The Arrow Senior Issue 2020

the

Arrow 100 Lakeview Canyon Rd. Westlake Village, CA 91362 Volume XLII | Issue 5 | June 1, 2020

Valedictorians page 3

Senior map pages 8–9

Senior wills pages 13–15

2

TABLE OF CONTENTS

In this issue...

pg. 3

pgs. 4-5

pg. 6

Valedictorians

Senior reflections

Senior memories

pg. 7

pgs. 8-9

pg. 10

pg. 11

Advice to freshmen

Senior map

pg. 12

pgs. 13-15

pg. 16

Senior favorites

Senior wills

ASG graduates

Virtual college Quarantine bucket list

theArrow Staff

www.westlakearrow.com

westlakearrow@gmail.com @westlakearrow 100 N. Lakeview Canyon Road Westlake Village, CA 91362 (805) 497-6711 ext. 4225 The Arrow is written, designed and run by the students of the Advanced Journalism and Journalism 1CP classes at Westlake High School. The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the writers and do not necessarily represent those of the Conejo Valley Unified School District, Westlake High School administration, faculty or student body. We welcome feedback. Letters must be signed by the writer.

editors-in-chief

Cover design by Avery Pak Photos above courtesy of public domain

sports section editor bob xia

prarthana kaygee, angel lee & avery pak

photo editor

managing editors

jeff mendoza

songhee lee, lauren pak & lindsey romano

web editors

graphics editor songhee lee & faith yellin

lauren pak

business manager

news section editor

amber parrish

quinn moss

feature section editors

staff writers

kyra berg & lindsey romano

arts & entertainment section editor abigail thompson

aly brook, tommy kackert, owen kobett, angela ling, soumya monga, margaret teegarden & allan tieu

adviser karie lynch

opinion section editor sophie robson

3

VALEDICTORIANS

Valedictorians reflect on high school

by owen kobett & allan tieu

staff writers This year’s valedictorians will have a very different ceremony to mark their accomplishments, one that instead of taking place on a stage will occur in the solitude of their homes.

However, this group of 35 valedictorians should still be recognized for their incredible accomplishments in appropriate fashion.

At WHS, valedictorians are classified as students who received a 4.65 indexed GPA (which is different than one’s weighted GPA and requires specific calculations) or higher throughout high school.

But these students are much more than just a grade point average; they are leaders who have persevered through the challenge that comes with balancing a busy workload.

“I struggled with writing the most,” said Jonathn Chang ‘20. “I once struggled with writing of all sorts, but through humanities

classes, college essays and personal interests, I for school events or friend hangouts, so I didn’t have made huge improvements and developed have to miss out on those.” my ability to express myself through words.”

These challenges have come with many While some may have struggled with a memories. They have been a part of a number specific subject, others may have had trouble of clubs and extracurricular activities where balancing time between maintaining high grades they have had opportunities to bond with other in their classes and achieving at a high level in people in their class. their extracurriculars.

“My favorite memory “I sometimes of high school is being on he memories I the tennis team. We’ve gone struggled to balance my time studying and made with the through so many things running during the people I met [in together … we truly are school year, especially [a sisterhood]. Fighting high school] are things I’ll through long tournaments, during the postseason for track and cross keep with me forever and exploring new cities and country,” said Rebecca look back at with fondness. creating inside jokes are Schultz ‘20. memories that I’ll cherish A d d i t i o n a l l y, forever,” said Hu. to get through these With their senior -Evelyn Hu challenges they have year now behind them, had to make sacrifices in many of the WHS order to balance their schedule and outside life. valedictorians look to the future to further “[I] definitely [sacrificed] sleep,” said develop their smarts and learn more about Evelyn Hu ‘20. “But I tried to balance my time the world around them. Quarantine has given

“T

them the opportunity to think about what the next few years will entail.

“I am going to Yale in the fall, and I am hoping to study Biology or Environmental Science,” said Shultz. “Perhaps [I will] study to become a veterinarian.”

Although some might already know what they want to do with their college experience, others will spend their next few years trying out a variety of classes to see what they like.

“My plans for the future are to explore the academic world and to find a true passion to pursue,” said Chang.

But despite late–night studying and packed schedules, high school was an extremely important, fun and memorable experience for most of the WHS valedictorians.

“The memories I made with the people I met are things I’ll keep with me forever and look back at with fondness,” said Hu. “High school can be difficult and what helped me get over those challenges were the people around me. I am ... grateful to have all these memories and to have had a wonderful four years with my classmates.”

WHS Class of 2020 Valedictorians

Samil Ahsan UCSD

Jonathn Chang UCLA

Ethan Elasky UC Berkeley

Sahiti Gavva UCLA

Ethan Gillis UC Berkeley

Arinna Guo UC Berkeley

Amanda Hacker UCLA

Michael Han U of Chicago

Evelyn Hu Cornell

Hayley Kang Brown

Prarthana Kaygee

U of Chicago

Max Li USC

May Li Northwestern

Edwin Liu UC Berkeley

Joanne Ma UCLA

Madi McMichael

Duke

Matthew Miles USC

Quinn Moss Yale

Quinn Muscatel Vanderbilt

Samantha Noh USAFA

Avery Pak UCLA

Mikayla Quintana

Boston College

Katrina Raab UCLA

Sam Ratcliffe UC Berkeley

Stephen Saw UC Berkeley

Rebecca Schultz Yale

Jessie Song UC Berkeley

Vincent To U of Auckland

Vivian Truong Johns Hopkins

Lauryn Wang UCLA

Alexa Warren Dartmouth

Christina Xu UC Berkeley

Daniel Yao UC Berkeley

Justin Yao UCLA

Celina You Duke

Compiled by Avery Pak

4

REFLECTIONS

We eight one of the seniors TotALY wanting time to stop High school is PARRISH–able by aly brook staff writer My first day at WHS was exciting; it was also chaotic to say the least. I remember freaking out about finding classrooms and stressing out about barely knowing anyone. I was coming from a middle school out–of–district and only knew a few people attending WHS. Freshman year was really challenging for me. The increase in school work and level of difficulty was much different than middle school.

My own strict mindset to do well in school and my feeling of needing to be “perfect” clouded the enjoyment I should have been having. I lost some of my confidence and was unsure of myself.

Following freshman and sophomore year, I realized being perfect is impossible and while grades are important, they are not everything. I would rather enjoy my high school experience than waste it away by worrying all of the time.

I really found my voice my junior and senior years and took advantage of a lot more opportunities. Being a part of WHS Choral Music Department pushed me to be the person I am today: one who is not afraid of putting myself out there, being a leader and letting my voice be heard. Unlike my freshman year, I walked the halls with my head held high and

was filled with determination, glee and self– confidence I had originally lost.

One of the most memorable moments in my high school career occurred my junior year in WHS choir. Our trip to Anaheim was one of the most incredible moments of my life, and not just because we were at Disneyland, the happiest place on Earth. WHS Choral Music Department won The Judges Invitational Sweepstakes Award, which is the highest and most prestigious award a school can win. After all of our hard work, winning together was the sweetest moment.

I remember red confetti floating across the sky, while Mickey Mouse handed us the trophy. Everyone’s beaming faces had happy tears racing down their cheeks, and I felt so grateful to be a part of this family.

I originally longed for senior year to come sooner. I wanted to be at the top of the school chain and no longer an underclassman. Now that I am at the end of my senior year, there is one thing I want: more time to make up for the in–person moments that we lost, which would be music to my ears. Since graduation and college are around the corner, all I can say is this: WHS, thank you for four incredible years filled with countless learning experiences and unforgettable memories. I wouldn’t trade them for anything.

by amber parrish business manager WHS has taught me a lot over my last four years. I'm not talking about the quadratic formula or what the mitochondria is; I'm talking about the real life lessons I have mastered.

I have gained great knowledge in many things over these years, such as learning to set my priorities straight, knowing that perfect attendance isn't always the best thing and also how to get the most done with the least amount of effort.

Having learned all these things through high school really made me into the person I am today and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. Having learned about how to set priorities straight really helped me mentally throughout high school. For example, I would end up in a scenario where I would have to choose between going to Starbucks or arriving at school on time and most of the time I choose going to school. Don’t get me wrong — I will choose Starbucks if it is absolutely necessary, which brings me to my next lesson WHS taught me: attendance.

