Tiffany Zhu, 3/26/21, PD 8, Day C

Tiffany Zhu
Period 8
3/26/2021
Day C
Modern Mythology 2021 

What are your thoughts and feelings about issues of inequity, oppression, and/or power?

With the recent crimes across the country, I feel very angry and scared.  Asian hate crimes have increased by 11% since last year whether it was online or out in the streets. I find it very unfair that having a “bad day” is a reason to commit murder. 8 lives were lost because of a “bad day”. I think about their families and how sad they must be. Their loved ones have died because a stranger had a “bad day”. I began to worry about my friends and family; the fear of being possibly attacked because of my race. The thought of even stepping out of the house scares me. And we aren’t the only ones who feel this way. People of color in general don’t feel safe because of the society we live in now.  

Inequity, oppression, and power will continue to exist no matter how much we try to present it. This is because some people aren’t willing to change and have not been exposed to these situations. However, people are trying their best to educate others and themselves about the struggles of other people. Ideas such as the model minority should be eradicated because it only causes division amongst people and it ignores those who have endured a lot in replacement with their accomplishments. 

How do you reflect critically on your own beliefs, assumptions, values, and experiences, and how these can influence your perception of self and others?

As an Asian American, I’ve been told to ignore these racial slurs and to just move on. That these little comments shouldn’t affect us and we should be focused on achieving a better life. However, it doesn’t mean that we don’t feel hurt. Growing up I’ve been told that “you are smart because you are Asian”. This statement has probably been told to many of my peers as well. I feel hurt when hearing this statement because it ignores how much money our parents spent to send us to prep or how much time we worked on assignments to achieve a good grade. Our achievements are defined by our race but instead our hard work. Due to our belief in always looking forward and ignoring what others say, we have let many incidents bypass. However, I am glad that we are finally realizing that there is a problem not just within the Asian community. Movements like the Black Lives Matter, and Stop Asian Hate has been so widely spread to educate others and fight for our rights. That while we move forward we shouldn’t disregard these comments but instead fight for ourselves and become stronger. I hope that as a community that we fight together and spread our story.

Shyla Zou, 3/26/2021, PD8, Day C

Shyla Zou
03/25/2021
Period 8, Day C
Modern Mythology 2021

What are your thoughts and feelings about issues of inequity, oppression, and/or power?

“….the definition and critical analysis of oppression has left out the complexity, voices and lived experiences of individuals who have been severely impacted by injustice and oppression…”

– bell hooks (1994)

We live amidst hate, inequity, oppression, and injustice. Throughout United States history, we can see examples of oppression within society, be it because of race, gender, or identity. The influences of governmental policies and systems have allowed such unjust practices in our communities today, communities where most are people of color. Racial inequality has been, for a while, a big problem in our country but has continued to be ignored not only by bystanders in those communities that are causing hate, but the government as well. In 2020, there were 1,004 fatal police shootings, with most of the victims being Black Americans. In many of these instances, the victim was not at fault but their death was the direct result of police brutality. Even with the community protesting, the officers at fault would not and would not be brought to trial, and the families of the deceased would have to suffer. This is one of the main instances of oppression within our society, and while we are protesting and working to bring justice to those wrongfully killed through Black Lives Matter, it may never be enough. Society has for so long suppressed the voices of those that were targeted and have continued to paint a bullseye on the backs of those that do not deserve this treatment. Our system is broken, and will continue to be until people can step up and properly do their jobs.

How do you reflect critically on your own beliefs, assumptions, values, and experiences, and how these can influence your perception of self and others?

As an Asian American amongst many others, I have also experienced racism from those that dislike me for no other reason than being Asian. Me and my friends getting called slurs while we are on the streets, people mocking my language, and having to face prejudice for being Chinese. So many Asians and Asian Americans stay silent while being ridiculed and being told to “go back to their countries” that many are now ashamed to be Asian. There are many who want to not be Asian as to fit with the norms of society, without realizing that they are, in fact, normal and there is nothing wrong with being Asian. When Covid-19 first spread out of China, the hate against Asians became more intense than ever before, and even my parents were afraid to leave the house with the fear of being targeted, telling me to stay home when I can. And even now, innocent Asian people are being targeted on the streets. However, with the Stop Asian Hate movement, I can see that people are standing up against oppression and inequity, fighting against a system designed to keep them under,

Marvin Alhaddad, Period 5, 3/25/21, Day B

Marvin Alhaddad
3/25/21
Period 5
Modern Mythology 2021


John Gardner’s Grendel is a retelling of Beowulf, an Old English poem about Beowulf, a hero who comes to the aid of King Hrothgar and slays the monster Grendel who has been attacking his mead hall, Herot. Gardner’s story is told from the perspective of Grendel, the original antagonist who is now made to be an antihero. Grendel tackles many issues that were very prevalent in both Gardner’s personal life and the time period in which the story was written, and many can even be connected to the present day. The main topic in Chapter 8, our most recent reading, was government and violence. The chapter opens with the introduction of a new character, Hrothgar’s newly-orphaned nephew, Hrothulf. Grendel describes Hrothulf as “quiet as the moon, sweet scorpion…” indicating that he seems unsuspecting and even sweet on the outside, as a young boy would, but that he also has the potential to do great harm. One day, Hrothulf is in the yard watching the peasants work and live in horrible conditions, all while mindlessly continuing to praise Hrothgar. He wonders, for example, why a bread thief is punished by death while a thane who has murdered gets away with a much less severe punishment.

Eventually, Grendel recounts the discussions Hrothulf had with an old peasant man, nicknamed Red Horse. Red Horse is a very interesting character. He explains to Hrothulf the many ways in which kingdoms (governments) are inherently “monstrously evil.” He claims that they pretend to work for the community, but in reality only serve to protect those already in power and push others down. They maintain this system through “legitimate violence,” which is essentially standard violence but used in a way that the government tries to justify. Red Horse tells him that the state validates its power by claiming to use it to maintain order. Whether it’s policing and the army, or other things like prisons, tax collectors, and judges. Red Horse asserts that no matter the circumstance, all systems and governments are evil, but that he’s ready to serve Hrothulf in destroying one.

