5.24.19

the

Arrow 100 Lakeview Canyon Rd. Westlake Village, CA 91362 Volume XLI | Issue 6 | May 24, 2019

Valedictorians Page 3

Unique paths after high school Page 14

Senior wills Pages 16–18

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TABLE OF CONTENTS Cover photo by Prarthana Kaygee Photos below by Michelle Hang & courtesy of public domain

Table of Contents valedictorians

core lit rankings

world according to...

College advice

senior reflections

unique post–grad pATHS

SENIOR EVENTS

senior favorites

teacher superlatives

senior wills

senior map

senior quotes

3 Valedictorians ‘19

VALEDICTORIANS

PHOTO BY PRARTHANA KAYGEE

Valedictorians assemble!

Valedictorians are individuals who have accumulated a 4.65 indexed GPA throughout their high school career. Through all the AP classes, study sessions and gallons of caffeine consumed, these 53 students embody great perseverance and mental fortitude. Here’s a glimpse inside the minds of the Class of 2019 valedictorians.

What’s the key to success?

Who do you admire?

“Don’t take everything too seriously. You just have to move on.”

–Himani Boompally “Expect great things from yourself before you can do them.”

–Rohil Ahuja “Knowing where the lock is.”

–Arabella Raab “I wouldn’t know.”

–Lia Robbins “You have to procrastinate. Most of us do that anyway.”

–Aaron Li “Becoming a trophy wife.”

–Sophia Brent “Don’t try that hard.”

–Bryan Xiao “Realize that your 18 years of life include valuable product ideas.”

–Jane Zhang “Cargo shorts.”

–Gideon Tong “Momentum.”

–Jennifer Hritz “Crush your enemies.”

–Ethan Orlowsky “Daddy Nate Slays.”

–Jason Weisenfeld

“Harry Styles, Kim Namjoon and Jesus Christ, our savior.

–Jamie Lee “My future self.”

–Rudy Zhang “Evan Brenner ‘19.”

–Tristan Carta “The Kardashians.”

–Chloe Snyders “No one.”

–Victor Bai “Ajay Bhargava ‘21.”

–Pranav Pomalapally “Leonardo da Vinci.”

–Alyssa Tomkinson “Oscar Mayer, the hot dog guy.”

–Logan Chiu “Nobody’s hero. Nobody’s fool.”

–Sachi Hiji “Abraham Lincoln and myself.”

–Amanda Ju “My sister (Allison Webb ‘16)” –Ashley Webb “Ms. Mallen” –Jen Ruffing

Most important lesson you’ve learned?

Favorite class or teacher?

“HAVE FUN. Make some memories.”

–Julia Zhong “Use tutors and ask for help.”

–Aarun Devgan “The end is never the end.”

–Caroline Dority “You can always keep learning.”

–Claire Moats “Take time to discover yourself.”

–Gabby Nardecchia “Pursue what you’re passionate about.”

–Claire Robbins “MR=MC.” –Diya Sinha “If the P is low, reject the H(null).”

–Annie Wong “George kills Lennie” –Michael Shahidi “Magic can happen when you sing.”

–Jiasen Jing “Take action.”

–Matthew Xu “F=ma.”

–Connie Shi

“Computer Science with Ms. Ryder.”

–Ashley Chang “Poncé and Holloway. They the GOATs.” –Cade Kritsch “Contemporary World Issues is the best.”

–Katelin Zhou “English.”

–Evelyn Krikorian “Ms. Novak.”

–Gillian Li “AP Eekernomics with Boss Freed.”

–Monique Savner “Anatomy with BOW.” –Kaitlyn Crowley “Mr. Nigro.”

–Amari Huang “Environmental Science.”

–Courtney Leung “Is Kelman a teacher?”

–Cole Schiffer “Physics. Yea.” –Connor Chatfield “Journalism.”

–Elliot Kim

Compiled by Alex Li

Rohil Ahuja, UCSD Victor Bai, UCSB Himani Boompally, USC Sophia Brent, Vanderbilt Tristan Carta, UT Austin Ashley Chang, UC Berkeley Connor Chatfield, UCSD Logan Chiu, UC Berkeley Marc Andrew Choi, UCLA Kaitlyn Crowley, Rice–Baylor Aarun Devgan, Dartmouth Caroline Dority, UC Berkeley Sachi Hiji, Cal Poly SLO Jennifer Hritz, CalTech Amari Huang, Claremont McKenna Jiasen Jing, Johns Hopkins Amanda Ju, Carnegie Mellon Elliot Kim, UCSD Megan King, Stanford Evelyn Krikorian, UC Davis Cade Kristch, Harvey Mudd Jamie Lee, USC Courtney Leung, UChicago Aaron Li, Stanford Alex Li, UMichigan Gillian Li, USC Claire Moats, UC Davis Gabby Nardecchia, UC Berkeley Ethan Orlowsky, Cornell Caelyn Pender, Brown Pranav Pomalapally, UC Berkeley Arabella Raab, UCLA Claire Robbins, Vanderbilt Lia Robbins, UC Berkeley Jen Ruffing, UC Berkeley Monique Savner, UC Berkeley Cole Schiffer, UC Irvine Michael Shahidi, USC Constance Shi, UC Berkeley Diya Sinha, UC Berkeley Chloe Snyders, UMichigan Alyssa Tomkinson, UCLA Gideon Tong, UCSD Ashley Webb, W&L U Jason Weisenfeld, UMichigan Annie Wong, Purdue Milla Wu, UCSB Bryan Xiao, Amherst Matthew Xu, UC Berkeley Jane Zhang, Duke Rudy Zhang, UCSD Julia Zhong, UCLA Katelin Zhou, Stanford

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WORLD ACCORDING TO

Amy Steinman

Mitchell Dorhout Jen Ruffing

Alyssa Gallardo

Rylee Tilton

by melanie zhang sports section co–editor The world can be a scary place. For seniors about to head off into the world, the future is much like how Charles Dickens describes it: “the best of times, the worst of times … the age of wisdom, ... the age of foolishness.”

I know I’m not the only one who has such polar thoughts about how the world seems to be, so I interviewed Mitchell Dorhout ‘19, Alyssa Gallardo ‘19, Jen Ruffing ‘19, Ali Sallam ‘19, Amy Steinman ‘19, Rylee Tilton ‘19 and Gideon Tong ‘19 to find out the different perspectives that my fellow seniors have on life so far and what they think the future holds.

While Gallardo viewed her time in high school as fulfilling with “a great sense of accomplishment,” Tong thought differently.

“I wish I cared more before, but,

that’s alright, I guess,” said Tong. “For my underclassmen years, I was a very lazy person, so I didn’t do anything.”

However, despite his regrets, Tong looks towards college with a more motivated attitude, having learned from his mistakes. Similarly, Ruffing wishes she “didn’t procrastinate” as much in high school, but views improving from past mistakes as a “trial and error” process, where she “will keep failing at it” until she manages to change.

More specifically, Tilton wishes during her high school career that she “got into more of the clubs” on campus.

“There is a big option of clubs and interesting activities and ways to make more friends, seeing as it’s a big school,” said Tilton.

Even more different was how this group viewed our generation as a whole. For Sallam, as a whole we are “creative,” with many people having “great ideas that could change

Gideon Tong

the world.” Both Dorhout and Tong agreed that this era has been one filled with rapid development of technology.

“Everything’s so advanced,” said Dorhout.

As we grow older and become the responsible adults of the world, we become the ones that run the government and work the jobs that others depend on. This gives high school graduates the opportunity to pursue a career that fulfills their wishes and desires.

“I want to change the world in the medical field [by] doing research, especially in sports, concussion research and health of athletes,” said Ruffing. Like Ruffing, Tong has already planned his future career, which is to focus on self–driving cars.

While Ruffing and Tong were specific in their career goals, others had a general idea or none at all. Sallam looks to inspire others to be good people because, “if everyone’s positive, that changes a lot of stuff.” Similarly, inspired

PHOTOS BY MEGAN KING, JEFF MENDOZA & CONNIE SHI

Ali Sallam

by her learning in AP Environmental Science, Gallardo hopes to use her skills to “forward the world in politics and the environment.”

“Being in Enviro helps me understand the world better,” said Gallardo. “I can take part in it, like becoming a vegetarian, or joining an organization that will [take] some action.”

Despite the endless differences that exists even within the class of 2019, a similarity found among the seniors I interviewed was that despite making mistakes in high school, they looked towards the future with positivity for what’s to come.

Steinman realizes that she won’t know what to do 100 percent of the time but will learn.

For Tilton, the unknown future makes her “nervous but excited.” Tong said he was “pretty optimistic,” and Ruffing simply said, “hopeful.”

In a sense, no matter who you are, the impending future may be unknown, but it has so much potential for us to learn, grow and better ourselves.

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REFLECTIONS

The FAbulous three by six The future is PENDing Elliot_kim_reflection.docx by caelyn pender co–editor–in–chief I really thought high school would be more like it is in the movies — gossip rings that encompass the whole school, food fights in the cafeteria, wearing perfect outfits everyday… Okay, maybe not quite like that, but I thought that it would be at least a little bit glamorous. Instead, I am leaving with a jumble of experiences that any sane writer wouldn’t include in a script.

Whether it was late–night press week bickering, the time I got Colonel Cathcart as my Catch–22 character doppelgänger in an internet quiz or staying at school board meetings until midnight, the memories that shine through my seemingly

monotonous high school life managed to transform me from the shy and anxious freshman I once was to someone ready to pursue my dreams in the real world. And, along the way I managed to make amazing friends, learn from incredible teachers and accomplish tasks that I before only dreamed of.

These four years weren’t flashy or epic, and I’m not leaving as the perfectly put–together almost–adult that I hoped I would be, but I wouldn’t change anything. I made the best of what I had, and I found that high school is not how it is portrayed in the movies. It’s better — because going through those ups and downs are what make life worth living. We get to go into the real world knowing that life does not need to be perfect to be worth five stars.

PETERing Out by peter beer feature editor Looking back at it, despite hating being at school most of the time, I’d say my time at WHS has been moderately okay.

Just like any stereotypical freshman, I was nervous for my first weeks of high school and anxious about making new friends.

However over these four years, I met some of my best friends here, making memories at football games, during CPT and in classes (big shoutout to my best class of high school, Ms. Denchfield period six English). I was honored to be a part of the most legendary upset in WHS rally history, as our sophomore class, in a miracle, defeated the seniors.

This may come as shock to anyone who heard me complain, but playing baseball at WHS has by far been my best high school experience.

Hidden behind boring games and approximately three miles of sprints in 100 degree weather, it gave me my most memorable and fun experiences of high school. I am grateful that I can thank baseball for many of my friendships and favorite memories.

It is weird how it felt like each year endlessly dragged on, but these four years have come and gone in the blink of an eye, especially this year. I’m definitely excited to experience college life. I look foward to gamedays at Indiana and to see what awaits me in college and in my future, and I will never forget the friends and memories I have made in my time at WHS.

by elliot kim graphics editor As a journalism senior, it is my duty to write a “Senior Reflection” about my memories, thoughts and experiences. However, I really don’t want to, and even if I did, nothing exciting has really happened to me over the past four years, and I doubt anyone wants to read about my boring life as a WHS student.

So I’m not going to write one. Instead, for the rest of the 190 words this thing is supposed to be, I’m going to complain about why I don’t want to write my reflection.

First, I hate writing.

Second, these reflections are completely and utterly pointless. I guarantee that each and every one of my 17 colleagues’

reflections are the same ol’ cookie cutter “I stayed up late every night and procrastinated but I made a ton of memories and amazing friends,” cheesiness that’s so old it’s turned into blue cheese.

It’s not really their fault, either: almost all of them are pretty good writers. It’s just what is produced when lazy seniors are forced to write something and don’t know what to say.

Finally, I don’t care enough about people reading my stuff. To English majors and linguists, writing may be a beautiful art form capable of radiating emotions. To me, it’s just an emotionless activity I partake in.

