Education

August College Search Guide

/ May S Ruiz / Leave a comment

Originally published on 3 August 2020 in the Pasadena Independent, Arcadia Weekly, and Monrovia Weekly

Bern University | Courtesy photo

The road to college

For the August College Search Guide,  I would customarily write that I hope your children got the chance to decompress and savor the summer break. These are extraordinary times, however. Our usual activities have been upended and we’re constantly challenged to get to a place of normalcy in our daily lives.   

The announcement a few weeks ago that the Los Angeles and San Diego school districts will not be reopening their campuses for the Fall term until the foreseeable future caused much disappointment for students who have been learning remotely since mid-March. Parents of these students who, by default, became de facto teachers are as frustrated as they are exhausted.

Fortunately, the pandemic engendered tutoring services, some of which are conducted by high schoolers and college students, and are free of charge. These organizations, like ‘Sailors Learning,’ will continue providing assistance to elementary-age children, middle-, and high-schoolers through the remainder of this year. You and your children might want to take advantage of their help.

Much has been written about the negative effects of campus closures – including the loss of social interaction and students struggling with their schoolwork. For some high-schoolers, though, remote learning gave them relief – they got extra sleep, they were less stressed, they could email teachers questions without being embarrassed, they were able to focus on lengthy assignments – which made up for them not being able to hang out with their friends. Some even flourished – those who were typically behind got the extra time to catch up and ended the school year with excellent grades.                    

That said, the pandemic does not change the reality that every fall marks the time when the process of getting ready for college application begins – whether your children are just starting 9th grade or are already in 12th grade. The only difference is the pace at which they are working on their resume. They start building all the components that go into their transcript as soon as they get into high school. By the time they reach their senior year, they should have a transcript with excellent grades balanced with an equally impressive array of extra-curricular and enrichment activities.       

This year’s ‘Back to School Night’ will undoubtedly be a virtual event and something you shouldn’t miss. There is so much going on which administrators need to inform you about –  including an update on campus reopening safely and social distancing protocols they plan to have when that happens, to addressing issues voiced and implementing reforms advanced by the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement.      

You and your children should determine their interests and career goals and see what courses the school offers which appropriately meet those. These should be the guidelines for your students during the four years they are in high school. The outcomes of their work then determine which colleges or universities they should consider when they put together their list of where to apply.

An important factor in the admissions process is the students’ (and parents’) preconceived ideas about where they should apply and what their dream school is. Oftentimes, kids apply to the same dozen or so most-recognizable university names. This creates an unreasonable expectation which, more often than not, leads to unhealthy behavior. There are innumerable institutions that offer excellent teaching; there is a school out there that is the right fit for your child. 

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FRESHMAN

High school is vastly different from middle school. Teachers have higher expectations from the work students turn in. Your children need to develop their analytical skills as their teachers will require deeper thinking and subject exploration from their papers. They should also have better time management skills to handle the more rigorous course load and extra-curricular activities.

In the first few days of 9th grade, your children will have several things they will be making decisions on, and tackling. I have to add here that high schools send their profile to the college or university to which your children are applying. Admissions officers will know what opportunities were available and if the applicant took advantage of them. I have listed them here with a brief description or explanation:

AP COURSES: Make sure your children choose the AP subjects they will need in the course(s) they will be taking in college. They shouldn’t pile up on APs to pad their resume because they will need to take the AP (and SAT II) exams for these subjects. Some universities only accept 4 or 5 on an AP exam for it to have any merit at all. While college admissions officers favor students who took on challenging AP subjects, they don’t look kindly on low AP grades either.   Encourage your children to take courses they are truly interested in; students who study something they really like generally do well in it.     

CLUBS: Your children should join the clubs they actually want to be involved in; encourage them to participate actively. Ideally, your children would start a society based on their interest or something they feel strongly about. It can be something socially impactful, or it can be a fun club for student members to take a respite from their heavy academic load. In my daughter’s school one student formed a Superhero Club where they went to all the openings of the latest Marvel or DC Comics films. Needless to say, this was years before the pandemic, when we could still go to the movies.       

ATHLETICS: This is an essential component of high school life that is being severely impacted by the pandemic. As you most probably have heard or read, even professional sports are beleaguered by COVID-19 infections. Schools will be challenged to find a way students can participate in sports at this time.                    

ARTS CLASS: If your children’s school offers art electives, encourage them to take a course. Usually, in the first year, the grade level dean encourages students to try various classes on offer so they can determine what they really want to focus on in the next three years.        

LANGUAGE: Besides the core subjects – English, History, Math, Science – a world language is a requirement for admission into college. In some elementary schools, students can take Mandarin and Spanish immersion classes. The Pasadena Unified School District, for one, offers French in addition to Mandarin and Spanish. If they continue on, these children will be ready not merely for college; they will be well-equipped for an increasingly global society.   

COMMUNITY SERVICE: Your children should do something they feel strongly about and work it every summer; it shows commitment to the activity they took on. This is going to be an essential component in your children’s transcript. Admissions officers are looking for depth of community involvement.       

SUMMER CAMP/ENRICHMENT COURSE: If your children have a passion for a particular activity, they should pursue a summer program related to it. Guidance counselors in some schools compile a list of the most engaging courses locally, out-of-state, or internationally.  

It goes without saying that all the above activities are merely supplements to good grades in the core subjects. Loading up on extra-curriculars at the expense of grades is definitely ill-advised.  While admissions officers at all the universities talk about their holistic approach in their selection process, a student’s GPA remains a very critical, if not the single most important, component of your children’s college application.  

SOPHOMORE

Your children have fully transitioned into high school, the demands of which were drilled into their subconscious the past school year. They have to put 9th grade behind them and face 10th grade with renewed energy and enthusiasm.

JUNIOR

This is going to be your children’s busiest school year. Make sure your children confer with their school’s counselor to ascertain they have all the courses required for graduating and for college. They need to know what standardized exams they’ll need to take for the college application. They should research which colleges and universities offer the course(s) they would like to pursue.

SENIOR 

By this time, your children should know where they will be applying and have visited the schools. They should have taken all standardized exams required for college applications, firmed up their college/university list, researched all kinds of scholarships, lined up teachers to write their recommendations, perfected their personal statement, and learned how to complete the common application.

‘Sailors Learning’ Tutors Free of Charge

/ May S Ruiz / Leave a comment

Originally published on 16 July 2020 in the Pasadena Independent, Arcadia Weekly, and Monrovia Weekly

| Courtesy photo

Remote learning became the default method of delivering teaching when the coronavirus lockdown was enforced in mid-March. Students, who thought this was a short-term measure, were all excited to get an extended spring break. It was cause for celebration!  

However, that thrill wore off as the reality of studying from home for an extended period of time became apparent – they missed social interaction with friends, guidance from teachers, and support from school administrators. It also brought to light a very basic problem – students were having a hard time keeping up with their classwork.

Monish Muralicharan, 14 years old, Sanjay Adhikesaven, and Abyan Das, both 15-year-olds, who were then freshmen at Foothill High School in Pleasanton, were talking with a parent of an elementary schooler who found out that their child was having trouble grasping topics and adjusting to distance learning. That chance discovery mobilized them to take action – they were going to match these children with appropriate tutors and founded an organization called ‘Sailors Learning.’

Their mandate is to provide the service free of charge to make it accessible to parents of all backgrounds whose elementary- and middle-school children need a tutor. They ensure students are matched with tutors who fit their schedules, academic needs, and areas of struggle. Additionally, they offer extra-curricular classes to students interested in science, math, coding, and history.

While their parents are involved in a small capacity – re-sharing posts on Facebook and LinkedIn to spread the word – Monish, Sanjay, and Abyan claim joint ownership of ‘Sailors Learning.’ Via email, they relate whose brainchild it was and why they named it such.

Sanjay begins, “At the beginning of quarantine, we all were on a call and thought of providing tutoring. We understood we were struggling in distance learning so the struggles would be the same or even harder for elementary schoolers. We wanted to pick an interesting name, and we  thought ‘Sailors’ was a cool name because it also represents reaching new depths, which is what we want to do here at ‘Sailors Learning.’ At first, we had the idea for us to tutor children to help them out. However, we decided to make a platform to allow other students to also be tutors so we can help more people.”

“We are using tools such as Wix, Google Meets, Gmail and many other messaging sites,” Monish describes. “Since we are an online tutoring service, we use many different ways to communicate with our tutors and parents which is mostly email. We use Google Meets as our main platform for extracurricular classes. However, in one-on-one tutoring, the parent and tutor can choose to use other platforms such as Zoom. Wix has been a big part to our success as we use it to make a great website. A website is a core to having an online service and Wix has helped us make that possible.”

Monish Muralicharan | Courtesy photo / Sailors Learning

Continues Monish, “Currently, we do not have a supervisor because we wanted to have an independent nonprofit as high schoolers. As for curriculum, in our extracurricular classes we stray away from the common core and basic topics taught in school. Having a teacher will not help as they would be looking for school-related topics. The whole point of our group classes is to teach out of school subjects, that way the students who enroll are signing up for things they want to learn, not things they need for school. For our one-on-one tutoring service, the tutor helps the student with whatever they need, so the curriculum does not need to be supervised. As for the service itself, we only have qualified tutors – we have an interview process and we pick the best teachers. We have seen many other tutoring organizations where they accept anyone but we wanted our students to have the best quality learning. Finally, we pride ourselves on creating this nonprofit from the ground independently.”

