Brianna Janes
Staff reporter Brianna Janes (2012), has swum with the sharks.
“I went to Dubai for my 16th birthday”, she recounted. “Dubai is full of these gigantic malls, and In the middle of one of them is this massive shark tank.” Was she scared? Apparently not. “Getting to swim in it was kind of my birthday present. It was a great experience, regardless of the man screaming instructions at me in a language I don’t understand throughout it all.”
However, her future is not in terrifying, man-eating fish. Brianna’s passion is in screenwriting.
“I’ve always wanted to be a screenwriter,” she says. “That’s what I want to do with my life”. As for college, she says her top choice is USC, mainly because it has one of the best (and only) screenwriting programs in the country. Brianna’s favorite stories are the ones rooted in sci-fi, and as a result, most of the screenplays she’s already written are from that genre.
“I’m working on something great right now, but don’t tell anyone.”
Read all stories written by Brianna Janes
Jazmin Amin
Jazmin Amin (’12), an InFlight journalism reporter, is a pretty average person.
“I just got my sixth schedule today. I basically went into the office six times a day last week. I had to talk to everyone and my parents got involved.”
Scheduling problems are just a few of the mundane events that occur in Jazmin’s daily life. She does a lot more than just deal with bureaucratic red tape. Not only does she enjoy beverages like Snapple (kiwi) drinks, Jazmin also loves the color “orange” and likes to sample Italian food. When she grows up, she wants to be a movie director/writer, something that will “make a lot of cash.”
“One thing that’s really weird about me is that I love the smell of gasoline.”
What a perfectly average quality. It certainly is well suited for the time she went drag racing with her father.
Finally, her life mantra is: “Work as if you don’t need the money, love as if you’ve never been hurt, and dance like nobody’s watching.” And there you have it, folks. Jazmin Amin is just your ordinary staff reporter who’s looking forward to publishing many articles in the future.
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Mina Corpuz
Meet Mina Corpuz (’13): FHS Junior, fellow music enthusiast, and aspiring opinions writer. She is brilliant. You just don’t know it yet.
Although she is new to the class of Journalism, she is no stranger to publication writing. Corpuz was once a member of her middle school’s year book class. This 2011-2012 school year she wishes to transcend her writing prowess through the InFlight student paper. “I like the writing aspect of journalism” she smiles. “You get to choose different topics and make it your own.”
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Allie Haas
Many wonder and ask whether or not Allie Haas (’12) has had hi-liter colored snot, and to that, she informs us that she has. Haas, a senior and second year journalism student, remains enthusiastic about two things: a year of change and cheese.
“I was four: it was Thanksgiving and I wanted nothing but cheese,” Haas says as she laughs, moving her long blond hair out of her face.
Haas’s cheese interest is not specified to one type of cheese, as she is intrigued by all kinds. She expects this fascination to continue through adulthood. While this obsession seems to be a great part of her life, Haas is also very animated when it comes to this year in Journalism.
“It’ll be different from last year. I want this year to flow with organization. We can easily get more done.”
This year, Haas is the News editor of InFlight and is very excited to inform Foothill regarding world events as well as local events.
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Andrew Huang
Copy Editor Andrew E. Huang (’13), wants to leave his legacy behind by writing for InFlight.
“I like to write, it’s kind of cool writing for the paper where everyone can see my name.”
Andrew is very determined and a hard worker. Taking on the responsibility as Copy Editor can say a lot about his character. “It’s awesome, I’m an editor, it’s a lot of power!”
Andrew lives by the motto, “push it up hard and recover on your downhill”, inspired by the wise words of his cross-country coach Shannon Sos.
Andrew thinks that writing for the newspaper would be a good thing to have on a college application and he likes to write whenever he possibly can.
And a little reminder to the journalism kids, “The better you guys write the less work I have to do, so write well!”
Read all stories written by Andrew E. Huang
Barron Kim
Barron Kim (’12), aspiring journalist, avid bug killer.
“Spiders, or bugs in general, I hate them!” he explained. “I kill them all”.
Not only is he athletically involved in Foothill and musically inclined; he has a talent few are capable of.
Barron Kim is fearless when it comes to pests. “I have no shame,” he says.
His three favorite techniques in terminating such creatures include “shooting them with an air-soft gun, burning them with a lighter, and the traditional smashing.”
