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So-called useless college classes and how they might not be so useless.  Image c/o Saint Mary's College By Madison Sciba Editor-in-Chief A common complaint heard around college campuses across the country is “ugh why do I have to take this class? It doesn’t even have anything to do with my major.” STEM students complain about having to take English and History classes while liberal arts students complain about being forced to take science labs and math classes. A great deal of people major in something that they are interested and/or good at, which is why a lot of students dislike having to take classes that are on a widely different topic than the one they are studying. What most students fail to realize is how essential these “other” classes are to creating a well rounded education.
When first starting Saint Mary’s I was infuriated that I had to take a math class. As a communications major and history minor, who has always had a great disdain for mathematics, I wanted to cry at the thought of having to use algebra or even think about the quadratic formula. After a semester of tears and crying out, “I just don’t get it,” I eventually realized that taking the class was actually beneficial to me. Sure I don’t use high level math in my everyday life, but the basic statistics and data that I learned has remained helpful when navigating the real world. In discussing these so called “useless classes” the conversation is usually liberal arts students having to take math and science classes. Interestingly, STEM majors complain almost as much, if not more, about having to take English and history class. My brother is a cyber intelligence and security major at an aerospace and engineering school. When he had to take his required English class it became apparent to me why it was necessary for people to take classes outside of their subject. People like my brother, those who are more geared towards science and technology, are not as skilled at English and language arts as liberal arts majors. Liberal arts requires a lot of writing so those majors get a lot of practice, STEM major’s don’t so they need that required extra English class to get those much needed skills that come with essay writing and reading important novels. Look, we all don’t want to take classes on topics we find difficult/uninteresting, but they are necessary. The goal of most universities is to create well rounded individuals who will be productive in the outside world. An essential part to being well rounded is taking a variety of classes on a range of topics. What good is a person who only knows one subject? An engineer who cannot write a legible paper on their research won’t be an effective one. Being able to quote a Shakespeare play in old English is great but won’t help you when doing math to manage your finances. Our society needs us to study and have a basic understanding of all areas so we can be productive, successful members of society.
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 Image c/o Mt Diablo Unified School District By Lizeth De La Cruz Visiting Columnist In this country, we all legally have to be enrolled in school from Kinder to 12th grade, therefore this research is meant to serve as a call to action appealing to all human beings. Public high schools are specifically meant to prepare their students for a life post-graduation as they see their students come in as teenagers and leave as young adults. Yet, only the students who attend high schools located in expensive cities have the privilege of receiving this. But how, exactly, does a public high school’s location impact a student’s access and preparation for a higher education?
Schools with higher amounts of lower-income students are given fewer resources to prepare for higher education and I first handily saw the lack of resources within my school district, Mount Diablo Unified. I compared the demographics of two schools in this district, Northgate High School which is located in Walnut Creek, a much more expensive zipcode to live in compared to Mount Diablo High School, located in Concord. According to the US News World Report, it stated that “64% of students” at Northgate took an AP exam and in their entire school only “20%” of students are of lower income”. While at Mount Diablo High School only “18% of students took an AP exam” and “75% of their students are of lower income”. These statistics clearly show the correlation between economic status and exam enrollment but what exactly does it mean for students to be considered of lower income? As specified by the National Center for Education Statistics, Mount Diablo had “433 students” who qualified for free lunch while at Northgate only “141 students qualified”. This means that students who are categorized as lower income have to have families who are annually making under what is federally considered as poverty in California. Students who are at an economic advantage have higher enrollment because of districts like Mount Diablo Unified which only provide the most funding to schools with higher-income students. Advanced Placement exams are meant to prepare students for the rigors of college while also allowing them to earn college credits to lower the cost of their education. Sadly, without having access to proper resources like college and career centers this information is almost impossible for students to learn about. This is a call to action for humanity as a whole as we must fight for the proper resources amongst all schools, not just those in wealthy neighborhoods. This matters because the minds being educated in high school are all the future workers of America. By helping fight we are ensuring that all future generations will have the equal opportunity to break through generational poverty and obtain a bachelor's degree while securing a high-paying job. But, the only way this is achievable is if districts like Mount Diablo Unified promise to have a college and career center with at least two counselors across all high schools. Students, I urge you to fight for your peers while advocating for them by sharing this information with others including your parents as having a proper education is a right, not a privilege.  Image C/O by Dimitrios Kambouris / The MET Museum / Vogue / GETTY Images By Isabella Wynn Visiting Columnist The MET Gala never fails to pump out fashion flops, celebrity drama, and memes. I am not usually very invested in the MET Gala, however this year I took a look at Vogue’s live streaming and their lengthy list of all attendees and their red carpet looks.
