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
Mia Jong

Mia Jong, Staff Writer

Mia Jong is a staff writer for her first year on the Portola Pilot. She loves to create, whether it be with a paintbrush and canvas or a pen and paper, and she can’t wait to write stories with fellow Pilot members. In her free time, you can find her chucking onions in the game Overcooked, scrolling through StackOverflow forums to fix her code, solving escape rooms with her cousins, creating sticker designs, and watching Pixar movies. She believes everyone has a unique story to tell and hopes to give a voice to the Portola community through her writing.

All content by Mia Jong
Attacker and sophomore Ryder Tonkovich cocks his arm to score a point against Long Beach Poly High in the second quarter. The Bulldogs’ win against the Jackrabbits added to their long list of victories this season, allowing them to build their momentum and confidence, according to head boys’ water polo coach Kate Avery. “We have been playing some good teams and weve come out on top, which is great,” Avery said. “Our offense is looking really good. Our defense has been looking fine. We can always improve there. We are a defensive-minded team anyways.”

Boys’ Water Polo Dominates Their Game Against Long Beach Poly High

Sonia Wang and Mia Jong | September 28, 2023
Parasocial relationships become unhealthy when viewers start prioritizing their favorite celebrity over real-life interaction. In extreme cases, parasocial relationships can be traumatic for the viewer as well as the celebrity because it can lead to attacks on personal character, threats and stalking behaviors, according to “13 Fanning the Flames of Fandom: Celebrity Worship, Parasocial Interaction, and Stalking.”

When the Connection Turns Dark, Viewers Turn on Their Phones: The Dangers of Parasocial Relationships

Mia Jong and Sonia Wang | May 16, 2023
Seniors Elizabeth Bank, Sydney Badescu and Aryan Mittal showcase their passion projects based on their personal and academic interests. Over the course of the 2022-23 school year, they developed and refined their projects. “It was a lot of fun to have the opportunity to do something purely for fun in class and just have a project that I was really excited to work on,” Badescu said.

Senioritis? Not for These Seniors who are Pursuing Their Passion Projects

Mia Jong and Ruhi Samudra | May 4, 2023
Some fans of celebrities harass the winners, who won instead of their favorite for that category because they place so much importance on these awards.

[Photo] Awards Shows are Not as Important as Artists’ Artistic Merit

April 12, 2023

Tutorial: How to Make a Mini Donald Duck Clay Charm

Mia Jong, Photo Editor | April 11, 2023
Junior Terry You speedruns a level of “Plants vs Zombies” with the aid of his notes that he took on speedrunning from watching YouTube tutorials. “Since a child, like really young, Im really interested in computer and especially in gaming,” You said. “But the thing is, I dont really play team fighting games because I feel like you rely on your team too much. I like to explore on my own, and especially in speedrun, you are learning about how each game is programmed.”

The Rise of a ‘Plants vs. Zombies’ Prodigy: Junior Terry You Speedruns His Way to the Top

Mia Jong, Celine Lee, and Annette Van Wyk | March 15, 2023
Junior Eric Liao and senior Nora Tang sort through the mini prints sold at Night of the Arts. As Visual Arts Board president, Tang was in charge of organizing the decorations and communicating with the board to choose the layout and music. “She communicates really well with all of us, and shes just a great person overall to work with,” vice president and senior Summer Hsieh said. “Shes good at making decisions that are great for the Visual Arts Board and takes care of the technical stuff such as making spreadsheets and copies.”

The Art of Leadership: Senior Nora Tang Utilizes Creativity as President of the Visual Arts Board

Mia Jong and Sonia Wang | March 3, 2023
Junior Haaris Alam extracts nanocomposite from a Brabender machine in the Stony Brook University in New York to collect data for his Science Fair project. “I was really proud of my ability to be in the lab for hours on end, where Im collecting data and learning about the different machinery,” Alam said.

Bulldogs Digitize Projects for IUSD’s 42nd Annual Science Fair

Mia Jong, Photo Editor | February 7, 2023
Skiers often have a much more enjoyable experience on the mountain, effortlessly coasting down flat slopes, while snowboarders are left behind, often losing their balance. Falling on a snowboard can be extremely traumatic, especially when falling forward since both feet are attached to the board, according to snowboarder and senior Chris Lee.

Settling the Feud in the Snow: Skiing will Always Remain Superior

Mia Jong, Photo Editor | January 4, 2023
Although listening to music while studying is popular among many students, others may be able to achieve success better through natural sounds such as those presented through “white noise.”

[Photo] Ranking The Best Study Music Genres For Upcoming Finals Season

November 16, 2022
Utility player and sophomore Ryder Tonkovich prepares to score in a league game against Northwood. The majority of varsity players such as goalie and team captain Grant Kramer are seniors, which motivates the team to work harder. “My mindset is that because I’m a senior, it could be any game or any practice could be our last practice,” Kramer said. “Because if you lose, you’re done.” (Photo Courtesy of Grant Kramer)

Boys’ Water Polo Makes Bulldog History as League Champions and CIF Runner-up

Mia Jong and Sonia Wang | November 15, 2022
Media platforms such as Netflix and Hulu often weaponize and manipulate the trauma of real people for financial gain, failing to provide accurate consideration for these real people’s lives. “I feel like it is impossible to only want to inform. You need people who finance these shows and documentaries, and they want to see certain things,” science teacher Michael Tang said. “I don’t think we can ever achieve objectivity or completely good intentions. It’s so tied to money; it’s so tied to fame.”

[Photo] Trauma Voyeurism: An Unethical Means of Gaining ‘Clicks’ in the Modern Age

November 7, 2022
Freshman Dylan Erol and peer tutor and senior Adrian Chow work together to tackle a math assignment solving absolute value equations and analyzing graphs. Since peer tutoring is free and located on campus, it provides a much easier alternative for parents than off-campus tutoring, according to peer tutoring adviser and counselor Melissa Gibson.

Turning the Tables: Students Become Teachers Through Peer Tutoring System

Arnav Chandan and Mia Jong | November 2, 2022
While society often perceives trick-or-treating as a tradition reserved for younger children, teenagers can have great enjoyment from the festivities. Many people try to hand out extra candy to teenagers to encourage them to hold on to their childhood, according to Spanish teacher Kari Tubbs.

Trick-or-Treating Is Not Less Sweet as a High Schooler

Mia Jong and Tara Vatandoust | October 26, 2022
Students in the Portobellas a cappella group hold practices every Friday during office hours and are currently practicing “Waiting for the World to Change” by John Mayer. Before each rehearsal, the group members warm up their voices with singing exercises in a semicircle. Instead of a conductor, the group snaps fingers to keep time, according to junior Nithila Francis.

From Soprano to Bass, Meet Portola’s Student-Directed A Cappella Group: the Portobellas

Mia Jong and Sonia Wang | September 21, 2022
Students walking or biking home from school often had the sun directly on their faces, and temperatures regularly exceeded one hundred degrees throughout the school day, according to CNN. In the future, there are many actions students can take to reduce the frequency of heat waves and stay cool. Taking initiative by voting for climate policies and ensuring that one is hydrated are two easy steps for students, according to science teacher Leanne Lupone.

Record-Setting California Heatwave Disrupts School Activities

Mia Jong and Tara Vatandoust | September 12, 2022
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Mia Jong