So, as we near the glorious 265 word mark, I apologize to anyone who wasted his or her time reading my not–so reflective reflection. Mrs. Lynch, I hope this was enough.

MILLA–liters of meaning by milla wu co–editor–in–chief Not to sound like a nerd, but graduating high school is a BIG Hamlet mood. If I close my eyes, I see, in Nigro’s scraggly handwriting, “the importance of living a meaningful life” written in Expo marker. It’s crazy; I spent four years guzzling Red Bull, obsessing over English essays and homecoming dates, and now I’m expected to make something of myself?

On paper, it doesn’t feel like my high school experience was particularly “meaningful,” at least not in the way Hamlet taught me it should be. But now it’s my

last semester of high school, and I’ve come to realize that the meaning of high school doesn’t come from the stuff on paper: grades, AP scores, college acceptances (and rejections). That’s just the filler. It’s the experiences in between — being teased by Freed, being teased by Nigro, being teased by Jones, being teased by Ponce … uhhhh … (still love them though), messing around with my friends, making fun of our freshman selves, swooning over Leonardo DiCaprio in the Romeo and Juliet movie — that really matter.

Who knows what will happen after I leave here on June 6? I think I want to be an English teacher, but I also thought I wanted to be a math major freshman year, so everything is subject to change.

Whatever it is though, I’m ready for it. After all, you know what they say: “the readiness is all” (Hamlet 5.2.223).

Tropical BHAR–GuAVA Katie REULs the world I’m gonna be brutally honest. Some people call high school the best four years of your life. It’s not. It’s this weird mesh of amazing and horrible, and it’s kind of like a nightmare that you don’t really want to wake up from. In these brief four years, I’ve learned more than I ever thought I would, but ironically, not at all from the advanced classes I’ve taken, but rather the distinct experiences I’ve had.

Marching band, journalism, what seems like a thousand clubs and a stacked class schedule: these are the things that I thought composited the essence of my being. But now that these obligations are being lifted, I’ve come to realize how much I’ve been stretched thin.

These responsibilities weren’t a plea for a college to accept me, but a reflection of the absurdly high personal standards I set for myself. While these activities have been fun, the moments in between matter most, like studying with friends for a math test at a coffee shop and laughing together about exactly how utterly doomed we are.

As soon as I realized that the best parts of myself were aspects most dissociated from the competitive academic nature of high school, I began to realize my full potential. The part of me R that loves being creative, meeting RA YP new people and sharing stories. My B OS PHOT major — TV Writing & Producing at Chapman University — reflects that. Several AP science courses later and with a crippled back from drumline, I guess I finally figured it out. I can only hope that everyone else does too.

G EE

a&e section editor

KAY

by katie reul

NA

If 9th grade Sona could see me now, I’d like to think she’d be pretty happy.

Walking in that year with my beat– up Converse and chunky glasses, I was not only tiny but lost.

But as the years sped by, I changed. Yes, I’m still small, and I still wear my beat–up Converse everyday, deal with it.

For the longest time, I had my heart set on living closer to home. But being waitlisted (tragic, I know) forced me to look elsewhere and led me up north to somewhere that feels like, well, home. I’m undeniably happy and could not be more excited to attend UC Davis in the fall and hang out with the cows.

New life motto — trust the process. It all works out in the end, and where you’re meant

to be, you’ll go. (Go Ags!) Going outside of my comfort zone and headed for a change, I’m more than excited for a shift in scenery.

I’m going to miss blasting my music at 6:30 a.m. (sorry to those who park next to me), and anticipating 5th period all day to see what new food there is in journalism.

But, most of all, I’m going to miss my friends who’ve become family. Being 2,308.2 mi from my best friend (shoutout Sophia) will be hard, but as she tells me, “absence makes the heart grow fonder.”

There are only a handful of days left with some of the people I love the most, and I have no idea how we got here so fast. I am so thankful for the people I got to know here and can’t wait to end my childhood with the Class of 2019.

We out, Westlake.

TH A

by sona bhargava co–web master–in–chief

6

REFLECTIONS

Stay LI–t by alex li opinion section editor The Arrow has been a massive part of my life for the better part of two years now, and even though it was stressful and I probably caused more arguments than solved (sorry everybody), I wouldn’t take any of it back.

I entered high school knowing nobody and having a rampant stutter — seriously, ask anyone, and they’ll tell you an embarrassing story. I’m loaded with opinions, and they get me in trouble sometimes, but they need to be said — that’s the truth.

If you ask anyone now, they would probably say I talk too much and need to shut up in class. I’ve had Mrs. Lynch for four years, and even she would probably say I talk too much. Whoops.

Goodbye to my little baby, the opinion section. It’s changed a lot over the past couple years, touting two amazing columnists and even more relevant topics for students this past year.

I’ve tirelessly molded it into something amazing, and I’m ready to pass it on (good luck Sophie!).

As I bid farewell to The Arrow and WHS, it all feels surreal. I thought I was going to stay in California or go back to Washington or even go to an Ivy League (you fool) for college, but I’ll be attending University of Michigan, and I really couldn’t imagine myself going anywhere else. I’ll definitely need to cop some winter clothes, though.

Leaving California is scary, but the fond memories will stay with me forever. With my final words I’ll say this: don’t sweat and Go Blue.

GUTTA Cheesin’ by akhil gutta sports section editor As tradition with every writing assignment I’ve had in my high school career, this is being done at the last possible minute. Well, not exactly the last possible — I’ve done stuff minutes before it’s due (shoutout Ms. Jones), but that’s besides the point.

When I first arrived at WHS, I was a shy and chubby kid who wore plaid shorts, Sketchers and glasses way too small. I know what you’re expecting. This is the part where I talk about how I changed and each year came back motivated to be a better person, with improved fashion. Kinda ... but not really. Especially not the fashion though, ask Sophia Brent.

I always thought in high school everyone blossoms into a leader by his or her senior year,

dancing off into the sunset known as college with life’s path planned out. Boy, was I wrong. I have just recently accepted that my genetics won’t allow me to be a seven foot NBA center, nor will I ever become that one Indian kid in the paper that wins some prestigious science award but has parents that still aren’t proud. Those kids have their paths, and I have mine.

Unfortunately, I haven’t exactly found it yet. But that’s okay because WHS has allowed me to discover who I am and work on improving that part of me. As of today, I’m a pretty funny kid who has absolutely no clue what he wants out of his life. It’s scary, but I know I’ll figure it out.

High school isn’t and never should feel like a culmination; it’s just the start.

Besides, I’ve got more pressing concerns first, like learning when it’s acceptable to wear a yellow hat with a red jacket (Hint: almost never).

A Canadian’s dimanche by melanie zhang sports section editor As I’ve tried recalling my high school career and what I’ve accomplished, I realize there’s not much to think about. I did what I did for four years, but nothing comes up when I try to remember how I felt after racing well or any laughing fits I had with friends, although I am certain I experienced those.

Instead, I only remember a few fuzzy details about my past, even from yesterday.

Did this mean I didn’t experience what I imagine I went through? Or that I wasted my time because I didn’t experience enough in high school to remember anything? At one point, I was convinced that I hadn’t. While I had this mid–senior–year crisis,

I flipped to a page in my assignment notebook.

It was so fateful that birds were almost chirping as I read Eleanor Roosevelt’s quote, “I am who I am because of the choices I made yesterday.”

Immediately I was enveloped in the loving, but definitely long (she was 5’10”) arms of Eleanor Roosevelt, and this quote made me realize something: even when I don’t realize it, every single second is an opportunity to learn, to better myself and to use my past as judgement for my future endeavors.

I don’t remember each moment, but they all have taught me something.

Even though most memories of glory or sad defeat are in a part of my brain that can’t be retrieved, they’re a part of me that I can’t see, each one dot in the painting “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte.”

Just HANG in there by michelle hang business manager & photo editor I love Disneyland. It has been my escape throughout my four years of high school.

High school was a roller coaster for me.

My emotions have been affected by the stress of school work, playing sports and friend drama.

Needless to say, I haven’t had a terrible time at WHS, but there were moments when I felt like I needed an escape.

Just before high school started, it was just my mother and I, and since then we have had this inseparable bond. Our favorite place to make memories together is Disneyland, so of course, I knew that it would

be my perfect escape. I would go often because I have an annual pass, but it was a place where I could let loose when stressed.

With the stress of school and the social environment, I was crying most of the time (for good and bad reasons). However, I’ve learned a lot from my experiences at WHS that I will later use in my future.

There were some good memories that I will not forget. I loved being involved in journalism, lacrosse, field hockey and volunteering at the Boys and Girls Club. These activities were the source of my enjoyment and helped me meet new people. I had a great time due to being involved in these activities that I will remember forever. Additionally, I found the true friendships that I will cherish for the rest of my life.

With my love for Disney, I am so incredibly happy that I will be spending my last day of high school at my escape, The Happiest Place on Earth: Disneyland.

Your friendly neighborhood BRICK–MAN Nevertheless, SHI persisted

G EE

Over the course of four wildly different years at WHS, some things were just always the same each day: a Costco salad for lunch, a nap during an unscheduled period, a run after school.

You can also count on finding me walking vigorously to the bathroom during passing periods and chugging water during class.

For me, consistency is key. It’s what my name means. Constance — steadfastness, constancy.

It’s easy to get caught up in the madness of high school — all the tests, quizzes, essays, labs and journalism stories on top of extracurriculars and studying for standardized tests gets hectic at times.

But having a routine, a number of familiar elements in your life, can help to manage the

stress and workload of high school.

Thinking back on high school, it feels like it never ends. You always have another test, another assignment, something else to study for.

As I’m sitting here writing this, 25 days ‘til graduation, I have an econ test, a physics test, an English essay and a track meet to prepare for.

And it will all be worth it in the end … at least I hope so. But in the meantime, to stay sane, all you need is a little consistency in your life.

Amidst the chaos and variability of high school, find R A the little things that provide PR BY S O comfort, whether it be a workout PHOT routine, eating habit, scheduled nap or even just dinner with your family.

Take time to enjoy these moments of peace, these breaks from your crazy life. Use them to stay on track (literally and figuratively), and find yourself in consistency.

KAY

by connie shi co–web master–in–chief

NA

My time at WHS has been an “educational” one. After moving to the Westlake area in the summer of 2016, I have learned not just academically but socially as well.

I initially faced some problems socially, finding a group of people I could spend time with, making new friends and figuring out where I fit on the greater high school hierarchy (I’m around medieval serf level for the record).

However, after joining a few extra–curricular programs, I started to find a group of friends, people who I could connect to on both an emotional and intellectual level, and to those people (you know who you are) I just want to say thank you.

And, as long as I’m doling out “thank yous,” I, of course, have to thank my teachers. I have

been so blessed to have so many great teachers here at WHS. You all have been educators in a variety of ways, and I cannot imagine my life without you teaching me.

Finally, this last part is for you. Yes! You! Hey! Don’t skip to someone else who’s more interesting; I’ve got stuff to say!

You may notice the quotation marks that shout, “SUBTEXT!” in that first paragraph. Truth be told, high school was one of the toughest experiences I’ve ever had, and I had to read The Awakening so you know I mean it when I say that. There were a lot of ups, but just as many downs. That isn’t meant to intimidate you, only to say it gets better. As long as you find good people to hang with, you’ll be okay.

Wherever you’re at right now, and whoever you are, whatever you’re feeling, you can only go up from here.

TH A

by thomas brickman feature editor

7

REFLECTIONS

LEE–ve me alone by jamie lee feature section editor The night before the first day of freshman year, I spent maybe two hours working out the details of my schedule; I’d meet up with this person at this time, walk with this person during this passing period and eat lunch with this person at this certain location.

I had no idea how high school was going to work, and watching my favorite romcoms like She’s All That didn’t make it easier.

