Epic Issue 2, 2017

BY AILEEN XUE

T

he Trump administration’s plans to rescind Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) has resulted in uproar across the nation. Cities like San Jose, the �irst to take legal action against the Trump administration, and states such as California, the �irst to become a sanctuary state, have all come forth to �ile lawsuits against the Trump administration for its unconstitutional actions in ending DACA and withdrawing its support for the undocumented immigrants residing in the U.S. DACA was established by the Obama administration in June 2012 to give undocumented immigrants who arrived in the U.S. before the age of 16 protection from deportation. The program also allows these immigrants to receive an education and obtain jobs that they otherwise would not have had access to. These bene�iciaries are also known as “Dreamers” due to the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) act which is a proposal similar to DACA but was never passed in Congress. In order to be eligible for DACA, one must currently be under the age of 30, have resided in the U.S. for at least �ive years, have attended, be attending or will be attending high school and never have committed a federal felony or been seen as a threat to public safety. DACA currently helps over 800,000 undocumented immigrants, 23,000 of whom live in the Santa Clara County.

“DACA serves as a symbol of inclusivity, hospitality and hope,” said sophomore Rachana Muvvala. “Many immigrants come to America in pursuit of a better life, and DACA enables these people to reach their full potential in a country

�illed with opportunities.”

Despite the large number of immigrants dependent on DACA, President Trump announced his intention to rescind the program on Sept. 5. Dreamers could begin to lose their DACA status as soon as 2018 if the program is rescinded.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has stopped processing all new applications for DACA as of Sept. 5 and the window for Dreamers to apply for a work permit renewal ended on Oct. 5. Trump has given Congress six months to come up with a solution and will revisit the issue in March 2018 if no solution has been provided by then.

“President Trump may say that he will revisit DACA after six months but he is actually just putting the burden on Congress to come up with a law before the renewing process,” said history teacher Nhat Nguyen. “Since Congress is very bipartisan when it comes to issues which are not just republican or democratic, coming up with a solution will be a dif�icult process.”

Since Trump’s announcement, there has been an in�lux of protests where DACA supporters defend the program and protest the Trump administration decision. Many of these protests have taken place in cities like Los Angeles, Denver and San Jose, where Dreamers make up a signi�icant percentage of the population.

“If I was forced to return to Turkey after I have become so well integrated into this community, I would feel very frustrated and do things that I normally wouldn’t consider doing,” said sophomore Kerem Arslan who immigrated to California from Turkey 14 months ago. “I would not be silent and would de�initely stand up against the Trump administration.”

On Sept. 14, San Jose announced that it would be the �irst city to sue the Trump administration for not only violating the equal protection clause of the �ifth amendment and other federal laws, but also harming the city’s economy and community in the process.

“By rescinding DACA, the Trump administration has pulled the rug out from under the dreams and noble aspirations of over 800,000 of our country’s young men and women,” said San Jose mayor Sam Liccardo in a press conference on Sept. 14. “They’re building and sustaining America, while they’re also giving new life to the American Dream. If we’re going to protect our Dreamers, we need to take action. We cannot wait for some potential, hopeful solution to emerge from a Congress that has appeared deadlocked on many, many issues.”

Aside from its lawsuit against the Trump administration, San Jose, along with California as a whole, is also providing funding for the extensive application costs that Dreamers need to reapply to DACA. $30 million has been set aside to provide �inancial and legal support for Dreamers, $500,000 of

ART ILLUSTRATION BY CLARA FERNANDES

San Jose sues over DACA repeal

which will help California college students who could otherwise not afford the $495 fee to reapply for DACA. San Jose is not alone in its support for DACA and stands with 18 states including New York, Washington and Pennsylvania that have all �iled lawsuits as well. California, in particular, where over 200,000 Dreamers reside, has even become a sanctuary state for these immigrants by preventing authorities and law enforcement of�icers from pressing immigrants about their immigration status and giving immigrant inmates more protection.

“I think that it’s a gesture that goes to show the community and DACA recipients that they are not alone and that there are people supporting them,” said Nguyen. “Even if San Jose is not successful in its lawsuit, it reassures the DACA recipients that they are safe where they are.”

FUHSD has voiced its support of the Dreamers in San Jose’s community as well; all students in the district will be welcomed and will be given an education regardless of their status as a Dreamer.

“Dreamers will feel more safe coming to school because they now know that they won’t lose their education privileges as a result of the Trump administration’s intentions,” said freshman Rashmi Ramchandra. “They can now live like a normal high school student and explore all that Lynbrook has to offer.”

With hundreds of thousands of DACA bene�iciaries in the U.S, the Trump administration’s intentions to rescind the program signi�icantly impacts the undocumented immigrants and their goals of achieving the American Dream. As the �irst city to have �iled a lawsuit against the Trump administration, and the �irst state to have become a sanctuary state, San Jose and California are both at the forefront of the charges pressed against the Trump administration in an effort to stand up for the immigrant residents and their rights and freedoms.

LEXE celebrates fundraising milestone

BY TZEN-HAO NG

L

ynbrook offers plentiful and varied tools to students to aid in their learning.

However, many students are unaware of where these tools come from: in large part from government funding, but a signi�icant portion from donations as well.

Lynbrook Excellence in Education (LEXE), the public charity dedicated to improving Lynbrook through implementing new technology, equipment and programs, recently celebrated a $1 million fundraising milestone. These contributions go toward equipment for STEM projects, audio systems for the gym, and a new Mac lab for AP Computer Science, Digital Photography, and Econ and Virtual Enterprising.

LEXE’s purpose is to promote excellence at Lynbrook by supplementing the resources provided by the FUHSD to further enrich the educational environment at Lynbrook. Throughout its six-year tenure, LEXE has contributed funds to programs such as STEM, through providing lab tools and equipment; Arts and Humanities, through Drama program funding; and technology,

through Chromebooks and a new computer lab. However, these bene�its do not come without several challenges, as one of the most dif�icult parts of the charity’s operations is fundraising.

“75 percent of our funding comes from parents, and 25 percent of our funding comes from corporate matches,” said Sandeep Pandya, President of LEXE. “When parents make contributions, the corporations match that.”

However, only 30 percent of Lynbrook families currently donate to LEXE. LEXE hopes to increase funds through fund reports and student advocacy.

“If students could be ambassadors of LEXE to parents, tell them that these are the things that, because of your contributions, this is how students have bene�itted, that helps the parents understand where the funds are going,” said Pandya.

Through contributions to various programs, LEXE has enabled teachers to expand their curriculum in new ways.

“Some of the software make it easier for students when it comes to photo editing,” said Brad Fulk, mathematics and AP CS teacher. “I think the students notice a big dif-

ference as far as the software available and the performance of the computers.”

These tools have been able to support students in various ways as well. The new computer lab is enjoyed by AP CS students for programming, Photography students for photo editing and Econ and Virtual Enterprise students for running business simulations. LabQuests in Biology enable students to engage in hands-on learning, rather than simply reading from a textbook. And funding for the Drama program has unlocked students to learn about lighting and composition in conjunction with on-stage ambiance.

“As soon as you walk into [the computer lab], you can tell that it’s been remodeled,” said senior Daniel Israel. “The layout is entirely different, and there’s new computers, new projectors. It’s amazing.”

Now, LEXE can view the fruits of their labor in the day-to-day pulse of the Lynbrook community.

“We walk down to classes to see how [LEXE] is making a difference, and seeing the smiles on students faces when they’re using some equipment, that’s the most satisfying part,” said Pandya.

ATHLETIC TRAINER // pg. 14

NICOLE ONG — EPIC

Mock trial takes home second place

BY KELSEY LU

T

he 2017 Empire Battle of the Bay begins as students dressed in ties and blazers roll in. The event, which took place in San Francisco from Oct. 5 to 9, was an international mock trial competition in which school teams participated in a series of rounds to advance to the championships in hopes of winning �irst place.

This year, Lynbrook’s mock trial team competed for the �irst time in the Empire and took home second place, adding to their collection of awards.

The mock trial team began preparing for the Empire competition in late July by reviewing the court case which was Meric Calief v. Prisoners of Western America (POWA). Teams argued for both the prosecuting and defending sides: how POWA caused Calief, a

prisoner who was released from the correctional faclity, to commit suicide, or how the facility had no correlation to his death. After reviewing this, they created timelines, wrote their opening and closing statements and practiced for the competition.

“The attorneys had to do a lot of preparation for this event by going through many drafts, examining the witness statements and writing down examinations until our coach was happy,” said sophomore Raka Acharya. “For witnesses, we had to memorize our witness statements and say it in ways that sounded natural in the courtroom.

Before each round in the competition, teams had a 15 minute pre-trial conference where representatives from each team met and announced their witness lineup as well as additional information related to the case.

At the same time, a guest witness introduction took place in which a witness from one team would be the witness for another

team. After the pre-trial conference, the four rounds commenced with the plaintiff and defense teams competing in two rounds, each presenting their stance on the case. Scores are counted by the win to loss ratio after each round; Lynbrook won three of four rounds, advancing them to the championship.

“When we want to Empire, we did it for the educational experience so our main goal was to do our best and learn from the experience to help us in our county level,” said senior Alina Wan. “I think this experience really boosted our con�idence and helped us become more comfortable in the courtroom, showcasing our strengths more.”

The event was almost over, with one last day for the award ceremony as well as the championship round when the team unof�icially found out that they had advanced to the championships.

“The tournament organizer called us on our way back from the competition and said

‘Hey, you should really come to the award ceremony’ and I thought ‘If we are getting an award why not just mail it to us’,” said Coach Shem. “Then the tournament organizer ever so slightly hinted that it would be worth our while to go. The hard part of this was to get the team to come without spilling the beans though.”

The team views the experience as another step toward doing well in the county level and hope to build upon this experience. They plan to compete in state competitions before considering another competition like Empire.

