Episode #51: Meet Luke Yang

Today, we’re thrilled to feature Luke Yang, a senior at Banning High School and our Student of the Month for January. Luke is not only a dedicated student but also an inspiring member of our community who exemplifies leadership, perseverance, and a positive attitude. In this episode, we’ll dive into Luke’s journey through high school, his achievements, and the lessons he’s learned along the way. Get ready to be inspired by his story of hard work, determination, and vision for the future!

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SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome to the Banning Unified School District Real Talk Podcast, a space dedicated to amplifying the voices of our vibrant school community. Here we shine a spotlight on the stories, achievements, and experiences of students, staff, and families across Banning Unified School District. Join us as we explore meaningful conversations about education, community initiatives, and the topics that matter most to our district. Today we're thrilled to feature Luke Yang, a senior at Banning High School in our Student of the Month for January. Luke is not only a dedicated student, but also an inspiring member of our community who exemplifies leadership, perseverance, and a positive attitude. In this episode, we'll dive into Luke's journey through high school, his achievements, and the lessons he learned along the way. Get ready to be inspired by his story of hard work, determination, and vision for the future.

SPEAKER_02 1:00

We are back. We are back. We are back with the Banning Real Talk Podcast. And today we have a student on. And it's been a while since we recorded. We kind of slowed down a little bit, but I'm really excited to be back in the studio. And we have a student for you today. It is none other than Luke Yang. The crowd goes wild. And so, Luke, we're very happy to have you, senior at Banning High School. And so please let the world know who you are. We want to let me let me let me let me retract that because somebody else is going to edit. Oh, you're going to edit this, huh? Okay, so we have Luke Yang here, and I want to say, welcome to the show. We're so excited to have you. And we want you to uh share with the world, not just to Banning, not to Riverside County, the world, because I know you're gonna be a global guy in the future. The world, who you are, your background, all of that. Let the world know who Luke Yang is.

SPEAKER_03 2:07

All right. So, very obviously, you know, my name is Luke Yang. I'm a senior at Banning High School, and I'm very thankful to be here, very blessed to be here. I'm actually excited, man. I was on the way over here, I was happy, I was ready. And um, I'm a Hmong American uh student here at Banning. My parents emigrated here during the Vietnam War. Uh, so there's a lot of backstory behind that, but I'm pretty sure we'll get into that later. Oh, we will. We will. Um, yeah, so at Banning, at Banning High School, I'm in a lot of clubs, NHS. Um, I try, I'm still in the process of getting a pantry worked up with uh Arturo Pause.

SPEAKER_02 2:48

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 2:49

Um, what else do I do? I'm president of Link Crew, vice president of the class of 2026, etc. Um, I'm in ASB. I'm also an avid tutor. Avid to so you is that uh like a prep period for you or a TA period kind of? So it's it's definitely what you would think like um it's similar to a TA period, but instead of uh helping the teacher, I actually go out and I help students. So uh I go and tutor them while the teacher is uh teaching. So you you already know when teachers are teaching, they get in their zone and they don't they sometimes they have to take time out of that to go and help students who are having issues. That's where I come in. I go in and I help the students who are having issues. Mondays and Wednesdays, I go down to Avid and I do Avid tutorials with them. And every other day I'm just tutoring.

SPEAKER_02 3:41

So, Angel, you're recording this, right? Yes, yes. Because, you know, Luke, as you're talking, I'm looking directly at you, and I wish you could see. Well, you're gonna see some of it. What you look like when you are talking. You look convicted, you look strong, you look confident, and it looks like you know exactly what you're saying. That is really strong. That I don't we don't see that often. I mean, in adults, you don't see that. So you have something very unique, and I want to see if I can put my finger on it. We want to try to pull it out that way others can replicate it. Yes, sir. Okay, so uh okay, so let me just here's a follow-up to this question is uh Yang family. Okay, so let me can you just quickly kind of break that down, Yang family, because yeah, every time I've seen students, there was a uh I think a high school student president, definitely ASB. There's been a lot of Yangs who are involved in our community who speak, and every time I get to know students, it's like and and I know now not it's not all the same direct family, maybe indirect. We have an outstanding teacher at Hoffer, Mr. Yang. Uh, one of our board members loves to go into his classroom, very nice, kind man that I've always been kind every time I've seen. So can you just give us a little bit of breakdown on the Yang family?