Although some may find his philosophies inhumane, he has his reasons. He emphasizes that he will always be disgusted by “any kind of bug” regardless of size, color, or shape.
He says that discriminating would “be immoral.” As a service to those who fear such insects, Barron will gladly annihilate those that are unwanted.
Read all stories written by Kauhleen Mangayan
Jason Almeida
“I feel that if there was a change that needed to be made, it should be made by the federal government.” Jason keeps track of politics and events that occur in our nation. He has mixed views on different topics such as economy and foreign policy. He is more liberal to Social Policies, but more conservative in an economic field.
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Shreya Arora
Shreya Arora (’13), InFlight‘s Features Editor is a junior at Foothill High School.
She is not just your ordinary girl at Foothill. Shreya is actively in DECA, as well as captain of the Quiz Bowl Team.
“Quiz Bowl hasn’t started yet, but I’m sure it will be an exciting experience and I am honored to receive the title I was given.”
Shreya was born on September 27th, 1995 and hopes to drive soon! She enjoys singing for fun. In addition to singing, she loves spending her time playing the piano, which she has played for over 9 years. She explained how playing the piano releases stress for her. Shreya likes playing music from the composer Chopin, which is quite amazing for a teenage girl to say and know how to play such complex music. “I also really like composing my own music,” she says.
On top of all of that she received this year was a social music diploma. But, she told me that “I wouldn’t enjoy teaching other people because I do not have the patience.”
Shreya’s favorite music to listen to are from the male singers Michael Buble, Jason Mraz, and Jack Johnson. She likes to shop at Macy’s and Forever 21.
“My favorite restaurant would have to be Little Home Thai Cuisine, and I’ve probably been there over twenty times. The people recognize my voice when I call to make a to-go order,” she says.
As a junior, she said her favorite subject is English. She mentioned that her “favorite teachers so far are Mr. Lipman- he seems like a pretty cool guy so far, Mrs. Dagen and, of course, Mrs. Crawbuck.”
When she is not busy with school, her music, dancing, and business activities, she is fond of going to Starbucks and going to get Froyo. “I absolutely love chocolate. I have in insane sweet tooth!”
In her free times she finds enjoys hiking, one of the only forms of exercise, besides dance, that she truly enjoys. “I have been interested in photography, or maybe it’s just a phase,” she says.
Shreya is very determined to succeed, and that is extremely inspiring. When asked what she wanted to do in the future, she replied, “I want to rule the world and be in business. Okay, I’m kidding kind of about the first part, but I want to make a difference and be successful in business.”
Not only has she accomplished a lot just for a junior, but she is even more motivated to make more changes and fulfill more goals.
Shreya looks forward to writing a lot this year and having another successful third year in Journalism.
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Jordan Johnson
Jordan Johnson (’12) is a man who may seem reluctant to speak his mind at first, but he is far from being too timid to have his own say in things.
“I’m usually pretty quiet, but I’m definitely not shy.”
Jordan is usually a very quiet guy who won’t speak unless he has to, but once you get into a conversation with him, you’ll be surprised at how much he has to say. He’s had the pleasure of experiencing a wide variety of hobbies that allow him to express himself, from making his own hip-hop music to making his own fireworks.
Jordan says that if he could wish for one thing in the entire world, it would be that people could know what it’s like to experience true happiness.
“People think they know what it means to be happy, but it always falls short for them.”
According to Jordan, one of the best experiences he’s ever had in his life was when he first got a look of a completely different part of our world when he went to China for the first time.
“It taught me to appreciate and be thankful for what I have, as well as how to have good leadership.”
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Hannah Miller
Hannah Miller (’13) is an avid fan of Nicholas Sparks books.
“What can I say,” she replies. “I’m a sucker for a good love story and happy endings.”
Miller has adored the books since she was young, her favorite being The Notebook. Her favorite book-turned-movie is A Walk To Remember.
“I can’t ever watch that without tearing up a bit,” she chuckles.
Though she enjoys Sparks’ movies, she has a pet peeve of TV commercial breaks that seem to always abruptly end her favorite shows at the cliffhanger. Miller is also happy to say that she does not act like many of the melodramatic characters in the books she loves so much.
“I would never act like any of those characters. I’m a lot nicer than any of them in real life,” she says.