Four years: 22 percent of my life. In this last quarter of childhood, I finally found a solid group of friends that support and fit ME. I spent the first two years of high school always self–conscious about what every person thought of me.

I finally learned that no one cares as much

as I think they do, and instead of trying to impress everyone else, I should do whatever makes me happy and proud.

I feel like everyone expects high school to be the time you find your place, who you are and what you want to do in the future. But, to be honest, I’ve found probably only half of that.

Going to college next year, I still don’t know if I really want to pursue this scary path in medicine, and I don’t really know who I am yet.

But, I’m only 18, and I’ve learned that life is all about coming up with my own voice and style. As long as I’m happy with who I am in the moment, I have nothing to regret.

I’m here to pave my own way through adulthood and love myself and everything I do every step of the way.

LocKING my lockers by megan king managing editor I have two lockers. Well, technically one of them is Ashley Webb’s…

My two lockers have been my faithful friends for the past four years. They’ve held my swim bag, lunches, Spanish textbooks, journalism food, friends’ extra bags/clothes, both of my brothers’ stuff and of course, I let Ashley use the lockers too (it only seems fair).

As I reflect back over my life in high school, my lockers encompass most of the lessons I’ve learned. High school isn’t about one thing or one person. High school can seem like an enigma but can really be solved with three simple numbers (17, 30 and that other one…).

Sometimes, life can be overwhelming. The swim bag, parka, lunch and Euro project just don’t all fit in a locker (or even two).

Sometimes you just do something stupid. Did I really just lock my combo inside my locker?

And occasionally, things happen that are simply out of your power. I didn’t ask the ants to invade our shared locker.

It’s important to recognize that you can’t control everything, and it’s sometimes okay to simply shut the door on your problems until you have the chance to actually fix them. Evacuating the locker and leaving the ants to starve actually worked.

In the end, nothing in your life can be perfect, but you have the power to make your life what you want. If you can take these lessons to heart, then life becomes manageable.

Here’s looking at JU, kid By the hair of my CHENy chen chen

Entering my last couple weeks of high school, I realize how truly influential these past four years were to my life, and even though that’s not saying a lot from an 18–year–old, it still goes to show how much high school has changed me.

I began freshmen year as a wide–eyed, brace face, 5’0 girl! And with the few inches I’ve gained over the years, I have changed more mentally than anything.

Sophomore year, I thought I was getting the hang of things, then junior year hit me like a bus.

Thank you to the College Board and ACT!!

Realizing that all the stress and pressure eventually comes to an end senior year is like a light at the end of the tunnel. No more art

history flashcard checks and, most importantly, no more Shack tests.

We always say “I can’t wait to leave” and “I can’t wait to graduate,” but some memories you don’t want to wish away too soon: your last CPT and the last time you give a high five to Culpepper in the hallway.

Now, I will be attending University of Washington, one of my dream schools. From writing so many college essays, you begin to look at yourself as if you are only a statistic. Your grades and test scores do matter, but don’t lose sight of the person you want to become.

Ultimately, I will miss high school. My East Coast Bagel on CPT days, my speed walk to Narnia (Building 2) to make it to first period on time, my usual outfit of an oversized hoodie and, mainly, my fourth period class. Ride the Shack train all the way to graduation.

You will now be reading something I wrote at three in the morning the same day this thing is due ‘cuz I forgot it existed.

In my first class period in high school, I fell asleep. For the rest of my four years in high school, taking naps during class became one of my greatest “abilities.”

If the classroom was noisy during free time, or even during a final, I could just doze off on command. It was quite amazing, probably one of the best skills I learned in high school.

Although I missed out on hours and hours of notes and lectures, I did not miss out on the

Wrong CHOIces, we’ll get ‘em next time by marc andrew choi feature section editor Alright, Arrow readers, throughout my last four years I’ve talked to you guys about topics such as anxiety, my disdain for Thanksgiving and my adoration for ASMR. But for my last article, it’s time to get a bit more personal and share my deepest school– related regrets. But, first a back story.

Freshman year, I was a little arrogant brat who did not appreciate anything or anyone, especially my teachers. I thought I knew more than they did and that I could do my own thing during class. I was terrible, and if I were a teacher, I would definitely kick myself out instantly.

But over time, this mentality changed.

Over the years, I’ve always felt bad about my

immaturity and blatant disrespect for my teachers. As a result, I have not been able to really connect with my teachers on a profound level and learn from them.

Instead of talking about how I procrastinated or how I did not have enough fun, I wanted to personally say to all my teachers: I’m sorry.

I’m sorry for distracting the class and not doing my work during class time, I’m sorry for not giving your class the time and attention it deserved; personally to Mr. R Doug Freed, sorry for never A PR BY going to your class because I was S O PHOT tired and wanted more sleep.

While I’m not able to make more meaningful relationships with my teachers, I want to thank you for everything you’ve done for me and look forward to the awkward encounters we will have later in life.

G EE

by sydney schlesinger news section editor

feature editor

character development and maturation that comes with attending high school.

When I had started high school, I was a free– loading Clash of Clans playing freshman. I breezed through freshman year without putting any effort into school. When sophomore, junior and senior year got hard, I had zero motivation to do anything and just let my grades drop. Thankfully, I will be attending California Coast Bible College. Yah, high school was absolutely awful at times (ex. finals week or AP weeks), but the only reason I am able to graduate and move on with my life is thanks to the really solid, incredible friends that I made.

After all has been said and done, I’ll never forget the friends that I made, the lessons I learned, and most of all, the freaking crazy ability to sleep whenever, wherever.

Random Advice: If you never check your grades, they don’t exist and can’t hurt you.

PS: Scraping by high school is still passing.

Follow me on instagram @the_chenster_

KAY

My brain is SCHLES

by taylor chen

NA

Okay, I only have 265 words here, so, even though absolutely no one asked, “workers of the world, unite!”, because I’m cutting straight to the advice. Unless you want life help from a ninety–year–old Italian cilantro farmer trapped in the body of a teenage girl with a crush on Mr. Bingley from Pride and Prejudice, in which case, you’ve come to the right place, comrade.

Maybe it’s because I was called “a pleasure to have in class” way too often as a child to develop a healthy relationship with fear, but if there’s anything I took away from high school, it’s that 1. attendance is overrated, and 2. you’re never going to be happier than when you allow yourself to be exactly who you are, exactly however you want to be. Which I

understand is essentially just the moral of Shrek, but it actually took me forever to realize because I always saw self–value and self–expression as narcissistic things.

Here’s the thing, though. Uplifting others is so much easier when you let yourself prioritize your personal goals, no matter how tiny (ex: throwing a bath bomb at your problems) or huge (ex: setting the Guinness World Record for the highest number of cats adopted before joining AARP.) I know that for me personally, choosing to set aside social expectations and pursue my passion for musical theatre as a career was both the hardest and best decision I’ve ever made.

So did I essentially just vomit a Hallmark movie screenplay onto my senior reflection? Maybe. But until they cast Vanessa Hudgens as me in a musical biopic of my life, I rest my case.

TH A

by amanda ju featured columnist

8

SENIOR EVENTS

Hats off, seniors! After the non–traditional experience at Universal Studio’s Grad Bash last year, ASG officers and administration ensured that the Class of 2019 would be going to Disneyland to celebrate the conclusion of four years of high school accomplishments. by michelle hang business manager & photo editor

Source: undercovertourist.com

GRAPHIC BY MICHELLE HANG

Grad Nite will be held on June 5 at Disneyland. “[Grad Nite] is a night to celebrate the accomplishment of graduating high school,” said Assistant Principal of Activities Mary Ann Moore.

The day starts with a mandatory graduation rehearsal from 8–10:30 a.m. Following the rehearsal, there will be a meeting at 11 a.m. discussing the rules and information that seniors should know about Disneyland’s Grad Nite.

Students will be checked for prohibited items (drugs, alcohol, selfie sticks, etc.) before going on the buses. The estimated time to leave school is between 1–2 p.m., according to Moore.

Students will then be on their way to “The Happiest Place on Earth.” Once they arrive at the drop–off location for grads in the back of Disney’s California Adventure, everyone will go through security before entering the parks.

Keep in mind that the security line may be long, so students should try and minimize what they bring into the parks.

Inside the parks, students can park hop between Disneyland and California Adventure.

Disneyland is open to students until 9 p.m.; then, they will park hop to California Adventure to go to the Grad Nite private party, open only to graduating seniors. Students can do any activities they want to do until 2 a.m. Students are expected to return to WHS around 4 a.m. on June 6.

The whole Disneyland Park will be open except for rides being refurbished and Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge, which will only be open for those who have a reservation. WHS will not be getting reservations for students, so it was the student’s responsibility to get reservations if they wanted to on May 2. Reservations are no longer avaliable.

In order to maximize your Grad Nite

experience, download the Disneyland App. There, students can purchase a Max Pass for an additional $15 per person, which allows students to get fast passes and professional and attraction photos on their phones. Otherwise, students must go to each attraction physically to get a FastPass. Due to high demand, it’s more likely that physical fast passes will run out faster.

Disneyland is great for rides; however, the dance parties are intended to be an exciting time for all graduating seniors to mingle together.

In order to ensure that memories are being captured, students should take photos in the beginning of the night because special photo spots may be busy. Many of the characters will be roaming around the park, and there will be a Snapchat filter for the night.

All the rides in California Adventure will be open. Popular attractions such as any of the “Mountains” in Disneyland and Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout, Incredicoaster, Radiator Springs Racers and Toy Story Midway Mania in California Adventure are expected to be very busy. According to WHS teachers who’ve been in the past, wait times are relatively typical of Disney standards, ranging from 30 to 90 minutes depending on the ride.

There will be an exclusive World of Color Nighttime Spectacular show designed just for the Class of 2019 in California Adventure.

Make sure to enjoy the fun night and don’t forget to pick up a complementary “Just Graduated” button while supplies last. Graduation–inspired ears and hats will be sold as well.

“It’s the day before graduation, [where] you’re excited to spend time with each other before it all ends,” said Senior Class President Olivia Dinardo ‘19. “I think that being able to do that in an exciting environment such as Disneyland [will] be a good bonding experience.”

Have a blast seniors!

Senior EVENTs The senior picnic takes place at Calamigos Ranch.

Tickets must have already been purchased, and buses were already assigned. Senior check–in is at 8:30 a.m. and departure is at 9 a.m. The picnic concludes at 2 p.m., and students arrive back at school around 3 p.m. While at Calamigos Ranch, students can do numerous activities, including swimming, riding paddle boats, playing picnic games and sports and listening to a live DJ. Food and beverages are provided.

Prom will take place at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library from 7 p.m.–12 a.m. Doors close at 8 p.m. There is no re–entry once students leave the venue. The last day to purchase prom tickets is May 24 for $120 with ASB sticker and $135 without. The last day to submit a guest pass was on May 22, so no more guest passes can be submitted.

Students must have a school ID, and guests must have ID. At prom, there is outside seating, a dance floor, a buffet and photo booths.

*For more information about senior activities, visit the WHS activities site.

Graduation takes place at 5 p.m. at the WHS stadium. The gates to the stadium open at 3:45 p.m., and seniors need to report to the gym by 3:45 p.m. Students are given two tickets, but they can buy up to six more. Additional tickets are $10 and no checks are accepted.

Tickets are on sale May 28–31 online at the WHS Webstore or at the student store. Tickets are also on sale in the student store the day of graduation from 8 a.m.–2 p.m., if there is availability, but only cash is accepted.

