THEHIGHLANDER

Impostor syndrome plagues successful studentsSarah Schisla

Choosing between passion and profit

MINH-HAN VU

In today’s competitive job climate, many

high school students are forced to think to their futures and ask themselves: Should I follow my passion or

seek out profit?

Kian Karamdashti

Continued on page 12

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”As a child, the answer to that question can produce

dozens of answers. Flash forward to senior year of high school and many struggle to find just one.

There is an annual question that 17 and 18 year-olds all over the country are forced to answer: What major will they pursue in college? Or, more specifically, what poten-tial career path do they wish to follow?

“It’s scary to think that at such a young age we are al-most required to make such a huge decision,” said junior Ashley Wen. “Of course, whatever major or direction in life you choose to go in does not define your future, but it can have a significant impact.”

Senior Akshay Mohan said, “It’s nerve-wracking to make such an important decision with so little knowledge of what college or the real world actually looks like. How-ever, it is comforting to know that I’m not the only one that feels like this, and we all are going to get through it together.”

According to a poll taken by MSNBC in 2005, 80 per-cent of incoming college students had yet to choose their major when beginning the application process. Also, once enrolled in school, around 50 percent of students will change their major, often more than once.

You’ve made it this far. Other people see you as successful, but you dread that soon they’ll dis-cover the truth -- you’re a fraud.

Despite the fact that you were first chair in orchestra, that you were accepted into your dream school, and that you have straight A’s, you still don’t think you de-serve to be where you are.

If you doubt your abilities even Continued on page 13

Winter holiday destinations PAGE 16 The new era of “Star Wars” 2015 Holiday Handbook C is not for college

December 2015 Vol VII Issue IIICarlmont High School — Belmont, California www.scotscoop.com twitter: @scotscoopnews

With these numbers reflecting the indecisiveness of in-coming college freshmen, many people all over the world feel that teenagers should not be required to make such a significant career decision so early in their lives.

Teenage contributor to The Guardian Abigail Lane said, “What you want to be when you grow up requires care-ful thought: we need time to learn about and consider all the options. But the rush to get good grades, and the fact that our grades heavily influence what we can and can't do, means that some students make hurried, expedient deci-sions, which may not be for the best in the long-term.”

For many students, deciding which major or non-col-lege route to follow usually comes down to two factors: profit and passion.

Carlmont graduate and California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo freshman Daryush Shahid said, “In my opinion, the potential money you earn should not be the deciding factor when it comes to choosing your major. If your field of study isn’t appealing, you’re just go-ing to be miserable so you have to be careful with your de-cision. You want to be able to find yourself in a major that is stable and will keep you financially secure in the future. Business has always intrigued me and I am happy I found a major that fits both criteria for me.”

The harrowing fear for many prospective post-gradu-ates is the uncertainty that lies in their futures.

As someone who made his decision and experienced its results, ASB supervisor Jim Kelly is extremely content with how things turned out for himself and his family.

“I started out as a recreation administration major at Cal Poly and became the City of San Mateo’s aquatic pro-grams supervisor, where I developed a lot of business, managing, and operating skills. However, I realized that as I went ‘up’ the ladder I was getting further and further away from what I truly loved: working with clients. I was sitting behind a desk for too long. Inspired by my brother, who was a teacher, and his family’s life in Australia, where he held summers and holidays with his family, I decided to make the switch to teaching. I have to say, it worked out very well for me.”

Kelly’s experiences allowed him to relay some advice for students getting ready to make the jump to the real world.

He said, “Pick a direction you are truly passionate about and really love and go in that direction. It’s okay to change your mind along the way, people always do. If you don’t truly love what you do, you’re not going to be very happy.”

when others think highly of you, you may be suffering from impos-tor (or imposter) syndrome.

According to the Caltech Counseling Center, impostor syn-drome can be defined as “a col-lection of feelings of inadequacy that persist even in [the] face of information that indicates that the opposite is true. It is experi-enced internally as chronic self-doubt, and feelings of intellectual fraudulence.”

Impostor syndrome plagues honor students around the world, but it most notably affects fresh-men at prestigious universities.

Stanford University sopho-more and Carlmont alumnus Josh Fagel experienced symptoms of impostor syndrome almost im-mediately upon his arrival at Stan-ford. “We had the chance to share our full life stories, and there were people who had done incredible things, [while I was] just sitting

in the corner looking like a deer caught in the headlights,” he said.

UCLA freshman Matthew Allen said, “This is just a more stressful and competitive envi-ronment. Even though I was in the top 5 percent at Carlmont, I felt overwhelmed and intimidated by the caliber of students here and got nervous about my grades dur-ing the fall.”

Fear and stress serve to moti-vate. While these emotions can

be beneficial in small quantities, an extreme and constant fear of academic failure differentiates the impostor phenomenon from a healthy emotional response.

The issue arises when people allow these fears to prevent them from realizing their full potential, thus giving impostor syndrome the power to hold them back.

PAGE 8 PAGE 3 PAGE 12

December 2015HOLIDAYSThe Highlander

Page 2

Juggling school and the holiday seasonKiera Pendleton-White

Finals. The last thing that separates a student from the two weeks of freedom that comes with winter break.

With the finals coming up along with college applica-tion deadlines and the holiday season, it’s a wonder how students are able to celebrate while getting everything fin-ished.

As reported by a national study done by the American Psychological Association, students already experience a lot of strain and pressure. Around 27 percent of students said that they experience “extreme stress” during the school year.

“My stress levels are definitely higher during the school year because I feel the stress to succeed,” said junior Alyssa Feigelson.

On top of all the positive emotions that come from the holidays, an American Psychological Association study re-

ported that the holiday season also brings an increase in strain on people. Added to the stress of schoolwork, this can be an overwhelming time for students.

“I’ll probably be more stressed during the holidays be-cause I’ll be working on college apps up until the end of break,” said senior Kate Bryan.

One of the holidays that happens before winter break is Hanukkah, which starts on Dec. 6 this year, so Jewish students have to juggle their existing schoolwork with the celebrating that accompanies the holiday.

“As a Jewish-American, I’m used to school conflicting with my holidays. Most of the celebrations can be done near dinner time or on weekends so I don’t have too much trouble handling both,” said senior Nathan Kinsey.

Even though some people can handle the holiday, oth-ers have to prioritize their class work.

“Hanukkah is less stressful than other Jewish holidays because it isn’t the main holiday. But I know I’m going to

have to sacrifice family time for schoolwork,” said Feigel-son.

Another thing that school interrupts is the preparation for Christmas. Some of the more popular ways of prepar-ing - house decorating, cookie baking, and gift purchasing - are all disrupted by the intense amount of studying that comes from finals and schoolwork.

“I’m sad that I’ll have to miss some of the ‘Christmas spirit’ to work on my applications,” said Bryan.

The study done by the American Psychological Associa-tion also reported that 59 percent of teens report that man-aging their time between all their activities is their most significant source of stress.

Although there is no formula to deal with the situation, the Old Dominion University Counseling Center recom-mends that the best way to handle everything and reduce the stress that comes from different responsibilities is to finish one thing at a time.

As early as the beginning of November, crews were already hanging holiday lights at the Carlmont Shopping Center and other Bay Area locations.

Keeping the holiday spirit alive Hannah Young

As the old holiday song goes, the halls and aisles of every home and store are decked with boughs of holly - long before the pumpkin season has even finished.

“We don’t actually set up Christmas lights because first of all, my family is half Jewish, and secondly, we go away every winter so nobody would be home. I hate that I saw Christmas lights before Hal-loween this year. That really bugged me because I feel that all holidays are equally important,” said sophomore Anna Singer.

Holiday lights have been popular for centuries, dating back as late as the eigh-teenth century. In lieu of electric lights, candles decorated the homes and Christ-mas trees of upper-class Germans. It wasn’t until the 1960s that outlining houses in lights became popular.

Today, holiday lights seem to illuminate neighborhoods everywhere. The custom has been adopted by many countries and cultures, and some communities even hold annual contests to see which families have the most elaborately decorated houses.

Ever since the introduction of electronic holiday lights in the mid-twentieth centu-ry, the holiday season has become extended and the decorations are more extravagant and innovative every year.

However not everyone embraces the

idea, especially those who don’t celebrate the holiday season or aren’t home during the two-week vacation.

For other families, an extended holiday season is more than welcome.

“For my family, the holidays are a more relaxed, fun, and giving time. We keep decorations and lights up longer because it keeps the festive spirit alive and that makes a lot of people happier” said senior Tara Shahrvini.

While Shahrvini and her family don’t participate in any community decoration contests, she notes the social pressures to keep up with the holiday spirit.

“It’s just a neighborhood thing. I live on a street where it’s almost tradition to put up lights no matter what holiday you cel-ebrate. Every year it seems like families step up their game and decorate more than the last to be the best-decorated house,” said Shahrvini.

Although a lot of people might argue that applying a “the more the merrier” pol-icy to the holiday season would be lovely, others argue the line must be drawn.

“We take ours down the first week or two of January. I think it becomes socially tacky to have decorations still up by the time stores start to advertise for Valentine’s Day which is usually mid January. That’s been the cutoff for a lot of people I know but most people are proactive and take

their decorations down after the new year,” said Shahrvini.

There is also an economic aspect to con-sider in extending the season. According to information gathered by the Statistics Portal in 2012, 19.2 percent of retail sales in the United States are made during the holiday season, which “can start as early as September and some[times] even earlier.”