SPEAKER_03 5:09

Yeah, so actually the man you're talking about uh is my father. Oh, that is your dad. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 5:14

Because I asked another student that says, No, that's my grandfather. So I was like kind of confused.

SPEAKER_03 5:19

Yeah. Yeah. So um, Mr. Yang uh B, he's my father. B, okay. So um what what can I say? From from being a kindergartner all the way up to who I am now in high school, my my dad and my mom have played a huge part in that, you know. Um when they emigrated here, uh they really, really like started off with nothing. And so I think when you come here with nothing, you have everything to gain.

SPEAKER_02 5:52

You you're so your your parents came here? Yeah. From what's the country?

SPEAKER_03 5:59

So my dad, uh, he was born in Laos. Laos, yes. Laos. And I think at the age of three or two. So here's the funny thing, or it's not funny, it's actually a little bit on the sad side. We don't know my dad's real age. So being born out there, they don't have track of time. And so when you come to the US from those third world countries, they actually ask you about certain events around the world. Like, when did this bombing take place? Were you born during the rainy season, during the dry season? Wow. And those are the questions that they ask you. So we really don't know my dad's age, but we do know that he was very young. He lost his mother and his father coming here. No, his his mother and his sister coming here, and so um there's a lot of history that goes into that, and touching back on like distinguishing the different yangs, so as as Hmong Americans, uh, there's different clans. So you have the Yang clan, the Vangs, the Lees, and so there's a lot of different clans that go on in the Hmong culture. But when when you hear the name Yang, uh they're I would say, at least here in California, they're the most prominent um Hmong Americans. And so yeah, there's there's a lot of Yangs in California.

SPEAKER_02 7:21

Do you speak the Hmong language?

SPEAKER_03 7:23

I wish I could say I could. Okay, okay, okay, okay. I do I do know a little bit. I do know a little bit, but not too much.

SPEAKER_02 7:30

Now, I've met some other Yang students. So is that uh, I mean, how is that so brothers and sisters of your of your dad and mom, or who are the other people, or it's just they all came together at the same time?

SPEAKER_03 7:47

Yeah, so the Yangs, like I said, we're a clan. Um, we come from different, pretty much the same ancestors, but different um, different branches.

SPEAKER_02 7:57

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 7:58

So the Yangs were inherently we're all related, but at the same time, we're all different. We all have our different families. We all so there's different dialects in Hmong, actually. We have Hmong blue, Hmong Green, and I think Hmong White. And so there's different dialects. So in each Yang family, sometimes there might be a different dialect. Huh? Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 8:22

And so how connected to you are you with like let's just say the Yangs that are going to school that are your age and younger? Are you connected? Do you uh go to the same like church or same places in terms of community? What does that look like?

SPEAKER_03 8:38

Yeah, so community-wise, uh I myself and a lot of the other Yangs at Banning High School, we're all very connected. Um, some of us are cousins. Uh, I actually have an uncle. I have an uncle who goes to Banning High School right now.

unknown 8:54

Okay. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 8:55

Okay, so it's a big, big family. Do you guys ever come together all of the Yangs?

SPEAKER_03 9:01

Um, no, unfortunately not. Okay. So within the different clans, uh, like I said, there's different families, and each family holds their own uh get togethers. Interesting, interesting.

SPEAKER_02 9:11

You know, I've I've worked and worked in the community for uh let's say 15 years, and before I came to Banny, I always would hear about the Hmong population. Um, my sister-in-law is La Laitian. And so understanding a little bit about the cultures and the family and the traditions, it's like really rich. It's it's really nice. I mean, um, that's me looking from the outside in, but yeah, it's really nice. And it seems like it's very similar.