“We had a good win at Empire but we cannot rest on just that. Just because we did well in Empire, it does not mean we will automatically do well in the county level,” said Coach Shem. “This means we will still have to work hard in the future.”

SADHANA SARMA — EPIC

Cupertino museum displays local history

BY DIVYA NELAKONDA

Letter from the Editors Dear readers,

Welcome to our second issue of the year!

Turn to the news section for a story about the Mock Trial team’s second place win at a recent competition (pg. 2).

Ponder over the pros and cons of space exploration with two opposing views written by different staff members (pg. 4).

Check out the features section to read junior Radence Tsow’s experience as a participant in dog agility competitions (pg. 7).

Flip to the in-depth section to read about the Tinkerbell Effect, which theorizes that things appear to exist only because people believe in them (pg. 11). For a fun challenge, try to �ind all the Tinkerbell �igures hidden throughout this issue!

In the sports section, discover the difference between weight training and cardiovascular training (pg. 13), and read a feature on Lynbrook’s athletic trainer, Megan Gwozdecke, and her student assistants (pg. 14).

This issue spans a multitude of interests, so you’re sure to �ind something you like, whether it be student features or stories on different aspects of our school.

Happy reading, Catherine Huang and Eshani Mehta

O

n Sept. 9, 1850, California became the 31st state to enter the union.

To honor this occasion, the Cupertino Historical Society and Museum opened the “Eureka! Native Americans, Explorers and Innovators” on Sept. 9 in the Quinlan Community Center. The city was preparing for the Cupertino’s fall festival in honor of the anniversary of California’s admission to the United States of America when they approached the society to create an exhibit surrounding the theme of admission.

The museum’s path follows a counterclockwise chronological layout beginning with the Native Americans who �irst inhabited the land, showcasing rugs and baskets that are representative of the Ohlone and Costanoan tribes. The exhibit also has a stone grinding bowl the Native Americans used to grind acorns and a frame containing many types of Ohlone arrowheads. Period clothing, saddles, spurs and tools from the Gold Rush are also on display. Information panels in-

form viewers about the history of California and the De Anza expedition under Mexican and Spanish rule. In addition to that, the museum has also acquired costumes and saddles from the 1976 bicentennial reenactment of the De Anza exhibition.

The centerpiece of the exhibit is a stuffed bear alluding to the Grizzly bear on the California state �lag. The bear also pays tribute to the many bears that had once lived in the area and the Bear Flag Revolt, a rebellion started by settlers in the Sacramento Valley for independence.

“I don’t think we really know enough about local history,” said senior Peggy Wang.

“Some schools have museums about their local history, and I’ve seen colleges have museums about their local history as well.

Going to our Cupertino museum could help students engage in their local history.”

History San Jose, an organization that works to preserve the cultural heritage of San Jose and Santa Clara Valley, has also supplied the exhibit with bear traps, bear fur gloves and bear skin rugs for visitors to view and informational panels about the Spanish bear and bull �ights.

In honor of the opening of the exhibit, the museum coordinator organized a mixer for the Chamber of Commerce; around 60 to 70 people were attended. At the mixer, Haleen Davis from the rotary club spoke about the sister city program; Darcy Paul, who used to be a board member of the Cupertino Historical Society, spoke about the importance of the museum; Donna Austin, president of the Cupertino Historical Society and Museum, spoke about the new exhibit.

“The Chamber of Commerce mixers are an opportunity for the business community to come together,” said Hugger. “It’s a nice opportunity to interact and socialize, have something to eat and drink.”

Hugger truly encourages people in the community to come out to the museum in order to learn more about their local history.

“No matter where a person is from, it is a good idea for them to know their local history to better understand the community, to get a feeling for what came before, who settled the area, what kind of people were originally there,” said Hugger. “It really broadens a person’s horizons and makes people feel more like a part of the community.”

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY HSIN YEN HUANG

New gas taxes drive sustainability efforts News in Brief

Daylight Saving Time Ends Daylight Saving Time ends on Sunday, Nov. 5. Clocks will be turned backward by one hour at 2 a.m., instead making it 1 a.m. in local standard time. Enjoy sleeping in an extra hour on this day.

Veteran’s Day Memorial Ceremony The annual Veteran’s Day ceremony will take place on Saturday, Nov. 11 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Memorial Park. Join them as they salute our veterans, active duty military and �irst responders.

Valks’ Winter Performance This year, the Valkyries’ Winter Show is on Saturday, Nov. 11 from 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. at the gym. Come out to support them!

Drama Performance This year’s Drama show, “The Curious Savage,” opens on Thursday, Nov. 16 in Studio 74, and will play until Saturday, Nov. 18.

Plays on all three days will be from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Be sure to buy your tickets before they sell out.

LIMB Holiday Craft Faire Come out to Lynbrook Music Instrumental Booster’s (LIMB) annual Holiday Craft Faire on Saturday, Nov. 18 to buy amazing handmade items. This event will be held 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Gym, Cove and Quad.

by Risa Mori

BY MICHELLE ZEMLYAK

F

or the �irst time since 1993, California’s excise gas tax will be increased, from 18 to 30 cents per gallon. Currently, the average American household spends $2,140 on gas annually, with California’s gas price of $3.03 per gallon even higher than the national average of $2.72. The increasing gasoline tax aims to improve public transportation and encourage more people to switch from gasoline fueled cars to zero emission cars.

The Senate Bill 1 was passed in April 2017 by governor Jerry Brown, providing $52 billion to repair the state’s roads and railways as well as reduce traf�ic. By 2027, the government hopes to get 98 percent of the highways in good condition; 90 percent of culverts, or drain tunnels, in good condition; and �ix 500 bridges, allocating a total of $1.89 billion annually for these projects. An additional $250 million will be allocated annually to the Congested Corridors Program (CCP), which is responsible for reducing traf�ic on California’s busiest roads, such as the Interstate 5 which passes through the entire state. During rush hour, the section of interstate spanning from Los Angeles to Orange County can take up to three hours to pass through. An average commuter wastes 19 gallons of gasoline, according to Consumer News and Business Channel. The CCP hopes to minimize the effects of these problems by using the additional funding to increase the size and number of highways and encouraging the public to use public transportation.

“This tax, it’s for the common good. We all came to school on a road, and if we want decent [roads], this tax is absolutely essential,” said Government and Economics teacher David Pugh. “Improving infrastructure is absolutely vital and California needs to catch up.”

Part of the reason for raising the gas tax was the increasing number of fuel ef�icient

vehicles. As people began spending less cars only amount to 4.8 percent of California money per mile of gas, cars running on alter- cars, and three percent of car sales nationalnative energy sources were introduced and ly. This ban will try to increase zero- emisthe federal gas tax could no longer match sion car sales to 15 percent to get 1.5 million government spending. In addition, gas prices more electric or hybrid vehicles on the road have been rapidly falling since 2014, with a by 2025.

One of the main reasons for the low sales gallon costing $3.70 then, and $2.72 in 2017. of cleaner vehicles is the high “I have an old car that runs on gasoprice point. Currently, line, so with gas becoming more only $500 million is expensive, I would start to available in rebates feel restricted or even limfor owners of zeited, even though I don’t ro-emission vehihave to drive too much on cles. Ting is hoping a regular basis,” said juto overhaul the nior Amanda White. “My system to provide family is actually considan additional $3 ering getting an electric billion to be discar. We can just charge tributed to owners it at home, so we of zero-emissions won’t have to pay vehicles over the for gas on a regunext 12 years. lar basis.”

However, this polThe U.K., Inicy has been met dia and China with skepticism are several of because the $3 the countries billion is six times planning to higher than the ban the sale current amount. of gasoline Nevertheless, or diesel-fuwith the new exeled vehicise gas tax becles within ginning to raise the next two gasoline prices decades. FolNovember, drivlowing in their ers should begin footsteps, California lawto see the bene�its maker and assemblyman, of paying more Phil Ting, will propose a for their gasoline bill to legislature to ban through signifthe sale of gasoline and icant imdiesel-fueled vehicles provements in the state by 2040. on the As of this year, GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY MEERA BALAJI AND NICOLE ONG roads. zero-emission

The new space race

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY DIVYA NELAKONDA AND CLARA FERNANDES

Two staffers offer their opinions on America’s role in space exploration

RISA MORI//IN MY OPINION

Seeking foundation for change

S

inger, songwriter, fashion designer, entrepreneur — Rihanna’s growing list of titles may cause assumptions that her new beauty line, Fenty Beauty, is just another instance of a celebrity plastering her name on a company’s products. The line,

BY HSIN YEN HUANG

BY SRINIDHI SESHADRI

S

A

launched on Sept. 8, carries face products, eyeshadows, lipsticks and makeup tools. According to Fenty Beauty’s website, its products focus on “a wide range of traditionally hard-to-match skin tones,” using formulas that work universally for all skin types and shades “so that women everywhere [will] be included.” Fenty Beauty’s variety of options, with 40 different foundation shades with as many darker shades as lighter ones, signi�ies that it is something more than a celebrity endorsement: it is an effective effort to tackle an increasingly signi�icant issue in the makeup industry and the world — inclusivity.

I remember when I �irst took an interest in makeup in middle school, walking down the aisles of a local drugstore looking at concealers. The closest match for me was a strange yellow-orange shade that hardly matched my skin tone. I felt disappointed upon discovering that established companies did not seem to put an effort in accomodating people like me. It seemed that companies believe that as

long as their shades had some sort of yellow undertone, they could check off the box that says “caters to Asians,” when in reality, Asian skin tones alone come in wide ranges of undertones, such as warm, cool, or olive, as well as a variation in the shades from pale to tan.

As a result, many Asians, like myself, have turned to more expensive makeup or Asian brands that produce shades meant only for Asian skin tones. These options, however, are not as easily accessible for purchase.

