SEARCH RESULTS

Back to Artwork Prism Back to Sections Mia Bonaventure - Prism By Mia Bonaventure November 24, 2020 Volume 1 Issue 2

Back to Artwork Portrait Back to Sections Karina McNamara - Portrait By Karina McNamara January 20, 2021 Graphite Volume 1 Issue 4

Back to Articles Art & Culture Back to Sections In the Heights: A Tale of Love, Culture, and Hair By Lucy Wu Volume 2 Issue 1 October 8, 2021 Image provided by In the Heights Over the past summer, I spent sunny days outside in the city, soaking in the vibrancy of the culture and stories of other people like vitamin D. After my excursions, I’d savor brisk nights talking about anything and everything with friends at the table. So, when my friend asked if I wanted to watch In the Heights together at her house, it was an easy choice: of course, I would. Immediately, I was cast into a world where music is synonymous with living. It permeates everything in the story, from getting your hair done in the salon to conversations at the dinner table to pivotal, life-changing choices. And mind you, it’s not a linear story either. Sure, it’s chronological for the most part as it takes place over the span of three days (interwoven with flashbacks and flash-forwards), but it’s really the intersection of many stories, including those of Usnavi, Vanessa, Benny, Sonny, and of course, Abuela. But with my mind still spinning from the constant dancing, music, and plotline, the character that commanded my attention the most was Nina Rosario. When you first encounter Nina, words that come to mind immediately are intelligent, charming, and beautiful. So brilliant and hardworking in fact, that’s she’s returning to Stanford University in the fall. When she comes home to Washington Heights for the summer, everyone and their mother knows her name, and they welcome her enthusiastically. It’s obvious she’s the jewel of the neighborhood; everyone is in awe of her glimmering in her accomplishments and dazzled by what she still has yet to attain. She has access to opportunities and ambitions they cannot even dream of, and that’s saying a lot for a community that has a 6-minute danceathon on just the prospects of winning $96,000 in the lottery. And yet if everything were perfectly sparkling in the sunlight, we wouldn’t have a 143-minute musical produced by Lin-Manuel Miranda now, would we? But it’s her summer, and she’s come back to the Heights to reconnect with her family and friends, and most importantly, her culture. “Breathe” Nina’s story is best told through the context of her hair, which is an incredibly important detail and a vital part of Hispanic culture. After the initial flurry of constant chatter and “Oh my god Nina, we’ve missed you so much,” we get a moment with her just walking the streets. Her voice is like a lark, rising up and above the buildings that hold the history of her life, and yet she’s not as jubilant as she was before when talking with her friends. Something is in the air, humid and suffocating from the tension. She’s graceful and tall, holding her head up high, but I notice her highlighted hair is pin-straight, and not curly like in the movie posters, which gives me my first clue. And then her words reveal she’s plagued with Impostor Syndrome and racked with guilt, adamant she is not fit for the university, and will never be able to keep up, a disappointment to her family and community who had believed in her unconditionally. Nina is holding a secret, and we wait for her to reveal the truth. “No Me Diga” Ushered into a salon chair run by the infamous “salon ladies” for a makeover, Nina’s external transformation mirrors her internal metamorphosis. The salon is bustling with fashion and hair beyond anyone’s wildest imagination, and they chant to her: “Tell me something I don’t know.” And so, she reveals that she dropped out of Stanford. But why would someone with so much promise and support drop out? At an intense argument at the dinner table, she mentions the fact that the institution tries to put on a facade of diversity and inclusiveness when really, she’s the one being insulted when students call her a “waitress” behind the scenes. To rub salt in the wound, her father must sacrifice his business to afford her tuition, which only compounds the issue and leads her to choose not to go back. In hindsight, I see her using her hair to mask her identity and “blend-in,” because her curly hair would be seen as too unruly and “ethnic” for the people surrounding her. It’s clear the community at Stanford will never match her beloved neighborhood, and for that, she hides to avoid discrimination, to avoid getting hurt, and to avoid tarnishing her culture. It’s also for the superficial things, like wearing her hair straight, that she doesn’t feel like she has a sense of belonging. However, once the salon ladies are finished with their appointment with her, she embraces her curly hair once again, symbolizing her acceptance of self and culture. For the rest of the movie, she wears her hair naturally, and she’s more at ease now that she’s revealed her secret and true feelings. Only in The Heights does she truly fit in, and does not actively hide being different. “When the Sun Goes Down” Spending her summer days with her family and friends, immersed in her community, impacts Nina’s worldview. While attending a protest, she learns Sonny, a friend’s cousin, is unable to attend college because he is an undocumented immigrant. Revitalized with a sense of purpose to help undocumented immigrants, Nina resolves to go back to Stanford. To provide closure, Benny, Nina’s previous boyfriend with whom she broke up before attending Stanford, decides to reconnect. It’s a sweet moment for the young lovers as they dance up the side of the building, watching the sunset in the distance behind the Brooklyn Bridge with a renewed sense of hope. But what stood out to me most was her hair in the scene. It’s purposefully different than any other moment in the movie, and she wears it in a braided crown, traditionally worn by black women as a protective hairstyle. Intentional or not, just as protective hairstyles are worn to shield textured hair from elemental damage so it can be worn natural later, this symbolizes how she will defend herself from the discrimination she will inevitably face, but still preserve her culture and share it with the world. While there has been some critique for the movie surrounding what was considered by some as an insufficient number of “dark-skinned Latinx actors in prominent roles”, it’s clear there was dedicated effort put into the cultural and regional details that bring the movie to life. Things like hair and clothes are subtle details that may go unnoticed in everyday life but serve as communicators of culture and heritage. All hair types are beautiful and should be celebrated, just as all phases of Nina’s hair should be appreciated and considered reflective of her character development. As I bask in a moment of thought, I wonder what subtle details of my life share my culture with the world – and try not to take their importance for granted. Citation: Lin-Manuel Miranda addresses "In the Heights" colorism controversy - CBS News BACK TO TOP

