The Roar | Volume 15 | Special Edition | March 2020 by Whitney High Student Media

THE

RO AR MARCH 2020, SPECIAL EDITION

A WHITNEY HIGH STUDENT MEDIA PUBLICATION

THE

ENTREPRENEUR ISSUE

Keep Calm & Tutor On How two students created a service to benefit the school

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CONTENTS VOL. 15, ISSUE 3

3 It Pays to be Involved 4 Coloring the Campus 5 Marketing Masterpieces 6 Artistic Sole 7 Press Play 8 Find Your Flame 9 Party Rock 10 Ambition Tutoring 12 Reeling in a Business 13 The Detail of Resale 14 Supreme Gain 15 Stitch by Stitch 16 Printing With a Purpose 17 Bead by Bead 18 Beaded by Bella 19 Beads to Business 20 Cutting Edge cover illustration by GRACE PIERCE THE ROAR is a student publication produced by Whitney High Student Media, the advanced publications class in the Publications Design and Multimedia pathway. The newsmagazine is a public forum for student expression. Student editors make all content decisions. Columns represent the viewpoints of individual writers and are not representative of the opinions of the student body, faculty or administration of Whitney High School or Rocklin Unified School District. Staff members practice ethical student journalism by providing fair and balanced coverage as determined by community standards. Students working to publish each issue strive for accuracy by checking sources, spelling and quotes as well as obtaining a variety of credible sources. The staff regrets any errors or omissions. Visit whitneyupdate.com for news, sports, opinion, entertainment and more.

MARCH 2020

STAFF

Peyton Ahumada Brayden Bennett Angelina Benyamin Sarah Bobrowsky Elise Bontilao Leah Brown Alyssa Cason Emma Cherkez Jacob Dwight Alyssa Eimer Kaitlyn El Sayegh Carolina Garcia Nathan Hauan Skylar Jones Ashleen Kaur Konstantin

A WHITNEY HIGH STUDENT MEDIA PUBLICATION WEBSITE www.whitneyupdate.com INSTAGRAM @detailsyearbook TWITTER & SNAPCHAT @whitneyupdate

Kazakov Andrew Kristiansen Jordan Kuzyanov Ariana Malata Madeline Marquis Jordan Matthews Matthew Mayberry Ethan Morris Celina Pannu Bella Peters Kaiden Pombo Francheska Pontillas Samantha Ramirez

Alexis Real Colin Richmond Grace Ryu Myranda Shank Gavin Simmons Gianna Sinisi Camron Smith Gabriel Smith Kathryn Smith Breanne Snodgrass Gavin Sokolsky Noah Sanford Ella Stevenson Karynna Swinney Rachel Tajiri Elisha Tapangan Cade Taylor

Isabella Terry Brittany Ticarat Grace Trammell Kyle Vargas Kendall Velasco Wyatt Wens Benjamin Zgulev

EDITOR IN-CHIEF

Brenden Jacoby

EDITORS

Grace Chang Dylan De Valk Katelyn Vengersammy

ADVISER

Sarah Nichols, MJE

IT PAYS TO BE

EDITORIAL

fter editing the final wedding pictures and wedding video he had shot for a couple at a local church, Ethan Dodge uploaded his files to a USB drive. In order to shoot these photos, Dodge had to plan the angles he wanted, decide what lighting he wanted to use and make sure he met the couples’ needs. As an entrepreneur, Dodge had to make sure his clients were satisfied with the photos and videos they had asked him to shoot and record. While he would be paid for the work he had just finished, he also improved various invaluable skills from his experience that will stay with him for the rest of his life. No matter what their business may be, all entrepreneurs share one thing in common: they all learn how to deal with clients and make a product other people want to pay for. Whether it’s making paintings or cutting boards, entrepreneurs tailor their products to what people want. They need to make sure their products are high quality, interesting and unique in order to peak buyers’ attention. Instead of waiting until later on in life to learn these skills, student entrepreneurs are taking advantage of their time in high school to not only make a profit, but gain important life skills they will need to succeed later in life. Just because many skills can be traced back to entrepreneurship, it’s not that only way students can take advantage of their opportunities in high school. Whether it’s being an active member of a club or an athlete on a sports team, there are many things students can, and should, learn just by being involved with their campus. According to a study of gerontology by Emily Greenfield and Sara Moorman, professors from The State University of New Jersey and Boston College, people who voluntarily participate more in their high school showed a higher statistically significant percent chance to participate in civil engagement throughout their mid-life, and prolonged their involvement later in life than high schoolers who were not active on campus. The study demonstrated that by being involved in extracurriculars at an early age, students were more likely to put themselves into STAFF EDITORIAL opportunities to get a job, volunteer and socialize. The study noted that by being involved in their high school, these students strengthened their ability to work toward a common goal, contribute to the community, gain a sense of collective efficacy, form strong social bonds and earn a sense of civic identity. However, many worry about good grades when it comes to college admissions, that straight As and good grades are the most important thing to worry about. Colleges and universities don’t want to just see good grades, they want to see extracurriculars outside the classroom, activities that show what you are passionate about, and shows that you can go above and beyond others. Simply by getting good grades won’t cut it for most elite universities, and by finding a passion outside the classroom, it will not only teach you life skills, but possibly help you get into the university you’ve always wanted to get into. No matter how students use their time before, during and after school, it’s imperative for them to set aside time to engage with their school, since skills obtained from entrepreneurship and extracurriculars can’t be learned inside a classroom. By ignoring the opportunities presented before them in high school, students run the risk of failing to ever acquire these skills, and go into life after high school severely disadvantaged. By using their time effectively to become involved with their campus, students gain skills that will help them greatly in life after high school.

