WITH A STAGGERING number of 12 transfers, Uni is welcoming a lot of new faces this year. Six of the transfers are sophomores, and reporter Diana Liu recently interviewed them. Meet Mohammed Jaber, Eunjung Kim, Raina Martens, John Vaughen, Victoria Wong, and Ben Zehr. Freshmen coming soon!

MOHAMMED JABER

I sat this 15-year-old down in the library for his interview, during which he expressed his wish to construct the world’s most efficient generator. Here's what else I found out, before the sophomore had to run to catch his bus.

What’s your name?
Mohammed Jaber.

How old are you?
I am 15 and a few months.

What school did you use to go to?
I used to go to Central.

Why’d you decide to come to Uni?
I wanted something much more aggressive.

What were you expecting coming in?
More teaching, less homework, intensive teaching, faster movement.

Does Uni live up (or down) to your expectations?
In that specific sense, not exactly; it’s not as fast as I expected.

How does Uni differ from your old school?
It’s smaller, has two extra floors, and my old school had a cafeteria, but here most students bring a sack lunch or buy pizza. At my old school, I believe there were some people smarter than me. I feel they could’ve had a better potential, had they not been weighed down by some of our classmates, who were continuously making interruptions during class. At my old school, there was so much more talking during class time.

Which school do you like better?
I kind of miss the disruptive behavior, and all the fights, and the violence. [But I like] this school.

What do you like best about Uni so far?
The homework.

Really?
No, I was being ironic.

Describe yourself in three words.
Hobby, um, space, and baseball.

Describe yourself with a color.
Beige.

Early bird or night owl?
Early bird.

If you had one day left to live, what would you do?
I would spill out all of my personal secrets, and put some major impact on the world, and then I’ll die.

If you were a continent, which would you be?
Asia. World’s biggest population, most land, and it has the Middle East in it.

What is the strangest food you have ever eaten?
I don’t really eat strange food. Mushroom.

Favorites

• Food: Spicy, spicy, spicy, tomato pasta, shrimp
• Smell: Perfume that smells like a daffodil
• Sound: Cha-ching!
• Ice cream: Peanut butter chocolate
• Film: “The Dark Knight”
• Book: “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”
• Dessert: Cake
• Sport: Baseball

EUNJUNG KIM

Although she claimed she was “sort of shy,” Eunjung Kim was very open when we sat down in front of her locker for her interview. The 14-year-old sophomore leaned casually back as she shared with me her thoughts on Uni.

What’s your name?
Eunjung Kim.

What school did you use to go to?
I used to go to Carmel High School, which is in Indiana.

So why’d you decide to come to Illinois?
My dad’s job.

Why’d you decide to come to Uni, and what were you expecting coming in?
I used to live here until I was 7, so I knew how it was sort of “prestigious” to get in here. The high school I went to last year was really big, so I didn’t really know what to expect from a smaller school.

How else does Uni differ from your old school?
Just academically, like our old school had lots of variety of classes, and there were different [types], like honors and AP programs, that really separated us in our old school, and here, everyone takes the same classes.

Which school do you like better?
Honestly, I like my old school better because I was used to it and all my friends went there, but I’m adjusting and it’s getting better here.

What do you like best about Uni so far?
I kind of like the small school aspect because you can see everyone. At my old school you can’t see your friends unless you were in the same classes.

What’s your favorite class so far?
I like Intensive Spanish because it’s small and because we ramble on about random stuff, so it’s fun. I’m planning to do Spanish Club, but I’m not sure yet.

Describe yourself in three words.
Funny, crazy, and uh, eccentric.

If you had one day left to live, what would you do?
I would probably go visit random countries, like Greece or Egypt.

If you were a continent, which would you be?
Asia, because I am Asian.

What is the strangest food you have ever eaten?
I had this bug thing once …. It was just really gross. In Asia, they have these little snack things. My mom made me try it, and it was really nasty.

