The student news site of Portola High School

Portola Pilot
The student news site of Portola High School

Portola Pilot
The student news site of Portola High School

Portola Pilot
Cindy Mei

Cindy Mei, Social Media Team

Cindy Mei is the co-social media manager for her first (and only) year on the Portola Pilot. She is excited to explore various writing styles and finally learn how to use a camera. When she is not reading or writing, she can be found judging books by their covers at Barnes and Noble, daydreaming, starting a Webtoon and never finishing it, or watching really cheesy Chinese romance dramas.

All content by Cindy Mei
JV track captain and senior Amogh Baddam works with his teammate, sophomore Hyoora Lee, during the 4x100 relay to ensure a successful baton pass. “Chemistry is a really overlooked part of a relay,” Baddam said. “You have to be able to anticipate how your partner is going to react to something not going right in a race and what to do if your baton exchange isn’t perfect, which it won’t always be. And I think that’s a huge part of having success as a team because there’s only so much you can do on your own.”

JV Track Captain Amogh Baddam ‘Relays’ His Wisdom to Underclassmen

Catherine Li and Cindy Mei | May 13, 2024
Not-So-Objectively Reviewing Some of Portola High’s AP Courses

Not-So-Objectively Reviewing Some of Portola High’s AP Courses

Cindy Mei and Michael Sun | April 8, 2024
ROP Career Specialist Gage Peterson sits at a table that the counseling office set up during lunch on Jan. 12 to give students information about Coastline ROP. Peterson said ROP courses are great opportunities for all kinds of students, from those who have a specific trade or vocation in mind for their futures to those who want to explore new fields and interests or prepare for a preferred subject of study at a four-year university. Opportunities to interact with students and staff like this are what have shaped Peterson’s experiences at Portola High so far. “It's just been a great, great place to learn and train and see how to best serve students — by learning from the counselors that are here and then also the students,” Peterson said.

Meet Our Staff’s Newest Bulldog: ROP Career Specialist Gage Peterson

Cindy Mei and Maya Tedini | January 17, 2024
Portola Singers member and senior Nithila Francis sings as the Symphonic Orchestra plays the musical accompaniment to “The Snowman” animation being projected in the background. Members of the orchestra used headsets and a monitor to stay in tempo with the animation, according to sound board operator and junior Amicus Carrasco. “The click track had allowed the instrumentalists and Mr. Stevens to keep in time with the video and made sure that they kept a consistent tempo because any deviation from the tempo would mess up the entire Snowman portion of the show,” Carrasco said.

‘Twas the Night’ of ‘Projecting’ Holiday Spirit at the Instrumental Concert

Tyler Kim and Cindy Mei | December 13, 2023
Senior Renee Yasuda dances at 1 Million Dance Studio in Korea in August 2022. They followed hip-hop choreography to the song “bad guy” by Billie Eilish. Yasuda said the dance instructor taught the students the choreography in about one hour and filmed them at the end for their YouTube channel.

Senior Renee Yasuda Elevates Passion for Dance Though Instagram

Cindy Mei and Maya Tedini | December 7, 2023
Mountain Biking club president and sophomore Luke Passey presents about mountain biking trails he recommends, which are also potential meeting locations, at his club’s first meeting. Some of these trails are found in Irvine Regional Park, Crystal Cove and Whiting Ranch, with the last being the location he’s considering for the club’s first mountain biking excursion.

‘Paving’ the Way: Mountain Biker Luke Passey Shares His Hobby with School Community

Cindy Mei and Maya Tedini | November 9, 2023
Performer and freshman Annie Xiao tips her head down to showcase her bamboo hat, a symbolic element of the Chinese ethnic group that her dance represents — the Huayao Dai. “The goal of the Chinese Dance Company of Southern California is to spread the art of Chinese dance and Chinese culture by many different styles through original pieces and adapted pieces,” Xiao said.

22nd Annual Irvine Global Village Festival Connects Diverse Communities Through Cultural Appreciation

Cindy Mei, Social Media Team | October 20, 2023
Amidst the digital age, mobile planners have become far more prevalent than physical planners; only 21 of 65 students polled on Instagram voted that they use a physical planner.

The ‘Pixel-Perfect’ Planner: Why Digital Planners Outshine Physical Ones

Alice Ahn and Cindy Mei | October 12, 2023
Math and computer science teacher Ran Gu debugs code alongside senior Vishak Iyer, who just began learning the computer programming language Python. Gu said his move to Portola was driven by his love for teaching computer science, as funding a computer science course is difficult at a middle school.

Math and Computer Science Teacher Ran Gu Graduates With His Jeffrey Trail Students

Cindy Mei and Maya Tedini | September 27, 2023
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Cindy Mei