WRITING
TELL THE STORIES THAT NEED TO BE HEARD
Writing has always been something I struggled with. Until yearbook, when I joined this program, I was pushed to write stories and learn a whole new style of writing. With writing stories for the yearbook, I had to be precise and take my time with it. I learned that you don't have to be a fantastic writer to write an incredible story. You have to listen, and the story will tell itself. Because of journalism, I now can say, "I am a writer'. The stories below consist of stories from past books and this year's book. Along with a project, we do every year called Humans of Grand Blanc.
A few prom dresses in the back of a liquor store might be overlooked by some. But to senior Lena Kas-Mikha, it turned into a prom shopping destination, the best retail store in Michigan, and tenth worldwide. People now know this store as Viper Apparel.
“At first the store was something I didn’t want to do, but always would help out,” Kas-Mikha said. “I didn’t see it as a future until I started to fall in love with the process and seeing how we truly make a difference.”
The passion for dresses started 10 years ago when her mom decided to sell them. To them it was more than just buying and selling.
“I developed a special bond going on trips and working with my mom,” she said. “It made us best friends.”
In 2017, the store started a promotion program called Viper Angels. This had juniors and seniors from all over come and promote the store along with two photoshoots. All girls went through an audition, with more than 30 girls showing up in only the second year.
“I’ve done it both years, and it’s been an amazing way to meet people and make memories with girls I would have never met otherwise,” Kas-Mikha said.
As a senior, Kas-Mikha looked to the store as the next stage of her career.
“I plan to start working there full time right after high school,” Kas-Mikha said. “I hope to one day fully be running it on my own and to open up more sister stores across the state.”
Kas-Mikha was happy to connect with the girls that had bought a dress from her store because she was helping them with their “night to remember.” She loved the feeling she got when a girl would walk out of the store with a dress that made them feel beautiful.
“I feel like the store helps women find the perfect dress that embraces them and shows them how beautiful they are,” she said. “I’m happy that I will have a job that makes me happy.”
Fashion was Junior Blake Robinsons way of making a statement about who he was.
“Fashion to some people is just clothes, but it is just my favorite thing in the world,” he said. “A lot of the time, I’m always messing with something and cutting up fabric or trying something new.”
His parents dressed him up since he was young, so he knew it was something special. He found a way to lead fashion into his future. But with all bold statements came criticism.
“People have said the most absurd things to me and I can’t even explain it,” he said. “I’m being myself and they’re just hating on me for no reason. I don’t see the motive and people just don’t see things the way I see it.”
But even with the side comments that ctritized him, he found inspiration.
“This one kid came up to me and was like, ‘bro you inspire me and your style is amazing.’” he said. “He ended up stealing my attire. It makes me feel great. I’m just being me and I know that they like me and the way I dress.”
On a recent visit to outer space, junior Andrew Tripp dove into the unknown. It wasn’t an actual trip to space, but that didn’t undermine the value of the mental journey. He watched documentaries, explored theories, and recreated the universe through art. Space was his getaway.
“I like the vastness of space, and how much of it is unexplored,” Tripp said. “I feel like it would be easier to be myself in a place that isn’t as explored, with no biases.”
Tripp was in Studio Art class, where one assignment was a self portrait. He drew himself surrounded by stars and planets, in a place where he could be himself, sometimes unlike his reality.
“There was a while where my mom wanted me to be this person that I wasn’t, so I had to change who I was based on what my family wanted me to be,” he said.
To help his family understand who he was and what he wanted to be, Tripp seized art as his tool.
“With art, it gives me an outlet for what I wish I could talk about, because I’m not good at talking about stuff,” he said. “It lets me express different things that are going on in my head in a safe and healthy way, so that I don’t bottle up everything in me and never talk about it.”
There was a time when Tripp didn’t use his art as his voice. He locked himself away. He didn’t know how to express who he truly was. After he got started in art, however, there was no going back.
“It’s like this weight off of my shoulders,” Tripp said. “I have all these different mediums and different ways to express myself that if people don’t understand, that’s fine, because I understand what it means to me.”
With this, Tripp realized that not many people outside of his friends knew who he really was. He hoped his self portrait would bring that to light.
“With the way I drew the floral shirt I had on, and the space, and the gold around the outside, I wanted to be able to show people who wouldn’t necessarily know me from just seeing me in the hallway or something, that I’m actually kind of a cool person,” Tripp said. “I care about different things and I’m not just like everybody else. I’m my own person.”
"When my mom passed away, I didn't know what to think or how to feel, until four months after when I moved to Michigan from Las Vegas. My dad also came with us but he decided to leave so that is why my sister came into my life. When she found out she had a little sister it truly meant the world to her. I didn't know her all that well because we were in different states. I had so many other people that could have [taken me in] but they didn't. When I found out she was going to be the one to take me in even though she barely knew me, it just meant so much to me that someone would care so much about me and wants to parent me and just be there for me all the time. "
VIDEO
A MOMENT PUT INTO MOTION
A FAMILY FARAWAY
At the age of 17, I met my family for the first time. My mother grew up in a small town in Mexico. Due to the danger of traveling there, I was never able to go. Then my grandmother fell ill, and we decided to take the risk and travel to see them. I documented it all. Taking my knowledge of photography, I put it into videography and made a video of the trip. This is a week full of memories packed into 1 minute.