Favorites

• Food: Mexican
• Smell: Vanilla
• Sound: Music
• Ice cream: Vanilla
• Disney movie: “Finding Nemo”
• Normal movie: “Accepted” and “Superbad”
• Book: “A Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime”
• Dessert: Vanilla ice cream
• Color: Blue
• Sport: Soccer

RAINA MARTENS

I cornered Raina during a hectic pizza sale in the kitchen. The bubbly, Goldfish Cracker-loving sophomore enthused about her sandwich’s swirly bread and the Siebel Center before sitting cheerfully down for our interview. Although it was a bit hard to hear her voice in the uproarious kitchen, her happy personality came across with perfect clarity.

What’s your name?
Raina Martens.

How old are you?
Fourteen.

What school did you use to go to?
Central.

Why’d you decide to come to Uni and what were you expecting coming in?
I decided to come to Uni because Central bored me [in terms of courses], and I was expecting lots of really smart people.

How does Uni differ from your old school?
People don’t talk in class to each other, at all. People there are not as smart. I mean, I dunno. I don’t know how to explain it. It’s smaller!

Which school do you like better?
Uni, of course!

What do you like best about Uni?
The freedom — my free period. I like running — not! I don’t like running. I’m in swimming.

What’s your favorite class so far?
World History with [Chris] Butler.

Have you made any new friends?
Yeah!!

Describe yourself with a color.
Orange, because it’s really a good color, because not many people like it, and it’s really bright and happy.

What is your favorite thing about yourself?
I can laugh at myself.

Early bird or night owl?
I used to stay up late until swimming, and now I can’t.

If you had one day left to live, what would you do?
Have a party, because I’d want to see all my friends before I die.

If you were a continent, which would you be?
Australia, because it’s an island in the middle of a really big ocean, and it’s a continent and a country! And the people have really cool accents.

What is the strangest food you ever ate?
I ate a cicada once.

Which did you stop believing in first (if at all): Santa Claus or the Tooth Fairy?
The Tooth Fairy always forgot me. Actually, so did Santa. I mean I got presents, but not from Santa.

Do you tend to sympathize with the good or evil?
Good!

Any shout out to Uni?
I want everyone to know that they should stop hiding in my locker, because that’s just kind of creepy. I have one of the obese ones. [On the second floor, there are a row of new lockers that are larger than all the others.]

The subbies do that?
The subbies! Every single day!

Favorites

• Smell: Erasers, especially new ones
• Sound: Pingpong
• Ice cream: Key lime
• Disney movie: “Pocahontas” or “Mulan”
• Normal movie: “Juno” and “Forrest Gump”
• Book: “The House of the Scorpion”
• Dessert: Cheesecake
• Color: Green or red, but not together
• Sport: Lacrosse, of course

JOHN VAUGHEN

This bespectacled, amiable sophomore from Richmond, Va., followed his family to Illinois when his dad got a job nearby. His sister Sarah is a subbie this year at Uni. He seemed genuinely glad to be here, and I was equally glad to find out why.

What’s your name?
John Vaughen.

How old are you?
Fifteen.

What school did you use to go to?
I used to go to Maggie Walker in Virginia. It was sort of a school like Uni except a little bit bigger, but it was also like a public school, that you had to test to get into, that was for gifted students. [Maggie L. Walker Governor's School for Government and International Studies has been on Newsweek’s list of public elites alongside Uni for the past few years.]

Out of all the other schools in the area, why’d you decide to come to Uni?
Well, it looked the best, um — I didn’t really look at any of the other schools that much. We didn’t have to choose should I go here or here, it’s just like, just test into Uni, and if you don’t get into Uni, then just go from here. But since I got in, I didn’t have to look into other schools.

How’d you hear about Uni?
I don’t know, my parents found it online. It’s known to be a really good school. Everyone in the area says so: Try for Uni.