9-0 AGREE

INVOLVED

It’s not about the money, it’s about the skills design by BRENDEN JACOBY & DYLAN DE VALK THE ROAR

HYDROS

rom starting as junior drawing on her Hydro Flask with a Sharpie in class, Katelynne Finta has now switched to paint brushes to design her classmates belongings. “People saw and asked if I could do it for them, so I said yes but you would have to pay me since it would take awhile,” Finta said. In the beginning, her clients usually came from her friends talking about her work, but now she is able to promote herself by showing her creative process on Instagram and TikTok, @just4_kikz and @ katelynnne.finta. Her TikToks alone have received over one million views “Because of Tik Tok and Instagram people see my artwork and I’ll get DMs asking if I can do their Hydro next, or customers will repost whatever I paint for them which expands the number of viewers,” Finta said. From Hydros to jean jackets, Finta is willing to paint anything during her free time between school and her job at Starbucks. During her cross country season, she also had to warn her clients it would take longer due to long practices and meets. Since the end of the season she has been able to create more products in less time. “I don’t really have a certain time. It varies from each Hydro. I normally set aside two or three days to paint them, a few hours each day. I enjoy creating cultural/Hispanic influenced art or trippy ‘70s to ‘90s influenced art. But that doesn’t showcase too much on the Hydros just because no one asks for those specific things,” Finta said. Although designs vary, most people ask her to paint on their Hydro Flask. She’s been asked to paint anything from Tony the Tiger to purple and blue flowers to brighten up a gray Hydro Flask. “People DM me and ask me what I can paint. If they send me a picture, I can paint it for the most part,” Finta said. Prices range depending on how intricate the design is and how many hours it takes. “I know we’re all kids and none of us actually have money, so the most I’ve ever charged is $23,” Finta said. Once it starts to get more popular, Finta plans to raise the prices. When she was younger, her dream was to pursue art as a career, but now thinks she wouldn’t make a living off of it. Finta said, “But it’s definitely something I want to minor in in college and whatever I do in my future I always want to do art on the side.”

story and design by ANGELINA BENYAMIN, SKYLAR JONES & ELLA STEVENSON photo by ELLA STEVENSON

COLORING THE CAMPUS

MARCH 2020

Senior brightens school through everyday objects

point where she can take Art 4 Honors. “I feel like doing art at school makes you a little more confident in yourself. If you have an art teacher and people around you, you can learn new things and easily have new business ideas from it,” she said. Her paintings’ prices range, depending on the effort, profit, and the time that she puts into them; however, they tend to be around $40. When she receives her payments, Harmon splits it up into different sections. “I put 70% of what I made into savings and 30% into whatever I want,” she said. Her art usually gets sold around once a month on average, since her Etsy shop and selling her paintings is more of a side hobby. When creating her paintings, Harmon tends to gain inspiration from the environment around her, whether it be a picture or the scenery that she sees when she travels. “I like to try to paint photos of nature because it’s challenging and I feel it is something that needs to be appreciated more often,” she said. Along with observing and recreating her surroundings on a canvas, Harmon accepts commissions as well. Art commissions are certain pieces that are requested to be made. She is a self-made business owner and handles her tasks independently. “Having your own business means you don’t really have any deadlines or responsibilities for anybody except yourself,” she said. As of now, Harmon’s future goals for her business are to better her advertisement and marketing skills by promoting it on social media and to create more paintings to sell. She would like to continue her business for as long as she can maintain it. ”[I want my customers to] see the art in things, whether it’d be a photograph, a painting, drawing. You can just look everywhere and see art.”

PAINTINGS

right, natural light shines on a blank canvas as Raevin Harmon arranges her art set-up in her room. The rustling of her materials is the only audible noise. Vivid strokes appear as she glides her paintbrush across the empty surface, creating a flurry of colors. Every day of the week, she adds more and more components to the painting. Eventually, after hard work and dedication, she completes the piece and lists it on Etsy. Just half a year ago, Harmon began her business of creating and selling her paintings on impulse. “It was a spur of the moment kind of thing. I kind of just wanted to showcase my art a little bit and that was it,” she said. Selling her art on Etsy as RaeBirdArt, Harmon uses this hobby as a way to cope with the pressures of school. “School is my number one priority over my business, just because painting is kind of more like my stress reliever,” she said. When Harmon first started out on Etsy, she was shocked to see that someone was interested in purchasing her painting. “[When I sold] my first sale, I was like, ‘I can’t believe it, somebody likes my painting.’ It was just surprising, that’s all. It’s definitely still the same feeling [as the first] every time somebody buys my paintings,” she said. Harmon is an extremely experienced and knowledgeable artist, starting art from a very young age. ”I have actually done art ever since I picked up a pencil,” she said. From toddler to teenager, Harmon has been able to develop her skills as an artist to the

story and design by KAITLYN EL-SAYEGH & ELISE BONTILAO photo by ELISE BONTILAO

MARKETING MASTERPIECES Raevin Harmon’s journey through selling her art on Etsy THE ROAR

