By: Isaac Villegas, Staff Writer
sonder (noun): the realization that every person you encounter has a life as vivid and complex as your own, filled with their own unique stories, dreams, and struggles
My goal in writing about many different people’s stories in this article is to show how everyone at Riverside Polytechnic High School is connected one way or another, and if you believe that you have ever felt the term above known as sonder, you are already not alone in that sense because so have I. In my four years of walking around this campus, I have never stopped being fascinated by the idea that the people around me could have interests and aspirations just like mine that I will never know about because we will never interact, but it doesn’t have to be that way. It all starts with the courage to simply say “hello.”
I tried my very best to interview all kinds of people at Poly, from students to staff regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, class, or religious/political affiliation. However, the irony in me attempting to write something that showcases the stories of all kinds of people at Poly is that the quieter students will mostly be unrepresented in this article because they may have not wanted to share their story with a total stranger (which is very understandable). This is a barrier I unfortunately could not go over, but I am still very hopeful that you, the reader, will find a situation similar to yours when reading these stories and perhaps even receive some comfort from it. If not, also keep in mind that these individuals make up such a very small percentage of the amount of people on campus and that there are still thousands of unspoken stories out there. Whether you believe in it or not, just know that you are not alone.
(This article was inspired by Brandon Stanton’s “Humans of New York (HONY),” a 2010 photography/storytelling project in which he interviewed strangers in New York City about their lives.)
Elise Aguilera (9) is a member of Poly’s band, and she expressed her tiredness due to all the work she has put in so far along with also feeling stressed in her biology class. “It’s just complicated…” she clarified. But despite Aguilera feeling a bit tired because of these things, she didn’t fail to clarify that marching band is also what is “keeping [her] going a lot.”
Lexi Avalos (9) is also in Poly’s marching band, and she recalls how one of her happiest memories is because of this extracurricular activity. She states that going on a trip to the Plaza with her friends after band camp is something she cherishes a lot since they “had a lot of fun.” Avalos also mentioned she has been struggling with her mental health, but when asked of something that keeps her going, she answered that her friends and Christian faith help her.
Mr. Bayarsky Cerar, known more simply as Mr. Cerar, is Poly’s American Sign Language (ASL) teacher, and he teaches at all levels offered at Poly (ASL 1, 2, and 3). He’s expressed the struggles he faces in teaching all levels ever since the other ASL teacher, Mr. De Hoyos, recently left Poly, leaving Mr. Cerar to take up all ASL classes. Nevertheless, he believes that knowing his students are excited to learn the language is what keeps him going every day.
Matthew Bravo (11) was very eager when asked about his happiest memory, in which he replied that it was at an eighth grade dance where he had his first kiss with his now girlfriend for three years. Although he’s struggling with procrastinating in his AP Chemistry class and now he has to “lock in,” Bravo is still looking positively far into the future when remarking that something that keeps him going is his romantic relationship, in which he plans to take “all the way.”
Kathryn Burke (11) says that junior year is “kinda kicking [her] butt” and she’s slightly struggling with some of her classes, which may not be ideal when coming from a family where it’s important to get good grades. However, she believes that both her parents (but especially her mom) are very laid back, understanding, and caring when it comes to academic stress, which has influenced her greatly. Burke also gets through this stress by not having given up on her dream to “truly help someone,” whether it be about getting them to realize it’s okay to talk about mental health or something similar to that.
For Emma Caro (10), one of her happiest memories was her quinceñera because “it was so fun and [she] really liked wearing a big dress.” Additionally, she claims that her cousin Lalli has made a great influence in her life given how she’s always looked up to her. While Caro has struggled with doing work this year, specifically in her honors chemistry class, a dream she hasn’t given up on yet is attempting to pass the class.
Mr. DeAnda is Poly’s assistant principal of “Attendance Matters” and perhaps the most famous voice on campus given his motivational speeches on the intercom every day before third period. Like all humans, Mr. DeAnda also struggles, and he has recently had a hard time getting students to actually show up to school. “This is one of the most healthy habits you can have,” he stressed, but “the next kid that comes says ‘hi’ or asking for help” reminds him of his purpose and keeps him going.
Maximus DeGuzman (12), more widely known just as Max, has many aspirations. When asked of something he’s struggling with, he confessed that getting a girlfriend is one of them, clarifying right after that he’s being “very serious about that.” However, DeGuzman also dreams of getting rich young, believing that there is “nothing better than that” and that it’s “like true freedom.”
Edgar Garcia (10) has found that balancing sports and homework has been his greatest struggle this year. Alongside this, he believes that boxing, the sport he plays, is about “one in a million to make it big in the higher stage.” However, Garcia won’t give up on his dream to become a professional boxer and he believes that “working out hard every day is probably the biggest thing that keeps [him] motivated.”
When asked about a recent happy memory of his, Jaron Gocela (12) said that passing his driver’s test was one of them. He looks up to his mom in that regard given that she helped him with his driver’s test and because she has “done a lot for [him].” Gocela is also already looking ahead into his future when he expressed his desire to go into the medical field to become a nurse practicioner.
