Aquila

Makenna Welch graduated from CSU Monterey Bay with a Summa Cum Laude for her Psychology degree on May 2019.

“I want to be the support system I wish I had”: Why Makenna Welch decided to take on working with youth

Shayna Tran, Managing Editor June 10, 2021

Makenna Welch started working as UPA’s Support Services Specialist in January 2021. She helps students who are struggling mentally and academically by connecting students with school counselors and...

Radish avocado toast contains gluten free bread with mashed avocado, radish slices, salt, and pepper. It is a vegetarian food option.

Vegetarianism: Why some UPA students follow a “no-meat” diet

Christopher Alvarez, Reporter June 9, 2021

Around 16.4 million Americans identify as vegetarian. Vegetarianism is a nutritional lifestyle in which meat, fish and, in some cases, the consumption of animal products are not eaten. People become vegetarian...

Students work to fill in their college applications in groups.

Extracurriculars: A crucial part in the college admissions race

Dakota Pekar, Reporter June 4, 2021

Finally, your mouse hovers over the submit button and you click. Days later, you receive an email from your college of choice confirming the completion of your application. UPA’s Seminar curriculum...

Seniors gathered in the amphitheater for Senior Commitment Day during seminar on April 29. They placed star stickers on which colleges they would be attending in the fall.

Coping with Covid: Seniors opt for alternative events to commemorate their last year of high school

Christian Tucker-Allen, Reporter June 3, 2021

Current UPA seniors began this school year in distance learning and experienced reopening during March of their junior year. UPA alumnus Oziel Reyez-Cruz graduated last spring and recalled the day...

Kate Feng (10) writes about her day in her journal, while sitting in her backyard.

Students take up hobbies in order to escape from technology

Chloe Luu, Editor-in-Chief May 28, 2021

The streets of freshman Panav Vashishat’s neighborhood glisten as the sun sets. He watches the landscape’s lighting go from bright white to a dim orange as he rides his bike around the neighborhood,...

From left to right: Sophomores Alex Ye, Reya Yeddula, Belinda Ho, Kelly Nguyen, Tiffanie Tran and Kaitlyne Nguyen pose for a photo prior on the last day of semester one of the 2019-2020 school year.

Friendships at a Distance

Nadia Hines, Team Editor May 20, 2021

Students at UPA have spent all of the COVID-19 pandemic with little to no physical interaction with peers and teachers from school after campus closed mid-March 2020. Left to put their technology to...

Roselyn Santacruz’s most popular dessert is the churro cheesecake, a cheesecake topped with strawberries and sweetened condensed milk drizzle.

Student Businesses in the Pandemic

Gael Padilla, Reporter May 17, 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the state of businesses around the world, but how have student-owned businesses been performing in the past 14 months? UPA sophomore Adrian Pando became a sneaker...

March 13, 2021: One Year Later | Aquila Broadcast

March 13, 2021: One Year Later | Aquila Broadcast

Kyla Ulug, Team Editor Lead March 13, 2021

The UPA campus closed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic on March 13, 2020 after a county-wide order. Junior Sainirnay Mantrala and senior Isabella Bronner speak on the experience after one year. Reporting...

Malone and Lawson pose for a photo at the sign-up desk, where they collect their gloves and vests.

‘There’s no one easy solution’: How Green Team established a recycling system, their thoughts on Biden’s climate strategy and hopes for the future

Jenna Plasschaert, Team Editor February 10, 2021

Bright blue plastic bins sit in classrooms at UPA. With the three white arrows forming an unmistakable triangle, these recycling bins get filled with bottles and cans before being emptied every Friday...

Young Kristo’s cover for “HADES,” Coquilla’s first song, which was released on July 13.

‘It kind of sounds like poetry’: Student rapper Young Kristo releases his first album, ‘COLD HEARTED’

Akshara Kollu, Copy Editor January 29, 2021

Sophomore Christopher Coquilla joked about being a rapper on SoundCloud, an open audio and music platform, near the end of his freshman year. “I just kept telling everyone, ‘Oh I’m going to...

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