The symbolism of “Red Horse” can be seen in both the Bible and US History. In US History, Red Horse, a Lakota Chief, played a significant role in the Battle of Little Bighorn. This battle took place between US troops and Lakota Sioux and Cheyenne warriors after the US army ignored previous treaty agreements and invaded their territory. Grendel’s Red Horse would act similarly against the US government since they tried to justify their want for gold in that region with “legitimate violence.” The similarity to the Bible’s second horseman, however, is more striking to me. Whereas the example from history shows Chief Red Horse to be working towards good, the Biblical Red Horse symbolizes war. The reason why I see this as more fitting for Grendel’s Red Horse is because he ironically encourages Hrothulf to start a revolution, even reassuring him that he will help him directly. But by his own logic, a revolution only stands to allow for a new corrupt government to take the place of the old one, so you would expect Red Horse to not bother with it. This is where I see the connection to the Biblical Red Horse in that they both simply want war and divide to ensue. This also leads into yet another connection between Red Horse and the Dragon. He may have the same nihilistic view of life as the Dragon and decided that no matter what happens, there will always end up being a government in place and it will always be corrupt. Instead of standing idly by as one system transitions to the next, he may have decided that his purpose in life is to be a direct part of that transition, which explains why he still wants to help Hrothulf overthrow Hrothgar.

Taking a step back from the symbolisms and looking more closely at the idea of corrupt governments again, we can see multiple connections to our own government. Of course, there was the example with Chief Red Horse in the late nineteenth century, but there are much more recent examples that continue to affect people in the present day. The most pronounced example of this is redlining, which began in the 1930s. In simple terms, redlining was a method that indicated in which areas was it favorable for a bank to lend. When it came to choosing areas, the Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC) labeled neighborhoods with white people as green areas and those with black people as red areas, and were usually ineligible for backing from the Federal Housing Administration (FHA). Redlining’s effects became most significant in the 1960s to 1970s, and even after a law prohibiting discrimination concerning housing was established in 1968, the damage had been long done. Many of those neighborhoods still have some of the highest poverty rates in New York. Attempts to revert these effects in other areas through gentrification has led to some of the initial inhabitants being displaced by people who can afford it, which still leaves the problem of an extremely large gap between the rich and the poor. In many ways, the issues brought to light in Grendel highlight many controversies that plagued our society both in the past, and the effects of many of those issues continue to plague us even today.

Connor Campbell, Period 2, 3/24/21, Day A

Connor Campbell

Modern Mythology

Ms. Fusaro

3/24/2021

    My blog couldn’t have come at a more perfect time than right now. As I’m writing this, my mythology class is reading John Gardner’s Grendel. Each year, one text would be the stand-out text that I’ll never forget. Sophomore year it was Slaughterhouse Five, junior year it was The Five People You Meet in Heaven, and this year it’s Grendel. I’m only on chapter 8 and I’ve already built an incredible connection to the novel, its lessons, and the title character himself. The narration and character of Grendel are fascinatingly entertaining. His snarky and sometimes poetic remarks replicate sentiments often heard by modern teenagers, despite the novel being released 50 years ago. Each chapter describes a new journey with new interesting characters, influencing me to reflect on my own life and how I’ve seen parallels in my own upbringing (at a much smaller scale of course). In short, this fifty-year-old novel contains the perfect blend of entertainment, relatability, and enlightenment; making it, in my opinion, the best read of the year. 

    Other than a specific novel, the other memory of each years’ English class that travels with me is an overall theme. Last year it was the importance of small decisions, every action you make or word you speak could have a monumental impact on your life and the life of those around you. This year, the theme is fate. More specifically, the question of “if your life is already preplanned, how should you live?” There have been two philosophies that stood out to me the most. In Norse culture, the gods spend all their efforts preparing for Ragnarok, even though they know they’re destined to lose. It seemed like a waste of time to me, why couldn’t they use their time more beneficially for the betterment of post-Ragnarok civilization? The other side is the side the Dragon took in Grendel. The most profound word we use in our analysis of Grendel is Nihilism, the philosophy that nothing in the world matters. The Dragon doesn’t want to do anything other than sit on a mountain of gold because, ultimately, he can’t change the track of his, or anyone’s, life. That track had already been decided. I was critical of the Dragon’s philosophy, too. I thought it was lazy. Safe to say, I didn’t enjoy either ideal, so I began reflecting. If I already knew the end result of my life, how would I live it? The question stumped me for a while. I don’t even know how to fully live my life now so how could I possibly know how to live my life in an alternate universe? I sat on the question, hoping to find inspiration in due time.

    Then I watched this short film on the YouTube channel Omeleto (I highly recommend checking out their content and subscribing) called “Exit Strategy.” If you plan on watching it, I’ll put an asterisk at the beginning and the end of the spoilers because it’s much more enjoyable to watch without knowing the end. Anyway, the film centers around a nerdy guy who discovers time travel and uses it to save his brother, a firefighter, from dying in a fire. *He’s done countless attempts to save his brother from dying in the fire, writing down every detail of every failed attempt and memorizing every significant detail of the day. He realizes if his brother goes into the fire, he’ll die. If he tries to steer his brother away from the fire, his brother will get called in as backup and die in the fire anyway. Finally, he cuts off all outside contact and successfully steers his brother away from the fire. The brother finds out about the fire and starts a fight with the protagonist for keeping him away. They get in a shoving match where the brother hits his head on a cut tree log and dies. At that moment, the protagonist realizes that he can’t help his brother escape death. He restarts the day one more time, but instead of trying to save his brother, he plans to enjoy the little time he has left because it’s the last time he’ll see his brother. He talks to his brother about his family and children, learning about them so he could fill his brother's shoes after the brother’s inevitable passing. It was heartbreaking, but touching, the best short film I’ve watched thus far.*

    More importantly, I had my answer. If my life was already planned out, I’ll live to be the best version of myself I can be. Fate can control our end results, but it can’t control who we are when we reach that result. Much like our protagonist, I use every failure or sorrow as an opportunity. *The protagonist decided to finally embrace his family side, something he avoided throughout his life.* It sounds cliche but failure is key to character building. Who you are isn’t determined by your success, but how you find success from failure. Most importantly, who you are is determined by how you can influence success for others as well as yourself. Throughout the pandemic, I’ve used a lot of free time to work on myself, but I’ve also used a lot of time to reach out to people and show them I care for them. I’m in a better place socially now than I was a year ago, despite seeing people at ⅛ of the frequency I once did. Instead of drowning in darkness, I’m swimming in light, something I didn’t originally expect at the dawn of the pandemic. Moral of the story, stay positive. Some things are just out of your control and it’s best to search for opportunity than stress over mistakes. Learn to find the light in yourself and then bring that same light out in others. Maybe fate is inevitable, we’ll never know. If it isn’t, you’re walking up a stairway to success; and if it is, at least you’re enjoying your life as much as you can, can’t ask for anything more than that. 

