Features

By Mikayla Chew

Five thousand miles away from their hometown, a group of rising seniors all across the U.S.  are traveling on an 11 day international experience, dedicating themselves to volunteering in communities through a program called Global Glimpse. 

Global Glimpse is a nonprofit organization founded by Eliza Pesuit in 2008, that centers around an 11 day international travel experience and leadership opportunity for rising seniors through partnerships with various high schools across the U.S. Participating countries include Panama, the Dominican Republic, and Costa Rica. 

Initially, Global Glimpse reached out to Lincoln High School back in 2008 when the program was just getting started. Leon Sultan, the U.S. History and Advanced Placement Human Geography teacher, explains that he was part of the first group to partake in the program with twenty-one other Lincoln students along with other Bay Area schools traveling during the summer of 2009 to the only participating country, Nicaragua. 

Sultan emphasizes how the program aims to expand students' horizons and travel with a purpose. He also expresses how the program has grown from such a small organization, traveling to one country on one trip to now students being able to explore multiple countries with multiple trips that fit their schedule.

Ian Enriquez, ALHS counselor, shares that he also attended Global Glimpse for a two week trip to Nicaragua. He has been the Global Glimpse coordinator for the past fifteen years. 

“I feel like I grew as a person, and, seeing how important that was, I didn’t want the program to disappear from Lincoln,” Enriquez states.  

Enriquez consistently encourages other teachers and staff of ALHS to experience Global Glimpse. This year, Olga Camacho, ALHS’ athletic director was able to participate in the trip to Panama, specifically the city of Chitre in early August. Camacho went on a Global Glimpse trip two years ago, traveling to the Dominican Republic as a leader with Burton High School. 

Camacho describes her trip as being very organized with a planned-out itinerary from the very start of the trip. Other than how organized and efficient Global Glimpse makes the experience, she expresses how her experience allowed her to be more grateful for what she has. 

“When you go there and you see people that don’t have their basic needs met, and they’re still happy and [are] appreciative for what they have,” states Camacho. 

Camacho also mentions how her experience was memorable, being able to travel to a new country and meet the locals there. She expresses her interest in sharing this experience with more students because it puts life into a different perspective. 

Kyra Cheung, currently a senior at ALHS and a participant of the Panama Global Glimpse trip, shares that her experience with the program has taught her to be more appreciative of the opportunities she’s received and be open to trying new activities. 

“I think I also learned to be super independent. This was a trip where I wasn’t with my mom and there were more students than adults, so I had to learn how to care for myself in a foreign country.”

Cheung also describes that she felt homesick at first, but the other students on her trip grew such a strong bond over the course of eleven days that it made the trip more special and memorable. 

“An impactful moment was really getting to know the people in the local communities. It really gave me a perspective on different cultures,” Chueng noted. 

Another senior at ALHS, Jack Simon, also participated in the Panama trip. Simon recounts his trip to be very fun and adventurous being able to get to know the area. He also adds that the trip allowed him to take more risks and challenge himself in different social environments. 

Simon explains that Global Glimpse helped him develop more leadership skills and an outgoing personality. From his memorable experience, he recounts, “becoming really close with two of [his] roommates who I don’t think I would have made an effort to get to know in a normal school environment.”

Gina Jackson, a senior, had the experience of going to Costa Rica. Jackson describes her experience as having helped her gain another perspective of the world and herself. She also shares how she was able to make long lasting friendships, and that she often still keeps in touch with __. 

Jackson also adds, “It was a once in a lifetime experience and I would do it again in a heartbeat.”

Lastly, Anya Golden, a senior at ALHS traveled to the Dominican Republic in the summer. She describes an impactful memory of being in a smaller village helping out families by doing chores around their homes. Golden recounts a favorite memory of hers was being shown around the village by the kids, seeing the sights people wouldn’t know as a tourist. 

“They were super excited to show us around. And they were just extremely gracious and humble…even though they didn’t have as much,” Golden explained. 

The process of being an applicant includes students getting recommended by the school teachers then being sent an email application from Global Glimpse. The application requires short-answer questions that are reviewed by other partnering school teachers, along with financial documents that help determine how much of a scholarship the applicant receives. The deadline for Global Glimpse applications is usually some time in November. Once admitted, students are assigned to a country and enrolled into an hour-long monthly workshop starting from the spring semester that prepares them for their summer trip.

Based on the student’s experiences, the majority would recommend Global Glimpse. They emphasize that there is no better opportunity to travel to a new country as a high school student than through Global Glimpse. Many add that even though some may have doubts and are considering doing Global Glimpse, students should take the leap and go for it since they believe everyone can get something out of the Global Glimpse program.

