Aubrey Macedo, photoj contributor
Aubrey Macedo is a freshman in digital media. She takes a pictures of events and everyday life at MAC. She hopes to grow her love of photojournalism and meet new people that love photography and journalism next year with MacJ. She loves Mr. Winter and his class.
![FOOTLOOSE AT LAST: Senior Asher Kay rocks out on the dance floor at the homecoming dance, put on by Student Council. Since the tradition of a homecoming dance fell out of practice after 2019 due to low attendance rates, this was Kay’s first time attending one in all of his four years. Kay felt that the mystery surrounding what the dance would be like added to his experience.
“As a senior it was fun to have at least one homecoming,” Kay said. “Since we had never had one before, and since I haven’t really been to any school dances, I didn’t know what to expect, but when I got there it was cool to see everyone having fun. Hopefully it was a success so they keep doing it and start a new sort of tradition at McCallum.”
Though his first and last homecoming dance has passed, Kay hopes the future classes will continue to put on the dance.
“I think they should keep doing it because it’s a good opportunity for people who may not be super social to talk to new people and have a fun experience outside of school,” Kay said. “But also, it’s good to keep [doing] it because it seemed to be a fun time for everyone.”
Kay enjoyed the dance floor and seeing his peers dressed up in HOCO finery, but noted his favorite part was the photo booth.
“It was fun with my friends to get photos since it was the only HOCO we’ve been to, so we might as well have something to remember it by,” Kay said.
Caption by Lanie Sepehri.](https://macshieldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/53277180411_77436c5082_o-1200x675.jpg)
![HASTA LA RAÍZ: Nancy Morelos, McCallum’s new AP clerk, poses while wearing a lapis lazuli Mexican blouse of indigenous origin with a vibrant bouquet of flowers splayed across its ruffles for Hispanic Heritage Month. According to Morelos, simulacra of her vivid lapis lazulis are often available in the United States, but they’re inauthentic, shoddy replicas of cultures that have fought to express their joy for centuries. Hers is handmade, a bestowal from her sister, who obtained it in Cabo San Lucas. By her own account, Morelos is Mexican.
“I was born in Celaya Guanajuato. I was raised here, but I’ve always been connected to my Mexican, and immigrant heritage,” Morelos said. “It [the lapis lazuli] was a gift from my sister from her recent visit to Mexico. The one I wore is traditional in the sense that it’s handmade. It’s something in Mexican culture that we’ve lost to an extent, but we’re trying to preserve it. My family has discovered that we’re part Chichimeca, through my mother, and Ayahuasca, from Veracruz, where my dad comes from. My sister did our DNA lineage, and we’re pretty much all indigenous. Once we learned that, I felt a very close connection to my people, our history, a history that we’ve unfortunately had to leave behind for opportunities in the States. When I wear those earrings, and those braids, and that garment, I’m doing it to express who I am and to honor the people that made that garment.”
Morelos encourages high schoolers to embrace their culture.
“Don’t delay the process, because once you embrace all of you, it’s a sense of belonging that you find,” Morelos said. “Start getting to know who you are and where you come from early on. High school is hard, I don’t envy you all. It’s a hard and complicated place to navigate, and I think the sooner you start learning to love all of you, the easier life gets.”
Caption by Beatrix Lozach.](https://macshieldonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/53255716141_0e1a53fd93_o-e1697603688770-675x1200.jpg)