SHOES

Designer creates custom art from shoes story and design by PEYTON AHUMADA, CAMRON SMITH & IZZY TERRY photo by PEYTON AHUMADA

ainstakingly brushed Angelus Leather Paint flows together as the intricately-crafted design begins to take shape, but it is not on the typical artist’s white canvas one would expect. Instead, Ken Muñoz is hard at work customizing a pair of OldSkool Vans. “It [takes] me one to two days for one shoe, and another one to two for another shoe,” Muñoz said. The length of his customization process differs on what he’s asked to create. He once added Louis Vuitton print to white OldSkool Vans. Most artistic people do not look to their shoes when thinking of their next work, but for Muñoz, the inspiration came from close to home. “Usually people say famous people inspire them, but for me it was my dad because he likes to paint and draw a lot. I like shoes and I thought I could mix both of those worlds and add art and shoes together,” Muñoz said. Muñoz started customizing shoes at the end of his freshman year in 2019 and drew from online inspiration to hone his craft. When he started, Muñoz was only customizing shoes for himself and for family members. “My first-ever custom was for a gift so technically it wasn’t selling them at first. I just wanted to try it out for a little cousin and I did it for my own shoes which turned out very well. A few of my friends saw me do it, I made an Instagram account for it, kens.kustoms, [and] people started to request custom shoes,” Muñoz said. As he worked on more shoes, Muñoz learned new techniques and came into his own as an artist. “In the beginning I wasn’t really painting as much, I didn’t do really good designs, and as I kept going and practicing by using different materials and different colors of paint; I started to become a better painter,” Muñoz said. The long process of preparing the shoes before applying paint makes it hard for Muñoz to turn his hobby into a full time job. “There are many steps to prepare a shoe, but I would say it takes about 15 minutes to prepare each shoe,” he said. As he removes the shoelaces and puts the shoe on a shoe tree to shape the shoe, he waits impatiently. With many more steps to go like putting a deglazer on the shoe so the paint can stick, Muñoz finds joy in packing a camera, a pen and a piece of paper

MARCH 2020

ARTISTIC SOLE and interviewing people to find out more about their own experiences. “Broadcast is a very time consuming class, leaving me little time to customize shoes, but I love giving the voiceless a voice and telling their stories,” Muñoz said. Muñoz hopes he can continue his work as he goes through high school and beyond. “I would like to continue in the future for sure, but not as a full time job. I like to see it as a hobby because I love doing it but I don’t like to just be in it for the money,” Muñoz said. He reported making an estimated $50-$100 profit per custom, making kens.kustoms a feasible way to earn extra cash. At heart, Muñoz hopes to inspire others to become more confident and express themselves. Muñoz said, “I like to do it for people because it personifies their personality in a way. I like helping other people express themselves through clothing, especially shoes.”

young age can turn into a career

VIDEOGRAPHY

PRESS PLAY How passion at a

he beginning of entrepreneurship often comes from passion. Whether it’s the passion to make something better than the status quo, or the passion to create something unique, loving something makes creating easier. At a young age, Ethan Dodge found his passion in photography and videography. “When I was in seventh grade I went on a trip to Yellowstone with my grandpa. While we were there, I got to use his camera. After using it that day, I saved up all the money I had and bought a little camera,” Dodge said, “After that, I started to get into video just by creating some shorts with friends around the neighborhood and putting it to music. Eventually, people started to notice and it snowballed into a career just from me sticking to it and believing there was a path I was creating for myself.” In order for Dodge to get the attention of larger content creators, he first had to make a name for himself. “One of my favorite milestones on my path was writing and filming my short film, ‘Amaranthine.’ Although I could now critique it endlessly, the experience of working hard to create my image was life-changing,” Dodge said. “Amaranthine” has over 8,000 views on his YouTube channel, Dodgx, and served as a passion project to keep furthering his career in videography. Dodge also has posted videos about driver safety, weddings and athletics on his YouTube channel, with five videos having at least 1,000 views. However, Dodge has since moved away from creating videos for his own personal entertainment in favor of filming videos for real-life clients. “Some of the jobs I have done range from commercials to promotions, dance, music videos, real estate and digital marketing. One of my coolest jobs is filming with professional dancers that dance for artists like Justin Bieber and Chris Brown. One of the creators I’m working with is Kida The Great. He has over four million followers on Instagram and is a super-talented dancer,” Dodge said. Since becoming a full time videographer, Dodge has met and made connections with clients and personnel that will continue to push his career further after he graduates. Dodge said, “From then to now, I have created a name for myself in the photo and video community, from portrait sessions to free business trips to Canada, I am relishing in my hard work and excited to work even harder.” story and design by BRENDEN JACOBY photo by WYATT WENS THE ROAR

FITNESS

FLAME

FIND YOUR

Lifting spirits one person at a time

dream and hard work is what sparked the fire within Cam Goodrich. Goodrich is a personal trainer who promotes his business through his Instagram @theflamewthn and aspires to help people achieve their personal goals. Goodrich does weights and conditioning training to help his four clients stay in shape while gaining muscle. It all doesn’t just happen in the gym; he also helps people with their diets and is currently trying to get sponsored by protein companies or shops. “[I want to help clients] not just physically, but mentally and just being able to inspire and motivate people,” Goodrich Said. Dedication, passion and hard work are the values Goodrich stands by when he is in the gym. “I was in a bad place in a low place in my life, and I had always wanted to create my own brand, and for it to have meaning to me. I needed to have that ‘flame within me’ to keep burning and have the will to want to improve,” Goodrich said. This is what built him into the person he is today. He started training other people in July 2019. He has a plan to open a gym and wants people to enjoy their time there. “I’m going to incorporate this into my future by making my own gym for people to come into, and them being motivated and excited to be there. I want them to get inspiration by the environment around them, and want to get better not just physically, but mentally as well,” Goodrich said. “I want to have a building in the San Fransico area. I want to be in a place where there is a big population. That makes it easier to make money, and more motivation between the people there.” story and design by GABRIEL SMITH, KENDALL VELASCO, NATE HUAN & KAIDEN POMBO