“Take the jump and get on that plane because that was honestly one of the best things I’ve ever done,” Cheung states. 

By Michael Lai

For the ninth year since 2016, Lincoln alumni threw a car show fundraiser to raise money for Lincoln students. 

On September 27th, dozens of alumni and community members came to Abraham Lincoln High School’s black top for the car show, attendees showcased their classic cars, muscle builds, and restorations and reflecting on decades of automotive passion. Old friends bonded, while new friendships formed through a shared love for cars.

For $35 per entry and with dozens of cars, all will go towards scholarships for seniors interested in the automotive industry.. Bill Mustanich, the president of the Lincoln Alumni Car Show, also awards scholarships to graduating students annually.

For nine years straight, the car show has become a tradition and a fun event to start off the school year. A quick boost of funding for the start of the year is a staple of the Lincoln PTSA and alumni community. Looking forward, he hopes the car show can hit a new record of 100 cars. Mustanich says that the purpose of the event is to give back to the school while keeping the community connected.

“Every year we want to make sure students feel the support of the alumni,” Mustanich says. “This event keeps the Lincoln community together while raising funds that go right back to the school.”

He states that it is the community of people that makes each car show unique and fun. The heart of the car show is to connect people.

“Human connection is the best connection,” Mustanich said. “People will tell you to follow your dreams and passions, I tell kids, look at your talents. Look within you. What are you good at? Follow that.”

Paul Gruch, Lincoln alumnus class of ‘61, has come to the car show for many years. His recurrence to the event reflects the long-standing tradition of it. He also shared some guidance for students.

“Don’t do something stupid just because it’s popular. Popular doesn’t mean right. Try to find out what you want to do, not what society says you should be doing,” he said.

With cars of all ranges, the Lincoln Car Show continues to be an event celebrating the love of cars and community spirit. As the car show continues on, it remains a reminder of how shared passion and community support can make  a lasting impact on the Lincoln community.

By Camille Chew

Kids–some barely tall enough to reach the table in front of them–run their hands through crinkled paper, searching for plastic gold coins. On the other side of the room, another group of kids gently drag brushes along papers, tracing intricate Chinese characters. A sign outside the room reads, “Our Local Asian History.”

This is a look into the Asian Unification Project, one of the many recently formed student-led non-profit organizations. The goal of this event is to teach children and their families about calligraphy, the California Gold Rush, and most importantly, the history of Asians within America. 

“It makes me feel great because I’ve always wanted to do something that gives back to the community, and I always hoped that there [would be] something like [these events] for me when I was younger,” says Jess Martinez, Lincoln Junior and co-founder of the Asian Unification Project. 

Martinez and her fellow co-founder, Anna Lao, were not initially very invested in their American Popular Culture class at CCSF, but were pulled in when the class began to dive deep into Asian American history. Through this class, they discovered their interest in spreading knowledge on Asian history and started the Asian Unification Project.

Nicole He, co-founder and president of Care Craft Collective, a student-led non-profit focused on providing children with chronic illnesses or other conditions support, is similarly driven by her own experiences. 

“For me, it’s especially meaningful because I was inspired by my own experiences with chronic health conditions. I know how much compassion and support can mean during hard times,” He remarks. 

Through Care Craft Collective, He and the organization’s growing team have held multiple fundraisers, educated the community on various diseases, and shared the stories of the children they support. 

He believes that although many student-led non-profits are small, together they not only make a valuable impact, but also show the growing passion of young people towards creating positive impact in their communities. Starting a non-profit is a gateway for these students to make the changes they want to see.

But not everybody in student-led non-profit organizations participates for the same reason.

“As a leader of [the Asian Unification Project] I’ve noticed that a lot of [members] are just doing it for [their resume],” claims Martinez.

Many students have noticed this trend as well, with some even going so far as to call it “performative”, or an act simply to appeal to colleges.

“I think most of us, if not all of us, wouldn’t be as motivated if college wasn’t a factor,” Nellie Fouksman, executive of Better Youth Futures, a student-led non-profit organization that provides grants to other student-led organizations, states. 

Charles Lin, Lincoln AP U.S. History and ethnic studies teacher, shared a more unique opinion, instead being concerned about students’ workloads. While Lin believes starting a non-profit as a student provides valuable experiences, he also believes high schoolers may be spreading themselves too thin.

Members of student-led non-profit, especially founders, often must juggle fundraising, outreach, in-person events, and a social media page–before even considering the workload they receive from school.

Although students share differing reasons for joining and founding non-profits, there is no denying the tenacity of all the students involved and the impact of student-led non-profits.

By Kevin Hu

Late into the 2024-2025 school year, the previous administration made some controversial decisions that led to massive changes for the 2025-2026 school year and beyond.