My struggle doesn’t only apply to other Asians, but to other underrepresented minorities as well. While many companies have recognized this problem, the reason why Fenty Beauty’s efforts have received praise is simple: its foundations actually match diverse skin tones. Following the release of Fenty Beauty’s foundation, many of its darker shades sold out. While its $34 price tag is considerably more than that of drugstore products, customers are willing to dish out more money rather than try several founda-

ince the Space Race began in 1957 with Sputnik 1’s launching, the cosmos has been an opportunity for discovery. Issues such as natural disasters, however, have led to beliefs that space exploration should be halted to resolve these internal problems.

Instead, the U.S. should seek a solution to ensure that space exploration and solving domestic crises can occur simultaneously.

Although space missions draw from resources needed for monitoring Earth, they play a key role in ecological projects, monitoring conditions on Earth and helping scientists comprehend environmental problems.

NASA has backed the Coral Reef Airborne Laboratory project, aimed at understanding global warming’s effect on coral reefs. Space exploration also often indirectly results in important inventions, such LED lighting and solar energy.

Some concerns of those who oppose space exploration are its cost and feasibility.

NASA, however, has the support of industry partners like Boeing, as well as Congress.

According to the Pew Research Center, 58 percent of surveyed Americans believe it is essential for the U.S. to remain a leader in space exploration. Legislation such as the SPACE Act has increased monetary support for the commercial space sector as well as deep-space and planetary exploration.

Large space missions are the product of collaborations between countries, which reduces their cost and encourages international collaboration. One of the most famous examples of this is the International Space Station (ISS), a spacecraft that houses astronauts from different countries. Russia launches American astronauts to the ISS, displaying strong ties that can be developed when nations work toward a common goal.

Whether or not space exploration is necessary, given the issues with the current global situation, it is important to note that exploring space and tackling earthbound problems are not mutually exclusive events. Resources can be set aside for endeavors on Earth while astronauts investigate the cosmos, but the advantages of space exploration should be kept in mind when making such conclusions.

s seen through Vice President Mike Pence’s statements at the National Space Council’s �irst meeting on Oct. 5, the Trump administration is determined to send astronauts to the moon in order to build a stronger foundation for future expeditions to Mars. With recent domestic issues demanding the nation’s resources, the government should put space exploration on the back burner until higher priority issues have been addressed.

From August to October, Texas, Puerto Rico and Florida were severely pummelled by a series of hurricanes, the most notable being Harvey, Irma and Maria, leaving communities destroyed. Similarly, Northern California has been struck by a different type of natural disaster: wild�ires, which have burned thousands of homes and buildings. The government’s top priority should be to provide aid for the victims of these natural calamities.

One excuse that has been given for the lack of action to help Puerto Rico is the fact that it is isolated from the American mainland. However, it is hypocritical for the government to claim dif�iculty in sending aid over a relatively small body of water but still be able to send millions of dollars of equipment to space.

The reasoning behind the increased push for space exploration is not well supported either. According to Pence’s statement in an opinion-editorial of the Wall Street Journal, “America must be as dominant in the heavens as it is on Earth,” proving that the government aims for space exploration to display U.S.’s power, instead to gain knowledge. With more pressing domestic matters at hand, this should not be a primary concern for a �irst-world country. Instead, the government needs to work with other countries to stabilize the political climate.

Although space exploration may be bene�icial in furthering current scienti�ic research, the U.S. must pay attention to more critical domestic problems such as ensuring that victims of natural calamities are receiving assistance. These domestic issues require immediate efforts that the government should be providing instead of attempting to be a dominant �igure in space exploration. tions without �inding a true match.

Another brand, Huda Beauty, also recently released a 30-shade foundation line with a similar all-inclusive approach. It immediately received positive feedback, and like Fenty Beauty’s foundations, is selling out in stores.

These companies’ efforts are just the beginning of a bigger movement.

The way makeup companies fail to accommodate different skin tones in their products re�lects their attitudes toward race, and it is unacceptable that large groups of people are still struggling to �ind themselves properly represented in everyday products. Though arguing about makeup may not seem signi�icant, seeing myself misrepresented impacted my con�idence in my ethnical identity, and arguably others as well. A revolutionary change won’t happen overnight, but Fenty Beauty shows that successful steps are being taken by bringing diversity to the makeup market that will hopefully instigate change in other markets as well.

Predicaments of overlooked immigrants

BY PATRICIA WEI

T

en years ago, Lynbrook alumna Alie Wu arrived in America at the age of seven. Her parents carried E-2 work visas, invaluable skills and the dream of providing a strong future for their family.

She quickly grew to call the United States her home. But before her junior year of high school, she learned that her parent’s visa had expired and that she had to return to her birth country, Taiwan. She eventually decided to graduate high school one year early, squeezing senior year classes in her junior year, to obtain a student visa to stay in the U.S. “It was not my decision to move to the U.S.,” said Wu. “Now, I have lived most of my life here and I enjoy it. When I was faced with the possibility of being sent back in the middle of my education, �inding a way to stay was stressful.”

Children of visa holders, such as Wu, are an often overlooked group in the conversation on immigration.

Known as H-4 or E-2 Dreamers, the children of visa holders such as H1-B and E-2 face undeniable struggles in the U.S. After they turn 21, they age out of their visas and if they do not �ind another visa, they may need to leave the country. If the parents receive green cards and the child is under 21, the child can receive a green card as well. Due to the decade-long wait that many green card applicants face, however, many children do not receive green cards in time.

“I think the emotional and social challenges [for children of visa holders] are obvious,” said Rebecca Free-

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY OPINION SECTION

man, an immigration lawyer in San Francisco. “Another problems for kids of both H1-B and E-2s is that they do not get authorization to work.”

In addition to not being legally allowed to work, children of visa holders �ind dif�iculties receiving �inancial aid.

“I watched my friends get jobs over the summer, but I could not do that,” said junior Selena Jeong, an E-2 Dreamer. “There would be no point to take the PSAT because I am not a citizen or permanent resident, so I do not qualify for any of the scholarships.”

Many H-4 and E-2 visa holders apply for student visas to stay in the U.S. Although they have lived in the U.S. for most of their lives, they must pay international student fees, which can be up to �ive times as much as normal college tuition, because they are not citizens or permanent residents. Also, because their visa does not allow them to work, students and their families have even fewer opportunities to help them afford higher education. Without work experience, it becomes more dif�icult for these students to succeed in competitive industries.

“These challenges are really disappointing for the people who have left their country and have made a lot of sacri�ices to get to where they are now,” said Lynbrook alumna Mahsa Heydari*, an immigrant from Iran.

“America is the dream country. People leave everything behind and come here with a hope to work and create stable lives, and they should be supported.”

Satish More, a software engineer on a H1-B visa, has watched his daughter, a college student and H-4 Dreamer, be excluded from many opportunities because of her visa status. Like many on student visas, if she does not �ind a job quickly after graduation, she may be forced to leave the country she calls home.

“Every day my daughter is under so much

pressure that she may need to leave the country,” said More. “Other students do internships and get opportunities to earn and learn and get experience in the real world.

She can not do any of that because of her visa and is denied many bene�its, despite having lived here for 12 years and following legal routes.

What about her future? What about her dreams?”

For H-4 and E-2 Dreamers to legally work in the United States, companies must provide them with work visas, which many are unwilling to do for entry-level positions, further decreasing the employment opportunities for visa holders. These challenges have led many to question whether America truly lives up to its ideal as the land of opportunity.

“For students on visas like me, it is hard to �ind jobs,” said Wu. “There are not many opportunities to try to stay in the U.S. Once your visa expires, you usually do not have a choice other than leaving the country.”

The American dream belongs to everyone: citizens, permanent residents and immigrants, who have played a large role in America’s development. The children of H1-B and E-2 visa holders who call America their home should be given the chance to follow their parents’ footsteps and improve American society when they become adults. To continue the legacy of valuable immigrant contributions, America should not neglect any of her country’s dreamers. *name changed for privacy

BELINDA ZHOU//IN MY OPINION

Unjust race driven admissions

I

recall sitting in my living room as a sixth grader, listening to my concerned parents engaging in a rather vehement discussion about af�irmative action as I mindlessly played Flappy Bird. Back then, with the prospect of college applications still six years away, I regarded the topic of af�irmative action as negligible. As I entered high school and saw the seniors around me stressing over college applications, however, I felt the matter becoming more relevant to me.

Af�irmative action, a policy many colleges and universities use during their admission processes, favors minorities who suffer or have historically suffered from discrimination. These schools claim that af�irmative action is employed in order to create a more balanced and diverse student body, however, the public has began to perceive the policy as discriminatory. As more universities have been accused of taking race into consideration while reviewing applications, controversy has arisen, warranting further inspection.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) claims that it is actively investigating into the “intentional race-based discrimination in college and university admission,” focusing on Harvard University. For three years, Harvard has been engaged in a lawsuit regarding whether the university practices racial prejudice in its application process.

As awareness about the lawsuit has spread, rumors have emerged that af�irmative action discriminates against Asian Americans in particular.

Upon hearing this, I wasn’t very surprised. I’ve heard about some part-white, part-Asian students in our community marking themselves “white” on standardized state tests because their parents instruct them to do so in order to avoid being at a disadvantage for being Asian when they apply for colleges.

As an Asian American attending Lynbrook, I have heard students negatively talking about non-Asian students who have been accepted into prestigious colleges or universities. They assert that their race gave them an advantage with dismissive remarks such as “they probably got accepted because they’re X race” or “if they were Asian and had those stats, they wouldn’t have gotten in.” Students perceive their acceptance as a result of their race rather than their hard work, undermining the abilities of non-Asian students who get accepted into renowned schools. Although af�irmative action was originally intended to serve as the foundation for more diverse freshman classes, its implementation just might be stigmatizing the admission of some students into highly reputable colleges and universities.

