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With (pink) ribbons and lace, and many a brave face, these fighters are powering through — this is a fight that you can join, too!

Jim Marsoobian
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With (pink) ribbons and lace, and many a brave face, these fighters are powering through — this is a fight that you can join, too!

     October is the month of Halloween — the month of pumpkins, skeletons, spiders, and witches’ hats. Everywhere you turn, nature is celebrating the changing seasons with vibrant colors. And so are the stores you shop at, the houses on your street, and the decorations in your very bedroom.

     Yet among this sea of oranges, reds, greens, purples, and blacks is arguably, the most vibrant of all: pink! And I’m not talking about the swarms donning Barbie-esque attire… I’m talking about the pink ribbon.

     The very pink ribbon that has become the universal symbol of breast cancer. The very pink ribbon that, according to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, was created as a matter of protest against the low national budget for cancer prevention. Today, the ribbon is recognized as a powerful symbol representing breast cancer awareness.

     The pink ribbon, which also comes in many variations to represent different types of breast cancer, is encouraged to be worn during October — Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

     BreastCancer.org explains that the month originated from the American Cancer Association’s week-long awareness campaign, which developed into the month that is recognized today. Now, walks, runs, and other events take place throughout the month, with most participants adorned in pink attire.

     Their goal is to raise awareness about the disease, gain funds to promote research, and provide support.

     In case you’re not familiar, breast cancer is a disease that occurs when cancerous cells form in the breast tissues. There are many different types and stages of breast cancer, and, despite popular belief, it can affect anybody. Many factors can influence the risk of developing breast cancer, including age, ethnicity, and sex.

     According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, 1 in 8 women in the U.S. will receive a breast cancer diagnosis at some point in their lives. The source also mentions, “In 2023, an estimated 297,790 women and 2,800 men will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer.”

     And, horribly, an estimated 43,700 women in the United States will die from breast cancer in 2023. This is why it is so crucial to be conscious of breast cancer and methods of detection to prevent tragic results from the disease.

     The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explains that, though there is no way to eradicate the risk of breast cancer from your life, there are a few actions you can take to live a healthier lifestyle. According to the CDC, being active, keeping a healthy weight, and avoiding excessive alcohol use can all lower the risks.

     However, breast cancer screening can help to detect breast cancer in its earliest stages, and therefore prevent the disease from becoming worse with time. The National Breast Cancer Foundation states that women who do not receive regular screenings have a death rate from breast cancer that is 26% higher than that of women who do.

     The American Cancer Society explains that, “Breast cancer typically has no symptoms when the tumor is small and most easily treated, which is why breast cancer screening is important for early detection.” Some options for screening can include mammograms, MRIs, clinical breast exams, and self-breast exams.

     Some ways that you can show support during Breast Cancer Awareness Month include donating to organizations such as the American Cancer Society, volunteering with organizations that advocate for cancer issues, educating yourself and your loved ones, and purchasing and wearing pink articles of clothing whose funds directly support the health campaign.

     Breast Cancer Awareness Month or not, it is of the utmost importance to be aware of this information. The U.S. Office of Women’s Health states that cancer is the second leading cause of death for women in 2023, following heart disease.

     By being equipped with information, you can help prevent not only yourself from breast-cancer-related death, but your loved ones as well.

     As the National Breast Cancer Foundation conveys, “Chances are, you know at least one person who has been personally affected by breast cancer.”

     As somebody who has lost a truly amazing woman to breast cancer, my grandma, I cannot stress enough how important this topic is. I know how important it is to stay on top of monthly self-breast exams and will never miss a regular professional screening once I am of age. I implore you all, whoever you are, to do the same.

     When it comes to breast cancer awareness, and, really, to life in general — it’s one thing to be aware, but it’s essential to be active.

Why are you insecure?

Sophie Mclean
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Why are you insecure?

     Growing up, I always thought my teen years were the time of insecurities and blossoming maturity. I believed that 15 or 16 years of age was when girls would start to leave their phase of youth and start to express themselves in an older way. 