Michille Zhang, 3/23/21, PD 8, Day C

Michille Zhang
PD 8
3/23/21 
Day C

At this current point in time, what specific goal(s) do you have for yourself? Why?

I’ve found myself very anxious and very stressed due to the upcoming college decisions, and I’ve tended to push or avoid topics pertaining to college. Although it’s pointless to worry about a subject I cannot really control and I’ve already tried to the best of my ability, I still find myself worrying about it whenever I get the chance. My goal as of now is to find a way to deal with my stress/anxiety and get more organized. I’ve found myself getting a little lazy with logging all my assignments into my calendar, and I sometimes would forget about particular assignments or projects until it’s last minute. I feel like I haven’t been able to exercise my full effort into a lot of my school work. I want to work on getting more organized and find some time to start incorporating some time to study for the upcoming AP exams. 

How do you demonstrate resilience towards achieving this goal? (or these goals?)

Although I’ve been trying to distract myself from college decisions, I feel like I couldn't keep avoiding it forever. I decided to start getting organized with all the colleges that’ve already accepted me into their school. I’ve begun listing each of the colleges and their attributes, like their location and the amount of aid they provided. I also began trying to figure out which school I wanted to go to in case none of my top schools extended an offer. I’ve been preparing for the worst, as I don’t want to be too disappointed when the decisions come out. I’ve also been trying to get more organized by putting in some time at night to try and list everything I could for upcoming assignments or huge projects. By doing so I can map out everything I am able to do in a single day, without cramming too much work and procrastinating work for the next. I’m helping out with my family business and I almost immediately go to work after remote learning ends, so I don’t have a lot of time on my hands in the day to work. By the end of the night, I’m already really tired, so I feel like planning ahead on what I need to do will help ease that stress a little, and help me put out better content in my homework.
 

How does the world around you affect your perception of this goal? (or these goals?)

Watching all my friends or acquaintances getting into their colleges and having already made the decisions makes me a little more anxious about my own future. My parents also have been pressuring me, constantly asking about the decisions which have been of no help to my anxiety. I’ve been able to find some comfort in playing games and talking to some of my friends. I was able to narrow down some of the colleges I could possibly attend. My friends and I have planned on going to college together, so that also alleviates some of the stress of going to college alone. 

Felicia Chan, 3/24/2021, Period 2, Day A

Felicia Chan

3/24/2021

Period 2

Modern Mythology

We are accustomed to feeling a sense of pride and honor when we face the flag that represents our country, with our hands placed on our hearts, to repeat the Pledge of Allegiance ending with, “... one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” 

Indivisible. Liberty. Justice. These three words that we should so proudly say each day does not hold true for the America I am living in today. 

There is no doubt that inequity and oppression have been around since the establishment of our nation. Xenophobia is a disease that continues to make its way in infecting and spreading hate through humans, who by nature are supposed to form a unity with one another. We know its presence, but society for so long has suppressed its screams through the dead silence of those who have been targetted and violently killed due to their race. It angers me how it always seems to take a massacre or enough innocent people to be killed for these issues to gain the proper attention it needs from the public and our political leaders to act on them. And when these things do happen, there are always less severe penalties or excuses such as “having a bad day” to dismiss the white men of their crimes. But when it comes to people of color, there is no need for questioning where to point fingers. 

Like many others, I have also experienced hate from others due to the color of my skin. There are countless instances in the school environment where my classmates will come up to me to mock my language, shout racial slurs, and poke fun at the food I ate for lunch. And every time, they would cover their hurtful actions by pretending it to be a “friendly joke” that I shouldn’t take so seriously. Though I would frequently force a fake smile and have my head held low to avoid any unwanted attention, each of their words and “jokes” were a painful hit on my pride of being an Asian-American. And throughout the years, I have grown to become embarrassed of my Chinese background, shielding my authentic self from the world to feel “accepted.” 

However, with current movements like Black Lives Matter and Stop Asian Hate, and social media, I can witness how people like me are standing up for themselves against inequity and oppression. Platforms and protests like these are allowing people of color to unite and giving them the opportunity to courageously speak out about these flaws of our country. It is initiating and igniting the changes and actions we need to make in order to create a nation that is said to be in our Pledge of Allegiance. Also, being in quarantine for almost a year has provided me ample time to grow out of that insecure and ashamed younger self. I was able to reconnect with my roots by spending more time with my grandparents to relearn my native language and customs. 

With all the current events happening around, it has encouraged me to embrace my role as an Asian-American to use my voice to help people like my parents and grandparents, who are immigrants, to express their anger that society is unable to understand because of the language barrier and translate it to words that the whole country can hear.

Bao Bao Chen, Period 2, 03/24/2021, Day A

 Bao Bao Chen
Modern Mythology 2021
03/24/2021
Period 2 

Goal Setting & Growth

- At this current point in time, what specific goal(s) do you have for yourself? Why?

- How do you demonstrate resilience towards achieving this goal? (or these goals?)
- How does the world around you affect your perception of this goal? (or these goals?)

    At the point in time, my current goal for myself is deciding on a college that would be suit me as well as carefully considering how these decisions I make now may affect my life later on. I believe that as a a senior, this is a time of change because soon, I'll become an adult and will have to be responsible for my own work. Instead of expecting everything to be there and done for by my parents, I need to slowly learn important skills such as, money management, by myself. Correct financial management is also one of the goals that I want to properly learn right now to make sure I have good habits before I grow older.
    For college, in order to make sure I go to a college fit for me, I will make sure to carefully consider my choices and all factors while doing additional research before making my final decision. For my financial management, I am lucky to be currently taking Mr. Manzo's economics class where he teaches us about proper finance and even provides personal anecdotes to help us picture and understand the lessons he is teaching better. Since both of these goals are things that will affect me in the long term, I will make sure I make the proper decisions and gain the knowledge that I need to know.
    For my goals and decisions with college, the people around me will influence my thoughts to a certain degree. One thing I kept on telling myself was that whether or not I got into a prestige school, I should be focusing on what school sounds right to me. Hearing others getting into good schools makes me feel happy and slightly envious of them but ultimately, their results shouldn't be affecting mine. While in theory, this sounds logical, in real life, I need to make sure that when making my decision, it is what I want to do and not something my parents or friends suggested.
    For my goals in proper financial management, I think that learning both lessons and mistakes from people around me will help me grow as a person and build my money managing skills. As somebody who learns better when they can relate to somebody, hearing other people's stories about money management allows me to put myself in their shoes and think about what decisions I would have made or done differently instead. However, I am well aware that even if they are people I know well or admire, they may not make the perfect financial decisions all the time which is why I will learn from their mistakes as well.