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Jessica Jayson
Jessica Jayson (’13) is a Junior at Foothill High School. She loves to shop and hang out with friends and aspires to be a fashion freelance journalist.
“I like to write, and it would be a really fun job,” she stated. “Fashion and writing is a really good combination for me.”
As a result of her love of fashion, Jayson has caught herself a internship with the well known clothing store, Nordstrom. She is even starting up a fashion club on campus with a few of her friends.
“I want to be a journalist,” she clarified, “so I took journalism to get the feel for it; to test the waters.”
Fashion requires plenty of travel, something Jessica doesn’t have a taste for, to get the fresh new ideas from Milan, Paris, London and other designer hubs of the world. She’ll have a difficult time trying to be the first on the scene with the latest fashion tips.
“I want to work for a magazine and hopefully become a freelance writer,” she finished, “I’m hoping journalism will help with this.”
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Kelly McDeavitt
Kelly McDeavitt (’13) is an author, literally.
“My friend and I are writing a book right now,” said McDeavitt. “It’s currently 22 pages long.”
McDeavitt notes that the twenty-two existing pages is a record for her. The book that she is writing is currently unnamed.
“Nature is good to use as symbolism and comparisons in writing,” she said. “It’s good because it’s very obvious, but when you look deeper, there’s a lot going on.”
McDeavitt related a tree to the plot or character development in a piece of writing. She explained how on first sight, a tree seems simple. Still, trees harbor life and are composed of more complicated things like cells. Similarly, one can dig deeper to find the intricacies of a character’s maturity.
“Nature is complicated but it’s simple compared to people,” said McDeavitt. “Nature knows where it’s at. When you’re out there, you forget everything. It’s nice.”
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Kyle Smith
His love for business has led him to try and start his very own business in the school district: installing and maintaining vending machines in the schools. Of course, like most business-minded people, his plan doesn’t stop with one idea: “I would try to expand to as many different districts as I could.” To see Kyle’s current endeavors be sure to check out www.kcorp.info.
Kyle’s business dreams don’t stop there. He has big aspirations, of which include the desire to manage a big ballistics/weaponry company.
In addition to getting involved with businesses, Kyle also wants to use his knowledge of businesses and industries (especially the IT and dot com industries) in the stock market. “I’m trying to get my parents to allow me to enter the stock market.”
Kyle is also very interested in Baseball. He used to play in the Pleasanton American Little League and is also follow MLB. “Even though they don’t deserve it sometimes, I’m a diehard A’s fan.”
Read all stories written by Kyle Smith
Emma Longridge
Emma Longridge (’13) is more than an average teenager who likes to write.
“My favorite parts about Journalism are the collaborations and the lasting bond with the other students that is created. I like to write movie reviews too.”
Longridge has participated in the production of the school paper for the last two years. She’s grateful to be a part of the Journalism family.
Being in Journalism has helped Emma develop her interest in writing and distinguish what she wants to do in the future, which is pursue a job in public relations.
“I prefer to convey my thoughts and emotions in writing rather than through oral speech. This is what’s comfortable for me,” she states, “but I still want to develop better speaking skills.”
Other than writing, Longridge enjoys London-inspired fashion, interesting genres of music, and different styles of dance. In addition, she has her quirks.
“When I am not practicing different variations of English slang, I am constantly trying to catch my cat’s tail in my left knee crevice.”
Paired with her carefree passion for writing, unique interests, and carefree personality, Emma Londridge is altogether a one-of-a-kind person.
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Sohan Shah
Sohan Shah (’13), is an accomplished globe trotter who wants to make Foothill more informed and aware.
Sitting down with this first year Journalism reporter and asking him to tell something interesting about him, he replied, “Um, I like to travel.” Where to? “Where? Ok let’s list!”
Shah proceeded to rattle off more than ten exotic locations that he has visited including Mexico, Germany, Korea, and Singapore. “And I’m not done,” he stated.
“I want to become a doctor and set up clinics in third world countries and just explore with any free time I get.”
On top of his ambitious plans for the future, Shah has balanced challenging classes with intense water polo practice for the last two years.
“I don’t have a lot of free time, but when I do I listen to music. The Red Hot Chile Peppers are my favorite band.”
