Seniors Make Major Decisions for Future Success

Ava Caleca and Justin Tang|May 7, 2021

Jaein Kim

Seniors’ passions have led them to a variety of colleges and universities — some across the country and others right at home.

As the 2020-21 school year draws to a close, seniors are making plans to pursue their passions in a multitude of colleges. With hundreds of majors to choose from, settling on a single field of study for four years can be a daunting task, but seniors’ diverse high school experiences can help point them in the right direction. Below are the stories of seniors who have selected a university and major. Whatever career they ultimately decide to pursue, they will always carry Portola High’s PRIDE values with them.

Kevin Du
Harvard University
Major: Mathematics
“I ended up going with Harvard because it has a really solid math program,” Du said. “The professors and a lot of the student body, at least in the math department at Harvard, they’re all really passionate and committed. So I think I would find myself fitting in there.” (Photo Courtesy of Kevin Du)
Paul Morenkov
University of California, Irvine
Major: Biomedical Engineering
“I knew I wanted to do something bio-related, but medicine directly didn’t really appeal to me, and I knew I wanted something more hands-on,” Morenkov said. “I liked the problem solving aspect of engineering, so bioengineering is kind of a really good combination of those two things.” (Justin Tang)
Kayla Cantor
Santa Ana College
Major: Nursing
“Honestly, for a while I was very conflicted on what I wanted to major in. First I wanted to be a veterinarian, then an English teacher and then a nurse,” Cantor said. “I decided on nursing because the nursing program that I am going into at my local community college is a great program, and I am really excited about it. I want to be able to change lives and help people.” (Photo Courtesy of Kayla Cantor)
Maddy Fukuda
University of California, Berkeley
Major: Molecular Environmental Biology
“Last year for Passion Day, I went to a segment where there was a guest speaker, and she was a veterinary assistant. I was kinda like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is what I want to do as a career,’ so I started researching how to get into veterinary science,” Fukuda said. “You basically need a biology major, so I was like, ‘Okay, I’m gonna pursue biology.’ On the Berkeley website, it said under the molecular environmental biology tab that students who were hoping to pursue a career studying animal behavior should take this as their major, so that’s how I chose it.” (Photo Courtesy of Maddy Fukuda)
Adele Yoon
San Diego State University
Major: Anthropology
“I decided to major in anthropology, and I chose it because I liked how it kind of is like a cross-section between so many other subjects,” Yoon said. “It incorporates a lot of biology and psychology and a little bit of philosophy. I like learning a wide variety of things, so it was perfect for me.” (Photo Courtesy of Adele Yoon)