Christine Wu, 3/23/2021, Period 5, Day B

Christine Wu

Period 5

3/23/2021

Day B

What are your thoughts and feelings about issues of inequity, oppression, and/or power?

I’ve been thinking about the increase of Asian hate crimes recently, and how that’s because of the sinophobia and xenophobia that runs rampant in the United States due to the coronavirus’s country of origin. However, sinophobia and xenophobia isn’t a new thing in the United States; there have been many instances in history where it shines through quite clearly. For example, the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 prohibited Chinese immigrants from entering the US. But shouldn’t we know better by now? Unfortunately, white supremacy has always been an issue around the world, not just in the United States. There have been many instances recently that sparked the spike in xenophobia, one of them being the many instances where Donald Trump, the former President of the United States, had called the coronavirus “Kung-Flu,” or “China Virus,” all which stigmatized Chinese people. Eventually, this led to people who weren’t even Chinese getting hate crimed simply because they were Asian. 

I think it’s very unfair that just because a white man had a “bad day,” eight lives, six being Asian, were lost because of it. I think it’s very unfair that he shot up the spas because he was feeling sexually frustrated. I think it’s very unfair that Asian American women are so hypersexualized in the media as docile and meek that things like this happen. I think it’s very unfair that it took something this large for people to realize that this, in fact, was a problem. 

However, I am glad that people are realizing that this is a problem and that Asian voices are being heard. I am glad that people of color are grouping together in solidarity against white supremacy, and I can only hope that this continues on. 

How do you reflect critically on your own beliefs, assumptions, values, and experiences, and how these can influence your perception of self and others?

I’d like to say that I’m biased only because I am Asian-American, and I can find myself seeing either myself or members of my family in these victims, and I am scared that it might happen to me one day because people are ignorant. I’ve always known that I didn’t fit in ever since my elementary school had been predominantly white. They didn’t like the same things I did, and even though they never said it out loud, I could feel the side eyes they gave my Hello Panda chocolate biscuits that I had brought in for snack time while everyone else had Goldfish crackers. Teachers expected me to do well because I was Asian, not because I was gifted in my own way. It was only recently that Lunar New Year became a holiday the DOE closed schools for, and I still remember being disappointed that I’d have to attend school in the first grade while everyone else got to celebrate at home. It was growing up trying to whitewash myself that really makes me reflect on my own beliefs, especially now in quarantine where I’ve been in constant contact with my very traditional family. Sometimes, Cantonese doesn’t flow right when I speak, words that I knew years ago only to disappear when I needed it now. I forgot how to say simple, everyday words like “stove,” or “soy sauce.” It was in those simple words that I think I’m losing my heritage, and I get angry at myself for it. Sometimes, I long to be white, because it was so much easier.  

 I read more nowadays, books about orientalism, books about East Asian history, books with Asian main characters that I never got to see in my childhood. Looking back, I thought “Cinder” was so progressive for its vaguely East Asian setting! I listen to Asian artists, to Mitski, to Rina Sawayama, to BTS, whose Asian identity resonates in their music that they create. I still cry to “Your Best American Girl” sometimes, talking about how hard it is to fit in in a white society. By consuming these facets of media, I think that it creates a sense of unity within the Asian community. I think it creates a sense of peace in me, because I’m choosing to think about my identity, about my beliefs, about my ideals and perception of other people. I’m choosing to embrace my Asian-ness.

Belinda Yeung, 3/20/2021, PD8, Day C

Belinda Yeung
Period 8
3/18/21
Day C

Modern Mythology 2021

Write about your thoughts regarding the most current reading.

In the original poem, Beowulf, Grendel is portrayed as the monster that wreaks havoc in the Danish kingdom and acts as Beowulf’s foil and ultimately becomes another achievement in his legacy. While John Gardener’s Grendel has his own chain of thoughts and is the narrator in this refreshing shift in perspective that paints Grendel in a whole new light. Gardner’s Grendel is more relatable and asks lots of questions that we ask ourselves, especially during our adolescent years. Grendel seeks companionship, the purpose of his existence, and answers about the meaning of life. But the answers he receives aren’t clear-cut nor are they easy for him to comprehend. He is torn between two sides of the extreme, between the shaper’s existentialism and the dragon’s Nihilism.

In this version, Grendel’s enemy is not the Danes but himself. His internal conflict is deciding which worldview is right and which one to believe. It’s easier to just believe what you are told than to venture into the unknown, where the truth might not be as beautiful as the lie. The lie that the shaper created is contradictory to what Grendel sees, human corruption and brutality, but is easier to digest if everything was as simple as black and white, good and bad. Although Grendel’s train of thought seems simple, his simple acts of questioning allude to something greater that is still relevant to this day. Cynicism, the very act of being skeptical, has been the source of most of our scientific explanations and progress. Even now, we are skeptical of what we are told, always taking what we hear and see with a grain of salt, and that type of mentality is explored by Grendel.

Reflect on any new information you have learned in English class by considering how that learning influences your critical perception.

I learned about two types of worldviews, Existentialism, and Nihilism. Existentialism like Nihilism believes that the world intrinsically lacks meaning, while existentialism is the take control of your life and make it your own approach, and nihilism simply accepts this to be true and in turn, efforts are also pointless. With these worldviews in mind, my perception and understanding of the characters in Grendel make more sense as well as other pieces of literature. There is no right or wrong worldview since it’s all a matter of perspective and what you believe so this ties in with my critical perception as well. To be more open-minded, but also to research the source of the worldview. For instance, we learned about Gardner’s childhood and what was happening at his time. He watched his brother get crushed and killed in front of him as a child as well as a bunch of social and political events like the Civil Rights Movement and the Cold War. His experiences all influenced his piece Grendel and can be used to explain why he chooses to explore worldviews like existentialism and nihilism, that carry an overall negative connotation in regards to the meaning of the world and the efforts one can make.

How is what you’re learning applied to any other classes/the world around you?

