Author Archives: Sophia B.

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About Sophia B.

Hello! My name is Sophia and I love being a MV teen voice blogger!

What is HOSA– Future Health Professionals?

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If you are a high schooler interested in the medical field, HOSA would be an amazing organization to get involved in! Health Occupations Students of America, or HOSA, is an international student organization that works to improve the access of high-quality healthcare to everyone and to promote potential careers in the medical field. HOSA offers a special program of leadership development, inspiration, and recognition.

The State Leadership Conference (SLC)

If your high school has a chapter, or you would like to start one, the main goal of the club is to compete at the SLC. You would need to compete in two different events, one fully online event (known as red events) and another online and in-person event (known as blue events). For example, some red events include Behavioral Health, Dental Terminology, Human Growth & Development, and Nutrition. Moreover, some blue events include Clinical Nursing, Dental Science, Medical Assisting, Sports Medicine, and Physical Therapy. However, in order to be eligible to compete at SLC, you would need to take tests on your knowledge of your events. If you pass your blue event, then you can compete at SLC and if you pass your red event, then you potentially can get recognized for being top 5 in the state (depending on your score).

The International Leadership Conference (ILC)

For both red and blue events, top 3 in the every state for an event are eligible to compete at the ILC in Nashville, TN. Along with competing, there are also workshops where you get to explore and learn about different paths of the medical field and tournaments like Anatomage (a team-based anatomy competition).

Overall, I hope I spiked your interest in HOSA! I have been apart of HOSA for two years and cherish the opportunities and knowledge it has brought me! I always have the most amazing time at the SLC with my friends and my passion for the medical field grows stronger every conference. I hope to see you at the next SLC!

-Sophia B.

Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi

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In my English class, we read the graphic novel Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi. The French-Iranian author of children’s books, graphic novels, cartoons, illustrations, and films created Persepolis as a memoir of her childhood when she lived in Iran during the Iranian Revolution.

To put the Iranian Revolution in perspective, the Islamic Republic of Iran, a theocracy ruled by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, was founded in 1979 after a series of riots and demonstrations that overthrew the Shah of Iran. The Shah was overthrown for a number of reasons, including political repression, economic difficulties, and public dissatisfaction with his rule (such as unrest brought on by the Shah’s westernization of the nation).

At the age of 10, Marjane Satrapi was forced to transfer from a coeducational French school to a girls-only school during the revolution. She was also required to cover her hair because the new Islamic regime enacted a law that, for religious reasons of modesty and dignity, required women to wear veils in public. The veil is a powerful symbol in the story because it stands for feminism, identity, and the oppression of women in Iran. Other struggles her family endured, like the Iraq War and her uncle’s execution for opposing the Shah and holding communist beliefs, are also covered in the book.

In AP World History, I formally learned about the Iranian Revolution and the overthrowing of the Shah. Once I read the book, I realized that people actually lived through the revolution and had to undergo the harsh conditions and the changes the new Islamic Republic established. Some of my friends’ parents experienced the revolution and describe it as fearful and deadly, and its long lasting outcome as a royal disaster for the Iranian people.

Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library.

Happy reading!

– Sophia B

Free Music Tutoring – Musical Mentors

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Interested in music and want free tutoring? My high school has a weekly after school program on Thursdays from 4:00 pm to 5:30 pm that offers music tutoring for elementary, middle, and high school students in the Capistrano Unified School District at no cost.

The goal of this student-led program is to inspire more students to keep practicing their instruments. Students are not required to have prior musical expertise, but they must bring their own instruments. Additionally, the students perform on a wide variety of band and orchestra instruments. Similarly, the mentors represent all instruments and grade levels. The students receive free lessons, grow closer to their mentor, and become more enthusiastic about music. As a result, the mentors build their confidence in their own teaching and playing skills while also gaining experience in mentoring. The mentors receive community service hours as an added incentive to participate in the program.

My brother volunteered as a musical mentor tutor for around four years and he passed the baton to me. Through this, I’ve learned how to teach and break down concepts for my students. Depending on the level of my students, I customize the lesson plans to meet their needs. This can include working on scales (fixing pitch and tone quality of the notes) and practicing how to count notes. Subsequently, I spend about an hour working with my students on songs that they need assistance with. Afterward, with thirty minutes remaining in the session, all students gather to practice rhythmic skills and prepare for our annual concert. At the end of the year, we host an annual concert that helps students become accustomed to playing in front of an audience while also providing parents with a chance to see what their children have learned.

