The Lowell Newsmagazine January 2016

Lowell The

“NOT MANY LATINOS MADE IT HERE. I WANTED TO BE ONE OF THEM.”

January 2016

Lowell J The

anuary

2016

ONLINE EXCLUSIVES Why the administration is cutting English honors classes for freshmen by Jennifer Zhang FROM FALAFELS to sumo suits, students and faculty enjoy Fall Festival 2015 by The Lowell staff How ‘The Lowell’ won awards at national high school journalism convention, including Multimedia Sports Story of the Year by The Lowell staff REDESIGNED PSAT attracts increased number of test takers by Luming Yuan JV football persists and finishes season despite shortage of players by Clarissa Wan How the young Cardinals flew to success in Battle of the Birds by Adrian Hung Varsity boys’ plans for victory thwarted by Eagles

by Adrian Hung

Girls’ varsity couldn’t shutout the Eagles in Bird Battle Tobi Kawanami

by JoyAnne Ibay

thelowell.org

JV girls’ basketball commands the floor in Battle of the Birds by Rachael Schmidt

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PHOTOS: Dance students showcas

TOBI KAWANAMI

Singers celebrate the season with joyful voices in winter concert by Leonard Caoili, Tobi Kawanami, Ciara Kosai

Varsity football team falls short looks for improvement by Adrian

INSIDE THE MAGAZINE “TO HEAR YOUTH SAYING ‘NO JUSTICE NO PEACE’ MEANS A LOT.”

6 “just by being here, we’re breaking some stereotypes.”

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se their art in winter performance

by Tobi Kawanami, Ciara Kosai, Alexis Picache

“When I run poorly, I remind myself, ‘you can only get better.’”

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Leonard Caoili

of goal, Hung

Aida Irving and Kiara Gil

Ballet and body image: freshman details her journey to self-acceptance by Bel Mehaffy

COVER: Senior Meylin Rodriguez, varsity girls’ soccer player and member of the La Raza Club, has challenged stereotypes at Lowell where Latinos make up ten percent of the student body. Photo by Alexis Picache.

EDITORIAL

Save freshman English honors but make it open enrollment

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tarting this semester, ninth grade English Honors, which previously served as one of two routes for juniors to take the Advanced Placement (AP) English course, is no longer offered. The administration decided to eliminate the class because of concerns that enrollment into the honors class, which was partially based on a written test, might inhibit access to AP English for some juniors.

This change means that freshmen will now spend the spring semester in a mixed class with some students who will pursue honors sophomore year, and some who will continue into regular English classes instead.

However, this change may make students less prepared for AP courses.

Ninth grade English Honors should continue to be offered for students who want to challenge themselves. It should, however, be open enrollment rather than require a placement test.

Without English Honors, students who enjoy English and students who prefer other subjects would be put in the same class, which could be detrimental to the growth of both sets of students, since everyone learn at different paces.

English Honors plays a critical role in preparing students for an AP English class, according to ninth grade English Honors teacher Nicole Henares. “The honors program does a lot of frontloading to prepare students for AP, and without those honors programs, how are students expected to survive an AP class?” she said.

Senior AP English student Emma Green believes that the discussion in English Honors better prepared her for AP English than it did in her first semester ninth grade English class, which consisted of a mix of students, some who later entered Honors and some who stayed in regular classes. “I felt the elevated level of class discussions in Honors English classes prepared me for the argumentation skills needed in AP,” she said.

Eliminating English Honors is also unfair for students who want to take English Honors for the challenge. “I think it’s a complete and utter disservice for students who want to study literature at a higher level and want to be challenged a bit more than regular classes,” Henares said.

One reason why junior AP English student James Sutton decided to take English Honors is because honors offers more difficult texts than regular classes. As a student interested in English, Sutton also felt that English Honors was more than just an AP preparation class — it was a way to challenge himself. “I just wanted to push myself as hard as I could in English, read the best books available,” he said. “I wanted to learn the most and expand my mind.”

Therefore honors is valuable. However, in order to expand this opportunity to everyone who wishes to have it, the class should be an open enrollment course.

Previously, English Honors required a written test in the form of a short essay response to literature for admission into the class. Freshmen who came to Lowell with less developed skills in English thereby lost their chance to enroll in honors, even if they had the motivation and potential to improve. This especially affected the 43 percent of Lowell students from low-income backgrounds and qualify for free and reduced lunch because they were less likely to have access to resources that would prepare them for high level English classes, such as fee-based tutoring or classes.

Making ninth grade English Honors an open enrollment course would allow all students who want to take the class, regardless of background, to enroll without risking their AP English preparation.

Open enrollment has proven successful in increasing access to AP English classes through 71H, a transition class for sophomores who did not take freshman English Honors. Five years ago, the English department eliminated requirements of a teacher recommendation and a minimum B grade in first semester tenth grade English and instead made 71H an open enrollment class. Since then, enrollment in the class has doubled, increasing the number of 71H sections offered from two to four.