     But by age 11, girls in my classes started already trading in their stuffed animals and barbies for eyeshadow palettes, hair straighteners, and crop tops. Was it because of some unpredicted shift in youth culture, or was it because of their early introduction to the internet, seeing these older influencers gain popularity for their maturity and wishing to mimic the behavior to also gain popularity?

     Ever since social media was first introduced, countless accounts of body dysmorphia, especially amongst teens, have emerged and grown in numbers as their usage amongst the general population increased.  

     In Big Think’s video “Social Media addiction – how it changes your brain,” writer and businessman Luke Burgis notes the difference between external mediators of desire (the rich and famous) and internal mediators of desire (people whom we see online and close in person who we wish to become). To idolize having a celebrity lifestyle is something that is less detrimental since it is less attainable. To idolize an online presence, however, can be catastrophic to a person’s wellbeing, as getting followers is much easier than becoming a millionaire overnight. 

     Yet, it’s not just the obsession of becoming internet-famous that can cause weakening mental health; body image and trends presented on social media have been leading cases in declining self-esteem for the past few years. 

     Since the start of social media, advancements in technology of filters and apps like facetune have been used by influencers and celebrities to alter their body shapes to fit unrealistic beauty standards. In a study on photoshop used with images on social media, it was found that 71% of pictures posted to these sites are edited before being posted. What’s even worse is that many users who see these pictures are unbeknownst to the modifying of them, making it very easy to become wrapped into the self-doubt of your physical appearance in comparison. 

     These alterations only bring fuel to the fire that is body dysmorphia and worsening mental health. In unison with the rise of social media, accounts of eating disorders have increased from 3.4% in 2000 to 7.8% of people in 2018. Depression rates amongst adolescents have in addition risen from 8.1% to 15.8% between the years 2009 and 2019 as seen in the National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

     Cyberbullying also plays into this persistent issue. Body shaming is one of the most common forms of bullying online, the fact that it can be done in a (anonymous?) manner without much repercussion making it chosen and constant throughout all platforms. This form of harassment has become a larger issue in the past few years amongst apps like TikTok and Instagram: two forms of social media whose users are largely Gen Z. 

     Despite the clear trend that social media’s increasing effect on youth is detrimental, this issue is not one that can fully be resolved. As a society, the world’s accessibility to the internet alone has made it so incredibly easy for people to become addicted. In just five years, the amount of Tik Tok users universally have spiked from 271 million to 1 billion, in addition the number of Instagram Users increasing from 1 billion to 1.35 billion. On average, users individually spend over 130 minutes a day on social media, while Gen Z spends almost four hours every single day.

     A decade ago the majority of phone and tablet users were adults and teens; currently, kids are receiving phones as early as elementary school, and the mere idea of a tablet conjures the image of a toddler playing Cocomelon on their dirty, sticky ipad.

     Most people’s solutions would be to just distance youth from the internet, to limit their access to these entry ways into the online world. Yet, taking this course of action in turn damages the placement of a teen in their society, as so much of youth culture is centered around jokes and topics online.

      In truth, being a teen in this day and age is so much worse than time before. You not only compare yourself to people who you know in your life, but also every single person online who you see on social media. There are constantly fluctuating and unattainable beauty standards that you’re faced with, that you feel if you don’t live up to them, you might be mocked for it.

  Only in the past few years social media has been prominent, this form of global connection quickly turned into a breeding ground of hate and self-doubt. It makes you wonder: will it ever get better?

Halloween and the Real Reason it’s Celebrated

Violet Clark
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Halloween and the Real Reason it’s Celebrated

     Halloween is a national holiday celebrated all over the world, though not officially made as a federal holiday. Have you ever wondered what the true origin of this holiday is?

     Halloween first originated in ancient Britain and Ireland by the Celtic people. On this night, people would light bonfires and candles while wearing costumes to drive away the ghosts who were thought to be ravaging their crops.

