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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

Though it can be uncomfortable at first to share our struggles with others, self-censorship among friends ultimately cuts us off from those most willing to help. Illustration | Sophia D’Sa

The ‘C-word’

How my mom's refusal to say the word "cancer" taught me the importance of asking for help
Sophia D’Sa
May 26, 2025
At 18, you’re supposed to be an adult—but it doesn’t always feel that way.

Adult things

Turning 18 changes everything, and yet hardly anything at all
Alyssa Yang
May 24, 2025
As I spend week after week camped out in front of my monitor, completing assignment after assignment, I wonder what I'm really aiming for. Graphic | Jillian Ju

Life after ambition

How I learned to rethink ambition
Jillian Ju
May 17, 2025
Illustration | Jonah Chang

As a runner

I’m learning how to endure when times are hard
Jonah Chang
May 11, 2025
I'm grateful to chronic illness for everything it's taught me. Illustration | IsabeIIe Kok

Ill-advised

How living with chronic illness has paradoxically given me a healthier perspective
IsabeIIe Kok
April 30, 2025
For years, not being Hindu felt like a barrier between me and fully embracing and connecting with Indian culture. Photo | Shweta Gupta

Redefining my authority within my life through religion

How religion, and my lack thereof, shaped my viewpoint on control and choice
Suhana Mahabal
April 25, 2025
Since my brother moved, we now only manage to call approximately once a week, but our relationship remains close. Illustration | Sophia D’Sa

Not distant, just far

What my brother moving taught me about love
Sophia D’Sa
April 21, 2025
Growing up, my relationship to my brother has always been markedly more distant than that of my peers. Graphic | Jillian Ju

Complicatedly related

How I learned to navigate my distant relationship with my brother
Jillian Ju
April 5, 2025
Illustration | Jonah Chang

As an ex-tennis player

I’m learning to accept the loss of my childhood passion
Jonah Chang
April 1, 2025
A portion of the bulletin board I keep on my wall in my room with all of my sentimental memories.

The not-so-little things

I’ve started to value the smaller moments in life
Radhika Dharmapurikar
March 28, 2025
Though depression isn't a part of myself I love, accepting it has brought me more happiness than resenting it. Photo | Shweta Gupta

Escaping the darkness

How I learned to accept and move past my depression
Suhana Mahabal
March 8, 2025
Trauma — defined as a deeply stressful event that has long-term effects on a person's life — can be hard to pinpoint when the term feels too intense and totalizing to apply. Illustration | Jillian Ju

Trauma? Let’s talk about it

How I learned to navigate using the term “trauma”
Jillian Ju
March 4, 2025
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