Even though aiming for perfect attendance was something that really motivated me to get through high school, it’s always good to

have those days off for mental health where you just stay home and work on yourself.

Although I probably have had a bit more of those days then the average high schooler, it is something that has really benefited me in the long run because I’ve learned to prioritize mental health. High school can be hard and stressful, so it’s always important to focus on yourself and your mental health first.

Lastly, WHS has taught me how to get the most work done with the least amount of effort.

Although this may sound bad at first, it is an extremely beneficial skill to have. At the start of the school year, I would put 100% of my focus and motivation into making sure that everything I did was perfect, but throughout the years of growing up, I’ve learned that not everything needs to be done perfectly.

I may never remember any of the books I read during my four years of high school or the scientific name for the human knee, but I will always remember walking onto the WHS campus almost everyday with a feeling of comfort and love. I will also always remember the fact that I am writing this senior reflection well over a week past its due date. I think about all the things high school has taught me and brought into my life and how thankful I am to have gone to such an amazing school with kind and memorable people.

Seniorreflection_finaldraft(1) Only the QUINNtessentials by bob xia sports section editor I remember my first day of high school. I walked into school, wearing neon shorts and a hoodie carrying a box of donut holes, late to school. Late to school on my first day, that made a great impression. Better yet, I kept that routine for four years. Now, I’m sitting in my room, contemplating how well I spent my time in high school, going off to college and wondering what I have accomplished.

Some people may say high school went by in a blur.

It really didn’t. The classes I took throughout high school made me realize how much of what we learn doesn’t really matter. Every year, I kept the same routine: memorized everything for a test, passed the test and forgot it all afterward.

Now, you would think I had some memorable experiences throughout school, but in reality, I had quite a simple school life.: minded my own business, did my own stuff and frankly survived in school. I wasn’t a model student like some of the editors, and I picked up a rather pointless skill from my brother: sleeping in class. Now I’m not recommending sleeping in class, but some classes got rather boring. For instance, when it comes to sitting

in a history class (my least favorite subject) learning about a bunch of dead people and past events that have no direct impact on me, I feel that it is better to spend my time catching up on sleep.

However, there is one thing that will truly stick with me: that is my legacy of attempting to raise the net weight of the school, or at least my grade level. Almost everyday, I would have some form of sweets, whether it was a couple of boxes of donuts, a large bag of candy, loads of cookies or even tubs of ice cream; my efforts could solely feed a school.

And yes, a bunch of money was spent — don’t ask how much. I was asked why did I do this, or how am I so nice?

Just stop asking questions and go with it. Some of the things we do, we just do. It’s not like I enjoyed spending money, but rather, I enjoyed smiling and hopefully putting a smile on people’s faces every now and then.

Throughout highschool, we all face hardships, but try to cover them up with whatever we can and hold our heads high.

Maybe that was my aim, or maybe not. The world may never know.

Even so, I’ve learned a lot of memorable lessons throughout high school. You’re more than just a number or a letter grade, not defined by your accomplishments. So try to make the best of high school while you can. Bob Xia out.

by quinn moss news section editor When I look back on my time at WHS, I’m happy to say I have very few regrets. It all feels like a blur now, but in the moment, I felt like Arinna Guo ‘20 and I would never finish our rendition of “Acids and Bases” for AP Chemistry sophomore year. I felt like the sleeplessness and chaos of mock trial competition week would last an eternity. I thought there would always be another JSA convention or Green Alliance project to distract me from my schoolwork, that I would always have another morning spent on the third floor of Building 4 with Delaney O’Donnell ‘20 and Corinna Tjan ‘20 and that there would always be another after–school lunch with Sam Ratcliffe ‘20 and Stephen Saw ‘20.

I realize now that I took all these things for granted, and it hits a lot harder knowing many of them ended prematurely. My advice to those who still have a few years left at WHS, though cliché, is to cherish every lunch with friends in the cafeteria, every desperate all–nighter, every soul–sucking school project and every valuable piece of wisdom nonchalantly dropped by Doug Freed. These pieces of WHS that seemed so

minute at the time, I now look back on most often with nostalgia. These are the memories I’ll carry with me for years to come.

Needless to say, the Class of 2020 has endured a lot. Our freshman year, we watched as the 2016 presidential election ushered in an unrivaled era of political division. Sophomore year, the largest fire in California history blazed through communities directly adjacent to our own. The following year, we were met not only with more flames, which ravaged our own community, but also a devastating mass shooting claiming 13 lives in our hometown. And finally, our senior year has been cut short by a pandemic that has resulted in over 100,000 deaths in the U.S. alone.

These external pressures notwithstanding, I feel really lucky to have had an overall positive high school experience. I’ve accomplished a lot, despite never curing my tendency towards procrastination, and I’ve made friends with amazing people, who I hope to stay in touch with as we head in different directions. My enduring desire for a change of scenery has faded as such change has begun to actually approach. This transition feels more bitter than sweet. Nonetheless, I wouldn’t have wanted to spend my formative years anywhere else, so thank you, WHS.

5

REFLECTIONS

PAK up and move on by avery pak co–editor–in–chief Upon entering high school, the key things that defined me were Starbucks caramel macchiatos, the C1 filter on VSCO, alarmingly gold highlights and excessive Brandy Melville.

I stuck my tongue out a little too much in photos and spent way too much time focusing on friend groups and fads rather than things that matter.

I can safely say that almost everything that I entered high school loving, I now hate.

It’s not as pessimistic as it sounds; it’s just me trying to say that in a span of four years, I’ve changed a lot. And so has every other high schooler.

Most of us cringe at our freshman selves, who, at the time, were so fixated on things that we probably soon stopped caring about.

In ninth grade, I certainly wouldn’t have thought that my world would stop revolving around Cole Sprouse and Ariana Grande. But it did, thankfully.

I discovered that my passions lie in writing, environmental justice and medicine.

I found friends and grew with friends who I will be friends with for life. And I realized that becoming friends with my teachers is a lot of fun. Shoutout to Mr. Korshavn for helping me get through Calculus at least one lunch a month!

But some things haven’t changed. One thing I’m gonna try to fix as I enter college and

beyond is my resting … face. I’ve been told that when I walk past people in the hallway I look mean or annoyed. Most of the time I’m not actually annoyed, I’m just hungry or tired.

And I’ll always use music as a way to make the monotony of a 7 a.m.–4 p.m. schedule slightly less monotonous, whether it’s listening to Glass Animals with Lauren, Lana with Hadley or Fine Line with Sarah.

Also, I’ll never spend a passing period or break or lunch without eating. In order to stay awake for 18+ hours, I need the calories to keep me going. I’ve learned to stock my lululemon lunchbag with as many pita chips, veggie sticks, goldfish bags, and fruits as I can carry.

So if my life were a coming– of–age movie, right now it’s about 30 minutes in. As much as I’ll miss singing canciones españoles with Christina until they consume my nighttime thoughts, smiling through pre–in–class–essay cold sweats, being late to Enviro with Katrina, dedicating February of 2020 to water assassins with Sophie or angrily cutting in front of slow people in the hallways, I can’t wait to be out of high school and see what the rest of the movie is gonna be like. In another four years, I hope I can say I’ve learned as much as I did from 2016–2020, and hopefully by then, I can actually graduate on a stage.

Although I’m definitely going to keep my future visits to WHS minimal, my time here was nothing short of fantastic.

Have no FAITH in high school by faith yellin co–web editor–in–chief High school was the most pointless four years of my life. Nothing happened. I am sitting here typing away after watching five hours of Keeping Up with the Kardashians reflecting on how much effort I put into four years of my life only to end up where I started my freshman year: in an oversized shirt and pajama shorts staring at a bright screen.

If there’s one thing that’s changed since starting high school, it’s my eyesight; like, I literally start tearing up at any bright light because of all the hours I spent looking at pixels on my phone. Okay, I have now dimmed my screen and am ready to continue writing.