     Some of the costumes worn included saints and biblical figures, as this holiday was first created by the church. Celts believed that their ancestors’ spirits would visit them on this day, and would lay out offerings such as food, drinks, and jewelry for them.

     Originally, Halloween was celebrated on the first of November to honor saints. The day before was this holiday’s eve. This turned into the holiday we all know of today, Halloween. During the middle ages, Halloween was a time for the people to gather together, have feasts, play games, and even throw parades. Trick or treating was also celebrated during this time. 

     All of the Halloween traditions that we celebrate today have been around since the beginning of this day. Carving pumpkins and turning them into jack-o-lanterns used to be made up from carving turnips, potatoes, or beets and making jack-o-lanterns out of those. The reason for carving turnips and not carving pumpkins like we do today is because pumpkins were not indigenous to Ireland. As years went on North America started to take on this holliday, where pumpkins were native to their land. 

     Trick or treating during the origins of Halloween was a little different than today as well. Small groups of people, mostly the poor in costumes, went from house to house and performed little tricks in exchange for food and drinks.

     The theme of costumes worn back then consisted of ghosts, witches, devils, and skeletons. Haunted houses were also not around until the Great Depression where parents came up with ways to distract the children whose Halloween pranks turned into vandalism and property damage. 

     After many years Halloween has changed. Nowadays people don’t look at this holliday as an ancient ritual. Halloween is a day full of activities and fun still including those traditions of long before. Carving pumpkins, trick or treating, costumes, eating treats, and watching scary movies are now the main attractions. There are some people who don’t celebrate this holiday due to religious reasons. Jehovah’s Witnesses, some Jewish, and Muslims are some of the few. 

     No matter what you do, everyone loves to celebrate this day in different ways, children love to go trick or treating from door to door, while others love to dress up and go to Halloween parties. Some just like to stay at home with a bowl of candy and enjoy  scary movies.

A Look into the Marching Band Season

MVHS Staff
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A Look into the Marching Band Season

Winter, summer, spring, and back to fall as football season begins, so does band season. And with band season comes band camp, competitions, halftime shows, and a team that slowly becomes some of your closest friends.

     Band is a lot more than playing music. There are fun games to play during band camp, a variation of secret Santa for competition season known as “Secret Pals” and memories to last a lifetime. 

     Of course, playing music is one of the most important parts of band, but so is learning drill. Drill is our places on the field while we play halftime, and it can take months to learn, revise, and add creative visuals. 

     Learning visuals in a performance is a lot more fun than people would think. We get to laugh, learn silly dances, and the best part is getting to work with the colorguard on how to make it look better. No matter what, we always find a way to make practice fun. And Finley Hahn, a freshman who plays clarinet, said it best when they said, “Practice is fun, if you make it fun.” 

     Though practices are fun, the schedule can be a lot. With practice 4 days a week and 2-4 hours of work, it can be tough to manage. Emma Hambel, a senior who is Drum Major, described practices perfectly when she said, “Practices are kind of crazy hours wise, but ultimately I think that long practices are good because we can get a lot of reps in.” Reps are good so we can see what we need to work on and what to fix. 

     Even if practices feel like a lot, in the end it is so worth it. David Parsons, a junior who plays trumpet,  described what band is as a whole, not just people who play at halftime, when he said, “I love the people, I love playing the trumpet, I love performing and the excitement before a football game and competition, and being a part of something.” I know a lot of people in band can say the same, including myself.

     Being a part of something really is the best feeling. Having that place where most people see it as their home and their safe space, is just something you don’t get all the time. It is incredible that band has that for so many students. 

     Band can be people’s safe space, even though it can also be incredibly stressful sometimes. But it makes it all worth it, when we do little things like huddling in a group and telling each other how proud we are of each other and hugging each other good luck, or even just making jokes during practice. Every stressful moment, and every worry about halftime and competitions, makes it all worth it.

Are Honors Classes Worth it?

MVHS Staff
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Are Honors Classes Worth it?