HIGHLANDER STAFF

“[Retailers] just want money,” said ju-nior Olivia DeVoy. “Christmas spirit is good, but [pushing the holiday season back] is all for money. I think it tramples Thanksgiving since stores go straight from Halloween stuff to Christmas,” said DeVoy.

Whether or not there is unanimous ap-proval for an extended holiday season, it does appear to be here to stay.

Where to spend this holiday season

December 2015HOLIDAYSThe Highlander

Page 3

Realistic spending

this winter season

Gift shopping for teenagers

Boys

Girls

Boyfriend/Girlfriend

Shirt . . .

Roses . . .

Gift Card . . .

Total . . .

$20

$25

$30

$75

FamilyMember

Chocolate . . .

Apparel . . .

Homemade Card . . .

Total . . .

$10

$25

CloseFriend

FramedPhoto . . .

Cookies . . .

Shirt . . .

Total . . .

$15

$5

$10

$30

SomewhereCold

At Home SomewhereWarm

What to do:• Ski• Snowboard• Make a snowman• Drink cocoa and

coffee• Sit by the fire

What to do:• Spend time with

friends and family

• Shop• Cook• Decorate your

tree

What to do:• Swim• Go to the beach• Play sports• Walk around the

town• Eat gelato

??

Video games Clothing Shoes Gift Cards

Makeup Clothing Shoes Jewelry

$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $

ALYSSA FAGEL

$35

$0

December 2015CAMPUSThe Highlander

Page 4

Senior Wesley Lim walks slowly to his seat, frowning in confusion, late pass still in hand. His teacher turns her attention back to the class, moving past the interruption.

“Doesn’t she have to accept your pass?” another student whispers.

No, she doesn’t.The late pass policy at Carlmont is a bit of a mystery

to the vast majority of the student body. Students are bewildered by teachers’ varying acceptance of passes. Some teachers refuse to accept passes from other classes, while others take them without a second look.

“By Ed Code, we still have to mark students tardy even if they have a late pass from another teacher. The excused part is only in that we have to allow them to make up the work and can’t take points off participation. The tardy doesn’t go away,” said choir direc-tor Genevieve Tep.

According to Instructional Vice Principal Jennifer Cho, much of the attendance policy at Carlmont stems directly from state educational code.

“A student may be late up to 20 minutes before he or she is marked absent from the class,” said Cho. “If a student is coming from another teacher or staff member on campus, the absence would be marked by the classroom teacher of that period and then can be cleared by the staff member

who wrote the pass. Most times, the absence would be cleared with the code ‘SA’ (or School Activity).”

According to Administrative Vice Principal Gregg Pat-ner, the apparently differing policies between teachers on how to accept late passes from students are a result of ad-ministration’s desire to allow teachers to control their own classrooms as much as possible.

“The teachers are professionals who know how to do their jobs well. Committees and teachers have discussed

the late pass policy, but I think teachers are still un-satisfied with the outcomes and students are confused,” said Patner.

While giving teachers control over their class-rooms is important, the mixed policies confuse stu-dents.

“Teachers should be more unanimous in their policy of how they decide to mark a student tardy. I don’t know if the policy

should necessarily be changed, but it’s not good how dif-ferent teachers treat classes differently,” said senior Lily Lindemeier. “Students don’t really know what the policy is even supposed to be.”

Being late can be disruptive in classroom environments, particularly due to events like the door opening and stu-dents walking in front of the teacher as he or she is begin-ning the lesson.

However, Carlmont’s growing population is leading to

more hall traffic and increasing numbers of classrooms, and consecutive classes on a student’s daily route can be far enough away from each other to make getting to the next period on time every day a struggle.

One of the longest routes is that from some of the sci-ence buildings (U-Wing) to the arts building (F-Wing).

The length of the U-F walk is compounded by the fact that in F-Wing, many classes require putting away instru-ments or cleaning up art stations when the bell rings, while in U-Wing, students often need to clean up lab areas when the bell rings or risk ruining their lab if they don’t finish certain steps before leaving for the day.

“I understand that teachers shouldn’t be allowing stu-dents to miss parts of their other classes by giving them late passes, but I don’t think late passes would be abused by Carlmont teachers,” said Lim, who has Chamber Singers in F21 right after Biotechnology in U21. “The U to F walk is already really long, and the construction by U-Wing makes it longer. If I have to stay in biotech for even a minute past the bell, which I often have to do to finish a lab or clean up, I’m basically guaranteed a tardy to choir.”

Carlmont has already extended the passing periods from six to seven minutes, but even that time can some-times fall short of what students need if their classes are far from each other and require clean-up.

The policy on late pass acceptability exists in varied forms in different classrooms on campus, confusing stu-dents and frustrating teachers. “There is fertile ground here for figuring out a more effective policy,” said Patner.

For now, when handed a pass to their next class, stu-dents should remember that it’s solely up to to their next teacher to decide if they’re excused or not.

Aria Frangos

Getting a late pass doesn’t excuse you

“Teachers should be more unani-mous in their policy of how they decide to mark a student tardy... Students don’t really know what the policy is even supposed to be.”

Lily LindemeierSenior

Students are not clear on what happens when they are given a pass

December 2015The Highlander

Page 5

How does one study effectively? You sit at home, trying to make sense out of the jumble

of words you had written in class that day.After trying to understand the information for 10 min-

utes, you give up. You sigh and say, “Oh well, I guess I’ll just wing it.”For high school students, pulling the “I don’t know how

to study” card has been a way to excuse their way through classes.

However, that is not effective in the long run. In order to improve academically, intellectually, and professionally, one must understand how to study efficiently.

Everyone learns differently. There is no right or wrong learning style; it depends on what works best for you.

Biology teacher Julie Paoli said, “You have to figure it out by yourself. Many people don’t until they get to college so if you start now, you are one step ahead.”

In September 2013, StageofLife polled over 500 high school and college students across the US. Over 81 percent of these respondents have failed a goal they set for them-selves. Setting goals is one way to organize your informa-tion.

For junior Sonia Mahajan, organizing the information and setting goals is an effective study skill.

“At the beginning of each month, I like to do a calendar to organize my schedule so that I am aware of when my assignments are due,” said Mahajan.

Other students might not find this effective: this is why Paoli tries to hit different learning styles so students can find the area where they excel more.

“Some people like the projects, others like the modeling - breaking down things more simply- visuals, or walking through it,” said Paoli. “Resources such as books and on-line video are also useful. You could maybe even try three different videos, then piece together the different parts.”

People like pictures, especially those posted on social media; they are appealing to the eye and catch the atten-tion of many. Social media scientist Dan Zarrella proved this over research studies done in 2014: adding pictures to tweets make them 94 percent more likely to be Retweeted.

Mahajan finds visuals effective in her science and his-tory class. For other classes however, she finds other strate-gies more useful.

She said, “There are classes that I don’t study as much for. I think it is because they are much more memorization classes and I’m good at memorizing things that are easy to

pronounce.”Other students might struggle with this sort of ap-

proach since people have different ways of acquiring the information given to them.

Some people may have not found those skills yet, mak-ing it harder for them to actually study. Paoli believes that learning is hard as it is.

“Elementary and middle school teachers go through material pretty regularly and make sure students have it all before the test and when suddenly school gets hard, we have this thought that ‘I am not smart enough,’” she said. “Learning is just hard.”

Another suggestion Paoli gives her students is to form study groups, which helps for college.

“I think the most helpful way to learn something is to teach it. This is the importance of study groups. People get to play out their strengths and when each teaches their ma-terial, they got it.”

Not having the right study skills is not the only factor imposing students from success in their classes: phones, technology, and anything that can be deemed entertaining can be distracting.

Poor time management is one of the worst habits a stu-dent could have, according to Paoli.

“As you scroll through your Instagram feed, you don’t realize that you have just wasted 30 minutes,” said Paoli.

This does not mean “be so focused on academics so that you end up living inside your room like a caveman.” Study-ing well is about managing time effectively.

“Use timers,” Paoli said. “Set some limits. Don’t look at the clock and think, ‘how long have I being doing this?’ People need to realize that there is a point where you are no longer getting it, or it is not sinking in.”

For high schoolers, studying for their classes is not the only struggle because the SAT or ACT is just around the corner.

These are tests you don’t want to cram for, according to Kaplan instructor and tutor Maria Sears; practicing fre-quently will help in the long run.

“Have a study plan and stick to it,” said Sears. “Once you have a good grasp of the material and are able to solve the problems (correctly) on your own, the next step should be to practice your pacing by doing timed practice problems.”

In the end, improving bad study skills and finding those that help you can lead to success.

Paoli said, “Try to study smarter, not harder.”

10 El Camino Real #201San Carlos, CA 94070

www.changortho.com650-598-0888

Embrace your smile

mchang@changortho.com

Adriana Ramirez

ADRIANA RAMIREZWriting down homework in a planner is one way of keeping the day’s work organized.

CAMPUS

December 2015NEWSThe Highlander

Page 6

Cybersecurity invades privacy Sophie Haddad

Most people think that private information should re-main private. The government agrees. But, in order to pre-vent data breaches that might expose your personal infor-mation, they need to monitor your personal information.

The Senate recently tried to curtail malicious hacks by voting to approve CISA (Cybersecurity Information Shar-ing Act), a bill that claims to anticipate hacking by auto-matically sharing information about a company that has been hacked. Other companies at risk and the Department of Homeland Security (including the FBI and NSA) may access the information.

