’s Fury, Vertigo, and Himalaya that always come back every single year and you just want to go on them over and over again because

This year’s birthday celebration feaured games and rides.

they are so good.”

Not only did the event include many enjoyable rides, it also had several special appearances from well known entertainers. On Thursday, KIIS FM hosts and Mad Dance studio made an appearance on stage and during the weekend. The Laker Girls, MY FM hosts, and LA Rams cheerleaders also went on stage to liven up the festival.

This year’s celebration included several new acts which helped many make new memories.

“I won’t ever forget the times I went on this one ride, each side of the ride had four seats. I went with my best friend and it was awesome. The atmosphere at playdays is always nice. Ev-

THE AZTEC/SOPHIE WONG

eryone was having a good time,” says Shi. From the rides to the atmosphere of the festival, her experience at the festival was entertaining. Wang names riding the Himalaya her most memorable moment at the festival. “Sitting three to a seat for Himalaya [was the most memorable]...I was there with two other people and we were squashed, toppling all over each other, because of the added weight...it was definitely an interesting experience,” Wang says.

Monterey Park’s annual Play Days lightened up the city’s atmosphere and helped make new memories for many attendees. “For [such a big festival] to come from a small city, it is nice to see the city become so lively.” says Wang.

THE AZTEC 2018-2019 Timothy Chuman

Editor-in-Chief/ Chief Photographer

Sophie Wong

Editor-in-Chief/ News Editor

Selina Martinez

Viewpoint Editor/ Asst.

Editor-in-Chief/ Asst.

News Editor

Maple Duong Viewpoint Editor/ Web Editor/ Asst. Focus Editor

Wesley Zeng

Aurora Zeng

Business Manager

Focus Editor

Vincent Bagabaldo A&E/Features Editor

Sports Editor/ Business Manager

Laura Chen Kevin Liu Copy Editor

Vivian Luk

Copy Editor/ Historian

Izabella Cofressi Photographer

Briana Harris

Joyce Lee Photographer

Quennie Zeng Staff Writer

Maggie Luu Photographer

Emily Chu Staff Writer

Staff Writer

The Aztec is published monthly by the journalism class of Mark Keppel High School and is printed by News publishers’ press.

Opinions expressed are those of the writers, not of the faculty or administration. Articles without bylines are staff editorials, and reflect the opinion of the staff.

Letters to the editor are welcome and are subject to editing. Letters can be given to Ms. Bradley in room A227 or sent to theaztecstaff@gmail.com. All letters must be signed, but on request, names will be withheld. We do not acknowledge unsigned letters.

All internet graphics on The Aztec newspaper are the properties of their respective owners.

Alhambra, CA 91801

MAY 16, 2019

THE AZTEC

PhOEnix Award: Celest Toledo

THE AZTEC/KEVIN LIU

plans for college, but she really turned that around.”

Toledo would like to recognize “my amazing coaches, Ms. Martinez and Coach Arlette for always keeping our team motivated. [Thanks to] our athletic director Ms. Semelmacher and our assistant principal Ms. Perez for being our number-one fans and always supporting us with everything we do.”

College: Mt. Sac Major: Social Work GPA: N/A

THE AZTEC/KEVIN LIU

work, Ng also increased the number of classes he was enrolled in each year. He went from only taking three courses his freshman year to taking five his junior and senior year. Among the classes he most enjoyed are Tennis Theory and Chemistry. In his

THE AZTEC/KEVIN LIU

proud to have been a part of that journey.

Besides dance and schoolwork, Im is also ASB Speaker of the House.

These two roles take up a majority of Im’s time, but he also previously played the piano for eight years and enjoys playing basketball. “I didn’t really like [playing the piano], so I stopped. . .but piano really helped me in getting a rhythm for dance,” Im says.

Im would like to shout out his sister, his mom, and his girlfriend Vanessa Aguirre for being his biggest supporters in high school. He also wants to shoutout his All Male team for showing him support as their captain this year.

free time, he enjoys playing tennis and playing League of Legends.

“My future plans are two years of community college.

Then, I would like to transfer to a UC,” Ng says. Although he is not certain what he would like to major in, Ng hopes to get a job that will allow him to take care of himself in the future.

Ng advises underclassmen to avoid procrastination and to have good time management. He would like to give shoutouts to his family, his counselor, Mr. Sakahara, Ms. Duong, and Ms. Su for all they have done for him.

College: N/A Major: N/A GPA: N/A

Iron Aztec: Aileen LIu Aileen Liu is one of Keppel’s two Iron Aztec recipients, an award given to a student who has shown excellence in both academics and extracurriculars.

Liu is an active member of Keppel’s SkillsUSA team and a Link Crew leader. “Senior year was the year where I met people and they were the ones who pushed me to do new things,” says Liu. Her enrollment in Mr. Lam’s wood tech class introduced her to a world of woodworking, where she sees a future rather than a transient school activity. “Being in Mr. Lam’s [wood tech] class, I got to join SkillsUSA

AURORA ZENG Focus Editor

College: UC Riverside Major: Economics GPA: 4.0

Keppel’s Soar Award is given to the senior with the biggest GPA improvement.

This year’s recipient is Ronald Ng. Ng was homeschooled for two years before becoming a freshman at Keppel.

He acknowledges that he felt underprepared coming into high school and did not try in his classes. “Before I didn’t really care [about school] and decided to play games instead,” Ng says. “Then one day something just clicked. I started taking school more seriously.”

In addition to the increased effort he put into his

VINCENT BAGABALDO Features/A&E Editor

Presidential Award: paul im Paul Im, captain of All Male Dance Team, has been chosen as this year’s Presidential Award recipient, which honors students who have shown outstanding efforts in VAPA and academics at Keppel.

Despite not having prior experience in dancing before coming to Keppel, Im was drawn by a dynamic performance by All Male early in his freshman year and decided to join. “I knew I wanted to branch out to something I never tried before,” Im recalls. Now, he is proud to have led his team on NBC’s World Of Dance this past year. With the help of some teammates, Im was the creator of the choreography for their segment.

“I was surprised because I had no idea they would choose me for this award,” Im says. “It was a privilege to get this award, because it shows how much I worked for it.”

Im has also demonstrated the academic component of this award. He has taken a number of challenging courses throughout his high school career. Im states that sophomore year was the toughest year, since he had to balance long dance practices with AP World History and AP Environmental Science—two classes notorious for having a heavy workload. “Just going through that [year] developed me into a person that can time manage better,” Im comments.

“The most important thing Keppel has taught me is the balance between extracurriculars and academics,” Im says. He adds that Keppel’s extracurriculars are improving to become as prominent as our academics, and he is

Soar Award: Ronald Ng SELINA MARTINEZ Asst. Editor-in-Chief/Viewpoint Editor

JOYCE LEE Photographer

Senior Celest Toledo is Keppel’s 2019 winner of the Phoenix Award, a distinguished recognition for a student who has demonstrated a significant improvement in their grades and behavior throughout their four years in high school.

In retrospect, Toledo is proud of the progress she has made since freshman year. “I didn’t try that hard in freshman [year]; I just did whatever was fun and cool. I got into trouble with my teachers [often], because I didn’t show up to class,” says Toledo. “It wasn’t that I was dumb, I just didn’t want to do it.”

It was not until Toledo joined cheerleading her junior year that she found the motivation to keep her grades up;

by Keppel rules, all cheerleaders must maintain a 2.0 GPA or higher to remain on the team. “I was able to see how [my friends] were able to have the fun that I was having and still keep good grades… If they could do that, then I could do that,” says Toledo. “My best friend Christine always helps me through everything. She’s always pushing me and telling me that I can do it.”

