A picture was taken this past Friday after the annual panoramic yearbook picture for seniors. The offensive configuration of letters and symbols did not appear in the panoramic picture, nor did any faculty member see or approve the display. Yes, I have seen the picture. No I do not support it whatsoever. Indeed, it wasn’t funny. It also wasn’t clever, edgy or cool. It was just mean and it said a lot more about the girls than it did about my fellow high school.

I graduated from Desert Vista High School only a few years ago, and I can tell you one thing about my alma matter. So much good has come out of Desert Vista: talented individuals, athletic phenoms and innovative scholars. I graduated in the Class of 2014, and we had 10+ valedictorians. Over 90% of our senior class attended a university. That is unheard of. Not only that, but some of the most passionate faculty and staff in the nation reside at DV. If you have sat in at a class at Desert Vista, you know how much professors pour into their students. DV is associated with success, and this shortcoming should not tarnish your image of this high school.

Everyone makes mistakes, some harsher than others. A very poor decision was made by some women this past Friday, but this is a systematic issue at the end of the day. This sheds light on a bigger problem in our country. I urge everyone to move on from this one incident. Today's society is very hypocritical, and it is easy to breathe negativity from a situation like this. Let's learn from this, and unite as individuals to educate future generations in the realms of racial and cultural awareness.