A significant number of people are concerned with protecting privacy and oppose the bill. The shared infor-mation may include personal data about employees that is irrelevant to the hack, and companies can’t be sued for sharing personal information. The FBI and NSA can use the information for any purpose.

“I think [the government] should have really minimal information, like all the information you find in a census -- how many people, what kind of people are in the US, things that can cater to them and help them to know how they should change and not that a girl liked a page on Face-book,” said junior Elsa Carreras.

Others believe that preventing a hack takes precedence over exposing irrelevant personal data.

Senior Lucas Coley said, “I think that preventing the hack would be an important enough cause as long as that information remains serverside and isn’t being used by

third parties or in other ways than to prevent an attack. The priority has to be preventing private information from getting out.”

Part of the reason CISA was successful is because it came at a time when cybersecurity legislation was a pri-ority. Just last June, the United States Office of Personnel Management suffered a data breach that exposed deeply personal information about 21.5 million people.

“I think it’s definitely important for corporations not to get hacked, since they have so much information on nor-mal people,” said Coley.

Civil liberties groups and major tech companies repre-sent the largest groups opposed to CISA.

Nathan White, the senior legislative manager at the civil-liberties group Access, said, “The bill passed by the Senate today—if enacted into law—would still do almost nothing to improve cybersecurity while undermining the rights of potentially hundreds of millions of people.”

Many are wary that this bill was designed for surveil-lance, not protection. CISA’s sponsors are Richard Burr and Dianne Feinstein of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. The bill did not come from a Homeland Secu-rity Committee, which would be natural if the bill’s intent were really to protect companies.

“It is a lot easier to prevent events from happening or catch people who are doing things wrong if you don’t fol-low the Bill of Rights. So, we as a country have to figure out what’s more important to us -- the security of the coun-try or people’s civil liberties. [CISA] did seem to be more

about surveillance than hacking,” said government teacher Karen Ramroth.

Five cybersecurity initiatives have failed in the past five years. The Cybersecurity Act was shot down in 2012 because Republicans feared more regulations on indus-tries. The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) was CISA’s predecessor and was similar to CISA in many ways. It made it through the House, but the Sen-ate decided to draft its own bill (what has become CISA) rather than vote on CISPA.

Supporters see CISA as an important step in the right direction.

DHS secretary Jeh Johnson said, “There is an urgent and compelling need for cybersecurity legislation – to strengthen our ability to protect the American public, American businesses large and small, and the federal civil-ian .gov system.”

The House of Representatives has passed two cyberse-curity bills, the Protecting Cyber Networks Act (PCNA) and the National Cybersecurity Protection Advancement Act (NCPAA). Once the House and Senate reconcile the differences in their bills, they will send one revised bill to the president that has aspects of CISA, PCNA, and the NCPAA. The Obama administration voiced support for the bill, flip flopping on its opposition to CISPA, the failed cybersecurity bill and signaling the probability of the new cybersecurity bill becoming law.

Though legislators have made their opinion clear, the debate over privacy and security continues.

California drinking age is challenged by petitionFor some high school seniors and college underclass-

men, social life means partying and drinking. For them, this means breaking the law. However, that may change.

Business owner Terrance Lynn proposed a California initiative to lower the drinking age to 18.

According to California Secretary of State Alex Padilla, the initiative has been cleared to begin collecting signa-tures. If it gets the signatures of 365,880 registered voters by April 26, then it will qualify for the November 2016 bal-lot and voters will decide whether 18-year-olds will be able to legally purchase and drink alcohol in the state.

However, Lynn is not actively trying to garner signa-tures. According to U.S. News, Lynn said, “I will not raise any money [to fund the circulation of this initiative]. I’m a little bit hostile to money in politics [and] I’m not willing to go there and compromise my values.”

So, if 18 to 21 year olds want this initiative to move for-ward, they’re going to have to work in order to get those signatures. Despite the youth who are in favor of this ini-tiative, there are those who do not support it. This creates another obstacle that proponents must face in order for the initiative to qualify for the ballot.

Senior Cailan Cumming said, “I agree that there is a major incongruity in our political system when 18 year

Ivy Nguyen olds are able to vote, serve in our country’s armed forces, pay taxes, and serve as a jurist but aren’t granted the same right of drinking alcohol. However, I am able to overlook this incongruity and support the 21-year-old drinking age because it helps save lives, especially in regards to automo-bile accidents.”

The argument in favor of the 21-year-old drinking age is supported by the National Minimum Drinking Age Act (NMDAA), which requires states to have an 18-year-old drinking age.

However, those who support the 18-year-old drink-ing age have a counterargument. Proponents interpret the 14th amendment, which protects against discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, and age, as supporting evidence for the 18-year-old drinking age.

Junior Ashley Wen said, “I think that while people of-ten argue that our brains aren’t fully developed at age 18, they’re developed enough for us to take on the title of adult, and to have that title means that we’re worthy of be-ing entrusted with many new privileges, like being able to go to war, to buy or rent a house, to buy scratchers. If we’re developed enough to make such decisions, we should be developed enough to learn how to control ourselves and regulate our drinking.”

If the initiative passes, California would lose nearly $200 million in federal highway funds. This is because the

NMDAA punishes any state that has a drinking age be-low 21 by reducing its federal highway apportionment by eight percent. Despite that loss, there may be other ways for California to raise funds.

AP Government and Economics teacher Karen Ram-roth said, “The loss in funding could make an impact, but lowering the age could also end up being a good thing, eco-nomically speaking. If 18 to 21 year olds were allowed to drink, they might end up spending more money in places like restaurants or bars where they aren’t currently allowed to order alcohol.”

Beyond the debate of whether young people should be allowed to legally purchase and consume alcohol, doctors and researchers from the American Psychiatric Associa-tion agree that responsible drinking is the key to prevent-ing harm like addiction or accidents.

“Whatever the age is, society needs to provide opportu-nities for young people to learn about responsible drink-ing as well as the dangers of drinking. Opportunities also should be provided for people to learn where they can get help, without the risk of being stigmatized, if they have is-sues with alcohol dependency,” said Ramroth.

For many young people, the enticing part of drinking is the fact that it is illegal. Whether it will become legal for 18-year-olds remains to be seen, but no matter the out-come, lives will change.

R

Since 2002

December 2015SPORTSThe Highlander

Page 7

Boys volleyball: can you dig it?Elena Mateus

The ball is flying at you at 50 miles per hour. You have one option, no time to make a decision, and within a split second you throw yourself at the ground, hoping to prevent the ball from hitting the floor.

It’s intense, it’s fast-paced, it’s volleyball- and it will soon no longer only be for girls at Carlmont High School.

Students at Carlmont have taken steps to create a fully recognized and funded men’s volleyball team. This team is project-ed to compete in the Spring season of 2016 with other teams district wide according to Carlmont Athletic Director Patrick Smith.

At the heart of this newfound reality is Liam Young. The junior entered Carlmont with a passion for the sport; he asked to practice with the girl’s volleyball team as a freshman and, after being rejected, took the initiative to work towards the formation of a team for guys to enjoy the sport just as much as girls can and do.

“I’ve actually spent two years trying to get enough people for a team, but this year I wanted to start a club for guy’s volleyball

to make people more aware,” said Young, “We now have successfully gotten fund-ing from Mr. Smith and coaches to actually field a team.”

While there has been no men’s volley-ball team in the past at Carlmont, many high schools in the Central Coast Section (CCS), like Aragon and Half Moon Bay, have sustained a men’s team for the sport.

So why has Carlmont left the creation of a men’s volleyball team undone until just this year? “It’s been relatively difficult to create a team, but not impossible; just like anything else it takes real work to see it be successfully done,” said Young.

Smith is optimistic about the future of the sport for guys at Carlmont: “We are in a good situation because it’s already a PAL sport and there’s already six schools in the league that already have teams, so we’d be the seventh and be able to jump right in.”

Current captain of the girl’s varsity vol-leyball team Erin Alonso is surprised that such a team has not yet been given birth to on Carlmont’s campus. “Volleyball is just as much a sport for guys as it is for girls, and I don’t understand why it isn’t a given just to

have a male counterpart team, just like all the other sports.”

And Alonso is right; men’s volleyball on a larger scale is a well respected, well de-veloped sport. Over 100 colleges maintain men’s teams that participate in the NCAA. And according to a survey conducted by the National Federation of High School Associations, in the four years from 2004 to 2008, high school participation in boys’ volleyball rose by more than 15 percent, from about 42,000 to nearly 50,000.

Young attributes the disconnect on cam-pus to geographics. “The further south you go, the more gender neutral the sport is seen. It’s probably because here in the north there’s a lot more guy’s opportunity for sports- like baseball, football and soccer.”

Smith noted the same trend. “It’s been played in the southern part of CCS in the San Jose area and it wasn’t really grabbed onto here. It was just in the past couple years that Burlingame and Aragon got teams,” said Smith. “And once some schools do it, other schools start to look into it. Word of mouth spreads and kids get into it.”

Yet to some, there still exists a stigma

that volleyball is strictly a girl’s sport. “I’ve never seen volleyball played by guys; I’ve only seen girls,” said senior Malia Canepa.

Despite potential setbacks, Young re-mains hopeful for the future of Boy’s Vol-leyball at Carlmont: “It’s taking awhile to get a ton of guys, but I think if we can ac-tually make the team, we will change the mindset of many people and help them realize that volleyball is a guy’s sport too.”

“Volleyball is an incredibly fun sport, for both guys and girls, and should be made available to both,” junior Alex Jin said, “I can’t wait to play for Carlmont this year.”