And it was getting started that proved to be the greatest challenge. Monish discloses, “I believe that for most businesses, nonprofits, and companies that is the first step, and the same is true for ‘Sailors Learning.’ We had no previous experience running anything so we struggled at the start. But soon we split the work up into parts for each founder and we got going and led to the point where we are now.”

‘Sailors Learning’ currently has about 50 students and 17 tutors they found through word of mouth, Facebook, LinkedIn, and friends. They’re growing the tutor base and looking to expand it further as they plan on continuing to use their resources to help other children after remote learning is lifted. They are thinking of expanding to help high schoolers as well.

Abyan supplements, “We are a nonprofit organization so that means that tutors will receive volunteer hours. ‘Sailors Learning’ offers coding, science, three levels for math, history, a book club, and we are opening new classes for summer including engineering and a creative writing class.”

These ‘sailors’ are regular teenagers. Monish enjoys playing the clarinet, table tennis, chess,  video games, and participating in debate tournaments. In his free time, he plays games, watches TV, exercises, and listens to music.

Monish tutors coding on Fridays and science on Saturdays. He explains, “I love science because of the wide variety of subjects and learning about the world. I love coding because it is fun to type words and solve a problem or create a game. I allocate about two hours a day managing ‘Sailors Learning’ over my other commitments. For tutoring, I spend three to four hours a week creating content and teaching.

“We didn’t think about volunteer hours when we started ‘Sailors Learning’ – we just wanted to help children. That, for me, has been rewarding. First, I get to run a nonprofit with my friends and it has strengthened my relations with them. Second, I love to tutor children in specifically science and coding. Finally, the most important is how we all make a platform for not only children to learn but for tutors to teach.”                       

College isn’t too far off Monish’s mind – he’s aiming to get into either Berkeley, UCLA, or Stanford.

Sanjay Adhikesaven | Courtesy photo / Sailors Learning

Sanjay, like Monish, counts playing games and table tennis as his major interests. In his free time he goes on walks or participates in debate tournaments. He spends two to three hours a day working on the management part of the organization and about three hours a week tutoring and creating classes in coding and history.

Adding to what Monish mentioned, Sanjay says, “There were a few challenges that we encountered. First, there was the nonprofit application process, which was new to us since this was the first time we created a nonprofit. Second, we saw the problems that can arise, such as a tutor not being available and having to find a substitute.”

“I think ‘Sailors Learning’ has helped me in many ways. I developed better relationships with my friends. And while I like to tutor, I also enjoy making this platform for students and teachers, which can reach a much broader scope,” concludes Sanjay.

He plans to pursue something STEM-related in college, and has looked into schools he could possibly apply to.

Abyan Das | Courtesy photo / Sailors Learning

Abyan allots two hours a day working to improve the organization he co-founded. He also tutors the extra-curricular history group class once a week for three to four hours. His hobbies are soccer, tennis, and debate. When he has a bit of free time, he plays video games, reads, or participates in debate. The head marketer for ‘Sailors Learning,’ he is looking to pursue marketing or business and hopes to get into a UC college. Besides the early challenge of filing for a nonprofit, he says getting their name out in the world has proven to be daunting.     

“I don’t get anything out of ‘Sailors Learning’ except spreading learning,” expresses Abyan. “The whole point of this organization was to help children learn, especially now due to COVID-19. However, we want to make this a long-term plan and continue helping children.”

It doesn’t matter that they live in Pleasanton, California – they are happy to tutor kids in all the markets they can reach. As they emphatically point out “Education is education and shouldn’t be limited to the local area.” And since it’s all done online, it doesn’t matter if the student lives 350 miles away.              

Monish, Sanjay, and Abyan would like ‘Sailors Learning’ to be a long-term endeavor and they might have that wish granted – Los Angeles and San Diego USD announced this week that campuses will not reopen this fall and remote learning will continue into the foreseeable future. More tutors, not fewer, will be needed and will be greatly appreciated by all students struggling with their coursework. 

Wave Learning Festival Teaches Kids Globally

/ May S Ruiz / Leave a comment

Originally published on 9 July 2020 in the Pasadena Independent, Arcadia Weekly, and Monrovia Weekly

Karly Hou, shown at Harvard Square, is Wave Learning Festival’s Chair and Founder | Courtesy photo / Wave Learning Festival

When students were sent home during the coronavirus lockdown in March, they were left to their own devices as they studied remotely. Many didn’t have access to resources and teachers for guidance, which made it difficult to keep up with schoolwork. Parents of young children became active partners with the schools in providing learning for their kids. Some of them were also working from home so they had to juggle their time among their many responsibilities.

Karly Hou, who attended Henry M. Gunn High School in Northern California, was a freshman at Harvard University at the time. She had a brainstorm – organize an online platform to help students and parents during the quarantine period.

Fellow first-year Harvard student Kevin Tan, who went to Arcadia High School, along with a handful of other students from Stanford, Cal State San Luis Obispo, Northwestern, Rhode Island School of Design, Williams, and University of Pennsylvania, teamed up with Hou to form Wave Learning Festival. It is now on its third ‘wave’ of summer courses and has attracted middle- and high-schoolers from all over the world.

Via email, Hou and Tan reveal how they know each other, how they created Wave Learning Festival, and what they hope to accomplish.

“Karly and I have the same favorite study spot on campus: Cabot Science Library!” begins Tan. “It’s a truly amazing place for collaboration and seeing familiar friendly faces. There have been many times when those late night study sessions spontaneously broke into TikTok tutorials or just general chatter. Karly just has this amazing energy with her all the time, and we’ve been on the same wavelength since day one.”

It was this energy which Tan enthuses about that led to the creation of Wave Learning Festival.    

Hou says, “In March, we were all sent home from college. While it was a stark transition, we were able to continue some sense of normalcy through online classes and club meetings. But I saw friends at my old high school struggling to maintain their studies, posting about their confusion and lack of communication and support from the school. I thought, if PAUSD (my district), one of the wealthiest school districts in California, was struggling like this, what must students across the country be dealing with?

“Around the same time, I saw notices of summer camps and community programs shutting down without replacements or refunds, and started reading article after article by exasperated working parents on the difficulty of balancing their full-time jobs with the new job of keeping their kids engaged.”

Nick Danby, teaching ‘Great Speeches of History | Courtesy photo / Wave Learning Festival

Those concerns, and how to address them, became an obsession for Hou. She discloses, “I had been thinking this idea over in my mind for around three days straight, and I finally realized I had to get started because I couldn’t think about anything else. I made a document to quickly outline my ideas on the structure of our program, set up a team structure broken into five subgroups, and set up some basic materials – email addresses, a Slack workspace, a shared Google Drive, etc. The name – Wave Learning Festival – came about on a whim. After some deliberation, I decided to just roll with it since a) we could tie it into the idea of our classes running in ‘waves,’ b) the ocean imagery could give us a lot to work with as a theme, and c) nobody on the team had any grievances with it.

“I then reached out to some of my close friends from college and high school, as well as a few passionate friends I’d met through other events and, luckily, almost everyone was really excited about the idea. We got straight to work. Four days later, we had enough logistics set up and a website launched to start working with teachers; a couple weeks later, we introduced our first wave of classes. It’s incredible to me that we were able to organize everything so quickly, and I think that’s because we were all motivated by this shared belief in helping the community.”

For anyone else, working on a passion project would be accomplishment enough. But, by now, you would conjecture that Hou is quite the over-achiever.        

“Balancing Wave with the end of my courses/my summer internship has definitely kept me very busy, but I’ve been more than happy to stay occupied during quarantine,” discloses Hou. “The good thing is that we got started right before finals, when classwork was winding down, but it was definitely hard to force myself to actually study, since working on Wave was so much more fun! Once summer started, I was able to get into a more set schedule of working my internship at Two Sigma in Houston from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., then taking a break before working on Wave through the evening. I spend my weekends working on Wave, so I’d say it comes out to be 20-plus hours a week right now, not counting the time spent thinking about it as I’m falling asleep at night. It definitely feels less tiring than it might seem, since I have so much fun on both projects. Happily, I still have some free time to hang out (virtually) with friends, bake cakes with the family, and do some painting.”  

How she manages to do all that seems like a Herculean undertaking – it’s exhausting just seeing this young lady’s timetable on paper. 

Arcadian Kevin Tan is Wave Learning Festival’s Associate Director of Logistics | Courtesy photo / Wave Learning Festival

Tan isn’t a slacker either – he is the Associate Director of Logistics for Wave Learning Festival. He describes, “I do a lot of the work on the back-end to make sure that we have a palette of phenomenal classes each wave. I work directly with the college and high school students who sign up to teach a course, and I make sure that through Wave, we can translate those ideas into classes that work well in a remote setting. It’s really amazing how such a small group blossomed into something so much bigger. I remember for our inaugural wave, we had 12 courses running, and since then, the logistics team has been working tirelessly to work with the demand and enthusiasm from students and teachers alike. We have over 50 classes planned for our upcoming third wave of classes, and we’re hoping to include even more in the future!”

“I’ve been working to get almost 100 courses live on our site this summer, and I can tell you that is no easy task,” Tan expounds. “Being remote, I can work throughout the day focusing on the logistics – from interviewing our teachers to moderating ongoing classes to make sure they are safe. The team has put in a lot of time to make sure that the classes are of high quality and that student safety is never compromised. I’m really excited to get our content team integrated into the workflow so we can continue to scale this project throughout this summer.