Back to Artwork Beauty in Nature Back to Sections Fence By Quinn O'Connor February 10, 2022 Photography Volume 2 Issue 4

Back to Artwork Nightmare on Main Street Back to Sections Part 2 By Dilraj Singh October 8, 2021 Volume 2 Issue 1

Back to Artwork Pop Art Back to Sections Anonymous - Pop Art By Anonymous January 14, 2022 Acrylic Volume 2 Issue 3

Back to Artwork Nightmare on Main Street Back to Sections My Heritage By Katherine Cevada October 8, 2021 Volume 2 Issue 1

Back to Articles Sports Back to Sections The Rise of Pickleball By Cody Sung Volume 3 Issue 2 December 23, 2022 Image provided by News12 We are approaching the close of 2022, and during this year you have surely learned of new things you never knew before. Many of us, including myself, have learned of a booming sport: pickleball. Described as “America’s fastest-growing sport” by NPR and other sources, it has a long tail of history behind it. Let’s not forget it. Let’s explore it. Bainbridge Island is not a household name in America. But it is for America’s pickleball. After all, it’s where it started. On a summer like any other in 1965, the Pritchards, McCallums, and Bells all were together in the same rented log cabin. The kids in the family were bored and wanted something to do. So they went to the badminton court and started playing. The adults, noticing the deficiencies in the equipment meant for ping-pong and not for pickleball, crafted new paddles and new balls. According to “History of Pickleball: More Than 50 Years of Fun!”, it rapidly spread across Bainbridge Island during the summer and into Seattle. The game continued to be developed further, with rule changes and further improvements. However, pickleball’s ability to develop further was limited since there was no organization to handle it – yet. That is, until Barney McCallum, Joel Pritchard, and Bill Bell, three key players in the founding of pickleball, put $500 into a novel company: “Pickle Ball Inc.”, founded on February 13, 1968. It would be the company responsible for marketing the pickleball sport to a wider audience. Pickleball experienced further growth, expanding to Hawaii in the 1960s (where it was called pukaball), prevalent in Maui, Florida in the 1970s with a debut in The Villages, a sprawling retirement community, Arizona in the 2000s centered around Surprise, and recently nationwide and internationally, mostly Canada. The growth required a national organization to be created, the United States of America Pickleball Association, USAPA for short. Founded in 2004, it is in charge of rule regulation for pickleball and is the organization to turn to for pickleball. This brings us to today. According to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association, the number of pickleball players has nearly doubled to 4.8 million and is rapidly entering the mainstream, with some estimates predicting over 40 million players by the decade’s end. Why? A combination of tennis, table tennis, and badminton, it is advertised by the USAPA as fun, fast-paced, simple, addictive, and has a strong community perfect for a pandemic boom. The gameplay, as mentioned above, is simple. Designed to have all as equals, not just the strong, emphasizing strategy and error reduction while giving benefits to speed and power. Usually, pickleball is played with doubles; two players on each side. To start, an underhand serve is made diagonally and alternating from the right-hand side of the court to the left-hand. Each server is only allowed one serve attempt. If both servers fault (the ball goes in the net or outside the designated area), the other team gets to serve. Only the serving team has the chance to win points. Games are played to eleven points, however, a team must lead by two to win. While in pickleball it is possible to volley (not letting the ball touch the ground before hitting it, with the exception of the first two shots of the game), there is a no-volley zone, commonly called the kitchen, within seven feet of the net on both sides. It is illegal to volley there. Apart from a few other basic rules, this is it when it comes to pickleball. While pickleball’s simple gameplay and welcoming environment for beginners have allowed it to gain rapid popularity, it