By Jackson Weber
Making her reporting debut, sophomore Aanya Goel is looking to make her mark with The Sentry. As an avid athlete, she’s looking to continue her passion by writing in the Sports section. Goel wants to shine a light on the under-appreciated sports of Yorktown.
“Nobody’s ever written about rifle, and I think the sport is pretty cool,” Goel said
Outside of the classroom, Goel takes part in three different ultimate frisbee teams, a recreational basketball team, flag football and rock climbing.
“I’m also playing on a travel team called YULA, which is the Youth Ultimate League of Arlington Aces,” Goel said.
Adding to all of her other activities Goel is also on a soccer team and a member of our school’s Women In Stem club.
When not playing one of her many sports, Goel is enjoying her favorite tunes. Goel’s discography spans a wide range of genres. From Harry Styles’ pop hits to Hoizer’s indie tunes, she has it all.
Beyond music, Goel also loves herself a great movie. One of her favorites is 10 Things I Hate About You, a romantic comedy starring Heath Ledger and Julia Stiles.
“I think I have already watched it 50 times,” Goel said.
Goel also enjoys diving into a good conspiracy theory. One in particular she’s fond of is Pastafarianism, also known as The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Pastafarianism is a religion based on the idea that a Flying Spaghetti Monster created the universe. The religion’s headdress of choice? A colander.
“There’s a day every year where everyone wears a colander. It’s normally during the summer, so I do it at summer camp,” Goel said.
For the past five summers sleepaway camp has been a massive part of Goel’s life. Attending the same camp for the past five years, Goel is looking forward to returning next year as a counselor.
The worst piece of advice Goel has ever received is that “the right opportunities and people find you.” She is a strong believer that you have to seek out your own opportunities.
“You can’t just wait around for life to happen,” Goel said.
Goels drive and determination is evident in the way she carries herself; she’s confident and always seeking adventure.
“I’m always open to new opportunities and adventures,” Goel said.
Goel is ready to make her mark on The Sentry this year, and we are excited to see all that she will do.
By Aanya Goel
Junior Jackson Weber is dedicated as the News Editor for The Yorktown Sentry. With a friendly demeanor and a knack for engaging conversation, he has made significant connections through journalism.
“[My] favorite thing about The Sentry is definitely the community. I’ve made a lot of friends and connections in this class and it really helped me reach out to new people,” Weber said.
Outside of school, Weber is an avid rock climber and is on a competitive climbing team. He enjoys that it allows him to refine his skills and bond with friends.
“[I like] the one on one with coaches, the really specific coaching I’m able to get and technique tips,” Weber said.
Weber does a couple extracurricular activities through school as well. He is a member of the Jewish Student Union and is currently applying to be a member of National Honor Society.
During the summer, Weber works at his local pool as the snack bar manager.
“I work over the summer at Highlands. It’s a pool in McLean where I am a manager of their snack bar, which is basically a cafe. I draw the line at a snack bar when we have salmon on the menu,” Weber said.
Musically, Weber enjoys a mix of genres, but especially pop rock type artists. He gravitates toward bands like Train, Matchbox Twenty, and Counting Crows, as well as a healthy dose of country music.
His snacking habits are equally varied; he can devour entire bags of Oreo’s or Goldfish without hesitation. When it comes to meals, his love for philly cheesesteaks stands out as a particular favorite.
Weber is not shy to share his opinions on currently popular music, declaring that some songs feel overrated. This candidness extends to his unique perspective on the world, even engaging in the age-old debate of whether cereal qualifies as soup.
“Yes, because it is a broth which is the milk and it has something in it, it’s like a chicken noodle soup,” Weber said.
Weber is full of controversial answers and opinions to the often asked questions. When asked about the likelihood of mermaids being real, he was quite candid with his answer.
“I can understand a shark or something at the bottom of the ocean that we’ve never seen. [However] there’s no way there are humans with tails that we haven’t found at this point,” Weber said.
Looking ahead, Weber’s aspirations have evolved from a childhood dream of becoming a pilot to a keen interest in chemistry. Currently taking Advanced Placement (AP) Chemistry, he envisions a future in the biomedical or material science fields.
Taking a glimpse down memory lane, Weber reminisces about his favorite childhood book, a story about a man and his old broken excavator, trying to find a new purpose after all of the new electric machines take the excavator’s job.
“Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel, it was the best. Great book,” Weber said.
Weber values community connections through numerous activities and expresses unique opinions on all topics. He aspires to shine a light on all news in our school no matter how big or small. Our school can look forward to an insightful news section this year. Weber has a passion for reporting and skillfully weaves together our school’s news. The Sentry is excited to have him as our News Editor this year.