“When I’m not working on Wave, I do research at Massachusetts General Hospital’s Lee Lab – their computational biology projects are a perfect transfer to remote – which I started this summer. With my mentor Anna Lappala, we’re finding novel ways to computationally model 4D chromosomal folding. I’m also taking online courses and working with a few of my friends to address social issues highlighted by the coronavirus pandemic or the Black Lives Matter movement.”

Hou and her collaborators designed Wave seminars to vary in duration and format. Most of them are a two- to three-week series with classes that meet three to five times a week and a few are one-time sessions. Any student can sign up at their website, and classes are held live through Zoom. There are no formal assessments or assigned homework – the goal is to help students learn about topics they’re interested in and have fun.

“We leave optional readings, assignments, and projects at our teachers’ discretion to enhance student learning,” explains Hou. “Our educators have been pretty good at measuring students’ progress through interactive discussions, projects, and informal quizzes. Although some of our courses only run once, many of our most popular courses from each wave return for future waves. Each teacher comes in with their own idea of what topics they’d like to teach. Our prompts are completely open-ended, so people can apply to teach whatever they’re passionate about – whether it be astrophysics or poetry, filmmaking or public speaking, hip hop or medical ethics!”

Madison Abbassi, a rising junior at Palo Alto High School, teaching ‘How Cancer Work’ | Courtesy Photo / Wave Learning Festival

Instructors are carefully hand-picked from a pool of applications. Wave team members  interview each applicant and work with them over the course of two weeks to review and refine their curricula. In addition, at least one team member sits in on each class to help with logistics and ensure things run smoothly. Some past instructors have also joined the team to help work with future teachers, passing on some of the experience and insight they’ve gained from going through the same process.

Wave seminars are all held online and are open to anyone who is awake at the time and can speak English. Says Hou, “We originally promoted it only within the US, but news of the program quickly spread around the world. We’ve now registered students from 31 countries: the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Spain, Germany, Macedonia, Russia, China, Taiwan, Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Bahrain, UAE, Israel, Kuwait, Qatar, Egypt, Libya, South Africa, Venezuela, and Brazil. So far, over 2000 students have signed up to learn with us in Wave Three! Registration for Wave Four opens on July 14th  with sessions beginning on the 27th. Wave Five begins on August 17th and each runs for three weeks. Interested families can enter their email address at our website to receive a notification when registration goes live. We think we’ll run over a hundred classes for Wave Four and maybe more for Wave Five to meet student demand.     

“We are hoping to continue Wave into the near future, likely transitioning to a support format during the school year to assist students with their in-school coursework, provide some extracurricular opportunities, and set up career panels and college information sessions to help increase accessibility to this kind of information. We are planning to host our summer programming next summer as well, and now that we’ve set up so much infrastructure already, we anticipate being able to offer even more courses and serve even more students.”

Wave Learning Festival came about to fill a need caused by the coronavirus pandemic. However, from all indications, the Z Generation’s altruism and responsiveness come early on in their life compared to the generations before them. And they do it all in the spirit of having a fun time. Even if the lockdown didn’t happen when it did, Hou would undoubtedly have come up with a fantastic idea to be of service to others at some point. The pandemic only hastened the process.

July College Search Guide

/ May S Ruiz / Leave a comment

Originally published on 2 July 2020 in the Pasadena Independent, Arcadia Weekly, and Monrovia Weekly

St Salvator’s College, University of St Andrews (Fife, Scotland), U.K. | Photo by May S. Ruiz / Beacon Media News

The road to college

Your children have been going through the greatest upheaval in their young lives. The coronavirus crisis has affected all of us in ways we’ve never before experienced. Among the biggest challenges for the adults in our household are concerns about our well-being, both physical and mental, and worries about our fiscal health. Our children sense our anxieties, adding to their own feeling of isolation from the world. Know that there are resources available, including the American Psychiatric Association and the Child Mind Institute, that can help adults and children cope at this difficult time.   

As I touched on in last month’s College Guide, summer jobs will be hard to find in our current situation. Some of the retail stores and restaurants which, in years past, hired teenagers aren’t enjoying as much traffic because people aren’t confident about being out and about. News about resurging coronavirus cases are fueling trepidations about reopening the economy as our financial experts envisioned.

That said, there’s the reality that your children are facing – building impressive resumes to look attractive to admissions officers. Whether school campuses will be open in the fall or classes will continue to be held remotely, your children need to be up to speed and ready to tackle the rigors of high school. Guide them to find activities that make for a productive summer.

RISING FRESHMAN

High School is going to be an exciting phase in your children’s academic life. Having completed middle school and their tween years where they found their identity, they are now ready to assert themselves in this new environment.

If your children have not shown much interest in reading during their elementary or middle school years, you need to encourage them to spend this month reading – just for the sheer pleasure of it. Persuade them to look for different authors and genres; familiarizing themselves with various styles and themes will help them find their own voice. Reading will expand their vocabulary as they gain maturity in their writing and that will prepare them for composing their personal statement.

RISING SOPHOMORE

As mentioned above, summer is an opportune time for reading. Encourage your children to spend part of their day on this pleasurable and educational pursuit.

Your children should find an enrichment program or perform community service work related to something they are passionate about. Sustained effort and interest in one particular cause show that your children are sincere, and not just padding their resumes.

If your children are so inclined, they can start researching colleges. Nowadays, they can go online and get virtual campus tours of most colleges or universities.

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RISING JUNIOR

Your children should be preparing themselves for one of the busiest years of their high school career. They should be immersed in community service work, professional internships, and enrichment programs. They can likewise start researching colleges and going online to get virtual college campus tours. This will also give your children some idea about the college application process.

Summer is the perfect time for them to read extensively to expand their vocabulary and prepare them for writing their essay for the college application.

RISING SENIORS

This is the year that will test your and your children’s mettle. Be prepared for the marathon (which actually started in the spring of their junior year). They should still be continuing the community service work they began back in their freshman year, getting an internship, or looking for avenues to use their talent.

If your children didn’t get the chance to visit the school prior to the coronavirus outbreak, they might want to do a virtual tour. It will help them narrow down their list to a more realistic number of applications.   

They should also be thinking about their personal statement. Likewise, some universities require a supplementary essay specific to them, with topics that range from the practical to the philosophical. Admissions officers are constantly on the lookout for something fresh and original in applicants’ compositions. However, it requires a certain amount of creativity and proficient writing skill to come up with a treatise that will impress seasoned readers.          

That said, your children might also find some time to actually enjoy this summer before they get swallowed up by the vortex of college applications. 

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COLLEGE-BOUND STUDENTS

Unless your children are spending this summer agonizing because they’re waitlisted at their first choice school, they must be very excited to have completed high school and are anxiously looking forward to the next phase of their education. By this time, they should have put in the deposit on the college they plan to attend. Some colleges will be sending out the procedures for class registrations, information on housing, meal specifics, and such other details to the incoming class.

Let your children take the lead on the college moving arrangements and only offer guidance when they ask for it. In all likelihood, your children will be moving away from home, maybe going to the other side of the country. They need to practice being on their own and the preparations for moving will be a good place to start.

If your children will be attending a university across the Atlantic, as my daughter did, there is a whole set of preparations you have to attend to. Applying for a student visa should be your priority as it could take a month to secure. You and your college-bound student need to communicate closely with the school as their requirements may differ greatly from those of American universities.

Email or call the university to know when to wire the tuition and other college fees. Make sure your student has the necessary information on how to register for classes, how to apply for housing, and what essentials to bring to school. Research where to find items – including bedding (sizes are different from what’s standard here) and small electric appliances (voltage and shape of plug are different) – that your student will need. Knowing beforehand what stores you have to visit saves time. 

Make sure you have enough time to spend helping your children settle into their new environment. When my daughter left for college in the U.K., we arrived there three weeks prior to freshers’ week. We opened her bank accounts, shopped for household items, and familiarized ourselves with the area (nearest grocery stores and hospital to her housing, for instance).           

For most parents, sending their children away to college across the country is difficult enough. Letting 18-year-olds live on their own 5,000 miles away for four years is almost unthinkable. It takes a great deal of courage, on your part and your children’s, to make that plunge. But you’ll find that they grow into confident, responsible, and self-reliant adults and it was the best decision you both made.             

At this juncture, let me address another situation. If your children weren’t accepted to any school they applied to, then they have to decide if they want to attend a community college. Most of these institutions will accept new students close to enrollment time. Some of them have arrangements with the UC system so graduates can attend a UC school for their junior and senior year. This has the double advantage of ensuring your children get a college diploma from a four-year university and saving on the cost of their education.

There are some instances when your children might gain admission during the spring term to their first-choice school (this scenario happens if the university wants to keep their ranking and your children did not receive a perfect SAT score but they met all the other requirements for admission. If your children have highly desirable qualities that will enhance the university’s student body, admissions officers will wait until after their school has been ranked so your kids’ SAT scores will no longer affect their place). Confer with your children’s college counselor about how to accomplish this.

Some college applicants who are on the waitlist for their dream university ask to be deferred (this will only work if your children met all the academic qualifications for admission to the school with only the problem of the university not having the space for your student this year). 

Of course, there is the option to take a gap year after high school. One of my daughter’s classmates used it doing humanitarian work in Africa. This alternative can help your children stand out in a sea of similar-looking applicants. Several universities consider this as a major boost in an applicant’s resume. Admissions officers tend to see the student in better light – this person has some tangible experience to bring in and, therefore, adds to the school make-up.