 

     At the beginning of the school year, each student has the decision whether or not to take an honors class or more than one, or just stick to a regular schedule. The choice can seem overwhelming, as shifting from one experience to another can be intimidating. So, are honor classes really worth the trouble?

     To be straightforward, I, Zong Chen, am confident that honors classes are worth the trouble in taking harder curriculums. Although I am going to have biases as I am currently attending some honor subjects, I stand with this claim.

     When deciding my classes before the school year started, I immediately knew I wanted to do honors.. I did it because–sure, it does look good on your record and it might impress your parents, but I knew I had my strengths and weaknesses that needed to be fixed. I wanted to improve and challenge myself to take a course that would benefit me, but not in an easy way.

     For instance, in Honors English, I am challenged to write thought-provoking essays and think outside of the box. In Honors Biology, the course goes at a fast pace and allows me to process and adapt to more information that can prepare me in further high school years and even college.

     Not only to mention, next year, these honor classes are a push to harder courses that I want to take, such as AP Language or Anatomy. The decision to join an honors class may be tough and seem tedious, especially in your freshman year, but that is the entire purpose of it, to challenge and teach you how to improve tremendously in the future.

     While I myself, Isla, may not be in any honors classes, I have asked a few friends that either take a number of honor classes or do all honors their opinion on this matter.

     I first asked Leslie Garcia, who is taking Honors English, if she thinks it is worth the effort. She told me that she believes taking Honors English was a good decision. She mentioned that while it is harder than a standard English class, it improves her overall knowledge of the subject.

     When asking my close friend Audrey Black if all the honors classes she takes are actually helping her education, she responded with, “Honors classes are worth it because [they help] you learn subjects at a faster pace and take you one step ahead in life.” Audrey and other students agree that even though honors classes are tougher than your regular courses, they boost your education and overall understanding at an exceptional rate.

     Moreover, I asked other students if they believed honors classes were worth the time, the majority of them answered the same: yes. Even when answers varied, the overall meaning stayed the same. In the end, the majority of students believe honors classes are worth the extra time and work.

     As many students will struggle throughout the year taking a challenging course, it can be evident that it challenges and benefits your future immensely. Overall, taking honors is the right decision for any student in high school.

The State of California is in Distress

Violet Clark
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The State of California is in Distress

 

     If you live in California, or specifically Southern California, you have most likely heard about Hurricane Hilary. Hurricane Hilary was formed in the Pacific ocean near Southern Mexico, on August 16th. It was labeled as a category four Pacific hurricane. The hurricane built up very quickly and proved itself to be brutal in the seas and Southern Mexico. As it made its way to California it dramatically decreased in severity, turning into a tropical storm. This storm made its first impact in SoCal on August 18th and dissipated  August 22nd.

     Hurricanes are typically very violent and powerful storms. They send huge winds up to 74 mph and lots of heavy rain. However this was not exactly the case for Southern California. Although SoCal did experience the wind and rain, it was not as violent and extreme as the news made it out to be. People all over Southern California were stressed out, preparing for this “brutal storm” that in reality wasn’t as big of an issue as the media painted it to be.  

      Residents around Southern California prepared for this storm a bit like Floridians. Selling out sandbags, toilet paper, emergency food and water supplies, flashlights, and candles. And unshockingly, most of this went to waste. Some citizens however did put these items to good use, as a few cities experienced mudslides and flash floods. 

      Nonetheless some areas in Southern California were more heavily affected than others. San Bernardino, Palm Springs, Victorville, and Mount Laguna got the worst of the hurricane’s impact, to name a few. These cities had some major flash floods and that damaged many communities. The aftermath of the flash floods left them with plenty of mud and debris everywhere.

         Clean up crews worked effectively to clear mud and debris in the affected areas. Clearing roads and moving toppled trees, the crews worked tirelessly for over 24 hours. Residents of the areas also helped take part in cleaning. The damage left by hurricane Hilary was estimated at more than $126 million.