So far, one of Caleigh Green’s (9) happiest memories is being in Poly’s Marching Band because of the community she has there. However, she also claims that juggling schoolwork and band has served to be quite difficult for her this year. Aside from this, Green believes that her friends are what keeps her going because “they make [her] feel really happy and [she’s] appreciative of them.”
Madison Harralson (12), with incredibly vulnerable honesty, expresses how she has not been doing okay recently due to “a lot of things going on at home.” Despite this, she believes that her mom has remained one of the biggest influences in her life because she “is the person [she] like[s] to tell all [her] stuff to.” Alongside this, Harralson’s best friend Saeed is also someone that keeps her going because “he’s been there for [her]” a ton in the past year.
Hazel Lambert (10) is a ballet dancer and has shows almost every week. While she feels well because of this, she has also been recently diagnosed with something commonly found in women after they give birth, but strangely enough is also very common in her family, where one cannot eat any bread, gluten, etc. While Lambert is figuring out how to tackle this, she also said that “going with the flow of life” is helping her push through it all and that her friends are helping her every step of the way, too.
Evelyn Magueyal (11), like many other juniors, states that one of her biggest struggles this year is turning in her work on time. “I’ve had projects back to back to back,” she claims. But while Magueyal is having trouble managing her assignments (mainly the bigger ones), she says that knowing she can relax and spend time with her friends and family after finishing her work is what keeps her going the most.
Javier Martinez (12), known more just as Javi, sees his sister Kathya as someone who has made the biggest impact in his life because she was always the one to help out with his homework and now that she has recently gone to college, this has inspired him to follow in her footsteps. This is fitting to a dream Martinez hasn’t given up on yet, which is to try and “live a normal life” and go to a 4-year university in order to acquire a job as an engineer.
Mrs. Martinez is an English and AVID teacher for juniors and while she has impacted many students, she finds herself being greatly influenced by her own parents. She states that her dad “really instilled […] hard work” and her mom was supportive in a “nurturing” manner. As a teacher in general, Mrs. Martinez has claimed that one of her biggest struggles is tackling the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and making sure it isn’t so easy for students to cheat by using it, but even so, she always remembers why she’s doing this, and that is to genuinely help students learn
Porter McCandless (12), like most seniors, has expressed his struggles with “choosing a path in life” and thinking of where he wants to go after high school. However, he finds great comfort in knowing that he’s not alone in this. “Despite everything, I’m still here today. I have dreams of doing things in my life and I can’t do that without being here,” McCandless said.
Angie Ramos (11) claims that one of her greatest influences is her brother Immanuel because he is always encouraging her to push herself so that she can achieve more. However, she also has found a challenge in talking to people, especially in AVID given that she is a new student in the program. In spite of this, Ramos’ dream to “be stable” and help out her family after they have sacrificed so much for her is what keeps her going.
Shaalah Richards (10) looks up to her mom the most because if it weren’t for her, she “wouldn’t be knowing how to take care of [her]self.” This is relevant to her life especially since something keeping her going is knowing she’ll be going to college soon to become an immigration lawyer, in which Poly’s Mock Trial has helped her with. “I’m actually Mexican and Black so it’s like, whoo!” Richards joked.
Amora Robinson (9) believes that her biggest influences are her parents because they inspire her to work harder. This motivation may greatly come in handy for her now given that her math grade has been her biggest challenge this year. “I just suck at math,” Robinson claimed; though, she feels a great sense of comfort in knowing that she can get extra help and tutoring in order to get her grade up.
Mr. Schiller does it all at Poly: he is an AP/Honors Chemistry teacher, Mock Trial advisor, and Photography Club advisor, just to name a few. It makes sense, then, when he claimed he was tired due to a lack of sleep and because of a few students that are hard to control. While Mr. Schiller is struggling with “juggling more responsibilities than usual,” he also believes that what keeps him going are the interactions he has with his students, which “keep [him] young,” and that he wouldn’t keep his job if he didn’t enjoy what he was doing.
Emilio Scott (12), although he feels very busy as of now, he is also quite happy because “the year is going good and […] life’s good.” Like many other seniors, he may be feeling busy because he is currently struggling with organizing his time, specifically with how much time he spends on his phone every day. Although life is quite stressful for Scott and others during this period of time, his dream to go to college (specifically UCLA) helps push him forward.
Ava Williams (10) recently transferred to Poly from Woodcrest at the beginning of this year, yet she feels very chill because her classes are decent and she has made many new friends. Although things are pretty nice, she has still struggled with “adjusting to different friend groups and meeting new people.” However, a dream Williams has not given up on yet is to be able to work with children with disabilities given that her sister has a disability that is one in fifty thousand and she would simply love to communicate and interact with these kids in general.
To conclude, I want to thank everyone who allowed me to interview them. Truthfully, each and every one of your stories have ignited some sort of spark in me that has helped me see people for more than just who they are on the surface. And to every person reading this, I hope that these stories have shone a light on you, too. We all have a story to tell, and if you believed that you would be too afraid to tell your own before reading this, I hope that has changed now. Your story matters. Don’t be afraid to tell it. Who knows? You using your voice could ease others into doing the same thing, which could trigger a chain of events. Always remember that we are all connected, one way or another.