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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

Meggie Chen

Meggie Chen, Managing Editor

Meggie is currently a senior and a managing editor for El Estoque. During her free time she loves to read, listen to horror podcasts (because she’s too chicken to watch actual horror movies), and spend (frankly) too much time watching historical documentaries on Youtube.

All content by Meggie Chen
Graphic by Yixuan (Joyce) Li | Made with Canva

Weaving bonds

MVHS’s opinions on the multifaceted web of relationships
It's important to have discussions about family finances and how they’re being handled for college plans.

The ultimate college debt

Understanding financial plans for college helps relieve feelings of immigrant guilt
Meggie Chen and Sarah Liu
May 23, 2024
Nostalgic much?

Nostalgic much?

Learning how to overcome my sentimentality and live in the present
Meggie Chen
May 23, 2024
College bound

College bound

Exploring the changing landscape of higher education
College by the numbers

College by the numbers

Investigating trends in MVHS college statistics
Meggie Chen and Brandon Xu
April 26, 2024
Ethical crossroads

Ethical crossroads

El Estoque staff discuss the mission and ethics of the publication
Meggie Chen and Niveda Hari
April 21, 2024
Raising Funds

Raising Funds

MVHS student groups raise money through creative fundraisers
Clubs sell out during Club Grub Day

Clubs sell out during Club Grub Day

Students share their thoughts on Club Grub Day
Meggie Chen, Sarah Liu, and Brandon Xu
March 8, 2024
Grading the gradebook

Grading the gradebook

MVHS students and teachers rethink traditional grading practices
Meggie Chen and Mihir Vishwarupe
March 8, 2024
Unfolding Cupertino City Limits

Unfolding Cupertino city limits

El Estoque's Opinion section examines how housing, entertainment and restaurants in the area affect the community
We need to think critically about the media we consume to prevent being influenced by problematic relationships.

A romantic dilemma

Visual media normalizes problematic behaviors and relationships that aren’t healthy in reality
Meggie Chen
January 25, 2024
Graphic by Meggie Chen

Entertainment in Cupertino

The lack of youth friendly entertainment spaces in Cupertino perpetuates its unhealthy stress culture
Meggie Chen and Trisha Sannappanavar
January 21, 2024
Star-studded activism

Star-studded activism

Exploring the flawed expectation for celebrities to share political opinions
Meggie Chen and Aidan Ruan
December 9, 2023
Culture plays a nuanced role in someone's identity, which is why we must take it into account before asking someone to share their political opinions.

Culture: the elephant (and donkey) in the room

We must consider people’s cultural values before asking them to share their political opinion
Anika Bhandarkar and Meggie Chen
December 6, 2023
Elders of Cupertino

Elders of Cupertino

Exploring the impact of local elders on the community
Experienced educators

Experienced educators

Seasoned teachers share their experiences in education
Meggie Chen and Liz Liu
November 17, 2023
The U.S. is currently experiencing a religious recession specifically with Christianity, one that could change the religious landscape that has been a core part of American identity since its founding. Photo | Alicia Quan | Unsplash

The religious recession

Examining the experience of MVHS students’ journeys with Christianity
Meggie Chen and Aaryan Sharma
September 25, 2023
A study released earlier this year found that Ivy-plus colleges were more likely to admit wealthier students despite similar standardized testing scores.

Photo by Tim Alex | Unsplash

The price of prestige

Examining the deficits of prestigious colleges
Meggie Chen
September 23, 2023
A year of Yearbook

A year of Yearbook

Exploring the challenges and triumphs of El Valedor
Meggie Chen and Sarah Liu
June 5, 2023
Voicing my insecurities

Voicing my insecurities

Learning to stop disliking my own voice
Meggie Chen
June 2, 2023
Humor is subjective, and jokes about race are not different – it's the situational context and understanding of the community that dictate whether they're appropriate or not.

Is it a racist joke or just a joke about race?

Exploring the nuances and morals of race jokes
Meggie Chen
April 17, 2023
Recycled actors in purported Asian films ironically reveal the lack of diversity that plagues the film industry.

It’s the same people

Recycling actors reveals a lack of Asian representation in the entertainment industry
Meggie Chen
April 17, 2023
Senior and captain Ishita Pesati defends the ball from her opponent.

Girls Soccer beats Cupertino High School 1-0 on its senior night

Matadors emerge third in league and end the season with a win
Meggie Chen and Michelle Zheng
February 17, 2023
Glass children are often overshadowed by their siblings, even when it is unintentional.