As I reflect on the last 48 months, (I may or may not have had to pull up my phone’s calculator to do that math) I literally cannot remember a single thing that happened while I was in high school. My neck ACHES just thinking of all the times I had to keep my head down in the hallways. Oh, and I’m practically deaf in one ear after the amount of hours I spent blasting music so I didn’t have to talk to anyone. Sorry if I’m being mean, but I do tend to lack empathy during sentimental and nostalgic situations like writing a “Senior Reflection.”

The editors said this needed to be 300– 400 words and I’m only at 232 words, so I’ll do a recap of my prime moments at WHS.

During my high school career, I joined one sports team, which I then dropped out after a year, joined numerous clubs, which I then dropped out of because I got bored, attended choir shows and theater productions, which I always left during intermission because I got bored, and went to one football game, which I left during halftime because I got bored.

I made many friends and will soon lose many friends after I throw my phone into a river before college starts, because I love the drama and attention of becoming somewhat of a new person in this upcoming chapter of my life.

Putting my negative attitude aside because my parents will probably read this, I loved high school! It taught me so many things and provided so many opportunities and memories!

I made so many friends!

Okay, the editors told me I needed to add 50 more words to my story two week after that previous sentence was written, so here you go. It is currently 11:41 p.m. on Sat. May 23 and I hear loud booms outside of my window. I’m kind of scared to be perfectly honest. I don’t know what else to say because I guess this reflection is due soon and I was supposed to add to this a couple hours ago but I’m on the episode in Keeping Up With the Kardashians where Kim gives birth to her first daughter North and it’s riveting stuff to say the least. Wow, high school! So much fun! Yay!

High school is no ANGEL by angel lee co–editor–in–chief Honestly, I didn’t see this coming. I did not think I was going to make it out of high school alive, and I also didn’t think I’d be graduating in a drive–thru ceremony in the student parking lot. Now I wake up every day past noon and let the day take me wherever it wants to. So, because I have all the time in the world to reflect on my four years at WHS, I’ll get the heartfelt stuff over with first.

If I’ve learned anything in my years here, it’s to never take yourself for granted and to be glad that you are you. There are so many instances where you’ll wish you were someone else, but in the end, you should always cherish yourself, whether it be your appearance, your personality or your talents.

My advice here is really just me trying to make myself feel better because I’ve spent these four years comparing myself to others. Therefore, I’ve made peace with myself, even though I am not as good as some people and never will be the greatest ever.

I definitely have my share of regrets which include wishing I became friends with people earlier, wishing I cared a little more about my grades and wishing that I got more involved in clubs, but what I have now is more than my freshman self could ever ask for.

As a freshman, I really only had senior

friends from regiment, so I thought I was very cool for being close to upperclassmen. I also thought this proved my maturity and superiority to other freshmen. I was wrong. Little freshman me was actually just a weird fangirl who talked about K–pop and K–pop only, so I understand why I had a hard time befriending the people I am friends with now. Sophomore and junior year made a joint effort to destroy my life just to rebuild it, so I am somewhat grateful for the raging hormones that turned my healthy brain into a chemically–imbalanced one. Senior year is as good as it gets, so I guess I saved the best for last.

High school is really just the process of figuring yourself out, whether that means finding your true colors or pursuing your passions. It’s about the interactions you have with people who will have an impact on a little part of your life. It’s about the breakdowns from stress and pressure that really add some flavor to your experience.

High school is something you can look back on if you ever need to feel grateful for not being the fool you once were.

With that being said, my high school years were full of weird encounters that I wish never happened, but everything comes together to leave me with memories. I have developed a dry personality, too many celebrity crushes and a numbness to the feeling of uncertainty. I’m glad that this part of my life is over and that I went through it. Thank you high school, next please.

It’s going to be o–KAY by prarthana kaygee co–editor–in–chief And here is yet another senior reflection.

Hi, I’m Prarthana. I have disliked my name for a few reasons, one being that my teachers often fail to correctly pronounce my name. If there is one reward that high school has given me, it is my nickname “Prat,” easy to pronounce, shorter to write and fun to say.

Glad we could settle that.

Okay, here we go. Four years. 48 months. 192 weeks. 1456 days.

34,944 minutes.

2,095,640 minutes. 125,798,400 seconds.

In these last few years, I have dedicated more hours to school than to my family and friends, between field hockey games, newspaper press days and weekend dissections.

And the list continues… I did not intend for school to become my defining characteristic, but it gradually invaded every aspect of my life until it was. The way I spend my time, the way I think and the way I react.

I began multiple weeks with motivation and ended with procrastination. I met so many people and tolerated few. I learned an extensive amount and retained only some. I began high school with the belief that I knew so much about the world around us and about myself. As I reach the end of senior year, I realize that I understand very little about the world around us and even less about

myself. No really, the only news I follow is the headlines that I see on Snapchat or the stories that are reposted on Instagram. There is so much uncertainty that surrounds us, but the one belief that has stayed with me in these four years is that ‘everything happens for a reason,’ and that is my personal secret to surviving high school.

From an outside perspective, school often seems monotonous. However, the boring, repetitive nature of school has allowed me to appreciate the subtle nuances that I may not have noticed the first time I was running late to first period. And for me, having just enough tardies that I do not get a detention has become a personality trait of mine.

As I reflect on the last four years, I have realized that there is much more to learn than how to find a derivative or Newton’s three laws of motion. I am pleasantly surprised by how much you can learn about a person simply talking to them for thirty seconds every nutrition. To keep up with high school, I had to learn to play the game. It is like a game of telephone. The constant rumors of who’s dating who, who got into which colleges, who’s nice, who’s mean. In the midst of this, I think it is important to remember who you are, and I have learned to become very good at that. In a few months, when I *hopefully* go to college, I will be the same girl who wears sweatpants and a t– shirt to class with a pair of slip–on white Vans.

This will never change. And I’m oKAY with that.

6

FEATURE

The Arrow asked seniors:

“What is your favorite memory that never happened?”

With the chaos of the pandemic, the class of 2020 was unable to live out their last memories at WHS. When asked this question, they all reflect on a last memory they hoped would happen that they felt would have completed their senior year.

Gage Barclay ‘20: “Dylan Snodgrass ‘20 winning Homecoming king” “My friends and I campaigned for our friend, Andrew Hudak ‘20, to win the year before, and we were hoping we could do the same with Dylan Snodgrass ‘20. He always wanted to be homecoming king, and he looked so happy riding in the back of the convertible during the homecoming game. It broke all of our hearts when he wasn’t chosen”

Luna Nienow ‘20: “All those last things seniors get to experience” “Going to prom, grad night, the senior picnic and actually walking in graduation are all rites of passage for seniors. In my opinion, they are all the last steps of your childhood and then your adult life starts. That’s it, as a senior, you do those things, and it’s like those 12–13 years paid off and I know I get to move on.”

Matt Reznick ‘20: “Doing the worm at prom” “It’s just something that I thought I would remember my whole life, like a coming–of–age moment, similar to the Lion King. I’d been practicing the move since November. It’s sad, but I’m not too down about it. There’s always college parties and night clubs.”

Evelyn Hu ‘20: “The AP– tests–are–over feeling at school” “Immediately after the test, there’s a commotion that happens. We talk about the test even though we’re not supposed to, we run to our teacher’s room to tell him or her everything, and we wind down from the pressure of taking the dreaded test ... School becomes a place to have fun and talk and there’s very little stress...there’s so much time to do whatever we want ... But this year is different because we can’t celebrate in person with our teachers and our classmates ... as a senior, I wanted to spend the last few weeks with my classmates reminiscing about high school and all in all having a good time.”

Sarah Condon ‘20: “Eating five churros and throwing up after at Grad Nite” “I chose this because it was the most memorable part of Grad Nite. It represented the silliness and free spirit that my friends and I have. We constantly joke around and are always eating food, so it fits perfectly.

Throwing up after eating five churros is definitely something I would do and know that we would all laugh about it. It was one last memory that we all [would have] made together before we graduated and went our different ways.”

Matt Davis ‘20: “Kelman scoring the game winning touchdown at CIF” “I played football, and I love Kelman. He is the nicest man ever, and he means a lot to me and that would have been legendary to see him play football. If it did happen, the entire school would have gone nuts.