From Grendel, we learned that things are always deeper than on the surface level as well as the matter of perspective that makes all the difference. This is applicable in my government class as well as in general when we discussed media bias and media framing. When considering things portrayed on social media or on the news, we need to be conscious of whether or not what we see is true or the full story. Like how Beowulf versus Grendel shows two sides of the story, in my government class, we compared two different news stations covering the same topic, yet the approach you get varies drastically. Grendel also explores various worldviews and they all are valid to a certain extent and I think it’s worth considering and incorporating into one’s overall life philosophy. The freedom and responsibility aspect of existentialism is very satisfying while the skepticism aspect of nihilism is equally important. I adopted aspects of each into my own worldview where I believe my efforts can bring my life meaning and accept that my meaning in life might not be the same as what others find important or the mainstream beliefs.

Alvin Xiao, Period 5, 3/17/21, Day B

Alvin Xiao

3/17/21

Period 5

Modern Mythology 2021

Creativity & Fiction

A Bright Sky

Bernard Morgan came face to face with those big, blue eyes. They returned his menacing glare with an innocent expression, as if her eyes were the gentle embrace of the blue sky. He groaned as he went back into position, holding the little girl’s hand, more fragile than his glass vase at home.

“Hurry and take the picture,” he muttered.

The little girl squeezed his hand tight and smiled the widest smile she could. On the other hand, the older man started straight into the camera with an apparent disdain for the orphan.

---

Bernard Morgan was an unpleasant man. He cared little about others, and much less their wellbeing. He treasured only one thing: money. Through his eyes, money was power and transcended time. He needed no family, he needed no love. All he needed was money.

It was certainly a fitting attitude for the CEO of a multimillion-dollar investment firm. 

Bernard Morgan was a skeptical man. He did not believe in people; they were always subject to change. But he believed that everyone, himself included, was enslaved to the inevitable flow of time and the futile human condition to find meaning that did not exist. The only important thing was to be revered even after death, and the only method to achieve that was to have money.

It was simple. Give a man ten bucks, and he would help change your tire. Give a man a thousand bucks, and he would dare to run past the streets without any clothing. Give a man a million bucks, and he would make sure another person was never seen again.

Morality? Its very existence was nonsense to Bernard Morgan. It had no home in a world of human greed.

And Bernard Morgan was indeed an ambitious man. He yearned to reach the sky. Money was but a means to build the tallest skyscraper that would ever exist, caressed by the passing clouds. He longed to stand at the top, above everyone else, to be a god. His landmark would be remembered.

Unfortunately, he faced a terrible predicament. Just the day before, he was caught criticizing his local charity for its wasteful allocation of money on funding orphanages.

“Who gives a damn about parentless children? Absolutely no one. Stop donating money just to create a false sense of philanthropy and satisfaction. Use your money for something worthwhile!” he cried.

Articles flooded the press, and stocks plummeted. Bernard Morgan’s reputation was trashed for his ignorance, and it gave the man a headache. If he didn’t quickly devise a solution, his money supply would suffer, as well as his dearest wish. Luckily, his cunning secretary proposed an idea that would repair his reputation.

“How about you visit an orphanage….”

---

Click!

The picture was taken, right in front of the local orphanage. Bernard Morgan quickly retracted his hand as if he had touched garbage itself. The little girl was unfazed. She continued smiling, and looked up to her new father. She asked a lot of questions, some normal, some weird, some plain obvious. He responded unenthusiastically, with one to two words every time. But the little girl kept chatting away.

“Mister… what’s above us?”

The man looked up, tired with her endless supply of questions. All he saw was the bright blue sky. He thought about it. He thought about standing up there above the people, above the world. He thought about becoming the richest man, renowned for his skyscraper.

But all he said was, “The sky.” 

The little girl blinked twice. 

“What’s above the sky?”

The man thought about it again. What was above all that wealth and power? Was there even meaning to existing after death? He thought long and hard.

But all he said was, “Nothing important.” 

He looked over to his secretary and said, “Silence the media by tonight and spread the picture. Now take her away. I don’t care how she lives as long as she’s alive.”

Bernard Morgan started to walk away. He turned his head back one last time, making eye contact with the little girl and her big blue eyes. She smiled back, but it was a wistful smile. And he left, without saying goodbye to his new daughter.

---

Seven years later, Bernard Morgan found himself in a similar scandal after denouncing the existence of the same local charity and its support for orphans. His attempts at bribery failed, with the press labeling him as “shameless”. He looked up to the sky, exasperated. In the long run, nothing would matter. No one would remain standing after a millennium. Only his tower to the sky would.

As he stared at the sky, he was reminded of the little girl’s eyes, big, bright, and blue. Since the day of adoption five years ago, she sent letters to him every day, detailing the little and big things of her life. But he never replied. He figured she would eventually give up. But his daughter persevered.

Why did she struggle when she would get hurt anyways? Bernard Morgan was puzzled, and for once, sentimental. The girl kept reaching out for her father, despite the meaninglessness in doing so.

As such a small, fragile child fought to find love and meaning in her life, Bernard Morgan reevaluated his own journey. In the great span of time, he considered all to be meaningless but money. Yet after witnessing his child’s efforts, he was ready for something a little different. He called for his secretary.

“Free up my schedule so I have time to meet my daughter Helen later,” he said. “Before the sky darkens.”

Michael Tarasov, Period 5, 3/12, Day B

 

Goal Setting & Growth 

At this current point in time, what specific goal(s) do you have for yourself? Why?

At this specific point in time my goal is to evaluate my college options and to pick the option that I believe will be the best for my future self. This is a very important choice to make because the college I attend will have a lasting impact on my life. Over the next four years of my life I expect to gain knowledge that I will implement into my career and to continue developing my worldviews. I know that the college I select will greatly influence both the skills that I am able to acquire and the career that I am likely to get after I graduate from college. Therefore, making the correct choice is vital to not just the next four years of my life but to my career as a whole.

How do you demonstrate resilience towards achieving this goal?

I have been working actively to compile information that will help me in making this critical decision. This information includes the cost of attending any particular college and the majors that are offered at that college. When considering what degrees are offered it is important to look not just at the majors and minors themselves but also at what courses are included in those majors and minors. Since I do not want to be burdened by student debt after I leave college it is important to assess my options from a financial standpoint as well as an educational standpoint. Some of the things I have to consider in this regard include the price of attending a college as well as the financial aid that they offered. In order to receive additional help with paying for college I have applied for a multitude of various scholarships and grants.

How does the world around you affect your perception of this goal?