Overall, the program helps our mentees develop a greater understanding and appreciation of music, increase their motivation to play their instruments, and work toward improving their musical skills. Musical Mentors is a beneficial and satisfying experience for parents, children, and mentors. I love teaching students, as I find it incredibly rewarding to connect one-on-one and expand their knowledge of music. I plan to continue mentoring for the rest of my high school career.

-Sophia B.

Empowering Kids with Disabilities to Ride: My Volunteering Journey

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During the summer of 2024, I volunteered at a camp where I had the opportunity to teach children with disabilities how to ride a bike on special bikes. The program was called “iCanBike” and I came across it through Lion’s Heart, a teen volunteering non-profit organization. I pursued two of my friends to volunteer at the week-long camp hosted by the nonprofit organization iCanShine, and all three of us loved every moment of it. 

We attended orientation where we learned how the specialized teaching bikes worked, the student that we were assigned to teach, and different strategies to keep our student focused on biking. 

At the beginning of the week-long camp, my student rode the specialized bike that iCanShine provided while I kept full control of the handle. I taught my student how to use his pedals and how to steer. My friends and I had split jobs to keep our student engaged, as they were in charge of keeping him motivated, while I was in control of our student’s safety (like keeping the bike from running into walls). 

Gradually, my student learned how to fully pedal the bike without my assistance. Using cues, I would tap my finger on his shoulder as a reminder to keep pedaling. As the camp came to an end, my student was able to bike on a two wheel bike instead of the specialized bikes and it was so amazing to see his growth!

Overall, this was an extremely rewarding experience. I got to connect with my student one-on-one and teach him the basics of how to ride a bike. I even made an impact on his family, as his mother was so excited to see her child ride a bike. Additionally, the smile on my student’s face when he realized that he was in control and riding the bike all on his own was invaluable. His mom even got him a bike of his own, showing how I’ve had an influence on his life. This volunteer project was important to me because I realized that I can help children with special needs to gain self confidence in their skills like bike riding. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and would 100% do it again.

-Sophia B

Shrek the Musical Review

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On November 24, 2024, my family and I went to see the Broadway performance, Shrek the Musical, at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts. The hilarious musical is based on the first Shrek movie made in 2001 and starts off in the fictional fairy-tale medieval town of Duloc. 

Summary of the Musical:

Lord Farquaad bans fairy tale characters from Duloc and sends them to Shrek the ogre’s swamp.  Shrek is enraged by this, and with the help of a talking donkey, embarks on a trip to speak with Lord Farquaad. Farquaad needs to marry a princess in order to become the king of Duloc, and he makes a deal with Shrek. Shrek needs to save a princess named Fiona, who is in a castle guarded by a dragon, and bring her to Lord Farquaad for marriage in order for Shrek to have his swamp back. Shrek accepts and both him and Donkey travel together, where they slowly grow fond of each other.

They finally reach the castle and cross a bridge above lava. Shrek goes to find the princess, leaving the Donkey alone. Donkey is captured by the dragon, who falls in love with him. During this, Shrek finds Fiona and he fights off the dragon, saving her and Donkey. 

Before reaching Duloc, they take shelter and the audience finds out that Princess Fiona has a curse that turns her into an ogre by night and she can only take her true beautiful form with a true love’s kiss. The next day, Shrek and Fiona become romantically interested in one another and by night she again demands shelter. Donkey discovers she is an ogre and describes herself as ugly. Shrek tries to confess his feelings to her, but overhears her talking about him.

He calls Farquaad to marry her, but misunderstands the situation that Fiona was indeed talking about herself and not Shrek. Shrek stops the wedding, kisses Fiona, and she takes her true form as an ogre. The musical ends with them married with children, and Farquaad eaten by the dragon, who marries the donkey.

Favorite Song:

The composition I liked best was “I Know it’s Today” by Leah Greenhaus, Marissa O’Donnell, and Sutton Foster. The style of the song is pop and I feel it is this because of the use of female singers, who sing with strong voices in unison, the piano, drums, flutes, who give the song the pop aspect. I liked this composition the best because of the passing of solos between the singers, the blend of the background vocals, and the catchy music. The music made me feel happy and calm and the music evoked the images of the Shrek movie. The song reminded me of when I was little on the couch watching it with my family. It gave me nostalgic emotions but also joyful emotions.

Overall, I 100% would recommend the musical to others and I had an amazing experience!

– Sophia B.

