Dacari Newman, Car Detailing

What began as a summer side hustle turned into a multi-year business for senior Dacari Newman, who now spends his weekends detailing cars for customers across the Bay Area.

“I saw all these YouTube videos about side hustles, and car detailing piqued my interest,” Dacari said.

Dacari started “Dacari’s Mobile Auto Detailing” the summer before freshman year, continuing it all throughout high school. Over his four years, he has developed a consistent client base through a mix of marketing and word-of-mouth.

“I use physical marketing like business cards and door hangers, but I also use online apps like Nextdoor to spread my business,” Dacari said.

During his freshman year, Dacari would go door-to-door seeking business, allowing him to develop confidence and communication skills.

“I learned how to talk to people face-to-face and simply request opportunities to work on their cars,” Dacari said.

On a typical weekend workday, Dacari spends his mornings deep cleaning and polishing vehicles until they’re spotless. However, his attention to detail doesn’t come without a price.

“Depending on the size of the vehicle, I charge different rates for interior and exterior cleaning services,” Dacari said. “I also offer additional services, like steam cleaning, wet vacuuming and waxing.”

Dacari often drives long distances for appointments, as he accepts more than just local clients.

“I’ve had clients in Fremont, Atheron and Milpitas,” Dacari said. “My clients are spread across the Bay Area.”

While Dacari does not plan to continue his business after high school, he emphasized the importance of developing a skill and committing to it.

“Focus on one thing you’re good at, and keep getting better at it,” Dacari said. “Make it your thing.”

Carissa Lai, Pokémon Investor

In elementary school, senior Carissa Lai loved to collect Pokémon cards. Last summer, she rekindled her interest after winning a valuable Pokémon card collection box at Big Al’s arcade.

“I ripped the pack open and the top card was worth $70,” Carissa said. “I liked the feeling and wanted to keep going with it.”

Now, Carissa buys and sells Pokémon cards. To monitor her purchases and sales, she uses a complex digital spreadsheet that details which Pokémon sets she’s invested in, her returns and her projected revenue. In one corner, she keeps a list of her biggest gains, titled “Big Girl Trades.”

“When I first started, it was a small thing,” Carissa said. “It has since spiraled. I need to keep track of everything to make sure I’m not accidentally bleeding money.”

According to Carissa, there are two types of people in the Pokémon market. Some collect cards for the artwork, while others — like herself — are investors. They track which sets are in demand and how prices shift depending on an item’s rarity and popularity.

So far, Carissa has invested roughly $3,700 into her “sealed products” — unopened booster boxes or packs — which she estimates are now worth about $7,700. She added she’s made around $5,000 from sales and trades.

“It’s all about understanding what’s going to be more desirable in the long run,” Carissa said.

About half of Carissa’s profits are funneled into her investment account. The rest becomes spending money or saved for her senior trip to Barcelona this summer.

Carissa typically advertises on Facebook Marketplace or Discord, where she posts to local groups. Then, she tries to meet buyers in local locations, such as Boba Guys or Hyperspace in Downtown Los Altos. She builds her credibility by encouraging past clients to vouch for her, establishing herself as a reputable seller.

“Some people are really invested; they’ll drive 40 minutes to get a restock,” Carissa said.

Carissa’s business only requires about two to three hours of trading a week. She also spends about five hours browsing and researching the Pokémon market, something she believes will always be around. 

“Collectibles will always be nostalgic,” Carissa said. “The demand will always be there.”

Anastasia Marinopoulos, Nail Tech

The summer before her junior year, Anastasia Marinopoulos filled her time binge-watching nail painting tutorials. Now a senior, she has completed over 120 Gel X sets for more than 60 clients, most of whom are her fellow classmates.

“When I first started getting more clients, I thought it’d be insane if I ended up actually doing this for a lot of people,” Anastasia said. “I didn’t expect it to turn out like this.”

Anastasia’s nail tech journey started with just doing her friend’s nails in the winter of her junior year. Realizing how much she enjoyed the process, she then made it a business, creating an Instagram account to promote her nail art and book clients for $40 a set.

Running her business out of her home, Anastasia brings clients to a desk in her living room filled with nail tools like polishes and a UV lamp that hardens the gel glue. While she applies, files and paints clients’ nails — which takes about 1.5 to 2 hours — Anastasia said she likes to strike up conversation and create a warm and welcoming environment from the second they walk through the door.

From intricate nail designs to making small talk, Anastasia said those skills were all gained with time and practice.

“At first, it was intimidating to do people’s nails that I hadn’t talked to before,” Anastasia said. “I worried they’d think it was weird if I did something this way and not another way.”

By June 2025, her fears had eased — she already had a handful of returning clients and a steady stream of new requests. But, as her nail business grew, Anastasia said she agreed to more appointments than she could handle.

“I just felt so tired all the time,” Anastasia said. “I didn’t think I could do it anymore.”

Now, she’s learned to set boundaries and take breaks when needed. She limits appointments to twice a week, except for busy periods like Homecoming and Prom.

“If I didn’t find doing nails relaxing, then it wouldn’t be worth it,” Anastasia said.

Reflecting on her growth, Anastasia said the most meaningful part of her work is the relationships she’s formed that extend beyond her home studio.

“There are a lot of people I would have talked to once or twice and then moved on from,” Anastasia said. “But I’ve made some strong connections by doing this.”