SPEAKER_03 9:41

Yeah, yeah, it's very similar. Um also touching back on what you said, like how how tied I am to my culture. I my actually, my mom, she actually had a stole made for me. And so you're gonna on graduation, you're gonna see the different patterns of the hung. Okay. And so okay.

SPEAKER_02 10:00

Now you got me like, I just got a goosebump right now. Like I'm looking forward to that.

SPEAKER_03 10:04

Yeah. And so um, I will be speaking if I'm uh celedictorian or valedictorian, which I'm pretty sure I will be.

SPEAKER_02 10:15

Okay, do you know your number? Because it's on your transcript right now, right?

SPEAKER_03 10:18

Yes. I'm number two right now, but don't worry, we're shooting for number one.

SPEAKER_02 10:21

Okay, and what so what is your current cumulative GPA?

SPEAKER_03 10:25

Uh current cumulative GPA is 4.51.

SPEAKER_02 10:29

4.51. That means you're taking AP classes, honors classes, dual enrollment classes, all of that.

SPEAKER_03 10:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 10:37

Okay, all right. So we got a winner, we got like a scholar, and you look at, okay. So let me just get out of this. This is the last question I have for right now. Is when you first found out that you were student of the month, uh, what went through your mind? And what was interesting is that when I saw you there, I had just seen you like that not that long ago in the ASB class. You guys were having a meeting and you were getting up advocating for something, and just how you carry yourself, how you hold yourself, how you articulate your points. I was like, you just identify someone who's special and different, and that is you. So when you heard heard you were being student of the month, what did you feel?

SPEAKER_03 11:14

Man, thank you, Superintendent Davis. That's a lot of fun. But uh honestly, when I when I heard I got student of the month, I was just like, I was I was excited. I was obviously shocked, you know. Um, some of my friends, good friends, they're also in the running for it, and so I was like a little nervous, you know. But at the end of the day, I've I've come to realize that some of my achievements, because I like to work more so in the dark. Okay, I like to I like to be a supporter in the dark, but when I have to, I do I do like to come out and like you said, speak and advocate on things. And so when I heard of the achievement that I had earned, you know, I was obviously very excited, and it was it was bittersweet to know that all of the information, all of the knowledge that I've come to accumulate over the years, it's it's paying off. He's different, isn't he?

SPEAKER_02 12:10

He is you you the your word choice, your selection, how you think, I can actually like feel it and see it, it is is very unique, it's extremely unique. Oh my gosh. Okay, oh woo.

SPEAKER_00 12:24

Yeah, I mean I'm just like you're you're a senior, you know, it it it just doesn't come off that way, but in the sense that the way that you talk, um, but you being so active in your student com or in your school community, you know, with NHS and you know, being vice president of your class and being a part of ESB, all things that are very engaging at your school. So we want to know what motivates you to keep pushing yourself academically, but also personally.

SPEAKER_03 12:54

Yeah, so I think a big factor, like I said, was my parents, you know. So uh touching on what I said earlier, when you come, when you come here with nothing, you have everything to gain. And so that mindset has always been pushing me. But not only that, it's so that what I I want what I want for my parents for when I graduate, is for them to feel like their sacrifices, their their nights spent like not eating, their nights spent awake all night doing work. Those weren't for nothing. They can they can look proud and say that's my son up there on that stage. That my son isn't just like my son isn't just my son, but my son is also very son is also himself, he's not just my son, he's his own person, you know. My son obviously is very achieved, and that's what's been pushing me, but for personal reasons, man, like I'll tell you guys now. I'm a very compassionate person, and so what pushes me is that the person you see today actually didn't come to be the Luke Yang you see now was not the same Luke Yang you would have met like three or two years ago.

SPEAKER_02 14:21

You and and I don't I don't know, I'm having this moment because I'm saying things, I've just gotten to saying things right now, right now, yeah at almost 55 that you're saying right now. And so that there's something there. So you you mentioned your you have any siblings? How many siblings? I do.

SPEAKER_03 14:40

I I have seven siblings seven siblings.

SPEAKER_02 14:43

Okay, that's why I see the the Yang crew everywhere. Seven siblings. And here's my question for you going back to your parents. Do they talk about what they've been through? Do they say, hey, make sure you do this to get that, or is it that's just understood based upon how you are living in the space?

