Despite all the warnings given to her, senior Isabella Mahal filled her schedule with AP classes and a single TA period. Many of these classes were only open to seniors and fascinate her, such as AP Literature and AP World History, so not having an off period doesn’t bother her. It isn’t just her school schedule that is full. Mahal fills her time with extracurricular activities like volunteering at the Humane Society, being the co-president of Fossil Ridge’s Spectrum, and being a member of the group Never Again NoCo that works to help end gun violence at schools.
If Mahal has some time to relax, she is spending it with her family and pets. Her younger brother, Sebastian, is a sophomore at Fossil, and they get McDonalds together in her free time. Her family dog, Gus, and her cat, Silverstein, help her wind down after a long day at school. Mahal loves hiking, biking, and hanging out in her hometown of Fort Collins. Although her music taste varies, she loves Counting Crows, The Front Bottoms, Duran Duran, and Modern Baseball.
Mahal never dreamt about spending all four years of high school in journalism, having joined the class to be with her best friend, Karen Manley. Due to their differing schedules, Mahal ended up alone in the class, which forced her to find her own place. She wrote academic and opinion pieces, adding movie and book reviews to her portfolio. After being the academic beat leader her sophomore and junior year, Mahal is now the head copy editor to round out her time in the class. Her dream school would be UC Berkeley, studying public or global health to one day possibly join the Peace Corps. Although Mahal isn’t pursuing journalism in the future, the class has become a window for her to find herself, and help others do the same. It’s taught her about the students in the school whose voices aren’t always heard.
Mahal’s advice for incoming Journalism I students is to not be afraid to walk into an event or sport and be unsure about it, and to meet and talk with new people. People in clubs or sports that are less recognized are always appreciative of the recognition of their hard work. Even if you’re unsure about what you’re going to, you will definitely leave knowing more than before, and it’ll make you a more caring person to understand how everyone’s different experiences shape who they are. She loves the forum that journalism lends for people to understand the world around them, and she is a self-proclaimed “first amendment enthusiast”.
![The freshmen team consisted primarily of soccer players, and the camaraderie they already shared was evident from the way they communicated on and off the field. Allison Ressler, a member of the team, explained that, “it felt really, really great because all the seniors were [saying] ‘we can’t let the freshmen beat us!’. I feel like it was just amazing because we were the underdogs and we did it. We just came out on top and it was awesome.”](https://etchedinstone.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Black-6-900x600.jpg)