The Carlmont team is projected to field a full varsity team with a full practice and play schedule. “I’m excited to get this thing off and running,” said Smith.“Boys volley-ball will give kids an additional connection to the school that makes it more than just a place to come study.”

“Sure, there is club volleyball for guys,” explained Young, “but playing for your high school is different; you represent a place you spend most of your time at for four years, and you represent a community; something bigger than yourself.”

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IVY NGUYEN

a legacy, star wars has leftThe influence of “Star Wars” is everywhere. We see it in our clothes,

Halloween costumes, and even in our kid’s meals.Science fiction has been influenced by “Star Wars” since its release

in 1977. Sounds, visuals, and even the music from the films have be-come part of what makes up the foundation of the science fiction cul-ture.

The film also helped launch the science fiction boom of the late 1970s and early 1980s, and made science fiction films a blockbuster genre. It has also been parodied in films and short videos, including “Spaceballs.”

Many people have fond memories of their first time watching “Star Wars.”

“I remember my father taking me to my first ‘Star Wars’ which was ‘The Return of the Jedi’ when I was 9 or 10. My dad took me on a Sat-urday afternoon and it was one of my first experiences sitting in the theatre and getting lost in the ‘Star Wars’ world,” said science teacher Dan Raffa.

According to the Statistic Brain Research Institute, “Star Wars” has made a revenue of $1.5 billion on games and toys alone.

No matter what you do, it seems that you can’t get away from “Star Wars.”

Many companies recognize “Star Wars’” appeal, such as Disney, who bought “Star Wars” maker Lucasfilm on Oct. 30, 2012 for $4.05 billion.

Robert Iger, chairman and CEO of Walt Disney Co. has announced limited details of the new Star Wars Land in Southern California.

“Even if you haven’t watched one of the movies, you still know

about it because of its mass popularity, and huge market of prod-ucts,” said junior and “Star Wars” fan Jack McLean.

“Star Wars” has been around for decades; from the first episode “Star Wars: A New Hope” in 1977, to the “Revenge of the Sith” in 2005, and now the upcoming Episode VII coming out this year, “The Force Awakens.”

Due to the film series’ frequent film production, “Star Wars” has kept its level of popularity for many generations, and often times works as a way for parents and kids to bond.

“When my dad was growing up, he was really into the books and the movies. I still have those same interests in ‘Star Wars’ and it shows that it has a long-lasting legacy,” said senior Cole Harper.

So what makes the sci-fi saga so appealing? “I think the story is just very interesting and people find a lot of

the action scenes entertaining. Also, the movies being released in the wrong order helps because it’s not typical, which sets it out from the rest,” said McLean.

Looking through a marketing lens, “Star Wars” has never failed to have outstanding earnings.

All the movies one after another have made a total of $4.349 bil-lion, with the total franchise revenue at $28 billion according to the Statistic Brain Research.

“I mean, it’s obvious. If everyone is benefitting and making a lot of money off of the movies and merchandise, there is no reason to stop producing more,” said senior Brent Jang.

“Episode VII - The Force Awakens” is set to come out on Dec. 18, 2015, enhancing the craze for “Star Wars” even further.

“Now I’m starting to watch the older episodes again to refresh my mind and get myself ready for the new one,” said McLean.

Bijan KhaliliThe influence of “Star Wars” is everywhere. We see it in our clothes,

Halloween costumes, and even in our kid’s meals.Science fiction has been influenced by “Star Wars” since its release

in 1977. Sounds, visuals, and even the music from the films have be-come part of what makes up the foundation of the science fiction cul-ture.

The film also helped launch the science fiction boom of the late 1970s and early 1980s, and made science fiction films a blockbuster genre. It has also been parodied in films and short videos, including “Spaceballs.”

Many people have fond memories of their first time watching “Star Wars.”

“I remember my father taking me to my first ‘Star Wars’ which was ‘The Return of the Jedi’ when I was 9 or 10. My dad took me on a Sat-urday afternoon and it was one of my first experiences sitting in the theatre and getting lost in the ‘Star Wars’ world,” said science teacher Dan Raffa.

According to the Statistic Brain Research Institute, “Star Wars” has made a revenue of $1.5 billion on games and toys alone.

No matter what you do, it seems that you can’t get away from “Star Wars.”

Many companies recognize “Star Wars’” appeal, such as Disney, who bought “Star Wars” maker Lucasfilm on Oct. 30, 2012 for $4.05 billion.

Robert Iger, chairman and CEO of Walt Disney Co. has announced limited details of the new Star Wars Land in Southern California.

“Even if you haven’t watched one of the movies, you still know

about it because of its mass popularity, and huge market of prod-ucts,” said junior and “Star Wars” fan Jack McLean.

“Star Wars” has been around for decades; from the first episode “Star Wars: A New Hope” in 1977, to the “Revenge of the Sith” in 2005, and now the upcoming Episode VII coming out this year, “The Force Awakens.”

Due to the film series’ frequent film production, “Star Wars” has kept its level of popularity for many generations, and often times works as a way for parents and kids to bond.

“When my dad was growing up, he was really into the books and the movies. I still have those same interests in ‘Star Wars’ and it shows that it has a long-lasting legacy,” said senior Cole Harper.

So what makes the sci-fi saga so appealing? “I think the story is just very interesting and people find a lot of

the action scenes entertaining. Also, the movies being released in the wrong order helps because it’s not typical, which sets it out from the rest,” said McLean.

Looking through a marketing lens, “Star Wars” has never failed to have outstanding earnings.

All the movies one after another have made a total of $4.349 bil-lion, with the total franchise revenue at $28 billion according to the Statistic Brain Research.

“I mean, it’s obvious. If everyone is benefitting and making a lot of money off of the movies and merchandise, there is no reason to stop producing more,” said senior Brent Jang.

“Episode VII - The Force Awakens” is set to come out on Dec. 18, 2015, enhancing the craze for “Star Wars” even further.

“Now I’m starting to watch the older episodes again to refresh my mind and get myself ready for the new one,” said McLean.

Bijan Khalili

relevant to know,these things are

‘The Force Awakens’ takes place 30 years after ‘Re-turn of the Jedi.’

The events that resulted with the downfall of the Empire are mere memories and tales, no longer fresh in the minds of those present in the Star Wars universe. The majority of the characters that fans know and love are no longer present in the universe. Fortunately, Luke Skywalker, Leia Or-gana, Han Solo and Chewbacca are making their long-awaited returns. Thank you George Lucas and J.J. Abrams, you amazing human beings.

The Death Star is back. Again.The most iconic weapon of evil in the Star Wars franchise has, of course, returned once again. An immense battle station reminiscent of the original Death Star itself is easily visible on the poster of The Force Awakens. Prepare for another gorgeously cinematographic space assault by the resistance.

The Empire has fallen, and the First Order has taken its place.

The Empire, headed by Darth Vader and Darth Sidious, has faded into memory. Out of the power vacuum, the First Order has emerged, a new oppressive power taking the place of the previous Empire and backed by the full force of the Imperial Stormtroopers.

Luke Skywalker is nowhere to be found.Although Mark Hamill’s name is one of the top-listed on the new Star Wars poster, his face is nowhere to be seen on the poster itself, or anywhere in the series of trailers recently released for the movie. Critics have speculated that after the success of the rebellion, Skywalker retreated into isolation, and will need to be found in order to preserve the peace in the galaxy.

The newest Force user is -get this- a Stormtrooper.Finn, played by John Boyega, begins as a member of the First Order. He is a foot soldier for the Empire 2.0, and a member of the Order’s version of the Stormtroopers. The movie will likely re-volve around his pivotal transformation shown in the trailers, from rejecting the order to wield-ing the classic weapon of a Jedi: the lightsaber.

Taran Sun

The Millennium Falcon executes a flawless barrel roll as shots from the enemy Tie Fighter scream towards it. Ranks of motionless Stormtroopers stand in flawless formation. Darth Vader’s skeletal mask stares bleakly towards the sky. Lightsabers activate viciously as a shadowy figure stalks towards the waiting Jedi.

“Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens” is set to hit theaters on Dec. 18, and if the hype surrounding the movie is any indication, it will explode into pop culture at light speed.

Trailers of the incoming cinematic singularity have been chock full of jaw-dropping action shots, yet revealed little of the movie itself. Before taking a popcorn-filled journey to the next installment in one of the most iconic franchises of all time, there are five things that need to be known.

relevant to know,these things are

‘The Force Awakens’ takes place 30 years after ‘Re-turn of the Jedi.’

The events that resulted with the downfall of the Empire are mere memories and tales, no longer fresh in the minds of those present in the Star Wars universe. The majority of the characters that fans know and love are no longer present in the universe. Fortunately, Luke Skywalker, Leia Or-gana, Han Solo and Chewbacca are making their long-awaited returns. Thank you George Lucas and J.J. Abrams, you amazing human beings.

The Death Star is back. Again.The most iconic weapon of evil in the Star Wars franchise has, of course, returned once again. An immense battle station reminiscent of the original Death Star itself is easily visible on the poster of The Force Awakens. Prepare for another gorgeously cinematographic space assault by the resistance.

The Empire has fallen, and the First Order has taken its place.

The Empire, headed by Darth Vader and Darth Sidious, has faded into memory. Out of the power vacuum, the First Order has emerged, a new oppressive power taking the place of the previous Empire and backed by the full force of the Imperial Stormtroopers.