She also adds, “The athletic director [Ms. Semelmacher] really pushed me to do better. Before, I didn’t have any

SENIOR SPOLIGHTS 3

THE AZTEC/KEVIN LIU

and I ended up making new friends along the way,” says Liu. In addition to SkillsUSA and Link Crew, Liu is a part of the yearbook staff and manager of the Boys Soccer team. She says that these activities have taught her that clear and concise manage-

ment of one’s time is crucial to surviving high school and life in general. Despite experiencing great stress during her time in high school, Liu was able to persevere. This feat would not have been possible without the support of her peers and teachers.

Despite these accomplishments, just the notion of receiving this reward was foreign to her. Being chosen as one of the Iron Aztecs came to her as a shock.

Liu says, “[This award] was something I never imagined to receive.”

After graduating, Liu intends to pursue civil engineering at Pasadena City College.

College: PCC Major: Civil Engineering GPA: 3.5

Iron Aztec: Gabriella Perez VINCENT BAGABALDO Features/A&E Editor

Gabriella Perez, another Iron Aztec recipient, has proved to be deserving of this award through her constant participation in the school community whilst keeping up her grades throughout high school.

Perez attributes her success to herself and the countless individuals she has met throughout her life. “I think my willpower was probably one of the main things that kept me going. Pushing myself to exceed the expectations I’d put for myself and by others was a big motivation for me,” she says.

What also sets her apart from the rest is her dedication to multiple clubs and associations in the school.

Some few key examples

THE AZTEC/VINCENT BAGABALDO

would be Link Crew, CSF, and SkillsUSA. The latter of which she joined the board during her sophomore year and worked her way up to president as a senior.

In regards to her major, she admits, “I hadn’t initially planned to do specific things in order to achieve awards or get acknowledged. After taking my first drafting class during freshman year, things

just started to align.”

Aside from her peers and family, CTE teacher Mr. Saccone was monumental in shaping Perez. “My teachers, especially Mr. Saccone, who I’ve had for all 4 years of high school, has taught me everything I know about architecture and drafting,” she says.

This has been the stepping stone for her avid love of architecture.

Upon hearing that she won the award, a bundle of feelings arose from her but one was more prevalent than the others: “Honestly, I was very surprised when I heard I won the award. When I received it, I was ecstatic, proud of myself for all the work I’ve done. It feels good to know you’ve done well.”

College: N/A Major: Architecture GPA: N/A

4 SENIOR SPOTLIGHTS THE AZTEC MAY 16, 2019 english: katherine chen math: mitchel lee KEVIN LIU Copy Editor

VIVIAN LUK Copy Editor

This year, the English Department has chosen Katherine Chen to be recognized for her efforts. When Chen entered high school, she already knew what she wanted to focus on: social science and English. As such, she took every opportunity to further her knowledge of the two areas. Throughout high school, she took honors and AP-level English along with social science classes. While the rigorous course loads have been a large responsibility, that has not led her to neglect other worthy callings.

“I knew that STEM was important so I took the STEM classes that I needed, but my main priority was trying to get classes in social science and English because I know that was what I wanted to do in college and what I wanted to gear towards,” says Chen.

As Chen moved towards senior year, she had the benefit of knowing what she wanted to do. However, one thing changed things slightly for Chen - meeting Ms. Flores in her AP class.

“I applied [to UC Berkeley] under English, but I think I would like to major in rhetoric,” says Chen. “[Ms. Flores] is kind of the reason I wanted to check it out, because Ms. Flores [majored in rhetoric and she] is brilliant, so I thought I had to see how she got her brilliance.”

In addition to being an extremely well-rounded student with participation in honor societies CSF and NHS, Chen was recognized at the 2019 Academic Pep Rally as an AP Scholar. While she seemingly does everything, she does not

Over the course of his four years at Keppel, Mitchel Lee has certainly shown a great affinity for math. He has excelled in numerous grueling courses, including the Accelerated Math series, AP Statistics, and AP Calculus BC, earning his nomination as this year’s math department senior spotlight.

While the nomination came as a surprise, Lee acknowledges that perhaps his dedication to the subject is what makes him stand out. “In the context of math, I think dedication is like you’re willing to put in the work and do all the work necessary,” he explains. “You don’t just skip steps or go through motions. You’re willing to put yourself out there, go up to the board, [and] raise your hand when no one else does.”

Given his love for the subject, Lee’s favorite class in high school is unsurprising: AP Calculus BC. “It was like the culmination of every other class I’ve had and it brought everything together,” he says.

Lee’s appreciation for math has been bolstered by “all of the amazing teachers” at Keppel. He says, “Every teacher I’ve had has been very encouraging and really shown their experience in how much they’re willing to put forth to help their students.”

Besides academics, Lee was previously a member of the Keppel Boys Basketball team and enjoys playing video games with his friends. He also participates in mixed martial arts, and during his sophomore year, he was awarded a higher degree black belt.

Looking ahead to the upcoming fall, Lee will be a freshman at UCSB study-

THE AZTEC/KEVIN LIU

forget to embrace the more relaxing, low-pressure aspects of life.

“I love reading… short stories, because I like that they’re quick escapes from reality,” says Chen. “I also recently started embroidering mainly because I wanted new clothes [without the] budgets.”

Throughout her high school career, Chen has tried to do what she loved.

From her perspective, “If you do take a class that you’re not too excited about, you’re only punishing yourself.”

And for Chen, it would be difficult to go against her own advice. Chen will be attending the University of California Berkeley. While she is excited for college, it will not simply replace the friends she made in high school.

“Shoutout to Mr. Chin and Mr. Gillette for keeping me company during lunch,” says Chen.

College: UC Berkeley Major: English GPA: 4.33

scholar-athlete: esteban rodriguez LAURA CHEN Asst. Business Manager

Earning Scholar-Athlete of the year, Esteban Rodriguez is a student with well-balanced sports and academics. He always sets aside a few hours to focus on academics and the rest on basketball, but Rodriguez emphasizes that whether it be school or extracurriculars, you should focus on it without any distractions.

Athletic at a young age, Esteban Rodriguez enrolled and participated in almost every sport, hoping to find the right match. Rodriguez eventually gained an interest in basketball and at six years old, he began dedicating his time to the sport.

This interest led him to join club basketball during sixth grade and eventually the basketball team in high school.

Rodriguez advanced to the Varsity Boys Basketball team during the CIF season of his freshmen year and over the past four years, he has learned to keep working hard. “When you get down on yourself, just keep looking at your final goal,” he says. He expresses that it takes a lot of dedication and passion for one to succeed in a sport.

During his time on the team, Rodriguez earned the title of Defensive Player of the year back to back. The Keppel team also made it to the quarter finals of CIF, as well as earning Almont League champions for the past three years. With the extensive amount of time they spend together, Rodriguez formed many friendships with his teammates and he cherishes the bonds they have on and off court.

One of Rodriguez’s greatest inspirational figures is former NBA player Kobe Bry-

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ing electrical engineering. He appreciates that Keppel has taught him to communicate and express himself in ways outside of STEM. “[Keppel] has helped me to find more people and given me a broader range of things to talk about. I think this will help me adjust better to a completely new environment in college, find new friends, and join clubs,” he says.

