Neida Mbuia Joao


Name: Neida Mbuia Joao
Position: Online Op/Ed Editor
Graduation Year: 2016
Welcome to SCO! I'm Neida (pronounced Neigh-duh) and I'm the online opinion editor for the site. My favorite pass-times include snacking, reading super dense novels and watching lots of television. Clearly I'm on track to become a vegetable. If so I'd like to be a carrot.


Stories (35)


Primary Predictions: Maryland, April 26

By Eleanor Cook, Charles Lott, Maximillian Foley-Keene, Neida Mbuia Joao | April 25, 2016, 9 p.m. | In Local »

This race has been nearly unpredictable from the start, but SCO's team of experts, featuring seniors Max Foley-Keene and Neida Mbuia-Joao and juniors Eleanor Cook and Charlie Lott are here to break down the races and predict the unpredictable.

March 15 primary predictions

By Eleanor Cook, Charles Lott, Maximillian Foley-Keene, Neida Mbuia Joao | March 14, 2016, 9:23 p.m. | In National »

This race has been nearly unpredictable from the start, but SCO's team of experts, featuring seniors Max Foley-Keene and Neida Mbuia-Joao and juniors Eleanor Cook and Charlie Lott are here to break down the races and predict the unpredictable.

Divination station

By Neida Mbuia Joao | March 14, 2016, 5:47 p.m. | In Op/Ed »

New Age is a movement that gained popularity in the 1970s and 1980s as an alternative approach to traditional Western methods of spirituality. In my experience and in that of some fellow Blazers, New Age spirituality can be both fun and serious.

Everything you need to know about college financial woes

By Neida Mbuia Joao | March 7, 2016, 1:54 p.m. | In Op/Ed »

In order for students to enter the college decision process informed, they must be aware of the ways in which the institutions to whom they are entrusting thousands of dollars are making financial decisions.

Super Tuesday primary predictions

By Eleanor Cook, Charles Lott, Maximillian Foley-Keene, Neida Mbuia Joao | Feb. 29, 2016, 8:29 p.m. | In National »

Happy Super Tuesday! More states vote today than at any other point in the primary contest. A huge amount of delegates are awarded and candidates who do well on Super Tuesday tend to win the nomination.

Primary Predictions: South Carolina Democrats

By Eleanor Cook, Charles Lott, Maximillian Foley-Keene, Neida Mbuia Joao | Feb. 27, 2016, 8:51 a.m. | In National »

This race has been nearly unpredictable from the start, but SCO's team of experts, featuring seniors Max Foley-Keene and Neida Mbuia-Joao and juniors Eleanor Cook and Charlie Lott are here to break down the races and predict the unpredictable.

At the intersection

By Neida Mbuia Joao | Dec. 7, 2015, 7:18 p.m. | In Features »

LGBTQ+ youth of color exist at a curious intersection of two communities that don't seem to fully accept or understand them.

Blair bathrooms upgraded

By Neida Mbuia Joao | Sept. 22, 2015, 7:29 p.m. | In Local »

Blair student bathrooms were renovated the summer before the 2015-2016 school year. The school replaced the sinks, toilets, stall partitions and bathroom door locks throughout the building and updated the locker room and health room facilities.

"Surf" along a wave of happiness

By Neida Mbuia Joao | June 21, 2015, 3:51 p.m. | In Music »

As a member of the band "The Social Experiment," Segal, along with fellow collaborators Chance, Peter Cottontale and Nate Fox, has spent over a year carefully directing and putting together this jovial masterwork "Surf." The self-released album is at once a solid jazz opus and what is sure to be a new hip hop classic.

Step Up and slay the dragon: PuzzlePalooza 2015

By Neida Mbuia Joao | June 5, 2015, 12:45 p.m. | In News Blog »

Ready your horses and jousting sticks and prepare to battle through the toughest PuzzlePalooza yet. The sixth annual incarnation of the country's "premier high school puzzle competition” kicked off on May 18 and closed out on May 22.

Girls' Softball Dominates in Five Inning Shut Out

By Neida Mbuia Joao | May 15, 2015, 1:11 p.m. | In Blair »

Girls' varsity softball (14-3) had a quick and fairly unchallenging win against the Churchill Bulldogs (8-9-1) Monday night. The game was framed by a great defensive and pitching showing from the Blazers. Key fielding errors on the part of the Bulldogs allowed the Blazer offense to zoom past Churchill and close the game, 18-1 Blair.

"Age of Ultron" falls short

By Neida Mbuia Joao | May 8, 2015, 4:55 p.m. | In Movies »

"Avengers: Age of Utron" may be full of the same explosions, special effects and snappy one-liners that turned it's 2012 predecessor into a hit, but it's no follow up to the Avengers film that had audiences hooked. Though "Ultron" benefits from the engaging action sequences with the sprinkling of humor that enchanted us in the first film, its villain never seems to present itself as a formidable enough threat.