The gap year option has become front and center during the coronavirus crisis for those who feel paying a full tuition isn’t worth the price when schools may not reopen their campuses and classes may be held remotely. For other students, waiting until campuses reopen offers them the full experience of freshman year. Fortunately, there are companies and organizations out there offering life skill courses and useful seminars for gap year students, one of which is Mind the Gap’s LIFE READY. (Read related article here)             

Whether your high school graduate is going directly to college, going by the community college route, or taking a gap year, recognize their decision as a first step towards their independence.   

The Gap Year Option for Everyone

/ May S Ruiz / Leave a comment

Originally published on 22 June 2020 in the Pasadena Independent, Arcadia Weekly, and Monrovia Weekly

| Courtesy photo

Until a few short years ago, the gap year was a British tradition – when a high school graduate spends a year before going off to college to pursue an interest or to work on a humanitarian project in another part of the world – we in America had only heard or read about. Then, ever so slowly, the idea took hold here among the wealthy. The coronavirus pandemic, however, made taking a gap year a realistic, even practical, option for students if school campuses aren’t going to be open in the fall.

An organization called Mind the Gap, was founded by Abby Brody to address the range  of shortcomings in higher education and as a result of the need to bridge the chasm between what students learn in school and life skills they need in the real world. Its 15-week semester, called LIFE READY Program, will launch in September this year.   

Brody expands on this via email, “The cracks in the traditional path of higher education have turned into more extensive and exposed gaps during the COVID-19 pandemic. We have been studying the crisis in higher education for the past two years and the research is clear: gap year students have an advantage (in school and life), but this advantage has previously been for the privileged – we are changing this in real time. In being passionate about our mission we realized quickly we were on to something huge when the A-list of educators jumped (and continue to jump) at the chance to be a part of our team.

“We all share the spirit that gap semesters/years must be part of the narrative of education for all, and that means beyond the elite. Going directly to college and making the large financial commitment required may not be in the best interest of all students, irrespective of their financial means. At Mind the Gap we know it’s scary to step off the hamster wheel of our country’s established education system, but, alone especially, it’s just not serving most best. Having the gift of time and experience beyond the walls of a classroom is an outsized advantage. LIFE READY, our gap year program is step one in our journey to create alternative pathways that allow our youth to find happiness and success. It is no longer one size fits all.”

Continues Brody, “We think it is an absurd expectation to think that high school graduates are ready to pick a major or make the most of this experience from the current K-12 education. How can they? Life, up to this point, has been ‘school, after school, homework.’ Repeat. They study, they take a test, they forget. Repeat. And school alone reflects little of the reality of life.

“COVID did not create the issues we are seeing in higher education today, but it has absolutely put a bright spotlight on it and accelerated change (and, but many, understanding and acceptance of that change). Parents and students should be questioning the ‘path’ of our education system. The student debt crisis is very real. The workplace of tomorrow is different than today and the skills required no longer fit in ‘majors.’ We are being challenged to think differently and not all march down a singular path that has less than ideal outcomes for many. Our youth and the world need better, now more than ever.”

Abby Brody | Courtesy photo / Mind the Gap

“We are the first gap year program created by education researchers and experts with the proper lens for filling the systemic gaps between school and life,” Brody declares. “As mentioned, we have extensively studied the ‘why’ students are failing for the past two years and as a team have decades of experience working with this age group. Our team is the best of the best and has a track record of creating successful startups in the education space. David Dunbar, lead curriculum designer, created City Term, one of the most transformative educational experiences. Ivan Cestero, Clair Sellers, and I were founding members of Avenues: The World School. Our work at Avenues was to rethink K-12 education. We’ve done it before, we are doing it again – and in a major way.”

The course being offered by Mind the Gap, however, has a hefty price tag of $5,000 per semester, which could be a major deterrent for the many families who are financially strapped and are the most adversely affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

“We are planning in early July to add a variety of a-la-carte options for, say, the devoted gymnast who is using her gap semester to focus first on that, and second on becoming life ready,” says Brody. “We are realists, and we get that this new, new world does not offer only binaries. In addition, we are considering, based primarily on early indications of interest, offering second and third cohorts during the first semester starting in a staggered manner as we have capped our registration at 300 persons and while the quality of programming and experience is paramount, we feel we can bring that plus offer more broadly the curriculum to those who might have a bit different timing and/or needs.

“Further, we are expecting to open up registration via sponsorships/scholarships in time for Fall 2020 so that we are accessible by virtually anyone who has graduated high school in the past five years who really wants in! For our LIFE SET academies (which will launch in the future), our recipe is simple. Value of degree costs less than the degree.”

Abby Brody | Courtesy photo / Mind the Gap

“This is not school,” clarifies Brody. “While we could partner with a community college like others have, it’s always at an additional cost and we don’t want to walk away from our mission that is student focused. And we don’t just want to bring college bound students into our program. At Mind the Gap we are okay saying out loud that college does not serve everyone. Our graduates may go straight into the workforce or go into a vocational setting.”

“We will be leveraging a collaborative learning platform called jigsaw,” Brody explains. “This platform is not a lecture platform like how most distant learning is looking online with ‘Zoom’ class. Our platform allows ‘Fellows’ to customize their screen to have documents, videos, chats and live speaker views at the same time. We chose this platform as it facilitates collaborative work which we value and mirrors how we think.

“Most work is live on this platform. There will be pre-recorded videos for life hacks, but these are interviews with professionals in the field. No lectures. We are anti lecture! We know based on brain science that we learn through stories and the act of doing, not passive listening. So all of our videos are narratives of professionals in the field telling their stories. How they got where they are.”

Adds Brody, “The LIFE READY program is always in the now. We plan on changing every semester to meet the need of the day. Therefore this fall we will touch on public policy and governance inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement. We also use our student ambassadors to pilot our thinking wanting to make sure that we are choosing topics of interest. The course topics are less important to us. We use the topics to teach the meta skills of the workforce: critical thinking, etc. all topics this fall are taught through an impact lens as impact is core to the ideals of Gen Z!”

The whole rationale behind Mind the Gap is to teach students lessons and skills not being provided by institutions of higher learning and is not to be confused as a means to get hired by the organizations they partner with. Elucidates Brody, “We think ‘Fellow-First’ and believe in their personal journey. The gap space should be purely about that, a time to discover who you are and where you want to go. While we will have partnerships with companies as part of the curriculum, it is not with the lens of future employment.

“However, company partnerships will play a huge role in our LIFE SET academies that we are launching in the future. These will be vocational settings and we hope to create these academies in careers that are not being served by the current higher education system. For us, that equation is simple. If the cost of a degree is less than the market value of the degree then that vocation is not being served by traditional four-year institutions. A great example is teaching! We have a teacher shortage in the United States because of this reality.

“Our plan (and words we live by, too) starting with Gap, is: Life Ready, Set, Go. LIFE READY (gap time), LIFE SET (vocational education for vocations not served by current four-year institutions), LIFE GO (ongoing professional development and networking).”

Only two years ago, educators and counselors believed that a four-year college degree was worth being in debt for – because the alternative was not viable for a balanced life. (Read related article here) It’s ironic that the coronavirus pandemic, which upended life as we know it, is also fortuitously uprooting long-practiced models of how we prepare students for life beyond the classroom.      

The Generation that will Change the World

/ May S Ruiz / Leave a comment

Originally published on 11 June 2020 in the Pasadena Independent, Arcadia Weekly, and Monrovia Weekly

Michelle Dong of Arcadia High School | Courtesy Photo

The high school class 2020 is a generation whose lives have been upended by the global pandemic. While it can be argued that being asked to stay home as we wage a war against a disease is a far cry from having to fight a war on the battlefields as the boomers before them had done, these teenagers have seen much devastation during their lifetime.

Today’s 17- or 18-year-olds have been raised in a digital world. They know only too well the harsh realities – climate change, gender and racial discrimination, socioeconomic inequality, pandemics, violence, hunger, poverty, and homelessness millions around the world suffer each day – and grew up before their time. They worry endlessly about their future even as they seemingly spend countless hours playing ‘Animal Crossing’ on their computer. They are going to be agents of change.

Michelle Dong, who is 18 years old, graduated virtually from Arcadia High School on June 4 and will be attending UC Irvine in the fall. She said that while the pandemic didn’t alter her plans for college, it made her more aware of her decision-making process. She had to consider which college would support her during this time of uncertainty.      

“When I constantly hear about the rising death toll and infected cases, I feel helpless and worried about the future,” Michelle discloses. “On my part, I ensure that I practice all the necessary social distancing and health and safety precautions. Fortunately, on an economic level, my family was not impacted deeply by this pandemic. However, it’s saddening to see my favorite local stores close or struggle to maintain business. This pandemic has propelled me to look into public health and examine how disease prevention education can impact a community. I also feel a moral responsibility to educate myself  and those in my community to progress through these challenges. ”

“I think my generation must adapt to new changes and innovate new ways of living.I feel that with quarantine, my generation can examine society and develop their stance on what is morally right and wrong. We will be entering a turbulent economic landscape and I hope my generation will be the change that is needed in our world.”

Marc Soong of Stanford Online High School | Courtesy Photo

Marc Soong of Alhambra turned 17, three days before his virtual graduation from Stanford University’s Online High School on June 7. It was to have taken place at Stanford University’s Stanford Memorial Auditorium and he was scheduled to play ‘Liebeslied’ (Love’s Sorrow) by Fritz Kreisler, transcribed for the piano by Sergei Rachmaninoff. He is matriculating at Stanford University in the fall. 

