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The School Newspaper of Southwest Career and Technical Academy.

Southwest Shadow

Southwest Shadow

Southwest Shadow

Jon Escala

Jon Escala, Staff Writer

I’m Jon Victor Escala, and this is my second year in journalism :) In my downtime, I like to play volleyball and study a lot

All content by Jon Escala
On the day of his performance, junior Ryan Cruz prepares himself and tries to calm his nerves for the event. For Cruz, lion dancing is an expressive outlet that brings emotion to any spectators that check out his performances. “It’s really fun for me, honestly,” Cruz said. “I like jumping around, or running around. I really like [pretending to] bite people as the lion. It means a lot to me that I’m able to make people smile, whether it is making them think that I brought them good fortune, or doing those random things to kids to cheer them up because they’re really scared.”

Head of the Lion: Meet Ryan Cruz

Jon Escala, Staff Writer
January 30, 2025

Most who have experienced the tradition of lion dancing might be content staying a spectator for fear of feeling embarrassed to wear a huge costume while dancing. But for junior Ryan Cruz, he remains fearless...