Coach Kirksey would’ve gone crazy and dumped Gatorade all over him ... we’d probably all be in tears. I don’t think it would’ve just marked completion of senior year but rather high school as a whole...the end of sports for me and someone I love doing something really cool.”

Aliza Murillo ‘20: “Prom because I bought a $250 dress, and now I can’t return it” “My parents and I knew that we weren’t going to have time, so we decided to go [dress shopping] on the 18th of January ... Once I bought it, I thought I was kind of crazy for spending so much, but I was in love with it ... As soon as I got home that night, I made a Pinterest page to start planning out my makeup and hair because I was literally so excited and couldn’t wait ... Now that it is [so long] after I bought it, I can’t return it. I really do not know what to do with it yet .... [because] it’s kind of like the cap and gown to me.

I might not be able to use it, but I want to have it as a memory.”

7

FEATURE

Seniors share what they wish they knew as freshmen Lauryn Wang ‘20 “Hoard the pizookie coupons in the choir program while you can.”

Kylie Lindgren ‘20

Madi McMichael

“You’re doing your best, and it will be good enough.”

‘20 “Allow yourself to just be in high school and not [be] so focused on the future.”

Garrett Cypher ‘20 “Don’t blend in, stand out.”

Jasen Cummings ‘20

Bailey Culpepper ‘20

“Figure out who your real friends are and hold them close. Don’t forget the things that make you happy. “

“It’s nothing like High School Musical.”

Naomi Sylvester ‘20 “Keep reading the English books ... but also use Litcharts.”

Gemma Kimble ‘20 “Do what you want in the moment despite what others think because in the end no one cares or even remembers.

High school is short; don’t let it pass you by. “

Christina Xu ‘20 “The only person who can dissuade you from reaching your goals is you.

Don’t let yourself.”

Gavin Valladares ‘20 “Do not take your foot off the gas pedal, and always put in hard work.”

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10

COLLEGE AND ECONOMY

Adjusting to a new normal

by bob xia sports section editor COVID–19 has recently disrupted the education system globally. It has specifically impacted students’ interaction and routine with school, particularly college students.

The first major change is the transition to online learning. Although many college courses require students to self–study quite a bit, there is even less interaction between students and their professors. For instance, office hours, a chance to talk to the professor, are significantly limited now.

Students may have ongoing engagements at home that may not allow them to participate in their classes at a specific time. Although professors are understanding due to the current situation, it still impacts the students’ education.

Steven D. Krause, an English professor at Eastern Michigan University has always been a stickler for deadlines and attendance. But with the current pandemic, he told an online news outlet, “I’m starting to really rethink the value of being such a hard–a** instead of trying to be like an empathetic human.”

Krause’s explanations for his thoughts were provoked by attempting to track down students who did not attend classes or missed deadlines.

He realized, with this ongoing pandemic, many students are struggling, whether it’s unemployment, caregiving, medical reasons, or even internet quality at home.

In addition, there have been many questions pertaining to whether students should have to pay housing fees and demands that tuition should be decreased. Many colleges have even made their courses available online, free of charge for anyone through platforms such as edX.

GRAPHIC BY LAUREN PAK

This begs the question, if non–college students can take these courses for free, then why should the students attending the college still have to pay tuition and other expenses to do just the same?

“I think that college tuition should be partially refunded because the quality of education online is not nearly as effective as it would be in person,” said Matt Zhang ‘18.

“Students are losing a learning environment and everything else full tuition promises.”

Many students were forced to leave campus within a matter of days, leaving some of their belongings behind. This became a major problem for students living off–campus, still having to pay for expenses like Wi–Fi or cable, even if the housing is not being occupied.

Due to the uncertainty of COVID–19, many

colleges are unsure what the future may hold.

Although some schools, such as the Universities of California (UCs), have already made a decision to open up every campus in the fall.

For the upcoming fall semester, “every campus will be open and offering instruction,” said UC President Janet Napolitano to the UC Board of Regents on May 21. “The only question will be how much of that instruction is in–person versus how much is done remotely.”

With so much still unknown about what lies ahead, not all universities have a contingency plan set up in place, but plan to let students know what lies ahead.

Unlike the UC system, California State University (CSU) Chancellor Timothy White made the announcement May 12 that all 23 of

their universities will cancel in–person classes for the fall and continue instruction online, in preparation for a potential second wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

They plan to move large–scale gatherings and lecture halls online but keep smaller gathering to in–person. Many universities outside of California are considering this approach as well.

While this may not affect most of the students already in college, many high school seniors have differing opinions. Based on a survey of WHS seniors, 67 would rather start online while 49 would defer their first year or semester.

Even with all these announcements in place, much can still change between now and mid–August or September. With the governments of some states still requiring some form of social distancing, whatever the future holds still lies a mystery.

Additionally, one of the greatest changes is the college admissions process for students still in high school. As long as the stay–at– home order remains in many states, gathering to take a standardized test is a potential risk.

As a result, the SAT and ACT requirements for many colleges are considering being revoked for students applying in the next few years.

On May 21, UC Board of Regents announced that their school system will suspend the SAT and ACT requirements until 2024. In place of this, they will be implementing another test that more closely aligns with what admissions are looking for from incoming students.

With major changes being made, students in high school and college will need to adapt. There are possibilities for new requirements in the college admissions process, but with this being a global pandemic, the scales will be balanced to be as fair as possible for all students.

Pandemic wreaks havoc on economy

unanticipated costs reached a total of 310 million dollars in March alone. California State University spokesman Michael Uhlenkamp reported an estimated monthly revenue loss of While the overall rate of new coronavirus about 100 million dollars in the CSU system cases in the United States is declining, economists as well.

Younger members of society are anticipated warn of lasting financial implications for years to come. Many are likening the impending to contribute most to the economy’s recovery.

“Partisan and cultural rifts that were ugly economic crisis to the 2008 recession.

The Class of 2020 finds itself uniquely already have been exacerbated as we talk about situated at the cusp of this burgeoning economic what kind of body count we’re prepared to accept crisis, entering the world, college and the in order to keep the economy going,” said AP Microeconomics teacher Doug Freed. “I suspect workforce at a time of heightened uncertainty.

[The Arrow] readers The University of always knew they California, for instance, suspect [The Arrow] would be required to which many WHS seniors plan to attend in the fall, readers always clean up after previous generations, but perhaps “is confronting many knew they would not so soon.” of the worst impacts of be required to clean up after Furthermore, the virus all at once,” seeking said UC President Janet previous generations, but seniors employment in the Napolitano in a letter to perhaps not so soon.” months to come Gov. Gavin Newsom. may find the search According to UCLA historian Michael Miranze – Doug Freed far more difficult than that of previous in an interview with The generations due to the Los Angeles Times, the UC system’s lack of revenue during this time impending recession.

Those graduating from college are could result in larger class sizes, fewer courses, and higher tuition for students. The UCs’ anticipated to face the worst of the

by quinn moss news section editor

“I

virus’ economic impact, in a process the country. Even those in essential work face a known as “scarring.” difficult choice between a lack of income and the “Historically, college students who risk of contracting the virus at work. graduate into a recession Freed suggests have settled for lowerknow that members students study subjects paying jobs at less related to math while of the upper class will in school and, if prestigious companies be fine, but I worry struggling financially, than people who finished college even a year that the economic impact is consider enrolling in earlier,” wrote David community college. going to hit lower income Yaffe-Bellany and Jaclyn According to people hardest.” Zip Peiser for The New York Recruiter, a Times. “Economists have prominent job search found that the impact of site, industries such as ­– Vincent To nursing, e-commerce that bad luck can linger for as long as 10 or 15 and personal consulting years, leading to higher unemployment rates have seen substantial increases in available jobs and lower salaries.” since the virus outbreak.

Over March and April, the number of Some graduating seniors from both high unemployment claims in the United States school and college are looking to the country’s climbed to a record of 36 million. eventual recovery from the 2008 recession as The Trump administration has attempted a sort of comfort as the nation plunges into a to resuscitate the economy through $1200 similar financial crash, though they fear that its “stimulus checks,” sent to approximately 70 impact will be vastly different. million Americans in April. According to senior “I know that members of the upper White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett middle class will be fine, but I worry that told CNN, a second round of these stimulus the economic impact is going to hit lower checks is “pretty unlikely.” income people hardest,” said Vincent To ‘20.