Af�irmative action also serves as a disadvantage for minorities who don’t bene�it from the mandate, deemed “reverse discrimination.” Minorities may have less of a shot at acceptance into schools because of the race-conscious admission process. On the contrary, af�irmative action may act as a discriminatory force against whites, as admission spots previously open to them may be set aside for the “disadvantaged” or minority students.

Thankfully, as a sophomore, I won’t be undergoing the nightmare that is college applications just yet, but when the time comes for me to begin applying to colleges, I hope that universities will have approached af�irmative action with more scrutiny and continue their investigation of its role in the perpetually changing U.S. education system.

Women burdened by Trump’s repeal of birth control insurance

BY SADHANA SARMA

B

irth control — a collection of methods that women use simply to control hormones for more bearable menstrual cycles or to have a sense of security in regard to unplanned pregnancies—has been discredited by the Trump administration in an attempt to validate its recent mandate against previous health care policies.

On Oct. 6, Trump undid years of progress made under the Obama administration’s Affordable Care Act (ACA) by rolling back a law that had required employers to provide their employees with birth control coverage without co-payments. In doing so, Trump not only turned a blind eye to the needs of women throughout the country, but also demonstrated his underlying agenda to undermine the ACA. “Birth control is so important in terms of giving people a choice,” said junior Selena Jeong. “I think the fact that there used to be a law that said employers had to give birth control because it should be a human right.”

The ACA, also known as Obamacare, was established on March 23, 2010 with three main goals. These included making affordable health insurance available to more Americans, expanding the Medicaid program to cover all adults with income below 138 percent of the federal poverty level and supporting new methods of medical care delivery to lower the cost of healthcare overall.

One key component of the act was a mandate that required employers to provide birth control to their employees. In constructing the act, the Obama administration took precautions to prevent backlash from any religiously af�iliated institutions that might object to supplying birth control by exempting institutions like churches from abiding by the mandate. This exemption, however, was not enough for Trump, who repealed the mandate, causing heavy controversy across the nation and backlash from those who feel cheated. “[The debate surrounding the ACA] is a con�lict between prioritizing values — whether you are going to value the right to privacy versus the right to practice religious faith and interpretations thereof,” said social studies department lead and teacher, Nate

Martell. “I assume this goes back to protests against the provisions of the Affordable Care Act, where businesses felt it was infringing on their rights.”

Trump’s reversal of the policies outlined in the ACA affects women throughout the country for more reasons than one. A common misconception about birth control is that it is a pill used solely to prevent pregnancies. Though this is an important bene�it, birth control has many more uses applicable to

lows women with endometriosis, a disorder which causes tissue to grow outside the uterus instead of inside, to experience an alleviation of their symptoms.

By cutting off birth control access from people who cannot afford it, Trump is not only offending women with his statement that they cannot be trusted to take the medicine without being tempted to engage in “risky sexual behavior,” but he is also harming the health of those that rely on it. Many women

all women, even those not engaging in sexual activity, such as controlling hormones to lessen the symptoms of menstrual cycles.

Birth control is not just a pill, but rather a broad genre of methods and medicines including prescribed pills, intrauterine devices (IUDs) and condoms that help women lead more comfortable and healthy lives.

The various types of birth control have not only proven themselves to be bene�icial but also necessary for many women, such as those with certain health conditions. For example, taking birth control medicine al-

need t h e help of programs such as Medicaid in order to have access to birth control, so its removal by the new mandate is detrimental to them.

“I know a lot of my friends were on Medicaid because their parents got laid off from work, which is not their fault,” said health clerk and athletic trainer, Megan Gwozdecke.

“Now women have to pay a lot for birth control. It can start at $10, but it gets much more expensive than that. Trump needs to start caring about people from all classes; his actions are taking away from the people who

really do need it.”

The Trump administration has rolled out its mandate under the guise that providing access to birth control is immoral and violates the religious beliefs of many. It claims to be catering to the needs of religious groups who are not willing to follow the policies of ACA. As the Obama administration already took multiple precautions to cater to religious beliefs, however, the removal of birth control requirements for employers is excessive and unnecessary. It is also of signi�icance to note that while repealing ACA satis�ies those with certain religious beliefs and desires, doing so, more importantly, risks the health of many.

“I don’t agree with Trump’s validation that he’s accommodating people with religious af�iliations because religion shouldn’t count in government,” said Jeong. “Birth control doesn’t go with religion. It really goes with people’s rights. I think the fact that there used to be a law that said employers had to give birth control shows it should be a human right.”

The in�luence of religion on government has been prevalent for decades, but when it begins to affect the health of the less fortunate, the President needs to reassess his priorities. Many have questioned whether or not Trump has a deeper agenda against Obama’s presidency and against people from lower classes. If this is the case, then action needs to be taken to appease the entirety of the country’s population.

“Trump needs to start caring about people from all classes,” said Gwozdecke. “It seems he cares more about people who are wealthy and I do not think that is fair because everybody should be looked at as a whole.

His actions are taking away from the people who really do need it.”

Birth control’s variety of applications renders it useful for a majority of women. As such, it should be made accessible to all and not just to those who can afford it out of their own pocket. In a world where the country’s President does not understand the practicality of such a necessary resource as birth control, one can only hope that his attacks on birth control, the ACA and the Obama administration, based on falsehoods, will be recognized as just that — false.

Boy Scouts organization undermined by inclusion of girls

BY NOELA BAE

M

arking a major milestone in the push for gender equality, the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) announced on Oct. 11 that girls would now be allowed to join the program and attain an Eagle Scout rank, the highest achievement in Scouting. Though the organization will receive girls with open arms beginning next year, girls have their own program — Girl Scouts of America (GSA) — to develop their character and ga in leadership skills. By admitting girls into BSA, the original dynamic of this long-standing scouting organization will be shaken.

The scouting board of directors made the unanimous decision to admit girls after years of requests from girls and their families.

In an effort to help girls engage in more outdoor activities and foster female leadership, the board settled that Cub Scouts and Eagle Scouts would open their ranks to girls next year and in 2019, respectively.

It does not seem to be a coincidence, however, that the BSA agreed to admit girls while experiencing dwindling numbers.

Enrollment in the BSA has decreased dramatically over the course of the past few decades: in 2016, 2.3 million youth members had enrolled,

down about a third since 2000 and down about 4 million from its peak in 1972. Admitting girls into the program is not the �irst instance of BSA �inding ways to cope with low membership levels. In recent years, the organization has additionally opened itself up to adult volunteers, openly gay males and transgender individuals. This sudden wave of new members demonstrates that opening up enrollment has been a means for BSA to save its falling enrollment numbers.

“I do not think [BSA] should allow girls into the program solely to increase enrollment numbers,” said junior and Girl Scout Rhea Chowdhury. “Rather, the organization should focus on its main purpose of helping the community and creating everlasting change in the world.”

Proponents of the decision have been commending BSA for taking on more liberal stances, claiming that there are no longer blanket bans on individuals who are gay, transgender or female. Yet contrary to their beliefs, the recent admittance of girls does not actually let all girls in; girl Cub Scouts will still be separated from the boy Cub Scouts starting in the 2018 program year.

Moreover, this decision to integrate girls required

a change in BSA’s admission policy, breaking the longestablished tradition of being a boys-only program. To many, BSA has long been considered the cradle of American male leadership, but to admit girls into the program is to no longer have this statement hold true.

“With the addition of girls, Boy Scout camps are going to change a lot,” said junior and Girl Scout Christine Cheng. “There is a wide difference between boys and girls and how they participate in their respective scout groups.”

Along with the possibility that girls will begin to occupy leadership positions, the lack of boys-only time and the prospect of shared tents among boys and girls are concerning.

To avoid repercussions like these, GSA should instead include activities synonymous to those of BSA, such as camping. Speci�ically, there should be more outdoor and female leadership activities that many families and girls have been requesting.

This would help girls participate in outdoor and world exploration expeditions that BSA focuses on.

While BSA’s decision is being spun as an admirable gesture toward gender equality, it has unprecedented consequences that many are still unaware of. The decision also takes away from the uniqueness of BSA, betraying the organization’s founding principles and values as a boys-only program.

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY CLARA FERNANDES

Radence Tsow hurdles over competition with his dog

BY MICHELLE LUM

E

yes trained on his red-and-brown Border Collie, junior Radence Tsow guides his dog Ammo through obstacle after obstacle laid out on a grassy �ield. The stakes are high at the American Kennel Club (AKC) European Open Junior (EOJ), an international dog agility competition, and spectators watch intently as it all comes down to these two on the course.

In dog agility, handlers and their dogs navigate through a series of obstacles, ranging from jumps to contact obstacles like seesaws, as quickly and accurately as possible. Handlers do not touch their dogs, but instead use body language and verbal cues to direct them, as dog agility courses are designed to be unnavigable without human assistance.

Before the competition, handlers perform a walkthrough of the course to plan the path that they a n d their

was given the unique opportunity to work with experienced coaches, such as Head Coach of Team USA Susan Cochran, at the EOJ. “In the short time that I spent with Radence, I saw his focus and determination on the agility �ield grow,” said Cochran. “His desire to do well was very evident.

He was attentive and readily took advice, easily applying it to the agility course. He is somewhat of a natural in handling his dog. I would love to see Radence continue in agility, and I believe he could become a top handler.”

Although Tsow did not perform as well as he would have liked to at the EOJ, he has remained positive, as this summer’s experience was only his �irst international competition. He hopes to return to the EOJ next year, and his performance so far is promising.

“Radence brings a lot to a team,” said Tsow’s EOJ teammate Natalie Spinsby. “He seems to have a good knack for training and works really well with everyone. During competitions, Radence kept his head very well and even though his timing on the course was not always great, he was able to remain positive and take home a lot to work on from the experience.”

It is not just about winning, however. Through dog agility, Tsow has grown closer to Ammo and gotten to know handlers from all over the country.

“Ammo’s a very different dog compared to what Radence is used to,” said Spinsby. “I’m extremely impressed with how well he adjusted to a completely new realm of dog agility.”