Why You Should Join High School Clubs

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As the school year begins, high school students form and join clubs. This phenomenon is called “Club Rush,” which is a week dedicated to students joining clubs. During lunch, there is a craze of students mobbing each club’s stand to see if they’re interested in joining. Clubs are extremely beneficial, as they:

1. Bring People Together: If you want to make new friends or be a part of something that brings likeminded people of your interests together, joining a club is a great way to branch out. Clubs are like gold mines for building social connections with your peers. For example, if you are interested in the debate club, joining will allow you to meet others who are interested in debate, and you can compete with or against each other.

2. Build Your Resume Up: Joining clubs allows you to be involved in your school, especially because they are considered extracurriculars. To preface, the clubs you partake in need to be worthwhile to you, as taking the time and energy towards clubs is what colleges value. Truly being passionate about a club shows that you are dedicated and contribute to the prosperity of your school.

3. Exploring Interests: For underclassmen, specifically freshman, joining clubs allows you to evaluate your passions and interests. You can gain skills that you might have found unimaginable, or you might join clubs that you already have hobbies in. Nonetheless, these clubs give you responsibility that is noteworthy, so being a part of clubs that you are interested in can help you figure out your college major and future job. 

4. Allow Leadership Opportunities: You can gain leadership positions in clubs, making you an experienced individual with managing projects and decisions. The communication skills acquired when running a club are invaluable. Overall, you can become more confident as a person and as a leader with the leadership skills you gain when operating clubs.

I hope my guidance inspires you to explore and join clubs at your high school!

– Sophia B.

What is MUN?

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Model UN or MUN is an extracurricular where students go to conferences and pose as delegates of the United Nations. At these conferences, students are delegates of their assigned country, where they work together to attempt to to solve a world issue.

Some may not fully understand what delegates do in their committees, but want to join MUN. Listed below are normal procedures in a MUN conference.

  1. Speeches: Each delegate gives a one to two minute speech outlining their ideas for solving the committee’s problem. Every speech should include background information on the subject, country policy, and your solutions as the delegate. 
  2. Unmoderated Caucus: UN MODS are unstructured discussion sessions (that lasts around 10-15 mins) during which delegates are free to speak with one another. You can create resolution groups during UN MODS with nations who have similar country policies or similar solutions.
  3. Comments: After every delegate’s speech, there should be two comments (each lasting about thirty seconds) during which the delegate addresses the past speech. 
  4. Moderated Caucus: MODS are scheduled, structured debating sessions that specialize on resolving a particular aspect of the topic. Early in the conference, delegates use the MODS to discuss and debate various concepts. Basically, it’s a debate format where delegates can speak for around 30-60 seconds about a certain subtopic.
  5. Resolution papers: Once meeting in UN MODS, delegates make resolution papers together on the topic, combining all their solutions together.
  6. Presenting: After all the resolution papers have been made, 1/3rd of each resolution group is allowed to present it to the whole committee. For example, if there are 6 people in your resolution group, 1/3rd of 6 is 2, so there are 2 people allowed to present.

I love MUN because you get to meet new people and act like a true United Nations delegate. MUN is truly a fun experience, as going to different conferences with your friends is really fun. I hope reading my post has encouraged you to join your school’s MUN!

-Sophia B.

The Porto Bookstore That Inspired J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter Series

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Harry Potter is one of the most best selling books in history. J. K. Rowling has sold more than 600 million copies, but where did she get the inspiration for her fantasy novels? Welcome to Livraria Lello, a famous bookstore in Porto, Portugal that inspired Rowling.

WHAT IS THE LIVRARIA LELLO?

The Livraria Lello was built in 1906 by two brothers, who created one of the most beautiful bookstores in the world with renowned architectural designs. The Livraria Lello has two stories that are connected by a magnificent staircase in the middle of the store. The shelves are elaborately carved and designed. When looking up, there are beautiful stained glass windows that read “Decus in Labore,” which means “Dignity in Work.” The Livraria Lello carries books in different languages, like English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish. There are multiple genres to choose from, and each book has a specially designed cover that can be only bought at the Livraria Lello.

HOW IS HARRY POTTER CONNECTED?

Between 1991 and 1993, J. K. Rowling lived in Porto, so no wonder the beautiful city gave inspiration to the manuscript of the first Harry Potter book. The Livraria Lello is believed to have inspired the inside of Hogwarts and Flourish and Blotts, the bookshop for wizards in Harry Potter.

Books purchased from the Livaria Lello

WOULD I RECOMMEND TO VISIT?

Yes, I would absolutely recommend visiting the Livraria Lello. I had an amazing time exploring the bookstore with my family. 

I know that my advice will find you well and I hope you visit Livraria Lello soon!