      Hurricane Hilary definitely made history, being the first ever serious tropical storm warning for Southern California.  The first ever hurricane to even come close to California was the 1858 San Diego Hurricane. After that catastrophic storm, only two other tropical storms hit California, one of them in 1939, near Long Beach. Then  the other, being Hurricane Hilary, which was technically labeled as a tropical storm. 

      While Hurricane Hillary was certainly overly dramatized, there was one death believed to be caused by the hurricane. Although, this fatality did occur in Southern Mexico. Luckily for us Californians, we endured no fatalities as the hurricane ran its course. 

Pablo’s Got a New Sport

Leah Douglas
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Pablo’s Got a New Sport

     Girls flag football is burning up the field with an aggressive determination to win, with both Varsity and JV representing our school and making Pablo proud. From an undersized club to a booming new sport, the girls flag football team has been welcomed into the inferno. 

     As a new CIF sport, the girls flag football team is dominating the competition with a score of 18-7 at the last varsity game against Aliso Niguel High School. They have currently played 7 league games with varying outcomes. The girls really have proved that with enough effort anything is possible. 

     With 15 girls on varsity and 13 on JV, the team has made bonds that are unbreakable. Leah Vanderveen, a freshman on JV, said it best when she stated, “The whole team is so nice and uplifting on and off the field. The girls that played last year are so welcoming to all of the new players.”

     The team considers team bonding very important. They regularly have lunch together and when the weather is nice they go swimming. During away games on the bus they blast music and have a good time. Through these fun activities they have grown together and have become more like a family than a team. 

     The team started playing as a club two years ago but this year is its official debut to being a certified school sport. In past years the team was small and had inconsistent practices a couple of times a week. Now, with a consistent practice schedule and two full teams, the team has done an incredible job growing and recruiting more members. 

     Katie Neilson was one of the first original players and has since become captain of the varsity team. She has watched this team grow since the start and has fought hard for it to become an official sport. Neilson stated in an interview, “It’s so nice to finally wear the Mission jersey after two years of flag football being a club.” Neilson also mentioned how much she loves her team and the sport she plays.

     Flag football has had an incredible impact on many of the girls on and off the field. Avin Mohammadi, a freshman on JV, states, “It’s all like we’re one big family.” So many girls use this sport as a home away from home. Flag football is a place where many of the girls are able to escape their life and get lost in running plays and scoring touchdowns. It’s incredible that it is  finally getting

 the recognition it deserves. Especially since people view it as “scary” or “aggressive”. 

     Yes, the sport can be aggressive, but as Geneva Bjornstad, a junior on JV, explains, “I wish people understood that girls flag football is much different than boys tackle football. So there are different rules and regulations.” And Vanderveen says, “I wish people understood that even though it has football in its name it is definitely not as aggressive as tackle football. And I think if more people knew this a lot more girls would be playing.”. They all state that flag football is not as scary as people make it sound and more girls would have a blast if they joined!

     Flag football has positively impacted all of their lives and even people before them. Vanderveen explained, “My mom inspired me to join because she played in high school! And she balled out!” People have so much to share about the impact and importance of flag football and how wonderful it is. If people would just listen or even do research maybe it wouldn’t be as scary as they think. 

     These girls are so incredibly dedicated to flag football and will continue to improve and grow together. They will continue to destroy their biggest rival Trabuco High School and win. The players have become like a second family to one another and they will continue burning up the football field today, tomorrow, and for many more years to come.

Opinion: Flextime for School

MVHS Staff
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Opinion: Flextime for School

     Here at Mission Viejo High School we have a schedule that not a lot of other schools share or are familiar with, a flextime schedule or a flexible schedule. What is flextime? Flextime is a part of the day where you do not have a real learning class, more of a classroom where you can either do your homework, study, get help with tutoring, or relax and talk to your friends.

     Many people wonder how this schedule works, well I can’t speak for all schools because every school has its own unique schedule but as a mission student I can explain. 

