Serena Liu, Editor-in-Chief
Pronouns: she/her
Grade: 12
Years on staff: 3
What is your favorite piece of literature? Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut
Who is your hero? My mom! She’s the most incredible person I know and also she reads my stories so she might see this.
If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be? Mac & cheese all the way.
![Peering through his glasses, Blue Brains Team Lead and senior Sawyer Ladd carefully examines his team’s robot in between contests. As team lead, Ladd seeks to encourage collaboration among his teammates. “We try [to] become more than just a group of people achieving successful robotics. On my team, I've tried to make us more of a friend group than a robotics team. So that's improved our team chemistry — we just generally enjoy being around each other and that allows us to work together a little [better],” Ladd said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/DSC_0021-1-1200x801.jpg)
![Laughing, boys wrestling head coach Zeke Allison and assistant coach Jeff Scholte celebrate their athletes on senior night. The two have coached together since the 2015-16 season. “I couldn’t get to those 100 wins if it wasn’t for the people that I coached with. My dad coached with me for a while. Right now, I got [assistant coaches] Murry Reich and Jeff Scholte, who’ve been with me most of the way. I definitely couldn’t have done it without those guys being in my corner,” Allison said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/DSC_0075-1-1200x800.jpg)
![Cultural and socioeconomic barriers prevent many Asian Americans from seeking help for mental health issues. Alumna and emeritus Mental Health Awareness Club President Rachel Bhagat, who has worked with many Asian immigrants and refugees, notices clear benefits of mental health care in daily life. “Seeking out mental health care is extremely important for everyone. Regularly seeing someone to talk to about your mental health helps prevent or makes it easier to navigate mentally stressful [or] harmful situations,” Bhagat said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/unnamed-24.png)
![In recent years, the topic of lowering the national voting age has sparked debates across the United States. Young people have been at the forefront of the discussion, sharing their unique perspectives and opinions on voting ages. “[I want to vote because] I should be able to make decisions about myself, about my education, and about my rights,” sophomore Yein Ahn said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Orange-and-Dark-Blue-Debate-Team-Poster-2-e1697042961161-1200x800.png)
![Crouching back and preparing to lunge, freshman Matt Lancia points his faux sword toward his opponent. Lancia, as part of his English 1 class, reenacted a scene from “Romeo and Juliet” to better understand the story. “It showed me how people fought very long ago,” Lancia said. “[My favorite part of the unit] is probably all the activities we do. I’m a very energetic person and I don’t sit still.”](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/unnamed-1.png)
![Carefully arranging chemicals with a pipet, senior Grant Meert works to identify unknown solutions in an AP Chemistry lab. After completing the AP Chemistry exam, Meert’s class participated in a lab competition to celebrate the end of the course. “It was very fun. It allowed me to relax and have a good time after a full year of busting my butt in that class. It was both relaxing and intense because [the] score we submitted determined the amount of extra credit points we were given,” Meert said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/image1-1-900x600.jpg)
![In an intense game between Argentina and France, the entire world tuned in to watch the FIFA World Cup. But behind this tantalizing game remained questionable decisions FIFA got away with. “I love soccer so much, but I hate that it has to become a political thing,” varsity soccer player and junior Ava Relihan said. “Coming from the United States, where we do have so many rights, I don’t like [that] we’re hosting a global [event] in a place where so many rights are restricted.”](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Soccer-The-Life-or-death-game.jpg)
![Former junior Cory Driver decided to drop out this summer, feeling disheartened with the school system. He now has more time to pursue other interests, such as going to trade school, building his “yaasified crust punk” band and working more hours at Qdoba. “I'd been talking to my principal and my counselor since the middle of summer. I'd keep trying to have conversations saying, ‘Hey, I want to drop out and get my GED.’ Every single time I'd try to have [that] conversation, they did whatever they could to make sure that I didn't drop out [because] if I drop out, it makes the school look bad,” Driver said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Cory-Driver-1.png)
![Sitting on fellow contestants’ shoulders, senior Christian Fleming celebrates his victory. Fleming was crowned “Mr. Longhorn” after a display of his occupation, talent and formal attire. “I really wasn’t [expecting to win]. I was just excited to come out on top. All the guys did phenomenally,” Fleming said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/unnamed-11.png)
![Knees bent, freshman James Callahan lifts the ball for a fast pass during the 2021 Young Men’s National Championship in Virginia Beach. Despite his high skill level, it is difficult for Callahan to find opportunities to play with other boys. “I can’t play in any tournaments in St. Louis. To get practice with other boys, I’d have to fly out to California or Pennsylvania. You have to spend $400 to pay for the practice, and you pay for a plane ticket. We don’t even know if they’re giving us rooms, [or if] we also have to get the hotel and transportation,” Callahan said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/unnamed-22.jpg)
![Arms reaching out, sophomore Emma Nunnelee plunges into the pool. During the meet Jan. 20, the dive team lost to Lafayette 88-98. “We've done well, [but] it hasn't been easy. I feel we could do a lot better if we had better conditions,” Nunnelee said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Pool-feature-photo.jpeg)
![Staff Sergeant and U.S. Army recruiter Krystal Currin presents her recruitment station outside the cafeteria. Currin, who usually works in the IT field, has been in the Army for 12 years and hopes to retire in eight. “I'm here to provide information [and] open up more career opportunities [for] students,” Currin said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/66B1385B-8077-4490-9528-4BA22BFBF752-900x675.jpeg)
![“My happiest memory of this job is being accepted. I was badly burnt out from the other job, [beacause] I had the whole midnight shift. I didn't see much of my wife and family throughout that time. It felt good to have a new prospect. Being on this job for 15 years, day in and day out, [you] appreciate [your] co-workers as well as the staff of the building. It's a humble career. It teaches you how to be patient, how to hold back anger and fear, it teaches you to be human. My biggest struggle is some students not caring for each other. Throw away your own trash. Report your spill. Recognize that if something is not right, let's make it right. If you see something that's wrong, see if we can fix it. I believe this is still one big happy family—if we make it that way.” – Sean Smith, Faculty](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/ksmith-1-900x601.jpeg)
![Sharing our Successes Working on a presentation, sophomores Keith Schultz, Andrew Son, and Insang Lee plan upcoming fundraising events for Pencils for Success (PFS). After he heard about the charity in September, Lee founded a St. Louis chapter of PFS. “Helping out others just makes you feel good [because] it makes you feel like you accomplished something that could affect more people than just you,” Lee said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/09143DB3-7FA6-49A9-A86B-7BEF1FFEDEAF-900x675.jpeg)
![“My happiest memory of this job is being accepted. I was badly burnt out from the other job, [beacause] I had the whole midnight shift. I didn't see much of my wife and family throughout that time. It felt good to have a new prospect. Being on this job for 15 years, day in and day out, [you] appreciate [your] co-workers as well as the staff of the building. It's a humble career. It teaches you how to be patient, how to hold back anger and fear, it teaches you to be human. My biggest struggle is some students not caring for each other. Throw away your own trash. Report your spill. Recognize that if something is not right, let's make it right. If you see something that's wrong, see if we can fix it. I believe this is still one big happy family—if we make it that way.” - Sean Smith, Faculty](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/DSC_0168-900x601.jpg)