Compiled by Michelle Hang, Amanda Ju & Sydney Schlesinger

9

TEACHER SUPERLATIVES

Each teacher at WHS is unique in his or her teaching, but the most memorable aspects of teachers’ classes are their personalities. We received survey responses from over 200 seniors answering a slew of questions to categorize a few of their favorite teachers. Here are the superlatives as selected by the class of 2019: Most likely to be famous

Most likely to survive a zombie apocalypse

Highest vertical leap

Roger Biersborn

Scott Holloway

Jason Huang

Biggest mom energy

Most Canadian

Loudest

Kathryn Mallen

Matthew McLean

Michael Lynch Compiled by Sona Bhargava, Marc Andrew Choi & Katie Reul

10

UC Berkeley Grace Butler Ashley Chang Logan Chiu Caroline Dority Kevin Garand Lily Garelick Akhil Gutta Michelle Hou Jeremy Mettel Gabrielle Nardecchia Pranav Pomalapally Lia Robbins Jen Ruffing Monique Savner Diya Sinha Constance Shi Ashton Valdovinos Matthew Xu UC Davis Rahul Araza Alice Bashizadeh Sona Bhargava Sarah Calvert Devon Estes Sophia Freda Sarah Khalifa Evelyn Krikorian Claire Moats Sierra Reed Kayli Vest UC Irvine Jisoo Kim Cole Schiffer Nicole Stimpson Aileen Tran UCLA Marc Andrew Choi Will Hollister Natalie Nitzsche Arabella Raab Alyssa Tomkinson Julia Zhong CSU Monterey Bay Ava Crosby Ashley Williams

Moorpark Hirad Abolghasemzadeh Stephanie Allgood–Michael Alexandria Alonso Armando Alvarado Diego Alvarado Cleavon Andrade Alexandra Arnold Colby Austin Luis Avalos Fernando Baas Valeria Barzola Kaleb Baxter Hayden Becker Tristan Becker Anahi Benitez Gio Binsol Mary Bissonette Kevin Bleier Jonathan Borovay

SENIOR

UC Riverside Alice Bashizadeh Shloka Homa Blaise Liu Nicole Previde Allegra Skyy Ananya Sridhar UC San Diego Rohil Ahuja Connor Chatfield Riana Herradura Elliot Kim Kevin Stubbings Gideon Tong Rudy Zhang UC Santa Barbara Victor Bai Alexa Campbell Jillian Gallardo Audrey Gehart Brett Goldman Colin Iversen Ashwin Soitkar Faiz Surani Allinta Tadesse Milla Wu UC Santa Cruz Emma Adams Hannah Currey Julianna Gin Michelle Hang Amber Newell Bethany Reader Zella Vacaron CSU Channel Islands Brandy Alps Anabel Cervantes Anna Graziano Emiko Ito Marco Ruiz CSU Long Beach Alexa Dickey Sabrina England Jennifer Matiz

Joe Boudiwan Ryan Bough Bradley Buckingham Eric Budnik Daniel Bueno Lorraine Campos Anthony Candela Victor Cano Giovanni Casalenuovo Celeste Castro Guillermo Castro Kayla Celikel Molly Cosenza Andy Cruz Luis Cruz Romero Makoalani Dacascos Olivia deMartino Natalie deMartino Isabelle Dempsey Hunter Deniaud Bodie Devries

CSU Northridge Rocco Basile Donald Cruz Avantika Kannan Faviola Colon Martinez Taylor Rossi Ian Sherrill Samantha Smart Dylan Torres Natalie Zavala CSU Chico Mina Dake Cal Poly SLO Marina Bayless Jillian Butler Paul Grace Sachi Hiji Chad McMillan Cal Poly Pomona Shayan Ghara Humboldt State University Emerson Kapture San Jose State University Lance Minkow San Diego State University Claire Adams Keilani Adams Ashley Bolger Malia Capen Tyler Chu Layne Consales Gabriela Dajic Olivia Dinardo Maggie Henry Courtney Lam Haylee Mencarelli Emmalyn Norman Benjamin Spiers Elise Vigna

Sonoma State University Tessa Bradley Cody Martin Kyle Masson Bianca Nurnberger Christine Plagmann Jennifer Trephan California Lutheran University Faith Collins Elizabeth Crisp Jamee Lary Christian Onuigbo Zachary Perlmutter Megan Pinckney Tiffany Robinson Jordan Stark California Coast Bible College Taylor Chen Point Loma Nazarene University Kristia Holland Loyola Marymount University Kasra Arjomand Mitchell Dorhout McCoy Eackelbary Paul Hurley Alexa Jabbour Preston McQueen Lauren Moeller Gaby Plascencia Amy Steinman Titan Teachman Chapman University Taylor Bolger Alexis Kerner Jacob Lippel Caden McQueen Katie Reul Rylee Tilton Fiona Watkins

El Camino College Sione Pulu

Berkeley City College Sydney Lester

Melissa De La Cruz Nova Dooley Conor Dower Rucchi Dua Olivia Dubell Juliana Dukes Teyana Ellis Connor Elstein Eric Engelhardt Courtney Faggin Lizbeth Fernandez Celeste Figueroa Dane Flanders Brett Fornatoro Ashley Freeborg Ivet Garcia Jasmine Garcia Roxana Garcia Citlali Garcia Ambrosio Jayron Gatmaitan Julian Giessinger

Oladele Giwa Cristian Gomez Catherine Gonzalez Crystal Gonzalez Gerardo Gonzalez Tommy Gonzalez Laura Gulbrandsen America Gutierrez Thomas Guy Natalie Hadek Dylan Hampton Skylar Handler Paris Hartman Daniel Hernandez Eduardo Hernandez Josseline Hernandez Luis Hernandez Maria Hernandez Bahareh Hossein Zadeh Kojal Jordan Hossini Dylan Jarvis

Harvey Mudd College Cade Kritsch Claremont McKenna College Amari Huang California Institute of Technology Jennifer Hritz

University of Redlands Gabrielle Hayon

University of Washington Sydney Schlesinger

Santa Clara University Rahel Bachmann Naomie DiMartino

Seattle University Rose Gelman

Occidental College Sophia Laycock

Stanford University Megan King Aaron Li Katelin Zhou

Pepperdine University Kylie Howell

Westmont College Charlotte Chipembere

Pierce College Vivica Johnson

Oxnard College Heidi Saavedra

University of the Pacific Ethan Abes Hong Jiang

Ventura College Ryan Lam Terrell Vaughn

University of Southern California Rachel Blanton Himani Boompally Nina Ferrer Jamie Lee Gillian Li Michael Shahidi Julie Song

Santa Barbara CC Jada Broughton Kennedy Crowley Colby Downard Ryan Downard Hailey Flatt Megan Hedges Gabriella Herrera Josh Lunsford Kelin Mahon Charles Meissner Jessica Near Raquel Startz Mason Thompson Leyla Vahadi Oliver Wyman

University of San Diego Stone Martin Christian Woodall

Santa Monica CC Trenton Howard Shayla Madha Sonia Milio Chloe Morgan

Conejo Valley Adult Education Kattie Godoy

Cuesta College Amelia Brannigan Layla Keshavarzi

Cameron Jasmin Harrison Jenkins Bryan Jimenez Faith Johnson Cole Jolin Meghan Jones Taylor Jones Avi Kapur Alexandra Karasik Joshua Karasik Bijan Kazemi Kristopher Kohlmeier Brianna Krehbiel Sjors Lap Lorelei Lemon Dylan Leong Karli Lewis Ryan L’Heureux Madison Long Andrew Lopez Monika Lopez Jennifer Lopez Castillo

Jose Lopez Gonzalez Thamires Lourenco Christian Lymberopoulos Mason MacDougal Kelin Mahon Samantha Malloy Taylor Marlowe Christian Martin Josephine Martinelli Diana Martinez Kailee McFerran Robert Mendez Rachel Mex John Miller Laurie Mondragon Garcia Cade Morony Jade Morrisey Josh Navarrete Rodriguez Traviss Nguyen

University of San Francisco Tia Catalano Sean Izaki Toni Sottile

Saint Martin’s University Greer Hurley University of Portland Rachel Zhitnitsky George Fox University Shea Romero Oregon State University Mitchell Craig University of Oregon Colton Bourne David Connor Zoe Haines Ethan Harrison Kelly Mason Makena Pratt Brooke Sommers Willamette University Hayden Vaughn

Washington State University Daisy Jones Colin Ward Western Washington University Hadley MacDonald Paris Short University of Puget Sound Bryce Kilkenny University of Idaho Ava Wood Brigham Young University, Idaho Vincent Daurio University of Nevada, Las Vegas Evan Brenner University of Nevada, Reno Nathan Arnold Sierra Nevada College Alexis Davila Arizona State University Carson Batie McKenna Katzman Griffin Pearce University of Arizona William Decker Phoenix University Noah Hoehn

University of Hawaii, Manoa Tiana Mastrella Kevin Taylor Victoria Nguyen Drake Nienow Nicholas Norris Vanessa Olivar Maldonado Gabriela Orellana America Ortiz Annika Pablo–Cowen Citlalli Perez Kiera Price Ylse Prieto Scott Pugh Milena Radovich Kimberly Ramirez Bryson Ray Derek Rivas Leo Roberts Rory Romain Eden Rosales Lauren Rosenthal Bridgette Rosebrugh Neo Ruiz

Bianca Rutten Hanneke Sachs Ali Sallam Ben Sanchez Hannah Scarbrough Sean Scott Daniel Shelley Joseph Sipos Jon Smith Mark Sottile Justin Sprague Sean Steiner Corbin Stern Landon Stern Elijah Taylor Pedro Tello Blake Thompson Destiny Torres Austin Tsang Ronald Tronconi Sarah Upton Helaman Vaka

11

R MAP

University of Michigan Anthony Huynh Alex Li Chloe Snyders Jason Weisenfeld

Montana State University, Bozeman Molly Beals Jack Gelman

UChicago Courtney Leung Purdue University Annie Wong

University of Colorado, Boulder Lauren Barry Parker Clemons Justin Fealy Mya Featherston Meredith Goodman Julia Schiff Maya Singh Jacob Valladares University of Utah Jason Heller Sofia Kenney Chloe Nash Kyle Valestrino

University of Denver Morgan Dye Colorado State University Steven Hath Utah State University Grady Johnson

Benedictine College Nathaniel Davis

Southern Utah University Autumn Jones

University of Kansas Brooke McClung

Indiana University Heather Arancon Peter Beer Garrett Chen Julia Steinman University of Notre Dame Conner Brinkley Sarah Sullivan University of Missouri Columbia Nathan Brenner Sean Laveau Saint Louis University Mhayse Samalya

Baylor Kayla Jou Julia Marek

Texas Christian University Michael Wood

Texas State University Kailey Stevenson

Rice University Kaitlyn Crowley

Texas A&M Joe Snyder

Ananda Van Dien Elizabeth Vallejo Juan Vasquez Ivy Venardos Nicolas Villari Joseph Villarreal Mariah Villavicencio Katelyn Waters Jamie Weiler Branden Weir Martin White Alex Whitehouse Ethan Wildermuth Morgan Williams Christina Wilson Hailie Wood Dylan Yamamoto Catherine Young Panachai Yuwawanit Xavier Zaldana Christian Zamora

Upper Iowa University Sean Scott

University of Texas, Austin Tristan Carta Samantha Schalk

Vassar College Allysa Gallardo

The New School Marina Mendoza

Dartmouth College Aarun Devgan

Wellesley College Melanie Zhang

Fashion Institute of Technology Kade Aplin

New York University Ned Jacobs Emily Lindros John Platt

Cornell University Jeremy Marcin Ethan Orlowsky

Emerson College Thomas Brickman

Ohio State Connor Chen Alex Dohn Kavyaa Thakkar Miami University, Oxford Charles Clark Rose–Hulman Institute of Technology Brandon Liu

Bard College Chloe Brill Carnegie Mellon Alan Gallardo Amanda Ju Penn State Jeffrey Goodwin The Hill School Will Lyman

Marquette University Juliette Celozzi

Rutgers University Anthony Haas

University of Kentucky Isabel Galvin

University of Richmond Gabrielle Grossman

Vanderbilt Sophia Brent Claire Robbins

Washington and Lee Ashley Webb

University of Alabama Ian Guss Sarah Martin

Southern Virginia University Ethan Sherwood

Amherst College Bryan Xiao Brandeis University Benjamin Harris Pomfret School Bryce Howard

Gap Year Baylee Heximer Abby Koritsas Dawson Lamas Kyle Norvell Undecided William Manson Cristina Wesley

Boston University Jacqueline Gomez Ryan Smith

Brown University Caelyn Pender

University of Exeter Spencer Walshaw

Johns Hopkins Jiasen Jing

American Universty of Paris Hannah Lee Madison Melito

University of Maryland, College Park Jacob Ginzburg Duke University Jane Zhang Virginia Tech Ashley Jou

Trinity College Dublin Alex O’Shaughnessy University of Sydney Clare Whitney University of Victoria Chase Karbon York University Seth Pollak

University of Miami Ally Stankowski

Work Johnny Donovan Roberto Figueroa Evan Jacobson Kelby Lewis Anthony Natalia Jason Oberle Megan Parkinson

Northeastern University Shawn Shepard

University of Florida David Fratello–Hakim Andrew Rynk Florida Southern College Christina Harms

US Army Preston Knapp Christopher Meza

LDS Church Mission Noah Bluth

US Marines Aden Fruehling Fatima Gutierrez Sage Mare Amy Perez

Moving to Europe Sophie van Hensbeek

US Air Force Katelyn Pattilo US Coast Guard Juan Higareda US Navy Jayke–Matthew Dolan

Compiled by Megan King, Caelyn Pender, Connie Shi & Milla Wu

12

CORE LIT RANKINGS

Books: the Good, the Bad & The Odyssey

Throughout our high school years, we have been both blessed and plagued by required reading books.