This rise in unemployment stems from the “I’m more concerned about everyone else shutdown of “nonessential” businesses throughout struggling horribly.”

“I

BUCKET LIST

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by e o a birthday driv Compiled by Avery Pak

featured columnist Quarantine has been getting on many people’s nerves. The lack of social interaction is driving some people insane as they isolate themselves in their homes. Being stuck at home with family for weeks is also testing the patience of each member.

Amazingly enough, quarantine is a dream come true for me. I get to stay in my room all day and paint, watch TV and scroll through social media. I don’t have to make an effort to talk to people at school. As much as I love my friends, I enjoy not having to see them every day because my introverted self loves the constant alone time this virus has brought me. My social battery does not have a long life, and now I don’t even have to worry about recharging it.

The best part is that I don’t have to feel bad about not making appearances in public.

If anything, I get to feel good about not going into public because I am stopping the spread of the virus. I don’t even have to do my hair or change out of my pajamas, and it’s not considered a shame. I don’t know if it gets better than this.

Actually, it does. With lots of restaurants offering free delivery, I am eating my way into pure happiness. Usually, I never get food delivered because the fee adds $7 to my total.

The fact that these free deliveries are also contactless, meaning I don’t even have to see the deliverer or pay in person, gives me even more joy. Thanks to the virus, I have no worries about food delivery anymore.

But, understandably, all of these positives for me have their downsides. I only get to enjoy doing this because the world is collapsing in front of my eyes. I’m stuck at home not because I am allowed to be for my own delight, but because I am forced to in order to stay safe from the virus. It’s weird to know that my enjoyable self isolation is saving lives.

Of course, this isn’t how anyone envisioned 2020 to go, especially not seniors.

From the days of WOW Week for the class of 2020’s freshman year, the motto on the bright orange shirts was “the future is clear.” If anything, the future is as murky and unclear as it can be. The joy of being a second semester senior was taken from us and graduation isn’t in person. From getting gradnite cancelled to receiving news that some colleges will have fall semester online, everything seems extremely disappointing and unpredictable, but at least we’ll be safe.

As much as all of this sucks, there are bright sides to it. Enjoy your time alone, enjoy your family and free food deliveries. We’ll get through this together, and who knows?

Maybe you’ll get to know yourself better.

I found out that I am capable of sitting and staring at my wall for hours on end. Test your limits with this quarantine, and stay safe!

12

SENIOR FAVORITES

Compiled by Angel Lee

13

SENIOR WILLS A To the Class of 2020:

B “I, Trinity Badua, of zealous mind and adequate body, will my growth to Genesis Badua.”

“I, Melissa Balderas, of extraordinary mind and luscious body, will my Invisalign aligners to Alejandro and Fernando.”

“I, Hadley Barber, of barely-functioning mind and boogying body, will my morning coffee trips, non–stop singing and the CD we found at 2 a.m. to KC Barber, Lucy Daurio and Weston Ginoza.”

“I, Gage Barclay, of smart mind and huge body, will my jar of tears from my enemies to George Li.” “I, Lauren Barrick, of gay mind and body, will my lessons to the freshman class.”

“I, Carla Barrows, of empty mind and frail body, will my last Dippin’ Dots to whoever is willing to fight for the last Dippin’ Dots in this economy.”

“I, Rachel Berneman, of loving and indecisive mind and adventurous body, will my creativity and kindness to my friends, my success in life to my family and my strength to overcome challenges to the class of 2020.”

“I, Breck Bilbrey, of sound mind and body, will my procrastination to my brother Jake.”

“I, Jackson Bitterolf, of soft mind and soft body, will my nature to procrastinate to Willem Bitterolf and Ryan Romano.”

“I, Steven Bizzoco, of waggish mind and corpulent body, will my Elkay EZH2O LZS8WSLK filtered drinking fountain with bottle filling station to Zach Bandejas.”

“I, Kate Botti, of crippling mind and lazy body, will my favorite pen that I lost in Mr. Freed’s room to Quinci Rocca.”

“I, Aly Brook, of gleeful mind and sushi–filled body, will my sheet music and character shoes to my choir buddies, my gross locker to the incoming freshmen and exhausting walks to the student lot to the drivers of WHS.” “I, Maddy Brown, of organized mind and quarantined body, will my silver Prius and fear of public speaking to Roddy Brown.”

“I, Jadyn de Bruyn, of anxious mind and exhausted body, will my AP Euro study guides, impeccable dance skills and vegan protein powder to Mieke and Taylor de Bruyn.”

Maya Groves Senior Class President “I, Adam Bynder, of brilliant mind and slightly less brilliant body, will my will to Sammie Bynder.”

C “I, Rylinn Cafferty, of questionable mind and unsightly body, will my chia pet to Noah Eubanks.”

“I, Britney Calderon, of iconic mind and body, will my tree to my sister.”

“I, Mia Castellano, of strong mind and able body, will my best wishes and encouragements to any underclassmen who wants or needs it.”

“I, Lindsey Castillo, of famous mind and flexible body , will my TikTok dancing skills to the Bad B’s.”

“I, Ryan Chang, of blank mind and nonexistent body, will my math troubles to Sam Hronek.”

“I, Ryan Chi, of melancholic mind, will my good fortunes and luck to my sisters.”

“I, Aylah Chaudhary, of exquisite mind and artistic body, will my senioritis, GamePigeon anagram expertise, two brain cells and second half of senior year and happiness to Cindy Zhang. I also will my artistic abilities, programming skill, fashion sense, procrastination mastery, math proficiency and kindness to Sanya Khattar.”

“I, Hayden Ciardi, of cool mind and weird body, will my apple to Luke Ciardi.”

“I, Abigail Cohen, of philosophical mind and extraordinary, decorated body, will my happiness and courage to Bronwen Guy.” “I, Sigi Cohen, of smart mind and able body, will my stress to Maile Cohen.”

“I, Makenna Conahey, of questionable mind and able body, will my iPad from 2012, a dollar and two of my plants to Samuel, Daniel and Joseph Conahey.”

“I, Sarah Condon, of conscious mind and out–of–shape body, will my stacks of flashcards to the garbage.”

“I, Mariah Contreras, of loving mind and short body, will my shortness to Mariana.”

“I, Madeline Cooley, of extraordinary mind and spectacular body, will my knowledge to

– Andy Zhang

RN OC PHOT

the underclassmen.”

“I, Andrew Corrales, of awkward mind and impressive body, will my mistakes to Alayna and Adrian Corrales.”

“I, Bailey Culpepper, of dramatic mind and rockin’ body, will my exquisite fashion sense to Mr. Culpepper and my 55 YouTube subscribers to Ema Kirksey.”

“I, Jasen Cummings, of empty mind and clumsy body, will my legacy, memes, tendency to get injured during show choir and never–ending love to everyone in WHS Choir.”

“I, Garrett Cypher, of enlightened mind and glamorous body, will my confidence to anyone who feels like they have a statement to make in being themselves.”

D “I, Olivia Dapeer, of feral mind and tired body, will my last brain cell to anyone bold enough to take up the mantle of the anime club president.”

“I, Matt Davis, of empathetic mind and physically superior body, will my ability to love everything and everyone around me to Allie Johnson.”

“I, Julia Dinerman, of Hawaii–infused mind and short but energetic body, will my laughs in Forensics class to Campbell Davidson and Jonathan Macias and love of the beach and Hawaii to Izzy Glonek.”

“I, Dino Doane, of wacky mind and unfit body, will my saying ‘drop out if you want to look like me’ to the underclassmen.”

“I, Delaney O’ Donnell, will my happiness to Joe Nigro.”

E “I, Miela Efraim, of bustling mind and bread–filled body, will my ASG clout to Eddie Nash and Ivy Schlosser and my parking spot to Tallia Efraim.”

