Esta Kamau, Humans of West Editor
Pronouns: she/her/they/them
Grade: 11
Years on staff: 3
What is your favorite piece of literature? Lately it's been "The Summer I Turned Pretty."
Who is your hero? Probably my brother.
If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be? Any type of rice because it's versatile.
![Oftentimes, African American students face misjudgment from their peers based on age-old stereotypes surrounding their race. Because of this recurring issue, many Black students have shared a common experience of stereotypes, such as assumptions of their character based on their skin color. “Im Black [and] I live in the county. [People] automatically assume, ‘Oh, she doesnt live in the city; shes whitewashed with some color.’ I [also] have hearing aids, and [people] assume because Im a part of the Hard of Hearing group, [I’m] not aggressive or hostile. [Instead, I’m] approachable, the token character,” sophomore Mya Jenkins said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/White-Name-Youtube-Channel-Art-2-900x506.png)
![Airplanes tend to delay or cancel flights due to freezing temperatures, snow, ice or thunderstorms. A severe snowstorm caused flight shortages on Dec. 21-26, impacting travelers like English ASC teacher Kristen Witt. “It was out of [everyone’s] control how the weather would turn out. They were doing the best they could [do], and the agent at the gate did a great job of keeping everybody informed about what was going on and kept us calm,” Witt said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Blue-Airplane-Illustration-Going-Away-Party-Facebook-Cover-4-900x507.jpg)
![Senior Nick Menendez chose to honor Business Teacher Bill Mitchell during Teacher Appreciation night for varsity boys soccer. Players wrote letters to their teachers and gave them to them before the game. “I chose Mr. Mitchell because I enjoy his class. I believe what hes teaching will actually be useful to me later on in life. [I like] solving problems, working out how to best present an idea or a concept and then working through that and delivering on it,” Menendez said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Teacher-Appreciation-900x600.jpg)
