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
Nicole Ferguson

Nicole Ferguson, Personal Story Director

Nicole Ferguson is the Personal Story Director and for her second year on the Portola Pilot. When she isn’t with her friends, she is practicing guitar or working. She loves music and reading! She really hopes she can contribute to a plentiful amount of eye-catching stories this year.

All content by Nicole Ferguson
Dance Company captain and senior Zurie Tran dances to “Move to Miami” by Enrique Iglesias. For Tran, performing is just one part of what Dance Company does at school events. “As Dance Company, part of our job is to make sure that we're cheering for everybody,” Tran said. “We make sure other people know how spirited we are, so we can show we have that Portola pride.”

Portola Dance Company Brings the ‘Heat’ to Welcome Back Rally

Annie Xiao and Nicole Ferguson | September 16, 2025
Despite the scrutiny that Harvard University has been facing from the Trump’s administration’s threat to withdraw funding, many students are taking a stand with Harvard president Alan Garber, according to CNN US. In their fight to maintain academic freedom, students have gathered in rallies on Harvard’s campus to protest. "Schools aren't simply institutions for learning, but also where students talk about values, current events and ideas,” sophomore Aarohi Kshemkkalyani said. “As political issues reach more of the younger generation through social media and increased youth interest, it is not surprising that schools become a part of the conversation. It is crucial that schools allow for respectful dialogue, creating safe spaces for students without any outside political pressures.”

Harvard Pushes Back: University Rejects Trump’s Administration’s Policies

Tamara Bradley and Nicole Ferguson | May 19, 2025
Families and friends gather to enjoy the music and entertainment in the main area of the event, “I think the best part is the fact that families and students get to come,” Rodriguez said. “They get to ride around and spend time with either their families or their friends. I think that's really cool.”

Irvine Annual Street Shutdown Brings The Community Together

Nicole Ferguson, Staff Writer | May 13, 2025
Junior Keyan Park performs a calculated pitch as he attempts to strike out the batter. “If you just stay confident in those times during a rough game, you can realize your mistakes, and you can learn from them, and then just move on,” Park said.

The Art of Pitching: What Makes Keyan Park Unhittable

Tamara Bradley and Nicole Ferguson | May 5, 2025
As tension continues to grow, the Bulldogs exchange a few words of encouragement. “During the game we tried to stay together and help each other try to win,” Rockwell said. “I learned that no team is ever out of the fight. Never let up even when winning the game. [You] never know who will do something that will flip the game upside down.”

Baseball Faces Tough Match Against Laguna Hills High

Nicole Ferguson and Tamara Bradley | March 13, 2025
Similarly to millions of people across the globe, sophomores Hiba Laique and Coco Marshall find enjoyment in slang found on the internet. On social media and the internet, roughly 89% of Americans find themselves learning slang from these sources, according to Preply.

Unpacking a New Wave of Internet Lingo

Tamara Bradley and Nicole Ferguson | November 14, 2024
The recently implemented Irvine Unified School District (IUSD) policy that standardizes temperature settings has centered attention on the classroom environment rather than learning class materials. “We spend a lot of time trying to make sure that students are continuing to be engaged,” English teacher Cale Kavanaugh said. “And so we think through a lot of different factors with that, and one factor is environment.”

Teachers Should Have Control over Classroom Air Conditioning

Sky Nguyen and Nicole Ferguson | October 23, 2024
Student Teacher David Pulanco leads the treble and bass choir through warmups at the beginning of class. “Probably my favorite thing about the students at Portola is how dedicated they are to the program,” Pulanco said. “They really love working for the music. They really love working hard to get the music done. It's a passion that I don't see a lot of in students.”

A Rising Voice: Student Teacher David Pulanco’s Journey to Portola High

Nicole Ferguson and Nina Krish | October 23, 2024
As can be seen with the 2003 Monkeypox outbreak in prairie dogs, a clinical sample of human skin is seen with an electron microscopic image of the particles of the Monkeypox virus. The WDPH was sent 104 reports of potential human MPXV cases. 27 of the 104 cases were mostly confirmed (70%), and some were only suspected, according to the National Library of Medicine.

Understanding Monkeypox: What You Need To Know

Nicole Ferguson and Tamara Bradley | October 8, 2024
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Nicole Ferguson