Varsity Softball ends winning streak

By Neida Mbuia Joao | May 6, 2015, 1:42 p.m. | In Blair »

In a heartbreaking end to their regular season at home and their fourteen game winning streak, Blair's Varsity softball team (14-2) was narrowly defeated by the Blake Bengals (11-2). It was a tough game for the Blazers, who started out strong but slowed throughout the game and never quite recovered. A late seventh inning rally seemed like it might turn the game around for the Blazers, but a bad call in the bottom of the eighth inning ended the game, 5-4, Blake.

Varsity Softball beats Clarksburg in stellar comeback game

By Neida Mbuia Joao | May 4, 2015, 1:15 p.m. | In Blair »

In their closest and most exciting game of the season, the varsity softball team made an amazing comeback from a six run deficit. The game got off to a slow start for the Blazers whose defense was a bit off at the top of the game. However, when things got grim for the team, they rallied together and improved both their offense and defense. Going from a six run shortage to a three run lead, the Blazers eventually overtook the Clarksburg Coyotes. They closed out the game, their lead slightly lessened,by the score of 11-10 Blair.

Blazers Softball Crush Magruder Colonels

By Neida Mbuia Joao | April 30, 2015, 1:43 p.m. | In Blair »

On Monday night, Blair's varsity softball team sailed past the Magruder Colonels to secure their spot in the county playoffs. It was a more challenging game for the Blazers as they faced one of the best pitchers they've seen all season.

Varsity softball wins its second consecutive division championship

By Neida Mbuia Joao | April 30, 2015, 1:36 p.m. | In Blair »

Richard Montgomery put up a good fight, with their pitcher being one of the toughest the Blazers have faced all season. But in the end Blair's defense helped them come out on top, beating Richard Montgomery 6-4 and securing the division title for the second year in a row.

Girls' Varsity Softball Continues Win Streak

By Neida Mbuia Joao | April 29, 2015, 1:01 p.m. | In Blair »

In their fourth win in a row and fastest game of the season, the girls' varsity softball team (5-1) defeated the Damascus Hornet (0-1). The game got off to a slow start but with solid and focused offensive and defensive players, the Blazers managed to score 5 runs in the last inning, with the final score 10-0 Blair.

Black-Eyed Susan Book Award recommendations

By Amalia Chiapperino, Eleanor Linafelt, Neida Mbuia Joao, Arthi Vijaykumar, Zoe Johnson, Sarah Trunk | April 23, 2015, 8:42 p.m. | In Books »

As the year winds down, it's time to make a lot of decisions: which Black-Eyed Susan Book Award nominee you'll be voting for. Silver Chips Online has read, reviewed and ranked the books--so you don't have to.

Fresh foods to help you Spring into Summer

By Neida Mbuia Joao | April 21, 2015, 1:37 p.m. | In Lifestyle Blog »

In honor of the warmer temperatures and the delicious fruits and vegetable that will be available along with them, here are some fresh and (mostly) healthy recipes to brighten up the warmer months.

Coils, kinks and curls, oh my!

By Neida Mbuia Joao | April 21, 2015, 1:16 p.m. | In Features »

In a world where European beauty standards reign supreme it can be much harder for young black women and girls to embrace their non-European features.

Two weeks in Paris

By Neida Mbuia Joao | April 15, 2015, 10:12 p.m. | In Lifestyle Blog »

I spent two weeks in Paris, struggling through verb conjugations and pronunciations, relearning what it was to be an outsider and nurturing my Francophile side this December with the State Department's Youth Ambassadors program.

Softball suffers narrow loss against Northwest

By Neida Mbuia Joao | April 8, 2015, 1:37 p.m. | In Blair »

The girls' varsity softball team (1-1) suffered its first loss in its second game of the season against the Northwest Jaguars (2-0).

Thoughts on Women's History Month

By Neida Mbuia Joao, Hannah Rapp | March 28, 2015, 2:04 p.m. | In Features »

In honor of Women's History Month, here's a video discussing the issues.

Selma's snub: egregious, but unsurprising

By Neida Mbuia Joao | Feb. 22, 2015, 1:49 p.m. | In Op/Ed »

In true Yeezus fashion, I feel I must make a controversial declaration: Hollywood does not like black people. The problems with diversity are not new to the film industry; they've been around since its inception in the early 20th century.

"Into the Woods" doesn't go as deep as original

By Neida Mbuia Joao | Dec. 31, 2014, 12:07 a.m. | In Entertainment »

The much-anticipated film adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's beloved 1986 musical has finally arrived. It follows the familiar stories of the fairy tale characters we've grown up with, with a big twist that makes them fresher and darker. The main problem with the adaptation, however, is that it doesn't deliver the same amount of bite and depth as the source material.

What's up with the Secret Service?

By Neida Mbuia Joao | Nov. 24, 2014, 4:23 p.m. | In News Blog »

But the apparent increase of scandals for the agency in the past few years has begged the question: What is going on with the Secret Service?