“As someone who isn’t too social, I feel that the graduation canceling would have a greater impact on others than on me. However, I was looking forward to performing for my classmates and meeting them, many of whom I have only seen online,” confesses Marc. 

But his disappointment is eclipsed by more worrisome thoughts. Says Marc, “As the number of deaths from the virus surpassed 100,000, more than lives lost in several U.S. wars, I feel overwhelmed. Because I can’t go out and also since I’m not well versed in communications or medicine, but also because I’m only one person, I feel somewhat helpless that I can’t do more about the coronavirus. I realize how lucky I am – that I have a place to live, and food to eat, and very supportive parents – and there is a guilt-appreciation feeling in that.

“There are lessons to be learned from that. Our generation must value community over individual greed. We should focus on science and rational thought when it comes to making decisions and dealing with environmental problems rather than personal biases. Our generation will have to focus on working together with other countries and really find ways to deal with climate change, as well as develop vaccines for those diseases that continue to plague us.”

Kate Tadeo of Monrovia High School | Courtesy Photo

Seventeen-year-old Kate Tadeo graduated valedictorian at Monrovia High School’s drive-thru commencement ceremony held on June 3 and has been designated a John W. Kluge Scholar through the Columbia Undergraduate Scholar Program.

Kate says, “At first I was pretty bummed when I learned we would be ending the school year much differently than anticipated, but as the days went by I realized how fortunate I was to even be healthy during the global pandemic that is going on. Though it’s a little sad we didn’t have that traditional end of high school, it was out of anyone’s control and I’m just glad to spend more time with family before I leave for college.

“I’m attending Columbia University in the fall and, to date, they are still planning on holding fall semester on campus. Although I haven’t picked any courses yet, I’m going into my undergrad education on the pre-med track. I am sure that will include courses or even labs on possibly gaining knowledge on new diseases, like COVID-19. I might end up doing research on potential unknown diseases and how to prevent the worst. Additionally, many universities have made such impressive progress with cancer research and I would like to be a part of the generation to find a cure.”

“If anything, I think this pandemic has shown that it is important for society as a whole to learn from our experience and follow the guidelines set in place. While some people disregarded them and even protested against them, I do not understand how one could ignore and protest against an airborne disease. It is necessary to pay attention to the facts presented by credible sources and immediately take action to minimize the casualties.”

Continues Kate, “There are so many things in the world that need to change and I think this generation is very passionate in bringing about just that. I have so much hope for my generation to move past a lot of the societal norms various generations before us have just passed down. Even right now it’s amazing seeing so many people around me be so passionate about the Black Lives Matter movement and I genuinely hope this is the generation that can finally put an end to the four centuries of systemic racism this country has undergone.

“I am passionate about gender, racial, and social inequality and though I know it is a long, ongoing challenge, it is one we face in everyday conversations with those around us. Though my part may be small now, as I just try to convey through conversation the importance of equality for all regardless of race, gender, socioeconomic circumstance, it is important to relay the message to whoever possible, whether that be a loved one, a good friend, or maybe even an acquaintance who maybe says a comment invalidating a certain group of people.

“I also feel climate change is a very real, daunting concern that this country’s government should be paying more attention to. Although right now I live with my parents and eat their diet and I drive a car, I hope to at least reduce my own carbon footprint starting next year by possibly cutting most meat out of my diet and walking or taking the train instead of driving. At the end of the day we all need to acknowledge our privilege and incorporate it into how we can elicit positive change.”

Eric Dong of San Marino High School at the JFK Museum at Hyannis Port, Massachusetts | Courtesy Photo

Eric Dong (no relation to Michelle), who is 17 years old, will be graduating from San Marino High School during an in-person commencement ceremony tentatively scheduled for July 31. He says, “I’m not too bothered that we spent the last semester at home. Though it will be disappointing if I am unable to say my good-byes to my friends and wonderful teachers in person. Senior activities such as prom and grad night are postponed, which is unfortunate since I’d prefer not to attend these parties over summer, and some people might not want to go then.

“I’m still excited to go to college this fall. However, if Brown decides to switch to on-line classes or the virus is still active, I might take a gap year so I can enjoy the full experience of  freshman year. I will continue volunteering at Union Station, work to earn some of my own money, or intern to gain experience during the gap year.”

“The economic upheaval, the thousands of people infected daily, and the lives lost are devastating news for everyone, and I have become more sensible and appreciative of life, taking careful steps to stay safe and healthy,” says Eric about the coronavirus pandemic. “In an effort to help stem the contagion, my brother and I have provided 1,500 face masks for the families and children at Union Station Homeless Services in Pasadena and joined the International Leadership Foundation (ILF) in donating tens of thousands of medical-grade face masks to Rhode Island, Mercy Medical Center of Long Island, and Columbia Medical Center.”

A dynamic youth activist, Eric also recently participated in events held by the ILF and the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Foundation to fight against violence and racism.     

Declares Eric, “I see myself as an agent of change in the environmental science area since I am passionate and ready to take steps to mitigate the harm caused by climate change. Last year, I spent my summer interning at MIT EAPS Cziczo Lab for Clouds and Aerosols where I investigated factors causing the formation of ice clouds by examining water samples from the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. I isolated positive and negative particles via Particle Analysis by Laser Mass Spectrometry and collected 2,000 sets daily, and created graphs and charts to display analyses. I am co-author of two research papers: “Ice Nucleation of Sea Spray Aerosols Generated Across Marin Biogeochemical Boundaries” and “Fluorinated Secondary Organic Aerosol Formation from Hydrofluoroolefin Emissions.

“My interest was motivated by my visits to my brother in 2015 and 2016 in China when he was seeking treatment for a medical condition. I witnessed scores of children unable to breathe, attend school, play sports, or fully live their lives. I brought 3M filtration masks for my extended family there, but this small gesture felt futile. I later learned that people as far flung as Japan, Korea, and California are also feeling the effects of Chinese smog. The consequences of environmental degradation shocked me. I decided then to concentrate in Environmental Science and Engineering when I go to college and I intend to achieve an ambitious goal – to create tangible change by fostering clean air and pure water.”

As young as Eric, Kate, Marc, and Michelle are in years, they are painfully cognizant of all that is wrong. What they do with their awareness, coupled with their drive to do good, may very well determine the course for humanity and effect change in the world.  

June College Search Guide

/ May S Ruiz / Leave a comment

Originally published on 1 June 2020 in the Pasadena Independent, Arcadia Weekly, and Monrovia Weekly

University of Connecticut | Courtesy Photo

The road to college

Seniors are about to have their virtual graduation or have recently done so. Having spent the last semester of their high school sheltering in place, these teenagers have been looking forward to the loosening of the lockdown orders so they can finally get out of the house.  

Businesses, though, are taking a cautious approach to reopening and there will be limited options for these young people on how to spend their summer months. In the past, teenagers went to summer camps, found internships, or joined organizations like Habitat for Humanity or Doctors Without Borders to do service work in impoverished areas of the world.        

Those who had been anticipating to land summer jobs are going to be very disappointed. The coronavirus pandemic upended entire countries’ markets and wiped the economic expansion we had been enjoying here. Experts worldwide are predicting a recession that’s deeper and lengthier than what we saw during the financial meltdown of 2008.   

While we don’t need Challenger, Gray & Christmas to tell us that teen summer jobs outlook this year is pretty grim, I’m including the report they recently released:  

“Teen employment skyrocketed during the summer months of 2019 to the highest number of jobs added since 2001, according to an analysis of non-seasonally adjusted data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics by global outplacement and executive and business coaching firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc. However, the global pandemic of COVID-19 has changed everything and total jobs added for teens may fall well under 1,000,000, according to one workplace authority.

“A month ago, we would have predicted another summer of massive teen hiring. We had one of the tightest labor markets on record, historically low unemployment, and high consumer confidence – the perfect recipe for companies that traditionally hire teen workers, like retail and entertainment venues, to beef up staff,” said Andrew Challenger, Senior VP of Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.

“Everything has changed. Many of these venues have stopped operating as non-essential businesses with reopening timelines in question. Grocery and department stores that are on a hiring binge now come with an inherent risk that did not exist before the outbreak. If we are able to weather this crisis and get businesses back up and running by June, we may see a surge in teen hiring then, however, teen workers, as well as any job seeker, may be much more wary of accepting public-facing roles,” he added.

Last summer saw 1,737,000 jobs gained by teens, 25% higher than the 1,388,000 jobs gained by teenagers in the summer of 2018. This was the highest number of teen jobs gained since 2001, when 1,742,000 jobs were added.

However, many companies are in a holding pattern and thousands of others are not open for business at all. A recent Challenger survey found 37% of companies have instituted hiring freezes. Another 11% have implemented permanent layoffs and 49% are likely to in the next three months. Meanwhile, 4% report they are revoking internship offers for the summer, many of which tend to go to older teens.

Nearly 10 million workers have filed initial jobless claims over the last two weeks. Challenger predicts job losses in the Leisure sector alone could top 14 million.

“The teen summer job is the first step in people’s careers. It is vitally important to helping young workers gain valuable skills that they will draw upon later in their jobs. Many employers want to see some job experience from even their entry-level workers,” said Challenger.