What were you expecting coming in?
To not get a lot of sleep, and so far that has happened.

Does Uni live up (or down) to your expectations?
I mean so far, it’s been really good, the people have been nice, the classes have been challenging, and the teachers have been competent, which is good. I’m having a really good time.

How does Uni differ from your old school?
Um, not really by that much. It’s just that my old school had 700 to 800 people, so teachers couldn’t, they didn’t focus as much on individual needs. They more just taught the class, and didn’t care that much about how individuals did.

What do you like best about Uni so far?
Probably just having really good teachers so far, and also the general aura of the school: Everyone’s always happy, talking, kind of bouncy, except when they’re tired from sleep deprivation. I’m going to explore the school a little more, start trying some clubs and stuff, so maybe I’ll have something else, but for now, everything’s just been good.

Have you joined any sports, and which clubs were you thinking of?
Right now I’m trying out cross country for the first time in my life — that’s been sort of challenging. I haven’t died yet, that’s what I’ve been telling everyone. I told my math teacher that I would sign up for the math club after I was done with cross country. I’m sort of interested in the chess club, and the tennis club in the spring.

What’s your favorite class so far?
I like history, because I have a really good teacher, Mr. Butler. French has been really good because the teacher’s a lot better than at my old school, where French wasn’t taught very well.

Describe yourself in three words.
Very, very tired.

Describe yourself with a color.
Awwww, no. I hate these questions. *laughs* Rainbow. I dunno — silver.

Maybe you’re shiny on the inside.
Inside, yeah. We’ll go with that.

What is your favorite thing about yourself?
My self-esteem isn’t that high; I’m happy with who I am — not really my personality, but my ethics and morals.

If you had one day left to live, what would you do?
I would document everything I’ve done. I’d probably relax somewhere, like go to some tropical place, on a pretty fast plane, and bring a book. Right now I feel like a vacation, because I’m in school, and it’s the middle of the week, and I’m tired, and I’m thinking about homework, tests, and quizzes. So I guess just relaxation.

Which book would you bring?
I’d probably bring a science-fiction book, since I like reading those, even though they’re not as informative as, like, Plato or Machiavelli or something, because that’s like school stuff. Some people really like reading that, but I’m not that kind of person, yet. Maybe my taste will mature as I get older, and I will start enjoy those.

If you were a continent, which would you be?
Alaska — I don’t really know, it’s just a really random choice. I guess it’s sort of not as close to civilization, so it’s not very populated.

Alaska?
Oh, did I say Alaska? Antarctica. Yay, for being really tired. Excuse me — can that be off the record?

It’s sort of amusing, that being on the record …
No, it’s OK …

Favorites

• Food: Pizza, crab legs, pasta with seafood. (“Not seafood pizza, although shrimp pizza might have an interesting taste — new marketing idea!”)
• Smell: Crisp morning air with coffee and bacon in the background
• Sound: Music in general
• Ice cream: Vanilla
• Film: “Star Wars”
• Books: “Da Vinci Code,” Sci-Fi, “Harry Potter”
• Dessert: Blackberry pie
• Color: Undecided
• Sport: Tennis

VICTORIA WONG

Called “Vicky” by those around her, the sophomore in the red bandanna is known for loving bugs of all kinds, and for very adventurous, skilled climbing of rocks and sculptures. I tuned into her creatively scientific mind during lunch.

What’s your name?
Victoria Wong.

How old are you?
I’m 15.

What school did you use to go to?
Brookline High School in Massachusetts.

Why’d you move to Champaign-Urbana?
Well, my dad got a job here, and my mom’s going to get a job here too, just as soon as they file all the papers and stuff.

Why’d you decide to come to Uni, and what were you expecting coming in?
Well, my mom kind of describes Uni as the “geek school,” and in my other schools I always had a problem in the classes because they didn’t advance quickly enough, especially in the sciences. I guess I was expecting something similar to my old high school, but it’s just a lot smaller here.