“I, Ethan Elasky, of protein mind and hale body, will my locker in Ms. Dale’s room to

Seniors of Westlake High School “Mr. Korshavn was my favorite teacher because he set up all of his students for success and gave any resources that were needed. His lectures also were very informative.”

ER STO NE

It’s been a long and winding road with bumps and obstacles, but we made it! I’m sure this is not how we expected to finish out our senior year, but this was the hand we were dealt, and what matters is what we do with it. The students of the Class of 2020 have each achieved amazing things, and we’ll conquer many more things as we enter into this next chapter of our lives. No matter where we go or what we do in our future, we will always look back and remember that we are all warriors. Thank you for being an outstanding class, and I hope you had as great of a high school experience as I did!

CO

“I, Nicole Aaberg, of sleep–deprived mind and white body, will the entire end of my senior year to the class of 2021.”

“I, Nadia Akalp, of extraordinary, colorful, lit, powerful mind and sensual, experimental, flowy body, will my ability to perform to Chloe Klaas and Leila Neet.”

“I, Ashton Alonge, of powerful mind and thicc body, will my immense pumping ability to Joey Douille, Roddy Brown and Daniel Hudak.”

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Camille Elasky.

“I, Jazmine Ellen, of clueless mind and incredible body, will my parking spot to Jenna Marquis.”

“I, Arantxa Escobedo, of clueless mind and incredible body, will my anxiety to Karly Lopez.”

“I, Matthew Espinoza, of calm mind and average body, will my bedroom to Michael Espinoza.”

“I, Connor Evans, of tireless mind and tested body, will my camera and equipment to Ian Sidman.”

F “I, Matt Fairweather, of clear mind and amazing body, will my spot in the center of dress up day pictures to Jayson Batie.”

“I, Nathan Farhit, of sound mind and sound body, will my student parking spot to Kelsey Farhit.”

“I, Banner Farris, of psychotic mind and quarantined body, will my legacy to Jamison Farris and Vincent Candela.”

“I, Kailee Follette, of brilliant mind and iced coffee–fueled body, will my coffee and sugar cookie addiction to Maggie.”

“I, Diego Fonseca, will give nothing to those obnoxious underclassmen except destruction.”

G “I, Evan Garaway, of sound mind and living body, will my locker to Ava Garaway.”

“I, Neyra Garcia, of funny mind and healthy body, will my honor to my sibling.”

“I, Yohann Garcia, of able mind and damaged body, will my lion to Sophia.”

“I, Jeremy Garelik, of tired mind and tired body, will my title of E–Crew Commissioner to Ryan Sullivan.”

“I, Amber Gilliland, of effulgent mind and hot body, will Led Zeppelin four vinyl to my brother.”

“I, Dylan Giuffrida, of intelligent mind and tall body, will my sign language ability to Nolan Davis.”

“I, Niki Golchini, of shleepy mind and shuper short body, will my nutella licking skill and obnoxious laugh to Niloufar Golchini, Ethan Noell and Kenzie Titcomb.”

Q: Who was your favorite teacher and why?

“It’s almost difficult to describe how amazing Ms. Dale is in words. She is, by far, the most down–to–earth teacher I have ever met because she cares about shaping her students into good people.”

– Lauren Stern

“Mr. Holloway is my favorite teacher because he is extremely friendly to all his students and is not afraid to make little jokes about students.”

– Riley Hall

14

SENIOR WILLS

“I, Elena Gonzalez, of an open mind and a wise body, will all of my wisdom to my younger sibling.”

“I, Haylee Gonzales, of tough mind and stubborn body, will my Anatomy memories to the senior class of 2021.”

“I, Scarlet Greding, of unstable mind and very, very tired body, will my Uno card deck to Lauren Dahan, Jenna Miyagishima, Neha Ramasastry and Mia Munoz.”

“I, Maya Groves, of ferocious mind and spastic body, will my fashion statement of socks and sandals and love of Uba Tuba to Kieran Groves.”

“I, Alexa Gruener, of kooky mind and Alexalicious body, will my LEAP committee, patience in ASG, label maker and snack drawer to Kelsey Farhit.”

“I, Sebastian Gurich, of bruh mind and godlike body, will my knowledge to Ryan Price.”

“I, Tascha Gurich, of beautiful mind and mediocre body, will all of my knowledge to Leila Neet.”

H “I, Dylan Hall, of ingenious mind and human body, will my old hacky sack to Sebastien Harrison.”

“I, Riley Hall, of energetic mind and sleepy body, will my ‘big brain’ and Bari Sax to Sebastien.”

“I, Mackram Hassanieh, of absent mind and brilliant body, will my driver’s license to Nadine Hassanieh.”

“I, Sabine Hommes, of sound mind and sound body, will my bracelet to Tijmen.”

“I, Ella Hosseinpour, of silly mind and bangin’ body, will my Dancing with the Warrior Stars 1st place award to Carys Eames and Ryan Price.”

“I, Evelyn Hu, of jocund mind and feels–older– than–it–actually–is body, will my GamePigeon skills to Cindy Zhang, my questionable calligraphy to Amy Song, my Spotify playlist to Moorea Ramessar and Dara Moayer and my struggles in C++ to Hannah Jun.” “I, Ian Hutchings, of clear mind and sound body, will my PE clothes to Logan Uliasz.”

“I, Nicole Jones, of WHS mind and student body, will my support to future freshmen and seniors.”

K “I, Kaitlin Kakoyiannis, of sharp mind and slamming body, will my ability to do homework while the teacher is collecting it to Ellie Kakoyiannis.”

“I, Hayley Kang, of vacant mind and caffeine– addicted body, will my IDGAF mentality to Amy Song.”

“I, Prarthana Kaygee, of mindful mind and body–like body, will my unrequited love for Priscilla Boone to Bella Shahidi, my lightly– used Assisteens polo shirt to Paris Chang and my Kiernan Shipka–like abilities to survive on no sleep to Elina Vaidya and Songhee Lee.” “I, Kylah Kennedy, of lacking mind and lanky body, will my rainbow stickers to Caroline Oates.”

“I, Karlijn van den Kieboom, of sound mind and sound body, will my car keys to Tijmen.”

“I, Esther Kim, of zealous mind and ramen– filled body, will my dummy lit playlist to Daniel Kim.” “I, Minsoo Kim, of litty mind and nutty body, will my apples to Michael Mitnick.”

“I, Gemma Kimble, of unsound mind and over quarantined body, will my prom and graduation to Olivia Burninson.”

“I, Jillyn Kinsley, of compassionate mind and absent–from–school body, will hiking instead of school, Starbucks barista skills and large amounts of absences to Aubrey–lyn Kinsley.”

“I, Yuri Kitamura, of healthy mind and failing body, will my irony to Sean Jimin Jung.”

“I, Emmy Klem, of sober mind and jellicle body, will my little monster backpack to Ethan Cooper, Noah Mack and Ben Trpnin.”

“I, Jacklyn Kuncel, of clear mind and gentle body, will my galaxy to the underclassmen.”

“I, Smayana Kurapati, of eccentric mind and clumsy body, will my amazing smelling lunches and unwavering tranquility to President Amy Song y mis habilidades de espanol a Eddie Nash.”

I “I, Alivia Infeld, of transient mind and black– clad body, will my light board skill, light plot and Phillip to Emmy Kemper, Weston Ginoza and the next generation of WHS techies.”

“I, Rebecca Ioffe, of amusing mind and tall body, will my locker and sense of humor to Isabella Launias, Arielle Hayon and Maeve O’ Connor.”

“I, Anagha Iyer, of lazy mind and tired body, will my seat in the choir room to Carolina de Los Rios and my corner of the ACA dressing room to Lucy Daurio.”

J

L “I, Josh Langhorne, of sound mind and sound body, will my great opportunities to my brother and sister.”

“I, Angel Lee, of life–smart mind and unstable body, will my impulsive behavior to Anya Singh, my undeniable love for band teachers to Neha Ramasastry and my interactions with Rich Brian to Jerry Shi.” “I, James Lee, of sharp mind and muscular body, will my shirt to Jake Bilbrey.”

“I, Colette Lemeiux, of tired mind and slightly sore body, will my classroom doodles to Max Lemieux.”