SPEAKER_03 15:05

So um, yeah, touching on that. My parents oftentimes, or sometimes, they talk about their past. Mostly um, my father. We know more about my dad's past because my mom was born um she was born after my dad, and so on her way to the states is where she was born. And for my father, you know, going through those those things at such a young age, having to witness those those horrors and those terrors, uh he he definitely that's a topic that he doesn't often talk about, but when the topic does come up, I don't I don't just see my dad, but I I begin to see the child that he never got to be, the child that was stripped of his innocence, the child that had to support his five siblings at at the age of nine.

unknown 16:07

Wow.

SPEAKER_03 16:08

And so very, very, very deep. And where are you in the birth order? So um from my mom's side, because my parents are together now, from my mom's side, I actually have two sisters and two brothers, so that's four. From my dad's side, I have one sister, and from my mom and dad together, I have uh a younger sister and an older sister. Okay, and I'm sure you're gonna be seeing my younger sister and if in in maybe a year or two, because she she has the most potential out of out of all of us. And she's at Nicolette right now. Actually, she's a sophomore right now.

SPEAKER_02 16:44

A sophomore, okay. I I okay. I'm probably seeing her before. I probably have. Yep. Okay, oh my gosh. Okay, so I don't know where this question came from, but I I like it. I really like it. Did you did you create these questions, Angel? Okay, so uh the question is if you could meet, and I really want to know anyone in the world, pastor present, who would it be and why?

SPEAKER_03 17:09

Man, anyone in the world, pastor present, you know, I have to go with the greatest person I know ever, Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ. I there's just so many, so many things that I don't know personally, you know. There's so many things that I struggle with that the only person who could help me with those answers is Christ Himself.

SPEAKER_02 17:36

Grounded, you know, I have this uh hobby that I have, and and I talk about these three things, which are community, connectedness, and social interaction. And it wasn't just recently until I I created what that meant. The community is like you. You have a family community, you have a school community, you have a community of ASB, uh National Iron Society, all those communities. But the connectedness piece is in my lens, being connected to the earth. We're a part of the earth. The earth breath breathes and lives, and there's there's nature, there's there's things on this earth along with us, and then being connected to ourselves, where are we? And you said something I'm gonna touch back on later, uh, working kind of in in quiet and silence, like but beneath the surface. And the other thing is being connected to a higher power. Because when you're connected, that kind of aligns a person, if you will. And if you have good social interactions, which I know you do, then it's how you convey the community, the connectedness in a way that helps others in the body together. That's what you just reminded me of when you said that.

SPEAKER_03 18:50

Man, wow, yeah. Um definitely being a man of faith, um it's it's pushed me, you know? Pushed me to be a better person because not only for myself, because I want to mend the relationships that maybe I've broken. Not so that not so that just I can build myself off of those those failures, those those shells that I've broke, but so that I can give it to God, you know? Because that's like when you truly find God, okay, helps you to stabilize yourself, like you said. Stabilize.

SPEAKER_00 19:33

All right, all right. Amazing. So Luke, um, as you know, I think you had mentioned it before you came on here that you're um doing some classes at community college. Yes. But we want to know, or I guess we want our community to know, what are your plans after high school? Are you planning on attending a four-year college, going to a specific career, or something that you would like to share?

SPEAKER_03 19:56

Yeah, so after after high school, I'm gonna plan on attending a four-year university. Um I'm I'm actually looking at a school up in Maine, Bodon College.

SPEAKER_02 20:07

I say it again, what's the name of it?

SPEAKER_03 20:08

Bodon College. Bodon. Yes. B-O-O-W-D-O-I-N. Bowdoin College, okay. And so I've actually learned about that college through um through a scholarship. It was a full-ride scholarship. I think it's called the I'm blinking on it right now.

SPEAKER_02 20:28

And is this a private school?

SPEAKER_03 20:30

Yes, it's a private school. And so I I actually learned about that and I I liked the campus. It looks beautiful. Oh, so you've gone. Um, I've seen pictures. If I get accepted, they're gonna fly me out. Oh wow.

