As a senior of Woodbridge High, Lana Ameen has had tons of experience in the senior parking lot especially when it comes to navigating the area and culture surrounding cars on campus. Every student has a special connection to their car and Ameen is no exception. For her, the senior parking lot offers a very relaxing spot away from the more densely populated areas.
“Everyone kind of goes to their cars at lunch and break, and you’re able to hang out with your friends there rather than maybe hanging out in the main quad where everyone else is,” Ameen said.
However the parking lot isn’t always suspended in this period of blissful tranquility. This dramatic shift is much more noticeable in Ameen’s experience in the morning hours.
“It can get really hectic in the morning, especially when everyone’s trying to get dropped off,” Ameen said. “But I definitely think there are too many juniors parking in the senior lot. They need to get out of there.”
Every car on campus has its own unique story to tell, whether it’s a hand-me-down, stolen, or in the case of Joshua Khoo, a personal investment. Koo is very passionate about his car which is a 1991 Mazda Miata MX-5, often modifying parts and upgrading its condition. His philosophy for purchasing the car boils down to his love for autocross, a motor sport that involves maneuvering around a series of cones.
“It’s a sports car from the 1990s, so it was already kind of loud to begin with, and then I made it a little louder. It’s not annoying loud—it’s a fun loud,” Khoo said. “You can hear it, but it’s not like a Honda Civic at 3 a.m. waking everybody up.”
Of course, with its bright red paint and goofy headlights for eyes, the Miata is certainly an exotic car which is bound to attract attention.
Some seniors like Koo grow so attached to their car they have almost a pet and master relationship that soon evolves into direct personification of their vehicle.
“Sometimes I call it Goober because it looks really silly and it has silly headlights and smiles all the time,” Koo said. “I’ll call my friends and be like…’Do you want to help me fix Goober?'”
Some students believe that the traffic caused during the morning rush hours can be attributed to an entirely different scapegoat. After all, the juniors may be insufferable but they are only second in this dire race to the bottom. A sentiment senior Hunter Pham full heartedly believes in.
“I blame the parents actually, because they drive on the Yale Loop, whatever that one is,” Pham said. “There’s like a median you’re not supposed to pull into, but all the parents pull into it and make illegal U-turns. It just creates so much traffic.”
Pham drives his family’s unassuming black Range Rover and on campus he notices many different personalities, usually relating to the brand of the car that could be labeled. Irvine has a high frequency of Tesla electric cars and their presence seem to be the main culprit of various vehicular incidents.
“I think most Tesla drivers need to lock in on their driving and parking. I saw this guy—he parked next to me, and he was in my lane and his lane at the same time,” Pham said. “I had to do like a 12-point turn to back out.”