Luke Skywalker is nowhere to be found.Although Mark Hamill’s name is one of the top-listed on the new Star Wars poster, his face is nowhere to be seen on the poster itself, or anywhere in the series of trailers recently released for the movie. Critics have speculated that after the success of the rebellion, Skywalker retreated into isolation, and will need to be found in order to preserve the peace in the galaxy.

The newest Force user is -get this- a Stormtrooper.Finn, played by John Boyega, begins as a member of the First Order. He is a foot soldier for the Empire 2.0, and a member of the Order’s version of the Stormtroopers. The movie will likely re-volve around his pivotal transformation shown in the trailers, from rejecting the order to wield-ing the classic weapon of a Jedi: the lightsaber.

Taran Sun

December 2015LIFESTYLEThe Highlander

Page 10

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Avid meat-lovers everywhere had to pause mid bite into their double bacon cheeseburger to digest the disappointing news.

On Oct. 26, the World Health Organi-zation (WHO) released a study stating that processed meat causes cancer.

The news instantly made headlines and sparked a debate over whether people should actually change their diet. To dis-appoint meat-lovers even more, the WHO also stated that red meat is a probable cause of cancer.

The International Agency of Research on Cancer (IARC), a group within the WHO, classifies processed meat in the same carcinogenic category as tobacco. This categorization suggests that smoking a cigarette poses as much of a risk as eating meat. Scientifically, this is not true. Pro-cessed meat and tobacco are in the same risk category because of the sufficient evi-dence, not because of the magnitude of risk.

Opinions about cancer tend to be clouded by the mass circulation of inaccu-rate statements spread by word of mouth and by media. According to the National Cancer Institute, studies concerning po-tential risks for cancer have spread in the media and created misleading ideas about what causes cancer and how it happens.

“People are naive. They hear about these studies on social media and they think everything can cause cancer, but it can’t. Some things do play a role, but not everything causes cancer. It’s not like a flu. It’s not contagious,” said Sabrina Madback, president of the Carlmont Youth Against Cancer Society.

The idea that everything causes cancer stems from the countless number of sub-stances and behaviors that are linked to an increased risk of cancer.

“It’s surprising that something like meat can cause cancer, because everyone eats

Your hamburger could cause cancerKimiko Okumura

it. A lot of people wouldn’t expect it, and I think that’s why it’s made a lot of people think everything causes cancer,” said se-nior Connor Leong.

There are others, however, who do not see meat as a serious threat to their health. It has become a topic of debate over wheth-er people should regulate their behaviors and eating habits better.

“People think some things won’t cause that great of an effect. You definitely see the effects of smoking after a while. But from simple things like eating meat, there’s not a lot of physical proof that it’s a direct cause to cancer. So people are less worried about it,” said senior Kevin Shu.

According to Global Burden of Disease Project, there are about 1 million cancer deaths due to tobacco each year, compared to the 34,000 cancer deaths due to diets

high in processed meats each year.The multiple campaigns against tobacco

push for more awareness, so knowledge of the health effects of smoking are wide-spread. The effects of processed meat are not as evident, but that does not rule out the possibility that meat consumption cam be a factor in causing cancer.

“There’s a lot more education to prevent people from smoking, whereas there’s not too much education about eating meat,” said Leong.

Despite some news articles saying oth-erwise, the WHO recognizes that the risks from eating meat may be small, but the knowledge is important for public health.

“Well, I don’t like cancer, obviously, but in a way I think it’s a good thing since hopefully it’ll drive people away from meat before more people’s health and the planet

itself continue to deteriorate,” said Mande-garian.

American citizens have better medical access, but in developing countries, cancer poses a bigger risk. Those countries do not have adequate health treatments for can-cer or the income to purchase other food. Farm animals are reliable food sources in developing countries. If grain crops fail, the animals can instantly be slaughtered for food.

Urbanization and rising incomes in de-veloping countries allow more citizens to incorporate meat into their daily diet. Ac-cording to the WHO, 70 percent of can-cer deaths occur in low to middle income countries, such as Africa, Asia, and South-ern and Central America. The rising risk of cancer is prevalent not only in developing countries, but low- and middle-income families within America.

There are ways everyone can lessen the impact of cancer.

“We should participate in events like the Make a Wish Foundation or Light the Night. When we all meet together, we all raise awareness, and we all support each other. We’re always able to raise money to help those people who don’t have as much. We can get them tested [for cancer] for free. We can help pay their bills to get them treated. If we all come together as one soci-ety, we can help them,” said Madback.

Americans can help not only those with cancer in other countries through fund-raising and support, but also themselves.

“Some things are inevitable. Cancer can be almost anywhere in anything,” said se-nior Mario Valenzuela. “But, there are cer-tain things we can control like not smok-ing and knowing what you’re putting your body. We can this take step by step, gradu-ally. Even though cancer is something that is never ever leaving the atmosphere of this planet, we can definitely try and fight against it.”

DOES IT CAUSE CANCER?The International Agency for Research on Cancer classifi es substances in groups based on the strength of evidence.

COFFEE

SOLAR RADIATION

PROCESSED MEAT

SMOKING

CAPROLACTAM

NH

RED MEAT

STEROIDS

FLUORESCENTLIGHT

TEA

PROBABLYPROBABLY NOT

POSSIBLY

YES NOT CLASSIFIABLE

www.iarc.fr

KIMIKO OKUMURAWWW.IARC.FR

December 2015ENTERTAINMENTThe Highlander

Page 11

Entertainment is an escape from realityA teenager watching television while sit-

ting on a couch is often criticized as being lazy and unmotivated. A different teenager who reads a book is praised for being intel-ligent and academically moti-vated. However, these activities are usually done for the same reason: to escape from reality.

Fandoms are a way to dis-engage from the real world’s stress and pressure, especially for young people. Teenagers find such escape through the world of video games, televi-sion shows and other forms of entertainment. Fandoms are a subculture of fans who share a common interest and exhibit the same excitement for a cer-tain area of entertainment. This could in-clude an interest in a particular video game, form of art, or fictional series.

“Fandoms often help me forget all my

problems for a short while. But again, it is pretty addictive,” said junior Swathi Nair. “Sometimes I can get distracted by fandoms because when I start watching an anime, I often want to finish or at least watch it until the latest episode. But if you are organized, it’s a good refresher.”

Though some view entertain-ment as an unproductive method of amusement, others value it for the enjoyment it provides them.

Nair said, “Real life often has too many rules, laws and espe-cially expectations. In a fandom, there are almost none of those, it’s like unlocking and living your al-ter ego.”

According to Columbia Uni-versity professor Drew Ramsey, a person’s involvement in their fan-dom is more than “idle interest”

and is closer to “intense involvement,” as the person places the entirety of their de-sires onto the characters and story.

“I think people get into fandoms because

something calls to them, like the characters or the storyline,” said junior Alyssa Feigel-son. “Often times, fiction is happier than reality, so people will read or watch to es-cape. Sometimes this is healthy, sometimes it becomes obsessive.”

Escapism is mental diversion through entertainment that al-lows people to forget about the real problems of life, according to Merriam-Webster. By focus-ing on entertainment sources and fiction communities, people are able to avoid the stress and pressure they experi-ence in the real world.

Junior Stephanie Flores said, “I get into fandoms because I love being able to communicate with people who love and treasure the same things that I do. I think people use fandoms to escape reality be-cause it’s a form of coping with things like depression, anxiety, or even to simply be able to talk to people who love the same interests.”

“People of fandoms are able to escape by

joining fandoms because being in a com-munity made up of people who share simi-lar interests creates a safe haven,” Flores said. “Almost everyone is friends and many people try to support one another.”

The line between reality and fandoms is not always clear, as peo-ple connect to other real life fans through these communities.

Flores said, “I have met some of my best friends through the world of fandoms, as well as many ac-

quaintances. Fandoms are important only to the point until when you can appreciate both reality and fandom. ”

Though entertainment mediums can be addicting, a controlled amount often helps people relax.

“I definitely get distracted reading sometimes — I lose hours at a time, or I’ll watch five seasons of TV in under a week,” Feigelson said. “I think it’s very important to maintain a life and your escape, balance them out.”

Karen Gao

Juicing has gained traction since the ’90s, but with the evolution of social media, it has reached its peak in 2015. Nektar Juice Bar has 29,700 followers on Instagram. Ce-lebrities, such as Cindy Crawford and Jen-nifer Aniston tout its many benefits, from cleansing the body of impurities to offering a quick way to shed pounds.

Lexicon of Food, a news site dedicated to food-related news, describes juicing as, “the process of extracting the liquids and vital nutrients, including vitamins, en-zymes, and antioxidants, from raw fruits and vegetables. Juicing may be introduced into a daily routine as part of a specific di-etary plan, in a digestive cleansing, or as a means to consume more raw produce. While there is room for debate over the benefits of juicing and not all juices are of

Juicing emerges as popular weight-loss methodHolly Chen equal quality, it has been accepted that in-

cluding fresh, raw juice into the diet can aid in good health.”

Urban Remedy, a San Francisco juicery, offers juices such as the, “Me-tabolism kit,” a cleanse guaranteed to detox and help users lose weight. Reviewers rave how they lost pounds, as one said, “I feel less bloated and lost weight.”

Especially during the holiday season, this quick alternative seems pleasing to those who don’t have the time to go to the gym.

Sophomore Miya Okumura said, “For those who are too busy to eat a whole fruit, juicing offers a quick alternative to get the

same amount of vitamin intake. But still, whole fruit is better than juices.”

Not only is juicing a way to quickly get in the needed vitamins for a day, but it has also been sug-gested that it can “cleanse” organs and rejuvenate the body.

