AVUHSD QUARTZ HILL International Baccalaureate HIGH SCHOOL 6040 W. AVE. L LANCASTER CA 93536 Program 661/718-3100 Quartz Hill High School Mr. Jeff Cassady IB Coordinator Volume 3, Issue 1 September 2013 Ext. 327 [email protected] International Baccalaureate Club OfficersBaccalaureate-Biographies Club Officers-Biographies Apeksha Singh-President My name is Apeksha Singh and I I hope that through this club, am a senior at QHHS. we can expand our organization, providing these opportunities to I truly appreciate all the oppor- more students. We hope to tunities the IB program has develop international collabora- tions for our program and pro- given me. From the rigorous courses stressing interdiscipli- mote our program throughout nary studies, to a unique net- our school and community. We admire the most is mathematics. work of supportive peers, the IB also look forward to participat- I am on QHHS’s varsity math- program provides a means to be ing as a group in volunteer ef- letes team and hope to pursue a academically challenged and forts in our local community career in that field. Beyond the open a student’s mind to the and raise funds for service classroom, I devote a great deal Inside this issue: world. It engages students in causes here at home and of time to my other passion, thought-provoking reflection abroad. music. I have learned classical and intellectual creativity. The piano and dance for nearly ten As for myself, I enjoy all of my skills the program develops in years. I am also a part of IB Club Goals 4 classes tremendously as I love its students helps them well into QHHS’s marching band and play the chance to learn something their future success. on our drumline. new; however, the subject I IB’s New Staff 5 Member—Nance Nilan Vaghjiani— Trieu Vice President IB Class of 2013 I am Nilan Vaghjiani, and I am ogy Club, CSF, Key Club, Multi- the student-elected Vice- Cultural Club, and Journalism. Alumni Profile 6 Although with all these activities President of IB Club. and IB, I do have free time First off, it is an honor to just be which I like to spend with fam- a part of this prestigious group ily, friends, or in outdoor activi- May 2013 IB 7 of bright individuals, let alone be ties. Diploma Exam a leader. I congratulate every joined IB club not only to get Schedule candidate that has made it In the future, my long term plans include a combined PhD, more involved in the commu- through the program, in the nity, but also to give back to the QHHS 9 program, and yet to come into MD program, and focus in the Scholarship field of trauma and intensive community for without it, I the program. would not be here. I enjoy Bulletin care. My dream school is to volunteering with all my class- As a QH student, I am heavily attend The University of Cam- IB Schedule of 13 bridge in the United Kingdom— mates and look forward to all involved with extracurricular the events and activities we Events for 2013 activities such Cycling, Educa- and for me, the IB program is the key to getting there. I have yet to come! tion Network, NHS, Technol- Volume 3, Issue 1 Page 2 IB Club Officers—Biographies (Cont.) Julia Trenkle –Secretary My name is Julia Trenkle. I am you wanted. The program service with my study routine. the secretary of the Interna- enticed me immediately and I I also am very interested in the tional Baccalaureate Club. was already ready for the chal- arts, of all kinds. I draw and lenge. People that had already paint in my free time and par- I decided that I wanted to be completely taken the IB ticipated in band in the past, part of the IB program before courses had told me how hard also as mentioned previously, I my first year in high school. I, the program was and that it have participated in the QHHS along with my friends, went to took a lot of time-management, theatre productions. I like to the first informational meeting dedication, and studying. This water-ski in my free time as in the last part of my 8th grade was my kind of program. I was well. This year will be very year and was immediately at- not afraid to work hard and I’m exciting for the IB club. We volved in the arts, sports, tracted toward it. I remember still not. I took the first class, plan to make connections with and community service lo- the speakers talking about what Health, during the summer other IB schools internationally cally. I hope that this year will be the most memorable the IB program was all about, before my freshman year, and so that we might share a sister for all of the 2014 graduating that it was one of the top edu- began my journey toward the school in another country. We IB class, and that we all cational programs in the valley prestigious diploma in the end. are also working toward other strive toward that single- and that there was a big essay I am still working very hard, goals in the club, such as raising minded goal of getting to (the extended essay) that you balancing varsity volleyball, club funds to help those in need. college and being successful got to write your senior year, volleyball, the school drama Through the IB CAS hours, the in life. and that it could be on anything productions, and community IB students are also very in- Ronil Vaghjiani- Treasurer Hello prospective IBer’s, My name is Ronil Vaghjiani and I am an IB Ubiquity freshman year, and I am elementary, one of my close friends currently the Head Copy Editor in the 2nd grade fell ill to cancer. diploma candidate and Senior at and the Editorial Editor. Addition- He did not make it. Later on, my QHHS. ally, I went to Brown University grandfather also fell ill to colon during freshman summer and took cancer. Fortunately, after much As a high school freshman, I quickly a pre-college course called Labora- complication, he is fully well and engaged myself in a lot of extracur- tory Research in Biomedicine. There I thriving. But these are the experi- ricular activities, participating in grasped a basic knowledge of labo- ences that invoked me to pursue Multicultural, Dance, and Key ratory techniques and cell culture biomedicine. I plan to go the Rice Clubs. In addition, I co-founded treatment experience. Later on, I University and enroll in the Rice and was the former V.P. and Presi- pursued my biomedical passion and straight medicine program for my dent of Technology Club. At Joe completed a paid summer intern- undergrad and grad education. Walker Middle School, I partici- ship at the City of Hope for the Equally, my second field of interest pated in the Robotics and Science past two summers. There I investi- is engineering and I am hopeful to Decathlon for both 7th and 8th gated a relatively new chemothera- attend MIT. If all else fails, my fall- grade. Continuing this field that I peutic agent and did some charac- back career is to be a filmmaker I believe that anyone who takes loved, I helped co-found QHHS terization, functionalization, and and enroll in the USC film acad- this course will surely succeed first robotics team and am still efficacy studies on the compound emy. thanks to the amazing, inspiring, involved in the team events. in Melanoma and Prostate cancer and dedicated teachers, who cell lines. Currently, I am enrolled Out of school, I volunteered at the As for any students entering the IB work tirelessly to enlighten in a UCLA course for certification AV hospital, and over the past 3 program, I give my highest recom- their students. And from this years have contributed over 380 and licensure of EMT. mendation to go for the diploma. program, students will be well- hours in the transportation depart- I believe career interests should be This program is special in regards trained and confident, without ment. In addition, I traveled to based on what one believes to be to what it offers the individual any doubt, in their academic Naivasha, Kenya and volunteered at the thing that gets them up each student. The courses in IB trans- abilities and competency when the shelter, teaching orphans morning, not what one’s parents grades 6-12 mathematics and sci- formed me from a robotic memori- entering university studies. what them to be. As stated before, ence. As far as academia goes, I zation machine into an individual I have a passion for science and am became the assistant editor of the thinker. a hopeful MD/PhD candidate. In Entertainment page for the QHHS Volume 3, Issue 1 Page 3 IB Club Officers—Biographies (Cont.) Olivia Mihaljevich— Senator Hello, my name is Olivia I would recommend the IB IB doesn’t teach you to be Mihaljevich. I am a senior in program to freshman and smart; it teaches you to have a the IB program and I am the sophomores for several rea- good work ethic which can be Senator of the IB club. sons—one being that it pre- applied to every part of your One requirement is to be in- I am very involved with the pares you for college. IB is not life. IB also introduces students volved with extracurricular school and community. I hold just for the labeled ―smart peo- to new people and activities.