Angelina Zhao

Although the school year is coming to an end, YIELD Pair club continues to engage students through the coordination of bonding activities that aid areas in need. Pictured (left to right): Rachel Chen (9), Maiah Torres (11), Katelyn Chang (11), Charlene Cheng (11), Abigail Banh (11), Jeremiah Park (11)

Fast fashion and consumerism have grown to become plagues to society, as well as the environment. This isn’t any new news, but as high school students who play no significant part in changing the world, playing a part in saving the environment can feel meaningless. Still, this does not discourage the students of Ayala. In fact, this rising dilemma has led to the incredible foundation of YIELD Pair club. Following their successful thrift store event/fundraiser in April, they hosted yet another pop-up right next to the library steps. 

Ending the school year on a good note, the turn-out to YIELD’s May thrift event was outstanding. With an abundance of clothing collected from students, there was a wide selection of clothing available for other students to search through. These items consisted of jackets, sweaters, jeans, all set at extremely affordable prices. As the club was formed to raise funds for foreign communities, no item exceeded $10. 

“Thrifting is normally a really good way to save money while finding clothes that are suitable for your own style,” said Club Vice President Katelyn Chang (11). “YIELD Pair puts together a great little thrift store that uses profits to help aid those in need.”

Despite the incredibly inexpensive items on sale, the funds collected were a huge success. 

“Our goal was to raise over $100, and we were able to hit that goal with a total of $102,” Co-Club President Charlene Cheng (11) said. 

Similar to the previous event in April, all charity funds collected were purposed to support Southeast Asian countries. 

“The funds will be used to provide students at orphanages in Cambodia and Vietnam with school supplies and learning materials,” Co-Club President Jeremiah Park (11) said.

But organizing such a successful event doesn’t just manifest overnight. The process leading up to it took effort on each of the officers’ part. From collecting and sorting clothing to creating promotions on social media, there was a job for everyone involved. 

“Each officer has different duties and we all come together to help each other,” Chang said. “General responsibilities [consist of] advertising for events, such as [creating] posters or social media posts. Others would be running and putting together the event, like setting up the thrift store and sorting clothes.” 

Tedious as it may be, the outcome is always rewarding. There is an undeniable bond formed between club members and casual passersby. Similar to the finds at a Goodwill or other small consignment stores, the clothing that could be found consisted of hidden gems and silly items. Even without intention to purchase anything, every student can find a good time just rummaging through the different boxes. 

The club wasn’t simply made solely as a medium for impact on the world. It’s a motivation, but a big goal for participants is connection with fellow peers and students. 

“[My favorite part about the club] is the involvement because I really got to meet a lot of people through it,” Cheng said. “It really helped me build connections.” 

As a first year student at Ayala, Cheng was a stranger to the community. Despite this setback, she’s helped foster a band of friends who dedicate themselves to positive change and making a worthwhile time during their limited high school days. 

YIELD Pair is a place that stands for environmental awareness and personal growth. With an aim to create positive change in our small community, the students are also dedicated to playing a part and contribute to change in a broader sense. Through numerous donations to international countries in need of aid, that goal has already been achieved. That being said, the work is never finished as there is always a part that each of us can play.