     Flextime is available on Tuesday through Friday and is 30 minutes long from 10:32 to 11:02 and with a flextime app you are able to create appointments with teachers at a classroom, all you need to do is create an appointment and show your student I.D and your all good to go.

     How the Mission Viejo schedule works is that on Mondays we have all 6 periods which is the reason why we don’t have tutorial that day, on Tuesdays and Thursdays we have even period days which means only periods 2,4 and 6 are the only periods for that day with tutorial included as well. 

     On Wednesdays and Fridays, we have periods 1, 3 and 5 including tutorials too. This is a very nice schedule because it gives students a break from all the hour plus classes, it also gives students more time to work on homework and other assignments which is very nice for students who have a very busy life. 

     The reason why I believe that this is good for students who are busy is because many older students may not have the luxury of staying home and have to help their parents make ends meet and also work and for teachers to just blow that off and still assign homework to kids and expect it all to be done in a nice fashion is not thinking straight especially for high school kids are older and are busy not like elementary school where the work was easy and could be done in a certain time period many kids are busy with certain things in their life and having a more flexible schedule can really help kids a lot. 

     Another reason is sports, if you do football or any other parts balancing homework with your practice can be difficult so this schedule makes it somewhat easier for athletes, for example football practice ends at 7:00 and it takes a while to get from school to get home, shower, eat and finally get started on your homework and with the risk of being kicked out if a sport because of poor grades they need to be on top of there assignments. 

     For these reasons this is why I believe that flextime is good for students is because it provides a more flexible schedule for students and can meet many different needs and benefits for students and because of this schedule many students are able to get help from places like tutorial and have a much shorter schedule. 

 

Beware of The Bear

Jim Marsoobian
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Beware of The Bear

 

     “It’s not about the food. It’s about the people.”

     

     It’s all part of the life. The yelling across the room, the cursing at spilled food, the constant background clatter of crashing utensils. Slipping on spilled water, and trying to make the most of worn-down appliances.

     It is truly a feeling like no other. And it’s a feeling that is perfectly conveyed in the ever-increasingly popular streaming show, The Bear.

     

     On the surface, The Bear is just about a restaurant. But it’s only when you begin to delve deeper and deeper into the story that you realize The Bear is about so much more.

      The first season of The Bear dropped suddenly in 2022 onto the popular streaming platform, Hulu. The show, created by Christopher Storer, follows the young, award-winning chef, Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto as he returns home to Chicago to work in his late brother’s sandwich shop.

     The season exposes the chaos behind the counter as an eclectic group of chefs try to adapt to the changes brought by now working under a professional chef. It also exposes the chaotic, yet not-too-far-fetched relationships between the characters.

     Incredibly well-rounded characters played by Jeremy Allen White, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Ayo Edebiri, Lionel Boyce, Liza Colón-Zayas, Abby Elliot, Matty Matheson, and Molly Gordon, are truly what makes this show what it is.

 

     The reception of this show is overwhelmingly positive, with its IMDb rating being 8.6. On top of this, the Rotten Tomatoes score is a whopping 99% on the average Tomatometer as well as an audience score of 92%.

     On top of these rave reviews, the show has been nominated for numerous awards, including multiple Emmys and Golden Globes. It also won the American Film Institute’s “Top 10 Programs of the Year” category, as well as earning Jeremy Allen White a Critic’s Choice Award for “Best Actor in a Comedy Series.”

     

     So, after The Bear’s second season was released a few months ago, I decided to see what all the hype was about. The cast of this new season was, more or less, the same as the first. The seemingly random yet very satisfying celebrity cameos notwithstanding, of course.

    After the turbulent conclusion to the first season, the group gets to work trying to rebuild “The Original Beef” into a luxury, Michelin star-winning place of high dining. This obviously leads to a lot of trouble, with the original members of the crew struggling to catch up and change their ways, as well as Carmy himself dealing with a slew of issues.

      As with the first season, it received tremendous reviews and accolades.

