Antonio Caceres, Staff Writer
My name is Antonio Caceres and I’m currently a senior at Quartz Hill High School. I’ve always loved to write and my interest in journalism is an extension of that. I enjoy reading in my free time and learning stories about people from the past and present. I’m very interested in politics and am an avid consumer of news. I was a congressional intern for Representative Katie Hill and then an organizing intern for Congressional Democratic Nominee Christy Smith. I hope to eventually study political science and become a public defender. I’m the president of the Student Action Committee and a member of Model United Nations. My favorite movies are Casablanca and La La Land.
9.28.20 Updates
These past few weeks have been a struggle. I had been dreading a return to school all summer, as I usually do, but this time that dread was justified. It’s so frustrating having to wake up early every day just to sit on boring Zoom calls that last for far too long. I, like everyone else I’m sure, just miss seeing my friends all the time. Yet, everything seems so hopeless; like we can’t do anything to combat what’s occurring because it’s a crisis that’s out of our control across the country. This weekend, however, I think I had a breakthrough. I procrastinated to such an extent that I had to turn in assignments two days late for one of my classes. I’ve gotten sick of these lazy habits, especially during a time such as this, when I have important tasks like applying to colleges and just trying to enjoy the last few months of childhood. Hopefully, I’ll start improving. I’m writing this update days before it’s due date so perhaps this is a step in the right direction.
2.1.20 Update
The past few weeks have been a complete whirlwind. In the same amount of time that the Democratic victories in Georgia heartened me, I have been horrified by the violent insurrection that occurred at the Capitol. Nonetheless, I have tried to remain hopeful and believe that some of the required political retribution is in motion. Besides looking at the news frequently, I spent a lot of time with my family this break. It was extremely stressful finishing my college applications, but the payoff afterward was worth it. During the break, my friend Hailey and I decided to do something new to keep our friendship strong: every day, we would listen to a Taylor Swift album in chronological order and at night discuss our thoughts. She was most aware of Ms. Swift’s early country music while I knew her pop music, but neither of us had listened to her recent Folklore and Evermore albums. It was so fun to explore new music and gush about it with a friend. We both became Taylor Swift fans in the process with a particular affection for Reputation and Evermore. Finding joy in the little things will keep us going, and I hope to find more of it in the coming months.
