Skip to Main Content
The Student News Site of Van Nuys High School

The Mirror

vnhsMIRROR.com

The student website of Van Nuys High School
Van Nuys, California
The Student News Site of Van Nuys High School

The Mirror

The Student News Site of Van Nuys High School

The Mirror

Abigail Kim

Abigail Kim, Staff Writer

Abigail Kim is a second year staff writer for The Mirror’s Opinion section. The power of a good book is a force Kim readily succumbs to. A delectable story fills her with the greatest joy, and inventing tales offers a luscious meal for her hungry brain. Abigail’s greatest wish as a returning journalist is to communicate the wonderful quirks of the world through her perspective and to share the divine opinions of every viewpoint. In the eccentric witch’s brew of her mind, she weaves characters, conflict, and emotions in fictional writing and dancing, or, as she likes to call it, storytelling with the body. Abigail’s greatest passion in life is to spread the love of Jesus Christ. On a separate note, if she’s not hunched over her computer, you can find her chomping away on dark chocolate or shrieking at the top of her lungs at a KPOP concert. 

All content by Abigail Kim
Debunking the myth of photogenic perfection

Debunking the myth of photogenic perfection

how biases and perceptions influence our beliefs about beauty in photographs
By Abigail Kim, Staff Writer
Nov 15, 2024
Celebrities like Britney Spears, Aaliyah and Christina Aguilera served as the trendsetters of the 2000s, paving the way for Y2K trends today through their iconic styles.

Nostalgia on sale: The Y2K aesthetic

The rise of the Y2K aesthetic is both a nostalgic trend and a testament to the power of consumerism, fueled by emotional connections, social media amplification and clever marketing strategies.
By Abigail Kim, Staff Writer
Nov 12, 2024
 Trick or treat: Test your Halloween knowledge

Trick or treat: Test your Halloween knowledge

Scare yourself with these tricky Halloween trivia questions.
By Abigail Kim and Joel Nam
Oct 31, 2024
 Mental age quiz

Mental age quiz

Take this quiz to find out what your mental age is.
By Leon Weiss, Abigail Kim, and Joel Nam
Oct 14, 2024
Often featuring individuals getting ready for their day, GRWMs contribute to our dangerous culture of oversharing, promoting loneliness and isolation.

GRWM to talk about oversharing online

GRWM videos have taken the internet by storm, fanning the flames of society’s online oversharing problem.
By Abigail Kim, Staff Writer
Oct 5, 2024
This illustration depicts the weight on those with fears and expectations that come from perfectionism.

Perfectionism is far from perfect

Perfectionism has proven to be a pervasive issue among students that has deleterious effects on their mental health.
By Abigail Kim, Staff Writer
Jun 6, 2024
CLASSICAL CONCENTRATION Even though many teenagers dismiss casually reading literature, reading these novels stimulates the mind far more than any movie.

Retro reads: They’re called classics for a reason

Readers of classical literature believe it contains educational elements missing from modern works. Studies have also shown that reading classic novels may strengthen cognitive abilities and reduce age-related cognitive decline.
By Abigail Kim, Staff Writer
Jun 1, 2024
Scientifically speaking, love happens when oxytocin is released in the brain, cultivating strong feelings of romance. However, simply describing love as a chemical reaction does not fully encapsulate the emotions and experiences that go along with it.

Is love just a chemical reaction?

By Abigail Kim, Staff Writer
May 21, 2024
The Mirror earns seven finalist spots from the L.A. Press Club's SoCal 66th Annual Awards

The Mirror earns seven finalist spots from the L.A. Press Club’s SoCal 66th Annual Awards

The Mirror The Mirror is a finalist in seven categories in the L.A. Press Club’s SoCal 66th Annual Awards, contending for top website against the Hollywood Reporter and Variety.
By Abigail Kim, Staff Writer
May 19, 2024
 Characters like Gojo, Kageyama, Levi and Zuko are among the most beloved fictional icons in pop culture, notorious for feeding into fictophilic tendencies.

The pitfalls of having fictional crushes

Fictional crushes aren’t all fun and games. By generating unrealistic expectations in relationships, fictophilia can leave us unsatisfied with our lives and bring rise to loneliness.
By Abigail Kim, Staff Writer
May 15, 2024
"Act Like You Care" by Susi Vasquez-Lara, Milbridge Elementary, 5th grade.

Quiz: Are you smarter than a fifth grader?

The average fifth grader can answer at least 10 of these questions. Can you match their score?
By Abigail Kim, Viktoriya Khanliyan, and Joel Nam
Apr 20, 2024
The peculiar nighttime spectacle of dreams continue to confound us with their fleeting, mystifying images.

Dreamland discoveries: The secrets behind our dreams

Dreams are a bizarre phenomenon that continue to puzzle humanity with their elusive nature, but research shows that dreams may contribute to memory formation and other forms of psychological healing.
By Abigail Kim, Staff Writer
Apr 17, 2024
Donna Hubbard fue la primera directora femenina del preparatoria de Van Nuys High School. Se unió a la facultad como profesora de español en 1920 y  continuó trabajando su camino hasta convertirse en la vicedirectora de las estudiantes femeninas en 1924, antes de ser la directora de toda la escuela en 1935. Aquí es la vicedirectora de las chicas en 1929.