has also caused tensions in communities across the United States. Its easy setup, costing only around a few hundred dollars, can transform any hard surface into a pickleball court, including tennis courts, which can be converted into as many as four pickleball courts. Combined with its explosive popularity, it has led to intense turf wars that have divided communities and caused friction with the tennis world. Even in towns that have managed to adapt to pickleball, there is another issue: the noise. Vox has demonstrated the paddles made for pickleball combined with hollow balls cause about twice as much noise on contact as a tennis ball and racket. While not bad on its own, with many pickleball matches going on the noise adds up, and it has caused complaints from residents and bans from parks. Luckily, there is a fix: designated clubs for pickleball, which reduces the strain on public spaces and isolates the noise issue. Developers nationwide are already starting to do so. And for pickleball, it means it is finally on top. BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Feature Back to Sections A Tribute to Selena By Christina Ossa Volume 2 Issue 1 October 8, 2021 Good Morning America article which shows a picture of Selena posing with her Grammy award in 1994 (https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/culture/story/selena-quintanillas-husband-chris-perez-reflects-death-25-73440003) If you have a dream, don't let anybody take it away." -Selena Quintanilla-Pérez. In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, let's take a moment to remember an insanely talented Mexican Tejano-pop singer, Selena Quintanilla, born on April 16, 1971. I've listened to her songs on repeat since I was a child. As an American Latina, her music was always playing at family get-togethers and at least once every month. The same could probably go for other Latino households and even others in general. She was a rising Spanish singer star in the 1990s who was just about to cross over to sing music in English. At the beginning of her career, she sang and helped her brother, A.B. Quintanilla, write songs, but her passion was to someday sing and write music in English. She had a unique, soulful voice and could sing multiple in genres with no problem. Her story and rise to fame had changed the Hispanic community, but it ended on a tragic note; she was shot dead by the president of her fan club, Yolanda Saldívar, on March 31, 1995. Selena's death was a massive shock to the Spanish community up to the present day; however, the lasting impact she left on our community still lingers, as she's widely known by almost all Latino families and has fans across the globe. A Slow Rise to Fame: Selena began her career by singing at quinceañeras, performing at weddings, and at her father's restaurant, “Papa Gayos” in Lake Jackson, which later shut down. She started with a family band, consisting of her dad, Abraham Quintanilla, as the manager, her sister, Suzette Quintanilla, on the drums, and her brother, A.B., writing songs and playing the bass. Once the family restaurant closed down, her dad decided to take a chance on Selena's talent and have them travel across the road. However, his rise to fame proved to be a slow one. She would travel across the West of the United States, performing shows for Latinos and other fan who followed her music. Eventually, she gained recognition and was signed by EMI Latin in 1989. From there, Selena would gain a large and almost cult-like following. Latino fans and others across the globe loved Selena's voice, her music, and her personality. Even when she gained more recognition, she didn't change and continued loving her fans equally no matter how many she had. One of the qualities she's most renowned for is her immense trust and kind attitude toward anyone and everyone. However, one of her most famous albums, Amor Prohibido (Translation: Prohibited Love ), brought her to the peak of her career. Along with one of her hit-singles, Como la Flor (Translation: Like the Flower ), she was recognized for her talent and in 1994-1995 was finally approved for a crossover album. It was rare and revolutionary for her career as a Latina singer to have the opportunity to