He and his teammates have created a tight-knit community, with many of them having become some of his closest friends.

“I made many memories with Ammo and my teammates at the EOJ and I hope to continue to allow those friendships to grow in the future,” said Tsow. “Personally, I am just glad that I can create this bond with Ammo and help him do what he loves. The adrenaline and excitement of being out there on the course is amazing, but in the end, no matter the outcome, what matters is that Ammo and I enjoyed ourselves and had fun.”

Dog agility truly is a sport like no other. For Tsow, the activity has a special meaning, having helped him grow personally and bond with teammates while discovering what it really means to have a connection with man’s best friend.

dogs will take. During the runs, penalties are taken for faults such as dropped bars, when dogs knock down bars that they are supposed to jump over. Dogs and handlers may compete based on their experience levels in the novice, open, excellent or masters classes and are also split into different classes depending on the size of the dog. Ammo has a Master Agility Championship (MACH) title, while Tsow competes in the masters and large dog class with him.

When Tsow was 10 years old, his aunt introduced him to the sport. Over the past six years, he has been an active competitor, usually attending regional competitions around every two months. Tsow has won second place at a trial hosted by the Puli Club of America and �irst at two trials hosted by the Sacramento Dog Training Club.

To prepare for competitions, Tsow usually practices every week at a dog agility �ield with a full course or at a local park with various obstacles. During practices, Tsow works on dif�iculties he and Ammo face in training, such as Ammo’s abundance of energy, which is an advantage in terms of speed but also often leads to reckless running. Practicing allows him to hone small details that can make a big difference in competitions. His bond with his dog is integral to their performance on the course.

“When I am out there on the course, I am mostly focused on the course and where my dog is,” said Tsow. “I have to maintain that connection with my dog to make sure he does not go off course or drop any bars. You have to train the dog to recognize your cues, and you also have to be able to coordinate with the dog to give the cues at the right time.”

All his training culminated in Tsow participating in the EOJ agility competition in Luxembourg this past summer as one of the four boys on the USA Junior Handler Team, which is comprised of boys and girls between the ages of �ifteen and eighteen. Since he does not usually train with a coach, Tsow

Watch Radence train with his dogs!

MEERA BALAJI — EPIC

How to dress up a simple closet for success

I

f you �ind yourself frantically digging through your closet and spending precious sleeping time �inding something decent to wear in the mornings, it is probably time for you to organize your closet! If you’re unsure how to tackle the mountain of clothes piled in your closet, here are some tips to help you get started.

1. Do a closet purge Make sure to start with a clean room to ensure you have enough surfaces to lay your clothes out on.

Remove every item you own from your closet and sort them into three piles. In the �irst pile, add clothes that �it you well and make you feel con�ident, such as your go-to pieces that you wear regularly and are most comfortable with. In another pile, gather items you’re hesitant about keeping. Ask yourself: When is the last time I wore it? Does it match my other clothes?

Do I truly feel comfortable and con�ident wearing it? The �inal pile should contain pieces that are un�lattering, outdated, too big or too small that you do not wear often. If you haven’t worn it in the past few months, it is unlikely that you will wear it any time in the future.

2. Create a color scheme The trick to always having a put-together out�it is making sure that all of your clothes match. Ideally, the color of

ART ILLUSTRATION BY CLARA FERNANDEZ

BY CLARA FERNANDEZ

the item you wear closest to your head, usually either a shirt or a hat, should match your shoes in order to unify your out�it.

That being said, either your shirt or pants should contrast the color of your hat and shoes in order to balance out your overall color scheme. If you are a person that wears belts regularly, remember that it is always a good idea to match them to your shoes. Keep in mind that your overall complexion also plays a role in what color clothes will compliment your skin tone.

If you have a warm skin undertone, earthy hues like darker greens, browns and yellows will give you a more composed appearance. If your skin undertone is more on the cooler side, chilly bright colors like frosty blues, purples, pinks and greys are guaranteed to complement your image.

3. Take your time Don’t rush to buy the staples you might still be missing.

Staples are the items that you wear most frequently, like pants, coats and shoes. Remember, this is a process. For three weeks, wear only the clothes you have chosen to keep from your closet purge. Yes, this might leave you with only one pair of pants for a while, but it will help you �ind more clothes that work together in the long run and determine what items you’re missing. Once you have a clearer idea of what clothes you still need to purchase to have a fully functioning closet, don’t be afraid to make an investment. Pants and jackets are staples you wear everyday and therefore wear out easily. Make sure to buy quality staples in order to prevent you from splurging on sales and overhauling your closet with unnecessary items. But if you just really love to shop, do not forget that the thrift store is your best friend!

4. Less is more Separate your clothes into different categories and strive for a maximum of three versatile items in each one. For example, if your categories include shirts, pants, shorts and skirts, you would have a total of three tops and nine bottoms. With a little help of basic division, you can determine that given your numbers, each top has to match at least three bottoms. But keep in mind that the more your tops match your bottoms, the closer you are to achieving a practical and effortless closet. Also don’t be afraid of having some statement pieces! An organized closet doesn’t have to be boring.

Of course, you won’t have a perfectly organized closet in the blink of an eye. It is a process that requires effort, but one that is de�initely worth it in the long run. With enough time and willpower, you will be able to get those 15 minutes of extra sleep every morning and wake up knowing that anything you pull from your closet will make you look and feel like a million bucks.

Students employed at unique jobs

BY DIANA XU

“My favorite part of the job is when little kids come buy ballet and tap shoes because they’re always so cute.”

“I work here speci�ically because I’ve been shopping here since I was little.”

Pre-Christmas

A

Oh Whale!

“I was helping two girls �ind shoes and another girl wanted to make a return.

It’s hard to deal with a lot of customers at the same time.”

“My favorite part of my job is when my boss hands me my paycheck every two weeks.”

“My favorite part of my job is when parents offer me leftover cake and pizza.”

“I work at QQQ because I used to buy their boba and popcorn chicken when I was a child.”

“Someone ordered 50 drinks and 50 popcorn chickens! It was hard to take so many orders at the same time. individual orders at the same time.”

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY FEATURES SECTION

s we get older, aspects of our youth begin to fade. For example, it’s not exactly socially acceptable for people my age to be trick-or-treating anymore because we would be “competing with children for candy.” Imagine opening the door to �ind a toddler dressed as Elsa, a third grader with a gap in his teeth dressed as a jack-o-lantern… and don’t forget that high school student expecting you to give them free candy as the parents of the earlier described fetuses look on skeptically. So societal standards have already deemed one of the main American holidays inappropriate for my age. That leaves only one sweater weather holiday left for me to look forward to: Pre-Christmas.

That’s right folks, I said PRE-Christmas.

I am here to give you indisputable reasons why you should come join our side, beyond the fact that we have cookies…Yes, we’re actually already baking Christmas cookies.

1. Christmas is more aesthetic than other holidays! Don’t get me wrong, I love autumn vibes and pumpkins, but various shades of brown and orange can get tiresome, not to mention that pumpkins rot.

Forget sticky cobwebs or toilet paper, wrap me up in tinsel and top me off with a star.

I personally prefer the bright jewel tones of ugly christmas sweaters, fairy-lights and as foreshadowed earlier, CHRISTMAS TREES! What other holiday gives you an excuse to bring a seven-foot dying tree into your house? Not only do they hype up the upcoming season, but they also help clear your sinuses.

2. Christmas has arguably the best food of all holidays with Thanksgiving coming in a close second. The downside to Thanksgiving dinner is how it’s a one and done kind of deal. After one night of gorging yourself, it’s back to kale juice cleanses and lemon water. But, when it comes to Christmas, you have 12 whole days of foodie paradise leading up to the big day. I can only speak for myself, but my personal food heaven would be �illed with hot cocoa, peppermint bark and stuf�ing.

3. Pre-Christmas is literally the “season of joy.” Christmas is the only holiday in my memory that doesn’t have an aspect to it that kills the mood. Halloween is a holiday literally based off the idea of demons, while Thanksgiving consists of your extended family coming for your sanity. ‘Tis the season of passive aggression at dinners during which you usually end up having to baby-sit younger cousins or entertain your aunts as they alternate between telling you you’ve gained weight and �illing your plate. Yeah...I think I’ll stick to my boy Rudolph.

4. My favorite part of Pre-Christmas is the fact that it’s kind of a joke, though all aforementioned points are totally legitimate reasons to celebrate it. When you bump into another person at Macy’s running up to the Christmas tree displays in childlike excitement, you bond over the anticipation of Christmas. You don’t mind the passersby who watch in confusion, because they simply don’t understand the deep level of understanding that connects all Pre-Christmas fans in a circle of senseless joy.

I accept the fact that everyone has their own favorite holiday, but I can only hope that my column was able to explain why I personally love this unof�icial holiday.

Those who don’t share the joy of Pre-Christmas are missing out, but what else can I say but…

“I chose to work at this place because my two other friends also worked there and I thought it would be fun.”

“One time, some of the kids needed to use the bathroom so I waited for them outside. They yelled a lot.”

Four perspectives: one subject

BY CHLOE LEE

Photo by senior Joshua Chiang

S

enior and Valhalla photographer Joshua Chiang’s passion for photography was inspired by his grandfather who documented every moment of Chiang’s childhood with a �ilm camera. He started learning from online videos and blogs and developed his own style.

“A good photo should capture the truth — true emotions, true colors and true backgrounds,” said Chiang. “I don’t edit too much or overdramatize faces or backgrounds. I chose the �ield because there are trees far in the background that were far away to get optimal bokeh or blur).”

Photo by freshman Curtis Lin

G

aining inspiration from YouTube videos, freshman Curtis Lin became interested in photography at a young age. Lin has been taking photos for multiple school events such as homecoming and certain rallies.

“I like to incorporate bright colors, action and good lighting in my photos,” said Lin. “I also tend to focus on both the subject and the background.”