MARCH 2020

PARTIES

PARTY ROCK

Planning a party is easier than ever before

arty planning can be stressful experience, especially if you are doing it yourself. But Mayar Amin and Emma Gleckman are creating an app that helps anyone plan their own party in the best way possible. When Amin and Gleckman first started, nothing worked. It took a long time to get the right idea that worked for them and their vision. “Both of our ideas were not good ideas; our businesses definitely failed,” Amin said. “one example being my idea to reduce food waste within the system (local neighborhoods.) It didn’t necessarily fail, it just became way too complicated with all the different parts.” “We thought many times that we should give up on what we wanted to do next but we collaborated with other people and got some advice about some things that went wrong in our previous businesses and things that we could improve on,” Amin said. They landed on the idea with some help from other people. “Emma and I were talking about ideas of a startup business with Diego Liebman and Harjot Singh. When they said something about a ‘party app’ that makes party planning so much easier.” While the app is still in the development phase, they are creating a website to promote and give out information about their business. The girls are also looking to get funding for an app developer to make their goals a reality. The party app’s

details can be viewed at their website and Instagram, both called “thepartyapp7.” “We’ve looked at the cost of app development, and it’s about $50,000 depending on the software and anything that needs tweaking,” Amin said. Amin and Gleckman dream about their app reaching outside of Rocklin and as far as it possibly can while also being a quick and easy way to avoid the hassle of planning a party. The app will give recommendations on what customers need for their party and will even help with guest listing, entertainment, themes, decor, setup and cleanup. So far, their app also doesn’t have many functions since it is still in development. “We do both have some level of experience with party planning, whether that be for our friends or family.” Amin said, “We did however, not charge them for the service but that doesn’t retract from our experience.” Gleckman said, “We provide everything from consultations, set up, cleanup, and, of course, everything else you’ll need for your party.”

story and design by BENJAMIN ZGULEV photos by MATTHEW MAYBERRY

THE ROAR

TUTORING

TUTOR ON

KEEP CALM &

Two talented teens create tutoring service to help their community

he noise of students on campus slowly but surely fades. The bell has just rung, but for Harjot Singh and Diego Leibman, their time at school is not over. The two are meeting with administrators hoping to launch their idea into reality. Singh and Leibman are juniors and are not only graduating early but have also come up with a tutoring service they plan to implement at school and beyond. “It’s a tutoring service in which we get tutors from around the school who are qualified and can show that through their grade reports. We basically give them community service hours in exchange for tutoring students on campus,” Leibman said. They came up with this idea during their Intro to Business class. “There was a competition called the Teen Entrepreneurial Showcase in Sacramento where we had to present a business plan,” Leibman said. Though the competition was called off due to a lack of contestants, Leibman and Singh decided to follow through with their plan and turn it into a reality, Ambition Tutoring. Singh and Leibman have been friends since sixth grade and their relationship has since blossomed into something more like a brotherhood. “We hang out every single day,” Singh said. They believe that this closeness is part of what makes them such a successful team. They always have the other’s back and are willing to put in the work for each other. Though Singh and Harjot will be graduating this summer, their idea will stay. After numerous meetings they are in the final steps of installing their program. One key element they still need is tutors. “We plan on finding tutors by sending schoolwide emails, talking to teachers, admin, staff, and through friends and classmates,” Leibman said. The system they created works in a mutually beneficial way. Tutors are able

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to get community service hours and students are able to get help from people who have gone through the same classes as them. Singh and Leibman perfected this idea through experience. “I’ve been in a bunch of classes and I’ve taken higher level classes and lower level classes and I’ve just been around, so I feel like that helps me understand the school system in a broader context,” Leibman said. Though this idea seems simple, there was a long process involved with getting the idea off the ground. One hardship the two faced when creating Ambition Tutoring was the school system itself.

TUTORING

“It was difficult to handle all the red tape that comes with dealing with the administration, the teachers and the advisors,” Leibman said. To most, the main reason for creating a business is for money, but that is something that separates Singh and Leibman. So far, the two have made no money off Ambition Tutoring and though they may in the future, it was never a goal for them. Their main reason behind this idea: social work. The two wanted nothing more than to make a positive change in their community around them. Throughout this process though, what they have gained is invaluable. “It’s really a learning experience, it’s more than any class could teach you about

entrepreneurship,” Leibman said. Knowing how to build a business plan and follow through with it will not only help them years into the future but also now, as Singh and Leibman are heading off to college. Both are planning on attending Sierra for two years before transferring. Singh who always planned on majoring in economics has since changed to pursue business, while Leibman is going to double major in history and political science. While Ambition Tutoring is Liebman’s first dip in the entrepreneurial pool, Singh has been wading in it for years. When he was younger Singh was web designing and marketing for others, along with day trading in stocks. “I got into trading stocks because I feel like I was just naturally interested in doing it and then I talked to my dad about it and got deeper into it, started learning, started taking courses, and then that was just that,” Singh said. Singh and Leibman have taken online courses such as accounting, search engine optimization, marketing, formation of legal entity and Google analytics as they have had to teach themselves skills required in the business world. “Well there’s always something you’ve got to be learning, always something new that you’ve got to learn, it’s on you to just keep going,” Singh said. Singh and Leibman plan to keep working on Ambition Tutoring in future years. They want to eventually make it a curriculum they can package and sell to other school districts, especially those in impoverished areas. Leibman said, “That’s the end goal of it, to send it state-wide, nation-wide, make it something that runs itself that we don’t have to touch.” story and design by ALYSSA EIMER & GRACE TRAMMELL photos by ALYSSA EIMER