With the ongoing Corona Virus performing research on colleges has gotten significantly more difficult. Since we are not allowed on college campuses on our own time it is necessary to book limited tours and even those can not give an accurate picture of what student life is like at the campus of interest. Even performing online research is more difficult because of the ongoing pandemic, many sources are not full updated and might contain information from previous year, prior to when the lock-downs started. Nevertheless, doing this research on my own has taught me valuable research skills that will be essential to me in college and my future career.

Vivienne Yan, Period 2, 3/16/2021, Day A

Vivienne Yan

Period 2 

3/16/2021

Day A

Modern Mythology 2021

Goal Setting & Growth

At this current point in time, what specific goal(s) do you have for yourself? Why?

College acceptances have been coming out, and it has been making me anxious as I await my results. I know that it’s pointless to worry about something I can’t change or control, so my goal so far is to lessen my stress. And to do so, I’ve been taking up hobbies such as making wooden crafts, remaking my favorite childhood snacks, and just taking in the moment to distract myself and find joy in something else. In addition, AP exams are coming up, so I’ve begun to slowly incorporate a little more studying into my routine. 

How do you demonstrate resilience towards achieving this goal? (or these goals?)

To build resilience against gaining even more stress, I’ve been trying not to check my emails so often while waiting for college decisions, as it just makes me more anxious. I’ve also been trying to take walks in my garden more often, as I’m usually cooped up in my room. I find myself really enjoying the time I spend outside, especially since during this pandemic, I’ve almost never once left my house. Furthermore, I’ve been following a somewhat set schedule for my academic life, so I haven’t faced much stress in regards to procrastination and submitting assignments on time. 

How does the world around you affect your perception of this goal? (or these goals?)

While getting college decision letters is a bit stressful, I’m lucky to have my friends and family there for me. They’re able to make me laugh and forget about my worries, and they help me with anything they can. Thanks to them, my free time is mostly spent doing something I love or enjoy, instead of anxiously awaiting decision letters. I am confident that with this support, I’d be able to overcome my stress. 

Kelly Yu, Period 2, 3/16/21, Day A

 Kelly Yu

Period 2

3/16/21

Day A

At this current point in time, what specific goal(s) do you have for yourself? Why?

One day, after shoveling an unusually enormous amount of snow, I noticed I was out of shape. Perhaps it was because of the weather outside, but I was breathing more heavily that usual and my arms were sorer than prior years. I have not been doing as much running or cardio workouts compared to pre-COVID. I made excuses not to do them. I told myself I would start exercising again after college apps, after scholarships, after work, but after never came. I kept putting it off until I realized how much my physique had changed. While some of it has been healthy weight gain, I wanted to get back to my original body size. With PSAL opening back again, I have to start running again for myself and my team.

 My goal is to get back into shape and make running a daily occurrence for me again. Months of inactivity affected me mentally and physically. The changes were subtle, but as I reflect, the changes were massive. I miss running for hours and I miss the peacefulness of long runs. I am motivated to get back to where I was before the pandemic. 

How do you demonstrate resilience towards achieving this goal? (or these goals?)

I know I can’t immediately do 5 mile runs, but I have been starting out small. I go for half a mile every day and I aim for a 10 minute pace run. If I can do more, I run extra. When I can’t keep up with my milestones, I get discouraged, but knowing I at least tried dispels that feeling. On days that I don’t want to run, I remind myself to remember why I started this goal and acknowledge doing something is better than nothing. As I train my body again, I am also strengthening my mind. It is the resilience I have that moves me from my bed to the sidewalk, ready to run. It is the courage I have to accept I won’t be as good as I was before, but still run anyway. 

I have support from my team as we encourage everyone to run. Beyond motivating myself, I help others who are in the same boat as I am. Even though we can’t run together anymore, I encourage underclassmen and fellow seniors to upload their runs on Strava. This way we can still be connected and take part in virtual events that encourage running. I think I have made great strides personally and within my school since my epiphany. 

How does the world around you affect your perception of this goal? (or these goals?)

Running is something that I have been doing for a while and wish to continue doing, but my mindset has deterred me from that. Slowly, I destroy that mentality and running is almost daily for me. However, to be honest, I think the beauty standards of today have also influenced me to get back in shape. I have been looking at my reflection more often to see if my stomach slimmed down. Ever since PSAL closed, and the lockdown started, it’s been harder to get in physical activity. I thought doing bits of cardio was not enough, so I stopped. I decided it was better than nothing and continued to do them. It is for my physical health and own perception of my ideal body, but I wonder sometimes if Instagram models and advertisements depicting slim women influenced this decision. 

The world does not change if I run or not. However, my smaller community is impacted. I belong to the track team. The team is impacted if I run or not. As a senior, I have an obligation to lead the underclassmen and assist them in any way possible. By not running, I forfeit the opportunity to help the underclassmen. Ever since I was a freshman, I wanted to be a senior leading core and workouts. However, by not running and not contributing to the team, I surrender my four year long dream. I reject that reality.

Emily Ye, 3/15/21, PD 8, Day C

Emily Ye
Period 8
3/15/2021
Day C
Modern Mythology 2021

Goal Setting & Growth

At this current point in time, what specific goal(s) do you have for yourself? Why?

At this point in time, college applications are over and it is time for us to hear from those schools. Although waiting for the results is anxious, I have been reminding myself that no matter the result, everything is going to be okay since I have tried my best for each application. I will instead, try to focus on the present. Since AP exams are soon, I have been trying to studying for each exam while also maintaining a proper balance between work and social so that I don’t stress myself too much. With that in mind, I want to make sure that I’m using each day to be productive and to not procrastinate as much anymore. However, because it has almost been a year of staying inside due to COVID, I am becoming increasingly more tired and unmotivated. To counter that, I have been trying to organize my time into free time and work time. During my free time, I would also try doing things that would make me happy in order to motivate myself to do better and to work harder.  

How do you demonstrate resilience towards achieving this goal? (or these goals?)

