The End of a Decade, the Start of Our Lives
Social media is overflowing with posts and articles celebrating the end of a decade, as 2019 draws to a close and we welcome the year 2020. There are also people who argue that the new decade really starts in 2021. Whichever side you take on this debate, the past ten years have shaped our planet and constitute the majority of our lives — and it is still the beginning of a new year. The Board would like to share its reflections on 2019.
Hannah Yang, Editor-in-Chief
2019 has been… crazy. I attended my first Fashion Week show and attended Business of Fashion’s annual China Summit for the second time. I went to prom for the first time. I switched glasses for the first time since seventh grade (ha!). I did my first internship over the summer, which convinced me that I want to pursue advertising and digital marketing as a career. I attended my third and last Summer @ Stanford, where I reunited with some of my favorite people in the world (you guys). I officially moved from my home of thirteen years, Shanghai, to Santa Clara. I got to take my first University-Level English course, which has been my favorite class at OHS in my six years here. I applied to college! I finally got to watch Hamilton! I discovered the astrology app Co-Star, which I think is the best thing since sliced bread! I’ve made new friends and I’ve reconnected with old friends, and I’ve done more than I anticipated at the start of the year but have many new goals yet to achieve.
While all of the things I did remind me that this has been the most stressful year of my life so far, this past year has also been the most fulfilling. In CRA, I read Martin Buber’s I and Thou, a text that has articulated something I’ve always believed: that our lives are meaningful because of the relationships we build. I’m lucky to have experienced what Buber calls “I-You” relationships — where “I” comprehend all the world through my understanding of the “You” — with my friends at OHS, who I truly believe will be my friends for life. Though I’ll continue to strive to achieve, to learn, and to grow, I’ve come to the happy realization that as long as I have these wonderful people in my life, I already have everything I need. That’s something I hope everyone will be able to experience in 2020! As we enter the new year, I urge you to think about your relationships with the people around you, with your environment, with yourself. What can you do to ensure that your relationships are nourishing you?
Nicole Wu, Stories Editor
With this year being senior year, my fourth and final year as a high schooler and an OHSer, I have been able to look back at my freshman self and see how much I have grown. I was that student, the one who made endless to-do lists and schedules with time increments down to the 30-minute block. I followed those to-do lists religiously and snapped at anyone who dared to ask me to do something outside of those schedules. Freshman and sophomore me did get good grades. These to-do lists kept me disciplined and on top of my school work, extracurriculars, and countless meetings for yearbook, student government, and writing center appointments. Junior me still got good grades and so does senior me, but there’s a difference between me now and me four years ago. I still use those to-do lists, but I have learned how to not hold them so tightly with both hands, white at the knuckles, refusing to let go. I have learned to have fun, as cliche as that sounds, and be spontaneous, to enjoy my time as a high schooler and take opportunities as they come. I won’t be able to spend time with family and friends in the same way after I graduate, so I have chosen to keep only one hand on my to-do list and grab hold of real human connection with the other.
Yes, we as OHSers are busy and yes, academics are important. I am thankful for how diligent I was in my quest for good grades now that I am moving through the college application process. But I also missed out on a lot, holed up in my room in front of the computer. This year, I have promised myself to go for it, to get out and when it’s worth it, throw my to-do list to the wind. A friend wants to Skype and just talk? Of course. My family wants to go out for lunch? One spontaneous meal won’t cause my world to implode.
At the OHS, social life doesn’t just happen. You have to make it happen. I have made stronger bonds and friendships in this past year when I learned to let go and actively pursue connection than I had in my other three years at the OHS. Whatever it takes, it’s worth it. There’s nothing like the connections you can make with other OHSers, bonding over a school life that no one else understands and eventually becoming forever friends. Don’t take yourself so seriously. You only get this chance once. Trust yourself and give yourself the freedom to take it.
Pooja Kalyan, Stories Editor
My first year at OHS has been both amazing and surprising. I have met so many wonderful people, joined two great clubs, and attended two OHS events (Summer@Stanford and MIT Splash/Homecoming). I love that in just a few months, I truly feel apart of OHS community, and what’s more, I have been able to pursue nearly everything I want to in school and still travel for my figure skating training and competitions. This semester has gone by incredibly fast, but I am excited to see what the latter half of junior year has to offer. 2020 will be BIG for all of us at OHS — I just know it!
Paige Yeung, Culture Editor
The past fall has been a fairly wild and busy time of year for me as a soon-to-be second-semester junior. I’ve enjoyed much of what I’ve been doing so far in the school year; at times I've noticed that what it takes to rekindle my excitement for a simple idea is to think about it a little more or discuss it with someone else. But equally importantly, I have to note that as my schedule fills with increasingly many tasks, pondering ideas for leisure and engaging with the OHS community shift a little lower on my list of priorities.
Recently, I read an online post about the mindset of engaging in activities without attachment to the outcomes. I think it will be important for me—and other OHSers—to internalize this—to consider what more we want to give and contribute, over what we believe we deserve or should have accomplished. As we enter the spring semester, we will, as always, face the reality of budgeting time, and it's easy to forget about our convictions in favor of their concrete manifestations. I would encourage you all to think about the things that you signed up for, whether it be choosing a course or taking up an activity—and track your process in developing your vision: consider your progress alongside the end results, failures alongside successes.
I hope that this piece gives you a new outlook on the coming semester. As I continue with the Pixel Journal into the spring, I'm excited to raise more discussion about student culture and aspects of the OHS experience.
Rachel Hu, Clubs Editor
As finals are behind us, reflecting on the past semester has shown how much I have grown as a student, an athlete, and as a member of the OHS community. At the beginning of the school year, I struggled a lot with managing the heavy course load while still making time for my practice every day. I was not used to taking so many hard classes and this was a huge adjustment for me. However, I have really made an effort to improve my schedule so that I am more efficient yet can still have time for the things I enjoy, like meeting with my friends or going out with my mom. In addition, I also engaged more in the OHS community this semester. I took the opportunity to participate in more clubs and talk more on Skype. As a result, I had the chance to get to know some of my other classmates really well, more so than during my previous two years at OHS. Although 2019 was a challenging year for me, I learned a lot and am proud of all I have accomplished. I will still have a lot of room in 2020 to grow even more, and I am more than excited for it!
The Pixel Journal Editorial Board wishes you all a very happy new year!