Hello! My name is Pranesh Kumar, and I am a Copy Editor for the QHHS Ubiquity Virtual Edition. As a fourth-year student of Journalism and an IB Senior, one could say I am a seasoned veteran at all things writing — including using the em dash (the best grammatical tool by far).
With all the craziness regarding the coronavirus, BLM, and the presidential election, I hope to effectively articulate and share my opinions with you throughout the school year. My breadth of knowledge in politics is pretty extensive, so expect some spicy hot takes on the world’s most pressing issues!
Some of my hobbies include traveling, listening to chill music, and fiddling with my Rubik’s Cube. I’m also a massive math and physics enthusiast. From starting a local physics program (ScienceCraft) to creating a research paper in astrophysics — you can rest assured that I don’t behave as nerdy as you may think.
I’ll have to admit: journalism was not initially a class that interested me. After joining journalism due to peer pressure, however, I have really grown to enjoy the program and become much more passionate about writing. I am looking forward to creating and editing articles for the newspaper this year!
9.25.20 Update
Hello everyone, here is a quick update on my life during these last few weeks of online school. To begin, I have been involved in a few extracurricular activities related primarily to community service. One such activity is ScienceCraft, a STEM outreach program I started during the summer that teaches physics, engineering, and other science-related topics through Minecraft. ScienceCraft reached out to over 60 students during the summer and was featured in an article by the AV Press newspaper. For the fall, we are kick-starting the program once more with support from the Lancaster City council and, now, state Senator Scott Wilk. Along with the ScienceCraft project, I am also volunteering for a senior hotline called GoldenTalk and providing some support to help seniors get through the last few months. This is a project I am so humbled to be a part of, and I am excited to continue volunteering during my senior year.
Being an IB student in the first semester of senior year, there is also a ton of school work I have to manage and college application essays that I need to write. This process has been a little stressful, as I have had to stay up late on many occasions and do more writing than I ever have in my life. My tendency to procrastinate is not helpful at all, but at the same time, I feel like I have been able to manage the workload and improve as a writer overall. I will be so grateful when the first semester is over, and I can finally enjoy myself next year.
Thank you guys for tuning in, and I am glad to share some of the things I have been involved in these past few weeks! I’ll catch up with you all soon.
2.1.20 Update
Hey Rebels. Hope you all enjoyed your three weeks away from the stresses of online school! Although winter break was uneventful for many of us, my family tried to do whatever we could to get out of the house and spend time together. First of all, before Christmas, we went to the Glendale Galleria and went shopping at some of our favorite clothing stores. I am not usually a fan of streetwear, but my brother dragged me to stores like PacSun and Zumiez. I decided to purchase streetwear-lite clothing as a change of pace from what I usually wear.
Along with shopping and distributing presents to each other, my brother and I are trying our best to exercise multiple times a week. We recently ordered new dumbbells, and so there are a few weight exercises that I have been trying out, along with abs and cardio. I am not the best at keeping up an exercise routine, but working out alongside a companion can help build motivation.
Of course, my update of what I did during winter break would not be complete without mentioning college applications. I applied for Early Action to two of my top schools for Engineering (Caltech and MIT), but due to the competitiveness of the applicant pool, I was rejected from Caltech and deferred from MIT. Therefore, I had to go through the tedious process of completing college applications for all of my regular decision schools, and, boy, was there a lot! I was able to get into my first college this week (Purdue University), so I am pleased about that. There will be a lot more waiting and anticipation for all of us seniors in the coming months, but I am sure we will end up at the college where we are meant to be.
Thank you guys for tuning in, and I am glad to share some of the things I have been involved in during winter break! I will catch up with you all soon.