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Unraveling the Crisis: Israel, Hamas, and the Ongoing Struggle for Peace

Claire Blatt

In early October 2023, a devastating war erupted in the troubled region of Israel and Gaza, renewing the heartbreaking cycle of violence that has persisted for over a century. The conflict, which pitted Israel against Hamas, the militant Islamist group that has governed Gaza since 2006, left a trail of destruction, injury, and loss on both sides. As the world watched in concern, it became evident that this long-standing dispute had not lost its capacity to inflict pain and suffering on the innocent civilians caught in the crossfire.

Hamas, which stands for Harakat al-muqawama al-Islamiyya, is a Palestinian national-Islamic movement. It is frequently criticized for endorsing anti-Semitic beliefs within its ideology, framing the conflict with Israel in religious and uncompromising terms. Hamas publications have portrayed Jews as instruments of the West or as the power that controls and manipulates the West in the ongoing conflict. They emphasize a dichotomy between Islam and Judaism and depict the struggle as a “war of religion and faith” between Muslims and Jews. Unlike non-Islamist Palestinian groups, Hamas makes no distinction between Judaism and Zionism, often using “Zionists” and “Jews” interchangeably in their rhetoric. This anti-Semitic perspective has become a central element in Hamas’ ideology and is used to explain their perception of the current crisis in the Muslim world. However, compassion for both the suffering people in Gaza and those hurt in Israel is necessary for reconciliation, but this war sadly seems far from over. 

The Conflict Unfolds

The fateful day of October 7, 2023, witnessed a sudden and deadly escalation of hostilities. Hamas fighters launched rockets into Israel, an audacious attack on southern Israeli cities and towns along the border with Gaza. The result was catastrophic, with hundreds of soldiers and civilians killed or injured and dozens taken hostage. The scale of the attack took Israel by surprise, prompting an immediate and lethal retaliatory response.

Within a mere day of the attack, Israel’s cabinet formally declared war against Hamas, and the defense minister issued a directive to the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) to impose a “complete siege” on Gaza. The consequence was daily exchanges of rocket fire between the two sides and the distressing order for over one million Palestinian civilians in northern Gaza to evacuate in anticipation of a possible ground assault. Meanwhile, Gaza found itself in the grip of an impending humanitarian crisis, with dwindling supplies of water, fuel, and essential resources as Israeli forces controlled these necessities. This grave situation placed the lives of innocent civilians in jeopardy.

A Troubled History

The conflict between Israel and Palestine dates back to the late 19th century when Jewish immigrants settled in the region, then part of the Ottoman Empire. The subsequent turmoil led to the establishment of Israel in 1948, which sparked the first Arab-Israeli War. The war ended in 1949 but resulted in the displacement of 750,000 Palestinians and the division of the territory into Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip.

Tensions between Israel and its neighbors, Egypt, Jordan, and Syria, persisted in the following years. The 1967 Six-Day War led to Israel’s occupation of the Sinai Peninsula, Gaza Strip, West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights. Attempts at peace negotiations, like the Camp David Accords, improved relations between Israel and Egypt but did little to resolve the question of Palestinian self-determination.

The Palestinian people have suffered immensely, culminating in uprisings such as the First and Second Intifadas. The Oslo Accords provided a framework for Palestinian self-governance, but the situation remained plagued with challenges. The ongoing expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank further complicated the prospect of peace.

Escalation and Concern

Like previous cycles of violence, the recent conflict in October 2023 raised concerns. President Joe Biden strongly supported Israel and increased the U.S. military presence in the region. The United Nations Security Council called an emergency meeting but failed to issue a consensus statement. The international community expressed deep worry for the safety of civilians on both sides and those held hostage by Hamas.

The situation became more complex with the possibility of Iran’s involvement, given its support for Hamas and other extremist groups. There were concerns that Hezbollah, another group backed by Iran, might be drawn into the conflict, potentially expanding the crisis beyond the borders of Israel and Palestine.

Furthermore, the October conflict disrupted a U.S.-brokered effort to normalize relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia’s commitment to Palestinian rights and safety has complicated the progress made in this regard.

