Grace Loethen, Staff Writer
Pronouns: she/her
Grade: 10
Years on staff: 2
What was your favorite childhood TV show? Oomi Zoomi
What is your favorite book? I like The Giver by Louis Lowry a lot.
What motivates you? Making noticeable progress in my work makes me so happy! It reminds me that I’m getting somewhere and I can reach my goal.
![Applying epoxy to a broken car bumper, freshman Ruthvi Tadakamalla assists a Southern Technical (South Tech) student in the Auto Collision Repair program. Forty freshmen registered to tour the campus and participate in hands-on experiences to give them a taste of South Tech programs. “I learned that there [are] other careers I could do besides pre-med. Before I went, I wasn't thinking that I might like them, but I did like doing a lot of the things that we did,” Tadakamalla said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Untitled-design-2.jpg)
![Manning the check-in table with junior and fellow National Honors Society (NHS) member Rachel Livak, senior and President of NHS Nikita Bhaskar, prepare for more incoming blood donors. This was Bhaskar’s first time donating blood. “When I signed up, I was excited to be able to donate blood. But, the day of, I was getting more nervous as my time slot came. But, all the volunteers and my friends were supportive and keeping everyone distracted, so it was really easy [and] painless,” Bhaskar said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Untitled-design-3-1.jpg)
![Math and computer science teacher Jason Townsend explains how to graph algebraic equations in front of the class. Townsend teaches algebra, calculus, and computer science. "I love teaching calculus [because] calculus [is] more challenging [and] more interesting to me. Granted, if you're a good teacher, you find ways to make [all math] interesting for your students and you challenge yourself to do it differently all the time,” Townsend said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Townsend-900x721.jpg)
![At the entrance to Washington University, senior Lauren McLeod poses in front of her workplace. Through her internship at Washington University’s Social Cognition and Development lab McLeod exposed herself to a possible future career field. “I'm hoping to work on similar research, major in cognitive science, and expand more in [this] topic. This [opportunity] has impacted my life in a lot of [different] ways,” McLeod said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/image1-900x542.jpg)
![“The [Mid-Autumn Festival] is a harvest time, like Thanksgiving for Americans. During this time, the moon just so happens to be the brightest. If you go and look at the Chinese calendar, you'll be able to find out what period of time it is. We all get together as a family reunion, we feast, watch the Moon and eat mooncakes. My favorite is probably the lotus seed [paste] with the salty egg in the middle or red bean [paste], but the others are okay. If the moon is there, we'll get together and go outside [to] watch the Moon. It's cool because [the moon is] glowy [and] it feels like the sun at dusk. That's how bright it is. [The Mid-Autumn Festival] has given me a reason to look forward to the fall. Whenever [I] look at something for a long time [I start] daydreaming, [and when I look at the moon I] have this very weird feeling. It feels very at peace just by yourself. I feel a similar feeling would be standing out in the rain. So it's a really beautiful moment to reflect. And you have fun with your family. I would say it's a great period of time to have fun and remember what we have,” sophomore Sofia Wu said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/DSC_0001-copy-900x599.jpg)