Senior Danyi Wu said, “Now I use juicing as a way to reset my digestive system. It is used to clean the colon and help rid the body of im-purities. But before, I would only drink juices and go on cleanses where the only thing I consumed was the juice. I would lose about one

or two pounds from such diets.”However, some are dubious on juicing’s

“beneficial” claims.

Dr. Glen D. Braunstein writes on Huff-ington post, “much of the early weight re-duction [from juicing] is due to loss of salt and water. And with protein-poor diets like the Master Cleanse, muscle, and not fat, is broken down initially. Thus, these diets are associated with electrolyte imbalance, nutritional deficiencies, weakness and dif-ficulties concentrating, to name a few of their problems.”

The downside of juicing is its tendency to be a short term solution. According to LiveStrong, a website about health, fast weight loss can result in loss of lean mus-cle, excess loose skin, development of gall-stones, and liver issues.

Yet these downsides don’t discourage the masses. According to the L.A. Times, the juicing industry is estimated to be worth $100 million. It is up to the consum-ers on what they put into their bodies.

December 2015FEATURESThe Highlander

Page 12

Passion or profit?Continued from page 1

After that one last click of the “submit” button, it feels as though a huge weight has been removed. College application season is officially over. Now it’s time to relax.

Many seniors look forward to second semester as much-deserved time to un-wind and ease off of the self-imposed aca-demic pressure that has been weighing on them. It can be very tempting to take this relaxation too far and receive grades that are two, or even three, letter grades below the student’s average.

As a Carlmont guidance counselor, Kristin Vernon has had a great deal of ex-perience with second semester seniors. She said that “it's super common for seniors to experience burn out during the final se-mester of high school, but grades are just as important as ever. All four year colleges' acceptances are conditional, based on the outcome of the final semester grades. Col-leges' expectations are that the final semes-ter grades are consistent with the grades earned throughout high school and they

Slacking seniors risk college rescindmentZoe Wildman

Despite all the craze surrounding college admissions, some graduating students have chosen to not follow the masses of their fellow classmates, creating their own path instead. For these students, college applications and major

have been known to rescind an acceptance, especially if it's for a D or F.”

As Vernon said, many colleges have policies about grades during the seniors’ second semester.

For example, the University of Califor-nia school system says on their website that if an admitted student receives a D or and F in an "a-g" class in the second semester of senior year they “should immediately con-tact the admissions office of the campus to which he or she was admitted and let them know. The admissions office at the campus can then best advise the student about his or her options,” and that student will not be able to make up the class the following summer.

If seniors’ grades drop dramatically se-nior year, some colleges will request an ex-planation and may even rescind their ad-mission offers.

Ellen Fisher, an independent college counselor at College4u, said, “Although the end of senior year will provide you with treasured memories for the rest of your life,

selections have no relevance.“My career path doesn’t involve a traditional ‘education.’

I am looking at being a wilderness therapist,” said senior Lukas Kelly. “Basically, I would be taking at-risk youth and rehabilitating them through nature. The career has everything I could ever want. I would be deep in nature constantly, and I would be helping change these kids’ lives. Sure, it’s dangerous and the kids may bring a lot of trouble, but I know it’ll all be worth it in the end.”

At the end of the day, students’ happiness seems to be the defining factor in choosing their journey after high school.

Lukas Kelly said, “We only get one life, and I don’t want to waste mine behind a desk trying to make as much mon-ey as possible. The pay isn’t high for what I want to do, but it is my passion and my dream, and nothing is going to stop me from reaching it.”

you do not have a ‘Free Ride’... your final transcript will be sent to the one college you choose to attend. Your final transcript needs to look as wonderful, or better, than the transcript the college accepted you on. If the college sees a drop in your grades, your acceptance can be withdrawn. This does happen.”

Even after college applications are sent in, it is important to keep in mind that many colleges require a mid-year and end of the year report of students’ grades. It may seem as though once applications are in all there is to do is wait, but maintain-ing good grades during the entirety of se-nior year ensures that the acceptances you do receive are a decision only you have to make.

University of California Santa Cruz freshman and former Carlmont student James Pak said, “I definitely had less mo-tivation to put in effort in my classes [sec-ond semester]. My focus shifted more to-wards maintaining my grades to not get in trouble with colleges. However, after going

to college I realized that was not the best attitude, and I should’ve put in the same amount of effort regardless of the semester. You’re going to need the same skills going into college; it only gets harder, so slacking off second semester will make you less pre-pared for the even harder classes to come.”

Fortunately, some seniors are aware of the repercussions that come with slacking off senior year.

Carlmont senior Lauren Reo said, “After my apps are completed I plan to work with the same diligence I worked with during first semester. Colleges will still check my second semester grades so there's no ex-cuse to relax and let academics slip.”

“If seniors are having a hard time stay-ing motivated or focused, they should definitely consider stopping by to chat and vent with their counselor about how things are going,” said Vernon.

So, seniors, while slacking off after college applications are done may seem tempting, just remember that, in general, C is not for college.

December 2015FEATURESThe Highlander

Page 13

Impostor syndrome

Continued from page 1

Editor-in-ChiefZoe Wildman

The Highlander

The Highlander is a newspaper dedicated to providing Carlmont students, staff, and the community with high-quality news, features, and opinion articles. We want to keep our readers informed on important issues ranging from Carlmont to international news, and want to engage them with unique stories and images.

Holly ChenAria Frangos

Sophie HaddadKaren Gao

Kian KaramdashtiBijan Khalili

Anya MeredithIvy NguyenTaran Sun

Kiera Pendleton-WhiteConnie Yi

Hannah Young

EditorsMegan TaoKelly Song

Avery AdamsKimiko OkumuraAdriana Ramirez

Managing EditorAlyssa Fagel

Art DirectorMinh-Han Vu

Faculty AdvisorJustin Raisner

Scot Scoop Editor-in-Chief

Sarah Schisla

ScotCenter Editor-in-Chief

Elena Mateus

Professor Rance LeFebvre of the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine said, “I see [impostor syndrome] as a very real problem, although not in epidemic pro-portions.”

Most people just live with it, [but] I know some students would do much bet-ter if they could believe in themselves and their capabilities more.”

In nearly 30 years of teaching at UC Da-vis, LeFebvre has seen many students af-fected by intellectual self-doubt.

“Some cope with it and use it as an in-centive to keep working harder, [which isn’t] a bad thing. [Others] talk themselves into less than they know they are capable of,” he said.

Those who suffer from impostor syn-drome often dwell on their failures rather than their accomplishments.

Despite legitimate accomplishments, some find it difficult to find fulfillment in what they see as insufficient achievements.

Senior Alex Hunsader said, “I find my-self focusing on how I could have started learning programming or other fields I like, rather than what I have done.”

High-achievers often have no problem admitting their failures, but sometimes struggle to take credit for their achieve-ments.

“I think that everyone sometimes feels like they don't deserve their achievements and awards. I don’t really think it’s only top students,” said senior May Jiang. “When we get our tests back, who doesn't see a good grade and wonder if it was just an acci-dent?”

Some struggle to take credit for their academic accomplishments, instead attrib-uting them to chance or external factors and considering the possibility that they did not actually earn their success.

“I definitely think hard work and study-ing pay off, but there are always outside influences that impact our performance. Hard work doesn't always result in high achievement, and high achievements don't always imply hard work. I don't know about ‘success,’ but I'd like to imagine that I generally deserve what I get, even if I don't think that I've necessarily done everything I can to be able to attribute 100 percent of my achievement to my own work,” said Ji-ang.

Others doubt their abilities, even calling their strengths into question.

“Especially in freshman and sophomore year, I thought that every test could kill my grade. I would spend hours cramming for AP Euro, not because I didn't know the material, but because I doubted my abili-ties,” said Hunsader.

Adults are not immune to the impostor phenomenon either.

“It does not end after graduation. It of-ten is a lifelong struggle. I know of at least three colleagues who were very successful but committed suicide because they never

felt like they measured up,” said LeFebvre.While self-doubt remains a part of adult

life for many, impostor syndrome generally takes root during late adolescence.

“Impostor syndrome stems from the high school norm of comparing yourself to everyone around you. The high school environment is so pernicious to mental health because you only feel like you’ve accomplished a lot if you’ve accomplished more than the person next to you,” said Fa-gel.

No one person can be the best at every-thing they attempt, and constant compari-sons often lead to an inability to internalize and accept one’s own success in whatever form that success may take.

Fagel said, “It's impossible to com-pletely detach yourself from what others are doing, but I've definitely decreased the amount that I compare myself to them. The best way to overcome impostor syndrome is either to murder everyone around you or to do your best in everything and just ac-cept that it’s your best.”

Staff Writers

December 2015OPINIONThe Highlander

Page 14

The Tao of Megan Megan Tao

“The job of the newspaper is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.”-Finley Peter Dunne

The only qualification needed to be a lawyer is a ques-tionable police record and the ability to cover it up.

The only way to make it in the cutthroat world of D.C. politics is to have connections, and by connections I mean an affair with the president.

Thanks to Shonda Rhimes, I know exactly what job I want and how I’m going to get it.

People have not only been turning to television and movies for entertainment, but also as guidance to choos-ing a career.

Shows like “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Suits” have led peo-ple to pursue careers such as surgeons and lawyers, believ-ing that because they enjoy the television show they will enjoy the career.

SPOILER ALERT, being a surgeon or lawyer is nothing like what is depicted on television.