On why he decided to take Journalism, Shah said, “I know a lot of people in the class and I like to write. I hope to learn as much as I can about Journalism and still have fun.”
Shah’s hopes for the class extend beyond himself. “I hope to help the school be more aware because have to people have no idea what;s going on even within the school.”
It is clear that InFlight has gained a committed and passionate staff member. From his many travels to his packed schedule, Sohan Shah is out to see the world and save the world.
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Anthony Kuo
Anthony Kuo (’13) is a man of few words, and according to him, “even fewer thoughts.”
“My brain is like a big black hole,” he stated.
Despite the void inside his brain, Kuo is by no means an uninteresting fellow. He likes giraffes, fish, and is particularly intrigued by the platypus. If that isn’t interesting enough, Kuo is drawn to the sharp contrast in black and white pictures for reasons unexplained. Anthony Kuo is, in one word, mysterious.
“I wear my shirts inside out sometimes,” he said.
More than once, Kuo has chosen to reverse his shirt. When asked why, he couldn’t give a particular reason. He only knew that, unlike for most people, it was a conscious decision. It leaves one ultimate question: who is Anthony Kuo?
In three words, Anthony said, “I don’t know.”
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Kauhleen Mangayan
Kauhleen Mangayan (’12), is an avid outdoors-woman.
“I love being outside, I just can’t stand being inside!” she exclaims. “It’s just so stuffy inside, I feel like I just have to get out!”
Although Kauhleen loves the outdoors, she hates owls. In fact, she “can’t stand that new owl movie.” The only owls she’s okay with are the owls from Hogwarts. In addition, she abhors big bugs. Little ones she can tolerate, but big ones arouse her into a manic killing frenzy. She “hates big bugs.”
Despite being a female, not only is Kauhleen an outdoors-woman, but she also dislikes chick flicks. “Me and chick flicks are a bad combination. I prefer comedy or action films.”
Unfortunately for Kauhleen, her older sister loves chick flicks. However, due to Kauhleen’s loving heart and gentleness, she chooses to spend quality time with her sister by watching these movies with her.
In spite of all of Kauhleen’s preferences, in the end, she just likes “going with the flow.”
Read all stories written by Kauhleen Mangayan
Stephanie Holmes
So how exactly did Stephanie Holmes (’12), a girl from across the pond who loves history, get into journalism?
“I joined journalism because I wanted to bring more interesting articles to the paper,” Holmes explains, “I like how it’s a class where you can write about what you want, whenever you want to.”
Holmes moved to America from Essex, England when she was seventeen months old. Holmes’ friends often comment on her still having a British accent, despite the fact that she has lived here for so long.
“I don’t remember deciding to keep it, but I’m glad I did. It’s something that makes me innately different and I wouldn’t be me with out it.”
In addition to journalism, Holmes also enjoys traveling, and considers herself somewhat of a foodie.
“I’ve been to England a lot, and also France, Mexico, Majorca, and Menorca. I like steak, kidney pie and crocodile jerky”
Holmes doesn’t plan on staying in the journalism field for the rest of her life though, citing the rough job market as one reason.
“I like history a lot, particularly Revolutionary and Postbellum America. I would like to write fictional books that are based on history, kind of like The Da Vinci Code.”
With aspirations like that, Foothill can look forward to compelling and appealing articles from their new entertainment editor.
Read all stories written by Stephanie Holmes
Kristen McDeavitt
“I began Journalism back in 8th grade. Even though we weren’t as involved as a high school class, I still found it very fun”. A veteran journalist, Kristen McDeavitt (‘12) has been writing because of her love for the English language/literature. She wanted to find a place to write and Journalism was where she found it. “My strong point was in nonfiction writing… and that led to journalism”. Even though Journalism in 8th grade was not as involved as it is in the high school setting, Kristen has strived for excellence in writing. Not only did she publish a story in the Pleasanton Weekly during her 8th grade but now she has advanced through the ranks and attained one of the highest positions in journalism: the Print Editor-in-Chief. As one of the leaders of the class, Kristen has very high prospects for the year. With a new batch of energetic students, she hopes to accomplish much more than last year’s cycle. As journalism becomes more digitalized, she hopes to see more citizen involvement because it becomes easier for people to be heard.