“The year with the lowest summer hiring since 1998 occurred in 2010, during the recovery from the Great Recession, when 960,000 teen jobs were added in May, June, and July. This year may see even fewer as conservative estimates suggest businesses will likely still be closed for much or part of May,” he added.

| Courtesy Photo

FRESHMAN

The sheltering-at-home order caused an upheaval in all students’ regular schedule. It was tough for 9th graders who were just getting used to high school and the workload associated with it. Remote learning, although helpful in providing continuity in students’ education, could not replace what they would get in the classroom. However, I hope your children were able to keep up with their curriculum.

Some schools may have eliminated final exams and given pass or fail grades in lieu of the letter grades, which must have been a disappointment for straight-A students. But that shouldn’t deter them from continuing to get excellent grades because the student’s GPA is the single, most important component of their transcript. And with the UC system’s decision to drop the SATs and ACTs from their requirements, students’ GPAs have become ever more significant.       

If your children can find summer enrichment activities, they should definitely pursue these. They also need to do a lot of reading to help them prepare for all the essays they will have to write when they start sending out their college application. 

SOPHOMORE

Your children’s end-of-year marks in 10th grade should have improved over last year’s if they didn’t do well in their freshman year. College admissions officers want to see students who continue to better themselves. 

While the UC system has dropped the standardized test requirement, not all universities have. So your children need to take the virtual ACT or June SAT subject tests. This year the College Board eliminated the essay portion and the testing time has been shortened.

JUNIOR

The school year that just ended was a pivotal one for your children as it would be the last full year that college admissions officers will see on your kids’ application. It should reflect your children’s efforts at getting the best marks they could muster, and an improvement over the first two years of high school. 

This is going to be their busiest summer with standardized tests like the ACT, SAT, SAT IIs, and APs. If they have not seen the schools they are considering applying to, they might consider taking virtual tours.

Your children should start thinking about their essay topic; checking in with their school counselor to make sure they have taken all the required courses for graduation and college; and lining up teachers they would like to ask for recommendations.   

SENIOR

It was a disappointing last year for students who were not able to properly say goodbye to their friends and teachers and didn’t get the opportunity to walk across the graduation stage. But I hope you watched their virtual commencement ceremony and celebrated at home with your graduate.       

Your children have accomplished a major milestone – successfully completing high school and getting accepted into a college or university! This period in their life will never again be repeated, so let them revel in what they have achieved. Give yourself a pat on the back while you’re at it, you’ve been a major influence in whatever path they choose to take from here.

Sending Off the Class of 2020

/ May S Ruiz / Leave a comment
With the Early College program students have a path to college through courses that meet high school graduation requirements and provide college credits simultaneously | Courtesy photo

It’s graduation time for high school seniors across America – the culmination of four years of frenetic juggling of school and extra-curricular activities, finishing homework and long-overdue essays, and preparing for the vortex called college admissions. Graduation is a rite-of-passage for teenagers everywhere.        

But the coronavirus pandemic deprived the class of 2020 of a proper send-off and graduation. It is a crushing disappointment for the thousands who have been looking forward to this momentous occasion with joyful anticipation. They are a smart and resilient lot, though. Many of them realize that being robbed of senior activities and the opportunity to walk across the stage on graduation day is not a devastating loss in the whole scheme of things. In fact, some of them have taken a philosophical attitude about their last year in high school prematurely ending.             

Michelle Dong is the senior class president of Arcadia High School. She, along with the student council, organized various activities for the graduating class much like they would if they had been on campus.

Michelle Dong, Arcadia High School’s senior class president | Courtesy Photo / Arcadia High School

“We have developed several video projects to celebrate and remember the memories of the Class of 2020,” reveals Dong. “First, we recently published a video that celebrated our “snr szn” (senior season) – a common mantra that seniors used during the school year. Senior Council collected videos and pictures from the seniors to highlight our lives as the Class of 2020. I believe this video was a bittersweet reminder that our senior year was beautiful, even if it was cut short.

“The next video we have planned will bring our class through a journey from our childhood to our present selves through pictures submitted by students and parents of baby pictures and memories of grades K-12. Our goal with this video is to commemorate our journey toward reaching a significant milestone.”

Dong says further, “Additionally, we want to uphold a highly anticipated senior activity: Senior Chalking. I have been looking forward to chalking ever since I was a little freshman. As an alternative to this event, we are coordinating a distribution day to give seniors pieces of chalk respective to the colors of their future plans (4-year or 2-year college, technical school, military, etc.). Students will receive the colors they requested prior to the distribution and chalk at the safety of their homes.

“Finally, we are coordinating a ‘Senior Package’ for the seniors. This package will consist of multiple farewell gifts from Senior Council. We have put a lot of time and effort into selecting items that have sentiment and sustainability. I currently do not want to disclose the items because I want it to be a surprise for the seniors!

“We have spent many hours on video calls and text messages trying to come up with the best alternatives to activities we would normally have at school. Hopefully, these efforts will bring our class the closure they deserve.”

I ask Dong to share her thoughts about graduation and she says, “I have felt a bag of mixed emotions ever since the school closed in March. At one end, I felt disappointed that I couldn’t live out the full extent of my senior year, especially since we had a lot of end-of-the-year senior activities. I felt crushed that I couldn’t say a final goodbye to friends in my classes or teachers.

“At the other end, I couldn’t brood over my past and tried to find silver linings amidst quarantine. I have been gifted so much time to work on myself and explore personal interests that I originally didn’t have the time for. I’m also grateful that I can spend so much time with my family before I leave for college. Quarantine has allowed me to be more introspective. Staying home has catalyzed me to make the most out of life when things have settled down. Life isn’t finite, so I am choosing to make the most out of it despite the temporary setbacks I face now, and in the future.”

Arcadia High School’s administrators, likewise, intend to hold a graduation ceremony even as they adapt to the circumstances.

Angie Dillman, Arcadia High School principal | Courtesy Photo / Arcadia High School

Angie Dillman, Arcadia High School principal, declares, “We’re going to broadcast our graduation for our 793 seniors at 6:30 pm on June 4, the date and time originally scheduled. As with previous graduations, there will be several elements to the rite and the first part is ceremonial in nature – the senior class president, the valedictorian, and I give speeches. This is followed by the official recognition of our salutatorians by the board president Lori Philippi and myself. I then certify that the students have met all graduation requirements and then AUSD Superintendent Dr. David Vannasdall accepts the graduating class.

“The second part is the reading of the students’ names which will be pre-recorded. The caps and gowns, honors cords, the valedictorian’s and salutatorians’ stoles were sent out over the past two weeks. Graduates can submit photos of themselves wearing their cap and gown which will be used in the virtual ceremony. If they weren’t able to submit photos, we will use their yearbook picture. All of this will be live-streamed by our school’s news station and students will watch the virtual ceremony with their families from the safety of their homes.

A stunning event at every Arcadia High School graduation is the moment when all graduates toss their mortarboards up in the air, reflecting the jubilation these young people feel after four years of hard work. And while that image cannot be captured at a virtual graduation, they will approximate the act. Says Dillman, “At the end of the ceremony, I think our valedictorian is going to throw up his cap and ask everyone at home to join him.”

Dillman adds, “Because of the restrictions, the high school administrators were not able to do all the things we would like to celebrate the class of 2020. However, we were able to do one thing – we surprised the valedictorian Braden Wong in his house with the announcement, which we livestreamed. We’re hoping to hold a real graduation ceremony when we’re allowed – maybe in the next couple of months.”

Kirk McGinnis showing a lawn sign for MHS’s graduates | Courtesy Photo / Monrovia High School

Monrovia High School, which U.S. News and World Report has recently ranked in the top 13 percent of schools in the nation because of the early college and career readiness program that Principal Kirk McGinnis instituted three years ago, will be giving their students a memorable send-off.

The district purchased lawn signs for the class of 2020 which they distributed on April 30 from 10 a.m. to noon. McGinnis says, “That day was super fun – we got to see our seniors as they drove through the campus to pick up their signs. A staff member delivered the sign to the home of any family that could not make it at that time.

“We have a long list of senior celebrations planned as well, including graduation banners, a symbolic lighting of our field lights and the M on the mountain each Wednesday in the month of May at 20:20 (8:20 p.m.) for 20 minutes to honor the class of 2020, and a permanent dedication wall at school for the class of 2020 with handprints and signatures.”

Discloses McGinnis, “We thought about having a community parade but feedback around it was lackluster. Likewise, in planning with the city we also understand that the complexity of having 360 graduates and their families parading through our community poses a significant potential impact to our community. So, we adjusted the graduation plan that will help reach the goal of having students cross the graduation stage while still meeting the guidelines of social distancing.”

“We designed a drive-thru graduation platform in the interior of our campus at a spot where families in their cars will stage so they’re not causing congestion on the public road,” describes McGinnis. “I have them broken down to 40 cars every half hour, from 3 to 7 p.m. Each car will be set far from the platform to allow each graduate to safely get out. Parents and family will have a front row seat in their cars. Graduates, wearing their cap and gown, will walk across the graduation stage where I will be standing. They will pick up their diploma cover from the table, walk off the stage, get back into their vehicle, and then head on their way off campus.”

“The school purchased masks to be worn that day for our staff and graduates. A professional photographer will be on site to capture the image of the student receiving their diploma and moving their tassel from one side to the other. Families can order prints of this memorable event.”     

In the works is something that McGinnis says will be distinct to MHS. He says, “Our video production team is working hard to prepare the video component of the graduation ceremony. As students arrive, check in, and prepare to walk across the stage, the school’s team will be queuing each student’s previously prepared graduation stats (awards and recognitions, the school or military branch they will be attending in the fall, as well as their senior portrait) which will be scrolling on the screen below the video of the graduate receiving their diploma. This will all be live-streamed so other relatives of the graduates can watch from the comfort of their own homes, and recorded so they can have it as a keepsake.”