Lee would like to give a shoutout to Haoxian Hu, Cole Kim, Alvin Tu, and Andy To. College: UC Santa Barbara Major: Electrical Engineering GPA: 4.2

scholar-athlete: vanessa aguirre SELINA MARTINEZ Asst. Editor-in-Chief/Viewpoint Editor

THE AZTEC/KEVIN LIU

ant, “because of just how much time he put into the game.”

Rodriguez attributes his motivation to his father and his desire to make his father proud. After high school, he will not continue to play competitive basketball, but he plans to play intramural sports.

Rodriguez would like to give a shout out to everybody who goes to ES Fitness.

College: ELAC Major: History GPA: N/A

This year’s Scholar-Athlete, Vanessa Aguirre, has one more award to add to her extensive list of accolades. Having played basketball since the second grade, Aguirre has gone on to become a formidable force and star player on Keppel’s Girls Basketball team. Aguirre’s hard work on the court has not gone unnoticed; she has been named the 2019 Pasadena Star News Player of the Year, the 2019 McDonald’s All-American nominee, and a Southern California Girls Athlete of the Week, among many other recognitions.

Aguirre made the Varsity Basketball team her freshman year. She says, “[Making the varsity team as a freshman] was a huge part of my experience with the Keppel team. It has been nothing but amazing especially since I had the opportunity to travel and play with all the different seniors who have graduated throughout the years.”

In her last season, Aguirre was captain, leading her team to the Division II Southern Section Semi-Finals and the 2019 CIF State Girls Basketball Championships Tournament. “What I enjoyed most about this year has to be how far we got in CIF, and especially state. We definitely made a good run that nobody expected us to make.”

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Making it deep into CIF playoffs required rigorous and frequent practices and great dedication. Nevertheless, Aguirre balanced her school work, sport, and extracurriculars, keeping up a 3.9 GPA and fulfilling her responsibilities as ASB Vice President.

Aguirre says, “At times it would get kind of difficult with so much homework and studying, but you learn how to manage your time.”

After leaving Keppel, Aguirre will pursue a degree in psychology and thereafter, law. Although she will no longer play basketball competitively, she is certain that she will continue to play for fun with friends.

Aguirre would like to give a shoutout to her friend and teammate, senior Catherine Dea, “because she’s literally been there with me every step of the way since freshman year.”

College: UC Riverside Major: Psychology GPA: 3.9

MAY 16, 2019

THE AZTEC SENIOR SPOLIGHTS 5

science: caitlyn yang

world languages: kaleigh lien AURORA ZENG Focus Editor

QUENNIE ZENG Staff Writer

Caitlyn Yang spent much of her high school life immersed in what she loved: the sciences. She has taken Biology Honors, Chemistry Honors, AP Physics, and AP Chemistry. In addition, she is a former board member of the United Sciences Club, has participated in the Science Bowl team since her sophomore year, and the Zero Robotics team since her freshman year.

Yang recounts a memorable and challenging experience from her time on Keppel’s science teams. “One of the most stressful months in junior year [was when] our Zero Robotics Team made it into the ISS Finals, and we were invited to watch our code being flown in the SPHERES at MIT, but had no funding. It was finals week, and we had two weeks until the event, but I truly believed that the team deserved to witness the fruits of their labor...

After a week and a half of racking up emails, phone calls, creating a GoFundMe, and even speaking at the city council meeting... we were able to raise enough to fly the entire team out to MIT. It was an inspiring experience.”

When she is not participating in competitions or holding meetings as CSF president, Yang uses her free time to destress. “I love to play the piano and sing. For the past year, I have also been working on a startup company and recently spoke at SXSW (South

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by Southwest), a tech, media, and film conference with good friends about the importance of supporting youth entrepreneurship.”

Yang would like to thank Ms. Hake, the CSF and United Sciences Advisor, for the passion and dedication she inspires to her students. She would also like to thank her teachers, board members, team members, friends, and family; for without them, she would not be the person she is today.

College: UC Irvine Major: Material Science Engineering GPA: N/A

vapa: adrian beaumont WESLEY ZENG Sports Editor/Business Manager

As a member of Tech Theatre for all four years of his high school career, Adrian Beaumont has participated in an array of productions including The Christmas Carol, Suitcase Dreams, The Uninvited, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, She Kills Monsters, and Shrek the Musical. He has been heavily involved in Tech Theatre throughout his high school career but did not expect the nomination. “I was kinda surprised ‘cause in the past they chose actresses and actors; [they were] people who were more involved in drama. Me being in Tech is kind of a shock,” says Beaumont.

Besides his enjoyment taking Tech Theatre as one of his classes, Beaumont has enjoyed learning Autotech. He was able to work with tools and learn mechanics working with cars and lighting and saw the class as an opportunity to experience something new. “I met a lot of cool people and I had a lot of fun times in that class working on cars. It wasn’t typical classroom experience, being able to work with my hands.”

Beaumont believes one of the classes that challenged him to learn on his own is Physics C. Since Physics C allows students to have more freedom with their learning, it was a unique experience in learning how to manage his work in the class.

With only a few days left before he graduates, Beaumont has a few memorable things he will miss about Keppel. “[It’s] the little things. The little weird smells that are totally unique to Keppel. The time alone that I spent up in the catwalk in the auditorium. The hallways.”

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Beaumont sees the hallways as a metaphor of a journey he is on. He will also miss the teachers, some of whom he believes cross the line between just a teacher but also a friend and someone that can be counted on.

Going through high school, Beaumont says that his greatest accomplishment would be learning from his mistakes. He realizes that being able to turn those mistakes into lessons is something he will carry with him throughout his life.

“My advice to underclassmen would be to learn how to enjoy the little moments,” says Beaumont. “Before you know it, high school will end. Enjoy the small things while you have the time to do so, and don’t let the stress and worry get to you.”

Beaumont would like to shoutout Mr. Gillette, Ms. Phillips, Theatre Company, Mr. Carr and everyone in AP Physics C, and “most importantly, my sunflower.”

College: Carnegie Mellon Major: Physics GPA: N/A

As the recipient of two biliteracy seals for Mandarin and Spanish, Kaleigh Lien is this year’s featured senior in the World Languages department.

“I’m definitely surprised; I didn’t expect getting this award, but it’s an honor to be able to represent the Language department,” Lien says.

Testing out of regular Mandarin classes, Lien took AP Mandarin in ninth grade and took more foreign language classes in the Spanish department. She is currently enrolled in AP Spanish Literature. “My dad encouraged me to take another language. He knew that this would help me stand out, and [it] would be helpful in the future,” Lien says.

Lien has also taken many other AP classes at Keppel, including World History, Chemistry, English Literature, and Biology. She was an active member of CSF, NHS, and Crown & Sceptre.

Outside of schoolwork, Lien is a fan of reading, bullet journaling, and watching You-

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Tube. She would like to thank her Spanish teachers Mr. Alvarado and Ms. Alexander “for making the experience of learning languages a fun one.”

College: Boston College Major: Applied Psychology GPA: 4.4

social science: patricia wang MAGGIE LUU Photographer

Patricia Wang dedicated lots of time and effort to her social science classes and is extremely honored to be the department senior spotlight. “Though I’ve never been the top rank in my social science classes, I’ve always had so much love and passion for the subjects, and the classes [and teachers] have always been my favorites each year,” she says.