THE ROAR

CATFISH

REELING IN A BUSINESS How a fish became an opportunity

he water is calm as Ethan Vandell awaits his next catch, his line goes under as he reels his rod seizing his prey. A catfish now lies at the end of the rod. Many people view fishing as a form of entertainment or a source of food, but for Ethan Vandell it’s a business idea for his new company, Southern Pride Fishing Company. Vandell’s love for catfishing began at a young age when he and his family did it constantly. “I’ve been finishing for as long as I can remember,” Vandell said, “Growing up with my family, fishing has always been a tradition, and catfishing was the always most enjoyable process.” Once he started to hear how catfishing was one of the most difficult fish to catch, he had an idea to turn his hobby into a business. “I talked with a professional fisherman. He wanted to become partners and run with my idea,” Vandell said. The task of catching a catfish was testing and dangerous, but Vandell was ready to step up to that challenge. “The anatomy of the catfish makes it extremely difficult to catch and could also cause injuries if you don’t handle them correctly,” Vandell stated, “A catfish has barbs on its pectoral fins and on its dorsal fin. And if the catfish is smaller it could have venom to prevent itself from getting eaten from larger catfish.” Along with this catfish lead toward the more aggressive side, which can lead to more accidents. Starting a small business has obstacles, and Southern Pride Fishing Company was no exception. “It’s difficult starting out since you have little connections with third-party dealers like Cabelas or Bass Pro. As of right now, I’m hoping to make connections with manufacturers to make some prototypes and see which ones work best. As far as selling goes, hopefully I can make some partnerships with some local bait shops at first and then try and strike a deal with some large scale retailers.”

MARCH 2020

“Anywhere between one to 10 thousand would be a great starting cost but after that the best thing to do would be to get those partnerships.” Being patient and calm are just some of the things Vandell will have to apply to his new business. “You have to have acceptance. You got to accept the fact that if nothing happens then nothing happens, you just have to do your best to move on.” story and design by NOAH SPINGARN-SANFORD and GAVIN SOKOLSKY

THE DETAIL OF

Business-like lifestyle prepares teen for his future

t’s Saturday night, and Brandon Baisden is working tirelessly to catch up on his intensive workload due to his busy week at school. Baisden’s business, Sac Reselling, requires a lot of time for him to buy, sell, package and ship shoes and sports cards to his clients. His interest in sports, especially basketball, is what started it all. “Basketball cards are a big interest to me,” Baisden said. “I know all the players and I watch them daily.” Baisden was introduced to the resale industry by his father, who was involved in the resale business and shared Brandon’s fascination in sports cards. “He would make websites and sell to big company corporations,” Baisden said. “It got me interested in that.” Baisden buys shoes and trading cards and arranges a resale deal. “I’ll put it on my Instagram or Snapchat, see if anybody’s interested and if there’s no interest, I’ll sell usually to an auction on eBay,” Baisden said. He then carefully packages the products and ships them to his customers. Once he got started, he began to develop a client base. “My clients are usually different auction houses, people at the school or different card shops of card dealers,” Baisden said. “I’ll put it on my Instagram or Snapchat, see if anybody’s interested and if there’s no interest, I’ll sell usually to an auction on eBay,” Baisden said. He then carefully packages the products and ships them to his customers. Once he got started, he began to develop a client base. “My clients are usually different auction houses, people at the school or different card shops of card dealers,” Baisden said. As his client base grows, so does the demand for his time. On weekdays, he often finds himself falling short of the amount of work he would like to get done. “In times when it’s difficult, like at school, I’ll have to try to get it when something releases. I’ll have to sneak on my phone to try to get it. It’s not usually super convenient,” Baisden said. “I usually will stay up pretty late on the weekends. I have everything set up in a really organized schedule, planning out how I spend my time.

RESALE

After school, I’ll usually do a few hours of homework, basketball practice some days but if not I’ll spend my time selling different things and shipping them out. I have a shipping station to ship packages out and meet clients,” Baisden said. Baisden sees it as an opportunity to familiarize himself with professionalism and to prepare him for college and beyond. “It’s setting me up for after college,” Baisden said. “If I wanted to start a business, it’s preparing me to make it more professional.” story and design by ALYSSA CASON, KATHRYN SMITH, KARYNNA SWINNEY & MYRANDA SHANK photo by ALYSSA CASON

THE ROAR

RESALE

S B

uying, reselling and earning much more cash than a typical minimum wage paying job is what Shawn Singh and Sanjay Suresh do best. Along with balancing school, friends and family, they work hard to keep their self invented business alive and cash always flowing. Products such as sneakers and other clothing are purchased by these two as often as they can in the morning then sold the next day for a higher and more substantial profit. Starting back in seventh grade, Singh states how a friend of his got him interested in this type of business, later realizing how easy it was his interest was sparked. As for Suresh, he had seen people partaking in this kind of business before, so he, also in search of some extra cash wasted no time in joining them. Although their way of making a profit can at times be difficult, Singh makes on average $800 to $1,000 a month by working hard and buying wisely. Suresh, however, makes $1,200 to $2,500 on average a month, which takes a lot of time and research online. Websites containing huge brand names such as shoe websites and Supreme are a big source of their supplies. Making this kind of profit can be