The conflict between Israel and Hamas in October 2023 is a stark reminder of the enduring  struggle in the region. This prolonged crisis has cost countless lives and caused immeasurable suffering to generations of Palestinians and Israelis. The search for lasting peace remains an urgent and vital endeavor, one that must be pursued with unwavering commitment, empathy, and a shared vision of a brighter and more harmonious future for all those affected by this long-standing conflict.

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Santa Catalina School to go CoEd in the Year 2100

The Gaslighter

By Quinn Connolly

The question among Catalina students of all ages has always been, “Will Catalina ever go CoEd?” Well, we have recently been informed that the school has finally set a date: 2100. I know this seems like ages away, but in reality, it’s only 77 years. The planning for this is very recent, and not much is known about what will be done in the future to promote this new version of our beloved school. What we do know is that everyone has something to say about the future change. 

Santa Catalina student Delilah Futjita says she likes “that it’s going coed” and feels “that it is something that has been needed for a while.” Although the change might be difficult, many Catalina students already feel prepared and excited to start planning. Delilah, who is also the Sophomore Class President, “could not be more excited to start the 77-year planning process for this event.” She also feels “very excited about the different sports and games on campus as well as the different activities that would be added to the school.” Delilah is among many supporters, but some students feel that this is a wrong decision. 

One member of this opposing argument is Delilah Fujita. In another encounter with her, she stated that she “one-hundred percent disagrees” with this new venture and believes that it will take “too much work and effort for me (Delilah Fujita), personally, to get it done as the Sophomore Class President.” Delilah is a member of a group of similarly aligned students who believe that this change will take too much effort and energy to actually make it happen. However, this group is not the majority of the student population, and most people believe we can figure this out. 

As members of this Santa Catalina Community start to embrace (or disregard) this future change, they are left with feelings of hope, excitement, and wonder for the future. We hope that the generations of students to come will look back to 2023 as a time of prosperity and beginnings and that they appreciate the work we have put in to get them to where they are in the future. The planning to come to get us to 2100 will be strenuous, but worth it for those ahead. 

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Barbie Movie Review

Cecilia Yu

When stepping into the theater to see The Barbie Movie, we all dressed up in pink or as our favorite animated Barbie character.  Stepping out, some had tears in their eyes, other’s hair strewn all over the place after running their fingers through it multiple times, and most seemed like they received the most shocking news of their life.  

Barbie was all about watching animations of what we dream of as little kids of being: a fairy becoming a mermaid, a commoner turning into a princess, and having our true love save us from a curse.  She usually had her animal sidekick; a random species with a strange name (though quite cute): Kuda the seahorse, Lila the unicorn, and Bibble the puffball (the superior sidekick).  If you don’t know Bibble, you are missing out.  Please go and watch Barbie: Fairytopia right now, your life is incomplete without seeing a babbling puffball hurl itself across the screen.

Anyways, what people expected was a world filled with pink and possibly magical scenarios such as turning into a mermaid, having wings, saving the prince (multiple times because women are always stronger than men), and so on.  What we got was quite the opposite.

Instead of space stations and Santa Claus’s warehouse, we got an inspiring piece that talks about societal norms and how toxic they are to the female sex.

We start with Barbie and Ken enjoying their lives in the Barbie world which is beautiful, pink, and everything a girl can dream of.  Everything is going well until she faces the reality of going to the human world.  There, Barbie finds out she isn’t as perfect as people make her believe.  In Barbieland, she was the most famous because of her style, looks, kindness, and the list goes on.  But in the human world, she was criticized, and people questioned her existence.  

She returns to Barbieland, wondering what is wrong with her, and why she isn’t good enough. Gloria, played by actress America Ferrera, was not one of Barbie’s big supporters in the beginning, but once Babrie suffers from a breakdown and identity crisis, she is there to let her know nothing is wrong with her, society is wrong. Gloria goes on to say that Barbie is “so beautiful, and so smart, and it kills [her] that [Barbie] doesn’t think [she’s] good enough.”  Gloria points out society’s flaws, such as the idea of women being “thin, but not too thin,” or how one is supposed to “be a boss, but you can’t be mean,” or how women are supposed to “answer for men’s bad behavior” which in itself doesn’t make any sense. She goes on to talk about how messed up societal views are on women and how impossible the expectations are of them.  Women should be “grateful” for what they have but know that the “system is rigged” and address it somehow but do absolutely nothing about it.  Gloria goes on and on about these problems, raging about how unfair society is with the expectations of what a woman should be and how it is nearly impossible to fill such a role.  Here, Gloria says everything that women feel today, and when she gives her speech, she says it unapologetically.

