TheFirst Period: Mason Farley
As a senior this year at Yorba Linda High School, Mason Farley is the first to sit in this particular desk in Ms. Byers’s first period AP Literature class. Mason is involved in many activities on campus, this year, he takes on Link Crew in addition to running cross country and track, which he has done through all of his high school years. Running is something he is very passionate about, he’s been doing it since he was 13 years old. He’s brought in numerous victories running the 800 meters, one mile, and two mile, he also earned most outstanding in boys distance track and all 2nd place for all time sophomores in the mile at YLHS. In addition, this year, Mason and his sister also started a tutoring business, which they are very proud of. Mason’s sister is a large part of his life. She’s his best friend; they are incredibly close and they are able to talk about anything and everything together. While Mason has expressed his drive for school in high school, this wasn’t always the case. One of his core memories in life caused him to change his entire academic career. In fifth grade, Mason struggled in school, but his teacher inspired him to become involved in the Gate Program, which helped him learn his love and passion for school. Like most teenagers, Mason continues to try to find a purpose for the drive that he has. Over the past few years, Mason has continuously sought to find out where he wants to direct his life and what to do with it.
Second Period: Madison Vo
During the second period, this desk is occupied by Madison Vo. Madison is a senior who is involved in many on campus activities. She is a board member of PTSA, Secretary of the asian food club, Treasurer of NAMI, and a member of the varsity swim team. She is als incredibly proud of her life in the community. Madison makes it a point to give back the local community by volunteering almost 200 hours. But her achievements in school aren’t the only things Madison is passionate about. Outside of school, her life is filled with friends, who she was able to see the Taylor Swift Era’s concert with, working at the local boba shop during her free time, and spending time with her family, with whom she also saw Taylor Swift perform, and being with her dog. Her family is very important as her parents play a large role in her day to day life. One of the things Madison believes makes her the person she is today is the way her parents raised her. She is very grateful for the valuable lessons she was able to learn from them. However, one of Madison’s biggest challenges is comparing herself to her brothers. While many people may not know, she struggles with finding the one thing she’s good at. It becomes more difficult as her brothers have their own talents as she struggles to find the one thing she excels in. An unknown passion Madison has is reading. She loves spending her free time reading about new stories and adventures. She loves organizing all of her books to make sure they are in pristine condition.
Third Period: Third period holds an empty desk, it is a conference period.
Fourth Period: Kiley Kawaja
Fourth period introduces a new perspective with freshman Kiley Kawaja. Kiley’s transition from middle school to high school allowed her to have a fresh start. She is able to start developing a more positive mindset. Through elementary and middle school, it was more difficult to be social, so she was never an open person, but now in high school, she is actively trying to be less closed off and more outgoing. By joining the track team, she is able to meet many new people, people who make this school a better place. One of her main passions is art. Kiley loves drawing cartoons and comic books.
Fifth Period: Delaney Haye
Fifth period holds the senior ASB Vice President and Varsity Song Captain, Delaney Haye. She loves being involved on campus one way or another. Her favorite part of high school was being on song and calling out cheers at the football games: the Friday night lights and seeing everyone pour into the stands dressed to a certain theme was the most fun aspect of YLHS. However, as Delaney is someone who is more well known, it’s hard to hear certain comments made about her and not take them personally. She wishes that more people would take the time to get to know her and understand how loving and caring she is to the people around her. Although Delaney is always surrounded by friends and peers, she has the tendency to be more independent and aims to accomplish things on her own. One of her main struggles in life is accepting the fact that she is able to be on her own and be productive on her own. As the youngest in the family, Delaney takes pride in doing activities that differentiate her from the rarest of her siblings. She is very involved in dance, and the Orange County Performing Arts Academy holds many core memories for her. One of Delaney’s most memorable moments was when her name, among three others, were announced as the graduating class of seniors. At that moment, it finally clicked that she is graduating and the past four years of her life have led up to her walking through graduation with a cap, gown, and diploma in hand.
Sixth Period: Kyler Kong
Kyler, the last student of the day, concludes the day at this desk. Like most seniors, Kyler loves napping, buying food, and cooking. Campus life for Kyler involves lots of community service; over the past four years, Kyler has earned over 300 service hours: he was awarded the President’s Service Hours award. Kyler’s parents are on the older side, meaning he takes on many responsibilities and makes many sacrifices in order to take care of his household. Even as a teenager, Kyler is tasked with taking care of his father, who struggles with PTSD and nightmares, while helping his mother with day to day activities. This caused him to have to make some tough decisions when it came to college. He wants to be far enough from home to the point where he can be independent, but in case of emergencies, he wants to be able to get home as soon as possible. His decision to go to Cal Poly Pomona for the next four years was monumental in his household. As immigrants, his parents never had the opportunity to become literate and pass high school, earning a diploma. Kyler has worked hard to surpass his parents, earning both his high school diploma and getting into college.
