The Student News Site of Monta Vista High School

El Estoque

The Student News Site of Monta Vista High School

El Estoque

The Student News Site of Monta Vista High School

El Estoque

It wasnt until high school when I finally learned about how to use a DSLR camera.

Cracking a smile

Aidan Ruan March 21, 2024

As a child, my portraits always appeared a little funny. There was this certain awkward aura that my eight-year-old self emanated at every snap of the lens. Whether it was my inability to smile properly...

After years of debate, a key lesson emerged, much of it alongside my high school debate partner Saanvi Goyal. | Illustration by Alan Tai

Unresolved

Alan Tai March 3, 2024

Now presenting… ‘A Bill to Extend Paid Maternity Leave.’ May the negation please speak? I didn’t want to be there. I was forced to refute (or in debate jargon, negate) this bill. Yet, I still...

Social anxiety has been a constant barrier in making friends, often leaving me feeling lost in social situations. Photo courtesy of Shweta Gupta | Used with permission

Struggling through silence

Suhana Mahabal March 1, 2024

I’ve always been extremely introverted. Talking to people has never come naturally to me and it resulted in a consistent insecurity that I didn’t know how to deal with. For most of my life, that insecurity...

My sister and I dressed in traditional Indian clothes in preparation for a family photoshoot. Photo courtesy of Raghuram Venkatasubramanian | Used with permission

Dear Trisha,

Aashi Venkat February 14, 2024

Dear Trisha, We were both kids when our mother died. Despite this, you took a proactive role in filling the seemingly endless void that emerged as a result of this loss: you never had to dye my hair...

Cross-country and badminton were the two sports that I competed in during middle school.

Photo illustration by Aidan Ruan

Past the finish line

Aidan Ruan December 9, 2023

I hated cross country. I hated the sharp burning in my lungs each time I breathed. I hated the cramps and the stiffness in my muscles after each race. I hated the nausea that emerged as I became more...

The tendency to constantly doubt everything I do is one that has always followed me around.

Out of my head

Riya Murthy, Staff Writer December 1, 2023

I can’t remember the last time I did something without overthinking it. Thinking “why would I do this” and “what could happen” and “what did they think” is, to me, as much a part of completing...

Wishful thinking

Wishful thinking

Riya Murthy November 3, 2023
How I realized what hope means to me
Power napping played an important role in fixing my sleep schedule.

Napping 101

Aidan Ruan September 29, 2023

I take a lot of naps. In fact, I can confidently say that I can nap anywhere at any given moment. What’s more is that these naps aren't limited to merely resting my head on the table during class;...

The task of cleaning my room always seemed so unachievable I would just give up after trying for a few minutes.

Does this spark joy?

Sarah Liu September 28, 2023
How I learned to clean my room
Finding my voice

Finding my voice

Alyssa Yang June 11, 2023
Understanding how to let myself be heard
The 2021-2022 El Estoque staff poses for a group photo at the end of my first late night.

A new voice of my own

Krish Dev June 4, 2023

Logging onto Zoom for fourth period was far more daunting than I had anticipated. Not only was this class an entirely new experience for me, but it was also the day I had to make a crucial decision: choosing...

Voicing my insecurities

Voicing my insecurities

Meggie Chen June 2, 2023
Learning to stop disliking my own voice
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