Breaking the Social Ideals and Stigmas of Modern Rap

By Alec Nunez The genre of rap, since its breakthrough into the mainstream during the late 1970s, hasThe genre of rap, since its breakthrough into the mainstream during the late 1970s, hasalways been shrouded in stigmas. The seemingly most prevalent of these stigmas being that rap is a violent outlet that promotes womanizing and drug use…

Cinematic Camera Work

By Jair Martinez Camera work is one of the most important parts of creating a movie. Directors use different types of camera angles to show emotion, setting, point out certain characters, and to show the tension between characters—not to mention that noticeably sloppy camera work can potentially ruin a film. But it’s easy to make…

#ThankYouMrWilliamson

By Gigi Hume and Galilea Oregon Yesterday afternoon felt just like a normal day, all up until whispers in the hallways and muffled tears spoke for themselves—Ian Williamson, former Utt Middle School eighth grade Physical Science, STEM teacher, Cross Country coach, and most recently Tustin High School Human Anatomy and Physiology teacher passed away after…

What is Success?

By Camille Yost Throughout the years of our schooling, teachers and staff are always encouraging students to “become successful.” Many students are unsure of what this means since there are so many different interpretations of what success is—it can range from financial success to finding happiness through a career. Two of the most successful people…

For Us // From Us

By Kristina Ching Although International Women’s Day wasn’t today, I set out to do something to remind myself and those around me that we can be empowered everyday of our lives // I believe strongly in learning from our mistakes, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t wish I could have had some…

When Life Gives You Lemons…

By Bryan Garcia, Edwin Contreras, and Jason Aquino Happy – feeling or showing pleasure or contentment. This emotion is so simple to understand, yet many do not have it in their lives. The many obstacles that we face in our lives has taken away what little faith we have in this simple emotion. Examples of…

Stealing Fashion From Your Favorite Friends

By: Galilea Oregon Ever since all ten seasons of Friends were added on Netflix, I’ve been shamelessly binge watching. With every passing episode, I fall in love more and more with the styles of protagonists Monica, Rachel and Phoebe. From Phoebe’s bohemian skirts and dresses to Monica’s classic mom jean and t-shirt combos, every outfit…

A Head Full of Dreams

By Yaire Alfaro   “In every walk of nature one receives more than he seeks” – John Muir “Though I’ve grown old, the bell still rings for me as it does for all who truly believes” – Chris Van Allsburg “You can close your eyes to things you do not want to see, but you cannot…

How to Have a Parade in the Rain: 5 Things to Do When It Rains

By Alexyss Ortiz and Vanessa Villegas It’s a Friday night, you’re sitting at home planning what to do with your friends but can’t do much because of the rain. You can’t plan to do anything outdoors, so you have to do something that involves staying inside your house, or going somewhere indoors. What can you…

The Giver’s United Club

By Jair Martinez The Giver’s United club at Tustin High School is made to help out the community and encourage people to contribute along the way. They know that even the smallest deed, like recycling, helps the community. Right now, they are working on implementing boxes in every classroom to collect bottles and cans so…

On Not Fitting in and Why It’s Totally Okay

By Galilea Oregon I do not fit. Sometimes I feel like the wrong puzzle piece, too big and awkward to fit. I do not fit. I am stuck between learning to accept solitude and seeking validation and acceptance. I respond to text messages right away on some days, and on others I ignore every single…

Do You Understand or Do You Listen?

By Adrian Ruiz In a modern age where people are found constantly glued to their phones, ear buds in their ears, self centered, and completely unaware of their surroundings, random acts of kindness are found to be very rare, if not, non-existent. This generation is so poisoned that it is rare to run into a…

Top 10 Art Pieces

By Karimar Gatica Art has long since been a mode of cultural statements that have helped us navigate the aesthetic history, if you will, of different times and places. It has the ability to captivate the masses as it is a universal language of expression, but among the thousands upon thousands of art pieces created…

Prancin’ in the Streets

By: Galilea Oregon, Gigi Hume, and Adrian Ruiz Fashion Week has come around once again, this year, however instead of focusing on looks featured on the runway, we take inspiration from the streets (like the cool kids do.) Away from the catwalk scene, a barrage of slip dresses over band and skating t-shirts, oversized collared…