English Honors prepares students for AP English while providing students with an opportunity to challenge themselves, and making the course an open-enrollment class will allow all students to reach their highest potentials in English. v

Lowell The

Editors-in-Chief

luke haubenstock whitney c lim amber ly

Managing Editor News Editors

cynthia leung joseph kim whitney c lim emily teng sophia wu

Sports Editors

cynthia leung amber ly

Opinion Editors

ophir cohen-simayof stephanie li

Columns Editors

luke haubenstock noreen shaikh

Multimedia & Photo Editor Art Manager Reporters

aida irving emily teng nia coats josephine dang caleb hilladakis adrian hung joyanne ibay alyssa poon rachael schmidt olivia starr clarissa wan luming yuan jennifer zhang leonard caoili

Photographers

kenny dzib kelley grade aida irving tobi kawanami ciara kosai alexis picache lily young

Business Managers

sherissa go shania lee aaron liang kelvin luu shania qin

Head of Research Web Designer

maximilian tiao

Adviser

samuel williams

Awards

michelle chi

2014 nspa online pacemaker 2012 nspa print pacemaker 2011 nspa all-american

2011 nspa online pacemaker 2009 nspa first class honors 2007 nspa all-american

2007 nspa web pacemaker 2007 cspa gold crown

The Lowell is published by the journalism classes of Lowell High School w All contents copyright Lowell High School journalism classes w All rights reserved w The Lowell strives to inform the public and to use its opinion sections as open forums for debate w All unsigned editorials are opinions of the staff w The Lowell welcomes comments on school-related issues from students, faculty and community members w Send letters to the editors to lowellopinion@ gmail.com w Names will be withheld upon request w We reserve the right to edit letters before publication w The Lowell is a student-run publication distributed to thousands of readers including students, parents, teachers and alumni w All advertisement profits fund our newsmagazine issues w To advertise online or in print, email thelowellads@yahoo.com w Contact us w Lowell High School Attn: The Lowell journalism classes w 1101 Eucalyptus Drive w San Francisco, CA 94132 w 415-759-2730 w thelowellnews@gmail.com

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v The Lowell January 2016

Dear Lowell, Some words of advice for people struggling with time management: prioritizing is key. And by prioritizing, I mean setting certain aspects of your life higher than others. Whether that be schoolwork, family and friends, after-school jobs ­— anything. Being overwhelmed by things in your life and eventually procrastinating doesn’t work well, but organizing yourself does.

And I don’t mean having others set priorities in your life, but what you think is most important for you. If you want to spend half your afternoon chilling at Stonestown with your friends and you think it is the best use of your time, fine, do it. But if your friends are telling you to hang out with them, but you think that test tomorrow is more important, don’t be afraid to be honest. If they are your friends, they’ll understand. Heck, they might even join you for a study session!

If that club is taking up all of your Tuesdays, when you clearly aren’t benefitting from it at all, don’t feel guilty for skipping one or two weeks to try other things. Find out what works for you, and see how far you can push yourself.

It’s a matter of choosing certain things to put on your plate, not allowing things to pile up without you noticing.

I’m in a good place right now because I’ve learned that setting things aside doesn’t mean ignoring them completely; it means that I know what’s best for me at that moment and that I can accept my own limits and abilities.

Though it takes a certain level of self control, I’ve balanced clubs, a part-time job, AP classes, and friendships throughout junior year using this strategy, and it has worked wonders. So try it sometime: prioritize yourself. You never know what could happen.

Juliana Mak Reg 1605

FACEBOOK COMMENT

CARTOON TO THE EDITORS

Know yourself, accept your limits

Re: Why the admin is cutting English honors classes for freshmen “I didn’t take the 9th or 10th grade honors, and took the accelerated class second semester sophomore year (71H) to go straight to AP English during 11th and 12th. I felt prepared for and did just fine in both classes, the AP tests, and now my English classes at UC Berkeley. Class is what you put into it.”

—Mar De, 1/8/16

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protest was my chance

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no justice, no peace.

Why these Lowell students took part in a walk-out and protest downtown after the police shooting of Mario Woods

By Whitney C. Lim

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everal Lowell students took part in a walk-out and protest downtown on Dec. 11, advocating for justice in the Dec. 2 fatal police shooting of Mario Woods, a 26-year-old man who was gunned down in the Bayview district by officers of the San Francisco Police Department.

A large group of students, from high schools such as Lincoln, June Jordan, Galileo, City Arts & Technology and Lowell, marched down Market Street to City Hall, chanting phrases like “No justice, no peace, no racist police,” “Don’t shoot!” and “Justice for Mario Woods,” according to Lowell senior Meylin Rodriguez, who demonstrated that day.

“I felt like I had a purpose and it was cool to see so many teens protesting for change,” she said.

Lowell senior Lupe Cabrera felt that the most powerful moment for her was seeing how the crowd grew and chanted in solidarity. “To hear youth saying ‘No justice no peace’ means a lot,” she said.

“We’re seeking justice and want peace. Violence will not solve it. A peaceful march with strong, loud voices can make an impact and hopefully even bring

awareness to more adults.”

Cabrera said she has had personal history with police brutality. “I wanted to take part because police brutality has happened within my family and more people should become educated on how it’s a social issue,” she said. “Growing up in my neighborhood, I witnessed friends being detained and I feared what would happen to them. There was one instance when an excessive amount of power was used towards a friend.”