While Anastasia hopes to keep doing nails after graduating, she’s unsure of what her business may look like moving forward.

“When I go to university, I don’t know how busy my schedule will be,” Anastasia said. “But I’ll bring my nail tools with me, just in case.”

Mira Sumant, Music Teacher

Music has been a part of senior Mira Sumant’s life since she could tie her shoelaces. Now teaching at The Music School in Sunnyvale, Mira is helping raise the next generation of musicians.

Mira began working at The Music School in her freshman year, teaching general music classes for first through third graders for her first two years there. Lessons mostly consisted of teaching students music literacy — writing and interpreting musical notation.

Students complete different activities each day: clapping to rhythms, using bell sets, playing the piano and more. Mira draws music notes on the whiteboard, explains octaves and teaches how to sing and motion solfège.

“It’s so special to be a part of the kids’ lives and see all the growth they go through in the year,” Mira said.

Now, as a busy senior, Mira substitutes for fourth and fifth grade classes, instead of teaching a specific class consistently.

“I think I’ve grown even more than the students,” Mira said. “Teaching has taught me patience. It’s taught me how to see the world through their eyes, which is really important when you’re teaching younger kids.”

The best part of her job at The Music School, according to Mira, is encouraging musical growth in her students.

“The first priority of The Music School is to foster a love for music in our students,” Mira said. “Our second priority is to teach them how to make music and to continue fostering that love.”

Although Mira does not plan on pursuing music as a career, these priorities remain important. Mira also sings in the LAHS senior choir, Volare, and is participating in a musical that The Music School is preparing.

“Music is always going to be in my life,” Mira said. “I don’t ever see myself not doing music — it’s just how I live.”

Luca Deck, Real Estate Photography

When senior Luca Deck received a brand new Fujifilm X-S20 for his 16th birthday, it came with a condition: he had to pay for half of the $2,000 camera himself. Scrolling through Zillow one day, he settled on real estate photography as his money-making method.

“The photos I saw on Zillow weren’t good enough to be taken seriously,” Luca said. “I wanted to help people get their houses sold or rented without them having to spend an excessive amount, and the available photographers were charging so much.”

Luca began his business in late 2024, photographing local homes for real estate listings. To find potential clients, he reaches out to real estate agents through platforms like Realtor.com and Zillow, while marketing on Nextdoor and Facebook Marketplace.

Over time, he has expanded his network through consistent referrals and personal connections.

“There are always people who need photos, or know people who need photos,” Luca said.

For Luca, a typical job includes traveling to a property, taking photos, editing them and delivering the final images to the customer. Despite his extensive photographing process, he completes the job in a tight timeframe.

“The photography takes about three hours total,” Luca said. “I try to get the final photos back within 24 to 48 hours.”

Since he dictates his own schedule, Luca balances the job with school and other commitments, typically designating weekends for his shoots. However, when his obligations become overwhelming, he prioritizes other needs.

“I wasn’t doing real estate photography during college applications season, because it was taking up too much of my time,” Luca said.

While Luca sees real estate photography as just a high school venture, he doesn’t plan on setting his camera down for good just yet. Luca plans on pursuing a film major at Syracuse University, where he can use his photography skills for visual storytelling.

“I want to do photography as a business in the future — possibly event photography,” Luca said.

For students interested in following in Luca’s photographic footsteps, he emphasized the importance of patience and finding the right niche.

“If you don’t enjoy one kind of photography, there are so many different types of niches you can try,” Luca said.

Kalico, Band

For indie rock student band Kalico, rehearsals are like a fun hangout with friends. Junior Annabelle Bock begins the rehearsal by tapping out a beat on her drums, and then the band launches into “Kilby Girl” by The Backseat Lovers.

Kalico was founded during the 2024–25 school year by Simona Choi ‘25 and senior Jaz Santos, who wanted to play in Los Altos High School’s Diversity Rally.

Although Choi has since graduated and Jaz has left the band, Kalico continues to make music. Among the original members, seniors Tom Freda-Eskenazi and Phineas Lunt play guitar, senior Joshua Chai plays bass and junior Annabelle Bock plays drums. Mountain View High School junior Elise Choi sings in place of Simona.

“Putting together a band from nothing and then playing in front of a crowd was a very new experience,” Tom said. “But once we figured out making a band, I realized how easy it is to perform.”

Since their first Diversity Rally performance, performing for audiences is now just part of Kalico’s typical routine. They’ve performed at other LAHS rallies, church events, private band department parties and many open mics, including Matchbox, a local student-run open mic.

Most of Kalico’s gigs are volunteer-based — the band never intended to be paid for their work, but were recently offered funding from the church they rehearse at, Los Altos United Methodist Church, for supporting the arts. But potential pay is just a bonus to the perks of being in Kalico.

“It’s been a fun experience being truly independent,” Tom said. “We lead ourselves without any framework or structure to go off of. There’s no band program or teacher — it’s just us

Some challenges come with the fun of being an independent student band. According to Joshua, coordinating the free time of five high schoolers is tricky. Despite the challenges, Kalico members agree that simply being together makes it worth it.

“I’m very unaware when it comes to pop culture,” Joshua said. “But my bandmates are always suggesting new songs to play, so I learn new music from them. It’s just fun to hang out with them.”

Kalico connects these students and encourages them to continue creating music, even in their college years.

“I want to continue playing instruments and doing public performances,” Phineas said. “It’s a key part of my life.”