According to Valerie Ziegler, 18-year veteran for the Teacher Academy, four teachers were involved in the program. Since the changes, Chloe Bair has taken over as lead of the Teacher Academy, and is the teacher for every grade level.

In addition to staff changes, there is now an additional tenth grade class, meaning the program now hosts two 10th grade classes, one 11th grade class, and one 12th grade class. This poses an issue for the 2026-2027 school year when tenth grade students transition to eleventh grade. 

“I might have to conduct student interviews […] and cut some students,” Bair remarks. 

Despite budget constraints, Bair plans to expand the Teacher Academy’s internship program to include both elementary and middle schools in order to help ease the space limitation. She confirms that she has been in contact with Lawton Alternative School and A.P. Giannini Middle School, and has been trying to contact Hoover Middle School. Having three additional school sites may allow Bair to decide against cutting students from the program.

However, many parts of the program stayed intact. Lincoln still has a partnership with Dianne Feinstein Elementary, Robert Louis Stevenson Elementary, Sunset Elementary, and Ulloa Elementary. 

Additionally, the core classes of the Teacher Academy (Intro to Education; Child Development Honors; and Child, Family, and Community Honors) are still being taught.

Although these changes are contentious, time will tell if these modification will be more helpful or harmful to the Teacher Academy. 

“I was disappointed in the way it turned out since I loved being part of TA,” Ziegler says. “[But] sometimes change comes at us and can be a good thing.”

By Xavier Malizia

Coach Phillip Ferrigno headed the Abraham Lincoln Mustangs Football team for over two decades, leading the team to ten championships. After last season, the legendary coach made the difficult decision to step down from his coaching position due to health issues, handing the torch to 23 year-old Lincoln alum Jojo Serrano. Serrano will be the youngest coach in the city. 

Serrano was on Lincoln’s first ever state championship-winning team in 2018, playing outside linebacker and defensive tackle. Now, he is standing on the sidelines as the head coach, dreaming of winning the same title.

To Serrano, Lincoln football means everything. Standing across from me in the boys locker room, he reflected on the years of hard work spent on the Lincoln football field.  

“I grew a family here,” said Jojo, reflecting on the years of sweat and hard work spent on the Abraham Lincoln football field.

Both of Serrano’s parents help him coach. His dad, Rudy Serrano, coaches the Junior Varsity team, and his mom, Belinda Serrano, helps at most games and practices. 

Jojo got the head coaching job when the position opened up after last season, and inherited a program that was entirely shaped by Ferrigno. 

Compared to the other sports he has coached, such as baseball, Jojo laments that it is much harder to head the football team, with more responsibility placed on his shoulders. 

Jojo says, “living up to the legacy that Coach Ferrigno left,” will be the biggest challenge he will face in this new position. 

He is expecting to face issues with his little experience in this new position, worrying that he won't be taken seriously by the older coaches that make up the rest of the league. He hopes to overcome these challenges by trusting his own coaching as well as what he's learned from past coaches and experiences. 

In March of 2024, Ferrigno suffered from a heart failure and personal issues, prompting the veteran coach to step down from football. He keeps his job as head of the physical education department. 

Ferrigno is attempting to find peace in his first fall since high school not involved in football. Ferrigno’s office is littered with footballs, jerseys, and pictures dating back to his time on the field with his brothers, showing his dedication and love for the sport.

“I’ve been around football all my life,” said Ferrigno, “It’s the only thing I know.”

Ferrigno says that the biggest challenge Jojo will face in his first year is “Reading the room with his team, seeing how [the players] react.” 

 He says that Jojo is always welcome to call him, but that he's trying to stay out of Jojo’s way, space he wished was given in the youth of his career. 

“I’m trying to be hands off,” Ferrigno told me “I don't want to be one of those guys looking over his shoulder.”

The legacy that Ferrigno left will be no easy feat to follow, but with help from players, the former coach, and a strong footing, Jojo has a lot on his side.

The organization is different for the players, too. Varsity quarterback Brian Luong says that the culture is much more modern under Jojo. 

“He respects the players,” said Luong. "He's taking a lot of insight from the players, and he's growing with us.”

Luong also stated that Jojo fights for the players in a way that will benefit the team. Compared to lots of cuts under Ferrigno, Jojo keeps more players on the team, working with them to earn a spot.

Jojo plans to lead his Mustangs back to the pinnacle of SFUSD football. He said his goal is to bring Lincoln back to not only the league champions, but the best football team in the city. 

“I want to be [at] the top,” said Jojo

By Kevine Liang

An epidemic disease, senioritis, puts seniors in high school higher at risk for the following symptoms: lack of motivation, absences, burnout, and lower grades. If you start experiencing these symptoms, please contact Wellness and get the Set Goals vaccine. 