The theme for the 2024 MET Gala was “Garden of Time.” As you would expect, the red carpet saw lots of flowers and light colors. Of course there were also looks that were a little out of the box; some abstractly fit the theme and some definitely flopped (right down that giant MET staircase). As someone who knows absolutely nothing about high fashion, I will be giving my honest reviews on the 2024 MET Gala looks. I am simply a thrifting connoisseur and a consumer of the media; don't take these opinions to heart. Starting off strong, Zendaya gifted us with two stunning looks. Her designers definitely fit the theme dressing her in gowns and floral decor. Some may think that the black gown doesn't fit “Garden of Time,” but I think the color black is timeless and the floral headpiece ties it all together. Others who had strong looks were Emma Chamberlain and Lana Del Rey. Both of these women had designers who took similar approaches to the theme. They went for more of a roots and thorns look rather than a floral look. I appreciated the unique and darker take on the theme in these two looks. I always love a brown look. Lizzo’s designer also took on more neutral colors paired with subtle florals. I especially liked the shape of her dress. Sydney Sweeney’s look was another one that dipped its toe into a darker theme, mixing florals and pastel blue with black accents and a black wig. I liked it. My standing ovation critique goes to Tyla in her Balmain gown made out of sand. This was my favorite look as it was so unique and so creative. Playing off the theme of time, her designer made her look like an actual hourglass. The details in accessorizing were beautiful as she wore simple jewelry and carried around a “purse” hourglass. For a bit of a hot take, I really liked Doja Cat’s look. She showed up in a giant, white, soaking wet t-shirt dress. I didn't like it and didn't get it until she explained it in an interview. She chose to represent the cotton flower with a timeless white t-shirt. She felt it was very poetic and I agreed. In wanting to stand out, she succeeded. Another look that stood out, possibly for what I think are the wrong reasons, was Da ‘Vine Joy Randolph’s denim dress. Denim wins the timeless competition and I think her gown was very flattering on her. She looked like a denim flower. Now unfortunately there are quite a few looks that I have brutal opinions on. I saw looks representing (I’m assuming unintentional) themes of wedding cakes, tin foil, 2000s disney red carpet looks, and mermaids. And of course, most of the men disappointed this year wearing simple black and/or white suits with maybe a subtle floral detail. Wedding Cake looks: Gigi Hadid, Lil Nas X, Ayo Edebiri, Taylor Russell, and Madelyn Cline. All of these looks reminded me of a wedding cake. A lot of these looks are gorgeous but I cannot look at them without thinking “wedding cake.” Lil Nas X gets points for consistently stepping out of the black and white suit stereotype. I also love my girl Ayo Edebiri, but the flowers on her dress look tacky to me and I don't think the dress fits her well. Gigi Hadid and Madelyn Cline’s looks simply give “wedding cake”, I cannot focus on anything else. Lastly, I may get some heat for this, but Taylor Russell looks like she is wearing fondue. Tin foil: Michelle Yeoh, Amanda Seyfried, and Kim Kardashian. These are just some of the looks that reminded me of tinfoil. Michelle Yeoh and Amanda Seyfried most of all. These two women were dressed in almost the same wrinkled tin foil looking dresses. The only difference was that Amanda’s had little pink tin foil flowers on the skirt of the dress. I did not like these looks and did not think they were pleasant to look at. Kim Kardashian’s designer took a different approach but still falls into the tinfoil category. There are some beautiful details on Kim’s look however it is ultimately shadowed by the fact that Kim looked like she couldn't breathe, the inclusion of the random, gray sweater, and the looks resemblance to tin foil. Disney Red Carpet: One of my least favorite looks was Zoë Saldaña’s. I did not see how it fit the 2024 theme whatsoever. I feel like the look speaks for itself when you see it. Mermaid: Gabrielle Union’s designer got lazy. They put her in a shiny scaled mermaid dress. It doesn't fit the