SPEAKER_02 20:42

And and is that solely so you've already applied? Yes. So if you get accepted, you're talking about solely based upon grades? Or I mean all of the all of the things. Yeah. Full ride scholarship, you said?

SPEAKER_03 20:55

Um I unfortunately I didn't get the full ride scholarship. Okay. But if if they like my application, if they like my uh grades, obviously, then they're gonna fly me out.

SPEAKER_02 21:08

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 21:09

That's I think I'm gonna shift the mindset. It's not if, but it's when. Yeah. Because he's we said he's number two in the first time. 4.5 GPA. And he's part of all these things. I mean, this this is all prep in preparedness for you to go to university. But a question to you is what do you plan on studying, or what what do you really see yourself for the future?

SPEAKER_03 21:32

Yeah, so I I see myself studying chemistry or biology, and then after that, uh, obviously I'm gonna take the MCAT and hopefully get into a good med school. And actually, um one of my top colleges right now is actually UCR. So they I they have a program where it allows me to skip the MCAT, especially for students in the inland empire. And so it's called the Thomas Hyder. Program. Yeah. And so that at UCR. Um, if I go there, hopefully I'll be able to take two years off of my um my undergraduate because of all of the credits and courses I've taken. I'll probably be able to take two years off. And then after that, smooth sailing.

SPEAKER_00 22:19

He makes it sound simple.

SPEAKER_02 22:21

What in the world? Chemistry. So what is the what type of work do you foresee yourself really liking to do in the future?

SPEAKER_03 22:31

Man, I really want to get into anesthesiology or radiology.

SPEAKER_02 22:34

Anesthesium. Okay.

SPEAKER_03 22:36

Yeah. Uh, and is that because of the money or the work or the this or the that? What what why is that? So, like like I said, like I've told you, I like to work behind the scenes. And usually that's what radiologists and anesthesiologists do. But not only that, I still get to have some patient interaction. And like I've told you, as a man of faith, I want to work to help people feel better. And if you're in a hospital setting, you're pretty much obviously not going to feel too great. And so if I can make one person's day better just by making them smile, that's all the worthwhile.

SPEAKER_02 23:08

Man, future Dr. Yang, it is going to happen, my friend. It's gonna happen. You have momentum on your side, and this is something that I'm grappling with is you are accumulating gravity by who you are to propel you forward. You cannot outwit gravity. It's going to pull you in, and that's you where you're going. That is that's outstanding. So, and what's your favorite subject? If you could pick one subject, what would you say is your favorite and why?

SPEAKER_03 23:38

Favorite subject, math for sure. I gotta I have to give a shout-out to Miss Roberts at Banning High School. Okay, Miss Roberts. Yep. She I actually used to hate math. That was that used to hate math, was not very great at it, but Miss Roberts, she she makes problems that are so hard to get you excited to excited to do math. Okay. And so it's incredible.

SPEAKER_02 24:00

And do you use any AI, any like programs, like there was Khan Academy, there's other things out there to help you assist you with understanding chemistry and biology and all of those things?

SPEAKER_03 24:13

So um I actually do. So for AI, I will have them make prop practice problems for me. And so usually, usually how it goes is that if you you only try and make practice problems by yourself if you're like studying the subject in college. But for me, if I try and make a problem, sometimes I'll make an incorrect problem, which will give me an incorrect answer, and it will affect my academic performance. I actually learned about this in my kinesiology course. Um, it's called correct practice. If you don't correctly practice, then you're gonna have incorrect practice. When you have incorrect practice, your outcomes are gonna be incorrect.

SPEAKER_02 25:00

You you talk so I I don't uh my gosh. So I have uh I have an AI bot. His name is Apollo. Yeah. So he's named, and what we work on is closing the loop for outcomes. So if we talk about something, I have to provide feedback in order to ensure that it's clean, that what I'm saying, I know, what he's saying, he knows that way it's all together and we make sense of it and we have clarity to then have a better outcome. That's what you just said in your own way. But that's really awesome. Now, have you listened to the show before?