While some books were thoroughly enjoyable, others gaves us nothing but stress and boredom. Here are the top five and bottom five required English books, according to us.

Disclaimer: We will not be spoiling any of the books in these reviews. Additionally, we would like to emphasize that these are our (solely Elliot Kim and Marc Andrew Choi’s) opinions, and just because we didn’t enjoy the bottom five, doesn’t mean you will hate them as well. Because we have not yet finished reading The Kite Runner, we will also not be including it in these rankings. Finally, because we are both honors students, we can only give input on the books people read in Honors and AP English classes.

Top 5

Bottom 5

5) Of Mice and Men

5) Oedipus Rex

Being the shortest book we read freshman year, the plot and characters were easy to understand. Without giving away spoilers, perhaps the largest English class meme at WHS comes from this book.

Alright, there are some redeeming characteristics of this story, but the main thing that makes us not particularly like this play is the concept of the Oedipus Complex. Also, the plot isn’t too great, and the characters are rather stale.

4) The Great Gatsby

4) The Awakening

John Steinbeck; 9th grade

F. Scott Fitzgerald; 11th grade

Sophocles; 12th grade

Kate Chopin; 11th grade

Easy to read, entertaining (and drama–filled) plot, relatable characters: this book checks all the boxes. Even though this was one of the shorter books we read, this romantic story is definitely one of the most meaningful in our opinion.

Don’t get us wrong, Edna had every right to be unhappy in her marriage, but the various things she did in the book were definitely not the best way to deal with these emotions. Although this book was short, the protagonist is completely self–centered and unbearable, making this book a very unpleasant read for us.

3) Lord of the Flies

3) Antigone

As people who never really enjoyed English, this book was a fitting end to the school year. Even though we had reading quizzes every other day, the book is easy to read, and this was the first book at WHS that we wanted to continue reading past the assigned chapters.

Similar to “Oedipus Rex,” because it is the third story in the Theban Plays series, “Antigone” is not the greatest play. The plot for this story is far more mundane, and the entire premise is too archaic for our liking.

2) The Catcher in the Rye

2) The Scarlet Letter

This novel spoke to us not only because of the parallels between the way protagonist Holden Caulfield and we see the world but because it let us take a step back and realize how limited our teenage perspectives were by hearing words similar to ours coming from someone else.

The fact that a book with a plot this eventful managed to be as boring as this one is an accomplishment in itself. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s wordy writing makes this book not only hard to follow along, but also just boring. Hawthorne also thought he was clever and decided to make everything in the book a “symbol,” which adds nothing to the novel besides nonsensical dense language.

1) Catch–22

1) The Odyssey

William Golding; 10th grade

J.D. Salinger; 11th grade

Joseph Heller; 12th grade

Sophocles; 10th grade

Nathaniel Hawthorne; 11th grade

Homer; 9th grade

Even though this book did contain the most characters out of any other book we’ve read at WHS, all of them are extremely unique and memorable, and their foolish acts contribute to the comedic aspect of the story. Throughout the course of the novel, as the reader gets to know the characters, the various chaotic scenes that ensue offer extremely entertaining — yet meaningful — satire.

Freshmen this year had it easy, only having to read excerpts from the novel. Unfortunately for us upperclassmen, we had to read the entire thing. While there were a few entertaining moments, the ending was, in our opinion, horrendous, and the book could have ended much sooner.

(Honorable Mention): Hamlet

(Honorable Mention): Jane Eyre

William Shakespeare; 12th grade

“To be or not to be, that is the question.”

“You take me for a sponge, my lord?”

With some of the most notable quotes out of any play, and at least one valedictorian each year using a Hamlet quote for his/her three–word quote, this play has all you could ask for in a play: sword fighting, mind games and random meaningless characters. If you enjoyed Macbeth, get excited for Hamlet.

Charlotte Bronte; 11th grade

Although we agree that the book is long and hard to read, the book honestly was not that bad. There is this myth that Jane Eyre is easily the worst book in WHS, but we don’t think this is necessarily the case. The entire book is filled with unexpected plot twists and, although it can get slow at times, pretty interesting scenarios. Jane Eyre was by no means an amazing novel. However, we believe it’s unfair to call it the worst.

Compiled by Marc Andrew Choi & Elliot Kim

PHOTOS COURTESY OF PUBLIC DOMAIN

13

COLLEGE ADVICE

Apps Adulting for

For students heading off to college in the fall, there is much more to worry about than just classes. For the first time, many students will be living (somewhat) on their own, so here are some money management tips to help with the transition.

College Meal Plans According to Student Loan Hero, college meal plans often waste money, sometimes adding more than $20,000 to the total cost of college over the course of four years. Each meal at the dining hall costs between $5 and $9, which, while cheaper than other food sources, still adds the cost of between $105 and $189 per week.

Most colleges have multiple meal plan options for students. These can range from 21 meals per week down to seven. Some colleges require freshmen students to purchase a specific meal plan, but many colleges provide choices.

While 21 meals per week might sound

Dorm Room Quick bites

Instant oatmeal: Many instant oatmeals can be cooked with just hot water. Simply cook, then add fruit or nuts for a complete breakfast.

Protein bar: Many protein bars have enough nutrients to fuel the first part of the day.

Cereal with milk: Cereal or granola with milk are inexpensive breakfast options that are great for busy college students. Bonus — cereal is not restricted to breakfast.

appealing, most students do not eat three meals per day at the dining hall. Whether this is because they eat at a restaurant with friends, prepare their own dorm-cooked meal or skip eating in favor of extra study time, buying the 21 meal plan often ends in waste.

Instead, purchase a lower count meal plan (such as seven or 14 meals per week) with the commitment to source one or more meals per day another way. For instance, you can eat breakfast in your dorm room or get lunch at a local restaurant with friends.

Refer to the box on the right to explore more money–saving food options.

Save Money

1. Cook a meal in the shared dorm kitchen with friends.

2. Join a club that provides food or snacks at the meetings.

3. When going out with friends, eat half the entree and save the other half for the next day.

Reheat it for another meal.

4. If you can take unlimited amounts of food per swipe, put more on your plate than you plan to eat and take the rest to go.

5. Use a refillable water bottle to avoid purchasing bottles.

start building your credit Having a high credit score is essential for many aspects of “adult life.” From taking out loans to purchasing a house or car to renting an apartment, a credit score is used as a benchmark for a person’s financial responsibility.

A credit score is a number calculated based on factors such as payment history and debt owed, according to investopedia.com.. While it is not imperative to begin building credit in college, it can give young adults a leg up when they venture into the real world.

In order to build credit, begin by applying for a credit card, according to pearsoned.com. Even if this credit card is

avoid full–priced textbooks New textbooks purchased from a college bookstore can cost more than $100, and with four or five classes per semester, the cost quickly adds up. According to the College Board, the average student in the U.S. spends more than $1,200 on books and materials each year. In fact, the prices of textbooks have increased ten times the rate of inflation in the past ten years, according to cbsnews.com.

Buying books from the university bookstore is often the most expensive source of textbooks, but there are alternatives to breaking the bank by purchasing brand new textbooks. Some colleges offer the option to purchase used textbooks in place of new ones, and even if your college does not have this option, there are many online

Other options to

stores such as Half Price Books devoted to selling used textbooks. HPB even allows you to sell your used textbooks back to them once you are finished using them. Amazon also has a resale feature where you can find or sell used textbooks. Another option is to rent textbooks for the duration of a class — online companies such as Chegg offer both rental and purchase options.

Many modern textbook companies also offer their textbooks in an e–book form as well as in print, and the e–book is often cheaper than the print edition. A digital version of a textbook not only can offer additional resources such as videos or practice quizzes, but they also can be up to 60 percent less expensive than print textbooks, according to investopedia.com.

attached to a parent’s bank account, it can still build credit in the student’s name. There are even credit cards specifically for students that include cash back for good grades as well as discounts on educational purchases.

Once you have a credit card, begin making purchases on it, but make sure to pay off the balance at the end of each month to avoid interest or fees. Repeatedly missing payments can lower a credit score.

If you take out student loans for college, paying them back on time can be another beneficial way to build a good credit score, according to doughroller.net.

Educational

Resources

Chegg: Chegg not only provides inexpensive textbooks but also offers a writing proofreader as well as a math problem solver to help with difficult assignments.

OpenStax: OpenStax offers free textbooks to students. While these textbooks might not be those used at your college, they can be useful to cross reference.

Open Library: Open Library is a free online catalog of thousands of books that can be helpful for research projects.

Compiled by Caelyn Pender

my study life My Study Life is a comprehesive class and study planner that allows students to easily and efficiently track their college schedules. It includes the ability to input class schedules, tasks and exams, and it comes with reminders to help students not miss assignments or classes.

The app is available for on the Apple Store and Google Play, as well as on desktop. It is free to use.

Forest Forest is a focus timer that not only helps people stay off their phones when they want to be focused but also plants trees around the world. In Forest, a student can “plant” a tree when they want to begin focusing. The timer is set for anywhere from 10 to 120 minutes. If the user leaves the app before their timer ends, the tree dies.

Each focus session earns the user coins that they can use to buy new virtual trees or plant a real tree. The app costs $1.99.

evernote Evernote is a note–taking app that includes features for to–do lists, photos, web pages and audio. It has search features to instantly find the information needed from all stored notes. Evernote syncs across multiple devices and features a built–in scanner. The app is free to download and use, but there is a premium upgrade for $5.83 per month that allows unlimited syncing, access to notes offline and more storage space.

insight timer With more than 19,000 options, Insight Timer offers the largest free library of guided meditations of any app.

These meditations range from one minute to more than two hours. Many meditations have a theme, such as sleep, anxiety or breathing.

The app also offers a meditation timer with options for bell and ambient sounds. The app has many free features and offers a pro subscription for $59.99 per year.

go Go is a free exercise app with more than 1,000 classes in its library.

Created by ClassPass, this app boasts audio recordings of trainers. Individual classes range from five minutes to almost an hour. The app also has programs that last from one to 14 weeks. Each workout comes with photos of how to do each exercise as well as embedded music options. The workouts include pilates, yoga, strength training and more.

Photos courtesy of public domain Compiled by Caelyn Pender

Off the beaten path

14

UNIQUE PATHS

As the Class of 2019 graduates, many students are not taking the traditional path of attending college in the United States. These 14 seniors are embarking on unique journeys next year.

