18 under 18: West Ranch Students Edition

   Yael Brynjegard-Bialik is an eager force in West Ranch High School’s science department. Her passion for learning and excitement about the world around her can be seen through her fervorous work ethic, passion for knowledge and commitment to her studies. She is most passionate about astrophysics, holding the title of the youngest author of a NASA proposal. She can constantly be seen leading ...

Hardworking. Driven. Inspired. All of these words describe Aiden Kim. As a sophomore, Kim has already become a successful entrepreneur and has big aspirations for his future in a financial career. Q: What inspired or influenced you to start a business? A: Honestly, I do not even remember what inspired me to start trying to make money by starting a business; I just did it. If someone asked m...

Senior Ethan Harpole played Nick, the main character, in West Ranch Theater’s last production “The Great Gatsby.” In addition to acting, Ethan is an entrepreneur and owner of Cryptic Escape Rooms in Newhall. Continue reading for an exclusive Paw Print interview with Ethan. Q: How did you start acting? A: I joined theater my sophomore year, and I didn’t really know much about it. But th...

A leader, debater and scholar, junior Drew Ashlock is making a name for himself on the West Ranch campus. Ashlock is currently not only junior captain of the speech and debate team but is also the junior class president in addition to his rigorous course load. While these activities are already impressive on their own, it is Ashlock’s drive and desire to improve the current state of society that m...

Stamina, heart, passion and drive: According to Hayden Washington, if you do not have these qualities in your arsenal, you cannot be a successful runner. Washington, a gifted freshman who secured a spot on the West Ranch varsity cross country team in her first year of high school, has all of those fantastic attributes and more. She finds time to train intensely while managing honors classes and cha...

For senior Kevin Stevens, the Olympics are not just a show on TV, but his future. Every day of the week for four to six hours, one can find the talented young individual training at Rising Sun Karate Academy honing his skills. He has qualified for the Junior National Team and medaled all six times he’s attended the Pan American Games. In 2024, Stevens plans on representing the United States in karate. As...

Hannah Park, now a senior here at West Ranch High School, created the project “Re EnVogue.” The mission of the project is to redefine the approach to the design, creation, and marketing of clothing by reinventing old clothing to suit today's trends while bringing awareness to the dangers of fast fashion. Fast fashion is inexpensive clothing that’s constantly mass produced to fit today’s trend...

From TV to the dance floor to school, 16-year-old Myles Perez has been making a name for himself since a young age. His chill and relaxed attitude allows him to do what he loves and thrive while doing so. He has worked with many well-known companies like Disney, Honda and Nickelodeon, something not many high school students are able to do. But recently, he has been trying to branch out from just a hip h...

  When she is not at her dance studio, playing the piano or changing the world, you can find 15-year-old Camille Blanco dominating the competition in speech and debate. Her theatrical personality allows her to fully dive into any speech, leaving the audience in awe that a young girl has such a powerful voice. Blanco has achieved many awards from speech and debate, and she hopes that everyone wil...

Introduced to music at the age of four, 15-year-old musician Kevin Gillespie has been dominating the music world ever since. His cool facade and solution-oriented mind allows him to play any instrument if he puts his mind to it. From the saxophone, guitar, to even the flute, Kevin puts in so much diligence that charms any judge in the audition room. He looks up to musicians like Paul McCartney, Tal Farlow...

Connor Davis and McKenzie Arnold are two friends who have been practicing music and writing since they were in elementary school. They started collaborating on a musical together towards the beginning of the 2017-2018 school year, which will soon be performed by West Ranch Theater. They spend their free time writing together, and they even spend their time working during lunch. They both are passionate...

  Anna Sarukian’s passion for politics has lead to amazing opportunities for her and for West Ranch. She is president of Junior State of America, which is an organization in which students from all over come to conferences to debate political topics. Sarukian has worked on multiple campaigns, including the Katie Hill campaign. She also graduated with honors from two politics-related institutes...

It’s not very often that one sees a freshman making their way to the prestigious Carnegie Hall in New York. And with that type of continuous effort, what could they possibly be achieving a year later? Sophomore violinist William Suwandi utilizes his amazing sense of rhythm and a burning passion to achieve maximum potential in the field of music. In fact, though the violin is one of the most-playe...

When most people imagine a beauty pageant, they generalize the prim competitions as showing off dresses and money just to get more money. However, according to freshman Keely Young, beauty pageants are much more complex than they seem. Yes, they include modeling, but they also showcase intimidating public speaking. For Young, it took years to perfect the art of pageanting paired with her natural talent ...

At just four feet eleven inches, Angelique Noblejas’ bubbly personality exceeds her size. Her contagious laughter allows her to make friends with ease — a trait that has helped her tremendously in her two jobs as a portrait photographer and a Hollister brand agent. Between school, producing content for Hollister and her photography business, she’s stays busy, but the one thing that keeps her mo...

The Camacho brothers have consistently been powerhouses on West Ranch’s football and baseball teams. Their skills on the field are evident by their starting positions on varsity teams in both sports since sophomore year. Participating in sports from a young age, the twins have developed a unique sense of teamwork and drive that has helped them grow as both athletes and brothers. With Ryan being n...