This talk soon placates Barbie, and after gathering her thoughts, she chooses to leave Barbieland and become a human.

The last scene is what stumps many people.  Why would Greta Gerwig, the writer and director of this film, end it on Barbie saying, “I want to see a gynecologist?”  Gerwig explains in the Town & Country “The Ending of Barbie Explained” article that she was “embarrassed about [her] body.”  She added this little phrase at the end to have a bit of a joke moment but also show little girls that if Barbie did it, they could too, building up our next generation with the thoughts of being able to do what they want with their body.

The overarching theme throughout this storyline is whatever you think is beautiful and amazing shouldn’t be deterred because of societal views.  If society says what you do is wrong, then you should do it again, and again until it is accepted and until it forces society to broaden its view and see the beauty in everything.

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“Freshman, Time is of the Essence!”

By: Abigail Jung

Freshman year is hard. Whether navigating through a new campus, making new friends, trying to adjust to a new schedule, or remembering what a coefficient is––we’ve all been there. Like I said before, Freshman year is hard! So, here’s the big question: “How do I make it easier?”––Short answer: It probably won’t if I don’t try. Long answer: Getting used to things and building constructive habits takes time. For example, when I was a Freshman, I struggled a lot with time management, which most students still struggle with even after graduating! However, even though I’m still learning how to manage my time, it made Freshman year and my Sophomore year so much easier! When it comes to time management, most people don’t have time for it. Now, that might sound like a joke, but it isn’t. And many people get scared or confused when the topic is brought up, mainly because they know deep down that they don’t have it. Believe me when I say that probably no one does. But you can work on your daily habits to improve your time management skills! For example, I started writing a schedule of the things I needed to do every day. And yes, this is a given if you are going to school, but surprisingly, I did not get the memo somehow. In my freshman year, I decided that I would just remember. It was as simple as that. Just remember that I had ten pages of notes due on Thursday and to bring everything from the study hall home. It did not work out well… especially when I forgot a textbook at school. That was the worst part. 

Now, one thing I did other than start writing in a planner was keeping all of my books at home and only bringing the ones I needed for the day. And this does work if you are a boarder, too! From my second semester of freshman year onward, I never used a crate again. I’m not saying that you should do this. I have a lot of friends who I know would actually forget their books at home, but it worked out for me, so if you’re struggling, try it out! One quick tip is NEVER to bring your textbooks to school unless you ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO! Your back and shoulders will thank me later. What I did when I was a freshman, on top of keeping my books at home, was keep everything in my backpack the whole day. Okay, I’m just saying that I had a really good backpack with thick straps so my shoulders and back don’t hurt, and I DO NOT recommend this if you (1) have a weak back or (2) have a backpack with spaghetti straps. Honestly, I think those things should be banned. But always having everything in my backpack made it easier for me to get to class earlier. The perks to getting to class early are: (1) you can study for a test/quiz in that class, (2) you can relax knowing that you won’t be late, (3) you can read, etc. Another amazing time saver is always being on top of your work, no matter what. I didn’t start doing this until my Sophomore year, but it will help you so much you might cry (or it will prevent that). Utilize your weekends. Now I know that most people like to relax and go out, but in my opinion, like Rory Gilmore, school will always be first! I’m not saying don’t spend time with your friends but make sure you finish your work without staying up until 2 a.m. All in all, time management is one of the most important things you can do, especially in your Freshman year!

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COVID-19’s Effect on College Admissions

Uso Atuegbu
May 19, 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic particularly impacted high schoolers in the Class of 2021, who recently experienced the already-convoluted college application process. The pandemic-induced cancellation of numerous extracurricular activities, along with the adjustment of many high school grading systems, are just two factors that affected students’ college applications. 

Additionally, in this school year, over two-thirds of colleges and universities did not require standardized testing in the form of the SAT or ACT exams as part of their application process. Known as the “test-optional policy,” this practice will likely continue into the foreseeable future. As a result, higher learning institutions saw a general increase in application numbers this year, presumably from students who felt more confident in their admissions chances now that exam scores are no longer obligatory. Colgate University, a liberal arts college in New York, saw the country’s greatest percent increase in applicants, at 106.2 percent. Colleges such as Stanford and members of the Ivy League became so overloaded with applicants that they pushed back their admissions decision release dates.