LA HISTORIA DE ELLA: El legado de Donna Hubbard en el instituto Van Nuys

En este Mes de la Historia de la Mujer, Donna Hubbard destaca como la antigua directora del colegio, madura, sabia y compasiva. Tras incorporarse como profesora de español en 1920, fue ascendiendo hasta convertirse en la primera mujer directora del centro y dirigió a los alumnos durante la Gran Depresión y el comienzo de la Segunda Guerra Mundial.
By Abigail Kim and Maya Diaz
Mar 31, 2024

HERSTORY: Biddy Mason’s Los Angeles legacy

Born enslaved in Georgia in 1856, Bridget "Biddy" Mason was the first African-American woman to own property in Los Angeles. After receiving her freedom, she would go on to found one of the largest Black congregations in Los Angeles. 
By Abigail Kim, Staff Writer
Mar 25, 2024
Students measure the distance between the doll and the ground.

Barbie girls in the AP Stats world

AP Statistics students in period 5 drop Barbie dolls off the 300s building on Wednesday, March 20.
By Abigail Kim and Marcello Chester
Mar 21, 2024
Donna Hubbard was Van Nuys High School's first female principal. She joined the faculty as a Spanish teacher in 1920 and worked her way up to becoming girls' vice prinicipal in 1924, before becoming principal of the entire school in 1935.

HERSTORY: Donna Hubbard’s legacy at Van Nuys High School

This Women’s History Month, Donna Hubbard stands out as the mature, wise and compassionate former principal of the school. Joining as a Spanish teacher in 1920, she worked her way up to become the school's first female principal and led students through the Great Depression and the beginning of World War II.
By Abigail Kim, Staff Writer
Mar 18, 2024
Feel the love: Valentine's Day trivia that will make your heart beat with pride!

Feel the love: Valentine’s Day trivia that will make your heart beat with pride!

Do you yearn for days of romance yore? Take our Valentine's Day history quiz to see how much you really know about this special holiday.
By Joel Nam, Abigail Kim, and Viktoriya Khanliyan
Feb 14, 2024
Selfies spread the illusion of self-empowerment while placing social media users at risk and feeding into narcissistic behaviors.

The “self” in selfie: Empowering or dangerous?

The reign of social media and the increasingly self-admiring attitude of society has heightened the peril of today’s selfie culture.
By Abigail Kim, Staff Writer
Feb 5, 2024
As virtual media continues to dominate the world, WEBTOON's digital comics are revolutionizing the comic book world through an immersive reading experience and captivating art styles.

WEBTOON: Out with the old and in with the new

Comic culture has remained unchanged for decades. Now, WEBTOON’s free digital comics are ushering in a new era of graphic novels for modern audiences.
By Abigail Kim, Staff Writer
Jan 22, 2024
Gawrsh! Which Disney character are you?

Gawrsh! Which Disney character are you?

See where you belong in the Disney universe with this musical quiz.
By Joel Nam, Abigail Kim, and Viktoriya Khanliyan
Dec 15, 2023

K-POP a K-FLOP: La Occidentalización del K-pop será su caída

El K-pop solía tener un sonido y estilo únicos que se adecuaban a su país de origen. Ahora, con nuevos mercados para conquistar en Occidente, todo eso se está desvaneciendo.
By Abigail Kim, Staff Writer
Dec 6, 2023

K-POP to K-FLOP: The Westernization of K-pop will be its downfall

K-pop used to have a unique sound and style befitting its country of origin. Now, with new markets to addict in the West, all of that is being washed away.
By Abigail Kim, Staff Writer
Dec 6, 2023
RE-AWAKENING The Christian entertainment industry has surprisingly eclipsed various mainstream Hollywood's releases.

Christianity offers redemption at the box office

The light of the Christian entertainment industry is growing brighter amidst Hollywood’s profane productions.
By Abigail Kim, Staff Writer
Nov 26, 2023
 MISUNDERSTOOD  Fictional villains get stereotyped far too often as bad guys, when in fact, many have admirable qualities and consciences.

Villains don’t deserve their bad reputations

While our favorite villains are often malicious in their actions, society has ignored their righteous morals for far too long.
By Abigail Kim, Staff Writer
Nov 20, 2023
 DRAINED AND DEPRESSED  According to the National Institute of Health, increased social media use among teens results in sleep deprivation and heightened anxiety.

Unfollowing social media will be the best decision of your life

For far too long, teens have been bombarded with anxiety and depression caused by social media use. Hopping offline is the best solution to this rising issue.
By Abigail Kim, Staff Writer
Nov 20, 2023
"No comprendes la sensación de estar 'vacío' hasta que la experimentas por ti mismo."

Salto de fe: Encontrando propósito en lo invisible

Familia, fe y sentimientos llenan a una joven de un renovado propósito. Su transformación redefine su visión del mundo y define vivir la vida al máximo.
By Abigail Kim, Staff Writer
Oct 9, 2023
"You don’t understand the sensation of being 'hollow' until you experience it for yourself."

Leap of faith: Finding purpose in the unseen

Family, faith and feelings fills a young girl with renewed purpose. Her transformation reshapes her view of the world and defines living life to the fullest.
By Abigail Kim, Staff Writer
Sep 18, 2023
Load More Stories
Donate to The Mirror
$1435
$5000
Contributed
Our Goal