In the last four years, Wang has taken AP Human Geography, AP World History, AP United States History, AP Psychology, AP Economics, and AP United States Government and Politics. In addition, Wang participates in many extracurriculars. She is a part of the board of National Honor Society (NHS), California Scholarship Federation (CSF), and Promoting Youth Advocacy (PYA). Recently, Wang interned for Congresswoman Judy Chu. Looking back, Wang feels that she is “most proud of [her] work in PYA for helping with voter preregistration for many of [her] peers.”

With how stressful high school can be, Wang thanks “Kalea for keeping [her] sane, the rest of the crew for laughter and support and everything in between, to Andy

THE AZTEC/VINCENT BAGABALDO

for always being down for [her], to Alyssa for having [her] back.” Wang jokingly adds, “[Shout out] to my parents for not believing politics is a viable path for me!”

As graduation approaches, Wang advises the underclassmen to “remember that failure is not the opposite, but part of the process of success.”

College: UC Santa Barbara Major: Political Science GPA: 4.3

cte: my hong EMILY CHU Staff Writer

Over the last four years, My Hong has taken a variety of CTE classes. “I have taken Foods, Finance, Wood Tech, [Guitar], and Fashion,” Hong says. “These classes helped me learn life skills that I had not had before, and so I really like that.”

Hong is the secretary of SkillsUSA. She has also obtained awards throughout the course of high school, such as first place in the Intro to Woodworking Regionals, as well as the Richard Nicholson Award, which is awarded to an outstanding Industrial and Technology Education senior in the district.

Hong is honored to be CTE’s senior feature.

“I was really surprised when they chose me,” Hong says, “I did not think I had any unique [qualities] that really stood out.”

Hong says that there is a wide variety of things that she has to give Keppel credit for. “Keppel offered me a lot of classes that helped me make my decision on what [I wanted to major in].” Hong will be attending Cal State LA in the fall of 2019.

THE AZTEC/KEVIN LIU

Hong also has a message to the underclassmen: “Senioritis is real; it is going to hit you earlier than you expect.” She says that she will miss seeing her friends everyday at school, but Hong is excited for what the future will hold.

College: Cal State LA Major: N/A GPA: 3.6

6 SENIOR ADS

#sophie’s face - single and ready to mingle- call me ;)

congratulations to the class of 2019!

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Lots of love for our seniors (+tim, maggie, vivian, aurora & kevin)

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10 COLLEGE

Loading New Top 10 Universities/Colleges 1. Pasadena City College 2. East Los Angeles City College 3. CALifornia State University, Los Angeles 4. University of California, Irvine 5. University of California, Riverside 6. California State University, Long Beach Cal Poly Pomona 7. California State University, Fullerton Cal Poly San Luis Obispo 8. Mt. San Antonio College 9. University of California, Santa Barbara 10. University of California, Los Angeles University of California, San Diego

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Other Colleges In ABC Order Arizona state university ArtCenter College of Design azusa Pacific University Boston College Brigham Young University California state University, Northridge Carnegie Mellon University Chapman University Citrus College Hope International University Houston Community College Irvine Valley College Kalamazoo College Loyola Marymount University Massachusetts Institute of Technology Mount Saint Mary’s University North-West College Occidental College Otis College of Art and Design Orange Coast College Pomona College Rio Hondo college San Diego State University Santa Monica College University of California, Berkeley University of California, Davis University of California, Merced University of California, Santa Cruz University of Hawaii University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign University of North Texas University of Oregon University of Southern California Universal technical institute Whittier College Woodbury University

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tHANK YOU FOR ALL THE FUN TIMES! -W.

The editorial board 18-19 The Aztec Staff: Laura Chen, Izabella Cofressi, Vivian Luk, Timothy Chuman, Maggie Luu, Joyce Lee, Vincent Bagabaldo, Kevin Liu, Maple Duong, Aurora Zeng, Briana Harris, Sophie Wong, Selina Martinez, Wesley Zeng (from top to bottom, left to right) Not pictured: Emily Chu, Quennie Zeng

News Editor:

Sophie Wong Asst. News Editor:

Viewpoint Editors:

Maple Duong Selina Martinez

Selina Martinez

Focus Editor:

Aurora Zeng Asst. Focus Editor:

Vivian Luk

Chief Photographer:

Timothy Chuman Photographers:

Vincent Bagabaldo, Izabella Cofressi, Joyce Lee, Maggie Luu

Sports Editor:

Wesley Zeng Asst. Sports Editor:

Maple Duong

Business Manager: Historian:

A&E/Features Editor:

Vincent Bagabaldo

Laura Chen

Copy Editors:

Kevin Liu Vivian Luk

Wesley Zeng Asst. Business Manager:

Laura Chen

Editors-in-Chief:

Timothy Chuman Sophie Wong Asst. Editor-in-Chief:

Selina Martinez

Advisers:

Ms. AcuĂąa Ms. Bradley

Staff Writers:

Emily Chu Briana Harris Quennie Zeng

14 SENIOR QUOTES

THE AZTEC

MAY 16, 2019

WHat advice would you give to the underclassmen?

“Don’t take up the whole hallway talking to your friends during passing period.” - Aurora Zeng

“Don’t have such a big head.

Think before you speak or post. Be forgiving to yourself and others.” - Joyce Lee

“Enjoy your time at Keppel. Stop dreading it and focusing at the negatives.” -Wilson Yeung

“Don’t be annoying.”

- Thomas Le

“... do everything that interests you.”

- Patricia Wang

“Be yourself, don’t compare yourself to others. Don’t stress out on life too much, you only have one life to live happily!” - Jonathan Diep “Be more involved with school. We had no school spirit and we need more of you guys to get involved.”

- Kai Tokoyama

“Enjoy right now, today.”

- Jason Chen

“Don’t try to do everything... Focus on what you love and do it very well.”

- Brendan Duong

“Make yourself proud before anyone else.” - Vivian Luk

“Don’t compromise your health for academics.” - Heather Leung “Don’t be afraid to be who you are. Find yourself before you become someone you’re not.” - Adrian Beaumont

“Wear rainboots on rainy days to avoid trench foot.” - Lexy Wu

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SENIOR QUOTES 15

WHat will you miss most about mark keppel?

“Not having adult responsibilities.”

“Going to Ms. Kuo’s class - Nathalie ZAmora and complaining to her about my daily struggles.”

- Maggie Luu

“I would miss the tight circle of support from teachers, counselors, and friends. I made my home here for four years and it will be hard to graduate and move out of here.” - Ellesia Truong “Laird Anderson” - Jospeh Haluska

“I will miss the teachers that have helped throughout my four years.” - Annie Huang

“Girls bathroom, the one in the second floor of B building. The second to the last stall is the best.” - Zoe Ng "The lockdowns."

- Wesley Zeng

“Ms. Flores’s good mornings.”

- Michael Tran

“The sense of unity during freshman year.”

- Coby Chong

“The Drama Program. It is the best four years of my life I spent on anything! Sign up, people!” - Eric Ching

“The teachers are pretty cool. The people are okay I guess (kidding!)” - Raymond Tran

16 SENIOR QUOTES

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MAY 16, 2019

WHat is the most embarrassing that has happened to you?

“Getting hit by the ball in the face while playing volleyball.”

- Joey Siu

“I locked my keys in my car and walked into class late.” - Felicia Tani

“When I did the nae-nae dance in Biology Honors for a group presentation.” - James Vo "I was late to PE so I didn't put on my pants correctly. My undies were showing."