Choosing a career based off of a TV show seems incred-ibly misguided, but I think it’s one way that can spark an interest in a general field.

However, TV shows tend to dramatize real-life situa-tions in order to make the show captivating and the char-acters’ lives desirable; therefore, people don’t just develop an interest in a general field, but a desire for that exact job.

According to The Enterprise, University of Delaware’s criminal justice program saw an influx of students when shows like “CSI” came out.

After watching these shows, people don’t want the job portrayed in the show, but the life of the characters who have the jobs.

There’s a difference between pursuing a career based on an actual interest and pursuing a career to try and mimic the lives of these characters.

I think it’s justifiable for a TV show to generate a broad interest. It’s fine for someone to watch “Scandal” and de-duce that you want to work in politics. However, choosing to become a political fixer because you want to be like Ol-ivia Pope is not a valid reason to pursue that career.

For example, when a person suddenly wants to become a lawyer after watching a show about lawyers, they don’t actually dream about the endless paperwork and the less than interesting cases (because not every case in the world is an unsolvable murder case). They dream about the ex-citement of putting a murderer in their rightful place and standing up for “justice.” They dream about being a super-hero in a suit.

FOX’s new TV show, “The Grinder,” tries to capture this notion by juxtapositioning a newly retired TV lawyer with his brother who actually is a lawyer. This show uses the absurd premise to stress the difference between being a real lawyer and a TV lawyer. It immediately highlights the flaws of the TV lawyer, pinpointing that he doesn’t actually know any of the legal terms he frequently misuses because he never actually went to law school.

Instead of TV shows manipulating their audiences into thinking their lives will be worthwhile if they pursue a par-ticular career, people have to take advantage of this uncon-ventional resource.

So, after watching a TV show, how does one differenti-ate a general interest and a pseudo desire? Research.

No one knows automatically what they want to do without doing some form of research or observation. If one actually does take an interest in being a lawyer, some research will shed some light on what being a lawyer actu-ally entitles.

Since TV is so relevant and so widely used as a source of entertainment and information, it’s not out of the question to why it is used as a source of reference when choosing a career, but most of the time people fall victim to its capti-vating plotlines led by epic characters that happen to have fairly mundane jobs.

TV erroneously inspires careers

American rights are a privilegeIn elementary school we made our little hand-traced

turkeys and learned about Thanksgiving as a day of giving thanks, but today we are more worried about what time we will get to Best Buy the next day rather than remembering what we’re grateful for.

While living in the U.S., we often find it hard to rec-ognize our freedoms of religion, to be anything we want to be, freedom to vote, having voluntary army enrollment, freedom of speech, health care freedom, and democratic gov-ernment.

We regularly complain about having to wake up at 7:00 a.m. and go to school, but we need to remember that most other countries do not have the educational opportu-nities that we do.

Spanish teacher Rosa Ar-galuza moved here in 2002 from Peru after she applied for a bilingual California teaching program.

“Something I have no-ticed while living here is that you have to encourage kids to go to college. In Peru, all of the kids don’t need to be encouraged to go. They all just want to go by themselves, no one has to tell them that they should,” said Argaluza.

Since having the freedoms such as expressing our opin-ions, practicing the religion we want to, or getting to re-ceive an education has been all we’ve ever known, it’s easy to forget that we have so much that others do not.

“While living in America, I have also noticed the differ-ence I feel from freedom of speech. I can actually feel the difference in how I can talk here and how I could talk in Peru. I feel like I can say whatever I want without punish-ment here.” said Argaluza.

Junior Thashmika Singh moved here in 2013 from South Africa and has had a similar experience.

“Safety in general is something Americans don’t recog-nize well enough. In South Africa, we are so confined in our homes, we have to have security systems in place 24/7 to feel safe and we are constantly paranoid. Here you can take a walk at 9 p.m. and not be afraid,” said Singh.

Even simple things like driver’s licenses are different in other countries.

Singh said, “There is an advantage of driving at a young-er age here. You start at 16 here and in South Africa we only start driving at 18. I defi-nitely think Americans take advantage of this, because there are so many stories on the news about kids driving recklessly and not appreciat-ing the privilege.”

Similar to this, Naja Edslev, a student from Denmark de-scribes the difference between driving here and in Denmark.

“Most of my friends here have their driver’s license, and have had it since they turned 16. Getting the license wasn’t very expensive for them, and

renting a car is affordable enough too. When I tell people that a license in Denmark is approximately $2,000 and that we can’t get one till we’re 18 years old, they can hardly believe me. We use bikes instead, but that still isn’t really comparable to having a car. I find it so amazing that people my age can go wherever they want, whenever they want!” said Edslev.

Freedoms as simple as these demonstrate what Ameri-cans take for granted.

So maybe try to go beyond mumbling a few things you’re grateful for when your mom forces you to at Thanksgiving and try to genuinely appreciate the liberties we have as Americans.

Anya Meredith

Meat causes cancer.But so do cell phones. And grain. And food coloring.

And, well, basically anything else you might consume or touch today.

As scientists and doctors all over the world eagerly search for a cure to this horrifying disease, others look for explanations.

A recent report by the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that processed meats can cause can-cer. As a result, many health fanatics worldwide instantly tossed all so-called “killers” into the trash in order to keep the disease away.

But since when has the word “can” stopped adventurous human beings from doing anything? If we lived everyday avoiding activities that had the potential to harm us, we would never leave our houses in fear of being hit by a car, or even get out of bed in fear of tripping and hitting our heads.

WHO has tested over 900 potential carcinogens over the last 40 years, and only one has been deemed not carci-nogenic; and it’s what you find in water.

And as for the 900 substances deemed “probably car-cinogenic”? For many, the science is still uncertain--how much of the substance do we need to consume before we’re at risk? Is it dangerous only in large doses, or is just a little bit life-threatening?

The only activity that is really being proven over and over again to cause cancer is smoking.

For other substances, the science is less clear. Some studies have found over-consumption of caffeine to be unhealthy. But unlike cigarettes, coffee is still widely con-sumed without fear of its effects. That’s why we drink it in moderation.

And it’s not just what we put inside our body that has some scientists concerned. The American Cancer Society has suggested that the radiofrequency given off by cell phones has been proven to increase one’s risk of developing

cancer and tumors. And yet Pew Research Center found that in January 2014, 90 percent of Americans owned one of these trendy devices.

Cancer is a horrific disease; there’s no doubting that. But today’s technology-driven society loves our iPhones. And our processed foods. And we’ve become so accustomed to some of these things that completely erasing them from our lives just isn’t plausible.

But if we stay informed on the ways to reduce our radia-tion exposure, and continue to use our beloved cell phones in moderation, then for now these carcinogenic ties alone aren’t reason enough for us to alter our entire way of life. It’s pretty hard to imagine life right now without communi-cation devices we can take with us wherever we go, so some may even say keeping them around is for the best.

Scientists will continue to research carcinogens and the health risks posed by the things we eat and use every day. And if we want to stay healthy, we need to stay informed. At the same time, it’s not practical to avoid everything that may be risky. The most we can do is to practice modera-tion, and decide what we can and can’t live without. For some people, a little bacon is worth the risk posed by pro-cessed meats; for others, giving it up is a small sacrifice if it means avoiding a risk, however uncertain.

Meanwhile, as we continue to approach our favorite substances in moderation, scientists will hopefully con-duct studies that provide greater certainty about what is dangerous, and in what quantities, and maybe find substi-tutes that don’t present the same health risks.

Sure, WHO has declared that meat can cause cancer. But maybe that small correlation isn’t as life-altering as health fanatics are portraying it to be.

The leading cause of cancer: everything

“I can actually feel the difference in how I can talk here and how I could talk

in Peru. I feel like I can say whatever I want without

punishment here.”

The editorial article expresses the views and opin-ions of The Highlander as a whole. This month’s edi-torial was written by Alyssa Fagel.

EDITORIAL

Rosa ArgaluzaSpanish teacher

December 2015OPINIONThe Highlander

Page 15

Merry Christmas and a happy Jew Year With Christmas just around the corner, most students

are ready to push through the last few weeks of winter se-mester to the family, food, and gifts that await them on Dec. 25.

These students don’t think twice about this time of year: The time of year when Costco converts into Santa’s work-shop and the radio is flooded with yuletide cheer. To them it’s exciting; expensive, but exciting.

However, there is a small population of students and non-students alike who don’t have the privilege of partak-ing in the happiest time of year. These students make up the religious minority that is often left behind by greater society, especially during the holiday season.

According to a study done by the USC Dornsife Col-lege of Arts and Sciences, more than a third of San Mateo county’s reported population affiliates with a religion that falls under the Christian umbrella. The minority religions, the largest of which are Judaism, Islam, and Buddhism, make up less than five percent of the county’s population.

It’s not that those five festive weeks between Thanksgiv-ing and Christmas are unbearable for religious minorities, atheists included, but they are definitely uncomfortable. The plentiful Christmas lights illuminate the divide be-tween Christian America and, well, everyone else.

As a Jewish Atheist (yes, that is a thing), I’ve felt this separation first hand. During the “most wonderful time of the year” being a Jewish individual, especially a Jewish stu-dent, in a predominantly Christian community can start to feel not so wonderful after a few seasons in school.

As a child I was embarrassed when I didn’t know the names of all seven reindeer or all the words to the carols

Alex Wildman we went around singing in school. Writing letters to Santa in class was awkward to say the least, as my Jewish parents never attempted to trick my sister or I into believing that the jolly old man existed.