As Lincoln seniors finish their second month of the school year, college applications, extracurriculars, and other influences hinder seniors’ ability to attend school at their fullest potential.

Senioritis is largely debated on the principle of whether or not it is real or just an excuse for seniors to put less effort into their high school life. 

Elisha Tuerk-Levy—a Lincoln senior—is usually proactive when it comes to staying on top of school work and says, “Senioritis is a way for people to validate letting their burn out win.” 

As senior year arrives at her door, however, Tuerk-Levy’s drive to push through her lack of motivation has diminished. 

Combined with her relatively easy classes this year, Tuerk-Levy feels like senior year is losing importance to her, as she believes college applications focus on the previous years of school. This results in less motivation to go to class and do her work.

Many seniors this year have chosen to have free periods, but fewer classes does not mean easier classes. Regardless of class rigor, seniors are struggling to manage their classes. 

Angelina Tse has been struggling to turn assignments in on time, finding no motivation, even when a handful of her classes are difficult because, Tse asks, “What’s the point?”

As an athlete recruit for fencing, Tse’s future college is already set, making it hard to find motivation for fencing—where she experiences senioritis the most. She struggles to find her next goal compared to her previous years’ goals of making it to the national team, traveling, and getting recruited. 

However, as the club coordinator, she handles organization for Fall Fest and various events. Her role in ASB helps her overcome senioritis with responsibilities that she is passionate about, and she enjoys helping organize school activities.  

Many expectations for seniors to keep up ASB responsibilities and academic success can fight the symptoms of senioritis. 

With a three-inch binder, two notebooks, a Macbook, and a book, Alisa Kryan, a Lincoln senior who carries the self-proclaimed “biggest backpack” title on campus has wanted to give in to senioritis because of the idea that senior year is supposed to ease up. 

Kryan’s friends have been less focused on school work and attending classes, with the subconscious peer pressure making her eager to follow suit. 

But Kryan remembers when “Last year [she] asked her mom if [she] could get senioritis and she was like ‘No, you still have to work hard.’” 

This snapped Kryan back into reality, where senior year  is still hard work in progress.

There are still eight months of senior year, and as the year progresses, and senioritis is only at the tip of its iceberg, it is up to seniors to decide whether they allow themselves to catch senioritis or not. 

By Phoebe Seigel

Where will you find yourself in 68 years? Will you even think about high school? About Lincoln? Most people probably won’t. I am doubtful Aline Gill did. To Bill House, however, Gill’s high school career meant a whole lot more than a measly four years that happened decades ago. 

68 years ago, Gill graduated from Lincoln. One year after that, she had a son whom she gave up for adoption–a son who had no contact with and almost no idea of her for his entire life. That son was House, who, after gaining access to his birth certificate—after the deaths of his adoptive parents—was able to find out that Gill was his birth mother. After doing some research, House found that Gill was a Lincoln alumnus, a discovery that prompted him to reach out to Erin Goebel, Lincoln’s school librarian, to find pictures of his long-lost birth mother. 

When House first reached out to her, asking if she had any old yearbook pictures of his mother, Goebel stepped in to help right away. 

 “Immediately, I was like, yeah, I have those. I can go do this. I would love to find those photos.”

 Goebel found several pictures of Gill, including her senior portraits, candids, and pictures of her in the bowling club. She was relatively easy to spot due to her distinctive glasses. 

Finding the photos was emotional for all involved. 

“It was quite emotional,” says Goebel, “I sort of had tears in my eyes.” She couldn’t imagine how House felt, seeing his mother for the first time at 66.

 For House, “Finding out about her life has been quite emotional and somewhat healing. Seeing her face and finding what little I could has allowed me to put down the anger and hurt of feeling abandoned and thrown away to forgive her for doing what had to be the hardest choice a parent has to make. I have carried the weight of abandonment my whole life;to put that down has helped a lot.” 

This story, if anything, reminds us of the importance of yearbooks. If the high school years of Gill had gone undocumented, House would have never been able to find what his mother looked like. He never would have been able to forgive her and put down the emotional baggage he had been carrying. House’s story has especially resonated with Jack Doyle, Lincoln’s new yearbook teacher.

 He said it “really sold home the importance of the yearbook.” 

“You realize how it’s a living thing and it becomes a piece of history, right? I was already down to do the yearbook, but that [House’s story] made it.” 

Doyle’s goal this year is to get at least two pictures of everyone on campus into the yearbook. 

While many may not think much about high school decades from now, it may be comforting to know that your youth is preserved in photos and captions, residing in old yearbooks stored in school libraries, just like Gill’s was.