- Bryan Duong

“None. My name is Mr. Never Embarrassed.� - Eric Xue

“I picked up my Hydroflask without closing the lid and the water spilled everywhere in class.” - April Yeung

"When I tripped over a backpack and apologized to it." - Kirby Lam “Taking a loud dump in the restroom.” - Raymond Tang “On my first week as a freshman, I was holding my binder and I tripped and all my papers flew around in palm court.” - Samantha Hernandez

“I wore my pants backwards.”

- Na an He

“My phone rang during finals; everyone stared as it was taken away. Silence your phone always.”

- Katherine Chen

“When I tripped on the stairs and I held out my hand for somebody to help me get up, but nobody helped.” - Candace Lee

“One day in physics, I finished grading a free response for one of my tests. I earnestly reported my score to my teacher when all of the sudden he reached out his hand. Out of my natural instincts, I reached out, grabbed his hand and gave it a firm shake. Little did I know, he was just trying to collect my papers.” - Jerry Wu

“Farting in class.”

- Hannah Tram

“Everytime I sang or danced in Mr. Lien’s class.” - Anny Jiang

THE AZTEC SENIOR SPOTLIGHTS 17

MAY 16, 2019

Badminton lives up to legacy with another CIF championship TIMOTHY CHUMAN Editor-in-Chief In an LA Times article from 1995, Denise Hamilton heralded Mark Keppel’s badminton team as the top team in America. Though the team is 24 years removed from their nationally renowned success, they continued to add to their legacy by defeating Azusa High School, 15-6, last Friday in the CIF-SS Level 2 Championship.

“I think my kids wanted it more,” says Head Coach Linh Duong. “My kids really stuck to it. They didn’t give up and they played their hearts out to the end.”

Their most recent championship marked their fourth CIF title in the past decade, adding to the extensive legacy of the badminton team. The former “top U.S. high school team” became a dynasty under the coaching of Harold George, who led the team on a 97-game win streak in the 1990s while also winning nine CIF championships over the course of 12 years.

“I’ve been teaching here for 19 years, and [their success] was before my time, and so it’s amazing to contribute to that legacy because this is the legacy I want to leave when I retire. I wanted to be part of the legacy that we’ve had in the past,” says Duong.

However, things certainly did not look very hopeful for the Aztecs throughout league play, as the Aztecs finished 3-9 in the regular season. Though they had to face off against teams like San Marino and Arcadia, with the former winning the CIFSS Division 1 championship and the latter placing runner-up in the CIF-SS Open Division championship, the difficult league schedule could have crushed any ambition that the Aztecs had going into CIF. Yet, as captain Edison Chung claimed, it did the opposite.

“I was pretty doubtful throughout league, but being in one of the hardest leagues, I think it really prepared us to play against

The badminton team poses with smiles on their faces after finalizing their win for CIF-SS Level 2 Championships.

teams that are less competitive,” he says.

Likewise, the battle-tested Aztecs began to show new signs of life heading into the playoffs, winning their play-in match against Nogales and continuing with three straight victories to land them in the CIF championship.

“We ended 3-9, but when the kids realized they had this tournament to deal with and to contend with so many other schools, their mentality changed. They had a winning mentality and they knew that if they just focused on their skills and teamwork, they would be able to pull themselves through,” says Duong. “They were always better than the other teams because of their skills and their heart and determination, and so I think that’s how they pulled through even though they started 3-9.”

Tamy phung

THE AZTEC/ TIMOTHY CHUMAN

VIVIAN LUK Copy Editor/ Historian

Their skills, heart and determination were on full display in Friday’s match, as they dominated their counterparts, 15-6.

The team was in complete control from start to finish, and Coach Duong believes that her boys played a large part in their success.

“The boys this year were definitely my leaders. Richard Ye, Edison Chung, Aaron Lin, Jimmy Li. My boys were the strong link this year and they pulled the team all the way through the whole entire season, as well as this game,” she says.

With Ye and Chung returning next year, the team will be primed to make another run at a CIF championship. Though the title of “best team in the country” may seem far fetched, the team is perfectly content with where they are today.

cross country

more than you think. When you think you’re at your limit, you’re not. You can push it even more,” she says. “My mentality is: it might hurt, but it always feels good at the end when you finish.”

Looking ahead to college, Phung is grateful for the leadership skills that XC has instilled in her. “Every year, the team gets smaller and smaller. Having to keep people motivated to stay on the team is pretty hard because no one likes to run,” she explains.

Outside of XC, Phung is also a member of Girls Soccer, Track & Field, PYA, NHS, and UNICEF board. In her spare time, she enjoys a good workout, watercolor painting, amateur photography, and travel.

As she nears the end of her high school career, Phung offers her advice to underclassmen: “Talk to more people about everything and don’t limit yourself to your small group of friends. Ask for help on every single thing. You can’t do everything by yourself. Make sure you know what you don’t know. Always have a good time and stay in school.”

Phung would like to give a shoutout to Justin Huynh for being a good friend since their middle-school days.

Tamy Phung joined Cross Country during the summer before her freshman year. Four years later, after honors such as Co-MVP and Rookie of the Year, she is being honored as the Cross Country senior spotlight.

Phung attributes her decision to join the team as the result of her fondness for running and staying in shape. She admits, “At first, I didn’t even know what XC was.

I didn’t really know how we were going to compete or anything. I didn’t figure that out until months into training.”

After years of experience, Phung can attest that XC is primarily a mental sport College: Cal Poly SLO and the core of a good runner is a strong Major: Business Administration mentality. “Your body can handle way GPA: 3.9

THE AZTEC/ TIMOTHY CHUMAN

“[Winning CIF] is amazing. I’m ecstatic, I’m so happy for the kids and they deserve it. I hope that it will be a catalyst that will drive them next year so that we will have a better record than 3-9,” says Coach Duong. “That’s what I’m hoping, but [winning CIF] is amazing, it’s an amazing feeling.”

Adam ALvarez

IZABELLA COFRESSI Photographer Adam Alvarez joined Cross Country his junior year after running in Track since his freshman year, crediting friends like Dylan Garcia as his inspiration to continue in two grueling sports. He also worked hard to remember to not give up and keep going. Alvarez says, “Just keep on going to practice, once you keep practicing you will not feel the pain, keep trying.”

His accomplishments in the sport include making it into CIF his last league meet. “I ran the three miles in seventeen minutes, which is really hard to do,” he says.

Alvarez’s advice to underclassmen joining cross country is to maybe take up another sport so you will be used to the strenuous physical activity. He says, “Just going to track, if you do track you are going to be good at cross country. If you do cross country then you are just going to keep getting better every year.”

Outside of cross country, Alvarez enjoys hanging out with his friends, playing video games, and most other sports, such as basketball and baseball. He is also a part of the Boys Scouts. His most memorable times in the sport include his teammates.

“In senior year you are just chilling out, you have a lot of free time during races and so we would hang out a lot,” he says.

THE AZTEC/ TIMOTHY CHUMAN

Alvarez also feels as though cross country prepared him for college by teaching him the importance of hard work. He says, “If you work hard, you will be successful in life.”

He would like to give a shoutout to Dan Khong, his coaches, and all of his teammates.

College: Pasadena City College Major: N/A GPA: N/A

18 SENIOR SPOTLIGHTS THE AZTEC

MAY 16, 2019

Softball: faith alenbaugh WESLEY ZENG Sports Editor/ Business Manager

THE AZTEC/ VINCENT BAGABALDO

College: Rio Hondo Major: Nursing GPA: 3.6

Motivated in knowing that she can always achieve her goals in the end, and inspired by softball players Sierra and Sydney Romero, Faith Alenbaugh is a standout player on her softball team.