sing her Hispanic music in English. Only a handful of other Latinos, such as Ricky Martin, Enrique Iglesias, or Gloria Estefan, had sung crossover albums; therefore, for Selena to have a crossover contract as a pop singer was an immense achievement, especially considering she was only twenty-four at the time. She even won her first Grammy for Best Mexican-American Album at the 36th GRAMMY Awards in 1994, which marked her as the first female Tejano artist who had ever won that category. Continuing with her momentum, she was even allowed to perform live at The Astrodome in front of over 61,000 fans on February 26, 1995. This concert, unbeknownst to anyone, would be her last live event. An Untimely Death: Selena's success only continued to grow, as the ambitious Tejano-singer would also go to form a fan club in mid-1991. However, since her family was caught up with her music production and she was busy with her new albums, songs, and live appearances, she had no one to manage her club. This led her to hire one of her most enthusiastic followers, "Selena's biggest fan," Yolanda Saldivar, who eventually quit her job as a nurse to run Selena’s club and boutiques. Even though Yolanda was just "Selena's fan" on the surface, she had a crazed obsession with the Tejano-singer. Selena trusted Yolanda to the extent that when she opened her first two boutique locations known as Selena, INC. in Corpus Christi and San Antonio, she relied on Saldivar to run them. At the same time, she was busy with her music career. The club began to go downhill in January of 1995 after her father started receiving calls from angry fans who never received the monthly "Selena goodies" they paid for with their enrollment in the club. With further research by Abraham, he found that Saldivar had used forged checks to embezzle $30,000 from both the fan club and boutiques. Abraham was enraged, consulting Suzette and Selena on what they should do about this situation. Abraham and Suzette wanted Yolanda immediately fired; however, Selena did not want to fire her because she believed Yolanda was her friend. Selena eventually fired Yolanda early spring 1995, and after three weeks, Selena finally agreed to meet Yolanda to get financial records, but Salvador refused to give them back. They met in Corpus Christi at a Days Inn motel, where Yolanda had a handgun ready. The outcome of this meeting was a nearly bled-out, dead Selena, found crawling to the lobby of the Days Inn. The days and weeks after her death, Latino and even American radios across the country played and had fans chanting her songs. Her death also happened just before she was set to release her new crossover album, which was released instead as a memorial to Selena. Selena has been missed since her death, and this year marks the 26th anniversary. She still has millions of fans to this day and is almost worshipped among the Latino community. Her debut, though not as long-lasting as was hoped, forever changed the Hispanic-English music industry. Her influence over the music industry paved the way for many famous Latino-American singers, such as Shakira, Demi Lovato, Becky G, and even Beyonce. She met Selena and looked up to her when she was younger. Even by me, Selena will forever be remembered. Her music will be played in Latino households across the globe for generations to come, and I know I have always admired Selena since I can remember. She's an inspiration through and through, and who knows the immense success she would've had if she continued down the path of global-wide fame she was approaching. Her story and end were overwhelmingly depressing, but this does not muddy the recognition and inspiration that comes along with the name "Selena Quintanilla. Sources Used: The Queen Is Dead – Texas Monthly 17 Artists Inspired By The Divine Glory Of Queen Selena Quintanilla | HuffPost Communities Selena: The Series ( https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjN57npxqTzAhWlY98KHT6SBaoQFnoECAYQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.netflix.com%2Ftitle%2F81022733&usg=AOvVaw3HZYiJAQMbuCJ0zGZ8TDB- ) (used as more of a guide of events, nothing specific) Selena (film)(again, used as more of a guide of events from what I can recall) BACK TO TOP

