Caterina Yuan graduated from Palo Alto High School with the Class of 2007 and went on to graduate from Harvard College in 2011. Caterina talked about her experiences in High School and what she did in her high school and college careers which led to her attending Harvard. She talked in detail about what activities and academic experiences she was involved throughout High school and what she believes makes a successful student. She discussed how to handle high expectations through time management and knowing how to do you personal best while also knowing how to become more flexible and independent.

Presenter: Caterina Yuan

Having the right mindset before setting out on reaching for a goal is crucial for personal growth. BayEcho's presentation on personal growth explained the key points on being as efficient as possible when achieving a goal including having the right mindset, being independent, and taking time to explore you possibilities. They provided several tips on gaining individuality and uniqueness through self-expression and following through with personal interests and passions. They also heavily emphasized the importance of communication and how it can drastically improve personal growth. By improving one's personal growth, teens can develop social skills and the concept of gratitude.

Presenters: Alex Wang, Jonathan Tang, Austin Cai, Nelson Niu, Kelly Chen, Joy Tang, Ryan Tang, Harrison Cui, Jiarui Sun

Handling Stress and academic pressure is perhaps the most important skill required for teens to be successful in High school and to achieve their personal goals. BayEcho's presentation on handling stress and pressure highlighted what causes teens to become the most stressed and how communication is the key to maintaining a low stress level. A survey was conducted to show what the main cause for stress in high schoolers is and not surprisingly it is mostly academic pressure. They also talked about the topic of rebellion and how pressure from parents plays a significant role in teens becoming rebellious. However, they also explained how rebellion can be beneficial and how it promotes individuality and creativity. the presenters also gave us a glimpse of what parents are thinking and how parents' expectations increase as teen grow older creating stress. 

Presenters: BayEcho Members

With the stress that students and parents go through as students progress in their high school careers, proper communication between parents and students is essential. BayEcho's presentation on family relationships and parent-child communication emphasized how crucial it is for there to be mutual respect between teens and parents and how designated family time is necessary in order for students and parents to have proper communication. The presenters provided many many tips for parents and teens on how to maintain good communication and how parents can provide the proper support that students need. The BayEcho members also conducted several surveys in order to accurately show how teens and parents feel about the communication between teens and parents.

Presenters: BayEcho Members

Video Games are one of the most common forms of entertainment for teenage students during their free time and BayEcho's presentation on video games explained how they can affect a student's ability to think when done in excess and how it can be detrimental to the success of a student.  The presenters also talked about the benefits that playing video games can have and how it can help students de-stress while indirectly improving problem-solving skills. They went in-depth and explained how video games can give teens a false sense of fulfillment and success and how it can have negative effects on maintaining healthy relationships. Video games prevent people from creating genuine relationships. As time management is one of the most important life skills, the presenters highlighted how it is important to maintain a balance between work and recreation, including the use of video games

Presenters: Harrison Cui, Jonathan Tang, Michelle Tang

BayEcho's presentation on Mental Wellness helped teens understand what poor mental wellness looks like and how to help identify when someone is going through a period of poor mental health. They gave several insightful tips on how to improve mental wellness and how seemingly minor problems can lead to students becoming mentally unwell. By explaining what the signs of depression in teenagers are, they helped clarify why it is important for people to be aware of their mental health and how they can improve their general well being. They also explained several of the common causes of students becoming mentally unwell and how it can be avoided with the right steps.

Presenters: Jonathan Tang, Sherwin Zhang, Emily Leung

Our presentation on communication between teens and parents described how parents can better understand what they're teenagers are thinking to better understand how to support them. The presentation also helped explain how teenagers can better communicate with their parents and make it easier to speak with them. Brenna, Sherwin, Jennifer and Jonathan, helped explain how to better bridge the gap in communication due to generational differences between parents and teenagers. They provided their personal experiences with their parents and described what worked in improving their relationship with their parents. By stating the essential questions needed to improve the relationship between teens and parents, they helped create a starting point for improving communication between teens and parents.

Presenters: Brenna Chen, Sherwin Zhang, Jennifer Zhang, Jonathan Tang

From Bill Cheng:

When I was born, I only weighed a little more than a pound. The doctor said that it would be a miracle if I lived. When I was learning to walk, the doctor said that it would be a miracle if I could traverse stairs on my own.
Even today, as I still struggle with fine motor coordination and walking, my own perseverance and the aid of others has set me down the path to defeating these difficulties. Second by second, minute by minute, and day by day, my peers and I face the same school struggles and overcome them with the power of teamwork.
I hope that the lessons I have learned from the stories of those around me and the compassion of those who have made my life’s journey special can assist in making yours brighter too. Thanks for watching!

 Presentation Feb. 11 2017 at Saratoga and March 4 at Cupertino

Bill Cheng, a junior at Monta Vista High school.

• August 20, 2016 - Bayecho Teens Speak Out: “Student Leadership”, World Journal Presentation, Culture Center of TECO.
• March 6, 2016 - Bayecho Teens Face to Face Panel Discussion, ” Stress and Time Management”, Home of Christ 6, Newark.
• January 30, 2016 - Bayecho Teens Face to Face Panel Discussion, ” Personal Relationships”, SpringLight Education Institute, San Jose
• December 8, 2015 - Bayecho Teens Speak Out: “Growth and Motivation", Cupertino Highschool, Cupertino
• August 22, 2015 - Bayecho Teens Speak Out: “Personal Growth”, World Journal Presentation, Culture Center of TECO.
• August 1, 2015 - Bayecho Teens Speak Out: “Mental Health”, Home of Christ Church, Saratoga
• March 21, 2015 - Bayecho Teens Speak Out: “Video Game”, Home of Christ Church, Saratoga
• June 30, 2014 - Bayecho Contest: "Parent Appreciation Essay Contest", SpringLight Education Institute, San Jose
• December 20, 2013 - BayEcho Music Group-String quartet and vocals at Los Altos' Annual Senior Holiday luncheon at the Lost Altos Community Center
• May 26, 2013 - BayEcho Teens Speak Out/CPAA Youth Performing Group: Music and Me, 6148 Bollinger Road, San Jose
• April 20,2013 - BayEcho Teens Speak Out-Communication between Parents and Teens, "Trust is the Key, Love is the Way," Leland High School
• April 13, 2013 - BayEcho Teens Speak Out: School Life, Social Life, and Family Life, Sprinc Camp, Santa Cruz
• February 2, 2013 - BayEcho Teens Speak Out: Social Media, Video Games, and the Internet, Fourth Home of Christ Church, Cupertino
• October 23, 2012 - BayEcho Teens Speak Out: Social Media, Video Games, and the Internet, Lynbrook High School, San Jose
• September 15, 2012 - BayEcho Teens Speak Out: "The 6 A's," World Journal Presentation, Santa Clara Convention Center
• March 24, 2012 - The BayEcho team held a seminar on Social Media at the Home Church, Campbell
• August 20, 2011 - The BayEcho team presents their findings at the 4th Home of Christ, Cupertino
• July 13, 2011 - The BayEcho bloggers participated in the Cold Dish Contest
• July 15, 2011 - BayEcho invited Psychiatrist, Mr. Pan Yu, to talk about children's addiction to cyberspace at Milpitas Library
• June 11, 2011 - BayEcho Association presented their 1st presentation again at Redwood City
• June 4, 2011 - The BayEcho team holds another seminar -The High School Dash(Leadership, Science, Art, Video Games, Community Services, Social Life/Relationships), Palo Alto