Photo by junior Eileen Yang

J

unior Eileen Yang, a Valhalla photo editor and vice president of the photography club, began exploring photography in the seventh grade and now shoots for events like prom, senior portraits and also online stores.

“I try to use unique composition tactics such as leading lines and foreground action, to capture the viewer’s eye,” said Yang. “Anyone with a good camera can take pictures. To have your photos stand out, you have utilize post-processing applications and use unique composition techniques.”

Photo by junior Ye Sol Lee

A

fter taking a photography class in Miller, a junior and self-taught photographer Ye Sol Lee has continuously been learning different photography tricks to develop her own personal style. She takes portraits with a simple background with contrasting colors.

“I think a good photo is when the photo captures what truly happened behind the scenes and nothing is made up or messed with,” said Lee. “A photo can say a million words.”

Binge worthy TV shows to fall for this autumn

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY FEATURES SECTION

BY ASHLEY SONG

The potentials of facial recognition H

olding the newly introduced iPhone X up to his face, Apple CEO Tim Cook lightly taps the phone screen. In a matter of milliseconds, the phone’s complex camera system projects over thirty thousand invisible infrared dots to identify the unique model of his face. The phone determines Cook’s face as a match to its stored unique facial map, and he gains access to the phone’s myriad of apps and noti�ications. In doing so, he has demonstrated the trademark feature of the iPhone X: facial recognition.

In its annual process of making signi�icant improvements to their newest smartphone models, Apple has replaced the traditional �ingerprint-based Touch ID with a Face ID recognition system for the iPhone X, set to be released on Nov. 3. Similar to Touch ID, Face ID will be used to unlock the phone, log into certain applications and pay online.

The iPhone X’s TrueDepth system, consisting of light projectors and sensors, takes several images of one’s face to extensively map one’s facial features in 3D. In order to account for poor lighting, a built-in �lood illuminator produces invisible infrared (IR) light to allow the dot projector to determine a 3D landscape of one’s face using over 30,000 individual IR dot particles.

“I think facial recognition is de�initely easier [than other login systems] — you don’t have to type anything or put your �inger down,” said senior Avinash Jain, president of the Mobile and Web Development clubs. “I feel like we’re all used to putting our �ingers down and we’re going to miss it, but then again, Apple was the �irst company to bring �ingerprint [logins]. Apple is always taking the �irst step in [creating] something new, and I’m pretty sure Samsung and all the other phone companies are bound to follow.”

Although Apple’s recent feature has garnered a lot of attention, computer-based facial recognition softwares have been available for decades. As a matter of fact, the �irst facial recognition system dates back to the 1960s, when Woodrow Wilson Bledsoe developed a program to identify a face by calculating distances between prominent facial features. Since then, the Face Recognition

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY IN-DEPTH SEC TION

Grand Challenge of 2006 has evolutionized ness of the correct user after it matches – or facial recognition technology by creating al- identi�ies – the correct user’s image,” said gorithms that can more accurately determine John Wojewidka, director of business devela face in 3D by using high-resolution images opment at ZoOm. “Other systems are better and iris scanning. As a result, current facial suited to recognition in circumstances like recognition softwares can correctly identify airports or municipal installation where a a face in the dark, or if facial aspects change, high-speed, high-volume face match for, say, a bad actor in a crowd is the goal. Or, they such as growing a beard or wearing glasses.

“The future of facial recognition is bright,” can be used to open a device or do very small said Anil Jain, a computer science and engi- transactions.”

Moreover, a greater emphasis has been neering professor at Michigan State University. “Cameras are everywhere, including sur- placed on health and physiological bene�its veillance cameras on street corners. So, there of facial recognition technology. Researchers at the National Huis a need to conman Genome Research tinue improving Institute have found face recognition a way to use the techperformance in “THE FUTURE OF FACIAL nology to detect the ‘unconstrained’ RECOGNITION IS BRIGHT. DiGeorge syndrome, situations and SO, THERE IS A NEED TO a disorder that can for person trackCONTINUE IMPROVING.“ cause learning probing.”

In addition to Anil Jain, lems and heart debeing incorpoprofessor fects and affects 1 in 4,000 children. Facial rated in smartrecognition software phones, facial can also aid those who recognition technology has been applied in a variety of �ields. are paralyzed or have dif�iculty moving their For instance, law enforcement of�icers have �ingers and arms. Rather than voicing comlong relied on facial detection software to mands or physically pressing computer keys, track criminals or identify threats in large one can navigate computers and other decrowds. Facial recognition has also been vices by mere eye movement.

“At a hackathon, I saw a project where used for identifying missing children and catching shoplifters through security camer- someone used facial recognition to check eye as. In 2000, Mexico used the same technolo- movement,” said Avinash. “For people who gy to prevent voter fraud in their presidential couldn’t move their hands, they created a election, using facial recognition software to desktop app where they could blink to click identify and compare pictures of voters in and blink twice to double click. It was really order to prevent individuals from placing cool to see how they analyzed one’s facial multiple votes. Several modern technologies movements in their project.”

Nonetheless, facial technology continues even use simple phone or computer cameras, instead of Apple’s multi-camera facial recog- to face several challenges regarding its relinition systems, to authenticate facial features ability, security, privacy and other issues. and movements. For instance, the mobile app Several facial recognition softwares contain ZoOm, which provides security for mobile algorithms that can cause it to more acbanking and payments, employs a percep- curately identify a certain demographic of tion distortion, more commonly known as people. For example, in Anil’s 2012 study of the �ish-eye effect, to accurately validate a mugshots from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Of�ice in Florida, the faces of women, African person’s presence.

“We are focused entirely at the moment Americans and younger people were idenon mobile authentication, not just recogni- ti�ied with consistently less accuracy. Adtion or identi�ication; Zoom authenticates by ditionally, the Government Accountability determining three-dimensionality and live- Of�ice reported this June that the FBI’s facial

recognition system has not been properly veri�ied in terms of accuracy.

Although recent facial recognition softwares have improved their accuracy, hacking the system still poses a considerable challenge to most algorithm developers. Some experts have raised privacy concerns over police departments’ easier access to unlocking smartphones or other facial recognition login-based devices. A big difference between facial recognition and other forms of biometric data, such as �ingerprints, is that facial recognition works at a distance. Therefore, one can use it without other people’s consent or knowledge.

“You could de�initely run into problems if [facial recognition] data gets leaked, because it makes up your identify, who you are, and everywhere people would be able to identify you and target you for ads,” said Avinash.

In addition, there was backlash from the general population after Facebook revealed its automatic tagging of friend in images through facial recognition technology. Many users complained that this was an invasion of privacy, prompting Facebook to change the default settings so that users could turn off the automatic tagging.

Facial recognition is readily available to most people, as any device �itted with a camera can take a picture for a facial recognition program to use. Fingerprints, on the other hand, always require a �ingerprint scanner, often only found on select smartphones and scanners made by security companies.

“Maybe in future models, they will have multiple biometric recognition engines: face, �ingerprint and iris,” said Anil. “The user can choose either one or for high security application; it may require all three [to login with] a fusion of the scores.”

Nevertheless, with facial recognition becoming the forefront in technological security, companies and facilities are increasingly shifting their screening and security toward more accurate biometric sensors and are working to address serious privacy and accuracy concerns. As advances in facial detection continue, however, the scenes featuring perfect futuristic technology shown in science �iction �ilms and TV shows may soon become a reality.

KELSEY LU - EPIC

BY JESSICA LI AND JONATHAN YE

Significant job losses jolt Bay Area industries

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY IN-DEPTH SEC TION

BY MEERA BALAJI AND HATIM SAIFEE

T

he housing crisis in the Bay Area is a prevalent local topic of concern, as buying and renting costs rise exponentially and market values increase. Nevertheless, recent job losses in the Bay Area have come as a surprise to many. In September alone, more than 4,700 individuals lost their jobs, the highest monthly statistic recorded in seven years. As a result, some view this as the start of the Bay Area economy’s transition into its previous recessional state of 20078. Others feel that it may not have an effect presently and believe that the downward trend must continue in order to foretell the �inal outcome.

A massive job-loss phenomenon last occurred in 2008, during the recession that caused the economy to collapse. Layoffs and downsizing were omnipresent in every sector, drastically increasing foreclosures and widening the income gap in San Francisco more than in any other U.S. city from 2007 to 2012.

For the past �ive years, the Bay Area increased the number of technology related jobs, but at a slower rate. Compared to those of the �irst few months of 2016, the rates at which jobs increased were signi�icantly slower in the early months of 2017.

Some analysts believe that the tech industry has reached its saturation point, with no more employees needed due to more ef�icient workspaces and arti�icial intelligence machines.

“I think jobs are slowly going to transition,” said senior Avinash Jain. “People are realizing that a lot of the labor-intensive jobs that usually were sought after are now being done more cheaply and more ef�iciently by robots and technology.”

For instance, Santa Clara County lost 7,900 jobs this September, according to the San Jose Mercury News. This is a stark contrast to its economic growth in 2016, where the county produced about 2,600 opportunities per month.

As business employment slows down, many jobs in the support and service �ield have been decreasing rapidly. The �ield encompasses healthcare, hotel and restaurant management. Its hospitality sector lost 500 jobs and administrative services lost 800 jobs. According to recent reports, the area has lost 1,800 jobs in the industry, with

1,200 jobs lost in September alone.

“When I was working for a CPA �irm,” said business teacher Andrea Badger, “we had a huge layoff after my �irst year because they had hired too many people at my level, because they were predicting that businesses in the year 2000, things were booming and then it went somewhat stagnant, and they hired based on continual growth. And so there wasn’t as much demand. So a lot of my friends got laid off.”