Starting at age 11, Alenbaugh always enjoyed playing softball. Throughout the years, she has played in multiple teams, including the Lady Hawks, Case X, and Angels Softball. Her reason for joining the sport, however, is much more simple.

“I wanted to make friends,” says Alenbaugh.

Entering high school, Alenbaugh was placed in the varsity team her freshman year, and has continued playing in varsity the past four years. “I like the feeling of getting outs or getting a good hit. Working together and just winning,” says Alenbaugh.

Alenbaugh believes the number one trait to play well in softball is commitment, in both practice and the team. She says that practice is the necessary, and working hard on her own time is the most important for self-improvement.

In her four years of softball, Alenbaugh has made many memories, enjoying her experiences and laughs she shared with her team. Other moments Alenbaugh has enjoyed include hitting home runs and catching an opponent’s home run hit. She says, “[My favorite thing about softball is] playing with my friends and being able to see my teammates in school.”

Alenbaugh spends her time outside of softball and school volunteering at her church. She also enjoys travelling, camping, and attending concerts. In Keppel, Alenbaugh is an active member in volunteer clubs such as Globe Club.

Planning to continue playing softball in

college, Alenbaugh looks forward to earning her Registered Nurse (RN) degree. She will enter college with knowledge gained from softball, explaining how she has learned about patience and working with others through her time in the sport. “I think it taught me if I want something, [it is] if I wanna achieve something, I need to work really hard for it.”

Alenbaugh would like to shout out her friends Alexandra Alvarez, Samantha Hernandez, and Sarena Scott.

Band: Candace Lee

THE AZTEC/ SOPHIE WONG

MAPLE DUONG Viewpoint Editor/ Web Editor Having been in band for all four years of her high school career, Candace Lee has held numerous positions, including the head drum major for Keppel’s Marching Band.

Band was not just an extracurricular to Lee; rather, she considered her bandmates her family. Band gave her the chance to

attend field trips with her friends, as well as partake in leadership positions.

As a sophomore, Lee was given the position of assistant drum major. “Being an assistant drum major was a role that only upperclassman had the ability of holding,” says Lee. The following year, Lee was assigned to be the head drum major for both her junior and senior year, which Lee found extremely rewarding.

Band has also taught Lee numerous important life skills that she plans on carrying with her through the future, such as being an inspiration and leader to her peers. For instance, Lee was given the opportunity to lead rehearsals for the 2020 Rose Parade, which she found extremely thrilling and inspiring. Additionally, band has taught Lee how to better communicate with not just her fellow bandmates, but adults as well.

Despite the heavy responsibility bestowed upon Lee in band, she still found the time to manage her academics and

extracurriculars in addition to being able to spend time with her friends. “I love the music, but the thing I love the most [about band] is the people,” explains Lee. With a passion to study psychology, Lee hopes to get her Ph.D all while pursuing her passion for music. She plans on transferring to UCLA and joining their marching band after attending community college for two years.

Continuing onto post-secondary education, Lee will most definitely miss the friends she made in band. Lee would like to give a shoutout to her bandmates, as well as band instructor, Mr. Lee.

THE AZTEC/ KEVIN LIU

BRIANA HARRIS Staff Writer Lauren Jian started playing Tennis the summer before her freshman year. She is very excited and stimulated when it comes to the sport. Jian pushes herself and knows what it takes to be a great tennis player.

“You have to be motivated to go to practice everyday. It takes a lot of determination and motivation. You have to be determined to play through and to play every point out,” says Jian. “Even if you’re losing a game to not fall back and to keep pushing forward, and try to fight for every single point.”

She enjoys the energy she gets while playing the sport and just being on the court. “I feel very energized; there’s this kind of focus that happens when you’re on

Track & Field: EVa Kha MAPLE DUONG Viewpoint Editor/ Web Editor

College: ELAC Major: Psychology GPA: N/A

Girls Tennis: Lauren Jian the court waiting for someone to serve a ball or hit a ball back at you, there’s just pinpointed focus that doesn’t [come up] anywhere off the court,” Jian explains.

She enjoys how active tennis is and how it gives her a opportunity to get out the house and interact with others on her team such as her doubles partner, Samantha Nguyen.

Jian enjoys being around her team because they look out for each other and support one another. The team bonding they have makes playing tennis “ten times better” she says. Jian and her teammates have been champions the past 3 years.

Throughout her time playing the sport, she was the most valuable player in doubles the past 2 years, co-captain her junior year, and was a doubles starter in varsity her senior year.

Jian says that Serena Williams is a big influence to her and the sport. “She’s the best female tennis player because she’s broken so many boundaries in terms of being a female tennis player in the world of sports,” says Jian. Williams is one of the female tennis players who inspire her the most and gives her motivation along with just enjoying the sport and playing it out of fun.

Tennis has also prepared her for college by making her a well rounded student and forcing her to open up. Jian reveals,

THE AZTEC/ VINCENT BAGABALDO

“I’m not constantly studying 24/7 or constantly indoors staring at homework or a art project im working on. It gets me outdoors, which is really nice and teaches me about the whole determination motivation aspects and how I can apply those characteristics to other parts of my life.” Being so passionate about tennis has taught her dedication and many other skills she can use in things other than the sport.

Although she does not want to play competitively, Jian plans to still play tennis in her spare time in college. Lauren enjoys art in her spare time, especially drawing and painting. Lauren also enjoys doing science-related activities and volunteering, but art is one of her main hobbies.

Jian would like to shout out her tennis coach, Coach Finke, for being super inspiring and motivating through the tennis season and making sure the entire team was never down. She would also like to thank her doubles partner, Samantha, for being one of the best doubles player she has ever had.

College: USC Major: Architecture GPA: 4.2

Eva Kha has been on the Track & Field team for consecutive three years enjoys all the close friends she has made throughout this time.

Like any other sport, Track & Field requires players to dedicate a tremendous amount of time to rigorous practices, with practices sometimes ending later than 6 or 7 PM.. However, the practice rigor did not deter Kha from having fun. “The one thing I am going to miss in track would be the practices. I enjoyed spending time with my friends,” explains Kha. Track & Field has not only helped Kha stay healthy in shape, but it also taught her effective communication and time management skills. Being on the team has also allowed Kha to forge close friendships with her team members. “Since we see people so often at practices, the friend group I have now is composed of people who I have met in track,” says Kha. Kha has won numerous amount of awards throughout her high school career, such as earning second place awards at regionals and state for Commercial Baking for SkillsUSA. In addition to SkillsUSA and piano, Kha has been able to effectively balance both school and her commitment to track.

She was able to compete at the San Gabriel Valley Champs, as well as the Almont League Finals. Kha took home third place in her Triple Jump event and seventh place in the Long Jump event at finals.

Nevertheless, Kha hopes to stay in shape regardless of not being in track next year, and would like to give a big shoutout to all of her coaches and close friends for helping her grow as a person.

College: Cal State LA Major: Social Work GPA: 3.6

THE AZTEC SENIOR SPOTLIGHTS 19

MAY 16, 2019

All Male: Nathan Cao

Dance: Olivia Cheung

THE AZTEC/ SOPHIE WONG

SOPHIE WONG Editor-in-Chief/ News Editor

Determination, dedication, and commitment. These are some of the qualities of a great dancer, according to Dance Team co-captain Olivia Cheung.