Compiled by Megan King & Connie Shi Photos by Michelle Hang, Megan King, Caelyn Pender & Connie Shi

Andy Cruz

International Athletics

Fatima Gutierrez

Plans: Play soccer with the Xolos Where: Tijuana, Mexico Process: “I went in January, and I tried out, and they really liked me. They’re telling me to keep on coming until I turn 18 so I can sign a contract.”

Most exciting part: “Going to new places, like getting to know the whole of Mexico [and] like traveling with the team.”

Next year plans: U.S. Marines Length: Four–year contract Where: Pearl Island, SC Preparation: “I started training in December ... We go to the office every Monday, Wednesday and Friday to just train.”

Why: “I really like what they do, and I’m really passionate about helping Military others ... I want to challenge myself.”

Military

Katelyn Pattillo

Preston Knapp Next year plans: U.S. Army Length: Five–year contract Where: Fort Leonard Wood, MO (for about two weeks before being shipped out) Why: “In the end game, I want to go into law enforcement...

Also, my brother was in the navy [and] my father is in law enforcement, so it’s just kind of a thing in the family.”

Military

Sage Mare Next year plans: Marine Corps Length: Four–year contract Where: Colorado, U.S. Why: “I have always wanted to do something bigger than myself; I want to challenge myself for the future.”

Future plans: “I might do 20 years, I might not depending on how I feel...

My plans after the Marine Corps are to have my own car shop and work on cars for the rest of my life.”

Military

Blake Thompson End goal: Start an electrician business Education plans: Fulfill Gen. Ed. requirements at Moorpark College and attend Moorpark’s trade school program for electricians while getting a degree in business; transfer to CLU Future plans: “Using .. the trade that I learned and my business degree, [I plan] to start a business [as an] electrician and save up money with the job I have now to buy equipment.”

Why: “It can be pretty successful, especially because electricians make a lot of money around here [and] Career Prep because they’re hard to find.”

International Education

Seth Pollak Career Prep

Next year plans: Attend Ace Culinary School while also working at Spago, a Wolfgang Puck restuarant Where: Woodland Hills & Beverly Hills Why: “I have a passion for cooking, and it runs in my family ... Cooking is what I want to do with the rest of my life.”

End goal: “To be on the Food Network and have my own restaurants.”

International Education

Career plan: Become a firefighter Next year: Apply for a job as a firefighter; if not accepted, stay in college to build skills and reapply Preparation: “I’m taking my EMT class at Conejo Valley Adult School... that is all you need as a prerequisite.”

Spencer Walshaw

College: American University of Paris (France) Program: USC Trojan Transfer Plan Length: One year, then continuing at USC International Why: “I feel like studying abroad is Education a better option than staying here.”

College: University of Sydney (Australia) Why: As an Australian citizen, “they’ll give me about 75 percent of my tuition covered by the government...

[Also,] they have some of the best conservation ecology and environmental programs in the word.”

Tommy Gonzalez

Next year plans: Gap year, while working and exploring interests Interests: Art, interior design Why: “Just to save up money because I also don’t really know what I want to do.”

Education plans: Attend a two– year college after gap year, such as Santa Monica Community Career Prep College; transfer to a four–year

Hannah Lee

Clare Whitney

Career Prep

Baylee Heximer

Makoa Dacascos

College: University of York (Canada) Field of Study: Environmental Science Why: “Me, my sister and my brother, we’re all Canadian citizens, and because of that, the tuition up there is a lot cheaper. In addition to that, we have family up in Toronto... When I got in, we went up there to visit the school, and I liked it, and I thought why not because it was a bit of an adventure.”

Application process: Based on GPA and other similar information; no essay required; no emphasis on extracurriculars

Next year plans: U.S. Air Force Length: Four–year contract Where: Lackland Air Force Base, TX Why: “You get free education from it...

It’s just a really great life experience for the job that I want to pursue after.”

Future plans: Attend Pepperdine University for two years to continue education; pursue a career as a police officer or investigator

International Education

College: University of Exeter (England) Why: Holds citizenship in England Most exciting part: “Joining the hockey team there because I like that it gives me an instant social scene to be a part of and to play again with my brother.”

Madison Melito College: American University of Paris (France) Program: USC Trojan Transfer Plan Why: “I knew this was a once in a lifetime opportunity, International and I would definitely grow from experiencing living Education in different countries for the first time.”

SENIOR FAVORITES

15

*Sample of over 200 students. Top three results are shown from each category and other choices were combined in percentages at the bottom right.

Compiled by Sydney Schlesinger

16

SENIOR WILLS A

To the Amazing Class of 2019:

B I, Rahel Bachmann, of superior mind and hot body, will my supreme finessing skills and sketchy attendance to Quinn Muscatel.

I, Victor Bai, of floccinaucinihilipilification mind and supercalifragilisticexpialidocious body, will my pneumonoultramicroscopicilicovolcanoconiosis to Ernika Rabiei.

I, Carson Batie, of sleepy mind and fluffy body, will my sarcasm and my Instagram memes to my baby brother, Jayson.

I, Marina Bayless, of Disney soundtrack– infused mind and ocean–craving body, will my love for competition to Elina, Cindy and Evelyn and my ability to incessantly heckle teachers with questions to my brother Dominic.

I, Peter Beer, of intelligent mind and dope body, will my Pitcher of the Year title and math skills to Dylan Suttner.

I, Sona Bhargava, of optimistic mind and stick body, will my car to Ajay Bhargava and the nonexistent ABCD club to Maya Groves and Prarthana Kaygee.

I, Rachel Blanton, of over–active mind and extremely pale body, will my American citizenship to Yori Kitamura.

I, Noah Bluth, of large mind and mega body, will my true intention to get a 5.3 GPA. I, Himani Boompally, of discombobulated mind and chocoholic body, will my history skills

Olivia Dinardo Senior Class President to Jade Li, my virtual speakeasy to Matthew Xu and everything else of any possible value EXCEPT my shoes to my brother Vishal.

I, Joe Boudiwan, of unpredictable mind and moto moto body, will my surgical skills in the future to be able to help all the school.

I, Ryan Bough, of inspiring mind and stressed out body, will my enthusiasm, leadership and dedication to The Academy Class of 2021 and the future yearbook staff.

I, Tessa Bradley, of chaotic mind and lazy body, will my karaoke skills and ability to nap anywhere to Dana Uchimiya.

I, Nate Brenner, of eight brain cell mind and Chubbies model body, will my supernatural ability to withstand Mr. Freed’s bullying to Luc Bacharach.

I, Sophia Brent, of second semester senior mind and banana–shaped body, will my minimal calculus knowledge and superb selfie skills to Sam Noh and Jonathn Chang.

I, Thomas Brickman, of tired mind and tired body, will my dedication and perseverance to whoever may need it.

I, Grace Butler, of caffeine–addicted mind and reckless Kia driving body, will my uncontrollable laughter to Julia Dinerman.

C I, Alexa Campbell, of unsound mind and disproportionate body, will my softball skills and good shoulder to Daryn Siegel.

I, Anthony Candela, of suffering mind and dying body, will my desire and ambition to the stars.

I, Malia Capen, of wacky mind and juicy body, will my T–shirt collection to Christian Stec and charm, wit and ability to make people uncomfortable to Julia D. and Quinn M. I, Tristan Carta, of all–knowing mind and Thanos body, will my unparalleled ability to conquer the universe to Luc Bacharach, Ashton Alonge and Lief Jordan.

I, Kayla Celikel, of wandering mind and matcha–loving body, will my contagious laughter and spontaneous spirit to Brianna Krehbiel.

I, Ashley Chang, of hungry mind and sleep– deprived body, will my borderline grade clutch and photoshopping skillz to Hillary Hsu.

– Alyssa Tomkinson

RN O PHOT

I, Conner Chen, of imaginative mind and stick body, will my knowledge of K–Pop and Supreme fashion sense to Jerry Shi and Sam Noh. I, Garrett Chen, of pure, sharp mind and shooting body, will my 2k ability to Zak Kilkenny.

I, Taylor Chen, of sleepy mind and skinny body, will my fantastic work ethic and faith to Andrew Cablayan.

I, Logan Chiu, of mediocre mind and mediocre body, will my mediocre organs to the State of California Health Department Organ Donor Program.

I, Marc Andrew Choi, of utilitarian mind and average Asian body, will my geometric intuition and look ahead to Justin Yao, governmental prowess to Owen Kobett, positivity to the XC team and calculated tanking skills to Hillary Hsu and Caitlyn San. I, Tyler Chu, of stick mind and full body, will my SAT score to Sunoo Jeong, Harrison Hsu and Arya Kapour.

I, Parker Clemons, of powerful mind and unlucky body, will my presidential pants to Cooper Clemons.

I, David Connor, of great mind and better body, will my great looks to Taylor Johnson.

I, Layne Consales, of tired mind and constantly sore body, will my power to get through Tom’s workouts to Shelby Tilton.

I, Annika Cowen, of indifferent mind and small body, will my ability to photograph my fluffy white dog to expand to a higher level of thinking and have everyone become aware of his profound cuteness.

I, Donald Cruz, of Melee mind and technical body, will my melee practice and techskill to Torrey Joo and Jason Forbes.

I, Hannah Currey, of comic book mind and lanky–limbed body, will my never–ending well of useless information to Torrey Joo and Ansh Rawat, and my art/creativity to my children, Anderson, Rachel and Charavi.

I, Gabi Dajic, of tired and hungry mind and athletic body, will my business skills to be successful.

I, Mina Dake, of crazy mind and Sunlife–filled

“I’m undeclared because I’m very indecisive about what I want to pursue ... I’m kind of thinking about taking a kinesiology route ... Undeclared is good for me right now.”

– Tyler Chu

CO

S TE UR

Y

F O

body, will my precise bathroom schedule to Sam Snyder.

I, Isabelle Dempsey, of $wag mind and $wag body, will my $wag to $wag.

I, Aarun Devgan, of swoll mind and swoll body, will my soul to Mert Cumhur and Neel Roy and my Clash of Clans account to Chris Ojeda.

I, Naomie DiMartino, of sassy mind and Chick– fil–A loving body, will my enjoyment of people slipping and falling on stairs to Jennifer Zucker.

I, Olivia Dinardo, of ferocious mind and spastic body, will my true diligence as Senior Class President and my fashion sense of sweatshirts and leggings to Maya Groves.

I, Alex Dohn, of Asian mind and yellow body, will my monkeys to jump on the bed.

I, Caroline Dority, of large mind and wiggly body, will my love for pom–pom slides and my almost perfect GPA to my sister Victoria Dority.

I, Rucchi Dua, of confused mind and oddly shaped body, will my amazing TV watching skills to my failed attempts to be funny.

E I, Devon Estes, of exhausted mind and pale body, will my procrastination and mediocre dissection skills to future Anatomy newbies.

F I, Celeste Figueroa, of virtuous mind and exemplary body, will my impeccable singing, sight–reading, and dancing skills to Abby McLane.

I, Dane Flanders, of Hulk Hogan wrestling mind and crazy body, will my humor to Mr. Skaff and my sister.

I, Sophia Freda, of mega mind and human body, will my anatomy stabbing and ear removing skills to Jesus, my best friend.

G

D

Seniors of Westlake High School “My major is mechanical engineering. I’ve always liked building things and making things.

I want to build robotics, and in the future, probably prosthetics.”

ER STO NE

Congratulations, we made it to the end of senior year. Depending on whether this year went fast or slow for you, the long and sometimes agonizing journey of high school has finally come to a close. As a class, we have grown and done some amazing things that we should all be proud of. No matter what you do after high school or how far away you go, you will always be able to look back and remember WHS. I loved being your president these past two years; I want to wish you good luck hope you had as much fun as I did being a Warrior for the last four years!

CO

I, Emma Adams, of spicy mind and hydrodynamic body, will my athletic prowess and infinite fortune to Cooper Clemons and Kylie Chung.