Forbes magazine reports that the number of applications from international students increased by ten percent this year, compared to the 2019-2020 school year. In addition, applications from first-generation students (the first in their families to attend college) increased by 20% to more selective schools such as the Ivy Leagues. According to preliminary admissions data, this year also saw more minority and low-income students apply to prestigious institutions. Harvard received 57,000 more applications for the Class of 2025 compared to last year. Cornell saw the most applications of the Ivy League, receiving around 67,000 applications, some 17,000 more than last year. 

The test-optional college admissions trend has sparked mixed reactions from parents and students. Some believe standardized testing disadvantages certain groups of students, such as those who cannot pay for tutoring or test prep books. As a result, many, including the Dean of Admissions at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, hoped that eliminating the testing requirement would create a more diverse incoming class. Whether this will be an effective approach going forward remains to be seen. 

With the test optional policy also comes the question of whether or not students still stand to benefit from taking the SAT or ACT. While some test-optional colleges do not look at standardized test scores altogether (these schools are “test-blind”), others will consider scores in the admissions process for those who have submitted them (these schools are “test-aware”). This leads many college counselors to believe that high test scores corroborate students’ academic qualifications in the eyes of college admissions officers and thus provide an advantage in the application process. 

The Wall Street Journal has referred to the test optional policy as “the most chaotic selection experiment in American higher education since the end of World War II.” One example of this chaos includes the phenomenon that while prestigious schools saw a marked increase in application numbers, lesser-known colleges experienced a decline in applicants. As explained by one Massachusetts college counselor, the “disturbingly [large]” increase in applicants to selective colleges led to unprecedented declines in acceptance rates, and larger pools of students relegated to the uncertainty of waitlists and deferrals. Thus, while the test optional policy initially seemed to make it “easier” to earn admission to a top school for those students with weaker standardized testing scores, in reality, the competition only became more challenging.

Evidently, the uncertainties brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic have not left the realm of higher education unscathed. Perhaps, in the near future, the challenges of the test optional policy will motivate the development of a new generation of standardized tests– such a plan seems to be in the works within the University of California system. According to Janet Napolitano, UC President, UC schools are creating their own personalized standardized test, the content of which is currently unknown. Ultimately, only time will tell how standardized testing will impact college-bound students in the future.

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What’s New on Netflix? by Talia Ragsdale-Cronin

Netflix has always been a great place for me to go to find new releases or discover new thrilling TV shows. This year, Netflix has been releasing a couple of shows that have become more familiar to people. As a studious Netflix-watcher, I was really interested in the release of Riverdale. During the fall, other shows such as Stranger Things 2, American Crime Story, Narcos, BoJack Horseman, Greenhouse Academy, American Vandal, Fuller House, and Alias Grace have been released in the past few months.

When I was growing up, I read Archie Comics for fun. Archie Comics is a continuous comic strip that shows comedy in the fictional life of an average red-headed teenage boy, Archie Andrews from Riverdale, his best friend Jughead Jones, and his two girlfriends Betty Cooper and Veronica Lodge. Other characters are part of the comic as well. When the show Riverdale was released early this year, I was really excited and surprised that there was a show based off of a comic. After I saw Season 1 in about a week, I was totally surprised as to how well it was directed.. The plot was thrilling and the cast was well chosen. In general, Riverdale is about Archie Andrews, Jughead Jones, Betty Cooper, and Veronica Lodge’s adventure of solving different problems that arise in the town of Riverdale. There are thrills, mystery, and some romance. Cole Sprouse plays Jughead in the series, and I think he was the reason why Riverdale became so popular, but after people realized what a great show it is itself, they don’t watch just for Cole Sprouse alone. As the second season starts, the plot starts to thicken. I don’t want to uncover any events that happen, so I suggest that you watch at least the first season on Netflix if you haven’t already. Each episode gets uploaded onto the CW website for weekly episodes. I suggest Riverdale as your go to on Netflix. It is not scary, but it is an exciting thriller. Somehow, you will not only get pulled into the show, but also enjoy it.