“I, Carson Lenz, of loving mind and strong body, will my happiness to all my friends.”

“I, Han Li, of intellectual mind and healthy body, will my fellow underclassmen the chance to enjoy their time at school, make great memories and develop character.”

“I, Kylie Lindgren, of senioritis mind and exhausted body, will my ability to wander campus during class, my loud voice on the field and my jersey #7 to Quinci Rocca.”

“I, Simona Lucchina, of scattered mind and strong body, will my impeccable style to all the underclassmen, so WHS can always be the best looking.”

“I, Anna Lumley, of joyful mind and confident body, will my sassiness to Carter Spielmann and my never washed knee pads to Cashe Olswang.”

“I, Cooper Lunenfeld, of good mind and able body, will my knowledge to Steven Yang.”

“I, Maija Lynch, of loyal mind and weak body, will my senior year to Emmy Keipert.”

M “I, Joanne Ma, of pea–sized mind and tired body, will my brain and wisdom to Angela Ling, Bethany Tong and Charisse Chua, my soft stuff ed animals to Bethany Tong, my tuning cough and orchestra power to Dara Moayer, my hope for motivation to Phoebe Chen and my sarcastic humor to Erin Fan.” “I, Kyle MacLean, of serene mind and balanced body, will my Pez frog on my keys to Blake MacLean.”

“I, Matthew Magon, of keen mind and large body, will my love to Breck Smith.”

“I, Tyler Marquis, of average intelligence mind and kinda cute body, will my clout to Jenna Marquis and Jackson Friedman.”

“I, Jamie Matiz, of strong mind and active body, will my toilet paper to the freshmen.”

“I, Madi McMichael, of hyperactive mind and exhausted body, will my inconsistent work ethic and extreme sleep deprivation to Nisha Prahsittipab.”

“I, Emma Meckfessel, of confident mind and strong body, will my mediocre driving abilities to Tate Meckfessel.”

“I, Jeff Mendoza, of semi–sound mind and average body, will my unusual luck with speeding tickets to Nico Azouri.”

“I, Jade Meneley, of unstable mind and okay body, will my gaydar to those who need it.”

“I, Leah Merjan, of Netflix–binging mind and sleeping body, will my small amounts of motivation to Emily Merjan.”

“I, Micah Meyers, of strong mind and weak body, will my involvement in an unnecessary amount of clubs to Matty Schwartz and my Dancing with the Warriors Stars win to Carys Eames and Ryan Price.”

“I, Alex Michaels, of creative mind and big body, will my car to Sam Mazucca.”

“I, Veronika Mikulasek, of quality mind and

Seniors of Westlake High School “‘I think, therefore I am,’ because although simple, it encompasses the mentality that as long as you believe in yourself, you can be whatever and whoever you want to be.”

– Jessie Song

quality body, will my locker to another student.”

“I, Yonathan Mizrahi, of restless mind and tall body, will my hand sanitizer to Andrew Corrales.”

“I, Anahita Melody Mojarrad, of smooth– brained mind and chunky milk body, will my peeling He–Man sticker on the inside of my locker that the senior from 2015 graciously left, as well as the contents inside (locker 1010) to Aryana Mojarrad.”

“I, Nathalie Morales, of blithe mind and adventurous body, will my Spongebob backpack to Jocelyn Morales.”

“I, Mary Quinn Moss, of absent mind and definitively proportional body, will full custody of the box to Matty Schwartz, my gradient abilities to Soumya Monga, my impeccable driving techniques to Dylan Robinson and Oliver Previde, my improvisation skills to Roman Walker and Luke “Numbers Guy” Jones, my belief in Australia to Nick Penn, my height to Nour Rayess and Writer of the Month Aviv Stabinsky, my cat lint roller to Vivian To and my JSA–induced caffeine addiction to Thomas Kelly, Emma Fong, Beck Miller, Keira Pender, Cheryl Xiang and Jason Lee.” “I, Aliza Murillo, of romantic mind and lazy body, will my ability to text six months after and still be loved by the annoying little brother I never had to Roberto Cancino.”

“I, Cassidy Murray, of pleasant mind and smiling body, will my happiness to Shaylee Murray.”

N “I, Taylor Nitzsche, of spiritual mind and midget body, will my incredible cooking skills and obnoxious laugh to Sam Snyder.”

“I, Sam Noh, of sleepy mind and clumsy pajama–wearing body, will my competitive eating abilities, Word Hunt addiction and excessive surplus of participation points to Cailean Lee, Jerry Shi, Harrison Hsu, Elina Vaidya, Moorea Ramessar, Emma Victor, Cindy Zhang, Emma Sun, Essence Wang and Arya Kapoor.”

“I, Travis Nortey, of icy mind and frozen body, will my ability to not care to Marcus Nortey.”

P “I, Avery Pak, of indecisive mind and Sprinkles and Krispy Kreme–filled body, will the body in the cooler and beautifully annotated Lit books to Lauren Pak, impeccable stylebook knowledge to Lauren Pak, Songhee Lee and Lindsey Romano, and ability to run numerous lemonade stands to Lauren Pak and Ruby Sirota–Foster. Actually nothing for Lauren.”

“I, Amber Parrish, of small mind and warrior–like body, will my flavor blasted goldfish to Kate Service.”

Q: What is your favorite quote and why?

“‘Work like a captain, play like a pirate,’ because I aspire to be an individual who is capable of leading but is also able to be lead.

I also love pirates. Life is too short not to have fun and experience new things.”

– Dominick Riches

“‘We have different stars and stories,’ because it embodies the message that we should accept others because we are all different.”

– Aylah Chaudhary

15

SENIOR WILLS I, Amina Marie Pasha, of big brained mind and petite sized body, will my inherited incoherence to Eliza Madina Pasha.”

“I, Juliana Plascencia, of impressive mind and powerful body, will my lock to anyone who actually has time to go to their locker during their high school career.”

“I, Alicia Proffitt, of interesting mind and energetic body, will my math skills to Julianne Hua.” “I, Francesca Pourvali, of open mind, will my support and knowledge to the underclassmen.”

“I, Briana Pulliam, of smart mind and exhausted body, will my sleep deprivation to Bella Pulliam.”

Q “I, Mikayla Quintana, of powerful mind and strong body, will my locker in the quad, my Bachelor spoofs and all my passive– aggressively annotated AP Lit books to my sister Ariana aka Yawna.”

R “I, Katrina Raab, of slow mind and slower body, will my gold medaling skills and modest mindset to next year’s AcaDeca teams and not to play favorites, Isabella Lake.”

“I, Fiorella Ramos, of beautiful mind and glamorous body, will my messy and dirty locker to my little brother.”

“I, Samuel William Ratcliffe, of convoluted mind and decrepit body, will my speaking skills to Luke Jones, Jason Lee, and Dylan Robinson, my productive pessimism to Matty Schwartz, my objective reasonableness to Nick Penn, my ability to get excited to Vivian To, my limited collection of Post Malone songs to Oliver Previde and the pitiful remains of my kindness and innocence to Nour Rayess and Soumya Monga.”

“I, Thejas Ravish, of incompetent mind and possible body, will my physics projects to Trisha Ravish.”

“I, Ansh Rawat, of empty mind and lazy body, will my singular brain cell to Antoine Moats.”

“I, Adriana Rendon, of persistent mind and sleep deprived body, will my skill of cramming and all nighters to Aubry Kinsley.”

“I, Bailey Rethaber, of genius mind and muscular body, will my parking space.”

“I, Matt Reznick, of decent mind and above average body, will my mustache to Finn O’ Brien.”

“I, Dominick Riches, of adventurous mind, will my academic experiences and beyond to Jackie Hernandez.”

“I, Cosmo Riso, of strange mind and strong body, will my enjoyment of Anatomy to the Advanced Anatomy class of 2021.”

“I, Rilee Roberts, of turnt mind and groovy body, will my money–making dance moves to

Paris Chang and Addison Barton.”

“I, Delaney Rodriguez, of tired mind and tired body, will my favorite pencil to any underclassman who wants it.”

“I, Isabelle Rogerson, of beautiful mind and resilient body, will my everlasting love and support to my little sister Brigitte Rogerson.”