In the future, Kristen hopes to attain a major in English and travel to other countries to spread her love for English while learning other languages. This was largely influenced by her constant exposure to books and her joy of traveling. In fact, last summer, she toured Europe, exploring countries such as France, Germany, Liechtenstein, Austria, Switzerland and the Czech Republic. Her favorite author is Charles Dickens and she enjoys most of his works. She also enjoys listening to Big Band music from the 1940s and modern Indie music, such as that by Arcade Fire.
Read all stories written by Kristen McDeavitt
Alec Kron
“I’d like to focus my writing on Opinions, because a lot of students in this school don’t have any,” says Alec Kron (‘12), in his final year at Foothill High School and entering his first year working as a journalist and reporter for the InFlight newspaper. “The thing is, it’s not that students have nothing to say. But in the atmosphere of this high school, they really just need someone else to get the conversation started.”
Debate and dispute are not things Mr. Kron avoids, as he participates in many of the political education classes that Foothill provides: “The class I’m looking forward to most this year is We The People, the competitive civics class. The class is invaluable to those who wish to further their study in the area of American government and the Constitution.”
A long-time member and officer of the Junior Statesmen of America club on the Foothill campus, Mr. Kron enjoys learning about the many different political ideologies and philosophies that other students believe or observe, specifically, Eastern schools of thought: “My favorite book at the moment is Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Although it tells a fictional story, the author blends many elements of Zen schooling with the plot and characters of the novel.”
Mr. Kron’s own views matters have developed after reading and learning of different schools of thought, specifically into a general skepticism of technology: “Although we’re using a lot more technology in our schools and overall lives, it really takes out the aspect of hard work. What one might have had to read or memorize to keep in their general knowledge is now stored in a database in Palo Alto, while simultaneously being kept accessible anywhere for anyone to use. The thing is about this system of instant gratification, however, is that it won’t ever stop. A homeless man could get used to the Taj Mahal after a day, but after that he won’t want to leave.”
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Steven Hopper
Steven Hopper, a senior at Foothill by day, rock star in the making by night.
“In my band, PAX, I play the keyboard and sing back-up vocals”, he explained. “Being a part of a band allows me to tap into my creative side. I really enjoy being in a band with my friends.”
Steven draws his musical inspirtation from Daft Punk, which is an electronic music duo consisting of French musicians Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter. They are known for not showing their faces as well as for wearing robot costumes in public.
“After high school I’m considering a career in audio production. I’d like to work in the music or movie industry.”
As far as college goes Steven would like to attend San Fransisco State, which makes sense because San Fransisco is his favorite city. Additionally, San Fransisco has a vibrant music and art community, which is important to Steven.
When talking about why he would like to go to college in San Fransisco, Steven said, “New York to me is dark and gloomy, while San Fransisco is more colorful and vibrant. San Fransisco is my favorite place to be.”
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Teddy Wu
“I think it’s just better to bring your own water so you don’t have to worry about those things. I’m not against water fountains, but I just do not prefer them.”
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Alexa Thompson
“We went on a photoshoot on Embarcadero in San Fransisco. It was the first ‘official’ group thing we’ve done outside of group practice. It was a great experience”
Even though she loves to be involved in her new band, Alexa Thompson (’12), Staff Reporter for InFlight is a one-of-a-kind girl. And while still conforming to the stereotypical pink as a favorite color and Forever 21 as a favorite store, Alexa has so much to offer.
Thompson was born on May 12th and continues her typical Pleasanton life with her two baby brothers and younger sister. She is currently a senior at Foothill High School and has completed her three years with quite interesting events.
“One of my band members has a room with good technology for recording, and I had used it for singing.”
Thompson was a ninth grader with courage, not falling with many freshman marked by insecurity. Thompson distinctively remembers creatively dressing up every Friday during P.E. She and her friends called it “The Triple F” or the Freaky Freshman Friday. This attention-grabbing experience has shaped Alexa greatly.
“We’re kids and have created this band just for fun. The other band members pick then name because we’re teens and we love music. We want to show everyone what we like to do.”
Not only is this beach-going girl goal-driven, but she also works at C andG dental X-Ray as a receptionist. “I’ve worked here since May and it’s my first ‘official job.’ It’s great because I have a close bond with my manager, I really look up to her.
