Brinda Ambal, Conceptual Editor-in-Chief
Pronouns: she/her
I am a senior, and this is my fourth year on staff. The Pathfinder has helped me push myself independently, build a supportive community and grow through my mistakes. Though I write a lot of opinions, I do seek to understand the other side— my newfound knowledge always either strengthens my own position or changes my mind. I love fairy princess tea parties with my friends and 12-hour study marathons. In the rest of my time, I am Student Body co-Vice President, a part of the Scholar Bowl team and often found on or around Creve Coeur Lake with St. Louis Rowing Club. I most enjoy the small moments; a friend’s laugh, the brush of my fingers against a piece of paper and the first glimpse of daffodil yellow after a really long winter (gotta love Missouri weather).
![At the end of her second tennis season, sophomore Lucy Billadeau prepares to hit a backhand. Billadeau cherished the banquet and the relationships she formed with all the girls and her doubles partners. “I was doubles partner with different people; I got switched around a lot. A lot of other doubles partners make up handshakes and little things to do in between each point to keep their morale high. When I was partners with [junior] Sarenna Wood, we did some dragonfly move we made up,” Billadeau said. “The biggest things that motivate me are my partners––you never want to let them down. It also motivates me to know that even if I do lose, I am getting better, and I am improving.”](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/brinda-ambal-900x600.jpg)
![Feeding a live mouse to snake Tupac Tuba Gilbert Scott the Seventh, junior Nev Hill snatches a front-row view as classmates crowd around to watch the spectacle unfold. It is strongly suggested for students in Zoology, a course taught by science teacher Amy Cohen (not pictured), to own or co-own a pet. “[People who are scared] should just meet my snake because she’s really sweet. I think they just need to get over the initial fear factor and just realize that they’re really sweet animals [that] aren’t going to hurt anybody,” Hill said. “[My snake] is cute, and she is just there. She has never bitten anyone [and] never would bite anybody. She just sits there and wants to cuddle and be warm around your neck or your hand.”](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/NevHillPOW-900x600.jpg)
![Highlighting the importance of access to feminine hygiene products for all, sophomores Anna Newberry, Mira Nalbandian, Santi Lugo and Mason Paul model their future club plans. Newberry believes inaccessibility of products can lead to health issues, embarrassment and even a lack of belonging. “I want to stock bathrooms with feminine hygiene products to help reduce stigma and embarrassment that can come with having a period,” Newberry said. “I know [I] haven’t come to school before because I was embarrassed and wanted to go home, or I was in pain or didn’t have what I needed to have. I feel like everyone has a right to be here, and I feel like no one should feel like they can’t come to school.”](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/gowitflow-900x600.jpg)
![Aside from learning rowing techniques and mindset skills, junior Emma Wistuba also spends time bonding with friends during her month-long stay. The girls resided in dorm rooms and spent breaks getting to know one another. “There are always going to be people that you don't get along [with] and ODP helped me overcome that. I knew I wasn't going to [immediately] get along with everybody, so I went out of my way to be nice and do things,” Wistuba said. “One night, the whole floor came into my room, and we started making friendship bracelets. That's what we did, and we just had fun. That's important for my future because I'm going to have to do that around people who I really don't like, and it's important that you can take those people and turn them into people that you can be friends with.”](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/IMG_1941-900x675.jpg)
![Scooping ingredients to fill the MannaPack, sophomores Aliana Sawall, Sarah Boland and Anna Newberry laugh over spilled rice Saturday, Aug. 17, at Greensfelder Recreation Complex in Queeny Park. Donations to Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) helped to purchase rice, soy, dried vegetables and vitamins, which then got packaged and sent to children in need. “We learned to not yell when one of us spilled something and to communicate better so that no one poured something into the funnel when the bag wasn’t opened yet,” Newberry said. “From this, [I gained] understanding that everyone is different, but we can still find a way to work together and be a unit.”](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/IMG_4302-900x675.jpg)
![Working on his novella before the approaching publishing date, senior Hayden Riehl hopes to grow both his understanding of the world around him and the world’s understanding of him. “I find writing for storytelling to be incredibly therapeutic, just from some of the stories that people have written in class that I've [seen],” Riehl said. “It was them literally working through a trauma that they've had in the past or something that they're trying to get their own heads wrapped around. Stories can do that. They can help you navigate a sea of your own thoughts.”](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Hayden-2-Judd-1-900x600.jpg)
![Writing Greek prose on the whiteboard, seniors Nell Jaskowiak and Deirdre Jost practice their letters and accents during their independent study. Taking Greek enables Jost to better prepare for a variety of possible futures, both through the content itself and the skills she retains. “Greek actually has a whole bunch of different accent marks which is not something you have in English,” Jost said. “I feel like I'd like to take [another] language, maybe Spanish or French, in the future and having learned the Greek language with different alphabets and different accent marks might make it easier to learn that language, whatever it may be.”](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/DSC_0002edited-1-900x600.jpg)
![Focusing in on a new strategy to beat future opponents in an upcoming tournament, chess team captain and senior Matt Boyd draws on his self-made improvements to strategically think through his moves. Earlier in his career, Boyd made moves quicker than he does now; however, he has improved as a player and realized the importance of working through the scenarios. “We have had multiple matches where I spent all of my two hours, and I'm the last one there,” Boyd said. “I'm just so involved [in the game]. I don't think there's any one thing that makes me concentrate more than other people, but I guess it's just that I'm so invested in it.”](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/DSC_0004-900x600.jpg)
![Meeting her favorite band Waterparks, freshman Grace Eschbach takes full advantage of the VIP tickets her dad snatched up when they went on sale again. Waterparx decided to sell only ten more VIP passes before their concert after they sold out, and Eschbach and her father, as a result of quick thinking and collaboration, were able to buy the tickets. “It’s a surreal [experience] because [the artist is] a real person, and I can see them,” Eschbach said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/ESCHBACHfinal-900x600.jpg)
![Using front page news and unbiased sources, sophomore Kathryn McAuliffe researches the topic of her next article for Balance the Ballot. Balance the Ballot is an organization run for kids and by kids to help educate them on current events, and McAuliffe has been writing for them since August. “I think information is so powerful. You want people to be prepared, especially in today's political climate where it's kind of need-to-know information. Having [it] available to students really enables us to better save the world,” McAuliffe said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/DSC_0004-900x599.jpg)