I, Keilani Adams, of mostly unsound but surprisingly smart mind and flubber–esque body, will my “boy wonder” abilities and whatever is left of my sanity to my little brother who’s not so little, Kelton Garber.

I, Rohil Ahuja, of immense mind and miniscule body, will my Jerry West–like clutchness to Justin Yao, my Casey Frey–esque dancing skills to Ajay Bhargava and my insanely loud voice to my sister Saivee Ahuja.

I, Diego Alvarado, of thy Beetlejuice mind and Snoop Dog’s body, will my ambitions to see Bill Nye the Science Guy to my boi Cristy Mac. I, Cleavon Andrade, of Asian mind and Michael Phelps’ body, will my basketball skills to Evan Mackey.

I, Alexandra Arnold, of creative mind and strong body, will horseback riding skills to future sponsors and my mother.

I, Ally Arnold, of pure heart and mind and tiny body, will my success and fortune to my family and friends.

I, Colby Austin, of small mind and whack body, will my beat of Christopher to God rank in HOI4.

I, Luis Avalos, of your mind and road hog body, will my termination creature to pursue happiness.

I, Alan Gallardo, of flowing mind and Boyan Hu body, will my musicianship and viola prowess to the future violers: Abhinav, Maya, Arianna, Corinna and May.

Q: What is your major and why?

“I chose film studies as my major because I want to have a firm grasp on everything there is to do with the medium of film before I go into production.”

– Caden McQueen

Compiled by Sona Bhargava, Marc Andrew Choi & Katie Reul

17

SENIOR WILLS I, Citlali Ambrosia Garcia, of confuzzled mind and smug body, will my unpredictable resolutions show all to dream a bit bigger.

I, Jayron Gatmaitan, of slow mind and Filipino body, will my hard work pay off to be cool.

I, Audrey Gehart, of motherly mind and velociraptor body, will my musical talent and motherly love to Aidan Vass, Addie Craig, Ariana Quintana, Ian Brucell and Julian Frillici.

I, Shayan Ghara, of genius mind and Dwayne Johnson–like body, will my supreme athletic ability and abundance of jokes to Anthony Natalia and Kyle Masson.

I, Julianna Gin, of spiced mind and ramen– fueled body, will my bazooka powers to Abby Thompson, Ruby Sirota–Foster and Jenna Wilson, my art skills to Lily Chen, my (anti) social skills to my sis Kalea and Allan Tran’s left shoe to Vincent To. I, Jacob Ginzburg, of insanely impeccable mind and extremely shredded body, will my god–level tennis skills and over–confidence to Neel Roy, Will Nonnemaker and Jerry Shi. I, Brett Goldman, of bored out of my mind and exhausted body, will my ability to not get kicked out of the library to Bob Xia. I, Cristian Gomez, of Cully Pro mind and Ronald Tronconi body, will my Drip too Hard Pt. 2 to Ironman dies in Endgame.

I, Tommy Gonzalez, of Minecraft mind and weeb body, will my fish to Dulfin.

I, Jeff Goodwin, of strategic mind and lengthy body, will my chess skillz to become a grandmaster.

I, Paul Grace, of incomprehensible mind and swimmer body, will my thick thighs to Andrew Wang.

I, Laura Gulbrandsen, of distracted mind and Adidas–dad body, will my ability to constantly bite off more than I can chew and somehow still pull it off to Vera.

I, Ian Guss, of setting mind and tall body, will my give–it–ups to Wyatt, Zach and Akash.

I, Fatima Gutierrez, of not–so–bright mind and squishy body, will my funny skills to my sister Delia Couoh.

H I, Dylan Hampton, of conservative mind and redneck body, will my greatest thinking and Dainian thoughts to my fellow thinkers, philosophers and conservatives.

I, Michelle Hang, of a Disney–loving mind and stubby body, will my journalism naps to Prarthana and my sideline times to Naomi Sylvester and Kaila Millan.

I, Gaby Hayon, of The Class of 2019 mind and swimmer body, will my lane 4, car and being the oldest child in the house to my sister, Arielle.

I, Eduardo Hernandez, of DV mind and big body,

will my awesome T–Rex trophy to Sofia Startz.

I, Luis Hernandez, of gaming mind and weeaboo body, will my help of mathematics to my mother to show how much I love her.

I, Gabriella Herrera, of crazy mind and silly– putty body, will my sarcastic sense of humor to Milena R. I, Sachi Hiji, of confused mind and clumsy body, will my amazing procrastination and napping abilities to my sister Kimi and my subpar violin skills and the cars pencil to Isabella Marek.

I, Noah Hoehn, of swagger mind and drippy body, will my vlogging to Alex Whitehouse.

I, Jordan Hossini, of baby–obsessed mind and chocolate–filled body, will my ability to get good grades while not attending school to my sister– in–law Anne Lap. I, Bryce Howard, of light–skinned mind and delicious body, will my passing ability and dummy bounce to Elijah Elohim and my love to Jennifer Zucker.

I, Amari Huang, of robotic mind and smol penguin body, will my confidence and poise in public speaking in mock trial to Quinn Moss and Matty Schwartz, my (sometimes) cool, calm and cocky appearance to Tristin Caravello and my ambition, craze and attitude to Anne Lin. I, Greer Hurley, of apocalyptic mind and annoying body, will my hopefulness to the Academy teachers and students and my determination to all those who are learning who they are.

I I, Emiko Ito, of distracted mind and vertically challenged body, will my physical prowess, my #gainz and my three brain cells to Ansh, Dinuli, Jenna and my husband, Daniel Yao.

J I, Cameron Jasmin, of meaty mind and gorilla body, will my benching skills and deadlift abilities to Ryan Chi. I, Vivica Johnson, of intelligent mind and luxurious body, will my sign language career to take me far in life and to always and forever keep it up.

I, Daisy Jones, of flower mind and flower body, will my flower to flower.

I, Ashley Jou, of simple mind and peaceful body, will my happiness and excitement for senior year to Isabella Marek.

I, Kayla Jou, of goofy, confused mind and bone– cracking body, will my theatre acting powers to my “little sister” Leah Merjan.

I, Amanda Ju, of old man mind and older man body, will my acid reflux to whoever invented calculus and my basic spelling skills to Evelyn Krikorian, who needs them.

K I, Josh Karasik, of undeniably intelligent mind and rockin’ body, will my actual insane way of things working out perfectly to Sean Daily.

I, Avi Kapur, of Armenian mind and Indian body, will my pride in the tribe to Neto Obioha and Jack Kaplan.

I, Chase Karbon, of eccentric mind and dilapidated body, will my red hair, intense ambition, freckles and socks to Sam Ratcliffe, Quinn Moss, Nour Rayess, Yuri Kitamura, Samil Ahsan, Hayley Kang and Matthew Miles.

I, McKenna Katzman, of smart mind and funky body, will my everyday morning vlogs to Bailey Culpepper.

I, Layla Keshavarzi, of incredibly magnificent mind and exhausted body, will my study partner and pet shrimp, Ruth Bader Finsburg, to Emmy Klem and Mia Trilling.

I, Sarah Khalifa, of indecisive, cat–loving mind and invisible body, will my final remaining brain cells to my sister Sabrina, who is stuck here for another three years.

I, Megan King, of Kwakwaka’wakw mind and Chartres Cathedral body, will my broken–down car, all the notes I ever took and the monarchy to Spencer the King, any college advice I can give to Avery Pak, my journalism desk to Prarthana Kaygee and the pen I stole from Milla Wu to next year’s Arrow staff.

I, Preston Knapp, of hyperactive mind and abnormally tall body, will my senioritis and partying mentality to Charlie O’Toole, Stavros and Eric Johnson.

I, Brianna Krehbiel, of thriving mind and able body, will my life to prosperity to Kayla Celikel.

I, Evelyn Krikorian, of grandmaster mind and grandma body, will my basic social life to Amanda Ju, who needs it.

I, Cade Kristch, of big mind and big body, will my vibranium shield to Cato Kleinman and my peanut butter jelly sandwich to Casey Kleinman.

L I, Courtney Lam, of caffeine–run mind and funsize body, will my hairdye and BonBon stamp cards to Jillyn Kinsley.

I, Sean Laveau, of concussed mind and sunburned body, will my big tiger guy lifestyle transfer to Queen Ethleene.

I, Sofia Laycock, of willful mind and tall body, will my lame jokes ever be funny to anyone.

I, Courtney Leung, of stressed mind and tired body, will my positivity, awkwardness and inside jokes to Joanne Ma, Connie Shi and Evelyn Hu. I, Aaron Li, of spontaneous, senioritis–stricken mind and stable–looking yet actually weak body, will my resilience, passion for volleyball and horrible singing skills to the enhanced version of

Seniors of Westlake High School “My favorite moment was running in with our crowns at the first rally.”

– Julia Marek

myself, Owen Ye. I, Alex Li, of obtuse mind and fun body, will my shoe collection to Jerry Shi. I, Gillian Li, of caffeine–filled mind and faltering body, will my half–wheat collection and caudate lobe of my liver to Jade Li. I, Madison Long, of loud mind and vertical body, will my intense charisma to future Academy leaders and trucking skills to future truck dads.

I, Jose Lopez, of forgetful mind and normal body, will my skills of my future and my work to be Malcolm Jordan.

M I, Sage Mare, of confused hyperactive mind and fat body, will my passion for cars to Jack Kaplan.

I, Josephine Martinelli, of anxious mind and clumsy body, will my skillful procrastination, excitement for projects and amazing sense of humor to Miss Elena Martinelli.

I, Jennifer Matiz, of sleep–deprived mind and short body, will my feistiness, absences and ability to sleep in class or anywhere in fact to Stephanie Romero, Paulina Aguilar and Elena Gonzalez.

I, Brooke McClung, of dirty mind and bangin’ body, will my buss down moves and triller making ability to Ella Hosseinpour.

I, Kailee McFerran, of creative mind and strong body, will my singing and acting experience to future directors help to push my full potential to fulfill my dreams.

I, Chad McMillan, of relaxed mind and ripped body, will my swag to Dylan Suttner and Peyton Ellis.

I, Caden McQueen, of slimy mind and regular body, will my Film Club to Michael Freda and my abhorrent sense of humor to Yuri Kitamura.

I, Preston McQueen, of body mind and mind body, will my tiny tooth to Keilani, my “gamer” skills to Matt, Sam and Yuri and my entire collection of Family Guy DVD box sets to John.

I, Robert Mendez, of confused, simple mind and tired body, will my body be strong enough to get back home.

I, Jeremy Mettel, of unfocused mind and Hulk body, will my God–tier golf talent to Ethan Dempsey and my ambitions to my brother Jake when he comes here.

I, Christopher Meza, of a slightly delusional mind and very tired body, will my leadership of the Revolution to Julian Luke Klawitter.

I, Lance Minkow, of intelligent mind and goddess–like body, will my luck to everyone trying to graduate.

I, Aude Claire Moats, of mega mind and halfway functional body, will my ability to take a joke and give sass to Catherine Xu. I, Lauren Moeller, of fair mind and turtle body, will my injuries to my lacrosse team and my love for Adam Levine to no one else but me. He’s mine.

Q: What is your favorite senior year moment?

“I was waitlisted at Texas Christian University, the school I wanted to go to. I didn’t like that, so I drove three hours...

I walked in there, and I talked to them, and I made them let me in. And they did.”

– Michael Wood

“I’ve been on the [tennis] team all four years, but this has definitely been my favorite year.

[This year, we were] bonding, sharing a hotel together and we were all like sisters.”

– Anna Graziano

Compiled by Sona Bhargava, Marc Andrew Choi & Katie Reul

18

SENIOR WILLS

O

never ending cure to Han Li. I, Jennifer Ruffing, of sarcastic mind and constantly injured body, will my viola power and dissection skills to May, my sore legs to Rebecca, Ashley, Ruby, Sydney and Hailey and my sub–par chemistry knowledge to Vivian, Natasha, Esther, Kel and Matthew.