Principal Andrew Ishibashi made an announcement over the Lowell PA system on the day of the walk-out protest at about 11 a.m., discouraging students from participating. It is protocol to let students and staff know that there is a protest involving students, and that the administration knows there is a protest going on, according to Ishibashi. “As a principal, I’m trying to protect my students,” he said. “If they believe in what they’re doing, then so be it. I just don’t want others who are swayed to be a part of it to follow.”

The protest was organized by students and pub-

licized through social media posts. “I decided to go because I thought that it was important for young voices to be heard — and the fact that high school students planned this whole protest on their own without anyone telling them to made me want to be a part of this experience even more,” sophomore Diana Archila said. “Also, it’s very important that everyone out there not just SFPD learns that all lives matter, that black lives matter.”

Rodriguez said she felt compelled to participate in the protest because she’s heard of police brutality in other states but not as much in San Francisco.

“I felt like in other states there wasn’t much I could do but when I heard and saw the video of Mario Woods, I said it was enough and I don’t want my city to turn into those other states,” she said. “So I thought this protest was my chance to do something about it.”

Archila wanted to make a difference in the community by participating in the protest. “Yes, I am just one person and one person can’t do much on their own, but forming part of that group and know-

ing that I had people’s support and they had mine...

It was enough for me to go out there and know that I was doing something right,” she said.

Some teachers from other schools brought their students to the protest as field trips.

However, Ishibashi highly discourages teachers taking their students to protests because of his personal experience with them. “They’ve never experienced what I’ve experienced,” he said. “It is basically for human rights. I believe in protests, but you don’t get minors involved. Adults can do what they want because they can, but don’t bring in minors and influence them in a way that can put them in harm’s way. I have seen innocent protests where it got out of hand and students got hurt. That was very bad.”

Video of Woods’ murder has sparked debate over SF police policy on weapon use. The police chief and Mayor Ed Lee have called for stun guns, riot shields and more training as alternatives to help with deescalation. v Ophir Cohen-Simayof contributed to this article.

to do something about it .”

emily teng

Finding

EQUITY Peering into the Latino experience at Lowell

By Clarissa Wan Part two of a series about low minority enrollment

Aida Irving

COVER

“Don’t you play soccer Luis? Can’t you answer this?” The teacher’s question evoked low murmurs in senior Luis Ferrer’s math class. The question confused Ferrer – he’s never played soccer in his life. In the same class, Ferrer was also called “Jose,” even though there was no student named “Jose” in the class.

These awkward and culturally insensitive situations occur at Lowell, as the overall number of Latino students is still small despite a rise in the number of Latino students at Lowell since the early 2000s. In the 2000 to 2001 school year, 175 out of 2,506 Lowell students identified as Latino, comprising 7 percent of the student population. In the 2015-2016 school year, that percentage climbed to 9.9.

This figure is still disproportionate compared to San Francisco Unified School District’s (SFUSD) percentage of high school Latino students, which stood at 25 percent.

Exclusion Senior Meylin Rodriguez feels that many Latino students choose schools where there is a large Latino population, such as John O’Connell High School (57 percent Hispanic) and Mission High School (50 percent Hispanic), in order to find those with mutual cultural understanding and feel a sense of belonging.

For Lowell, when Latino students decide to

apply, encouragement often comes from middle school counselors, teachers and parents, not peers. Lowell is often seen as a school for Asian and white students. “My friends just said that’s where all the super smart Asian kids go,” senior Johnny Hall said.

But this wasn’t the case for Rodriguez.

As an eighth grader, Rodriguez was looking for a challenge. She had heard how Lowell’s Latino student population was small compared to others. But she sought to break the harmful idea that Latinos simply were not smart enough to be admitted. “I heard how not many Latinos made it here, so I wanted to be one of them,” Rodriguez said. “That was one of my goals, to prove that I could actually [be admitted] and I could survive.”

In many cases, Lowell’s Latino students feel isolated due to their ethnicity. “I remember when I was a sophomore, I saw that the people at the senior steps [courtyard steps] were white guys and girls,” Ferrer said. “In the hallways too, it’s Asian people with Asian people.”

Self-segregation can cause feelings of inferiority. “Most of the stuff I hear from students is that they often feel like they’re less than [others],” Community Health Outreach Worker Xavier Salazar said. In the Wellness Center, Salazar hears many stories about how Latino students feel excluded because of their ethnicity when students form groups in class. One example: when doing group work in her Advanced Placement World History class, sophomore Lucy Perez felt that her group mates were not taking her answers into consideration.

She wrote about it on a participation feedback sheet. Fortunately her teacher, Matthew Magsanay, wrote back, encouraging her to continue speaking her mind. “It was nice, to know that someone actually cares,” Perez said.

Another challenge is that Latino and African American students’ achievement is lower than other ethnicities’ in the district as a whole.

Because of this, at times, Latino students at Lowell feel that there is a stigma based on the middle school they attended, specifically re-

La Raza members senior Luis Ferrer and junior Andrea Cordona have faced microaggressions at Lowell.

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v The Lowell January 2016

Aida Irving

(Previous page, bottom to top, left to right: senior Victor Andrade, junior Jonathan Vasquez, junior Raissa Brito, senior Luis Ferrer, junior Adrea Cordona)

garding whether it had a large percentage of Latino and African American students, such as James Lick Middle School (71 percent Hispanic) or Everett Middle School (56 percent Hispanic).