Don't edit our history

By Neida Mbuia Joao | Nov. 5, 2014, 1:16 p.m. | In Op/Ed »

Since its release last year, the film 12 Years a Slave has been an important part of how the American public views slavery.

Sam Pepper, sexual assault and the damaging effects of idolatry in YouTube culture

By Neida Mbuia Joao | Sept. 26, 2014, 1:53 p.m. | In News Blog »

Pepper's videos are indicative of one of the major problems with YouTube stardom: an insidious culture of sexual assault and harassment, usually perpetrated against the young women who make up YouTube's core demographic of viewers.

SCO Top Five: New TV shows to watch this fall

By Neida Mbuia Joao, Harini Salgado | Sept. 22, 2014, 11:10 a.m. | In Television »

The SCO staff is here to help you figure out your new favorites with a Top Five list based on the shows' trailers and descriptions.

Blair to send students to France in pilot exchange program

By Neida Mbuia Joao | Sept. 20, 2014, 10:57 p.m. | In Local »

The Youth Ambassadors Program is sending a delegation of eight juniors and seniors from Blair on a two week exchange to France from Nov. 30 to Dec. 14.

Yes means yes bill passed in California

By Neida Mbuia Joao | Sept. 19, 2014, 11:29 p.m. | In Op/Ed »

The bill, which is colloquially being called a "yes means yes" law, requires colleges to adopt affirmative consent into their policies about sexual assault.

Clinical trials for Ebola drug could cure thousands

By Neida Mbuia Joao | Aug. 28, 2014, 5:16 p.m. | In Op/Ed »

The WHO needs to begin a clinical trial with Ebola patients in West Africa to test the ZMapp's effectiveness and hopefully save thousands of lives. The first phase of this has already begun.

Michael Brown's death has a lasting effect

By Neida Mbuia Joao | Aug. 27, 2014, 4:57 p.m. | In National »

Ferguson has entered its third week of conflicts between the police and demonstrators since the death of unarmed black teen Michael Brown.

In the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the biggest victims are the youth

By Neida Mbuia Joao | July 19, 2014, 10:27 a.m. | In News Blog »

As this conflict escalates, it puts more and more Israeli and Palestinian youth at risk.

Plotinsky, Miriam

By Neida Mbuia Joao | May 3, 2014, 2:22 p.m. | In Teacher Feature »



Images (12)


Photo: summer meal

By Neida Mbuia Joao | April 21, 2015, midnight | In ‎Latest »

The completed summer meal.

Photo: salsa

By Neida Mbuia Joao | April 21, 2015, midnight | In ‎Latest »

Peach salsa can add a springy twist to a delicious snack

Photo: grilled cheese

By Neida Mbuia Joao | April 21, 2015, midnight | In ‎Latest »

Pesto can help take grilled cheese to the next level.

Photo: lemonade

By Neida Mbuia Joao | April 21, 2015, midnight | In ‎Latest »

Ripe berries will make your Blackberry Mint Lemonade delicious.

Photo: icebox cake

By Neida Mbuia Joao | April 21, 2015, midnight | In ‎Latest »

Despite its appearance, this icebox cake is surprisingly delicious.

Photo: Eiffel tower

By Neida Mbuia Joao | April 15, 2015, midnight | In ‎Latest »

The Eiffel Tower in all of its touristy splendor.

Photo: French national assembly

By Neida Mbuia Joao | April 15, 2015, midnight | In ‎Latest »

The frescoes on the ceiling of the library of the French National Assembly were painstakingly painted by Eugene Delacroix.

Photo: Basilica

By Neida Mbuia Joao | April 15, 2015, midnight | In ‎Latest »

The Basilica of the Sacred Heart at Montmatre.

Photo: Van gogh

By Neida Mbuia Joao | April 15, 2015, midnight | In ‎Latest »

The grave of painter Vincent Van Gogh who is interred next to his beloved brother Theo in Auvers.

Photo: Montmatre

By Neida Mbuia Joao | April 15, 2015, midnight | In ‎Latest »

The gorgeous view of Paris in the fall from the top of Montmatre.

Photo: L'arc de Triomph

By Neida Mbuia Joao | April 15, 2015, midnight | In ‎Latest »

The Arc de Triomphe as seen through the bustle of a Paris street.

Photo: youth embassadors

By Neida Mbuia Joao | April 15, 2015, midnight | In ‎Latest »

The 2015 Youth Ambassadors to France from left to right: Adilene Marquez, Angeline Kline (top), Perri Hayes (bottom), Georges Hatcheu (top), Neida Mbuia Joao (middle), Jorge Romero (kneeling), Martin Campos (top), Djamila Zangre, Sergio Pakou (behind), Brittany Ogbonna, Anna Suazo, William Xu (top), Dallas Chavez, Eljoy Tanos, Andrea Lamphier