    And after watching the show, I completely understood why this show was so well-received. The acting is absolutely phenomenal, with Jeremy Allen White conveying such a depth of emotion that you feel deeply connected to his character, Carmy. The rest of the cast provide a thoughtful set of well-rounded characters that feel like people you already know.

     The perfectly atmospheric soundtrack to the show is nothing short of great, either. The repetition of the show’s most iconic songs throughout the series (including “New Noise” by Refused) highlights how far each of these characters have come. The songs, which are often featured with a few picturesque landscape scenes of Chicago, further transport you into the story.

     And I can’t write this review without talking about this show’s makeup. Or rather, lack-there-of. When the camera zooms in on these characters, you see real people, not actors who are caked up in a thick foundation and whose every blemish is edited away.

 

     The entire show is so real, and I can’t stress enough about how it feels as though you, yourself are right there in the kitchen with the rest of the characters.

     I’m not kidding when I say that this show stressed me out. It is incredibly tense to watch, and for that reason, I would not recommend it to someone who wants a happy, feel-good binge-a-thon. That’s not what this show is.

     This show is for the people who are tired of seeing fantasized, unrealistic depictions of lives that are absolutely exhausted from trying to live up to the standards set by them. This is a show for people who want to see realistic characters dealing with realistic problems.

     The Bear is a realistic depiction of real people and that’s what I love about it. It was extremely intense to watch, and yet somehow comforting at the same time. It’s because in each of the characters, you can see yourself or someone else in your life.

 

     When watching this show, there were countless moments and episodes that stood out to me. There is no scene that feels like a time-filler, or a waste of space.

     But if there’s one thing I have to talk about in this review, it’s the sixth episode of the second season, entitled “Fishes,” which received a near-perfect IMDb score of 9.6.

     I can say with confidence that this “Christmas special gone berserk” is one of the best television episodes I have ever seen (perhaps the exception being Breaking Bad’s “Ozymandias”).

     This episode makes you feel awful in the absolute best way. As this hour-long episode progressed, so did the situation. And, just like the rest of the characters, I began to feel the rush of panic and distress. Suddenly, everything you’ve assumed about these characters you’ve been watching for a season and half comes together in one moment. You understand why the characters are the way they are, and it makes the following few episodes even better to see where these people started and where they are now.

     As soon as the episode starting, I felt the initial shock of seeing all the celebrity guest appearances, including Jamie Lee Curtis, Gillian Jacobs, John Mulaney, Bob Odenkirk, Sarah Paulson, and the return appearance of Jon Bernthal in the role of Carmen and Natalie’s late brother, Michael Berzatto. Moments later, this eclectic cast conveyed the very familiar hustle-and-bustle associated with most every family dinner.

     It was truly the last group of people I expected to see in a room together, and yet — it worked. This seemingly random group of well-loved actors and actresses worked together extraordinarily well with the usual Bear cast.

     Other guest appearances throughout the show, such as Molly Ringwald and Olivia Colman, also mesh perfectly well with the story line and, as expected, put their all into their characters.

 

     Although a third season has not yet been declared by FX, the show’s extreme success (and season 2’s some-what cliff-hanging finale) might hint at at least another season to come. However, no information has yet been provided.

 

     So yes, The Bear is a perfect representation of what the food worker’s life is all about. It’s about the yelling and cursing, the spills and crashes. The slips, the broken appliances. The small talk you make with the customers, learning of new skills to use throughout your entire life and solving problems. It’s about bettering yourself, and bettering the relationships with the people you work with, too.

 

     But that’s not what The Bear is about. The entire restaurant plot of this show is merely a facade for something a lot more meaningful. People. What makes a person frustrated? What makes a person yell and scream and cry? What makes a person snap? What makes a person happy?

 

     It’s not a nonfiction story, but the story that it tells is true. It’s a story that is true for all of us, because at the end of the day, The Bear is just about people. And we can all relate to that, can’t we?


Go watch The Bear. Every second counts.

