Courtesy of Katie Yang

Ethan, Alex and Katie Yang reunite at a restaurant for Alex’s birthday — both Alex and Ethan are SHS alum.

Whether it’s finishing a crochet project or attaching a component to a robot as part of the FTC Cuttlefish team, junior Katie Yang is often reminded of her two older brothers, Ethan and Alex, as she goes about her daily life. 

Ethan graduated from SHS in 2018 and went to the University of Michigan, while Alex, three years older, also went to U-Mich after graduating last spring.

She said she often passes by their rooms at home, unconsciously hoping that she’ll see Alex excited to show her his new art piece or Ethan focused on assembling his robot — only to realize a split second later that they’re not around. A house of five is now a house of three.

For students like Yang and sophomore Jayden Mar, the departure of older siblings to college and the working world marks a significant shift in lifestyle — one that comes with challenges and rewards. 

It has long been a common belief that if older siblings are seen as high achievers, younger ones might pursue different interests to avoid comparison. However, Mar and Yang have taken the path of embracing their siblings’ passions, continuing to grow or even merging them with their own personal twist.

Sophomore Jayden Mar carries on his brother’s badminton legacy

For Jayden Mar, there was a major shift in his after-school routine when his brother, Adrian, moved away to attend UC Berkeley in 2022. 

Adrian, a senior majoring in data science, was a role model and inspiration for Jayden growing up, especially through their shared love of badminton.

In high school, Adrian focused heavily on badminton, and Jayden followed in his footsteps by training outside of school daily. His passion and dedication led him to place third overall in boys’ singles at the Central Coast Section (CCS) championships as a freshman. He is ranked in the top 50 nationally for his age group, the Under-17 national division, in both singles and doubles.

Adrian gained acclaim as SHS’s badminton star while attending the school, winning the individual boys’ singles CCS championship in 2022 and boosting the team to second place. As of today, he is a Team USA badminton athlete competing internationally, specializing in men’s singles and doubles. Jayden said he never feels pressure from his family to achieve the same level of success as Adrian did. 

Instead, he has used his brother’s experience in high school as a roadmap for his own academic journey. Seeing the academic pressure Adrian faced while focusing on badminton training made Jayden see the risks of overprioritizing sports and made him better prepared for his own schoolwork.

“I feel like just seeing him sometimes not do as well in school made me a little bit scared,” Mar said. “I feel like I also am more cautious or prepare better for school.”

The brothers train at the same badminton club and text daily to stay connected; however, the physical absence of his brother has changed Jayden’s daily routine.

“Adrian has a car, so he could drive me out, but with him in college, a lot of times I’m just stuck at home or at my parents’ workplace because they have work and usually don’t let me stay home myself,” Jayden said.

Beyond changes in Jayden’s training for badminton, he has also taken on more responsibilities around the house that Adrian used to do, such as helping with groceries. However, he hopes to continue the athletic legacy Adrian left behind by achieving success in CCS and CIF and even playing the sport at the college level.

Junior Katie Yang perfectly intertwines her interests in arts and engineering

The graduations of her brothers meant that Katie Yang lost her main source of academic and social support at home. Katie has had to navigate her toughest years of high school — junior and senior year — as the only child in the house.

“The house is a lot quieter because I don’t talk that much, and my brothers definitely did,” Yang said. “I know my parents miss my brothers a lot, but I think it’s nice that we get to see them every once in a while.”

Without her brothers nearby to help with difficult schoolwork, Katie said she has become more self-reliant and self-driven. She is also navigating the different paths her brothers have taken. While Ethan focused on the technical side of STEM, like robotics and engineering, Alex dove into the humanities, especially art. 

This has created a unique kind of pressure for Katie. While her parents encourage her to follow her own path in life and keep close to her interests, she feels a responsibility to carry on the legacies of both of her brothers.

Instead of choosing another path or one of her brothers, Katie decided on her unique approach: merging both of her brothers’ interests in engineering and art. She participates in science fairs and is considering becoming an engineering major like Ethan, but she also runs her own crochet business called Kebub, similar to Alex’s creative background.

Though she doesn’t have her brothers at home anymore to help her guide her through the rest of high school, they still keep in touch digitally. Katie said they remain close through calls and texts and reunite occasionally during school breaks like Thanksgiving and Christmas.

“I miss having them around because it is nice to hang out with people and talk at home,” Yang said. “But I think that they do come back often enough, so it is not like they are too absent.”