Junior Andrea Cardona came from James Denman, a district middle school which is 40 percent Hispanic. “Freshman year especially, everyone asks what middle school you come from, and people would say they never heard of Denman, or where it was, or if it was even in San Francisco,” Cardona said. “I just felt that everyone judged you.”

The social struggle is combined with academic struggle. “Freshman year I actually struggled a lot, and even though I went into Study Skills I wasn’t being interactive with the school,” Cardona said. “Academically, I felt like I had no contact with my teachers and I felt like I had no support from them.”

Senior Maria Tec Poot came from Kipp San Francisco Bay Academy, where 60 percent of students are Hispanic, and struggled to fit in at first. In freshman year she was placed in Academic Literacy, a class to help students transition into Lowell. “I felt really dumb because no one from my middle school was placed into the class except me,” Tec Poot said. “Plus, I felt like I had to start all over and make new friends.”

Rodriguez struggled immensely during freshman year— she remembers receiving her first “D” grade on her report card. “From 8th grade my GPA dropped from a 4.0 to around a 2.0, and that was huge for me,” Rodriguez said.

“I remember crying a couple times.”

Rodriguez joined the varsity girls’ soccer team in freshman year, and soccer became her outlet. “My dad would always talk about how I had a really bright future in soccer, and I want that,” Rodriguez said. But she had trouble balancing her commitments to school work and the team until sophomore year.

Microaggressions As a minority, Latino students also face many microaggressions, the everyday slights, intentional or unintentional, that communicate negative messages to people based only on their marginalized group membership.

In the classroom, microaggressions can appear as subtle jabs at intellectual ability. During junior Raina Serrano’s accelerated math class freshman year, she realized she was the only Latino in her class. When she told her table mates what she realized, they started making jokes about Mexicans. “I remember that entire week, I just kept going back to that class and felt so uncomfortable,” Serrano said.

In Cardona’s biology class, a classmate questioned if she was born in the United States, suddenly veering off topic from a dis-

ALEXIS PICACHE

Seniors Meylin Rodriguez and Johnny Hall came to Lowell despite its low Latino population.

cussion about work. Cardona felt that this question was unwarranted, and that others viewed her as an outsider. “Why am I treated this way when I’ve treated everyone else decently?” Cardona said.

In Rodriguez’s Academic Literacy class freshman year, she was talking to a Latino friend in Spanish. A male student interrupted the conversation and told her to speak English “because they are in America.” Rodriguez stood up for herself and expressed pride in her culture and language. “I find it funny and ironic how some people try to stop you from speaking your language,” Rodriguez said. “Because in high school, some of them are actually taking that language.”

Rodriguez, is one of the few Latino players on the school’s varsity girls soccer team. Last season, she and two other students were the only Latinos on the team out of over twenty players total.

She has heard many jokes based on her interest in soccer. When people see how she runs quickly, they jokingly say “Oh yeah, that’s because you ran across the border.”

During her freshman and sophomore years on the team, Rodriguez felt distanced from her team members due to her different playing style, in which she tended to handle the ball by herself. Eventually, she adapted to the team’s style and became closer to her teammates.

In Rodriguez’s sophomore year, the team had an informal photo session before one

practice with the help of a parent volunteer.

After taking a team photo, there was time for other groupings to take photos. They took photos in groups such as Hapa players, Jewish players, and blonde players. Rodriguez asked her teammates for a photo of the Latino players, but was brushed off in the hurry to start practice. The same thing happened when they took team photos the following year. Rodriguez ignored it at the time, but looking back, she said she felt hurt by the incident.

In a recent group discussion with Rodriguez and several members of the team, the players expressed a hope that a similar situation would not arise again. “We have a reputation of being inclusive and we never meant to hurt anyone, and our priority is that everyone feels included,” said senior goalkeeper and veteran player Adriaan Denbroeder. Rodriguez added that she understands the team can overcome these types of situations together.

After learning about the incident, varsity girls’ soccer team head coach Eugene Vrana said in an interview that he does not tolerate any instance that causes harm or discomfort to any player for any reason.

He said he did not address the photo incident at the time because he was not aware of it, but that if any similar situation re-occurred, the coaching staff would address it by having a group discussion with the team.

Vrana said he will bring up the issue of See EQUITY: PART 2 on pg. 21

The Lowell January 2015

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SPORTS

BIRD BATTLE Cardinals defeat the Eagles in the JV division, fall on the varsity level

LILY YOUNG

LEONARD CAOILI

Vars boys (Top left): Sophomore guard Kevin Fok shoots against the Eagle defender.

JV girls (Top right): Sophomore guard Kiana Sujishi defends an Eagle player.

Vars girls (Left): Senior guard Tiffani Lowe drives against the Eagle defense.

JV boys (Right): Sophomore guard Jonathan Lee goes up for the layup.

LEONARD CAOILI 12

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he Cardinals split the victories with the Washington Eagles in Battle of the Birds on Jan. 12.

The JV boys’ basketball team stormed past the Eagles with a 52-18 win. The JV girls continued the torching of the Eagles with a 34-15 victory. However, the varsity boys were unable to carry the momentum through the night, losing in a close 39-36 game. The varsity girls also fell under pressure, dropping the game 53-43.