SPEAKER_03 25:34

Um, I actually have not.

SPEAKER_02 25:36

Okay, all right. Okay, that's uh that's a little one little marker note here. Have not okay. Are you gonna listen to this one? Yes, I will. Okay, are you gonna share with the family? Yeah, I will. Okay, outstanding. So, with that being said, our theme for this year, and it was last year, it came back by popular demand. We are banning. Because you've lived in banning all your life, right?

SPEAKER_03 25:56

Okay, so what does that mean to you? We are banning. So, uh, the we are banning theme. It's not just a theme for me, but when I see it, when when we say we are banning, banning is not the city, it is the people, and that's what I carry with me, that's what I'm going to carry with me off to college. Yeah, really like the people, I love the city, obviously, but the people is what makes it all the worthwhile. The faces you see every day, the amazing people you meet, obviously. Banning is different than every other city. Banning is much, much more different than Beaumont. Beaumont does not have the unity that banning does. When you say you're from Banning, some people are actually proud to say that.

SPEAKER_02 26:51

No, we're not cutting this out. And I don't know if you know this, but I spent eight years in Beaumont. Yeah. I was an assistant superintendent and superintendent over there before coming here. And this is what I tell people. And this is just, I don't, you know, we speak our truth. This is real, real talk is I I share, and I don't so much anymore, I just say it's almost like we're right next door to each other, but we're miles away. Miles away. And when I first got here, I don't necessarily think like this anymore, but it's like the have and the have nots, but it's what in theory the have nots have inside of them that's gold, that's like just so precious and can change the world. The the amount of grip, perseverance, and who our students are and who our people are, it's it's breathtaking once you get to know that. So well said. Well said.

SPEAKER_00 27:50

Well said, yes. Yeah. All right, Luke. So we're moving into the uh our closing segment, and what we like to do is we like to do a guest spotlight just so our community can get to know you a bit more, maybe a little bit more on a personal level. So we want to know what is your favorite activity, hobby, or show on TV right now?

SPEAKER_03 28:12

Favorite hobby, show, or show on TV? Yeah. Wow. Do you watch TV? Uh I do. I do. But um, I've been I've been pretty busy lately, so I wouldn't. Um man, favorite hobby. Let's see. I've been, you know what? I've been getting into fishing a lot more.

SPEAKER_01 28:33

All right.

SPEAKER_03 28:34

And so I'd say like it just helps to calm me down, helps to helps to actually helps me to hear my thoughts.

SPEAKER_02 28:44

And so this guy, I'm gonna see if I can take you and put you in my pocket or something, just put water on you and pop you out. Here's Luke Yang kind of giving me the thoughts.

SPEAKER_00 28:54

Wow. So, Luke, what is a favorite song, music genre, or artists in rotation that you have? In rotation, let's see.

SPEAKER_03 29:03

You know what? For for a long time, Frank Ocean has been up there.

SPEAKER_02 29:07

Frank Love Ocean.

SPEAKER_03 29:09

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 29:09

Love Frank Ocean. Is that a a group or that's a song? Um, it's a creator. A creator, Frank Ocean. I'm gonna have all these songs. I think you have.

SPEAKER_03 29:20

Yeah, okay.

SPEAKER_00 29:20

Do you have a favorite song of his?

SPEAKER_03 29:23

A favorite song of his. Let's see.

SPEAKER_00 29:26

What what gets you like up and going? You know, like gets me up and going. You're doing a lot, so I'm assuming you have long days at school. So whether you're driving home or to school, you know, what is that like? All right, you know, I feel good.

SPEAKER_03 29:41

Let's see. Um, he's actually his his his music style is not so much of an upbeat, but if I were to pick an upbeat song from Frank Ocean, I would probably say uh Lost.

unknown 29:56

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 29:57

Okay, I'm gonna check that out. What happens is after the show, because I never know the songs the students are talking about, but I'll I'll just listen to it just to kind of get a flavor and feel of of what our what our students are listening to. Okay. Frank Ocean.

SPEAKER_00 30:10

So, Luke, we know you got a lot of stuff going on, but are you working on anything exciting or in your future?