Glass Child

Exploring how mental illness touches the lives of siblings
Meggie Chen
February 17, 2023
Sportswashing covers up and erases the problems faced by the country.

More than just a game

How sportswashing came into play at the World Cup
Raahul Srinivasan and Sumita Sami laugh at each other during a photoshoot on their wedding day.

The Art of Matchmaking

Examining how the perception of arranged marriage has shifted from the past to present
Meggie Chen and Tvisha Gupta
December 21, 2022
Although society tends to diminish the value of beautification efforts, we must remind ourselves that such a negative view is unneeded.

Staff Editorial: Beauty for ourselves

Learning to be less judgmental about how others approach beauty
Meggie Chen and Tvisha Gupta
November 17, 2022
The team celebrates after winning the final point in the fourth set, defeating HHS 3-1.

Girls Volleyball beats Hillsdale High School 3-1 in the CCS Semifinals

Matadors advance to the CCS Finals against Aragon High School on Nov. 5
Meggie Chen, Anna Jerolimov, and Michelle Zheng
November 4, 2022
Doing something for the sake of getting a prize prevents us from pursuing our true passions. Photo Illustration|Meggie Chen

Passionless Participation

A nuanced look at how participation prizes perpetuate a culture of extrinsic motivation
Meggie Chen
October 14, 2022
Teachers take on new positions

Teachers take on new positions

Examining how students and teachers adapt to position changes
After senior Sydney Su saves the ball from hitting the ground, senior Krupa Shanware prepares to pass the ball back to the opponent’s side and continue the rally.

Girls Volleyball beats Overfelt High School 3-0

Matadors win straight sets in first game of the season
Meggie Chen, Sarah Liu, and Michelle Zheng
August 28, 2022
The "Hate" Word

The “Hate” Word

Why we should stop using the word “hate”
Meggie Chen
May 27, 2022

Fear

Exploring how fear affects three MVHS student-athletes in their sport
Meggie Chen
April 27, 2022
Sophomore Aditya Sharma poses with his family, who are all wearing customized Ralph Lauren polo uniforms.

Polo unites the Sharmas

Exploring sophomore Aditya Sharma’s journey playing polo with his family
Meggie Chen and Krish Dev
April 18, 2022
The Apple Watch offers a variety of features that track activity 
Graphic | Irene Tang

Down to the bits: technology in sports

Exploring how MVHS sports uses technology
Understanding the impact of sports related games

Understanding the impact of sports related games

Students share their reactions to games like Wii Sports and Just Dance
Meggie Chen
March 11, 2022
Learning how to reconcile the culture I was raised in with the political activism of my community has been extremely difficult.

Stay silent, speak out

Reconciling involvement with politics and cultural norms
Meggie Chen
March 10, 2022
A stack of books labeled STEM, Humanities, and Binaries | Illustration by Kripa Mayureshwar

Breaking down binaries

Re-evaluating our dichotomous perception of the world

Do all Monta Vista students think the same?

Asking students where they stand on a spectrum regarding various binaries
Meggie Chen and Kripa Mayureshwar
March 1, 2022
One of my favorite memories from elementary school was when Ms.G made homemade ice cream out of fresh strawberries for us.

To all the teachers who have inspired me

Letters to all the teachers who’ve stuck with me through the years
Meggie Chen
January 27, 2022
Language in Media

Language in Media

Examining how the rhetoric used in modern media permeates our daily lives
Graphic made in Canva, depicting the most used languages on the internet

An English-centered Internet causes miscommunication, misinformation and isolation

Examining how English being the Internet’s primary language affects users
April Wang and Meggie Chen
December 10, 2021
Learning to "eat bitter" forced me to confront the pessimistic mindset I'd built around hard work and success.

Eat bitter(sweet)

Learning how to 吃苦, or “eat bitter”
Meggie Chen
December 8, 2021
Expressing love languages

Expressing love languages

Exploring how love languages play a role in the MVHS community
Graphic by Mikaylah Du

Performing Acts of Service

Students and teachers explore how acts of service affect their lives.
Meggie Chen
October 29, 2021
24 Questions with the Class of 2024

24 Questions with the Class of 2024

Asking sophomores 24 random questions
Meggie Chen
October 29, 2021
Long-term substitute Stephanie Bodnaruk poses for a photo.

Matador family adds members to its ranks

New staff share more about where they're coming from and what brought them to MVHS
Senior Sophia Bokovikova poses beside her grandmother in Novosibirsk, Russia.

Post-lockdown getaways

Students recount their first summer vacations following quarantine
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