LEONARD CAOILI

RUNNING

CIARA KOSAI

MACHINE Athlete of the Season slashes records

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By Luming Yuan

eafening shouts bellow from the crowds. Intimidating opponents match her every move, catching up to her. Fatigue lingering.

None of this could thwart The Lowell’s Athlete of the Season Kristen Leung’s concentration as she raced in the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) state meet.

The senior cross country and track runner told herself to ignore the pain and focus on strategy and endurance, drawing motivation from her teammates’ encouraging words and her own drive to achieve her goal: the finish line. The moment Leung finished the race, her first thought was not to celebrate her accomplishments but instead to congratulate and thank the runners who had, just seconds ago, been her opponents on the course.

With unrivaled dedication to running and an amiable personality, Leung’s four-year high school career has led to awards, honors, admiration and most importantly, she says, lifechanging friendships and experiences.

Leung’s rank at the CIF cross country state meet on Nov. 28 was deemed the best finish ever by a San Francisco Section runner, male or female. Leung’s time (17:35.9) is a Lowell and San Francisco section record that surpasses the former record (18:32) set by Jennifer Akana, two-time state medalist in 1996 and 1997. Leung’s time also beats the previous all-time San Francisco high school record (17:52) that two-time Olympian runner Shannon Rowbury set in 2000.

In 2012, Leung was The Lowell’s Athlete of the Month as a freshman and at the time, cross country head coach Michael Prutz said that she stood out from the crowd of new runners at the Lowell Invitational. Since then, Leung has gone on to hold the record for the Lowell, Woodward Park and Crystal Springs course. In cross country, she holds the 5000-meter record (17:35.9) and was chosen as Most Valuable Player in 2012. For track, Leung was named Most Outstanding Distance Runner from 2013-2015 and holds the 1600-meter record (4:55.35).

Being a captain of the cross country team this past season is an honor that Leung values even more than the re-

cords she has set. “At first, it was crazy to think that I would be filling their [previous team captains’] shoes as a senior,” she said. “But I loved having the opportunity to pass on what I’ve learned from them and from my own experiences.”

Fellow cross country runner junior Sierra Brill, who has run three cross country seasons with Leung, said that Leung has always been a “powerful force” on the team. “Not only does Kristen push herself, but she also pushes others to test their limits and be the best that they can,” Brill said. “I really admire her ambition and passion.”

Leung’s fierce mentality toward her sport catches the eyes of the entire team. Prutz noted that Leung has especially improved this season with her new and intense determination. “You can see that focus when she runs! She runs with a mission,” he said.

On top of leading by example, Leung also is a key component in keeping morale up.

“Every meet she would lead the girls in a tight circle and talk to us. She would tell us not to give up and when to push the most,” sophomore Natalie Ewe said.

“She encourages us to do things that you would normally forget about, like to have team spirit, come up with team cheers or even make intricate team ribbons.”

Although Leung has achieved a lot throughout her running career, she has felt discouraged by bad races in the past. “I had to learn to be okay with not always being able to achieve what I set out to do, and to value the journey of my experiences more than just the end result of them,” Leung said. “You have your wins, and you have your losses, but what’s most important is that you don’t dwell on the negative for too long and look at losses as opportunities to do better. When I run poorly, I remind myself, ‘You can only get better from this.’”

As Leung reflected on the past four years, she decided that the 2013 cross country trip to Oregon for the Nike Prenationals was one of her most memorable experiences. The team got to tour the Nike campus, meet distance runner Jordan Hasay and explore downtown Portland when they See RUNNING on pg. 20

“You can see that focus when she runs! She runs with a mission.”

The Lowell January 2016

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COLUMNS

ALEXIS PICACHE

HBCU-BOUND H Special College Column:

By Nia Coats

ISTORICALLY BLACK Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have always been a big part of my life, because my aunts and uncles graduated from Southwestern Christian College in Texas, my sister attended Texas Southern University in Houston, and I visited Howard University in Washington D.C. the summer before my freshman year. However, I first realized that I want to attend a HBCU when I noticed that there aren’t many people at Lowell who understand where I come from, the way I talk and act, and the feeling of truly being a minority. After experiencing this so-called lack of color, I feel that attending a HBCU will give me the support I want with a network of people who understand the background that I am coming from.

During freshman year, I survived my classes with my best friends Chrislyn and Sara, who helped me feel more comfortable because of our common backgrounds and interests. That year was one of the hardest tests that I had I’ve ever dealt with, because being one of the only black kids in my classes was something I couldn’t fathom. Coming from a middle school where all of my friends were from the same type of background as mine, I found it difficult transitioning into a large school like Lowell with few people like me ethnically. I distinctly remember noticing these cultural differences when the famous African-American singer Erykah Badu followed me on Twitter, and, after I excitedly told my friends, everyone was confused as to who she was. Evidently, most Lowell students did not have the same upbringing that I experienced with respects to with music, style and life.

Clearly, my attendance here at Lowell was not the most comfortable experience. Before high school, I consistently went to schools where the majority of students were either African American or Pacific Islander. After attending Lowell for three years, I miss seeing familiar faces with familiar experiences. This is why I feel that a HBCU will be the right choice for me for the next four years.

HBCUs were created right before the end of slavery specifically for the African American community. Almost every slave was denied the right to read and write at the time, so, in 1837, Quaker philanthropist Richard Humphreys decided to create Cheyney University. Little did Humphreys know, this development would soon lead to the creation of some of the most sought-after universities in America.