Back to Articles Entertainment & Media Back to Sections Squid Games By Augustine Magapan Volume 2 Issue 3 January 14, 2022 Original artwork by Elaine Ching Everyone enjoys spending time with each other. No matter who you are with, whether it’s family, friends, relatives, or even your pet, it would be reasonable to watch a show or movie for everyone’s amusement. Netflix is the platform to go to. There are about 207 million subscribers to Netflix. Although you are watching Netflix with other people, what if you were alone? An action-packed, gory, horror, puzzle-solving thriller series may be a suitable genre for you. On September 17th, 2021, Netflix released an original series called Squid Games . Squid Games is an action-packed, gory, horror, puzzle-solving, thriller series that revolves around people competing for money. As viewers start the show, they investigate the life of a protagonist named Gi-hun who is divorced and in debt to some Korean mafia. On the verge of being killed by the Korean mafia and losing his daughter to her stepdad, he finally wins the jackpot on a bet with horseback riding; however, he is robbed of the money and does not have anything left. Walking in tears, he encounters a man in a suit who asks him if he would like to play ddakji , which is a childhood game. He told Gi-hun that if he wins, he gets 100,000 won, but if he loses, Gi-hun must pay 100,000 won. Unfortunately, Gi-hun does not win the game and must give the man the money. Luckily for him, the man in the suit was nice enough to tell Gi-hun that he must use his body; therefore, Gi-hun gets slapped in the face. Since that was the only consequence of losing, Gi-hun keeps playing until he wins. Finally, Gi-hun was able to win, and he earned 100,000 dollars. The businessman tells him that there are a lot more games like that if he competes in the organization called the “Squid Games.” Gi-hun takes time to think about the offer and decides to go. When he arrives at the meeting spot, a mysterious man in a red suit with a mask with a shape on it picks him up. Gi-hun goes in the van and sees other people passed out. Soon, Gi-hun has also passed out. Once Gi-hun wakes up, he sees a lot of other people there wearing a green tracksuit just like his. He also sees other people having a certain number on their clothes. Gi-hun was considered Player 456. The competitors meet more of these red-suited men and accept the terms and conditions of the games. The superiors of the red-suited people told the players that every time they win, more money is added to their bank accounts; however, if they lose a game, they will be eliminated. Every time a player is eliminated, more money is added to their bank accounts. Once everything is settled, while being unknown to their surroundings, the competitors play their first game. The first game was simple, it was Red Light, Green Light. The goal of the game is to make it to the other side of the field without being caught by the big robot. When it’s a green light, players are supposed to go, when it’s a red light, players are supposed to stop and be frozen. If a person is not frozen at a red light, or doesn’t make it to the end in time, they are eliminated. The game starts and players are already sprinting, trying to make it to the end; however, the first person who messed up because he wasn’t frozen on red light was shot. It took a while for the other players to realize that if people lose in the game, they will die. This led to a lot more people panicking and getting shot leading to more than 100 people dead in the first challenge. The first episode of the series is a gruesome one. Gi-hun luckily makes it across along with a lot of other people. Once the first game was over, the superior guards showed the winning players how much money was banked. Although it was a lot of money, people who won the challenge wanted to go home while some wanted to keep playing. The superior guards then revealed that everyone who is competing in these squid games are in debt with a gigantic financial loss. In order to leave squid games, everyone must vote to see whether or not people are still going to play or leave. Luckily, the voting results came to where everyone is allowed to leave safely. Once Gi-hun was able to go back to his normal life, he encounters other people who were also in the game. It then switches perspectives to the other players with interesting back stories and problems in their lives. This helps create more development for the characters to help viewers have a better understanding of the story. When Gi-hun was walking around, he realizes that his mother is about to go bankrupt due to his brother, who was also in the squid games, selling her shop. This frustrates Gi-hun since not only his mother is suffering from financial loss, but his mother is also feeling very ill alongside with his debt to the mafia and wanting his daughter back. He realizes that he doesn’t have anything else to live for and goes back to the Squid Games once again with the other characters. As viewers continue to watch, they will stumble on new friends and foes for Gi-hun, new challenges to face, and plot twists of other perspectives. The main question for viewers is, what in the world is Squid Games? It is more than just mere games for money, so what is it? Today, Squid Games is one of the most popular series on Netflix. Many people dressed up as them for Halloween, others made TikToks based on the series, and some even made their own version of Squid Games like Mr. Beast, a professional YouTuber who gives millions to people. Squid Games is overall a significant series to watch to solve mysteries and find out the reason why people take certain actions. BACK TO TOP