Let’s Talk About Life

By: Evelyn Carrillo It’s hard. Almost nothing in life is easy. Family, friends and people. No matter what you do in life you’re going to be criticized. The way you look and the way you talk won’t always be favored by people. I get that. But do you? It’s all right to be different than…

Spring Inspired Nails

By Linda McNeil, Sophia Garcia, and Mikaella Brown It’s about that time, ladies! Spring is calling for a new manicure, and what better excuse to design your nails in a fun, bright, and colorful way? This is the season for a fresh start, so express your outer beauty with colors out of your comfort zone. …

Pretty Hate Fifteen

By Galilea Oregon I turn fifteen on April 27th. In Latino-American culture, a girl’s fifteenth birthday is not only one of the most celebrated but also one of the most meaningful and bittersweet days in a girl’s life: the transition from girlhood to womanhood officially begins and you’re swept up into a whirlwind of responsibilities…

Found My Smile

by Cristobal Segura Looks like you found your smile. Not only did you make it out alive, you feel amazing and you’re impressed with yourself. You feel like the weight of the boulder of stress is finally lifted off your back. You no longer feel like a burden to the world. You’re no longer afraid…

Charitable Tiller Baking

By: Alexia Mitchell It was recently brought to our attention that a couple of Tustin High Students are banning together to work with Operation Warm Wishes. OWW is an organization that is set on serving Orange County’s homeless, struggling families, veterans, and senior citizens in need of encouragement and anything to help them secure their…

Breaking the Latina Stereotype

by Galilea Oregon You have seen her before: beautiful tan skin, thick dark hair, pouted full lips, and a voluptuous body. She is feisty, exotic, and full of sex appeal. She is Sofia Vergara, Jennifer Lopez, Salma Hayek, and Eva Longoria. She is the face of the 45 million Latina girls and women in the…

Everybody Wants to be Loved

By: Jorge Perez & Destiny Gomez For you see, each day I love you more Today more than yesterday and less than tomorrow. -Rosemonde Gerard   Love is a canvas furnished by Nature and embroidered by imagination. -Voltaire   If I had a single flower for every time I think of you, I could walk…

In Between Worlds

By: Jocelyn You Who am I? An honor roll student who has only known AP and honor classes? The fashion editor of the school’s online magazine? Someone who represented Tustin in Washington, D.C. this summer for journalism? The only seventeen year old to write for an established magazine? The senior class’s 2015-2016 vice-president? Or do…

Valentine’s Inspired Outfits

By: Brisa Velasquez What to wear, what to wear? Valentine’s day is the perfect excuse to put on a cute outfit and hit the town or stay in for the night. Whether you’re going out, hanging out, or staying in get into the holiday spirit. Valentine’s day is almost here, but no need to panic…

Bingewatch Your Way Through V-Day

By: Gigi Hume As Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, plans of dates, bouquets, and Costco teddy bears are in the air, but for some of us single guys and gals this is day of universal bitterness. Instead of all these plans, we opt for the cliché idea of eating an entire pizza and binge-watching Netflix. But…

You’re So Naive

By: Karley Bailey Fourteen. Chronologically, not the beginning of your teenage years, but in the sense of life experience this is where the “fun” part of your adolescence starts. At fourteen you dread your first footsteps into a much larger school: a school that when you look at it, you see your future. Never realizing…

Look Up Here, I’m in Heaven

By: Gwynn Van Houten January 10th marked a particularly fascinating man’s final day on Earth. He had a great many aliases and monikers — Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane, The Thin White Duke, Starman — and possessed a sense of style and presentation that was as fluid as it was both eccentric and innovative. In one…

5 Places to Inspire You in 2016

By: Jocelyn You The past is the past, and let’s leave it at that. Inspiration for 2016 is in the air, and it’s in the way we choose to live. Through our experiences, decisions, actions, we live- and now, there’s a whole year ahead to do just that. The places we go and the things…

The Few, The Proud, The Cheerleader

By: Clea Thomas Laura Montealegre, a senior here at Tustin, has been on the Tustin Cheer Squad for all four years of her high school career. She can be found at school excelling in numerous advanced classes, at her job at Round Table Pizza giving 110%, or at any of the cheer events, but no…

A//S//H//

By: Jocelyn You Former Tustin High students, Connor Brawley and Zijn Winters, are prime examples of the heart that all Tillers seem to possess. Staying local after graduation, the two lived on a “normal route” going to college and working part-time jobs, meandering through life but not yet grasping their purposes and dreams. Feeling as…