I, Neo Ruiz, of calming mind and relaxing body, will my luck to bring success to my future.

I, Christian Onuigbo, of clapback mind and combative body will my enemies to bow down.

S

N I, Chloe Nash, of strong–ish mind and weak–ish body, will my ASG clout to Ivy, Miela and Jessica and my lack of driving skills to Eddie and Abby.

P I, Katelyn Pattillo, of mostly confused mind and squishy body, will my love for procrastination to all students who will follow.

I, Caelyn Pender, of serendipitous mind and chocolate–craving body, will my last–minute study skills and the use of my closet to Keira Pender, my brilliant editing abilities to Prarthana Kaygee, Avery Pak and Angel Lee and my midnight writing inspiration to Brittney Nial.

I, Megan Pinckney, of elderly and senile mind and young yet weirdly crusty body, will my last bits of sanity and my inability to type to Vera, Olivia, Carla and Jade.

I, Pranav Pomalapally, of stoopid mind and brown body, will my pencil collection to Ajay Bhargava and my good reputation to Sam Kadaba.

I, Ylse Prieto, of tapped out mind and unproportionate body, will my Spotify playlist skills to Daryn Siegel.

R I, Arabella Raab, of sassy mind and basic body, will my work ethic to May Li, mock trial team captainship to Quinn Mary Moss, my Quizlets to the Anatomy class of 2020 and my favorite teachers to Katrina Raab.

I, Milena Radovich, of goldfish mind and dwarfish body, will my double–jointed fingers and all of my eyelashes to Gabby Jay. I, Bethany Reader, of sleep–deprived mind and equally sleep–deprived body, will my awful sarcasm, remarkable dancing skills and my left ankle to Delaney Waggoner.

I, Sierra Reed, of naive mind and hyperactive body, will my Shelter Helpers dictatorship to Zoey, my unpackaged and oversized Westlake T–shirt to my cat and my flourishing pet sitting business to my young and inexperienced sister Samantha.

I, Katie Reul, of caffeinated mind and horribly uncoordinated body, will my sarcasm and musical inadequacy to Angel Lee, Brendon Sayer and Ben Drabeck.

I, Lia Robbins, of the one–brain celled mind and cucumber body, will my attitude and sense of humor to my children Emma Sun, Rachel Sherrill and Essence Wang.

I, Shea Romero, of wild, imaginative mind and potato body, will my always positive attitude and

I, Heidi Saavedra, of quirky mind and short body, will my intelligence skills to the challenge yet to come.

I, Ben Sanchez, of sleepy mind and lazy body, will my sleepiness and laziness to the next generation of highschoolers.

I, Monique Savner, of 4 sadness 1 joy mind and Babushka–esque body, will my magnetism to free merchandise to Lief Jordan, my fleeting tennis abilities to Sam Noh and Barry to Jeff Mendoza and Zach Wilkins.

I, Sydney Schlesinger, of goth mind and frog–like body, will my car and prom issues to Sofia Startz, diploma to Raquel Startz since she won’t be graduating and my lucky pen to James Anders.

I, Ian Sherrill, of tired mind and sore body, will my swim abilities to Cameron and Peyton and what little will to live I have left to Daniel Yao, Torrey Joo, Cameron, Peyton and Ansh Rawat.

I, Maya Singh, of unsound mind and questionable body, will my boba addiction to Angel Lee, my procrastination skills to Anya Singh and my love of Cody Ko to Matt Sleep.

I, Connie Shi, of elephant–esque mind and ant–sized body, will my ability to nap on desks to Hillary Hsu, left leg to Ruby Sirota–Foster, right leg to Sydney Covington, squeaky shoes to Ashley Gonzalez, 3 brain cells to Jessie Song and rainbow notes to my brother Alan.

I, Allegra Skyy, of anatomized mind and sleep– deprived body, will my god–like diagram skills to the Advanced Anatomy Class of 2020.

I, Ashwin Soitkar, of bored mind and mundane body, will my sarcastic comments and lack of expression to Jerry Shi, Ashwin Araza, Alicia Proffitt and Ayush Gupta.

I, Julie Song, of buff Spongebob mind and handsome Squidward body, will my love of K–pop to Sophia Boldt, 89.5 senior grades to Jade Li and our Gudetama notebook to Gillian and Himani.

I, Raquel Startz, of Dwayne mind and fun– sized body, will my attendance record to Nicole Garabedian, college rejection letters to Jack Garabedian and Avery Aronson, my guy friends to Sofia Startz and Sofia Startz to the freshman boys.

I, Sean Steiner, of equal mind and sound body, will my existence matter to myself.

I, Amy Steinman, of small mind and small body, will my life to Alivia, Jade, McKenna and Alivia and my last brain cell to all of tech.

I, Julia Steinman, of hyperactive mind and tiny

body, will my mouthguard and cowboy hat to Naomi Sylvester.

I, Landon Stern, of bored mind and relaxed body, will my backpack and broken folders to my cousin Asher.

I, Faiz Surani, of questionably sound mind and flimsy body, will my terrible nicknames and my (relative) punctuality to Quinn Moss and my ability to avoid running into stationary objects to Daniel Yao.

T I, Allinta Tadesse, of not–so–sound mind and vertically challenged body, will my extensive meme gallery terrible puns to Lauren Stern and Clarashea Roos.

I, Kevin Taylor, of silly mind and jelly body, will my Skittles to Michael–Alan Stanford.

I, Blake Thompson, of country boy mind and sexy body, will my joy and happiness to all the beautiful people of Westlake.

I, Gideon Tong, of very distracted mind and very distracted body, will my output maximization problem–solving skills to Bethany Tong and my computer programming skills to James Ge. I, Austin Tsang, of hamster–caged mind and wooly darking beetle body, will my drone photography prevail to my road to aeronautics.

I, Ronald Tronconi, of my MO BAMBA mind and SICKO MODE body, will my DRIP TOO HARD to James Charles.

V I, Zella Vacaron, of over–caffeinated mind and exhausted body, will my inability to spell and title of Grandma to the concert cello section, specifically Wyatt Katz.

I, Kayli Vest, of ostrobogulous mind and decaying body, will my procrastinating skills and horde of sweatshirts to Lauren Stern and T.J. Ravish.

I, Elise Vigna, of empty mind and giraffe body, will my disease to Tyler Enderle, all my skinny white boys to Sofia Startz and my bachelor picks to Dylan Suttner.

W I, Hailie Wood, of music–obsessed mind and slow–moving body, will my intense and unhealthy obsession of music to all the future choir children.

I, Michael Wood, of “Sicko Mode” mind and smoothe and buttery body, will my power to love powerfully to my hero soillover16 and GreenRhino7.

I, Spencer Walshaw, of ten–year–old mind and seventeen–year–old body, will my Olympic level procrastination skills to my sister, Colette.

I, Fiona Watkins, of nugget mind and tree body, will my RBF to Jack and Lief.

I, Ashley Webb, of special mind and special body, will my sass to Dana Uchimiya, my team room

Seniors of Westlake High School “Just not showing up to classes. Being late everyday, it’s not that you don’t want to do your work, you just forget.”

– Bianca Nurnberger

locker to Jenevieve Weissman and my one–arm peppering skills to Anna Lumley.

I, Jason Weisenfeld, of ambitious mind and stellar body, will my superior handshake ability to Ashton Alonge.

I, Martin White, of witty mind and spicy body, will my dank memes and epic procrastination to Cooper Clemons and Tyler White.

I, Clare Whitney, of obsessed climber mind and weird body, will my procrastination skills and sassy demeanor to my best friend Katie.

I, Milla Wu, of chaotic mind and transcended body, will my constant anxiety to Prarthana and my AcaDeca prowess to Christina and Katrina.

X I, Bryan Xiao, of lazy mind and tired body, will my guessing abilities and napping skills to Justin Yao and Jerry Shi. I, Matthew Xu, of bamboozled mind and gobsmacked body, will my enthusiasm to Kimi Hiji, a blue Prius to Arinna Guo, endless Shrek memes to Jade Li and a bushel of cranberries to Mikayla Quintana.

Y I, Dylan Yamamoto, of insane mind and non– plastic body, will my keys to my remote control car to my socially incompetent friend Thomas Guy.

Z I, Xavier Zaldana, of humbled mind and swole body, will my admiration and respect to my fellow classmates of 2019.

I, Christian Zamora, of a common sense of mind and normal body, will my writing skills to help me write essays.

I, Natalie Zavala, of overused mind and squishy body, will my senioritis and major lack of sleep to Kazy Martin.

I, Jane Zhang, of stressed and legendary mind and giraffe body, will my entrepreneurial spirit to Charlotte Barrett and James Ge and my lack of perfectionism to Christina Xu and the food Bob donated to me to Bob Xia. I, Melanie Zhang, of disconnected mind and Dorito body, will my inability to multitask to Quinn Moss and amazing, totally–on beat dance moves to all of my varsity swim girls.

I, Julia Zhong, of discombobulated mind and BBQ–chicken salad addicted body will my endless supply of diabolical laughter to Isabel Galvin and my hard–earned miniature golf expertise to Jiasen Jing.

I, Katelin Zhou, of Yerba Mate mind and penguin body, will my JSA heart to Hayley Kang, Quinn Moss, Ethan Elasky, Vincent To and Alexa Warren and my overly talkative best friend to Trevor Gadsby.

Q: What is your biggest instance of senioritis?

“One week I had a lot of tests and essays to study for and just fell asleep every night and said ‘meh it’s fine I’m going to USC.’ #fighton!”

– Nina Ferrer

“It was one of those days when you’re just over it, and you’re like ‘You know, I don’t think I’m going to go to school tomorrow.’ ... And I think that happened the next day and then I didn’t go for two more days.”

– Celeste Figueroa

Compiled by Sona Bhargava, Marc Andrew Choi & Katie Reul

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SENIOR QUOTES “They don’t $400.”

deserve “‘“Michael Wood,” – Sarah Sullivan,’ – Bethany Reader.”

– Ethan Harrison – Sarah Sullivan

“Roses are red. School went by quick. I got a scholarship because I’m dummy thicc.”

– Nate Brenner

“Snakes in the grass and in your class.”

– Makena Pratt

“I think, therefore I am overqualified.”

– Ben Harris

“Fire Nate and Ryan.”

“Remember when I didn’t show up to, literally, more than half of senior year.”

“Mr(s). Struggle”

– Bryce Howard

– Rahel Bachmann

– Monique Savner

“You can do anything in this world as long as you work hard and you put your mind to it.”

– Anthony Haas

“Eyes up. Stay sharp.”

– Scott Pugh

“Big Birkin bag, hold five, six figures.”

– Anthony Huynh

“My high school experience is The Office Season 5 Episode 14: ‘Cold Open.’”

- Jacqueline Gomez

Compiled by Elliot Kim, Jamie Lee & Milla Wu

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ASG SENIORS

CONGRATULATIONS! 2

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3

1 7 12

10

8

9

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Class of 2019

ASG Seniors

PHOTO BY PRARTHANA KAYGEE

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13

6

5

6

MICHAEL WOOD TEXAS CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY

11

OLIVIA DINARDO SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY

2

CHLOE NASH UNIVERSITY OF UTAH

7

JENNIFER MATIZ CSU LONG BEACH

12

SARAH SULLIVAN UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME

3

KEVIN GARAND UC BERKELEY

8

GABRIELLE GROSSMAN UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND

13

MORGAN DYE UNIVERSITY OF DENVER

4

NATE BRENNER UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI

9

MARIAH VILLAVICENCIO MOORPARK COLLEGE

14

PARKER CLEMONS CU BOULDER

5

SCOTT PUGH MOORPARK COLLEGE

10

JACOB LIPPEL CHAPMAN UNIVERSITY

15

BETHANY READER UC SANTA CRUZ

1

RYAN L’HEUREUX MOORPARK COLLEGE