A past Poly graduation invitation and commencement booklet | Photo by May S. Ruiz / Beacon Media News

Polytechnic is an independent K-12 school in Pasadena. Established in 1907, it has the proud distinction of being the first independent school in Southern California. Some students in the class of 2020 are ‘lifers’ and have been dreaming of the first graduation they will experience after spending 13 years on campus. They have been eagerly awaiting the flurry of merrymaking at the Upper School during ‘Senior Week.’ 

Jennifer Fleischer, Upper School director, says, “Ordinarily, we have two weeks of senior week where there are a variety of activities, including the outdoor trip which, unfortunately, had been cancelled. We’re bringing ‘Chalk Day’ to the students. We’re delivering chalk to each house and we’ll come around to photograph the pictures they make. We’ll create a website and some social media presence around the senior celebrations. We’ll try as much as we can to recreate and reimagine celebrations while we’re safer at home. There are about 16 committees – commencement, Honors Day, Senior Weeks, prom, etc. – working on different events and students are a part of each so they are appropriately represented.”

Poly’s 96 seniors will be graduating on June 5. As of this writing, though, Fleischer reports that they “are still pulling together details, pivoting to make sure we are honoring our students and prioritizing safety.”   

John Bracker, head of school, says, “It’s a complicated time and our hearts go out to the seniors and ‘lifers’ because of how much they’ve anticipated senior spring and the rites-of-passage – whether it’s the spring musical or the senior class trip on the Colorado River – which aren’t happening.”

“We’re considering different scenarios for graduation because so much runs into the ‘it depends’ category. We might have a car parade or a drive-thru graduation; or we might do something virtual. Another possibility is to spread people around the field. I know some schools are pushing graduation till later but we’ve made a decision to do something on the day to mark it, then plan something for later. We don’t want to keep pushing off graduation later and later and find ourselves in October. We’ll do the best we can with what we’re allowed to do now and think of what we can do later this summer when, hopefully, the restrictions are eased up and we can do something that’s more community-building and celebratory.”

“I don’t think we can pretend that it’s going to be the same,” continues Bracker. “We have to accept that and then plan something that will be the first time in over a 100 years, and maybe the only time in the next 100 years, that we’ll celebrate graduation this way at Poly. There ought to be something important about that and something that will make that memorable – it will be different than we’ve done before, it won’t feel the same. It won’t be the same experience, but it will be historic.”

These are extraordinary times for us all and we’re having to figure out how to navigate uncharted territory as we go along. But teachers, students, and school administrators have all done a remarkable job of quickly adapting to circumstances. And the Class of 2020 will stand out in our memories as the generation that handled their biggest disappointment with uncommon grace.     

May College Search Guide

/ May S Ruiz / Leave a comment

Originally published on 1 May 2020 in the Pasadena Independent, Arcadia Weekly, and Monrovia Weekly

Lawrence University | Courtesy Photo

The road to college

By May S. Ruiz

The last few weeks of the school year is usually an exciting time for students. Freshmen are looking forward to their last month, relieved that they are almost done with 9th grade. Meanwhile, it is a bittersweet time for seniors as they anticipate the end of their high school career and spend the last remaining weeks with lifelong friends.

However, the coronavirus outbreak changed all that. Students have spent six weeks learning from home and seeing teachers and classmates only through teleconferencing. School administrators decided to forgo all final exams and will be holding virtual commencement exercises. The College Board will deliver digital exams for three million AP students this month and if schools don’t reopen in the fall, at-home SAT exams will be offered.

As surreal as everything is, though, parents and students have to keep on track. Now, more than  ever, students need to concentrate on their studies. And it is essential for parents to provide the guidance that teachers used to offer.                       

FRESHMAN

This is the last call for your 9th graders who need to improve their grades! Make them focus on staying on top of school and homework. While they may not be taking final exams this year, their final grades will be on their transcript. Their GPA is the single most important component of your children’s college application.

If their marks are not adequate for college acceptance requirements, they need to confer with their college counselors to arrange for remedial summer classes.

Summer projects might take on a different form this year because of social distancing. They need to speak with their grade level dean to figure out possible alternatives to the usual internships. Get your children to call various local organizations and ask how they can help during this health crisis.     

Admissions officers look for students who have demonstrated sustained community service in a few well-chosen areas. It isn’t the quantity of activities but the quality that’s important – they want to gauge the depth of students’ intellectual and ethical engagement to a given cause. The summer after their freshman year is the time for your children to find activities that truly speak to their interest and passion. Let them choose one that really resonates with them which they should carry through their four years in high school.            

Given that no one can really go out partying because of social distancing, the long summer months ahead will be a great time for your children to read. Encourage them to explore various genres and different authors. At the very least, reading will help them expand their vocabulary and expose them to different writing styles. This will come in handy when they write their personal statement and supplementary essays for their college application.

SOPHOMORE

Sophomore year is when your children have fully transitioned into high school. They are comfortable about how this phase fits into the whole secondary school experience. They have taken the practice PSAT, as a preparation for junior year when the results determine their eligibility for the National Merit Scholarship. They have also taken some AP tests, if they took an AP course.

Hopefully, your children have also done well in their studies, have maintained good grades this entire year, and have prepared for final exams. Admissions officers expect grades that are consistent, and if their freshman marks weren’t that great, their sophomore grades should at least show improvement over last year’s.    

Make sure your children have lined up their summer activities. While it may be difficult to find something that’s an extension or an expansion of what they did in the summer of freshman year because of social distancing, they should try for something related to it. Admissions officers want to see commitment to a particular interest and, given the circumstances, they will really appreciate your children’s effort.   

JUNIOR

Make sure your children have registered to take all the required standardized tests for college admissions. The Cal State and UC systems are making SAT tests optional this admissions cycle but if your children are applying through early action or early decision to other colleges, they need to have taken the SAT or ACT this summer. If your children have not been notified that this requirement is being relaxed because of the coronavirus outbreak, they should call the university’s admissions office for clarification.    

Your children’s final grades are extremely important! Eleventh grade is the last complete year that college admissions officers will see on the application and they expect grades that are either consistent with, or better than the first two years’.

SENIOR

This isn’t the end-of-schoolyear that your 12th grader was looking forward to. There will be no graduation ceremony, a teen’s rite-of-passage that marks their first step into adulthood. I hope that your children’s school has some kind of celebration and a virtual commencement exercise planned.         

If your children are still sweating it on the waitlist of their first-choice college, they need to ensure their final grades are terrific! They should keep up with all their schoolwork and send the college admissions officers any updates on awards and honors they receive. They should ask their college counselor if an additional letter of recommendation might be helpful. Keeping in touch with the admissions office reinforces their interest in attending the school if accepted.

They should have put a deposit on their second-choice school to guarantee them a place for the incoming class in the fall. Although, if they come off the waitlist on their first choice, they will lose this deposit.

Be there for your children to support them whatever the outcome of their college application. It has been a significant phase of reaching adulthood and was a very important learning experience. In the end, what matters is not where they have been accepted; the college they attend will not guarantee success in the real world. It’s how they use their education that determines how well they do in life.

Pasadena Schools Embrace Remote Learning

/ May S Ruiz / Leave a comment

Originally published on 16 April 2020 in the Pasadena Independent, Arcadia Weekly, and Monrovia Weekly

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is PUSD-1.jpg
Pasadena Unified School District Office | Photo by Terry Miller / Beacon Media News

In the midst of health concerns caused by the coronavirus outbreak, safe distancing has been implemented. Schools closed to ensure the safety of students and to help curb the spread of the disease. I set out to determine if there is a system in place to handle this sudden change and how equipped administrators, teachers, and students in Pasadena are to switch to remote learning.

Pasadena Unified School District’s (PUSD) Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Professional Development, Helen Chan Hill, informs me by email that PUSD initiated its remote learning plan in earnest very shortly prior to the school closures on March 13.

Hill expounds, “We laid out a three-stage plan: Stage 1 would be general, standards-based content that would be made available online and in print, with enough material that students could engage in reinforcement of learning for 2-3 weeks – we were able to get these up and running by March 16. Stage 1 work was completed by a central team of Curriculum & EdTech specialists, with the intent to buy a few weeks of time for teachers to build out their own online classrooms in PowerSchool Learning.

“Stage 2 began officially on April 6, following PUSD’s Spring Break. At this stage, all online classrooms are active and students should be able to take in content and lessons that are custom created for them by their teachers.

“Stage 3 is our transition to interactive learning, with the use of meeting apps and tools that allow for livestreams and more bi-directional communication between the teacher/student/ content.”

“PUSD, fortunately, had three key systems in place for several years that has helped with our readiness,” Hill continues. “The first of these is a network of Instructional Coaches in every school. They are the crux of our professional development design and have been instrumental in providing clarity and training to teachers. While teachers were planning prior to April 6, our Instructional Coaches and Principals/APs have been attending custom tutorials on remote learning that they can use with their staff.

“We have a network of TechLeaders that are early adopters of technology integration in the classroom. These are teachers who are in the classroom, but receive monthly training on apps, tools and best practices for instruction with technology. They too have been key in supporting teachers in this time!”