At the age of eight I decided it was time to enlighten my fellow third graders and reveal the Jewish kids’ Christmas secret: Santa is not real.

While I ended up receiving reactions ranging from shock to anger, the altercation opened my eyes to the world around me, and where my religion and I fit in that world.

In an article for My Jewish Learning, Rabbi Joshua E. Plaut said, “Christmas, in effect, has become a prism through which Jews can view how living in this land of freedom has shaped our religion, culture, and identity.”

Plaut’s idea holds true not just for Jews, but for all non-Christians. Despite efforts from various other religious groups to celebrate their respective holidays during this time, they are always drowned out by the ringing of the jingle bells and the singing of hymns. At other times in the year religious minorities aren’t drowned out as much as simply ignored.

Earlier in the semester, Jewish and non-Jewish students alike voiced their concerns over the ASB events that con-flicted with two major Jewish holidays, Yom Kippur and Passover. While administration and ASB addressed the situation to the best of their ability, the fact that it even happened is the issue.

In grade school, it wasn’t a holiday party; it was a Christ-mas party with letters to Santa and DIY ornaments to add to the tree that I never had.

Last year around Christmas time, a young boy named Sammy was tasked with writing a letter to Santa for a class assignment. Sammy, being Jewish, wrote a response I can only wish I thought of first.

In his letter, Sammy simply said, “Dear Santa, I know what’s up. Happy Hanukkah and Shalom!”

Underneath he followed with a brief wishlist addressed to his family that concludes with him saying, “I would like to eat for Hanukkah some latkes, gelt, and jelly doughnuts. Would you like to join me Santa?”

I wish I’d thought of something so witty at Sammy’s age, unfortunately I was less comical and more confrontational in my approach to Santa at school.

Now that I’m older and times have changed, I’m begin-ning to realize that it isn’t so much the selective celebration of Christmas that is the problem, but the attitude it cre-ates that is. It’s not the holly jolly atmosphere of Christmas time, that’s all well and good, it’s the strengthening of the American Christian mentality that gets us into trouble.

There is an established separation of church and state, but as a democracy we elect individuals to make decisions for the whole, and every single one of those people have their own religious beliefs that end up influencing their political decisions.

The Protestants who first settled on the shores of the east coast came as refugees fleeing religious persecution. Now, America is a world power built on the backs of im-migrants with the goal of establishing freedom for all. Like the Protestants so many years ago, there are currently hun-dreds of thousands of refugees fleeing to America for asy-lum, for a chance to be free, and we, as a largely Christian nation, are turning our backs to them at what is supposed to be the most merry month of the year. It may be un-comfortable to sit through those Christmas parties and I will continue to fight for more acknowledgement for the religious minorities of America, but I will also be grateful to have the freedoms I have that so many others do not.

Work and stress denies students a well deserved break ‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all through

the house, not a creature was stirring, except a computer mouse.

When students think of winter break, many don’t think of what usually comes with winter. They don’t think of hot chocolate or snuggling in pillows or even warm cookies.

Chances are, the only thing on their mind is the im-mense amount of work that needs to be done. In the eyes of high school students, “break” has become a myth. It is replaced by an endless demand for perfection, an infinite cycle of textbooks and worksheets. With seniors scram-bling to submit their essays for college applications and the rest of the school stressed in preparation for second semes-ter, break simply no longer exists.

The meaning and the value of break needs to be rekin-dled. Education is valuable, but if it becomes invasive, it no longer holds its importance. Rather than being an en-hancement of knowledge, it becomes a burden if too often prevalent.

According to U.S. News and World Report, a typical high school student spends about 17 and a half hours on homework each week. That means in a typical 36-week school year, students spend over 630 hours staring at text-books and laptops.

Yet somehow, this trend to constantly assign work for students still continues. The importance of taking a break is forgotten in all the chaos. Students face the pressure of community service and extracurricular activities, and the rush to be the perfect candidate for college can often be-come consuming. Students forget that they are human be-ings who need to recharge at times. Too much of anything is never good, and the same goes for homework.

A Stanford study recently found that countries that as-sign more homework don’t necessarily perform better. Countries like Japan, Denmark and the Czech Republic assign less homework, yet students still outperform coun-tries with large amounts of work. American and British students have more homework than most countries, yet they still only score in the international average. The two ends don’t seem to meet, and that speaks volumes about

the mentality of students in this generation.And not only are students’ personal lives in school im-

portant, but spending time with family is equally beneficial to growth and maturity. If students are overwhelmed with work, they cannot possibly make room for their families.

According to a study at the University of Michigan, spending time with family is crucial to achievement and behavior. Studies on family meals show that students who have dinner with their family do better in terms of academic scores and social behavior. Students spend their days apart from their parents and siblings during the school year, so holidays are a crucial time to allow the establishing of rela-tionships rather than completing assignments.

But most importantly, it’s crucial to keep in mind that a personal break is sometimes necessary. No one can de-crease the workload assigned, but an emotional “break” is far more crucial than a physical one. They are not a waste of time, despite what anyone might say, and it’s okay to not be engaged every day. So keep busy with what needs to be done, but don’t forget to press the snooze button a couple more times over winter break.

Kelly Song

MINH-HAN VU

Disney’s new Empire

From little kids to poets, we’ve all heard people express their joy over

the delicate descent of snowflakes collecting to make an untracked, clean

landscape. According to the calendar, the peak of winter is already here; however,

the monotone seasons of Belmont don’t quite give off that white-winter vibe."I embrace the snow because I love how beautiful it makes everything. I

love the cold, fresh air. I love all the snow activities such as skiing, sledding,

and snowball fights. I love being inside when it’s snowing outside," said ju-

nior Maya Sun. Where is the hot cocoa-reminiscent bite to the air so often portrayed in

movies and written in storybooks?Visions of snowflakes falling into mitten-protected hands, jars of cinna-

mon sticks and sugar cookie mix stored in cabinets, white blankets of snow

enveloping every step. But such a scene doesn’t exist here in Belmont."I think people choose to travel to snowy places to get away from Cali-

fornia weather and its regular heat and to participate in winter sports where

snow is abundant, as opposed to the lack of snow in California. I think peo-

ple choose to go to tropical destinations to get away from the cold, even if

it’s just California’s chilly weather, so that they can enjoy the beach and sun

during the winter months too," said junior Cameron Kondo. The set scene of a winter wonderland at this time is nowhere to be seen. This just might be the ideal time to go in search of that winter wonder-

land spot that appeals to many craving the lack of snow. "Because we are blessed with sunshine and the occasional thunder-

storm, some people might want to expe-rience a different type of weather. When snow slowly makes its way to the ground, it’s such a sight to experience," said senior Christina Yue. Leaving the mild climate of Belmont strapped in snow pants, fluffy jackets, and complex contrap-

tions built for the snow, snow-embracers are getting ready for the cold.

"We chose skiing over a more tropical location because you can go to the beach all summer, but you can only go skiing in the winter, and it’s just fun to celebrate the holidays with snow outside," said Sun. "You can go skiing and sledding and have snowball fights

or simply sit inside by the fire and drink hot cocoa, all of which are fun and relaxing activities that are much harder to do, say, on the beach," said Sun. As cold-seekers return home with frostbitten fingertips

and soggy socks, the frozen memory of the perfect adrena-line rush remains."We tend to alternate between going to warm and cold

places for our big winter vacation, but we always try to sneak in some snow time for a weekend or two during the winter, because isn’t snow pretty much the point of winter?" said Sun.

Choosing to embrace or escape winter

Slowly but surely, winter is setting in.

Although the rain and snow associated with winter aren't prominent in

Belmont, anyone can feel the colder, brisk weather approaching.

With the stress of finals brought on by hundreds of flashcards and the

effort to recall every formula since the first week of school, winter break can

be the ideal time for a getaway.

Craving a relaxing vacation away from anything associated with school,

many overworked high school students see a tropical escape as the perfect

trip."Some students might go to a tropical location during the winter for the

variety, as in the warmer, sunny climate where they can relax with beach ac-

tivities that they might not normally experience during winter," said junior

Maya Sun. Typically, people go on vacation in order to take a break from their daily

agendas, experiencing activities that they don't encounter as much back

home. Although Californians experience a moderately warm climate for the

majority of the year, a sunny, bright destination can still bring new experi-

ences as students travel to new locations.

"I have been to Utah and Colorado for skiing and snowboarding in the

snow, since the drought in California makes it difficult to find a plentiful

ski resort," said junior Cameron Kondo. "Personally, I like the snow a little

better than the heat during winter because we don’t get to experience it all

the time. However my family chose to go to Panama this year during winter

Greetings From

Greetings Fro

m

DESIGN AND TEXT BY AVERY ADAMS

break because we wanted to change up our

usual destination climates."

Fleeing the crisp temperatures for a

warm, relaxing vacation spot, it seems that

tropic-seekers only have to pack minimal-

ly when compared to those who travel to

the snow; a swimsuit and some sun tan lotion is enough for

many."Some people might want to go to a tropical location be-

cause they still want to enjoy nice weather all year around,

but also want to enjoy it in a different location," said senior

Christina Yue.

However for some people, there is no correlation between

their opinion of winter and the travel destination, and such is

the case for Yue, who is planning to travel to Hawaii during

the upcoming winter break.

"People tend to believe that Hawaii should be a vacation

getaway in the summer. But honestly I think you can visit

anytime and still have many things to do. Again, because I

have not been there myself, I cannot say too much about it,

but I think Hawaii by itself is just such a beautiful place at any

time," said Yue.