Senior Snapshots, Quarter Three: Childhood

If anyone were to summarize Lexi’s childhood obsession into one word, it would, without a question, be narwhals. She first discovered the animal when she told her gymnastics teacher that her favorite animals were dolphins and unicorns. 

“My teacher was like, ‘Have you heard of the narwhal?’ She told me that it’s an animal that combines the dolphin and the unicorn, and I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, this is the best thing ever!’” Lexi said. 

From that moment on, narwhals became a central part of her childhood. She drew countless narwhals with her purple colored pencils and crayons, sang narwhal songs, and bought narwhal books. “When I was a kid, I went to the library at Oak Knoll and checked out every single book on whales. And then I read the books cover to cover and took notes on all the narwhals,” she said. 

“My dream was to go to the Arctic and see narwhals in person. I think it’s still cool to do that right now, just to fulfill my childhood dreams,” Lexi added. “I got my scuba diving license when I was 10, and it was because I wanted to dive with whales so bad.”

One of her most prized childhood possessions? A purple narwhal t-shirt. “I wore it like every other day,” Lexi said. “I remember it being giant on me in first grade, and now I look at it and it’s tiny.”

Another significant part of Lexi’s childhood was her family. Lexi’s father is Filipino-Chinese, and her mom is from India, creating a rich blend of cultures at home. This mix brings a variety of holiday traditions, with Diwali—the Indian Festival of Lights—being a yearly favorite. “We all go to my grandma’s house. She makes us all food, and it’s so good,” Lexi said. “The food she makes is very different every year. Sometimes she’ll make street food like pav bhaji, because I really like that. But she usually just asks us what we want, and then she makes it.”

Yandel’s youth was a time of both self-improvement and self-discovery. As he submerged himself in different interests, he found his motivation and discipline to grow into a more confident and fulfilled version of himself.

“I had a lot of insecurities in middle school, mostly because of the school I went to and the people I was surrounded by,” Yandel said. “One big insecurity I had was about my body—I was chubby back then. I got bullied for it, even by friends sometimes.”

“At first, I was fine with it. I liked being myself, and I felt comfortable in my skin. But when people started calling me ugly or fat, it really got to me. I used to cry a lot, and it made me want to lose weight,” he said. 

Although losing weight helped Yandel gain more confidence in his appearance, he still struggles with self-assurance. “In soccer, when we take penalties, I used to love going first. I’d raise my hand right away. But now, I freeze. I tell my friends, ‘You guys go first,’ and I back away from the group. I lost the confidence I used to have,” he said. 

Yandel also worked to overcome his fear of social interaction. “I wasn’t good at talking to people at all. I actually used to use a puppet to talk to others. That’s how uncomfortable I was,” he said. 

Yandel eventually started to open up, but using an unconventional method. He started his own YouTube channel, which helped him begin to talk to himself, the camera, and eventually, his viewers. “It felt easier because I wasn’t talking to someone face-to-face, just a camera. I started small, replying to comments. Then I started streaming and responding to live chats. It helped me come out of my shell,” he said.

“I’m not shy about sharing my insecurities because I know I’m working on them, and I’m confident I’ll get through them eventually,” Yandel said. “Even though I still have things I’m not happy with, I’m aware of what I can and can’t control. Some things about my body or life—I just can’t change them, so I try not to let those become insecurities. I focus on what I can change, and I’m working on those.”

Ofa spent her childhood constantly moving, dancing, and being outside. Her energy and positivity didn’t just define her—they lifted up those around her, from family to friends. She recalls fond memories of dancing for her family church, recording Musical.ly videos in elementary school, and even old field trips in Golden Gate Park where she would just roll down grassy hills with her classmates. 

“It was an overnight field trip,” Ofa said. “They let us roll down the hill because it was plants that they needed to kill. So they were like, ‘Yeah, just go ahead and roll, we need the plants to die.’ So everybody just started rolling down the hill.”

When Ofa was little, she aspired to be a vet to save animals. “My neighbor had a dog, and I got a puppy from them. Ever since I got my dog, I was just like, ‘Okay, I’m going to be a vet,’” she said. 

Now, as Ofa has grown, matured, and witnessed the significant impacts of health complications on her family, she wants to be a nurse to help those in similar situations to her loved ones. 