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What’s New on Netflix? Tara Ragsdale-Cronin

Netflix has always been a great place for me to go to find new releases or discover new thrilling TV shows. This year, Netflix has been releasing a couple of shows that have become more familiar to people. As a studious Netflix-watcher, I was really interested in the release of Riverdale. During the fall, other shows such as Stranger Things 2, American Crime Story, Narcos, BoJack Horseman, Greenhouse Academy, American Vandal, Fuller House, and Alias Grace have been released in the past few months.

When I was growing up, I read Archie Comics for fun. Archie Comics is a continuous comic strip that shows comedy in the fictional life of an average red-headed teenage boy, Archie Andrews from Riverdale, his best friend Jughead Jones, and his two girlfriends Betty Cooper and Veronica Lodge. Other characters are part of the comic as well. When the show Riverdale was released early this year, I was really excited and surprised that there was a show based off of a comic. After I saw Season 1 in about a week, I was totally surprised as to how well it was directed.. The plot was thrilling and the cast was well chosen. In general, Riverdale is about Archie Andrews, Jughead Jones, Betty Cooper, and Veronica Lodge’s adventure of solving different problems that arise in the town of Riverdale. There are thrills, mystery, and some romance. Cole Sprouse plays Jughead in the series, and I think he was the reason why Riverdale became so popular, but after people realized what a great show it is itself, they don’t watch just for Cole Sprouse alone. As the second season starts, the plot starts to thicken. I don’t want to uncover any events that happen, so I suggest that you watch at least the first season on Netflix if you haven’t already. Each episode gets uploaded onto the CW website for weekly episodes. I suggest Riverdale as your go to on Netflix. It is not scary, but it is an exciting thriller. Somehow, you will not only get pulled into the show, but also enjoy it.

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Taylor Moises

My identity is very important to me. However, I don’t know what identifies me and I fight over what my identity is everyday. I’m a very self-reflective person. I’m not sure exactly when that started. I’ve always been an overthinker and in my head all the time, but throughout my time at Catalina and especially this year, I’ve been reflecting on who I am and who I want to be.

I remember first searching for my identity adamantly when I first got to Catalina. It was a new school in a new city with completely new faces. Coming from an elementary and middle school similar to Catalina’s lower school, I’d known the same people for the past 11 years. I knew where I stood with them and knew who I was. But coming to Catalina changed things. During my freshman year I completely loss touch with my middle school best friends, old classmates, and worst of all, I distanced from my cousins and their families. A lot of it was on me; Catalina takes up so much of our time. We’re here from at least 8 to 5 everyday and then homework takes up the other hours. Even though I’m not a boarder, and Monterey is only 45 minutes from Salinas, they are separate worlds and it’s hard to relate my Catalina experience to my middle school friends who stayed in salinas and I didn’t have as much free time to hang out with my cousins. And if starting high school isn’t hard enough along with losing everyone I was close to (besides my immediate family, my core), I was trying to make new friends at Catalina and create lasting relationships and make good first impressions.

From what I’ve mentioned, it probably seems like I hated my freshman year. I didn’t. I did make friends and I thought I had figured out my identity and it was nice. Though it took an adjustment period, I assimilated to Catalina culture. Freshman year I decided my identity would be where I was from– East Salinas. Sure I’ve never attended public school in my life and 85% of my time is spent in Monterey, but I live in the hood (I don’t.) “I’m not the same as these white girls from Monterey and Carmel,” I’d think. “I’m a POC, I’m different, I’m unique.” It sounds pretty bad now but when searching for self, you look for what makes you special and skin color and culture is what I first picked up on. Before Catalina, the majority of people I knew were Mexican and Filipino. It was a culture shock. Plus, it wasn’t fully one-sided. I even had a basketball coach freshman year calling Mikayla and me “Marina and Salinas.” That was my identity (or at least what I thought) for freshman/sophomore year.

Two years had passed and I thought I knew who I was. I had broken in Catalina like you do with new shoes. I had my best friends; I had my extracurriculars; I felt good about myself. But then I mark junior year as another turning point in my life, or at least in my struggle to figure out who I am. When I decided to audition for the winter play, Macbeth, instead of playing basketball, it confused my peers and muddled my “identity.” Sure switching after-school activities shouldn’t change me if I identified solely by my house’s area code, but I also identified with my extracurriculars, as we tend to do here, which, for me, had always been sports. I’d never performed on a stage before (unless you count a Christmas play when I was in 8th grade. I was just a narrator too, I didn’t even have to act). But Just like going from Salinas to Monterey shouldn’t be that drastically changing, sports and theatre are divisive and separate worlds. I spent less time with my “sports friends” because we were on different schedules, and frankly, had less in common. I became best friends with my “theater friends.” All the changes made me really rethink my identity once again.