theme, looks tacky, and isn't anything new. It looks like a bad, ocean themed prom dress. Her husband, Dwyane Wade wore a purple suit, which was a nice color but paired poorly with a plain, v-neck t-shirt. Other: Barry Keoghan and Nicole Kidman. Barry Keoghan’s suit looked like the love child of Willy Wonka and the Mad Hatter. Perhaps he was channeling Timothée Chalamet after the release of his Wonka movie and poking fun at the rumors that Chalamet was the original choice to play Oliver in Saltburn. Again, I appreciate Barry and his designer not going with a black suit, but I did not like what they chose. Another one of my least favorite looks was Nicole Kidman’s. Her dress looked like a black, baby bird emerging from the crotch of her dress. I didn’t get it and didn’t like it. Ultimately, fashion is up for interpretation and in reality, none of us know anything about fashion because it is all made up. Wear what you want and like what you like. I am looking forward to the looks presented in next year’s Hunger Games. Whoops, I mean the MET Gala. How the state is failing to prepare students  Image c/o GVWire By Edith Cuevas Opinion Columnist California is paving the way for other states in many aspects, including green energy, having a strong economy, and human rights. The state of California is failing in one sphere, and that is ensuring that all California students have access to economic literacy courses in high school. Financial literacy is important because it empowers students to make informed decisions, and allows them to build safety nets for themselves.
California is one of the most diverse states in the country, and making financial literacy a requirement for high school graduation would ensure that there is equitable access to these courses, even in marginalized communities. I believe that this is a necessary change because it gives students the opportunity to learn about budgeting, saving, investing, understanding credit, and managing debt. This will eventually lead to a generation of students that are better equipped to make important financial decisions after their high school careers. Another benefit is the ability to navigate financial challenges by reducing the susceptibility of individuals to predatory lending or even scams. Individuals may also be able to be less likely to accumulate high levels of debt and even be less likely to declare bankruptcy. Here at Saint Mary’s, I have been working on an advocacy project with four other individuals from my public policy course. We are attempting to raise awareness on this core curriculum change as we believe that this issue has the potential to have a positive impact on many Californias through empowerment. During our project, we surveyed a group of about 30 students. Over 96% of students surveyed believe that financial literacy is important. About 70% of those interviewed did not have access to financial literacy courses. Only 30% of students did have access to financial literacy courses but it was only a requirement to graduate for 7% of those students. Financial literacy is important for students to understand things such as tax forms, interest rates, credit cards, loans, etc. Why should you care? Well, only less than 20% of students surveyed indicated that they do not struggle with filling out tax forms. The other 80% of students struggle with them and some do not understand how to file or fill out the proper forms. Nearly 70% of students surveyed did not feel prepared to manage personal finances upon graduating from high school. The consensus among those surveyed is that it is important for schools in California to offer financial literacy classes, with 85% of the responses noting that it is very important. Most importantly, there is overwhelming support for a core curriculum change across the state. 77% of those surveyed would support such a change. What can we do? Look out for any petitions supporting the cause, including one created by students here at Saint Mary’s, write to your local senators or assembly members, and look out for legislation supporting this matter during the upcoming November elections. Raising awareness and having conversations can make a bigger difference than you might think. |
STAFFMadison Sciba '24, Archives
May 2024
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