I will personally benefit from attending a HBCU because I want to learn more about my cultural background. Many African-Americans like me cannot identify exactly where we come from, so this could be an opportunity to get in touch with my roots. Furthermore, going to a HBCU will help open doors for me to do creative jobs like directing, acting, and dancing, for the universities have produced many famous alumni like Taraji P. Henson, star in the television show Empire and graduate from Howard University, Dr. Martin Luther King, a graduate of Morehouse College by the age of sixteen, and Oprah Winfrey, who graduated from Tennessee State University. HBCUs are also pretty small in terms of class size, so I will be sure to get lots of one-on-one help from my professors. At a HBCU, I will also encounter unique activities to do — for example, HBCUs have unique dance teams like the Southern University Dancing Dolls that perform simultaneously with marching bands at major sports events.

While HBCUs are predominantly African-American, they also happen to be very diverse. The student body of Xavier University of Louisiana, for example, is 10.3 percent Asian, 4.1 percent White, and 2.7 percent Latino — and other HBCUs have similar demographics. With this type of environment, I will personally be able to explore my own cultural roots while still living amongst people with different backgrounds and worldviews.

I have so far applied to five HBCUs. The first one was Howard University in Washington D.C., founded in 1867, which offers a campus full of historical sites like the Founders Library, Douglas Hall, Carnegie Hall, Thirkield Hall, and the Tubman Quadrangle. Second, I applied to Spelman college — a women’s college in Atlanta — because of its unique connection with the all-male Morehouse College. Next, I applied to Hampton in Virginia, with over 100 student-run clubs and events that give each students ways to get involved with the campus. Then, I applied to Tuskegee in Alabama, which appeals to me because it created the Tuskegee airmen flight program, along with many other historic innovations.

Finally, I applied to Xavier University in Louisiana because of the uniquely Creole culture of New Orleans.

Most Lowell students do not know much about Historically Black Colleges and Universities, but anyone can apply to them to help further their dreams. So, if you want to experience an environment that is different from what you may get at other schools, or even get back to a community that you are familiar with like I do, you should definitely apply to an HBCU to expand your options for your next steps in life.

Being one of the only black kids in my classes was something I couldn’t fathom.

The Lowell January 2016

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COLUMNS

EMILY TENG

Special College Column:

APPLYING ACROSS THE POND Senior Caleb Hilladakis cracks the code for UK university admissions.

W

HEN I WAS 12, MY FAMILY toured Great Britain and Ireland, with a particular focus on Harry Potter locales. One of the highlights was watching my grandmother’s wig fly off in a gust of wind as we waited in line to see the Great Hall of Hogwart’s in Christ Church College at Oxford University. From that moment onward, I was quite impressed with Oxford, and I became very interested in the idea of attending that historic school, or some other university in the United Kingdom.

I still harbored those hopes as I started my sophomore year at Lowell.

My freshman year had been long and challenging, but with a lot of effort, helpful teachers, and a great deal of support from my family, I managed to do very well. Unfortunately, however, during my first semester of tenth grade, things went downhill after a family member became very ill, and my parents needed to focus all of their support on a rapidly deteriorating situation that led to months in the hospital, and more months recuperating at home.

Without the usual family support, I didn’t do as well in school, and I stopped thinking about going away for college. It was hard to imagine the future when my family member was having such a hard time in the present, and I didn’t want to leave home when things were so difficult. I decided I would attend City College of San Francisco, then transfer to a University of California college.

However, at the beginning of junior year, my family member was finally doing very well, with an excellent prognosis. Around the same time, a friend of mine also expressed interest in attending a European college, 18

v The Lowell January 2016

and when I found out that most UK colleges do not consider GPA, my old dream showed signs of life. So, in September, my friend and I attended a joint admissions presentation about the universities at Edinburgh and Oxford and soon I found myself embarking on a very fast and intense journey through the United Kingdom’s college admissions process.

The first thing I needed to do was decide on a major, since most UK schools require a commitment to a particular degree from the very beginning of their three-year undergraduate degree programs. After much consideration, I chose Psychology, since I eventually would like to become a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist. I also needed to research universities to see which schools and which Psychology programs were the most appealing to me.

Next, I had to tackle the UK’s common online application, called Undergraduate Courses at University and College (UCAS). Applicants can only sign up for five programs (about $38 in total), and anyone hoping to attend Oxford or Cambridge must decide between the two, since it is only possible to apply to one program at one of those universities. I decided to apply for the Psychology programs at Edinburgh, Oxford, and University College, London. Recently, I added King’s College, London as my fifth and final choice, after learning more about its new Psychology degree.

The tuition at these universities is less than that of many private American colleges, especially for degrees that don’t involve labs or art, and the three-year programs require one less year of tuition.