“I, Clarashea Roos, of anxious mind and caffeine–fueled body, will my missed senior memories to Maeve O’ Connor.”

“I, Lily Ross, of barely any mind and sunburnt body, will my extensive knowledge of how to hit various cymbals with sticks of many shapes and sizes to Sarah McLane and Rachel Halliwell.”

S “I, Jordan Santo, of big mind and little body, will my grades to Jacob Davis.”

“I, Stephen Saw, of lazy mind and tired body, will my last bit of motivation to Dara Moayer.”

“I, Dante Scholey, of happy mind and healthy body, will my brilliant resources to Gary Johnson.”

“I, Rebecca Schultz, of sound mind and healthy body, will my love of all things running and Timothee Chalamet to Ruby Sirota–Foster and Sydney Covington.”

“I, Emma Scott, of questionable mind and body, will my swag to Daisy Cool.”

“I, Cole Setzer, of great mind and greater body, will my TikTok moves to Jaden.”

“I, Nina Sharp, of hot mind and smart body, will my phone number to Ryan Sullivan.”

“I, Sydney Sharts, of brilliant mind and long body, will my phone number to Evan Goldstein.”

“I, Sukham Sidhu, of jubilant mind and somnolent body, will the remains of my roller coaster project to Vivian To.” “I, Matt Sleep, of sleep–deprived mind and weak body, will my forgotten happiness to Eva Dromova.”

“I, Justin Smith, of massive mind and average sized body, will my ways to glide through high school to Alex Diaz.”

“I, Taylor Smith, of kind mind and large body, will my car to Breck Smith.”

“I, Josh Sokolosky, of great mind and rocking body, will my ceramics skill to Victory Vaka.”

“I, Jessie Song, of ambitious mind and starting to get chubby from quarantine food experiments body, will my 9:00 bedtime and boba milk tea recipe to Cindy Zhang, Jennifer Liu and Amy Song.”

“I, Lauren Stern, of tall mind and short body, will my 2 a.m. crackhead energy to Addie Craig, Yael Bright, Cristina Baikalov and good Maddy.”

“I, Natasha Sternberg, of astronomical mind and hydrodynamic body, will my procrastination skills and impeccable sense of humor to Nilo Golchini.”

“I, Raymond Sun, of wiggly mind and lively body, will my ambition to Rhian Gribble and

Anthony Ching.”

“I, Jack Sweet, of clear mind and chlorinated body, will my failed middle part and dark sense of humor to Eugene Larson and Kyle Chambers.”

T “I, Jonah Taylor, of good mind and voluptuous body, will my school appropriate Japanese cartoons to the editors of The Arrow newspaper.”

“I, Vincent To, of sleep deprived mind and velociraptor body, will some inhalers to Jessie Gereige, a strange looking zucchini to Danica Nguyen, a chill pill for Jeffrey Saramiento, some stilts for Kyle Lundgren, a functioning saxophone to Bryant Roman, an entire 2006 Nintendo Wii to Nic Bovino, my thanks to both Logan Ashmallah and Dinuk Manikka–Baduge, all of my unused senior events to Ariana Quintana and a toaster oven to my sister Vivian.”

“I, Charlie O’ Toole, of better mind and stronger body, will my knowledge to Jacqui.”

“I, Vivian Truong, of over–thinking mind and tired body, will my passions and interest for medicine to the next and final class of Advanced Anatomy.”

U “I, Krista Uchimiya, of ambitious mind and brave body, will my guidance to Makana Lani.”

“I, Dana Uchimiya, of vibrant LANY lyric– filled mind and boba–filled body, will my noodle party position, extreme boba affinity, Animal Crossing expertise, dissecting proficiency and forever Disney obsession to Makana Lani Uchimiya, Kassidy Ng, Lindsey Waldman, Sofia Huffine, Kaitlyn Bateman and Carolina de Los Rios.”

V “I, Gavin Valladares, of lost mind and lanky body, will my knack for cracking jokes to my sister Cameron Valladares and my good friends the Class of ‘21 from boys soccer.”

“I, Anh Thu Van, of questionable mind and strange contortionist body, will my punny wit and Anh Thu–siasm to Mina Hiji and my AcaDeca prowess to Isabella Lake.”

“I, Anthony Varona, of confused mind and quarantined body, will my unforgettable high school experience (at least the first 3 ½ years of it) to my little cousin, the middle child, Isabela Rose Russell.”

W “I, Delaney Waggoner, of ADHD–filled mind and uncoordinated body, will my ability to

Seniors of Westlake High School “In 10 years, I’ll be collaborating with my inspirations Amanda Nguyen and Chanel Miller on furthering my nonprofit The Better Picture, as well as entering my second year in residency.”

– Anh Thu Van

screw around and never get caught by coaches to Ava Garaway and Maggie Morris.”

“I, Lauryn Wang, of forest king Hozier’s lyrics– filled mind and jumpsuit–wearing body, will my unhealthy shoe addiction, fade–prone drives, unmatched dark pit side–B skills, and atrocious driving ability to Megan Wang, Jennifer Liu, Lili Dritz, Nisha Prahsittipab, Amy Song, Arya Kapoor and the Hsu twins.”

“I, Chris Wedgworth, of lazy mind and skinny body, will my regiment server to Julianne Hua.” “I, Jenevieve Weissman, of intellectual mind and incredible body, will the rest of my senior year to myself.”

“I, Calista Wright, of intelligent mind and athletic body, will my volleyball legacy to Mari Wright.”

X “I, Bob Xia, of bubbly, ambitious mind and chubby body, will my food loving capabilities and anime obsession to Jake Velen, senioritis and diligence to Caitlyn San, the SciOly Club to Mathew Zilberman and Hilary Hsu, my bootifulness to Simon Ng and Andrew Wang and my success and love to Sidath Wijesinghe.”

“I, Christina Xu, of ever–expanding mind and lung–collapsing body, will my infinite self–motivation to my sister Maryann Xu and AcaDeca successor Isabella Lake.”

Y “I, Daniel Yao, of expsensive mind and expanding body, will my stubborn will to Ashley Novelo, my bruising pecs to Brady Ellis and my luck to Charlotte Barnett, who will never need it.”

“I, Justin Yao, of feeble mind and decrepit body, will my sarcasm to the cultured students of WHS.” “I, Faith Yellin, of little mind and thick body, will my Quizlet answers to Emmy Keipert.”

“I, Fatima Villalobos, of a strong mind and body, will my character influence to strengthen others with hope and positivity.”

“I, Celina You, of “eh” mind and “eh”–er body, will my physics food pouch to Amy Song, my bujo to Bendy Sayer, my chili to Edward “middle name Michael” Nash and my 6–figure car mileage to my brother Jacob.”

Z “I, Andy Zhang, of flawless mind and impeccable body, will my athletic ability to Zach Garboski and good grades to Cindy Zhang.”

“I, Vera Zheng, of empty mind and nebulous body, will my remaining sanity to anyone bold enough to start anime club after I leave.”

“I, Jennifer Zucker, of gifted mind and Chick– Fil–A loving body, will my memories, advice and laughs to Jacqueline Zucker.”

Q: Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

“In the best case scenario, hopefully I’ve made enough of a fortune to retire by then.”

– Stephen Saw

“In 10 years, I hope to be in my residency after completing medical school. I hope to take time to see more of the world with others to improve it in my own way.”

– Mikayla Quintana

Compiled by Songhee Lee

16

ASG SENIORS

Congratulations ASG Seniors! Class of 2020

Charlotte Bryman University of Miami

Scott Carroll Century Academy

Joel Cardenas Moorpark College

Miela Efraim Tufts University

Jeremy Garelik UCSB

Maya Groves San Jose State University

Alexa Gruener Boston University

Kyle Huemme University of Georgia

Lief Jordan CU Boulder

Easton Krug Cal Poly Slo

Smayana Kurupati Pepperdine University

Micah Meyers New York University

Jack Sweet Cal Poly Slo

Jodi Tepper University of Washington

Jessica Whitney Moorpark College

Not pictured: Cole Setzer – Clemson University

Compiled by Prarthana Kaygee