In trying to maintain my productivity, I always try to continue doing work right after class ends. For example, with the 45 minutes in between each class, I will try to continue doing the work I was doing for that class, or I will try to complete the work for another class that is due that day. This ensures that after school, or at night, I will have plenty of time to do whatever I want without having to stress about being unable to finish all the work assigned. In addition, to keep me from being bored or losing focus, I try to take a break after every 30 minutes of working. This way, it motivates me to work harder in those 30 minutes so that I can reward myself with the break. The breaks also help me in trying to maintain a balance between schoolwork and free time. I have also spent some of my free time trying to study for the AP exam through Khan Academy and with the practice problems my teachers put online. Being able to practice with AP questions has been helpful as it shows me what to expect from the real test. However, I am still anxious as to whether or not I am able to complete the exam on time since we are taking it online. The formatting of the exams still confuses me, but hopefully, CollegeBoard will release a demo version like they did last year, in order to prepare me for the actual exam. Although I am a bit anxious, I have been watching videos and listening to music to calm myself down. I find this very relaxing as it takes my mind off from worrying. 

How does the world around you affect your perception of this goal? (or these goals?)

I think that society has made it seem that school grades and exam scores are super important for college. However, as a second-year senior, it doesn’t seem like those matter as much anymore. However, we are still expected to take the exam and perform well on them. For the AP exam, it seems that most people are expected to score either a 4 or 5. That makes scoring a 3 or lower, seem reflective of bad studying or a bad score. Thus, everyone is trying their best to aim high by studying hard around this time. Also, it would be important for me to continue working hard on my studies despite it being the second semester, the time where senioritis usually happens. I would be ashamed if my studying habits and grades dropped this semester, ruining my efforts for the past 4 years. I would want to score high on the AP exam in order to show off to my colleagues and make it known that my motivation and ability to handle work and responsibilities have not changed. 

Vicki Yang, 3/15/2021, PD8, Day C

Vicki Yang
Period 8
3/15/2021
Day C

Modern Mythology 2021


Goal Setting & Growth



At this current point in time, what specific goal(s) do you have for yourself? Why?


How do you demonstrate resilience towards achieving this goal? (or these goals?)


How does the world around you affect your perception of this goal? (or these goals?)


My goal as of late has been to try to spend more time on the things that I want to do. As the second half of the school year starts and as a senior, I have been finding myself focusing more and more of my time on my school work or worrying about college applications and admissions. Although college applications have already pretty much closed, I find myself worrying about mistakes that could’ve been made during the process, and the fact that colleges are beginning to release their letters of admissions has been making me feel extremely antsy. Additionally, even though my classes may not give an overwhelming amount of homework or projects, I always feel an immense desire to create my best work, which causes me to spend too much time on something that could’ve been finished easily. Because of this, I have not been able to do many things that make me happy such as drawing and crafting.


In order to build resilience against putting too much stress on school work, I am trying to create a schedule that works for me in order to be able to maintain a more healthy lifestyle. I have started to experiment with different times and periods for when I should be working on projects and classes, as well as times when I should be doing things that I find enjoyable as well as doing some physical activity so that I am not always cramped up inside my room. In addition to this, sometimes I find myself putting off different homework assignments until the last minute, so I am trying to be able to spread out my work over a period of time so that it is not as stressful for me to finish the assignment the day before it is due.


With many of my AP tests coming up, my attempts to avoid overworking have been a bit challenging because of the fact that I know that colleges do still look at your grades from your final semester transcripts, so I want to work harder in order to get good grades. However, with overwhelming support from my friends and family on my artworks, I have been spending more time animating and drawing in my free time. Therefore, if I am able to create an effective schedule for myself, I am confident that I will be able to achieve this goal.

Jared Solis, Period 5, 3/12/2021, Day B

 Literacy & Learning:

• Write about your thoughts regarding any of the fiction or non-fiction covered in class

Recently, after moving on from Beowulf, we have started reading Grendel, the story about a monster with an existential crisis. In the last chapter we read, the Shaper used melodic storytelling to tell the tales of the Danes and the glory of Hrogthar. Throughout his singing, he wove in lies about the past of the king, using a narrative without the backstabbing and destruction that Grendel had seen with his very eyes. What interested me most about this chapter was the power of his words, as it wasn't a big, scary monster or giant sword that scared Grendel, it was the Shaper's poetry. Words that had such power that they not only changed history but they also left the monster with a split head. Grendel conflicted with what he believes to be true about the past, ended the chapter running back to his home. This chapter reminded me of the age-old saying, 'history is written by the victors'. Through various moments in history, those who were on the favorable side of wars and battles were able to scrub away the dark sides of all their battle. The dishonorable moments and betrayals become washed away due to the power these people have, and the Shaper is no different.

• Reflect on any new information you have learned in English class by considering how that learning influences your critical perception.

In the last chapter, we learned how authors give characters disabilities such as blindness in order to show how they become more in tune with all of their other senses. Within Grendel, the Shaper is a blind bard who turns out to be one of the most powerful characters just through the use of his words. After a classmate brought up a connection to Oedipus and the blind man knowing the future, it brought to light all the various characters that are similar throughout my fiction journey. From Galloran from the Beyonders Trilogy to Phineas in the Percy Jackson series, these characters exemplify a greater sense of wisdom and knowledge that make up for their lack of sight. Connecting to later texts I read I am sure to notice more of these connections and hopefully others that the author tries to use in order to showcase different views of people's lives.

• How is what you’re learning applied to any other classes/the world around you?

Through the various stories such as Beowulf (the movie) and Grendel revolving around monsters and life from their viewpoints, I am able to see the world in a different way. These worlds are no longer split into good and bad but instead become something in between. Tragic stories probably best showcase this point as they show that bad things happen to good people and that not everyone gets a happy ending. With everything going on around us, we have to realize that not everything is set in stone. Just because you may do bad things, that doesn't automatically make you a bad person. One of my favorite shows also walks this line, with a prominent theme being, "life isn't black or white, it's a bunch of greys", and stories that we learn in English show me how this grey is real life.

Elizabeth Vesialou, Pd. 2, 3/11/2021 Day A

 Wednesday, March 11, 2021                                                              Elizabeth Vesialou

Literacy & Learning

Write about your thoughts regarding any of the fiction or non-fiction covered in class.