Other than the size, how does Uni differ from your old school?
It has bells, and we get obese lockers. Anyway, that’s awesome.

Which school do you like better?
Oh, definitely Uni!

What do you like best about Uni so far?
I like my biology class. The teacher [Mr. Stone] has a lot of cool stories.

Have you joined any clubs or sports?
I joined the swim team, and that’s pretty much all I want to do.

Describe yourself in three words.
Contradictory, hippy, and, hmm, rock climber?

Describe yourself with a color.
Um, this is going to sound kind of weird, but you know how after you have a bloody nose, and the blood dries up and it turns this brownish color? I actually like that color.

Sort of rusty.
Yeah.

What is your favorite thing about yourself?
I have a wide range of knowledge which is of absolutely no use to anybody.

Early bird or night owl?
Early bird.

If you had one day left to live, what would you do?
I’d probably end up going on the Internet.

If you were a continent, which would you be?
Antarctica.

What is the strangest food you have ever eaten?
Ooh, that’s hard to say. Well, I’ve had frog legs, I’ve had melon soup, and I’ve had shark-fin soup. I’ve had duck feet, pig ears, chicken feet, escargot. That’s all the foods I can think of, but I don’t know which one’s the weirdest.

Favorites

• Food: Canned mandarin oranges
• Smell: Clean, cold morning air
• Sound: Techno music
• Ice cream: Coffee
• Cartoon: “Static Shock”
• Movie: “Bourne Identity,” “Bourne Supremacy,” “Bourne Ultimatum”
• Books: Trashy dime novels
• Dessert: Cola that has been frozen into ice cubes
• Sports: Rock climbing and swimming

BENJAMIN ZEHR

Even though he declares his parents made him apply to Uni, this sophomore admits to being glad of it. I found that his easygoing personality made him very enjoyable to talk to, which I proceeded to do with much gusto.

What’s your name?
Benjamin Zehr.

Do you have a nickname?
Just call me Ben.

How old are you?
I’m 14; I’ll turn 15 in about a month.

What grade are you in?
Sophomore.

What school did you use to go to?
I used to go to Urbana High School.

Why’d you decide to come to Uni?
Because it’s supposed to be better for you, and my parents made me.

How does Uni differ from your old school?
It’s very relaxed, and it’s tough here, even though it’s really relaxed. [Also] the size of the building. The people who come here are a lot different.

How are they different?
More diverse school. The kind of people who go here, and the teachers.

Which school do you like better?
I like Uni.

What do you like best about Uni so far?
Free period.

What’s your favorite class so far?
I like history. I like Mr. Butler.

Have you joined any clubs/sports?
I’m going to join tennis club.

Describe yourself with a color.
Blue — it’s just, um, it might be boring, but it’s somehow expressive.

What is your favorite thing about yourself?
I like my ethnicity. I’m half Indian, one-fourth American, and one-fourth Swiss/French.

So what nationality is your last name from?
Probably the Swiss/French part. Zehr.

Speak French?
Ha. I wish.

Early bird or night owl?
Both.

Both? You don’t sleep, right?
I sleep a little bit.

If you had one day left to live, what would you do?
Say goodbye to everybody I knew.

Do you tend to sympathize with the good or evil?
Probably the evil, because they’re really stereotypical.

If you were a continent, which would you be?
Europe. Europe’s cool.

What is the strangest food you have ever eaten?
It’ll have to be raw beef. In Czechoslovakia. Ugh. It’s disgusting.

I’m guessing you travel a lot?
Yeah, every break, every chance I get I go wherever I possibly can. My mom travels to work, so I go with her.

Favorites

• Food: Indian food
• Smell: The smell of Indian food
• Sound: I play the piano; I like classical music
• Disney movie: “The Lion King”
• Feature film: “The Dark Knight”
• Book: “Eragon”
• Dessert: Ice cream
• Sport: Tennis

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