Joining The Downey Legend for the first time, 17-year-old writer, Mehak Khan feels that Newspaper has helped her improve her writing and allowed her to be more involved in school. She enjoys writing and hopes to bring in interesting stories to write about throughout the school year. Khan joined Newspaper during second semester to pursue her dreams of becoming a writer. “It felt welcoming as soon as I joined because the staff was so friendly and cooperative,” Khan said. “They helped me out and taught me everything I needed to know about writing stories.”

During her spare time, Khan likes to read, write, and help out in the community. She is also involved in a club on campus, KIWIN’S, which is purely devoted to community service. She also loves listening to music; her favorite band is Vampire Weekend and her favorite solo artist is Ed Sheeran. Although she is unsure about what she would like to major in, after high school she plans to attend UC Davis and travel the world. Once she narrows in on a certain goal, she will do whatever it takes to accomplish it.

Senior Karen Ariciaga is starting her second year in Newspaper, and she enjoyed her position very much. She entered Newspaper with a position, as photographer last year, was her first year actually knowing how to work the cameras and take pictures on a professional camera. As a photographer, she has a job of taking pictures of sports events, rallies, and school events. “I really liked taking pictures for events, it was a way for me to see what was going around me,” Agriciaga said. “Being a photographer seems like a fun job, but there is also work that comes with it, there’s a balance.” stated Agriciaga stated. Her goals for newspaper are to enjoy every minute of it.

 

Photography is one of her many interests, she also enjoys re-watching old TV series such as Gossip Girl in her spare time. “Blair is my favorite,” Ariciaga stated. Other than Gossip Girl, she loves to sleep and eat Sushi, “I can eat sushi it all the time,” said Ariciaga. As a senior, one of her plans for this year is to go to all the dances. Ariciaga wants to be a lawyer when she is older. “I love the feeling of winning an argument,” she said. She plans to attend Loyola Marymount University after high school and wants be signed to a firm after college in hopes of fulfilling her goals. “ I want to get higher scores on my SATs’, pass with straight As, and join more school activities,” Ariciaga said, Her back up plan is to go to San Francisco State and fall back on business, so she is applying for scholarships and other colleges just in case. She is very focused on her career; Karen Ariciaga is very dedicated to get what she wants in life. She is taking steps to get to where she wants and going through it with a great attitude toward her up and coming year.