Cheung first started dancing at the age of seven, performing Chinese cultural dances with the Asian Arts Talent Foundation (AATF). “[This is] what got my foot into Keppel’s dancing, because [it] prepped me confidence-wise, dancing-wise, [and] technique-wise. It got me started with everything,” she says.

Before joining Dance Team her freshman year, Cheung saw herself as a shy, nervous dancer. She lacked confidence and felt insecure about her abilities. “I’m probably the shortest girl in school, but dance has really outshone me in that way. [Height] does not really matter [for dance]. I used to care about that a lot,” she says. However, it was her determination, dedication, and commitment that motivated her to continue. Dancing pushed Cheung out of the comfort zone and onto the stage.

Besides being her primary way of exercising, dancing has given Cheung the opportunity to bond with other performers.

THE AZTEC/ VINCENT BAGABALDO

COlor guard: Chloe Lee MAGGIE LUU Photographer With the way she balances school work and being co-captain of Keppel’s Color Guard, senior Chloe Lee is a well-rounded individual both academically and extracurricularly-wise.

Lee always knew she wanted to be on a pep team and thus, she began her journey during her freshman year.

After seeing a performance during the eighth grade orientation, Lee gravitated towards Color Guard. Lee remarks, “It was completely foreign to me [and] I tried out on a whim, but it turned out great!” She began to work her way up the ranks as the years went along, becoming

In the case of Dance Team, it has allowed her to get closer to the other members. “Everybody is friendly towards each other. We’ve had more socials and gatherings like sleepovers; it’s really brought us together as a team almost as if we’re sisters, and that’s mostly what I like about this year’s [team],” she says. The experiences they have shared as a team, competitions in particular, have brought them closer. Cheung has also had the opportunity to dance abroad in Japan and Taiwan with her AATF dance team.

Her biggest accomplishment is not one she achieved alone, but with her Dance Team. “I’m proud of our previous National Champion [wins]. We defended our title in Medium Female Hip Hop set and we also have a new title that we earned recently, called Kick. We’ve been trying to get at this title for a while and when we finally got it, [it] was one of our best accomplishments,” she says.

The pep rallies, assemblies, and dance shows are some of Cheung’s most memorable moments at Mark Keppel. “Some other pep teams at other schools don’t have that experience and they don’t have that big of a team to do that either, so that’s what I like about it,” Cheung says.

On her free time, Cheung enjoys spending time with her friends, going on adventures, travelling, and taking pictures. She is also involved in Keppel’s National Dance Honors Society. In the future, she hopes to become a speech pathologist and work with special-needs students.

Cheung would like to give a shoutout to her family, Mr. Arroyo, her team, Dance Team supporters, and AATF.

THE AZTEC/ TIMOTHY CHUMAN

SOPHIE WONG Editor-in-Chief/ News Editor All Male’s performance during eighth grade orientation inspired young Nathan Cao to start dancing, and eventually try out for the team. Despite having no prior dance experience, Cao managed to surpass the barrier of experience, later earning the honor of serving as co-captain of the team.

During his first few times on stage, he recalls being nervous. As time passed and Cao felt more comfortable, he experienced increasing excitement when he danced onstage. One thing that motivates him to work harder is seeing other dance teams perform. “When I see someone win, I just want to be better than them,” Cao says.

Besides being an outlet for him to dance, All Male has taught Cao how to prioritize and balance school work with practice.

“It’s hard to have other extracurricular ac-

College: UC San Diego Major: Probability and Statistics GPA: 4.16

College: Pasadena City College Major: Kinesiology GPA: 3.5

Baseball: Frankie Guzman

College: N/A Major: N/A GPA: N/A one of the captains by her senior year.

As captain, Lee’s responsibilities are typically organizing and communicating with the team, the other captains, and school administrators. Lee choreographs and cleans up the new routines for every performance, while practicing for long hours. What makes Lee an excellent student is her ability to ask for help when she needs it. Lee says that she would “ask [her] teammates to help correct [her] and drill the move [she] can’t get down until [she] perfects it.” During school, Lee juggles with keeping up her GPA all while staying active in California Scholarship Federation (CSF) and the Bring Change to Mind club.

While Lee does find herself anxious whenever she has to perform, she warmly states that “being on a pep team is really rewarding.” In the end, the atmosphere of performing and seeing how happy her team gets when they pull off a good performance is enough to keep Lee going.

Although it seems like all fun and games, Lee says, “Color Guard isn’t something that just comes naturally. You have to be really determined [because] it takes lots of practice and you have to be dedicated to practicing long hours.”

Lee would like to shout out Coby Chong, her best friends, and Keppel’s 2018-2019 Color Guard team for their continual support and love.

tivities, because [All Male’s] a year-long after school activity. Sometimes we have to be out of class, so we have to maintain our grades up while taking care of what’s needed for All Male.” he says.

Despite the rigorous practice and commitment, Cao treasures the time he spends with his teammates. “[One thing I really enjoy about this year’s team] is how everyone’s close, and how everyone’s so productive at practice. [I enjoy] having fun with my brothers,” he adds.

Throughout his dance career, Cao has earned individual awards, such as first place in Male Hip Hop at Miss Dance Drill Team California (MDDTCA) 2019 and second place in 12th grade Hip Hop at Miss Dance Drill Team USA (MDDTUSA) 2019. Looking back at his accomplishments, Cao can proudly attribute his success to hard work and effort. “To be a great dancer, it’s not about [abilities or skills], but about how much work you put in,” he says.

Cao is also involved in ASB. When he is not dancing, he enjoys working out, playing video games, and sleeping. One of his biggest inspirations is Pharside, the All Male choreographer. “He always gives us the best,” Cao states.

Cao would like to give a shoutout to all the All Male seniors who have stuck through, especially Paul Im and Edwin Chung.

THE AZTEC/ TIMOTHY CHUMAN

LAURA CHEN Business Manager Ever since he was six years old, Frankie Guzman has been engaged in the hitand-run of baseball. Prior to high school, Guzman was involved in many outsideof-school programs such as travel ball and Little League. Guzman says that “I always wanted the ball to get hit to me and I was pretty good for it even though I was a little chubby kid.”

As a little kid, much of Guzman’s inspiration for baseball came from his father. He expressed that since his father also played baseball as a child, Guzman’s father wished that he would pick it up as well. “I just picked it up super easily, so he just helped coach me and I went on from there,”says Guzman.

One of Guzman’s proudest moments of his baseball career was when his team advanced to the Southern California State Sectional for the Senior League division in his Little League Baseball.

The Senior League involves players who range from ages 13 to 16. “We went to the state championship which is three levels up, and after that, you go up to

Sacramento to play regionals,” says Guzman.

Guzman shared that one of the biggest factors to making a good baseball player is time. Like many other sports, repetition and consistent practice, will help players to improve. He also attributes a successful baseball team to teamwork. Guzman says, “As one of the team captains, I thought we got along really well from the bottom to the top. We had good comradery.”

When Guzman was participating in Little League he had become close friends with many individuals in his team throughout the years. However, he described his highschool bond differently. Since he spent time with his high school teammates everyday, Guzman says, “You form a closer bond with the whole team.”

Outside of school, Guzman is also enrolled in the fire program at the East Los Angeles City College. Although Guzman is unsure of his plans after high school, he already has a career in mind. “I’ve been doing these Saturday programs through ELAC...I get to learn and hopefully it will lead me into my future career. I want to be a firefighter like [the] LAFD.” Through all of Guzman’s commitments, his mother has been his number one fan. He shares that his mother has been to every game and practice that he has attended in his high school career.