Before, I had figured out who I wanted to be to Catalina when I was on the outskirts of the community, but now I was fully participating as an upperclassman and needed to figure out where I stood within Catalina. This identity crisis continued throughout college application season because you’re supposed to show colleges who you are, what’s your identity, with 650 words or less. How was I supposed to tell colleges who I am when I don’t even know? I started writing my essays about my identity but all I did was paint the honest picture, that I didn’t know. As I’ve said before: especially in those long, angsty times, I overthought everything.

But self reflection has been key. By continually searching actively for who I am, I’ve practiced retrospective thought. By pulling from my roots, my core, and my friends throughout this year, I’ve come to terms with not being able to pinpoint who I am. Knowing who I am, doesn’t necessarily mean identifying with labels. Labels are good for some things, but they mostly oversimplify us and put people in separate, clean-cut boxes. I, for sure, do not fit in a clean-cut box – or at least I don’t want to. I’m constantly changing, as we all are, and being here at Catalina for the past four years has forced me to recognize that and accept that. I’ve realized it’s more important to just do what I want to do and figure my whole situation out later. It also helps that I’m not the only one struggling over my identity. I cried each time I saw Moana in theaters (yes, multiple times), especially when she sings “I am Moana” ….(gets me every time, 10/10 recommend this movie). Coming of age stories, and stories of finding self, appeal to me because I’m going through that too. And while Catalina has allowed me to delve into this search, college is where I’m going to find my answers. As admission officers and deans tell us, “In high school, we learn to answer questions. College is a place to ask the questions.” And boy, do I have questions.

So all in all, my search for self may not relate to all of you but what I’ve tried to express  through this reflection is this: enjoy your time here at Catalina; take advantage of all Catalina has to offer, don’t put yourself in a box, keep moving; and it’s okay if you don’t know exactly what you want now or at the end of your senior year. College is for exploring who you are, and you/ we have so much more to experience and learn from. Keep on and fight on. 🙂

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Sofia Vela

What is my purpose? What am I doing here? These are the types of recurring questions that I faced at the start of high school.

 

Now, let’s rewind some years. I had always been a particularly independent child. At the age of four, I decided to let my personal stylist go, a.k.a. mom, by explaining bluntly that I did not need her to do my hair or pick out my outfits anymore, that I was perfectly capable of brushing and styling on my own. To help “lighten” my mom’s workload, I took it upon myself to lay out my big sister’s outfits, as well as make sure she was groomed and looking presentable for the day. By age nine, Mom quenched my thirst for independence by sending me off to the best summer camp there is. Summer at Santa Catalina became my home away from home. I felt safe, loved, and best of all free! Free from nagging parents, free from chores, and free to be whoever I wanted to be. One summer turned into two summers that, before I knew it, added up to five summers spent at Santa Catalina. During my last summer at camp, the summer going into freshman year, as Nikki and I paid our daily visit to Mrs. Reyes and her basket of chocolate, I noticed the collection of names on her cabinet, some familiar and others not. These were the names of the class of 2017 and this was the moment that planted the idea of attending Catalina in my head.

 

At the end of my eighth grade year I was ready to be unleashed! Anticipating the long road ahead of me, along with every twist and turn I would encounter as if I knew. Soon after this train of thought ran its course, the realization set in that, once again, I had gotten ahead of myself. Taking a few steps back–more like 50 steps back, actually–my parents and I began narrowing down which high schools would be the best fit for me. Attending high school at Catalina was a dream that I never once considered coming true, so it sat anxiously waiting to blossom in the back of my mind.

