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
Maya Tedini

Maya Tedini, Co-Editor-in-Chief

Maya Tedini is an Editor-in-Chief for her third and final year on the Portola Pilot. She’s looking forward to creating memories with this year’s wonderful staff and connecting with new groups in the community. When she’s not scouring through an interview recording of an inspiring student she has just met, you can find her listening to music, that may or may not all be by Gracie Abrams, reading, at cheer practice or deeply invested in crafting her Pinterest boards.

 

All content by Maya Tedini
Students vote in polling booths found in the University of California, Irvine (UCI) Student Center. “It is very important for young people to be involved and do their civic duty because they are going to be the ones living in the future, [which] depends on the results of the vote,” UCI vote center lead and Orange County Registrar of Voters representative Elena Marukhlenko said. “So it's very important for young people to know what's going on and to find out and just be proactive.”

UCI Polling Centers Facilitate Youth Voter Participation

Parmin Zamani and Maya Tedini | November 7, 2024
English teacher Amber Linehan discusses the novel “The Summer I Turned Pretty” with freshman Sophie Kingman as they wrap up their book club unit. “I love to just get lost in a book, and if I can encourage one or two people a year to find that love that didn't have it before, then I feel like I'm doing my job,” Linehan said. “I just want to embrace what's human about us and embrace kindness and working hard because that's what we have as humanity. That's what we want to keep going.”

Turning a Page in the Book of Opportunity

Aditi Salunkhe and Maya Tedini | October 14, 2024
Spider-Man, one of the most beloved superhero archetypes in Marvel Comics, has been brought to life in various adaptations. Read below to see which films truly did this character and his story justice.

Our ‘Spidey Senses’ Tell Us These Are the Best Spider-Man Films to Watch

Maya Tedini and Parmin Zamani | June 7, 2024
Junior Luke Porter and senior Mathias Lee committed to the Naval Academy, and junior Abby Miller committed to the Air Force Academy to pursue their passions and desire to serve their country. “I'm honestly super excited to work in the military after graduating,” Miller said. “I know that might be a weird thing to say, but that is something that kind of drew me to the military academies: it’s knowing that after I graduate, I have a job for at least five years. I honestly think that jobs in the military are just so incredible, and they're so honorable. I don't really want an office job and being in the military is definitely kind of a way to find a job with a larger purpose.”

Answering the Call to Command: Meet Three Military Academy Commits

Hannah Ko and Maya Tedini | May 3, 2024
As a well-rounded student-athlete, senior Rocky Palacio balances a busy academic life and athletic schedule, taking on challenging STEM classes and long football practices. He said that he tries to stay focused on his goals and avoid giving in to distractions. “My academics have always been a strong focal point of my parents for me, but also personally, I value them a lot,” Palacio said. “Especially if you're good at academics and you pursue athletics, then it could take you to a lot of places. Working hard in the classroom also translates into other areas of your life and just opens a lot more opportunities.”

Senior Rocky Palacio Displays Achievements in Both Academics and Athletics with the National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete Award

Maya Tedini and Parmin Zamani | April 12, 2024
Girls Who Code (GWO) co-President and senior Injila Adil hands a microphone over to Planet Protectors President and junior Sahana Ananth during their meeting on March 20. The two clubs plan on collaborating to code an app designed by Planet Protectors that promotes environmental consciousness, according to GWO co-President and sophomore Avnit Kaur.

Girls Who Code Club Celebrates STEM Field Trailblazers for Women’s History Month

Maya Tedini | March 28, 2024
Clarke smiles with some of her Math 1 students during their Pi Day festivities, which began after a quiz, allowing them to unwind and have fun at the end of the day, according to freshman Peter Cooke. Clarke said many students pitched in by bringing food and drinks for the party, and Cooke even made her the pi model.

Pi Day Insπres Math Teacher and Enthusiast Melanie Clarke

Ruhi Samudra and Maya Tedini | March 14, 2024
Softball coach Lili Belton plays in a collegiate softball game on Westcliff University’s team. Belton completes a back door slide safe at home to avoid the tag and score the run.“ [She] takes it very seriously and what [she] brings to the program is skill and discipline, and kind of just this youthful experience,” head softball coach Alexandra Dobbs said. “I would say [she] is this perfect combination of sensitive and kind, but driven and serious.”

All-around Athlete: Lili Belton Balances Collegiate Softball and Devotion to Coaching

Maya Tedini | March 4, 2024
Irvine High student and under-secretary-general Eshika Abbaraju, secretary-generals junior Ruhi Samudra and senior Kayleen Kim and Irvine High student and under-secretary-general Ishaan Gaikwad speak at the opening ceremony. “Kayleen, for example, she's been in MUN since freshman year,” Wi said. “I've been with her every step of the way every single year. It's just it makes me really happy for her that she can leave Portola knowing that she's helped start this tradition. And ever since I met Ruhi in MUN, she's just the person who gets things done and gets things done really well, but she will take absolutely no credit for it and wants no attention for it, and I just love those types of people.”

MUN Hosts First Conference in Collaboration with Irvine High

Maya Tedini, Opinion Editor | February 8, 2024
Portola High alumnus and Calvin University junior Josh Steinberg celebrates with teammate Charlie Trey-Masters after winning gold at the 2023 Pan American Maccabi Games in an open men’s 3v3 basketball tournament in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Portola High Alumnus Josh Steinberg Finds the ‘Key’ to Success Through Basketball

Camille Clement and Maya Tedini | January 29, 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
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
Lisa Hu Chen, an Orange County photographer and mother to Portola High students, takes photos of the boys’ basketball game on Nov. 28. “I think the best pictures that I've taken, especially with the boys basketball team, were pictures of kids on the sidelines,” Chen said. “They might be starters or they might not be, they might not be playing the whole game, but the way they show how much they love the team by being there just comes out of the pictures.”