I Got Into The Ivy League, Here’s Why It Doesn’t Matter

Judd Karn
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I Got Into The Ivy League, Here’s Why It Doesn’t Matter

     Ok, let me reiterate what I mean by that headline: I got into Brown University, a member of the ‘ever-prestigious’ Ivy League, ranked #9 on the infamous US News rankings. I am extremely grateful to have gotten in; however,  students, and the American population as a whole, put way too much of an emphasis on the university you get into. 

     After all, the Ivy League is only an athletic conference, nothing more, and the US News ranking system has been called a “joke” by US Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, basing its ranking on relatively arbitrary metrics to get a quantitative number for something that shouldn’t be quantitative, and instead much more personal.

     I know many have this mindset of “if I get into [insert college name here] everything in my life will be better and I’ll have a successful life.” I had that same mindset in some points of my life, but that way of thinking can only be described as toxic and potentially hurtful. 

     If you have a dream school, that’s great, but do not make your life dependent on it. Was I happy when I got into Brown? Yes, but then life returns to normalcy. Nothing changed except for my knowledge of what school I’m planning on attending next fall.

     I also did not choose Brown because it was part of the Ivy League athletic conference, or because of whatever it was ranked on US News; I chose it because of its unique attributes that aren’t really found at any other school, most notably the open curriculum.

     The open curriculum is an academic system where there are no general education requirements and, in the case of Brown, you have two years to choose what you want to study. This was perfect for me as I realized through the college process that I’m not sure what I want to do with my life; Brown is one of the few schools that would allow me to explore my potential interests to the fullest.

     I also chose Brown because, due to their extremely generous financial aid policies, it was cheaper for me to attend Brown than to attend a University of California. There are dozens more factors that contributed to the reason I chose Brown, but at the bottom of that list is how ‘prestigious’ it is.

     However, I could also give a hundred extremely great reasons to choose attending a local community college instead; there’s this stigma attached to attending a junior college, but in reality they are very similar in academic rigor to universities, but, instead of a ludicrous price tag, they’re free through California’s Promise Program. 

     It’s also not like the community colleges don’t have amazing programs. Saddleback’s Psychology Club provides an all-paid trip to the annual Western Psychology Association convention for a select number of students, where they get to see some of the greatest minds in the modern American psychology academia sphere come to speak and discuss with each other. There are tons of amazing opportunities like this at community colleges, you just have to look for them.

     It is also arguable how big of an impact going to a selective college is. Although a fairly old study (1999), economists Stacy Dale and Alan Krueger, using national surveys of high school students, found that people who “attended more selective colleges did not earn more than other students who were accepted and rejected by comparable schools but attended less selective colleges.” There’s this conception that going to a more selective college gives you a major economic advantage, but, evidently, it doesn’t. It’s not about the institution you go to but about the drive and work ethic you have developed throughout the years.

     And even if this was not true in the modern day, is it really worth it to spend so much of the most formative years of your life focusing on trying to be the perfect applicant? The answer is pretty clear, especially for the negligible difference in salary (if that is your reasoning behind it). If your reasoning is that you want the [insert selective college here] experience, then take a second to remember how much you are sacrificing for that, and ask yourself that same question once again: is it worth it?

     Your success isn’t determined by what school you went to, it’s about your ability to learn, adapt, and persevere, to have drive in whatever you want to do. Your life isn’t defined by the next four years after college, nor will it have that major of an impact on your salary. You could put the same amount of effort into getting into a selective college into what you are looking to study in and get a similar amount of experience and step ahead financially wise. 

     As a student you have such little responsibility, so just remember that and have fun whenever possible; don’t choose a school just because it has a notable name, choose it because its ideologies align with yours, because it has programs and opportunities that appeal to you. 

     An integral part of being a human being is our differences, and with that it is inherent that a different path may be a better choice for one person and a worse choice for another.

     Either way, just don’t worry about college as a freshman and don’t let it consume your life. It’ll work out, just make sure to have fun in whatever you’re doing. And remember, college is such a small part of your life and the impact that it has on you depends on you and your actions, not the school you are going to.

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