She also tutors three boys that go to Lydiksen because she “really likes kids and loves to help the learn.” After a long day, she retreats to her homework, to her boyfriend, her great family and to her band.
Weekends for Alexa are relaxing and filled with Welch’s fruit snacks and just about any type of Goldfish produced. When she’s not consuming these tasty snacks, she is out with her friends exploring Downtown Pleasanton and Hacienda.
When she has more time, Alexa likes to visit Santa Barbara and Capitola- definitely taking a whole bunch of those Goldfish for the car ride!
Thompson is applying to SBCC and hopes to transfer to UCSB with a Psychology major, but she has yet decided what she wants to study in college.
“We hope to play shows and whatever we do, we’ll do for fun. We just love this good experience and explore with each other what we love to do.”
Contrary to many students, Alexa truly wants to make a difference in the world; she wants to change something; she wants to help people. Alexa is excited for graduation and hopes for a great year ahead of her.
Read all stories written by Alexa Thompson
Evelyn Minaise
All hail Journalism’s Editor-in-Chief, Evelyn Minaise (’12)!
“My spirit animal is Beyonce,” says Evelyn. That’ s obviously because she runs the world, like a boss. Or should I say like an Evelyn? Evelyn has been a journalist with Foothill High School for all four of the years she’s been here, which means she’s pretty much Varsity status.
Inspired by TIME’ s Joel Stein, whose columns she deems her favorite for their humor and knowledge, Evelyn loves Journalism for the opportunities it gives her: writing, knowing people, and, of course, being a boss. “Since I’m Chief around here, I’m usually the one who leads the rest of the journalism team in the tribal print dance.” That’s like a rain dance, only for print. “We ask the journalism deities for advice so that we may print fabulous writing,” Evelyn adds.
Evelyn is such a boss that The Lonely Island wrote a song specifically dedicated to her. Furthermore, a man named Hugo was so inspired by just how amazing Evelyn is that he decided to change his last name to “Boss” in honor of FHS Journalism’ s beloved Chief. The clothing he released was, of course, quite classy, having been inspired by Evelyn herself. “To ensure that my successor is much of a boss as I am, I plan on hazing all Juniors in Journalism,” Evelyn warns, with a sly smile on her face. “It’s a tribal thing. Don’t tell them, though.”
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Duncan Morrow
With a name given to him “just because it’s awesome,” InFlight‘s opinions editor, Duncan Morrow (’13), wanders through life. He hopes to get into a small liberal arts college, saying he has “no idea” what he wants to study. Though he does crack jokes at people “who are squeamish and want to become doctors.”
“I don’t have a lot of free time,” he says. But when he does, he plays guitar, drawing influence from bands like Arcade Fire and Deadmau5. Though he has lived in Pleasanton since he was 5, he likes to go into the city, frequenting concerts. Recently, he went to Outside Lands Music Festival, calling the experience “amazing.” When asked if he had any quirks, Duncan grinned, saying: “I tend to get yelled at by homeless people.”
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Benjamin Dunn
Benjamin Dunn (’13), InFlight’s photography editor, is a natural artist.
“The arts run in my family,” he explained. Ben, who plays the violin and piano, has grandparents who paint, play music, and even critique it. “My parents want me to learn to read Chinese so that I can read my grandfather’s writings,” he said. His grandfather, a famous music critic in Taiwan, never wrote a book; however, his fans have published volumes of his columns.
As for Ben, he hopes to major in Musical Performance. He is still struggling to decide which instrument he wants to specialize in—although he is leaning towards the piano, which he has been practicing since the age of six. This summer he attended a program at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music where he composed his own piece. In three weeks, he had to do what takes some musicians months to accomplish; however, for Ben, “90% of the work was done in 10% of the time.”
Ben is also an avid photographer. He picked up the camera last year and has not put it down since. He can often be seen around campus or the journalism classroom taking candid shots of students, much to their chagrin. But he does not do it to embarrass people; instead, he tries to capture what cannot be seen in a normal photo. “People have expressions you wouldn’t see” in a posed picture, Ben explained. “It’s not set-up—it’s the real thing. You get insight into who they are.”
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Alex Smith
Though shares a name with a famous NFL quarterback, Alex Smith (’12), a Senior at Foothill High School, is more of a reserved humanitarian than a rambunctious football player.