Due to the local economy’s focus on promoting high paying jobs in the tech and �inancial industries, there is an underlying hostility toward middle-class families and various industries are moving toward other areas in the country where it is remarkably easier to lead an af�luent lifestyle. As the cost of living in the Bay Area increases, workers in the service

sector face �inancial challenges as they struggle to afford necessities such as rent, food and health care caused by skyrocketing real estate prices. This leads to an inability to live near their workplaces and thus causes longer commutes in the morning. This trend is exempli�ied through the relocation of many service jobs originally in the Bay Area to Las Vegas.

“Many people in this area don’t have a lot of savings because it is so expensive to live here,” said Badger. “Where job loss cannot be too bad because they have time to �ind a job, I’m worried that that time here is very short.”

Without a stable service sector, the dependent technology and automobile industries will decline. While this is not an issue yet, it is currently a growing concern. Within the automobile industry, Chevron axed 500 jobs in the Bay Area alone in the summer of 2015, struggling to maintain its spot as the Bay Area’s 20th largest employer.

“For a community full of engineers to exist, there has to be a stable base of service sector jobs,” said Jeffrey Bale, U.S. Gov. and

Econ. teacher. “If there is no service sector, then this society will tumble down.”

In recent years, companies who focus on technological advancements and engineering have shut down large branches or announced layoffs, impacting the entire Bay Area. Oracle, a globally recognized software company, has announced approximately 2,500 job cuts. Additionally, Hewlett-Packard, a leader in computer manufacturing, is planning to axe about 10 percent of its staff, despite market shares going up to 2.5 percent in the past year. The layoffs are expected since the company split in two in 2014, which reduced sales of their products dramatically. Additionally, SoundCloud unexpectedly announced that they were to going layoff 40 percent of their staff in 2017 thinking that they would have to shut down after

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losing $52 million in 2015 from the failure of their paid subscription program.

“One reason for job cuts is if the company isn’t being pro�itable,” said Badger. “They’re trying to consolidate jobs. They take two jobs and merge them into one. They’re �inding ways to be more �inancially ef�icient.”

Another unstable industry is construction, which has been completely dependent on the amount of land available for development. As the Bay Area’s economy grows at a steady 0.7 percent annually, the space to expand decreases, with the only direction of expansion available being upward. Tall skyscrapers and apartment style residential buildings are dominating as the construction sector’s biggest projects. Constructing tall structures, however, is geologically inimical due to the Bay Area’s frequent low-magnitude earthquakes. As new development decreases, the housing market bubble is expected to pop, hitting its potential peak and

widening the income gap.

“One would expect that in an area with a housing crisis, people would just build more houses; higher supply, lower pricing,” said Bale. “But the land is so valuable around here, and there’s so little of it, and we’re not having a whole lot of expanse.”

The preferred solutions to this widening gap consist of increasing salaries and employee bene�its, such as more sick days or better insurance coverage. While these are certainly advantages for workers, they can cause companies and small businesses within the service industry to become less pro�itable, and thus increase the number of layoffs. The other plausible option is reducing housing costs, which is highly unlikely due to the rarity of property and the rising market prices.

Among these concerns, however, rests the opinion that these statistics have yet to gain their signi�icance as time goes on.

“Why one month isn’t signi�icant is because that could be the closing of one business,” said Badger. “Usually a one month thing is something to keep an eye on, but usually there’s no direct impact of a one month decrease.”

Despite the apparent issues within the local economy, the East Bay is a proof of hope, as it continues to add jobs in all �ields, with the healthcare industry adding 2,400 jobs, the most in the area. Furthermore, the Santa Clara Valley recently created 600 jobs in the tech industry, and San Francisco added 1,600 jobs to the construction sector.

“If you look at the numbers, it could be that some of those are just normal �luctuations of when they’re announcing things.” said Bale, “You could have this tremendous boost in hiring in any given month.”

The boom-and-bust economy in the Bay Area has led to huge layoffs within local companies. Nevertheless, the population growth means that human capital is nowhere near a shortage, and the area is as vibrant as ever.

The unique atmosphere in the Bay Area marked by innovation and growth does not seem to be dying, only declining temporarily.

The technological sector continues to be the highest employing industry within the Bay Area, demonstrating that the omnipresent entrepreneurial engineers and the quickpaced environment that they work in will not be shutting down any time soon.

Unmasking the realities of the Tinkerbell Effect

BY SADHANA SARMA AND NICOLE ONG

T

inkerbell’s light gradually dims as she begins to die. Her only hope of survival is the applause of an audience who believes in fairies. With each clap, Tinkerbell �lickers back to life. Placing an emphasis on the power of belief, the Tinkerbell Effect was born. Named after the character in J.M. Barrie’s 1904 play, Peter Pan, the Tinkerbell Effect theorizes that the more people believe in something, the more it becomes a reality.

“We have experiences with this effect all the time, as the brain creates and �ills in information to speed up and decision making,” said Charles Ramskov, a psychology professor at De Anza College. “We do not have time to process and see everything, but based on belief we can surmise the existence of many environmental elements from habitual experience.”

The brain’s ability to �ill in information in lacking areas is the basis of the Tinkerbell phenomenon. Once aware of the effect, people often express disbelief, and question how many of their beliefs are simply constructed by their minds.

“When I was younger, my PE teachers told me that running is 90 percent mind and 10 percent body,” said freshman Alex Chen.

“This

made me feel like I didn’t have to try in training or conditioning. However, this year my coach told me it was actually the reverse because if your body cannot handle it then your mind will not be able to keep you going.”

The Tinkerbell Effect is present in many aspects of everyday life. For example, currency is a piece of paper, yet it’s worth a lot more due to society’s belief in its worth. The same concept applies toward the popularity of an item or trend; the more people believe that something, such as attending an ivy league institution, is good, the more they tend to like the idea of attending. The effect can also be observed in a school setting. Students can potentially further their educational goals by choosing to believe that a positive outcome like earning an A on a test will hap-

pen in the future.

“I think [the Tinkerbell Effect] is most apparent when people are believing in something in their futures, as in a goal or an aspiration,” said senior Bala Pichumani. “So if someone believes that they can do something to the best of their ability, they can in fact have a larger ability to make it happen.”

The Tinkerbell Effect also has a counterpart, known as the Reverse Tinkerbell Effect.

Legal scholar David Post coined the term to refer to the phenomenon in which height-

ened beliefs in something increase its likelihood to produce unwanted outcomes. For instance, if more people believe that driving is safe, more people will go out for a drive, causing chaos on the roads and thus driving becomes dangerous.

With both the Tinkerbell Effect and the Reverse Tinkerbell Effect prevalent in many aspects of life, one might easily employ magical thinking, the false attribution of relation between actions and events, causing them to mistake impractical ideas for the truth.

“The concept of ‘as I believe so shall I do’ can lead you astray,” said Ramskov. “Magical thinking is our human default state. We need not apologize for it but we need to be able to set it aside in favor of rational problem solving systems.”

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Both the Tinkerbell Effect and the Reverse Tinkerbell Effect may skew people’s perceptions of world issues. For instance, both effects convolute the relationship between theory and reality in regard to global warming—as the number of people who believe in the effects of global warming increases, the more pressing of an issue it becomes. However, because there is more belief and discussion of global warming, more action is taken to prevent it and the effects of global warming are slowed.

As the effects of the phenomenons may play a part in shifting perspectives, it is heavily debated whether or not they are harmful; regardless, most people agree that the effects exist and are signi�icant in daily life. “[The Tinkerbell and Reverse Tinkerbell Effects] are really just an explanation for how life works,” said Pichumani.

“They just give me more insight into what is.”

What started as a scene from an iconic childhood play has become a perplexing phenomenon to many. Discussion of the Tinkerbell Effect and its reverse repercussions has caused people to question the legitimacy of many of their choices and opinions. In fact, the Tinkerbell Effect is at work right now; merely believing the theories presented in this article makes the Tinkerbell Effect a more widely accepted theory.

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY CHLOE LEE AND INDEPTH SECTION

Working out different training methods

BY CHLOE LEE

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t any gym, athletes are hard at work, utilizing a variety of exercise machines. Some athletes are running and climbing stairs on treadmills, while others are lifting heavy weights with sweat beads rolling down their faces.

Cardiovascular exercises are endurance exercises that help improve the circulatory system, whereas weight training involves the strengthening of muscles. Weight training is one of the most effective ways to burn fat and lose weight, consisting of high-intensity exercises with dumbbells, exercise balls and resistance bands. Weight training requires a signi�icantly greater level of post-exercise oxygen consumption than cardio exercises because of the resistance needed for each exercise. Studies have shown that weight training can lead to a 38 percent boost in one’s metabolism, the process in which the body converts food and water into energy.

Advantages of weight training include an increase in bone density, keeping the bones strong and healthy, the building of a stronger heart and the improvement of blood �low and cholesterol levels. A long term bene�it of weight training is the prevention of skeletal muscle reduction, resulting in healthier bones and a longer lifespan. Weight training also results in mental bene�its such as improving one’s mood, energy and con�idence, along with reducing

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MEDHA UPADHYAY// IN MY OPINION

Pence’s drama demeans protests

V

ice President Mike Pence turned heads on Oct. 8 when he walked out of a football game between the Indianapolis Colts and San Francisco 49ers after members of the 49ers team knelt for the National Anthem. Pence later voiced his frustrations on Twitter, tweeting that he “will not dignify any event that disrespects our soldiers, our Flag, or our National Anthem,” later adding that

stress and anxiety levels. “ With weights, you gain more muscles so you can look tough,” said junior Allison Lui. “However, I get really sore everywhere. I do cardio every day of the week and weights twice a week at school in the pool and at the weight room.”

There are disadvantages to weight training as well; for instance, it is possible to gain weight while trying to lose weight. Performing a quick and intense weight training workout can cause stress fractures, which are tiny cracks in the bone. Weight training can also be time-consuming and expensive: an extensive amount of time needs to be spent constantly exercising for visible results, and exercises require a multitude of resources, often including a gym membership and various pieces of equipment.