– Sophia B.

Lisbon Summer Vacation

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This summer, my family and I went to visit Lisbon. Lisbon is the capital city of Portugal and one of the oldest cities in the world. Its history is rich, and the city is filled with enriching museums and dazzling churches. The city is home to brightly colored buildings and the iconic Portuguese tiles that line the charming streets. 

My family and I spent a week in Lisbon, traveling from LAX to Montreal and then to Lisbon. We stayed at the Hotel NH Collection Lisboa Liberdade, located on the famous Avenida da Liberdade. The hotel offered a beautiful view of the city, including St. George’s Castle and the vibrant buildings. After unpacking, we explored the city center and enjoyed a delicious meal at McDonald’s. We then dined at Rubro, a restaurant that I would rate 9/10 for its filet steak and fries.

On the second day, we visited Belem, a historic district in Lisbon, where we saw the Marques de Pombal statue, the Estrela basilica, and the Empire Square Garden. We also visited the Jeronimos Monastery, famous for its intricate architecture and the resting place of Vasco da Gama. The Church of St. Maria of Belem was also a visit. We then visited the Monument of Discovery, where we took photos of the Tagus River and Ponte 25 de Abril bridge. We also visited the Belem Tower, which was closed by the time we arrived. After sightseeing, we returned to the hotel for dinner at a restaurant that served Fado, a traditional Portuguese music genre with a melancholic essence.

On the third day, we visited the Royal Jewelry Museum and the Royal Palace Museum, where we observed the royal palace’s unique rooms and tasks. We then took a hop on hop off bus to Lisbon, visiting the historic Águas Livres Aqueduct, the national park (Parque das Nações), and the National Tile Museum. The tile museum showcased detailed tiles, primarily blue and white, influenced by the Qing Dynasty. We then visited St. George’s Castle, built in the 12th century. We ended the night with dinner at a small restaurant called Taberna Anti Dantas, where we enjoyed sea bass.

On the fourth day, we visited the Lisbon Earthquake Museum, where we reenacted the 1755 devastating earthquake. We had lunch at Pastéis de Belém, a pastry shop known for their famous cream tart, Pastel de Nata. We also visited the National Museum of Ancient Art, which took about 3 hours to explore. We also took the Santa Justa lift to enjoy the stunning view of Lisbon. Lastly we ate dinner at Cafe Niccola, where I had a salmon filet with roasted potatoes.

If you are looking to take a vacation, I highly recommend looking into traveling to Portugal, as I enjoyed my stay heavily!

Travel books about Portugal are available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. They are also available to download for free from Libby.

What to Expect from a CUSD Girls Tennis Camp & Tryouts

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As the school year approaches, many high schools in the Capistrano Unified School District (CUSD) are preparing for the girls tennis season, as it is a fall sport. The preparation includes tennis camps and tryouts, where girls of all levels play each other to be placed on the team of their caliber. If you are looking to join your high school’s tennis team, listed below are what you should expect:

  1. Conditioning: During tennis camps the girls are expected to do a multitude of running drills to get their speed, endurance, and agility improved for the season. One drill is commonly known aspect “Suicides” where players line up on the baseline and then sprint to the lines below, making sure to touch the baseline again after each one. Another conditioning drill is relay races, where players divide up into teams and do one “Suicide.” Whichever team finishes first wins, and the losing team has to do whatever “punishment” the winners pick, like 10 squats or 10 jumping jacks.
  2. Hitting Drills: In both the tennis camps and tryouts, the girls play hitting drills with the coach on their court. This entails games where coaches feed players the ball, such as overhead and volley drills. There are other drills that include hitting forehand and backhand shots and then coming up to the net with an approach shot, followed by a volley and/or overhead.
  3. Practicing Serves: Players practice their serves simultaneously at the baseline during the camps. Usually while practicing their serves, there will be cones in the service box to target. This is advantageous since it teaches the players how to serve in match play by focusing on the corners. If you hit a cone, you typically will not have to participate in whatever conditioning the other girls on your court have to do.
  4. Live Ball: During live ball, the girls play games against each other, such as Queen(s) of the Court. In Queen(s) of the Court, there is either a single girl or two girls that are the queens on one side of the court. All the other girls have to challenge the queen(s) and if they win, they replace the queen(s) on the other side of the court. There are many other live ball games like Queen(s) of the Court that test how a player responds in match play.

I hope my explanation clarifies any questions you may have about how high schools in the Capistrano Unified School District operate their girls tennis camps and tryouts.

– Sophia B.