MARCH 2020

SUPREME SALES How two boys make a living off the art of resale

slightly challenging when balancing a schedule with advanced classes, such as broadcasting, due to the amount of time it consumes. The amount of time spent online buying and selling products later determines each wage they earn. Along with being able to pay for anything anytime, Singh and Suresh’s favorite aspect of the business they enjoy is understanding how valuable their money is worth when they get to be the one to work for it. Before working with marketing, Shawn describes how he “would ask [his] parents for $20 to go to the mall, but now realizing the when you work for $20, it takes a lot more effort than just asking for it.” Along with always having extra cash Suresh enjoys his job. “You can work for your own money and learn the real value of earning things for yourself,” Suresh said. Time crunching, getting lost, and disappearing in the two to four hours of finding the right quality products are often challenges faced by these two despite their wishes. Bumps in the

road, such as managing constant varying prices or not being able to get their hands on a good deal due to distractions such as school and other extracurriculars can be problematic, but these obstacles can often be overcome through their teamwork and respect for each other. “Most of the actual work we do separately, but sometimes we will text each other about good deals on a website and just hold it,” Suresh said. By relying on themselves to make money, Singh and Suresh learned about hard work and dedication. With their work not being typical among their peers, they face new types of challenges but also new forms of accomplishment. “Managing time to still do good in classes and make a profit has been challenging but a really big accomplishment. Learning the value of money,” Singh said. These accomplishments and plans to continue the business have brought new lessons, but both are grateful for the path they have chosen. story and design by JORDAN KUZYANOV AND EMMA CHERKEZ photo by EMMA CHERKEZ

FASHION

K STITCH

BY STITCH

Young group of boys venture into the clothing industry

simple conversation at the kitchen table can evolve into a rising business. Some might say that a group of high school kids can’t venture into the fashion industry, but Kobe Ulep, along with fellow aspiring entrepreneurs, has proven it to be possible. Ulep is proud to say that he has been able to see his business grow. “Seeing how far it came from a small idea we had at the kitchen table to having a website and people buying clothes from us from like Minnesota. It’s really nice to see our hard work and how much it has paid off,” he said. Ulep and his friend Kenny had the idea just between a group of friends. “I met [Kenny] three years ago. He was my sister’s friend, and he pretty much started coming to my house a lot and became like a family friend. We always had the same interests like fashion, video games, stuff like that. I became really close to him and see him as a family member now,” Ulep said. As their business progressed they decided to call the business Kenneth Wacks. “Kenneth is just his full name, and Wacks is his nickname,” Ulep said. Having a fashion industry at such a young age can come with difficult challenges.

“Being comfortable with taking pictures was probably the hardest part,’’ Ulep said. The photoshoot process involves figuring out a place such as a construction site, gathering models and trying different poses. Staying on track with making clothes and figuring out how long it will take also proved difficult for the young business owners. However, overcoming these challenges have led to greater rewards. All of the clothing they create is handmade by Kenny and is made at home. “We don’t screen print graphics on T-shirts. We buy imported fabrics online, and make our own sewing patterns,” he said. This ensures that every customer receives the best possible quality. Kenny learned how to create clothing and sewing patterns by taking fashion classes at Sierra College along with watching YouTube videos, inspiring him to pursue this industry. In the future, Ulep and Kenny plan to continue with their business. “Kenny really wants to take it seriously, and I’ll stick with him because he’s like a brother to me,” Ulep said. Although Ulep has been able to collaborate with others to create original ideas, it does not mean that they haven’t gotten influence from other designers. “We get a lot of influence from a designer named Rick Owens. He’s a designer from Los Angeles. It’s very dark and weird clothing that people would see you wearing and say ‘What the heck are you wearing?’ he said. From a small idea to a full-on business, Ulep has been able to create, model and wear his own designs. “My favorite part about having my own business is being able to create our own type of clothing and to wear something and say we created it.” story and design by MADDIE MARQUIS, KYLE VARGAS, BRITTANY TICARAT, AND CAROLINA GARCIA photo by CAROLINA GARCIA

THE ROAR

FASHION

PRINTING

Senior channels his love for art into an outlet for his opinions to be heard

orbin Valentina began his career by brainstorming ideas and doodling pages of random designs. Little did he know that four years in the future, he would be the owner of his own business that is centered around this craft. His brand, Loiterpit, is a screen-pressed T-shirt company. He draws all of his designs by hand and then uses the process of photo emulsion to transfer his art onto fabric. The process involves pouring a goo-type substance onto a screen press, which eventually turns into a solid. The image is then placed onto transfer paper and relocated on top of the hardened goo substance. The image is burned into the goo through this process. Next, a shirt is placed under the screen, which now has a stencil of the image on it and ink is placed on top. The ink is transferred onto the shirt in the shape of the design. The printing of the design takes just a few minutes, but the drying process takes a few hours. While many teenagers rely on social media to communicate with each other, Valentina uses a different method for advertising his business. “I usually just keep it old school and pass out stuff,” he said. To order, customers usually either talk to him directly or purchase a shirt online. His relationship with art has fluctuated through the years, since now it is more than just a hobby. “Now I know that I need to do it, not just do it sometimes, in order to keep up with demands,” Valentina said. He is thankful that his current demand-level is not too high. “I like to take my time on the process, and having a high demand would limit that,” he said. The shirts usually have art that depict his opinions, and he enjoys seeing the reactions they bring, whether they are positive or negative. “‘Oh, I’m so mad at him for having an opinion.’ That’s the kind of stuff I like doing,” Valentina said. The main goal of his business is not to make money, it’s to get a point across. “I don’t really want it to be pointless. I want someone to actually feel the same way. I want it to be meaningful,” he said.