Fortunately, I had unknowingly fulfilled all of the test prerequisites to apply by taking the SAT and various APs. The universities want to see

See UCAS on pg. 20

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From UCAS on pg. 18 certain “grades” in the relevant subjects for the degree being studied. In this case, “grades” has a different meaning than the American version, for British students receive “A-level” grades, earned through their scores on end-of-school, nation-wide tests, after they have spent two years focusing in a particular subject. In lieu of these British tests, UK Universities accept AP scores and SAT Subject scores as equivalents to A-level grades, and do not at all consider high school transcripts. Each of the schools I researched has minimum ACT or SAT, AP, and SAT Subject Test score requirements, which vary from one degree to another. Degree programs count only the AP or SAT Subject scores that are relevant to that particular degree — for example, Physics degree programs are not interested in APUSH scores. Oxford requires a minimum of three AP tests with a score of 5, and an ACT of at least 32 (or SAT of 2100), in addition to specific degree requirements.

For most UK universities, the application deadline is January 15th , although there is more flexibility regarding that deadline for international students (since we pay a lot more than UK/EU students, and the schools need our money). However, Oxford and Cambridge applications had to be in by October 15th, so there was a significant time crunch. First I had to find some place to take the Thinking Skills Assessment test required by Oxford for students applying for Experimental Psychology and a few other degree programs. With very little notice, the powers-that-be at Lowell — specifically, Ms. Giles, and I thank her very much — worked quickly so our high school could become an international testing center on November 4th for just one student — me. Next, I looked online to watch videos and read articles online about creating my “personal statement” (I had to skip over the advice to spend several months working on it). In the UK, the focus of the essay is why the applicant wants to study the chosen degree, and

why the applicant is well prepared to study it. The statement should demonstrate enthusiasm for the subject, and if applying to more than one school (which pretty much everyone is doing), it should not mention a particular school. Most importantly, British admissions officers do not want to read amusing personal anecdotes or heartwarming tales of triumph over adversity (that’s so American.)

As I scrambled to piece together my essay, I simultaneously I needed to persuade one of my teachers to be my “referee” — the British equivalent of a recommender. It is very helpful for the referee to first have a look at the student’s personal statement, but given my time management issues, my referee, Ms. Moffitt did not enjoy that advantage. In fact, in a development that probably did not surprise her at all, the submission of my application came right down to the wire, and I am forever grateful that she accommodated my scattered tendencies yet again. The reference letter, like the personal statement, is quite different in the British system, for referees are asked to “predict grades.” In my case that meant Ms. Moffitt had to predict what scores I would get on my four future AP tests. Since this is an unusual request of an American teacher, I showed her the statistics from last year regarding the percentage of students who scored 5 on these specific tests, and that rate was much higher than on the tests for which I have already received a 5 — or, in other words, based on past AP performance, I made the case to her that I am likely to get a five on future tests, too.

I turned in my application not long before the buzzer sounded, and right after I turned them in, the universities began to confirm receipt of my application. This was the first I had heard from any of them, which contrasted immensely with the deluge of email and snail mail advertisements from US colleges, who just love me so much, especially if I will please, pretty please just apply already, so they can reject me in order

to improve their ranking for US News and World Report.

Less than two weeks after submitting the application, I received an offer from one of the programs at Edinburgh. This offer was contingent on scoring at least a 650 on an SAT Math Subject test, but I had already received results that were above that by the time of the offer, so it was really a done deal.

A few weeks after that, I received an offer from the second, more rigorous program at Edinburgh, and this offer included a minimum requirement of 650 for a Physics Subject test I haven’t taken, yet, but the requirement seems very doable, since, after I take the test in January, I still have the chance to retake it in May and June, if necessary.

After I took the TSA in November, I anxiously waited to learn of my fate in the Oxford admissions process. I could be very happy at Edinburgh — or either of the London colleges to which I applied, if I receive an offer — but I thought it would be fantastic to at least get an interview at Oxford, since it would be so cool to be part of that tradition.

I assumed my chances were pretty slim, though — until the morning of December 1st, when I was invited to interview at Saint John’s College, Oxford. Getting an actual offer is still a long shot, but I’m still excited to be part of the extremely intimidating, but historically significant, intellectual tradition of the Oxford interview.

My participation in the UCAS application process has provided me with an interesting perspective on the UK’s higher educational system, and I have already received two great acceptance offers and the chance to take part in the Oxford interview, which I wouldn’t have imagined possible during those dark days of my family member’s illness. No matter where I decide to go for college, this experience has been well worth that last minute frenzy at the deadline (though Ms. Moffitt’s mileage may vary), and I would recommend that anyone at all interested in attending university in the UK at least explore this option. v

From RUNNING on pg. 15 were not competing against a storm during the race. “It was windy and pouring rain, which turned the dirt, horse track the race was on into sludge,” Leung said. “We had to jump over hay bales and these extremely steep man-made hills. It was one of the most

intense races I have ever run.”

Leung said that she is being recruited by almost all of the colleges that she is interested in, and is thankful for the opportunities that she has been given.

Although her high school career ends next semester, Leung’s running career is

anything but over. “After seeing how much improvement I’ve been able to make continually throughout my high school career, especially with my past year of more serious training, I think I have a lot of potential for a college career,” Leung said. “I’m excited to see where I can go on the collegiate level.” v

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v The Lowell January 2016

From EQUITY: PART 2 on pg. 11 cultural sensitivity at the first meeting of the season. “We are going to make sure that we more explicitly address diversity and multicultural issues within the team as a basis for unifying the team,” Vrana said.

Stereotypes With non-Latino peers, Latino students may be stereotyped by others who are not aware of the diversity of Latin American cultures, from Central and South America.