Local Photographer Lisa Hu Chen Illuminates Campus Life

Maya Tedini and Ruhi Samudra | December 5, 2023
Zaara Batla and Vianna Pineda are the only two seniors on the flag football team. “It was just being part of a new group, a new team, seeing how far we could get in our first season,” Batla said. “That was really exciting to me.”

Seniors Vianna Pineda and Zaara Batla ‘Snatch’ the Opportunity to Play Flag Football in Their Last Year

Maya Tedini and Parmin Zamani | November 14, 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
Wide receiver and sophomore Zoe Del Rosario attempts to evade two of Northwood High’s players as they try to pull her flag. To improve for future games, head flag football coach Julie Primero said that the team needs to work on their catching and communication with each other.

Flag Football’s Tough Loss Shapes Goals for the Rest of the Season

Maya Tedini and Parmin Zamani | October 2, 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
3759X members and juniors Pranav Patlola, Martin Pan, Adrianne Chang and Audrey Kim from Fairmont Prep pose with their fourth place winning robot at the 2023 VEX Robotics World Championship in Dallas, Texas. Eight hundred teams qualified for the world championship out of about 20,000 states teams, according to Pan.

Robotics Team 3759X Builds its Way to World Championships

Hannah Ko and Maya Tedini | May 24, 2023
Lauren Van (right) paved the way for her younger sister Hailey Van (left) to start dancing. “When I was younger, I would always watch my sister doing ballet,” Hailey Van said. “My mom said that I was really interested in doing it, so she signed me up, too.”

Dance Duo: Sisters Hailey and Lauren Van Connect through Shared Talent

Maya Tedini and Parmin Zamani | May 22, 2023
Freshman Kyson Lu holds up a prototype Motorola phone, a product that was never released in the public market. As networks designed to support vintage phones begin to shut down, Lu said that many of his vintage phones have stopped working, but his passion for collecting remains ongoing.

This Freshman Owns Over 120 Retro Phones

Arnav Chandan, Maya Tedini, and Camille Clement | April 26, 2023
Sophomore Katie Le laughs as she talks to delegates from other local high schools in the U.S. Senate committee about the possible solutions their bloc could propose to combat domestic terrorism. “It’s all about fun, first of all, and some of them were able to practice their public speaking, practice their research skills and practice their ability to follow specific procedures and formats to reach goals,” MUN adviser and social studies teacher Daniel Hunter said.

MUN Competes at University High’s Annual Spring Conference

Maya Tedini, Staff Writer | March 31, 2023
Junior Gabby Sarabosing eats sweets in Sofia, Bulgaria with her grandfather, grandmother and twin sister in 2017, six years before her grandfather was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. According to Sarabosing, she has not visited Bulgaria since, but her mother went there to see her grandfather for two weeks in January. “My mom, even when she was in Bulgaria, was like, ‘I don’t want to send you pictures of him because you’re going to be so scared,’” Sarbaosing said. “‘He’s so different.’ So It’s just hard seeing him.”

Two Families who Are Fighting Cancer this National Cancer Prevention Month

Maya Tedini, Staff Writer | February 27, 2023
Center midfielder and senior Yasser Mallisho scored two goals on Senior Night. “It was amazing, you know, last league game of my life,” Mallisho said. “High school’s been an amazing time starting since sophomore year in varsity, and it’s been a hell of a ride.”

Boys’ Soccer Wraps up League Season with 3-0 Senior Night win against Sage Hill

Maya Tedini and Parmin Zamani | February 15, 2023

[Video] 3 Homemade Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas

Aditi Salunkhe and Maya Tedini | February 10, 2023
Math and computer science teacher Katherine Dillon visits a waterfall in Ninghai, China, where she studied abroad, explored as a tourist and went on a business trip to. “I started traveling because my school had some international trips and being able to communicate with other people in a place where I couldn’t understand very much was really really exciting to me,” Dillon said.

Math and Computer Science Teacher Katherine Dillon Builds Unique Connections as a Five-Language Speaker

Maya Tedini | January 12, 2023
Oh My Ghods Pottery owner and recurring seller at the market Sarah Ghods describes her small business and draws in shoppers with her display of handmade ceramics.

Small Businesses Exhibit Imaginative Products at the Woodbury Town Center

Maya Tedini and Parmin Zamani | December 7, 2022
Sophomore Brandon Phomsavanh stops at the middle of the Moro Ridge Road trail in Crystal Cove State Park during one of many mountain bike rides with his father, Lee Phomsavanh.

Mountain Biker Brandon Phomsavanh Trails up to New Heights

Maya Tedini and Parmin Zamani | December 7, 2022
Sophomore Megumi Chang prepares to shoot during the 2022 USA Archery Junior Olympic Archery Development Target Nationals on July 21. Chang said her interest in archery sparked at 9 or 10 years old after she watched “Brave,” a storyline surrounding a princess named Meredith who is extremely skilled in archery. “I really like archery, because it taught me resilience and discipline and responsibility of your own shots,” Chang said. “Since it's not really a team sport, you have to depend on yourself, and it's on you.” (Photo Courtesy of Megumi Chang)

Behind the Bow: Megumi Chang Shoots for Bullseye at USA Archery Nationals

Celine Lee and Maya Tedini | October 28, 2022
All registered voters are allowed to vote in the midterm elections by mail-in ballot rather than attending the elections polls on Nov. 8. Voters who vote by mail must make sure that their County elections office receives their ballots no later than seven days past Election Day, according to the California Secretary of State office.

California Voters Will Receive Mail-In Ballots by Oct. 10 For the Midterm Election

Celine Lee and Maya Tedini | September 30, 2022
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Maya Tedini