MARCH 2020

WITH A PURPOSE

Valentina also values his relationship with family, and appreciates everything they have done for him. “My hope is that maybe I could help my parents for once with this since they helped me so much,” he said. Without his parents, he would not be where he is right now. “We’re here because of them and I think that’s the best gift someone could give you. Life,” Valentina said. With his love for art and his family’s support, he hopes to keep growing his business. story and design by JORDAN MATTHEWS, SAMANTHA RAMIREZ, BREANNE SNODGRASS, ELISHA TAPANGAN photo by SAMANTHA RAMIREZ

How Maya Khangura strings through life

s she sits down in front of her wooden table, she begins to unlock the latch of the clear organized container containing an array of beads, charms and wires. She glances at the list of orders she were to complete today, it was a long list, but it was doable. Reaching for the scissors just across the table, starting with the roll of wire, Maya Khangura got to work, her fingers diligently working to finish just one of the many designs. Small professions like jewelry making can start a successful business and pave a new source of profit for entrepreneurs like Maya Khangura. Khangura started making jewelry from scratch and sold them to friends and family. Khangura began her jewelry business in February 2019. More than a year later, she has accumulated a following of almost 500 followers. Much like other girls, Maya started out making jewelry for her own enjoyment, the idea of starting a business far from her mind. “I was at Yard House having dinner with my family, and my friend wanted a bracelet and she suggested that I should sell it,” Khangura said. With this new idea, Maya created an Instagram account for her new business called mayasbracelets, and began to post her jewelry. “Figuring out how to set the prices has been one of the most difficult things I’ve experienced because sometimes

people say it’s for my mom and I become guilty so I say ‘Aww it’s free!’ I feel bad because sometimes I just get so excited,” Khangura said. Despite these challenges, Khangura continued to pursue jewelry. It was a difficult process to get where she is today, but with the support of her family from the get-go, Khangura was excited to see what her business would transform into. “My mom loves my business! She always sends me photos from Pinterest for inspiration and she helps me buy the supplies on Amazon for me,” Khangura said. Given the green-light from her support system, Maya continued to make an assortment of jewelry ranging from earrings to necklaces and bracelets. The jewelry making process itself was intricate having to carefully put on each bead, but the end result is what continues to motivate Maya up until today. “It’s so satisfying when people receive their packages and they open it and they post it on their story and they’re like ‘I love it!’ It feels so good to know that your hard work has paid off through how happy and excited they are. I really like making jewelry because it is really fun to see people’s reactions when they get them and see people wear them around campus. I’ve gotten an order from New York and so it’s exciting to see people wear it all the way in New York.,” Khangura said. What sets Maya apart from other jewelry businesses, are the unique designs she comes up with. She draws inspiration from an abundant amount of ideas ranging from ideas she sees online to things she sees day to day as ideas that her mom helps her come up with. “I get my inspiration from Pinterest and I inspire my jewelry off of it. Like one time I saw wire jewelry and I was like ‘Wow!’ and then I made something based off of that. So I draw my inspiration

BRACELETS

BEAD BY BEAD

as well from different colors like color palettes,” Khangura said. With more than a year of experience under her belt, Khangura is aware of the changes she has experienced as a result of her business along with how much it truly means to her. “I feel like I’ve gotten better at time management because I have to balance school and making jewelry! And I really love my business. I think it’s a fun place for me to post things and see peoples reactions. It means so much to me to see how I went from 0 to .5k now,” Khangura said. In order to keep up with the ever growing competition, Khangura tries offering jewelry arrangements other businesses don’t offer. Maya uses an assortment of supplies such as glass beads, beading wire, embroidery thread, chain, hooks and charms to create her unique designs. She buys these supplies from Amazon, Michaels, Joanns and sometimes Hobby Lobby “I have a few new jewelry ideas in mind like making more earrings because they’re really cute. And I would like to collab with some other people so that way I could show off other people’s jewelry and my own. I am going to have so much more time to make so many more things and post them because I really just like making a lot of different things and seeing how people respond to it,” Khangura said. “Hopefully people can learn they can make anything and they can show off their own personality to other people and unique style by using my jewellery because you can customize so hopefully it helps people express their personality,” Khangura said. Through Khangura’s love for jewelry, Khangura hopes that people can learn an important lesson by wearing what they buy. story and design by CELINA PANNU & ALEXIS REAL THE ROAR

JEWELRY

BEADED BY follows her passion BELLA Junior one bead at a time

he late afternoon sunlight streams through the window as Bella Nijmeh sets her backpack on the floor and sits at her desk. After a long day of school, students might resort to a nap or an evening of video games, but not Nijmeh. For her, the day is only beginning. Her drawer slides open with a creak to reveal her collection of jewelry supplies. Her beading process is meticulous; one round bead after another, she chooses each color with care. The hours drift by and yet her hands are still hard at work. “I began making jewelry at a young age. Over the years, I’ve made different types of jewelry, but only since February 2019 I started my current jewelry business,” Nijmeh said. Since then she’s expanded from making bracelets to making necklaces, chokers, earrings, anklets, and more. Nijmeh collects orders through her Instagram account, @bellas.bracelet. By using social media, Nijmeh has been able to gain a platform of over 650 followers, and growing. Managing a business comes with both its ups and downs. Nijmeh often spends hours upon hours coordinating the less glamorous aspects of jewelry, including utilizing a spreadsheet to keep track of financial expenses. “Initially, it was challenging to keep up with sales and school, especially during finals. However, I have found a healthy balance with school, my jewelry business, sports and friends,” Nijmeh said. She has learned to practice time management and prioritizing her business. “I try to finish my orders each night before going out with friends,” Nijmeh said.

