Will Gonsior, Opinions/A&E Editor
Pronouns: he/him
Grade: 12
Years on staff: 2
Who is your favorite musician? U2.
What gets you up in the morning? FCA and Speech and Debate.
What’s an unpopular opinion that you have? The Big Ten is the only real football conference.
![Complex global supply chains supply the goods for everyday luxuries, such as the coffee at West High’s Blue Brew. Low tariffs enabled much of the prosperity of modern history. “Higher tariffs lead to higher costs. A tariff is a tax on an imported good, and someone has to pay for that tax, and typically that [will] end up impacting consumers,” economics teacher Rachel Money said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Flag-1.png)
![Standing with girls cross country team mascot Pump the pumpkin, senior Sydney Etchason laughs with her teammates. Before the team’s senior night, Etchason undertook an odyssey to recover the pumpkin, which had been stolen by boys cross country. “We went through practice, and then a little birdie told me that it was in [senior] Emmett [Vernon's] car. I [offered Vernon] $50 to give us our pumpkin back, and we got Pump back,” Etchason said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DSC_0002-1-1200x800.jpg)
![Senior Sally Peters stands in the history hallway, contemplating her choices in the 2024 United States and Missouri elections on Nov. 5. As a member of Diplomacy Club, Peters has discussed key candidates and issues in contemporary American politics. “[As students], we're starting to become adults. We're realizing how much the policies that are enforced and the laws that make it through the House and Senate are starting to affect us. [Opportunities such as] AP [U.S.Government] and Diplomacy Club [make elections feel] a lot more real,” Diplomacy Club vice president and senior Nidhisha Pejathaya said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Flag-1-1.png)
![Senior Griffin Beno waits in the counseling hub. Students were allowed to visit counselors without an appointment on Aug. 15 and 16 to adjust their schedules, resulting in long wait times. “There [were] not as many [people at open hours last year], but I think that was because we didn't get the word out as well,” counselor Jen Wibbenmeyer said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Screenshot-2024-09-17-8.20.51-AM.png)
![Junior Will Gonsior lies down on a pile of money, an opportunity gained by allowing the Pathfinder to use his name, image and likeness. Accusations of corruption and misconduct have revealed just how easily the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) lets money pile up where it doesn’t belong. “[The NCAA] is a business, so they're trying to win games. No matter the sport, they're trying to be the most successful that they can,” varsity football coach and physical education teacher Jeff Duncan said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Foul-Play-Amateurism-or-a-collegiate-cartel-1-1200x900.png)
![Senior Dana Zafarani poses in paint reading “Women, Life, Freedom” and “#BarayeAzadi” as a protest against the Iranian government. The experiences of Iranian women inspired Zafarani to assist in any effort to protect women’s rights. “The world should live in peace. Every woman deserves to be equal. Every woman deserves love [and] kindness,” Zafarani said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Screenshot-2023-10-31-12.54.47-PM.png)
![Tight end Travis Kelce helped carry the Chiefs to the Super Bowl by catching a touchdown in last year’s AFC Championship game. Kelce’s skills have opened up new opportunities for him this fall, such as dating Taylor Swift and starring in a new Pfizer ad. “If [Kelce] supports [vaccines], I think others will, people do tend to do what celebrities suggest,” English teacher Casey Holland said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Screenshot-2023-11-01-6.20.30-PM.png)
![A utopia for some can be a dystopia for others. Candidates shared their visions of each at the first two GOP debates, in Milwaukee on Aug. 21 and in California on Sept. 25. “Someone who's looking to gain power for themselves, and not to benefit the population in the United States [and around] the globe is a problem,” sophomore Nick Cook said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Screenshot-2023-10-05-2.42.10-PM.png)