Heiry Pena, Social Media Editor
20 December, 2023
In this week’s edition of The Port Light, we are shining a light on a student within the PCHS community, Yazirah Handal. She is a dedicated dancer and film student, who has devoted her time in various activities such as taking the task of being a co-choreographer for the school’s musicals for the last two years. The Port Light conducted an interview on this driven student in a variety of topics such as her upcoming future plans and her history in dance.
What colleges are you considering? Do you have a major in mind?
There are multiple colleges that I’m considering. A major I intend to pursue is Production and film, hopefully combined with a double major of psychology if the establishment allows it.
What sparked your interest in this major?
Film is something I’ve always been interested in and wanted to go into as a career so when the time came to pick a major I knew it would be that. I’m also interested in double majoring in Psychology because the mind and all that psychology entails fascinates me and I think could be helpful in day to day life plus a challenge is always fun.
What’s one of your goals?
One of my goals is to enjoy this year as much as I can. Time truly does fly by and I wanna have as much of the “teenage dream” experience I can while I’m still in high school.
What classes do you enjoy the most?
A class that I enjoyed the most from high school was my IB/AP 11th grade English class. I had many friends in that class and we would all collectively come together and have mini parties to celebrate holidays and each other’s birthdays, we would bring a variety of snacks and dessert as well as presents. I also feel like I learned a lot in that class due to my teacher.
How long have you been doing dance?
I have been doing dance for 14 years, ranging from different styles/types like ballet, Jazz, Hip hop, and modern.
Are you going to continue with dance? Or is this your final year?
I won’t be doing dance at college so in a way it is my last year. However whenever I’m on a break I plan on taking open classes.
What do you like about dance?
The thing I like about dance is the creativity it allows for one to have while also having structure.
How long have you been interested in film?
I think my interest really started to expand when I was in elementary school any time I would go to the movie theater i would just be mesmerized on how this was even possible The amazing Spider-Man was a film I remember being totally shocked on how the special effects and fight scenes were able to happen and I knew I wanted to create my own version of that one day.
What do you like and dislike about film?
The thing I like about film is seeing all of your work finally come together and producing it, basically how I can let my creativity flow and there isn’t a specific manner you have to do things. You can go back to the drawing board if you have to. What I dislike about film is editing the film that I make since this is very time consuming and mentally draining.
Why did you choose to attend a film school?
I chose to attend a film school because I think it will better prepare me for the future. Going to film school has taught me a lot of things that I don’t think I could have learned on my own. As well as the benefits because not only did it lead to me making some great friends but also meeting possible future colleagues and making connections that will be helpful to have in the film industry.
How do you feel about it being your final year as a PCHS senior
I don’t know how to feel about this being my last year. I wanna be happy because I’ve made it through school (hooray it’s done) but I also know that means my childhood is coming to an end. So that’s pretty sad as well as drifting from friends that I’ve practically known my whole life, so I’m not too sure how to feel.
Advice for PCHS students:
The advice I have is to just go through high school with yolo, because you don’t wanna look back and regret something. While yes keeping grades up is important, it’s not your whole life you’ll survive it’s not that hard. So make sure you’re having fun and taking in every moment
Yazirah goes to show that you should go with the flow of things and take opportunities when they come because if you don’t pursue it, you’ll come to regret it. She has been able to achieve so many things outside of school including being a choreographer, making films while overall being a committed student at PCHS. The advice given is imperative to have since you should still continue to balance out school but also live life as a teenager.