While Gao spent most of high school playing water polo and writing for The Oracle, she discovered her interest in military service through a Naval Academy program called “Summer Seminar.” “I really liked the people that I was with,” Gao said. “They really sold the whole military concept for me.”

Gao highlights that the Naval Academy application process is incredibly rigorous. Aside from the Coast Guard Academy, all U.S. service academies require a Congressional recommendation in addition to strong academic performance; applications for a recommendation can be found on the website of most members of Congress. “The process is very long,” Gao said. “It was like applying to five different colleges in a singular application.”

For students concerned about the military college application process, Gao recommends focusing on school and yourself. “Continue getting good grades, developing yourself physically and getting involved,” Gao said. “Do the things that you love and that would look good on your record. The Naval Academy likes seeing leadership, and I was the Managing Editor of The Oracle and captain of the water polo team.”

During Gao’s first year, typically referred to as “Plebe Year,” she faced pressure from upperclassmen to perform well. “Plebe Year is the year where people put you down and try to put you back up as a leader,” she said. “All the upperclassmen are watching you and evaluating you until you become a better midshipman.”

Gao found Plebe Year to be the most challenging year of her education. “It’s the hardest part of the Naval Academy by far,” Gao said. “Especially during COVID-19, [Plebe] was bad in terms of academics and my social life because I [was] stuck in my room all day for an entire semester doing homework.”

Gao is now a sophomore, and she has since adjusted by joining the Naval Academy’s water polo team and yearbook group. “I’m happy here,” she said. “I got [transferred] into a different company, and I have a pretty solid friend group. Plus, it’s free college and a super good education.”

After graduation, Gao will have a five-year active duty service requirement in either the U.S. Marines or U.S. Navy as an officer. However, she is not worried about the commitment. “If you already went through four years of school, what’s another five years?” Gao said. “Plus, as an officer, you’d be meeting people, getting paid for housing and getting free Medicare. It’s pretty nice.”

In the future, Gao hopes to get an M.B.A degree from Stanford University or find a job in Silicon Valley. She is currently an Operations Research major at the academy. “It’s a mixture of math and coding,” she said. “They say the Naval Academy’s the #1 public college for STEM and engineering.”

Gao offers advice for seniors who want a unique post-graduation experience. “If you’re looking for a challenging college experience or friends that will last you a lifetime, then definitely apply to the Naval Academy,” Gao said. “It’s a really good career path if you don’t see yourself going to a 4-year traditional college. I’m not really a military type of person, but here I am.”

After seeing San Francisco Ballet’s version of the production at an early age, Leland has held a deep interest in “The Nutcracker.” Then, when she was seven, Leland joined the Academy of American Dance. “I started as this little tiny angel,” she said. “It’d be five little girls and this one more advanced dancer that was leading it. At the time, I was like, ‘This dancer is the coolest person I’ve ever seen.’ Cut to several years later, and I got to be in that role.”

Leland has experienced countless hours of production in each year of “The Nutcracker.” “Essentially, your weekends are completely gone,” she said. “On Saturday, we pretty much have a full day of rehearsal. You get home around 6:30 p.m. In order to perform, you need to be involved in rigorous dance, so that’s probably 12 to 15 hours of dance a week. While she cannot participate in the production this year, she found that the commitment was well worth it in previous years. “When you get up onstage, the lights, the audience and the adrenaline rush are such special experiences,” she said. “You get to be onstage with all the friends you’ve been working so hard with, and getting to see everything come together is so much fun.”

For Leland, “The Nutcracker” has always been bigger than the performance. “To me, I guess it’s cheesy, but ‘The Nutcracker’ is about more than just dancing; it’s about the whole rehearsal process,” she said. “It’s really cool to me that we spend so much time making it look effortless when we put so much effort into it.”

Before coming to the Bay Area, Farrington lived in Denmark, attending a school called Rungsted just outside the capital of Copenhagen. Farrington went to Rungsted for 10 years, where he built long-lasting relationships with several of his classmates. “I liked hanging out with my friends every day,” he said. “In the Danish school system, you stay
in the same class with the same 25 people for 10 years, so I’d known them for a while.”

When he first switched schools, the most striking difference was the size. With only  500 students, Rungsted had a much smaller student body than Gunn. “I don’t know how many students there are here, but there are a lot more,” Farrington said.

Farrington also noticed that Gunn has a much stronger sports culture. “In Europe, you don’t have sports teams in school,” he said. “That’s an out-of-school activity. There’s also more school spirit [here]. We didn’t really have a Homecoming [in Denmark].”

Another major change was discovering Gunn’s well-known deeply academic en-
vironment. As an exchange student, Farrington has different course requirements than other students, something he welcomes in the midst of Gunn’s heavy academic in-
volvement. “I don’t think Rungsted’s as academically competitive as here, but it’s one of the top schools in Denmark,” he said. “I don’t need to take Advanced Placement classes here like everyone else since I’m an exchange student, which makes things a bit easier for me.”

In spite of the new setting, Farrington found the transition to be relatively smooth. “Making friends was easier than I thought,” he said. “People here are quite outgoing and friendly compared to the Scandinavians, who are a bit more reserved.”

Overall, Farrington likes the change. “The diversity is pretty cool and so is the interest in all the sports teams,” he said. “I’d rate it a 10 out of 10. It’s been pretty great.”

“Ghostbusters” has a pretty straightforward plot. Three professors—Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz and Egon Spengler—get fired from their jobs at Columbia University for wasting funds on investigating ghosts at the New York City
public library.

After being fired, the trio forms the Ghostbusters, an organization that uses high-tech, nuclear-powered equipment to capture ghosts in exchange for monetary compensation. As the demand for their services rises, they put out a help- wanted advertisement for a fourth member. In a show of their professionalism and the rigor of their application process, they instantly hire the first interviewee, Winston Zeddemore. With the team fully formed, the Ghostbusters battle supernatural forces across New York City while being investigated by a suspicious Environmental
Protection Agency.

That said, what makes “Ghostbusters” so good? The movie delivers more than just high-definition graphics; it’s also a comedy and a paranormal sci-fi flick. Venkman, played by Bill Murray, brings most of the film’s charm through his laid-back demeanor. However, it’s the interactions between all four lead characters that truly bring the movie to life. Plus, the special effects are pretty decent for the time, and they’re used surprisingly well as a complement to the gags
and storytelling.

Even though it’s been almost 40 years since its release, “Ghostbusters” jokes are still on point. With its strong character chemistry and its outstandingly original plot, “Ghostbusters” effectively blends genres to form a movie that’s both hilarious and captivating.