         Over the course of this year, we have learned about many cultures through reading literature that represented their belief system. Reading Norse Mythology has been a new experience for me because I’ve never learned about it before and the culture and stories from Norse culture are different, yet similar, to other cultures’ myths and beliefs. Beowulf and Grendel are eye opening novels because of the different views they offer on the same character of Grendel. In Beowulf he is a human eating monster that rampages randomly into human events and causes trouble while killing many. The novel Grendel offers insight into his character by providing a backstory to his difficult relationship with humans. We see Grendel in a different light because of the negative influence that the Shaper and humans had on him. The Shaper spreads unfortunate information about him to others, which causes humans to see Grendel as the enemy and attack him. This caused character development for Grendel as he gradually turns on humans and becomes the Grendel that was the villain in Beowulf. This moderate spin on a seemingly villainous character offers insight into what we have become as a society. Many movies and books today aren't black and white. They show the grey areas between good and evil because people nowadays focus on the complexities that come with personality, psychology, and people's behavior in general. We tend to search for the reasons why somebody is the way they are instead of just labeling them (most of the time). Thus, trends have been seen in giving more context to a villain in order to humanize them. For example in the tv series, "Once Upon a Time" villains such as The Evil Queen and Rumpelstiltskin are given tragic backstories of how them developed from kind people into "evil" ones, and some even seek redemption. Thus, a novel such as Grendel is yet another example of the "grey area" and complexity that many works of art focus on presently, in addition to the author's own history (being in an accident that killed his brother, which means in some ways he could relate to Grendel) that influenced the character he selected to shift perspective for. In fact, shifting our perspective has been an overlying theme for many of the works that we read in this mythology course. 

Reflect on any new information you have learned in English class by considering how that learning influences your critical perception.

          In this mythology course, especially in Greek mythology, we saw how many of the issues that exist today stem from the “societal norms” that existed so long ago. The lives of the Greek gods are a perfect representation of where the problems that women face today such as inequality because of “gender roles” and sexual harassment come from. The relationship of Zeus and Hera along with Zeus’s actions on their own belittle large injustices such as rape and adultery. For example, Zeus is known to cheat on Hera and have kids with other women. Hera’s response to this is to blame the women and torture the child that is born from the affair. This quality of Hera’s that makes her irrationally put the child through what could be seen as torture, depicts women as emotional, irrational, and lesser than men. Additionally, the face that she blames others instead of Zeus suggests that men can do no wrong, even while cheating on their wives. This reaction from Hera can even be considered a result of her unwavering love for him because she can’t seem to blame him for her pain and even I mistook it for this when first reading the story. However, this is a subtle hint at the societal norm that when men stray it’a normal and even expected, while when women stray it’s a problem. This class allowed me to change my perception of Greek myths and have shown me the dangers they can have on those who don’t see through the surface of the myth. While I feel as though as a society we have been making progress in how women are approached and treated by others, plenty  of norms are still present such as calling women”sluts” for the same choices that men are applauded for. Also, sexual harassment and rape are still large issues today and their problematic nature isn’t seen to the full extent. This idea could again be brought back to Greek mythology because in many myths the affairs that he has with women are actually a result of rape. Greek mythology not only blames the victim, as society still does today in many circumstances, but also glosses over the fact that it was rape, a traumatic crime, which is highly problematic all on its own. Victim blaming is still a fight today and stemmed from centuries upon centuries of inequality and oppression of women. 

How is what you’re learning applied to any other classes/the world around you?

     The novel Grendel has been one that is easily applicable to other classes as well as myself and the world around me. Grendel is a character who has been misunderstood and traumatized because of this. In our group discussions we compared him to a teenager because of his actions and the idea of feeling as though nobody understands you and as though you're trapped. This reminded me of the psychology course I'm taking because we discuss how these teenage years, the part of our brain that isn't fully developed yet is the part that controls impulsiveness. Thus, it is more difficult for us to control our actions and many times we impulsively do or say things that we regret later on and Grendel feels this uncertainty in his life. The other psychological issue facing him, as well as teenagers, is to figure out our identity. This is the time in our life that we are trying to figure out who we are and what our purpose is. Grendel is discovering new things and is aimless because of lack of support and contact from others. He is also related to somebody who killed his brother and this is probably a large part of his background that affects him everyday, especially with the Shaper telling others that he is the enemy. Teenagers, including myself, also have to face others' bad opinions of us that they spread and they deal with that while trying to find some direction during this period in life. Overall, Grendel as a character is relatable, especially from a psychological standpoint. 

    Additionally, Norse mythology in general can be connected to my history classes from prior years. We learned about how Christian missionaries would travel and force their culture and belief systems on others, causing some cultures to be almost completely lost. This is evident through the story of Beowulf, especially the movie version. The movie takes the original idea of an honorary death for the Norse, which is in battle, and adds a Christian value to it. In the movie, Beowulf dies in a battle with the dragon attacking his people after having redeemed himself with his loved ones. This is a Christian quality of an honorable death, not a Norse, and is one of many examples of how Christian beliefs start to overpower Norse values during that time period. The Norse are just one of the groups of people that had Christians influence their way of life, which I learned about in history classes in high school. 

Angel Yang, 3/10/2021, PD8, Day C

Angel Yang
Period 8
3/10/20
Day C


Modern Mythology 2021


Goal Setting & Growth


At this current point in time, what specific goal(s) do you have for yourself? Why?

How do you demonstrate resilience towards achieving this goal? (or these goals?)

How does the world around you affect your perception of this goal? (or these goals?)



Currently, my main goal is to avoid senioritis. As a second semester senior, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, and I’m exhausted. School has been a constant in my life for the past twelve years, and it feels natural to want to let loose and celebrate a little. Now take into consideration the pandemic and the fact that I don’t have anything fun to look forward to. This past year hasn’t been necessarily rough on me, which I’m incredibly grateful for, just demoralizing and heartbreaking. Because of this, I can feel my motivation slipping as I get closer and closer to graduation. However, I know that I shouldn’t end off my education on a bad note because I didn’t work this hard for nothing.

In order to build resilience against this senioritis mentality, I’m trying to stop thinking about reaching the end of my senior year in order to focus more on what’s directly in front of me. I’m trying even harder to stay on top of my schoolwork and studying by starting the annual AP test study grind now. Whenever I have free time, I distract myself with my AP textbooks to feel productive. I’m also reminding myself that I didn’t keep up my grades these past four years just to have them stained by my last semester. I studied countless hours, poured my heart and soul into my college essays, and dedicated myself to my education for far too long. Plus, colleges receive final semester transcripts and may rescind students if their grades drop significantly. That threat alone scares me but keeps me in line.

With major college decision release days looming, avoiding senioritis is getting more and more challenging. Luckily, my friends are generally not succumbing to senioritis and mostly maintaining their past level of effort. This inspires me to do the same, and I feel very fortunate to be surrounded by such hardworking, persevering people. When I finally graduate high school in a few short months, I hope I can look back on my last four years with the utmost pride. If I can complete college applications and my senior year during a pandemic, I’m confident that I can achieve anything.