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The school hallway, once a beehive of activity, is eerily quiet | Courtesy Photo

Asked if there are any assessments in place to determine if students are learning, Hill replies, “We have analytics on each online classroom in PowerSchool Learning with respect to usage, but as for assessment, that has not yet been fully determined. In alignment with CDE’s updates, we will be suspending nearly all of our local assessments. However, we want to help teachers to check on student progress and understanding through other means still to be determined.

“Furthermore, we have created a resource page to support our teachers and parents. We also want to emphasize that the well-being of our students and families is the utmost priority – while we are dedicating much work to ensure students’ academic opportunities, we are likewise encouraging grace, patience, and understanding around all of it. We know that families’ (as well as teachers’) lives have been uprooted and we need to take care of each other before we make demands for schoolwork.”

I’ve read articles that highlighted the plight of some students who don’t have computers at home or laptops and, even when they do have them, don’t have WiFi and I ask Hill if this is a problem at PUSD.

“Because of our techequity initiative that began in 2018, our students are already one to one with chromebooks,” Hill responds. “Sixth to 12th grade have already been taking them home, and K – 5 use them in the classroom. Therefore on March 13 when we dismissed, we asked elementary schools to dispatch the chrome books from the classroom for students to take home. We are still working on students with no Internet access – we have deployed all of our hotspots to the majority of those families in need, and are working with others on a solution.”

Speaking with me by email, Dr. Benita Scheckel, principal of Altadena Arts Magnet School, says, “Teachers had two weeks to finish creating their virtual classrooms; students began remote learning four weeks ago with general academic content loaded by our district onto PowerSchool Learning. Our school’s instructional coach, Ms. Hanh Le has really been doing the heavy lifting of training teachers to use all the available online apps to support student learning. The district is working closely with each campus’s administrative team and instructional coach to collect data on how teachers are managing their virtual classroom set up.

“I am trying to keep everything as normal as possible – I am continuing to send them my Sunday updates for staff. I am checking in on them every day formally via email and virtual staff meetings and then informally via text and phone calls.” 

Dr. Scheckel adds, “I’m just so impressed by PUSD’s ability to move from in-person to virtual learning so quickly and seamlessly.  I am also incredibly inspired by our teachers’ aptitude and willingness to jump right in and learn so many new things in such a short amount of time. My teachers and so many across the district are commenting on how sad they are to not be able to see their students in person every day.”  

Ashley Butler teaches World History and AP World History to around 120 mostly sophomore students at John Muir High School Early College Magnet.

She says, “I have been communicating with students through email; surveys and all work is being posted and submitted by students on a Learning Management System called PowerSchool. Next week, after our spring break, I will conduct digital lessons and hold virtual office hours via Google Hangout Meet.

“I am working to create (and modify in real time, due to the situation) lessons and activities to best support student learning and support student needs in this uncertain time. I don’t have a model or a template that I follow, per se, but I am trying to provide instruction that supports my students in the most effective way possible.”

Adds Butler, “I can’t speak for all high school teachers in this case, but speaking for myself, I am learning to communicate with my students in different ways. I am used to in-class conferencing to support student learning. However, with remote learning, this one-on-one time has changed. Now, instead of supporting students individually during class hours, students are being supported at all times during the day.

“Student engagement really depends on the class. Virtual discussions can still take place on various learning management systems and other digital resources like flip grid or padlet. Student engagement can be achieved with different types of assessments, projects, research activities about which students are passionate, or assignments/activities that relate to their lives.

“It is hard to say if high school students are better able to adapt to remote learning, I think time will tell. However, many students have explained that they miss the in-person support their peers and their teachers provide. I think that all students, no matter their age, are able to adapt to remote learning when they have teachers who have integrated technology into their classroom regularly. I think one of the greatest challenges high school students are facing is that many have familial responsibilities outside of school work.”

Asked what has been the biggest hurdle for her, Butler remarks, “Not sure I have had to overcome anything yet; I feel like every day I am faced with a new challenge, but the challenges and new learning experiences are what make education such an enjoyable profession.

Students are adapting to learning from home | Courtesy Photo

Armenui Manasarian, who is one of PUSD’s TechLeaders, teaches at Sierra Madre Middle School. She describes how she conducts her virtual classes. “For about ten years now, I have been using the LMS (Learning Management System) called Powerschool Learning. I post my assignments and content on my class pages; I record myself giving the lessons on screencastify and post them on my page for my students to listen to it and view it. To establish as much connection as possible, I check in with them by conducting polls and using discussion boards on Powerschool. I have embed Nearpod lessons, Listewise lessons, videos, etc. Eventually, I will be using Google Meets to connect to the class for live instruction.”

Continues Manasarian, “I teach five periods – two classes of English, two classes of History, and one elective that is a tech class/Hawk News with a total of 167 students. My elective does the school news broadcast and we are trying to do this remotely and sending them out to the school as a means for all of us to connect.” 

“Every Monday, I post an agenda for the week so students are clear about expectations and are able to manage their time; I film tutorial videos which I send to parents and students to help them along and as to what my expectations are. I create a Dropbox so that students know where to turn in the assignments. My students use various tools such as Kami (lets them type on PDF) so that they can do the work and turn it in. I am also emailing my students/parents. I am available on Google Hangouts whenever students and parents have questions or are confused about lessons.”

“I look for interesting topics to cover. Some discussions are lecture types with only me; some are interactive where they can respond to each other in the class; and there are times when they record their voice response or, using animation, they record a face response. 

“Not being able to explain things in person is a struggle at times, especially since this happened so suddenly that we didn’t really have adequate time to prepare the kids. They all have various types of households with different schedules. Their parents might not be able to help as much or they might not have the best access to internet. I try to make things very clear and set norms, guidelines, and routines so that everyone can follow along. I give them a suggested schedule, but it is up to the family to enforce them.”

While this pandemic brought to light the limitations of remote learning, it also brought out the best in the PUSD. Manasarian notes, “I am proud of my district for the pace, teamwork, and efficiency with which they dealt with the situation. They set up learning materials for two weeks for teachers who needed time to learn, and to transition and plan all of this. They made sure all students had Chromebooks so that they can all access the content and curriculum. Everyone worked together to ensure this to be a success for both teachers and students. We really came together as district leaders and teachers in this time of crisis.”

If teachers are sometimes challenged engaging middle-schoolers, those who teach the youngest learners have their work cut out for them. Five-year-olds need hand-holding and getting solid educational foundation is crucial.

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A classroom devoid of students | Courtesy photo

Chelsea Eshnaur is a kindergarten teacher at Madison Elementary and has 19 students in her class. She expounds on how she delivers remote learning, “Using the PowerSchool, my students are able to log on to my page and see the assignments for the week; I am hoping in the upcoming weeks to try out a Google Hangout Meet. I don’t think I can use this to actually teach content because not everyone would be available at the same time to log on. In the past two weeks of online learning, I’ve only had about six students actually log on. But I’m hoping to just do a daily read aloud and just say ‘Hi’ to those who are available.

“As we have switched to this online platform for teaching, I have mostly just been creating my own method for pushing out content. Being in kindergarten has made it harder to adapt my content to a digital platform, but there are so many resources out there from other educators that have made it pretty seamless.

“I have created additional resources on my page that include ‘Enrichment’ and ‘Intervention Practice.’ The goal of the ‘Enrichment’ page is to provide resources that would engage the students outside of the core academics. For example: art, science, social studies, P.E., etc…. In the ‘Intervention Practice’ page, I have a plethora of resources for the students to work on in areas that they might be struggling in, outside of weekly content.”

“Because my students are so young, I cannot expect them to engage the content independently,” Eshnauer says further. “They need the help of someone at home to log on and work through everything with them (reading directions, etc…). I know that this model of school work has been an adjustment, not just for me and my students but for their families as well, many of whom are still working during the day.

“I’ve had a handful of parents reach out for clarification. I’ve sent out emails, phone blasts, and messages on Remind (messaging system), with very few responses. This is the most frustrating part because, like I said earlier, for the younger students, they need someone to help them access all of this. And when I have 4 out of 19 parents respond to any updates, it makes me think that the other 15 students aren’t getting anything.

How do you know if the children are actually taking in the lessons you’re posting online? I query. Eshnaur replies, “That’s a good question! Because I don’t have every student logging on daily, I cannot guarantee that all students are accessing the content. I include an online ‘quiz’ at the end of the week for each main content area (phonics, reading and math).”

While it’s still early days and there isn’t much data available, I nevertheless ask Eshnauer what has worked well and what hasn’t since remote learning has been put in place. She says, “So far I have found that I just need to be as available as possible. For parents that are accessing the content during the ‘school day,’ I’m trying to check emails and messages as often as possible in case of any questions. Also, be willing to troubleshoot everything! Online learning is new for all of us. So I’m constantly checking links and asking parents to let me know if they’re not working on their end, etc…

“What makes me nervous since going to online learning is just the lack of data that I will have. I know people might think, ‘it’s just kindergarten,’ but this part of the year is critical. I still have about half my class that are struggling to master the alphabet (ID and sound). This part of the year would have been more intensive as I worked with them to get them where they need to be. But so far, most of those students are not even logging on. And now they’re going to go to first grade at a disadvantage and the gap will just get wider and wider the more they progress through the grades.”

These are unprecedented times we live in. The world as we know it has been upended and most normal activities have practically ground to a halt. As disconcerting as our conditions are at the moment, however, life has to go on and so we persevere.

And as we have seen on television and read in the papers, during these extraordinarily dire times when our resources are diminished and our spirits are tested, we manage to make the best of our circumstances. Our collective will to fight the odds prevails and makes us soar above adversities.