Annie Xiao, Staff Writer
Annie Xiao is a staff writer for her first year on the Portola Pilot. When Annie is not worrying about failing EM2 and AP HUG, she can be found in the dance studio pursuing her passion for Chinese Dance or racking up an astonishing screen time on Instagram reels. Annie identifies herself as a huge foodie and loves sipping on the occasional matcha latte while enjoying all sorts of delicious asian cuisines. This year, Annie is really looking forward to making lasting connections within the Pilot community!
![Lead guitarist and junior Ethan Williams and rhythm guitarist and senior Eddie Chen rock the stage in a rendition of the Tran-Siberian Orchestra piece “First Snow,” which is conducted by instrumental music director Desmond Stevens. “Being able to have the rock musicians on stage with the orchestra musicians and having the full wind band on with everyone else puts nearly 100 students on stage together,” Stevens said. “Then [having] that element of all the lighting and effects and the students in the control room running that at the same time really builds [a] larger community.”](https://portolapilot.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/IMG_5824-1-1200x852.jpg)
![Freshman Nikitha Thota rummages through her pencil case in search of her favorite stationery item. Thota’s initial love for stationery was largely influenced by her older sister’s obsession with stationery, Thota said. “She used to always bring a bunch of pens home, then when I a little kid I would just see all this stuff, and I would think it's really cool. It wasn't me really going out and getting [stationery]. It was really just me taking it from her.”](https://portolapilot.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/IMG_0441-copy.jpg)