These experiences have also deepened her appreciation for life. Ofa reflected on her childhood birthdays spent celebrating with family parties, in the city, or simply with friends. “I’m just grateful for my birthdays and being able to live another year,” she noted, smiling. 

In the future, Ofa hopes to have a family of her own and either stay in the Bay Area or move to the South—specifically in North Carolina or Virginia, where some of her extended family lives. “I usually go to Virginia to visit my cousin,” Ofa said. “She stays out there, and my niece stays out here, so usually I have to travel back and forth to drop her off there and then bring her back. The people there are just good vibes, and the diversity there is also nice.”

Much of Xander’s childhood was tied to two things: sports and family. Playing Pop Warner football, baseball, and basketball, paired with a love for sports documentaries and constant support from his father and grandfather, helped Xander realize his current passion for football.

“Pop Warner was my first introduction to M-A. We played on the M-A field, and I met a lot of the people who became my teammates in high school,” Xander said. When Xander transferred to M-A from Serra junior year, knowing these old teammates eased the transition. “I already felt like I was a part of the M-A community,” he said.

“Playing football is a really good way of building the intangible parts of your life,” Xander said. “Obviously, everyone says that discipline is important and all the corny stuff, but I think that learning how to take coaching and feedback and apply that, being a leader, and being able to communicate effectively with the people around you is a good reason why people should play football. It’s going to help you later on in life, even when you’re done.”

Beyond football, Xander takes pride in his Danish heritage. His mother, who is originally from Denmark, made sure to pass the culture to her children. “I speak Danish. When I was younger, my mom would only speak Danish to me,” Xander said.

Every winter, their family celebrates Danish Christmas. Rather than opening presents Christmas morning, they open them on Christmas Eve. “We also run all through the house singing a Danish song,” Xander said. “It’s pretty fun.”

“There are also specific Danish Christmas foods that we eat: a special kind of caramelized potatoes, turkey, and this pudding with an almond inside. It’s a game—if you find the almond in your serving, you get a gift,” he added.

Every summer, Xander travels back to Denmark to see his mom’s family. “I usually go for one week, when we’re all together. It’s a beach town, so we eat seafood, go to the beach, and just chill,” he said.

Mattea spent her childhood moving between California and Utah before finally settling with her grandmother in ninth grade. Her transitions between different schools and living with different family members have shaped the current exuberant, loving, and introspective person she is today. 

“When I was really young, I didn’t have insecurities,” Mattea said. “I used to be hella social, hella fun, and just outspoken in elementary school.”

In Utah, Mattea was either taking care of her siblings or “too busy being a kid.” “I don’t even think I thought about what I wanted to be when I was younger,” she added. From watching scary movie marathons every Halloween to going on cruise vacations with her family, she focused on the present. 

Mattea found childhood as a warm place filled with “core memories”: she loved eating strawberries and bear claw pastries, and watching Yo Gabba Gabba and Bubble Guppies at home. 

One especially vivid memory was volunteering at a senior’s home in first grade. “She would have us take care of them, talk to them, get hot chocolate, and just sit with them. And it was just so a nostalgic and warm feeling. That was a really good memory,” she said. 

Family complications caused her to move around often, bringing a sense of instability to her life and community. “Throughout school—like middle school and high school—it kind of dimmed me down a little bit,” she said. “When middle school came, that was when I started moving back and forth between my nana’s and my mom’s, where I just didn’t feel like I had a community for real. I just felt out of place each time I went to a new school.”

When Mattea came to M-A, knowing almost no one, she felt isolated. “I don’t think I really had insecurities in my freshman or sophomore year. I just felt alone, like I was just to myself,” she said. 

Once accompanied by her cousin in her sophomore year, though, Mattea found her place with a stable group of friends and a more consistent home life.

As the seventh oldest of thirteen siblings, Jayden’s childhood was constantly filled with people by his side. He spends time with both sides of his family, who now live separately: on holidays, Jayden travels to his mom’s, who is Chilean and Tongan, for dinner. The next morning, he’ll leave for his dad’s house to eat a hearty breakfast of pancakes, eggs, and bacon.

“That’s the same for Thanksgiving. We’ll just have a switch-off—breakfast with my dad’s side and dinner with my mom’s side,” he said.

When he was younger, Jayden aspired to be an inventor. “I forgot what the show was called, but I remember this kid who made some shoes that made him fly. Ever since then, I just wanted to be an inventor. I wanted to make stuff that could make me fly,” he said. Jayden admitted that he eventually gave up the dream of being an inventor. Now, he’s looking to go to trade school to work as an electrician.  