SPEAKER_03 30:17

Yeah, so like I've like I've already explained to you, right now I'm working with Arturo Pause from the principal of Banning High School to get a pantry up and working. And so that's that's been in the works for a long time, long time. And so it's a lot more difficult than you would think. Oh, I understand. A lot, a lot more difficult. So we're trying to get that up and running. It's still in the works. Um, we're now uh I'm working to have so I'm also part of the youth advisory committee for the district of for the county of Riverside.

SPEAKER_02 30:53

Okay. And so Gutieras' office?

SPEAKER_03 30:55

Yeah, uh supervisor Gutierrez. Yes, yes, yes. So he he's um our director for district five in Riverside County. So I'm working with uh my group right now. We're trying to take our whole uh District 5 uh Yak committee, and we're gonna all go to UCR and we're gonna do a presentation. And we're gonna we're gonna have a presentation in which uh one of my other directors, Rudy Cariel. He's the director of the Upward Bound program or the trio upward bound program of UCR. And he's gonna come and come mute us and we're gonna get together. He's gonna teach us some things, we're gonna learn some new things, we're gonna take that knowledge that we've learned and we're gonna try and apply it to the different schools and communities around District 5.

SPEAKER_02 31:45

Wow, yeah. That's that uh youth advisory council, right? Okay, man. You yeah, you're really involved in a lot of things. I don't even know how you're doing all of that. Uh it's a lot, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 31:59

All right, and the next one we we want to know. So, what book, TV, or movie character is most like you and why?

SPEAKER_03 32:06

Man, really, I would think uh there's there's two characters that come hand in hand. So the first one would be Thorfinn from Vinland Saga. His Thorfin. Thorfinn. Vinlan Saga. Yes. What is that? So it's a it's an anime that is uh placed around the Viking times, so around circa 100. So circa I'd say circa 1000 actually. Okay, and then um it's it's during the time when the Danish are attacking um England, and so he Thorfinn he actually loses his father in a battle, and so Thorfinn continues to push himself towards vengeance, and towards the end of the first season, he actually comes to realize that vengeance is not what he needs, but he wants to be a kinder, gentler person who solves his problems without the fighting, because back then people always fought every single problem. That's how you resolve things back then, exactly. And so he comes to terms and he realizes I don't want this for myself anymore. I want to solve my problems, my my issues without having to use violence with using his words and his kindness instead.

SPEAKER_02 33:33

You know who you you reminded me of when you said that, like uh Yo, uh Yoda, like like the you have you ever seen Star Wars and Yoda? You know who that is? Like you like uh this wizard, not wizardry, but just this calm, wise person that sees wisdom in something and just lets it out calmly and smoothly. Like the Jedi master. Thank you.

SPEAKER_03 33:56

Wow, wow, and uh for the for the second person that comes hand in hand with that, um, I'm gonna say Peter Parker, not Spider-Man, Peter Parker. And so Spider-Man, he obviously has the physical prowess, but Peter Parker, he has the prowess of never giving up. He has the prowess of even though things seem impossible, he's not gonna stop trying to help people. He's not gonna stop trying to do the right thing.

unknown 34:24

Wow.

SPEAKER_03 34:24

I I'm gonna start coming to you for advice.

SPEAKER_02 34:26

Where we're in March, April, May. So there's three full months. I mean, I'm gonna I'm gonna try to find you when I'm on campus. Because you just have things just ready, just because it's it's how you're living your life. It's not you have to find it, it's who you are, which is the most valuable, the most intense.

unknown 34:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 34:46

So, Luke, as we uh continue or close this out, do you have any shout-outs that you want to give?

SPEAKER_03 34:53

Yeah, uh, I definitely want to shout out, obviously, Miss Roberts. Um, I want to shout out my mom and dad, obviously. Um, my sister for helping to show me that I can be a better person. And I want to shout out my friends for always supporting me and being there. And most importantly, I'm gonna give it all to God, all to Christ.