MARCH 2020

Although it is hard at times, her patience is paying off. Nijmeh’s business continues to grow, as she receives orders from strangers and friends alike. Despite the initial challenge, jewelry making has been a source of comfort in her life. “I find it very relaxing and enjoyable making jewelry,” Nijmeh said as her face illuminates with a smile. Her passion for jewelry shines through in each interaction she shares with her customers. Not only is each necklace handmade, but each piece of jewelry is unique. Nijmeh creates a wide assortment of jewelry to appeal to different audiences. From seed beads to sterling silver, the different supplies she uses create a variety of looks. “I’m really into stones because no two have the same shape, patterns, or colors,” Nijmeh said. She is focused on the future of her company. “I plan on re-branding my company name from bellas.bracelet to beaded. by.bella and creating a website,” Nijmeh said. Through her business Nijmeh has learned responsibility by putting her business before things she may want to do. “I have to prioritize my time if I have a lot of orders to do. But if I want to hang out with my friends, I have to do my orders before. And orders can take a long time to do,” Nijmeh said. Although prioritizing may be difficult at times, she finds her customer’s responses rewarding. “When I see people wearing the jewelry I’ve made and are happy with their purchase it makes me very happy. It is also nice when I get referrals from

other customers who are happy with their jewelry,” Nijmeh said. “I always welcome customer requests on what you want to see. Thank you to all who have supported my business. I truly appreciate all of you!” Nijmeh said. story and design by GRACE RYU & RACHEL TAJIRI photo by RACHEL TAJIRI

Two sisters form accessory-making business

t was an ordinary day at school for Vicky Hsu as she strolled down to her next class, walking side by side with her friends. She struggled against the throng of people pushing their way to their next class. As she walked, she considered the flashy bracelets adorning the wrists of girls passing by her. The presence of the simplistic bracelets made their outfits all the more complete. Vicky and her sister Annie Hsu started their online business, @hsusisters_jewelry after friends noticed Vicky wearing the charming handmade jewelry. “Originally it was my business. I was doing some at home just for fun and then people reached out when they saw me wearing them and asked to buy some,” Vicky said. Annie didn’t get involved with the business until later. She joined to help Vicky with her finances after her business kicked off. “I saw it online on VSCO and Instagram and I also saw other people wearing it. I would always ask them where they got it

and they said they made it themselves, so then I was just wanting to make them too,” Vicky said. She made her account shortly after, posting photos of their jewelry along with the prices. Annie and Vicky sold many different types of jewelry. They sold colorful necklaces, chokers, bracelets and anklets, assorted with many beads, pearly white shells, and silver starfish charms. Their most successive products were necklaces in with peach, white, pink, and yellow beads. “We handmade jewelry with beads, shells, and little charms. It was the whole trend. A really simple bead bracelet business,” Annie said. Vicky points out that they spent $50 at Michaels for making the products. All the money spent on supplies was worth it though because they had many customers contacting them to buy their products. “It was our friends who bought our products at first, other people found our Instagram account later. We made over $100 in two weeks because we collected

JEWELRY

FROM BEADS TO BUSINESS

all the money at that one-week and that was the week we were handing them out.” However, the success of their business didn’t last too long, as both Annie and Vicky stopped selling their bracelets back in May 2019. “The trend of it just kind of died down, now people aren’t really wearing them as much, especially after people bought a couple they just didn’t need or want more,” Annie said.

V story by FRANCHESKA PONTILLAS and GIANNA SINISI photos by GIANNA SINISI

THE ROAR

BOARDS

wo young students, Adler Simas and Matthew Fagundes, sprouted their own business just from having fun in their BITA class. The two boys started making cutting boards from scratch and sold them to friends and family. They got the idea when they realized they both loved making things in BITA. “It kind of just stemmed out of that I guess, just doing what we like to do, making a profit off of it,” Simas said. They started selling their handmade wooden cutting boards to people they know, especially to their previous clients. “I was making stuff in BITA and I gave one to my grandmother and then one of her friends saw it and wanted one, so that’s kind of how it started,” Fagundes said. Selling through connections is the main way Fagundes and Simas make a profit. “We really just work with people that we know and then pass on to people that they know, and it’s basically just like branching out through people we sell to, a chain reaction,” Simas said. The people who have purchased these boards can expand their business by telling other people about it. In total, they have sold cutting boards to five people. “[We charge] $70 for bigger ones, small ones are $45, but we are branching out to more things,” Fagundes said. This created a new sense of creativit when they realized that they could make a profit. They usually make their items in class or at intervention and lunch in the shop, C-5. They also buy their materials from school or whatever is available. “We use a lot of the scrap materials, actually,” Simas said, “using the scrap materials costs less and utilizes the materials in a good way.” Simas said that they can make more items than just cutting boards.

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MARCH 2020

“It’s really like there is no limit. I guess there are endless possibilities of what we could make so it’s like whatever,” Fagundes said. They also get their ideas from loads of websites, “Well, we take a lot of ideas from websites like Etsy and Pinterest and stuff,” Simas said. They really want their product to look the best it can. story by SARAH BOBROWSKY, LEAH BROWN, ASHLEEN KAUR, ARIANA MALATA & BELLA PETERS photos by LEAH BROWN

CUTTING EDGE

Two juniors cut boards to make a profit