Vulture Boyer

Sophomore Vulture Boyer recalls their old neighborhood to be a place where people suffered poor living conditions, with welfare and drugs both prevalent in the community. 

“The landlord had to chase people out of the apartment complex that were trespassing,” Boyer said. “People tagged our walls [and] there [were] constant car crashes.”

Boyer moved to Cupertino in 2021, leaving their apartment behind for a house in the hills. They say that moving has given them five acres of space to house their 19 pets –– three dogs, two cats, 13 chickens and a horse. Although Boyer sees their move as an improvement from their previous circumstance, they miss living close to their cousins, whom Boyer considered older siblings. Boyer also recounts differences between their peers at their former school in San Jose and their peers at MVHS. 

“It was a fresh start from where I was to where I am now,” Boyer said. “The school system is completely different there because we have kids that are literally doing drugs [instead of] kids that are doing study groups. You can see the difference.”

Boyer still visits their old landlord and apartment complex with their mother from time to time. They also stop by the Dona Maria, a Mexican restaurant close to their regular car mechanic, when getting their car repaired – a tradition they have continued since their childhood. 

Although Boyer misses not having power outages in the mountains, they believe that their time in Cupertino and at MVHS has been positive overall. 

vulture boyer 2: code1:: “I’m really happy here,” Boyer said. “If I stayed there, I don’t think I would be able to pursue what I want to as I’m doing right now.”