People often assume that Rodriguez is Mexican, but actually she is Honduran. “I think what bothers some of us about it is that it’s not just the about the names Mexican, Salvadoran or Honduran,” Rodriguez said. “But it’s that we all have different traditions that we all appreciate.”

One way to demonstrate each country’s unique traditions is through dance. At this year’s Kermesse, La Raza, a Latino cultural club, performed cumbia, a dance from Colombia that melds influences from African, European and Indigenous cultures, and bachata, a dance from the Dominican Republic that blossomed as the dictatorship in the country faded, and has now developed many fusion styles. “You can tell a story by dancing — every culture has something different,” Cardona said.

Soccer is popular in Latin America and has played a large part in the history of its countries. It is an important pastime for many students, as it is for Rodriguez, but defining Latino students solely by their interest in soccer can be harmful. In junior Cynthia Arellano’s Physical Education class during her sophomore year, there was a unit on soccer, and her classmates assumed she could play soccer well. “[My classmates] would say, ‘If you aren’t good at this then you shouldn’t call yourself Latina,’” Arellano said.

As Latin America encompasses many countries and ethnicities, Latinos also have diverse physical and linguistic traits. Some Latino students have a light skin color, and may pass as white. Junior Angelina Picazo is Mexican-American but often mistaken as white. She also finds that people expect her to be fluent in Spanish, though she isn’t. “People wonder why I am not hanging out with people who speak Spanish, why I don’t speak Spanish to other friends, or why I don’t know as much Spanish as I should know,” Picazo said.

“There’s more to me and my community.”

Latino students with a lighter skin color are sometimes excluded from typical Latino

stereotypes. Senior Isabel Alves de Lima, who is half Brazilian and half white, feels that she benefits from the assumption that she’s fully white. At Alves de Lima’s former job with the Contemporary Jewish Museum, she noticed that people were more comfortable approaching her than her darker-skinned Latina coworker. “In this culture, it’s been taught through media portrayals of Latino people that they’re up to no good,” Alves de Lima said. “So me being white, not having an accent — all of those things make me seem more trustworthy.”

Code Switching Latino students can feel as though they are seen as an outlying entity, and being a minority at Lowell may include the pressure of representing the entire Latino community, according to Salazar, who has worked with many minority students in the Wellness Center.

Education in the United States has a eurocentric bias behind it – curriculums across subjects are not always culturally relevant to students of color, as many narratives come from the perspective of European figures.

This bias may disengage students from academic learning, according to a 2011 report from the National Education Association.

“From the content you’re learning, to the way you’re being taught, to the way you’re being disciplined, to the way you walk into a classroom, it’s all something that’s different for students of color,” Salazar said. “ [Students] have to learn all this content that doesn’t relate to them, and have to learn to catch up culturally.”

In addition, many students learn to “code switch” at school. Code switching is when a student alternates between two or more languages or varieties of language in conversation. Studies have shown that students who learn how to code switch early on have higher academic achievement in elementary school than those who took longer to learn how to do so. In school, students essentially learn how to adapt to a mainstream white culture, according to Salazar. “That’s not saying you have to drop your language at home, but you have to be able to switch it on and off,” he said.

Hall feels that code switching compromises each student’s individuality. He has noticed how some Latinos around him have conformed to whiteness, and believes that people should express their culture no matter what people say. Hall is outspoken about bringing his individuality to Lowell. “Lowell’s

like a plain soup, and I wanna bring spice, like Tabasco sauce, cajun sauce.”

Some Latino students feel that their individuality is limited by the demographic categories on college applications. The University of California application and the Common App have a general question race and ethnicity preceded by a separate checkbox for Hispanic and Latino students. This is to gather data on the diversity of applicants and to verify Equal Opportunity for all minorities under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

However, many students feel singled out by this option, like Ferrer. “It just made me feel different, like an ‘other,’” Ferrer said.

Support There is support for Latin American culture at Lowell, especially in clubs like La Raza and Nuestra America.

Nuestra America members discuss global politics, especially recent news surrounding Central America. These discussions also include an exploration of Latino identity, which helps students understand the Latino community more deeply.

Besides organizing dance assemblies, La Raza has met with members of San Francisco State University’s Hermanos Unidos, a collegiate organization that aims to help Latino students succeed in school. Seeing the positive benefit of the organization on Latino students, Salazar, who is also the La Raza club sponsor, hopes to create a mentorship program with them and provide a space for students to learn from those with similar backgrounds. Rodriguez found that meeting college students with Hermanos Unidos was a great source of encouragement. “That really stuck with me, because if they can do it, I can do it,” Rodriguez said.

For Latino students, Lowell can be a difficult, but strengthening experience. After her freshman year, Rodriguez’s situation improved greatly, with the help of the Wellness Center. Rodriguez’s learned how to balance her school work and soccer commitments and her grades rose to all A’s and B’s in sophomore year. In junior year, she made new friends by joining La Raza, and also made the starting lineup of the soccer team. Her outlook brightened. “Just by being here, we’re already breaking some stereotypes,” Rodriguez said. “We’re showing people that we can graduate from one of the top schools in the district.” v Ophir Cohen-Simayof, Stephanie Li and Whitney C. Lim contributed to this article.

The Lowell January 2016

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