The School Newspaper of Southwest Career and Technical Academy.

Southwest Shadow

Southwest Shadow

Southwest Shadow
Holding up her tennis racket, sophomore Ihsan Seman finishes out a great tennis season. She made many new friendships while still donning her hijab proudly. “I came to play every single day,” Seman said. “I wasn’t forced to do this. I’m dedicated to this sport, and I want to be there.”

Committed Tennis Player: Meet Ihsan Seman

Philipos Alebachew, Staff Writer
November 22, 2022
She tells her story of embracing her culture while still playing a sport she loves.
Using coding as a creative outlet, senior Austin Brigida lives life with autism spectrum disorder. Brigida found ways to live life just like other students. “I truly believe that Austin is where he is today because of his hard work and the combined efforts of his therapists, teachers and family,” mother Tracy Brigida said.

Living On The Spectrum: Meet Austin Brigida

Kylie Dacquel, Staff Writer
November 7, 2022
Ready to graduate, Austin has shown perseverance throughout his four years of high school.
During her “Sow What?” Journey in San Diego, sophomore Delaney Knight takes part in an animal workshop hosted by Zovargo. Proud to be a part of the organization, Girl Scouts has allowed Knight to grow as a person through earning badges and completing journeys. “Being a Girl Scout makes me a better person in many different ways,” Knight said. “One of those ways is learning valuable skills that I can use for my whole life. Some of the skills are business and finance skills from selling cookies, survival skills, learning how to cook while camping, and more.”

Empowered Girl Scout: Meet Delaney Knight

October 27, 2022
Delaney Knight shares her experience being a Girl Scout.
Dunking the ball into the net, sophomore Xavion Staton scores yet another point for the Sierra Vista varsity boys basketball team. Staton enjoys being able to create memories with his new team. “My teammates have a lot of fun because they get to experience throwing stuff up and having me immediately dunk it,” Staton said. “It brings a lot of energy to the court.”

TALLEST PERSON ON CAMPUS: MEET XAVION STATON

Paizley Swaney, Staff Writer
October 18, 2022
Sophomore is just an inch away from reaching seven feet tall.
Practicing her bass, Poselero finds a new bass line for her band’s new original song. Writing her own content has always been a great way to express her, and her band’s creativity. “It's really cool to see when I’m on stage and how people are taken aback because of my height,” Poselero said. “People don’t expect this tiny, little lady to be screaming her lungs out. My energy is completely different than if I were to just be talking to someone, and I fell in love with what that felt like.”

Rockin’ Band Member: Meet Zielle Poselero

Ashley Harris, News and Features Editor
October 4, 2022
Poselero shares experiences performing in front of live audiences with her band.
Contorting her body in the air, sophomore Zoey Henson strikes several dance trapeze poses. Henson says it takes a ton of core and upper body strength to successfully execute a trick. “You don’t need outside practice, but it is good to have. I used to go twice a week for six hours total, so I built a lot of strength from that,” Henson said. (Photo Credits: Zoey Henson)

Astounding Aerialist: Meet Zoey Henson

Shayna Migalang, Staff Writer
September 22, 2022
Sophomore Zoey Henson has been executing aerial circus performances since elementary school.
With a passion for baking since her childhood, sophomore Daniela Hernandez has started a business making and selling a variety of sweets, including cupcakes and cookies. “I started making cupcakes, trying different recipes flavors, just things that I wanted to do things and that I liked,” Hernandez said. “It kind of just started from there and ever since I've been just taking orders and like delivering them. I've been getting some great feedback and it's been fun.” Photo Credit: Daniela Hernandez

Passionate Patissier: Meet Daniela Hernandez

Kathryn Peterson
March 10, 2022
Sophomore Daniela Hernandez practices to improve her baking skills.
Skilled Kung Fu competitor: Meet Nathan Ly

Skilled Kung Fu competitor: Meet Nathan Ly

Ayma Malik
March 8, 2022
Sophomore Nathan Ly trains and competes in Kung Fu.
After‌ ‌dedicating‌ ‌much‌ ‌of‌ ‌his‌ ‌time‌ ‌to‌ ‌running,‌ ‌senior‌ ‌Danyom‌ ‌Yosief‌ ‌gets‌ ‌to‌ ‌show‌ ‌off‌ ‌his‌ ‌ talent‌ ‌during‌ ‌competition.‌ ‌Training‌ ‌rigorously,‌ ‌Yosief‌ ‌competed ‌to‌ ‌win.‌ ‌“There’s‌ ‌more‌ ‌out‌ ‌there‌ ‌to‌ ‌ look‌ ‌out‌ ‌for‌ ‌and‌ ‌I‌ ‌feel‌ ‌like‌ ‌my‌ ‌job‌ ‌as‌ ‌an‌ ‌athlete‌ ‌is‌ ‌not‌ ‌accomplished‌ ‌yet,''‌ ‌Yosief‌ ‌said.‌ ‌“I‌ ‌know‌ ‌ there’s‌ ‌more‌ ‌out‌ ‌there‌ ‌for‌ ‌me‌ ‌and‌ ‌there’s‌ ‌probably‌ ‌even‌ ‌better‌ ‌people‌ ‌than‌ ‌me‌ ‌out‌ ‌there‌ ‌so‌ ‌I‌ ‌ can’t‌ ‌stop‌ ‌working‌ ‌hard‌ ‌even‌ ‌after‌ ‌I‌ ‌reach‌ ‌my‌ ‌goals.”‌ ‌Photo‌ ‌Credit:‌ ‌‌Jevon‌ ‌Dyer‌

Devoted Runner: Meet Danyom Yosief

Gray Barranco
February 14, 2022
Senior Danyom Yosief finds passion and relief in racing competitively in cross-country.
As her stress piles up from a tough homework assignment, Rollf decides it’s time for a brief break. Rollf got into position and cracked her neck to release built-up tension. “I crack my bones for stress relief, out of boredom, when I’m nervous, or just to fidget around with,” Rollf said. “It’s usually quiet in class, so when I get bored and start cracking my bones, my neighbor will look at me weird because of how loud it is. When I’m by myself, I can enjoy the sounds of it without receiving weird looks.” Photo Credit: Madisyn Rollf

Crackin’ Bones: Meet Madisyn Rollf

Raeness Lantaya
February 7, 2022
Madisyn Rollf started cracking her bones after witnessing her father.
Finishing another hard workout session, senior Ventisislav Yankov studies his side triceps after training shoulders and arms. Beginning his junior year, Yankov began to start taking the gym seriously and working out to improve the way his body looked. “I remember the best memory of my training experience when I benched 225 pounds, which was my goal for six months,” Yankov said. “I failed that benchmark three times before that and when I finally hit it, I felt very happy.” Photo Credit: Ventisislav Yankov

Certified Personal Trainer: Meet Ventisislav Yankov

Naila Yazdani
February 3, 2022
Yankov landed his first job as a personal trainer after rigorous amounts of work over the last two years.
Mending to her plants, sophomore Christine Wu digs in the soil with her shovel. Working on farming since she was twelve, gardening has become her number one hobby“ Although gardening can become quite a labor intensive hobby, I like the work even if my back can be sore from it,” Wu said. “I can always turn to gardening for relief from the stress I feel in life. It is relaxing to sit down and focus on a plant. It's always heartwarming to see your hard work grow and bloom.” Photo Credit: Madelynn Evans

Finding Peace In Gardening: Meet Christine Wu

Madelynn Evans
January 28, 2022
Learning to grow flowers and vegetables establish a healthier coping mechanism for stress.
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