SPEAKER_02 35:16

There we go. That is awesome, Angel. You have some thoughts about this. I mean, this is this is not like it work. This is slow, slow, but meaningful, strategic, thoughtful, and dense intellectual property that's happening right now.

SPEAKER_00 35:34

That's the the exact word that I was thinking of was dense. I'm like, we uh we unpacked a lot today about you and about your story and your family's story, and just kind of the the intellectual knowledge that you have and the way that you just pour out naturally, it's just it's it's just amazing. And so I think you know, you're doing a lot, you're doing a lot. You remind me of myself when I was in high school. Um that wasn't that long ago. No, it was but you had said something like in the beginning before he had started recording, and it was like about your age, and it's something that I, as a young leader, has always struggled with. Um, and it is just prominent wherever I go. And I guess if I can give you any advice, it's like more than likely you will be the youngest one in the room, and that's okay. That's good, Angel. And there are gonna be some older folks in the room that may not agree with you, but um, you're paving the way for others to be there as well, and so the challenges, you know, the pressure that you have, it just a reminder back to kind of what you're saying is to give back to others. And so, I mean, I I just see that already, and I commend you for all the things that you you're doing and that you're gonna continue to do.

SPEAKER_02 36:59

Oh, that's you know, man. So I I like to end the show by just you know, thanking our audience for continuing to come back. And again, because this isn't just a show for banning, this is a show for the world, and actually, what the show has done for our community is is changed the minds of what's actually really happening. Because you know this or you may not know it. A long time ago, there was a lot of negative talk about banning, banning, banning. And we don't have that anymore. And we we still have pockets of it internally, but that's starting to shift. But externally, because what we put out into the world, Angel is capturing what is actually really happening and putting it out into the world. And when people see it, they go, wow, that's happening, Bannon. Absolutely is happening here. Yeah, and when student of the month comes and our students come, it's just I'm I'm so honored to be a part of it, yeah, to be in the same space and to actually really in my career in a school district like Bang because of the people. And so thank you for continuing to come back. And this is what I have to say for you, um, Luke, is that you know, putting together a pantry. So you're talking about something that's going to help people other than you. Yes. Okay, that's really important. You have a very strong voice, uh, going to medical school in terms of what you want to do, knowing your history. That's all these things are saying are not they're not common in our youth. Uh, knowing your history and your family, that that's your foundation. That's who you are, and being so grounded in that. And you said something uh earlier in relationship to Thor Finn. Is that his name?

SPEAKER_03 38:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 38:43

Um the relationships that I've broken. You didn't say in that relationship, but just talking about life in terms of how you can be a better human being and reflect upon what you said and or done and how to be better. But the biggest takeaway from me is you says working in the dark. And I say it this way: people don't really know what happens beneath the surface. And you have a lot of things going on beneath the surface. You're not like, look at me, I'm doing this. You just are, but you are churning under the surface to make the world a better place. And we're just so proud of you and and all of the things that you're gonna do.

SPEAKER_03 39:28

Thank you. Uh I I love the flattery, but um, another thing that I always like try and remember myself by and live by is that like the success of a leader isn't based on my accomplishments, it's more so based off how my community grows. And so right now, like it was crazy from freshman year to now, the environment has changed and I can see that. Yeah, and so just seeing seeing uh my my peers, my underclassmen uh grow off of that energy that we give them uh helps me to realize that like the success of a leader isn't gauged on like my successes, but it's based on the success of my community. And so I give it all to my community. It's not just me. There's a lot of people behind the scenes right.

SPEAKER_02 40:18

And in those four years, I will say to you, that probably echoes through the majority of our district in terms of seeing that growth. We're seeing it in our students, we're seeing it in our teachers, we're seeing it in our parents, we're seeing it in our community, and it is a great thing to be a part of. So thank you so much for being with us today.

SPEAKER_03 40:35

Of course. Thank you for having me.

SPEAKER_00 40:37

Thanks for tuning in to this episode of Banning USD Real Talk Podcast. We hope you enjoyed the conversation and feel more connected to the heart of our district. Don't forget to follow us on social media and subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode. Until next time, stay inspired, stay connected, and always remember we are Banning.