In his last year at Foothill High School, Alex has established that he wants to do something to benefit his community. Alex prides himself by volunteering at the Dublin Animal Shelter, where he is responsible for feeding and cleaning a number of animals. When chatting with Alex, he explained: “I do it for volunteer hours, but also because I love working with animals.”
Aside from his adoration of animals, Alex has wrapped his mind around the idea of building a stronger, safer community for all people. “If I had one wish,” Alex comments, “I would wish for world peace and the end of all wars.” Ironically, Alex’s favorite movie is V for Vendetta, an epic action movie about a masked vigilante who fights for the wellbeing of his people.
Currently, Alex has not settled on a college major, nor has he picked a desired college. He has, however, decided that he wants to attend a four-year college straight out of high school. Truthfully, Alex is capable of succeeding in any career path he chooses; it’s only a matter of deciding at this stage.
Alex Smith is an interesting young man with twice the potential of an average student. He is smart, kind, open-minded, and ready to take on the challenges that the world has in store for him. Who knows, maybe someday Alex will one day emerge as a masked marauder, bent on reviving the morality of our society – it’s all a matter of time.
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Leah Romm
Leah Romm (’12) looked down for a moment, tapped her index finger against her lips, and said in a tone that’s as honest as the phrase is cliché, “I’m an open book.”
Although Leah stated something she considered oddly matter-of-fact, perhaps she didn’t realize how accurate (and beautifully so) that sentence was. Those who know Leah even the slightest bit are aware of her many talents: dancer, pianist, natural leader, scholar, and so much more. But they may not know of her zeal for the simplicity and humor of life.
“I’m passionate about sleeping, reading, and traveling,” she said half-seriously, half-jokingly.
Leah explored those three passions last summer when she visited Paris, France. The vacation strengthened her love for writing and quality literature, especially when she shopped at one of her favorite spots in the world, Shakespeare & Co. Bookstore. Last summer brought her total number of countries visited to nearly twenty! “I’m happiest traveling. I love seeing new cultures and places.”
As for her sense of humor … “I get it from my dad. He’s even lamer than I am. I have the lamest sense of humor – but I try! I’m corny. Just roll with it.”
Leah is bringing her comedy to her first year of Journalism: “quick wit; sharp tongue.”
Read all stories written by Leah Romm
Aaron DeVera
Surmounting the laborious task of confronting the future, Aaron DeVera (’12) is entering his senior year at Foothill High School as an InFlight Co-Editor-in-Chief. “It’s been a battle, a compromise, but the task has ultimately been a fulfilling one.” With a natural swagger, Mr. DeVera triumphantly reflected on how he successfully managed to circumvent all obstacles presented to him during the first three years of his high school career. “We’re in the state of nature,” Mr. DeVera explains. “Nobody’s going to make sure that you succeed because everyone is looking out for their own interests.” On a note reminiscent of Hobbes’ Leviathan, Mr. DeVera offers words of wisdom to Foothill’s underclass: “Forget the rules. Don’t play fair. However, don’t abandon all integrity.”
To keep things in perspective, Mr. DeVera often turns to British philosopher Alan Watts for wisdom. “Watts provides some genuine insight into things I would normally take for granted.” On the subject of philosophy, Mr. DeVera shared his own wisdom concerning the nature of human existence. “Life is like a whiteboard: It lies around dirty all day until a friendly eraser comes along and cleans its slate.”
Read all stories written by Aaron DeVera
Alia Griese
Social Media Editor Alia Griese (’12), has once spent a night with a friend sleeping on top of a batting cage.
“We both really wanted to watch shooting stars so we decided to do so on a batting cage. We ended up falling asleep and it was pretty great.”
When Griese is not spending her time sleeping on batting cages or making unique growling noises toward unknowing couples, she enjoys eaves dropping for funny tidbits to add to this year’s Heard Around Campus blog. She encourages fellow journalists to eaves drop on their peers whenever possible.
“Heard Around Campus is what I am most excited about. I mean, I know it will not be the biggest as being a social media editor, but I really think it will take off. It’s something we’ve never done before and I am excited.”
Alia has many interesting experiences to date; one being she once ate a scorpion that was in lodged in a lollipop. “I know people have eaten much weirder things and I only ate half of the lollipop, but I thought it would make a great story!”
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