Guzman says, “She’s been there for everything… so I play for my parents, and I play for myself because baseball makes me feel good.”

College: N/A Major: Fire Prevention and Safety Technology GPA: N/A

MAY 16, 2019

20 SENIOR SPOTLIGHTS THE AZTEC yuanhang and yanfan zheng

THE AZTEC/ KEVIN LIU

IZABELLA COFRESSI Photographer Twins Yuanhang and Yangfan Zheng joined Soccer their freshman year and found a second family within their team. Yangfan says, “I really enjoyed hanging out with my teammates and when we would practice on our own before actual practice started.”

Yuanhang, as well, credits his teammates with why the sport has been so great. “I really like the team spirit, there’s teamwork as well as individual play; you have to work with your team, but also individually as a player make your own decisions,” he says.

Do not let the fact that they are twins fool you; they have very different approaches on how to be a good soccer player. “To be a good soccer player, it takes dedication, persistence, practice, hard training, and

Soccer

Noelle Frasher

For Noelle Frasher, soccer runs in the family. She started playing when she was five years old after seeing her older sister playing. Beginning at a young age, Frasher has a lot more practice than most people, which has benefitted her. “[In] my freshman year, I made Keppel’s varsity soccer team,” she says.

Since then, she has racked up a pretty impressive list of achievements, from playing varsity all four years despite an ACL injury her junior year, to being this years team captain, MVP, and scoring the most goals for the team. Her achievements extend to outside of Keppel as well.

She says, “Outside of Keppel I have made it onto some pretty prestigious club teams and made it pretty far in some big competitions pretty famous in the soccer world, and I was a captain and MVP for that too, so I’m pretty proud of that.”

To be a good soccer player, she believes all the generic advice is important, like persistence and hard work, but she puts heavy emphasis on having an awareness for the game. Frasher says, “A lot of people think it is just the fastest person or who can kick the furthest but the better players I have seen or played with always had a good understanding of the game and how to play it, so I think that’s what really makes a good soccer player.”

After Keppel, Frasher plans to attend Cal Poly Pomona and major in Animal Science to become a zoo veterinarian. She does plan to continue playing soccer in

just in general the right mindset” says Yuanhang. On the other hand, Yangfan practices a much more relaxed stance on the sport. “It doesn’t take anything to be a good soccer player; as long as you want to play and become the best… you’ll do great [because] the sport is for anyone to play,” he says.

Outside of soccer, they enjoy various sports and other activities. “I used to [participate in] Cross Country but I quit my senior year due to how much work it was… I do enjoy boxing in my spare time,” says Yangfan. As for Yuanhang, his interests lie elsewhere. “I just like to play video games; maybe [I’ll] read a little if I have time” he says.

They both would like to give shoutouts to people near and dear to them. Yangfan says, “I would like to give a shoutout to my mom, dad, my friends, and also my coaches, Coach Alvarado, Coach Santos, Coach Heredia, and Coach Marin.”

As for Yuanhang, he would like to give a shoutout to “my teammates of course, shoutout to the homies, you know who you are” he says.

Yuanhang: College: UC Irvine Major: Computer Science GPA: N/A Yangfan: College: UC Santa Barbara Major: Economics GPA: N/A

THE AZTEC/ TIMOTHY CHUMAN

college and credits soccer for having prepared her for college by “teaching [her] patience because you can’t always expect to get what you want from a single game or year.”

Her advice to underclassmen is to be patient and work hard for the things you personally want to achieve. “Improve on yourself because once you leave high school you’re on your own so what matters is how you better yourself over the years,” she says. Frasher would also like to give a shoutout to her mom and dad for financially supporting all her soccer endeavors and paying for her college education.

College: Cal Poly Pomona Major: Animal Science GPA: N/A

Badminton: Jimmy li EMILY CHU Staff Writer

THE AZTEC/ SOPHIE WONG

College: Pasadena City College Major: N/A GPA: N/A

When Jimmy Li plays badminton, he cannot help but feel excited and determined to win. Over the two years he has played on Keppel’s badminton team, he has come to love it. He says there are three things one must do to become a good player, “You have to practice very hard, be a competitive person, and want to win.”

Li says that this year’s team is very large compared to last years. “There are so many people,” he says, “[but] it is good.” Li is proud to be playing in varsity for the first time, and is also playing doubles.

Li thinks playing doubles in badminton has multiple benefits. “You get exercise, [learn to] communicate well with your partner, and badminton also helps you get to know more people.”

Because badminton is a time-consuming extracurricular, he also had to learn how to balance academics and learn English at the same time. His plan for college is to go to Pasadena City College (PCC) for two years and then transfer to another college. “My dream college would be UCLA,” Li says.

THE AZTEC/ KEVIN LIU

KEVIN LIU Copy Editor Water polo is a combination of multiple skills, all of which are difficult to excel in individually and as a team. However, that has not stopped senior Stephanie Luu from doing both in her senior year.

Luu began playing water polo in her junior year after gaining some experience in Swim. For her, water polo was a different take on swimming in general. Though it required foundations like treading, it also threw in a new element of teamplay.

Drill: Kara Li JOYCE LEE Photographer

Girls Water Polo: Stephanie Luu “Water polo is a contact sport. You’re going to touch someone regardless,” says Luu. “It doesn’t matter if you try to avoid them. You’re going to get all up in their face.”

Initially, Luu was a field player. However, she transitioned to the goalie position in her senior year alongside teammate Amy Chui.

As a goalie, Luu feels the pressure on her every game. “Since I am the last wall that they have, I can’t afford to lose. If I don’t block that shot, I am letting the other team get a point and possibly [letting] them win the game,” says Luu. “I don’t want that. My motivation is to make my players not worry about that last shot.”

For Luu, the ideal goalie would be an impassable barrier in the eyes of the opponent. That is why she admires Ashley Johnson, the USA Women’s Senior National Team Roster team’s goalie. “[Being] goalie has a lot of [fundamentals] that you have to just be good at. That’s like lunging high, treading power; you have to be

THE AZTEC/ JOYCE LEE

muscular. Ashley Johnson is the amplified version of every good player. She doesn’t have a single weakness,” praises Luu. This year, Girls’ Water Polo qualified for CIF but was knocked out by Pacifica High School. However, Luu is still very proud of her team, considering that their coach was new and the program is relatively small.

In addition to playing water polo, Luu enjoys using Adobe Photoshop to pursue her artistic endeavors. She enjoys drawing, painting, and reading in her spare time. In her high school career, Luu she is also a member of the National Honor Society (NHS), California Scholarship Federation (CSF), and Promoting Youth Advocacy (PYA).

College: UCI Major: Urban Studies GPA: 4.0

Kara Li joined drill team in her sophomore year, and this year will be her second and last year participating in the team. Li was in Mr. Arroyo’s dance class in freshman year and continued to take it until junior year. Li says, “The first time I performed in the class in front of others...I enjoyed performing a lot!”

In terms of juggling drill and academics, Li says, “Practice is Monday through Thursday after school for two hours but during competition, practice will be extended to three hours. Sometimes it stressed me out but mostly I enjoyed it.”

She adds that her friends made practice more enjoyable and says, “I enjoyed spending time with my team. Over time, you just can’t live without them!”

Some of Li’s favorite moments during her time in drill was “getting first place with the team in a competition at Pioneer High-school. It was on February 23rd. It was my first and last competition.” Li would like to shout out her team for being there for her and “helping me out through pretty much everything.”

College: Pasadena City College Major: N/A GPA: 3.5