“When I was younger, I also really cared about my hair,” Jayden said. “My dad would always shave me bald, and I used to get really, really mad. They never let me do my hair how I wanted.” Now, with more freedom over his own appearance, Jayden wears his curls with a side taper and rattail in the back.

Jayden’s most memorable childhood object was Silky, a small stuffed animal gifted to him immediately after his birth. “It’s the oldest thing I have, pretty much,” he said. “That—and another blanket—are the things I had in my car seat right when I got out of the hospital. My mom said I used to always just have this with me, go to sleep with it. I’d carry it around everywhere.”

A childhood filled with the companionship of many has influenced Jayden’s hopes for his own future family. “I want around six or seven kids,” Jayden said. 

“I want to have a big family. I just like the idea that my kids would have their siblings with them at school,” he added. “My siblings and I were spaced in age, so we weren’t really at school together much. I want my kids to go to school together, have each other’s backs—that kind of thing.”

Angeleah’s expressive, energetic, and bubbly childhood reflects her present personality. Her love for self-expression transcended through hundreds of laughter-filled Musical.ly videos and Just Dance competitions. 

“I was such a huge Just Dance girl. I used to compete with everyone. It was my whole personality,” Angeleah said.

Even more than dancing and singing, though, Angeleah loved Taylor Swift. “I’ve always been a Taylor Swift fan,” she said. “I kind of just grew up with her. I would be so excited about every album she announced.” 

“I literally used to recreate the ‘I Knew You Were Trouble’ music video in my room or pretend I was in all her music videos—Speak Now, Red, 1989—all of it,” she added.

“I love her music. I love her character. I just feel like she’s one of the good celebrities, despite what people say. A lot of celebrities are really kind of fake, and she just seems really genuine. I feel like the fame hasn’t really gotten to her,” she said. 

Despite filling her hours dancing and singing, Angeleah still feared talking to others. She remembers crying in third grade when asked to speak in front of the class. “I had major social anxiety. When I was little, I remember I could never present,” she said. “ I was so scared.”

Luckily, some of her friends had made sure to support her. “When I had to present this one time, all my friends made it a really big deal to be really supportive. They told the whole class they had better be nice to me and clap for me. They made me a poster, and they were like, ‘Go Angeleah!’ It was so sweet,” she said.

Adopted from Russia at four and a half years old, Paul grew up with his mother in San Francisco. “I used to speak Russian, but they told my mom that I wouldn’t learn English well if I continued it, so I had to drop it. I wish I didn’t, though,” he said.

After a few more years in San Francisco, Paul moved with his mother to the South Bay, where she grew up, to be near their family. Paul’s journey of discovering himself came with branching out in all directions, from dancing ballet and playing tennis to swimming. 

“My grandma was a member at the Menlo Swimming Club, and she was like, ‘Paul needs to learn swimming.’ So, during the summer, I went there and got swim lessons. And I remember, I essentially taught myself how to swim,” he said. 

As he jumped further and further out into the water and found his way back, Paul learned to navigate the waters by himself. This sort of initial curiosity turned into a greater motivation to continue and improve. That second year, in 2012, he earned an award for greatest improvement.

“From that day forward, I was like, ‘I want to do this every single summer,’” Paul said. “I began swimming more consistently, and ever since then, I’ve been MVP. That shows what hard work can do!”

“Swimming has been a great community for me, and it’s really shown me my different loves,” he said. From swimming, Paul has ventured out to diving and playing water polo.

“It’s a big part of my life. I wouldn’t say I’m good at it, because I only really started club swimming in ninth grade, and it’s been hard to stay consistent through high school. But yeah—I love it and I try to practice every day,” he added.

Paul’s constantly evolving interests similarly manifest his consistent confidence and desire for self-improvement. When he was little, he wanted to be a car model. “I loved cars, and I thought I was good-looking—my mom said I was a stellar-looking kid,” Paul said, laughing. “I thought it meant I’d get to drive nice cars.”

“Then my mom said, ‘You should do something meaningful, something that helps people,’ so I switched. I wanted to be a vet. Then I switched again to architecture,” he added. “I had started just getting really into interior design, and I started redesigning my bedroom and doing a lot of DIY projects. Then I just got really into spaces and how spaces made people feel.”