 

I spent my freshman and sophomore years at a school called Gross Catholic High School. I did well there and got involved. However, by sophomore year I felt that I needed a little something more. I had visited and toured Catalina freshman year, which solidified my desire to someday transfer and, on the other hand, further terrified my mom of having to let me go a few years sooner. Sophomore year I began dropping subtle hints to my mom, indicating to her that I was ready to move on to bigger and better things. By the end of the year, and way too many hints later, she fed into the idea and helped it grow until finally my dream became my reality. After many discussions, lots of decision making, and what seemed like endless paperwork, here I am, eternally grateful for the sacrifices my family has made in order for me to be here.

 

If it weren’t for my parents’ continuous support and undying faith in who I am and who I am becoming, I physically and mentally would not be where I am today. The opportunities and experiences presented to me through Catalina are beyond what I could have imagined they would be. I have grown so much in mind and spirit, thanks to Wednesday chapel services and Sunday masses. I have experienced what true friendship is and know what fake friends look like. I have matured through each struggle and stare confidently in the face of hard or seemingly scary tasks. I recognize that there is a chance that I may never again be in the midst of such incredible, intelligent teachers who actually care about me the way Catalina teachers do. What a gift. Every single teacher I have had has helped me grow in one way or another and most of them make me feel smarter just by being in their presence.  There is so much truth in the comments I hear about the Santa Catalina community being unlike any other I’ve ever experienced.
With all of this and more under my belt, I feel ready to tear into the next chapter of my life but have to admit that I will miss my home away from home. So, for those who are like me and can’t wait to know and experience what’s next, every now and then give yourself a second to stop, take a deep breath, and remember these wise words by Ferris Bueller, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it.” For those of you who can’t relate to that, here’s some advice that I know every Catalina girl could use: in times of stress, whip out that list of things you have to do or that assignment notebook I know each of you has and just take it one step at a time. I promise you, it will all get done.

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Juliana Tarallo

I am in a state of blissful unawareness. I think I have been for a while. About graduating, about leaving, about being considered an actual adult, even though we all know that we 18-year-olds are idiots and shouldn’t be trusted to make any real decisions. There is a book by a girl named Arden Rose called Almost Adulting, and that it exactly how I feel right now, not really in the sense that I am almost an adult, but that everything I do is just short of adulting. For example, after cooking a successfully healthy breakfast of oatmeal and fruit, I might enjoy a small dessert of three chocolate muffins and some salt and vinegar chips that I somehow managed to make last for longer than three hours, and call that a “healthy day.” Or, I might go to Target in search of a new pack of socks, only to realize when I get home that they were sizes 5-6 in baby’s feet. And yes, I did wear those little cotton coin-purse-sized sacks, because I’d be damned if I didn’t get my money’s worth. So, you see–almost adulting. But what I have come to learn over the past four years is that that is OKAY. Trying is what counts, even more than the actual final product. Unfortunately, this philosophy does not apply to my classes, like when I confuse the different Chi Square tests in Statistics or get a little too passionate in English class and accidentally maybe start yelling. But hey, this concept has generally served me well over the years–after I accepted its importance, of course.

 

It all began with theater. (Hold the eyerolls! I’ll make it quick.) When I came to Catalina, I didn’t really feel great at anything. I felt like Average Andy from The Ellen Show–you know, like I could get by doing anything, but never really excelled at anything. So, when I came to Catalina, I decided that I would try out theater and see if I could be great at that. Well, the first show I auditioned for was Scapino–you know, that weird comedy they put on a few years ago that had something to do with spaghetti? Well, I thought I would be perfect for the show, being a loud Italian already, but guess what, I wasn’t cast. I consider myself a pretty strong person, I’ve been through a lot personally, I can take rejection, but this hurt. My plan of being great in high school was foiled, and my confidence was at an all-time low. Luckily, as you all know, that story has a happy ending with many funny and memorable experiences, as I was later cast in Peter Pan, and the rest was history. What I learned from my time in theatre, and really at Catalina, is that being great is not nearly as important as being a part of something great, and Catalina is something great.

 

Let me leave you with some words of advice:

 

1)We live in a world where we ignore people to get their attention. Always say what you mean and be genuine.

2)Don’t try to be the tough, bad, strong girl, believe me. Take down the walls. This is something I am continually struggling with. Being kind is vastly underrated.

3)Don’t worry about the things you can’t change. You could be the nicest peach in the bowl, but there will always be someone who just doesn’t like peaches.

4)My final and most important piece of advice: Always run to lunch on curly fry day, because you will get stuck with regular.

 

Thank you.