On the other hand, cardiovascular exercises include activities that increase one’s heart rate. These exercises strengthen the heart and increase lung capacity and metabolism.

Examples of cardio exercises include running, trampolining, cycling and shadow boxing.

These exercises help with reducing stress, losing weight, decreasing the risk of heart disease and minimizing the possibility of developing several types of cancer. Cardio exercises result in stress and anxiety relief as well as sleep improvement and increase in energy by pumping up endorphins, the brain’s feelgood neurotransmitters.

Unlike weight training, cardio exercises do not have to be performed in the gym; walking, jogging, dancing and performing high intensity interval training (HIIT), can all be done at home.

“For cardio, in general, I feel more energized and not as sluggish,” said senior Sarah Zhang. “In terms of weight training, I feel like my muscles become more toned and strong. I would say the only problem is �inding the time to do [weight training]. ”

Americans “should rally around our Flag and everything that unites us.”

I found his reasoning strange, considering that Americans are united by the belief that all men are created equal, and that all people have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Our unity is much more than a �lag or a song — it’s our values that hold us together. If there are people in our country who fear for their lives everyday, they’re clearly not feeling welcomed in America.

If the administration wants people to stop protesting, they need to make sure that all of America’s citizens feel equally valued and protected. Otherwise, it shouldn’t come as a shock that these sidelined citizens would be upset and be looking for a way to express their opinions. Kneeling during the national anthem is how these players choose to bring attention to the oppression of minorities and police brutality.

Despite his severely misled intentions, Pence had the support of President Donald Trump, who had asked Pence to leave the football game “if any players kneeled, disrespecting our country.” Anyone who has heard

Similar to w e i g h t training, there are downsides to cardio exercises as well. Cardio exercises are not an effective way to build muscle and are effective in losing weight only when done on a regular basis. Cardio exercises can also lead to stress fractures, shin splints and other injuries.

“I do cardio exercises like various hurdle drills at the school track at least two or three times per week during track and �ield pre-season and the actual season,” said junior Nicole Waring. “I did a little weight freshman year but stopped after that because I didn’t �ind it to be very helpful for me compared to the sprinting and hurdling drills I could be doing instead.”

Although weight training and cardiovascular exercises have different focuses, both have their bene�its and disadvantages. Weight training exercises consist of working with a variety of gym equipment, weights and heighten metabolism and prevent the reduction of skeletal muscles. However, it is easy to get injured during weight training, and a weight workout could be costly and time consuming. On the other hand, cardio exercises help participants lose weight and reduce stress and anxiety. Similar to weight training, these exercises may lead to an increase in injuries and may not necessarily result in weight loss. Despite their respective drawbacks, both are popular and effective methods of exercise.

the debates raging over the national anthem protest has surely run into the argument that the protest is disrespectful to our country.

Here’s a novel idea: rather than spending such an obnoxious amount of energy debating whether the protest is “respectful” or not, the Trump administration should try to �ind solutions to issues that are being protested, such as police brutality. There are obvious problems that still exist in this nation, and it’s their job to �ix it instead of making dramatic exits and arguing about morality.

Whether or not they agree with the protest, they should acknowledge the police brutality and racial segregation in America, and do something about it. These football players have broken no law, nor have they harmed anyone. Rather, they have been courageous, taking action even in the face of racial threats and unemployment.

Some argue that athletes should be “grateful” for living in America, where they are able to make millions of dollars playing sports.

Yet, the true reason that Americans should be grateful is because they have certain unalienable rights. The wonder of being an

American is that when something goes awry in the country, citizens have the right to point it out. It’s not about being grateful—whether these players are grateful or not is unrelated to the fact that injustice exits. They are using their platform to bring attention to an issue, and Pence walking out shows his and the Trump administration’s lack of support.

There are two important things to note about this protest. One: it’s legal. Two: police brutality and racial segregation exist in America. So why do we keep returning to the insigni�icant issues? Maybe we should stop turning this protest into reality TV and instead focus on the actual problems that our country is facing. Pence, as a major leader in America, should be spearheading these efforts, not turning his back on them.

Pence attending a football game only to leave moments after the national anthem was an unnecessary display of what America already knows: the Trump administration is opposed to the national anthem protest.

What they have yet to show is their commitment to the cause that these players are �ighting for.

Athletic trainer helps players back on their feet

BY NICOLE ONG

I

t is 7:30 p.m. The football team’s center snaps the ball and the crowd roars with excitement, but exhilaration turns to silence when a player is injured. Megan Gwozdecke immediately runs onto the �ield to tend to the player.

In such situations, there is one person who always comes to their aid: Gwozdecke, Lynbrook’s athletic trainer.

“If I have to go on the �ield, I try to make the [injured] kid laugh because it helps them relax,” said Gwozdecke. “If I can make them laugh then I can say, ‘Okay, we’ll be �ine.’ Making sure your athlete is calm when they are in pain makes a big difference when evaluating them for injury.”

She assesses the player’s condition and guides him to the sidelines. As the game progresses, she cheers with enthusiasm from the sidelines. She ensures that players are hydrated and adjusts their helmets as they step off the �ield.

“At the end of the day, my job is to take care of athletes and make sure that they’re healthy enough to play,” said Gwozdecke. “If you have a boring day, it’s a good day, because that means no one is hurt.”

As the athletic trainer, Gwozdecke plays an integral part in the lives of student athletes. After an injury, she performs rehabilitation with athletes. This process consists of strengthening exercises, stretches or modalities, such as ice and hot packs.

“As a sophomore, I sprained my ankle really badly,” said senior Sara Mandic, a varsity girl volleyball player. “After I got treatment from the doctor, I checked in with Megan often. She’s super patient and gave me really helpful exercises to do. I was a bit scared of her at �irst, but now we are like besties, and she is one of my favorite people.”

Gwozdecke travels with the football team to every game, as football is a full-contact sport. She also travels with other sports

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teams to major tournaments including leagues and Central Coast Section (CCS) tournaments.

“There are times [during a game] when I’ll be taping the players’ ankles or knees, but someone else goes down,” said Gwozdecke. “ I’ll just drop everything and I have to run. There are times where my job could be hectic, but it’s about staying as calm as you can because when you freak out, the kid will freak out.”

Gwozdecke has two student helpers, seniors Garrett Riley and Shannon Changizi, who help her with tasks such as setting up the �ield and tending to minor injuries. Changizi assists Gwozdecke during the fall, while Riley assists in the winter.

“I love the fast pace and learning, how it’s outdoors and you’re just kind of everywhere,” said Changizi. “I think being with Megan and the fast pace of everything gave me a passion to pursue medicine. Not only do I look at her as a friend, but she’s also my mentor. I’m not afraid when I get injured because I know she’ll take good care of me.”

Outside of being a student helper, Riley plays both football and baseball and values Gwozdecke both on and off the �ield.

“I think the most meaningful part is the sensitive family that we have,” said Riley.

“A lot of people look to Megan as a teacher; I look at her a mother �igure. Same goes for Shannon, we’re all a big family. That’s the best part about it, because at the end of the day, when I graduate high school, I come out with a really close group of people.”

Although the job often gets tough, Gwozdecke feels ful�illed at the end of the day.

“I’ve always wanted to be an athletic trainer since high school,” said Gwozdecke.

“I’ve played sports my whole life, I love being around sports and can’t see myself anywhere else. When people are grateful for what I do for them, that means the most to me. Seeing a kid come back from a serious injury and go back to play is my favorite thing.”

ASHLEY SONG – EPIC

ASHLEY SONG – EPIC

KELSEY LU – EPIC

Reminiscing on childhood fall memories

BY KELSEY LU AND SADHANA SARMA

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ou know that Fall has arrived when the old-school calendar flips the page to Sept. 22. The date is not what most people associate with the season, however. The true marks of of this time of year are the smell of pumpkin spice in the air, the abundance of boots on people holding infamous Pumpkin Spice Lattes (PSLs), the houses covered in cobwebs and the slight chill in the air.

Around this time, many people find themselves creating countless memories such as playing around in pumpkin patches, going trick-or-treating in spooky costumes and eating delicious food. As highschool students, we are now mostly unable to carry on these traditions, but it is still nice to reflect on the nostalgic memories from this same time during our childhoods.

To remind the rest of us what it means to be a kid again, we went around campus and asked Lynbrook students what their favorite childhood fall memory is.

Junior Varun Agrawal A: My family friend owns this farm in Hollister. It’s a couple acres big and there’s a big playground and grassfields. Every Thanksgiving we’d go and have a big dinner. One night we decided to sit around their big fire pit. All the kids decided to sit around and tell stories and sing songs which was really fun.

It’s something I’ll always remember.

Junior Ajeet Kotturu A: My favorite fall memory is Halloween.

I used to dress up as the red power ranger and would go trick-or-treating with a group of friends. There were so many places to get candy and I remember I had to be on alert because the houses could have been haunted.

Freshman Jocelyn Chow A: One of my fall memories is that my family and I always go to Baskin-Robbins every halloween with my family and I would usually get mint ice cream when we’re there. Later on, I would go with my cousins to a pumpkin patch and we would like play around there.

Senior Neelam Sharma A: I went to a pumpkin patch when I was younger. I remember being really scared to go on the big inflatable slide. I ended up going down it and I had fun. That day, I went down the slide many times and didn’t want to leave when it was over.

Question: What is your favorite fall memory?

Sophomore Akhil Aggarwal A: When I was younger, my family and I would go to this pumpkin patch and there would be this big inflatable slide. Every year, I would go up there and be really scared to slide down but my sister would always push me down before I was ready. That would really scare me and at the time, I wasn’t really appreciative of it, but looking back at it, I think it’s one of my favorite memories.

Senior Davin Tjong A: I would go to the pumpkin patch with my family and we would buy a big pumpkin so we could carve it at home.

We would then make a jack-o-lantern, bake cookies and go trick-or-treating around the neighborhood.