Rocky Mountain High School senior Arely Patricio pursues nursing degree to help others

Arely Patricio is a senior at Rocky Mountain High School whose greatest passion is helping others. This passion has inspired her to become a nurse, and next year she will attend the University of Northern Colorado as a first-generation college student.

She is an outstanding student with a 4.1 GPA. When she’s not working on homework, she likes to go on runs to clear her head and spend time with her family and two dogs.

Why did you choose to attend UNC?

I just committed last month to UNC, and it feels surreal. I'm super excited. The reason I want to attend UNC is because they have a good nursing program along with a lot of healthcare majors. I wanted to stay in Colorado, and UNC seemed like the perfect match for me. I went on their school tour, and it was super validating for me to be like, ‘Oh, this is a community I want to be a part of.’

It’s also kind of like a home away from home. It’s close enough for me to drive to Fort Collins if I need to be with my family because family is super important to me, but it’s far enough away for me to develop on my own. It feels scary to leave my family, but I knew this was the right decision for me.

I was able to get a really good financial aid package which is also a huge part of why I chose UNC. I come from a low-income household, so it's not guaranteed that I will have that financial help for four years. I've been working a ton throughout the year because I do want to pursue education past high school.

I want to get a BSN, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, and be an RN, a registered nurse. Then after that, I hope to pursue being a nurse practitioner if that's in my finance realm. I know it's super expensive to go to school though, and if not, I chose this career because there are a ton of different options besides getting your RN. Right now, I'm not sure what type of nurse I want to be, but I know I want to be a nurse. This path is a start for me, and I hope that I do well in school and that in four years I can smile at the decisions that I made.

You’re also a part of RMHS Los Lobos. What kind of work have you done with that group?

Here we have a cultural club, I guess you could say, called Los Lobos that provides leadership opportunities to Latino students. We basically do a ton of small events. They seem small in scale because sometimes only like five families show up, however, it’s important work. It’s important to me because my parents don't speak English.

I've always had to be the translator for my family. I'm bilingual between Spanish and English, so when I was younger and even now, my parents need me to accompany them to the grocery store because they need my help with certain things or need me to translate things. Going here to Rocky Mountain High School and joining Los Lobos has helped me see a bigger impact than just my parents. I'll be helping other people's parents, or I'll be helping another student that only speaks Spanish through translating. I know that I have a special gift, I guess you could say, of being bilingual. I really want to use that to my advantage and help as many people as I can. I've seen a lot of my uncles and aunts really struggle here because they are immigrants as well and being able to help other people other than my family is a good feeling. I hope to pursue something like that in college as well.

This year you were also a member of Rocky’s Peer Counselor program. How did that experience help continue your passion for helping others?

I love Peers. My whole senior year I’ve been a Peer. It's super life-changing and helped me develop myself in an authentic way. Helping people has always been my passion, and hopefully always will be my passion. It's for the good of your heart to do it. Peers aided my love for helping others.

When I was younger, I always thought I couldn't help others in a way that mattered, and I didn't really think about how giving someone a compliment or volunteering does make an impact. When I joined Peers, and we started volunteering, it made me realize that to make a difference in people’s lives you just need to be committed and have a passion for what you're doing. If you want to help people, you'll find a way to help people.

What does being a first-generation college student mean to you?

I am super honored. I'm super proud. To me, it means that I was given the opportunity to do more than what my parents had done. My mom never got the opportunity to go to high school. My dad did go to high school, but after that, it was just working for their family. For me, it's devastating knowing that they didn't even have the opportunity to say yes or say no to going to college. It means the world to be able to attend a public university.

It also means a lot of challenges in general. When I was just navigating my college exploration, it was extremely difficult because I was like, I don't know what I'm doing. Am I doing this right? What's FASFA? What's that? It was super stressful, and I know it’s going to be more stressful in the future. Now, I'm navigating college without the help of my parents just because they don't know how to help me, and I don't blame them. It offers a ton of challenges, a ton of moments of frustration. Being first-generation is powerful and it’s a struggle to go through, but we just have to go through it.

When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? How is that similar or different than what you want today?

In elementary school, I wanted to be a teacher. I think it was because I just respected my teachers so much. It was almost a hero aspect for me, I was like, ‘I want to be like them.’ Now when I look back on it, I think it has helped me find my path in nursing because both will change someone's life. I think the way teachers have changed my life and other kids’ or students’ lives is super impactful. I want to do the same thing, just in a different way.

I think that aspect of being someone's hero, how I saw my teachers as heroes, is what has followed through with my interest in nursing. It’s more than the glory aspect of it. I genuinely want to change peoples' lives and make a better environment for others.

What are you the most excited about for graduation?

I'm just excited for the day that we graduate. I am excited for the moment when I look around, and I see a lot of my friends, a lot of people maybe that I haven't even said a word to, but I just know them. I'm excited for the moment I can look at my family's faces and see that they're proud of me. I'm super excited to end a chapter and end it well because for four years I've lost a lot of sleep, but I'm excited for it to be validated, to walk across the stage and, you know, have them hopefully say my name right.

What advice would you give to your younger self or to another student?

Honestly, that question almost brings me to tears because no one knows you better than yourself. The biggest advice I would give to myself would be to take time for yourself. Yes, I want to help people, and I want to make a change in other people's lives, but you can't do that unless you're mentally and physically good. For the longest time, I did a ton of things that mentally and physically weren't good for me. I had all these symptoms of stress, you know, my hair started falling out, I couldn't sleep anymore, and I would always just push it away. It's OK to take a step back and take a breather because the people you're helping also want to make sure that you're OK. You don't want to just put yourself out there without it being 100% yourself.

That's the biggest piece of advice for myself. I know what I've been through. Junior year was the hardest for me, so I think saying that to myself from a year later, I would hopefully listen, and it would impact me in a positive way.

Poudre Community Academy senior Kenan Thomas pursues higher education at CSU and hopes to inspire students with similar backgrounds

Kenan Thomas is a senior at Poudre Community Academy. He originally came to PCA as an expelled student but has since thrived inside and outside of school as the National Honor Society President (2021-2022 school year), PCA student representative for the district Student Advisory Council, student director of Warrior Public Productions, and overall, second in his graduating class.

Next fall, Thomas will attend Colorado State University to study political science and journalism. He is a recipient of CSU’s competitive First Generation Award scholarship.

In his free time, Thomas plays the guitar and hopes to one day produce and record his own music.

How have you been involved at PCA throughout the years you've attended?

I've been at PCA, technically, for seven years. I got expelled in sixth grade, and I was put in the Journey Program. That's how I got introduced to PCA. I spent half my sixth-grade year here, went back to Lincoln Middle School for the last half of seventh grade, and then came here for PCA's Eighth Grade Program. I've been here ever since.

I am the student director of Warrior Public Productions. We make the announcements, do free senior photo sessions for students, create all the student IDs in the school and help coordinate to make the yearbook with the yearbook class.

I was the National Honor Society President for the 2021-2022 school year, and last year in my junior year, I was also on the Student Advisory Council for PCA. We met with two members of the board once a month. It was a big thing because PCA is kind of looked past in certain aspects of district stuff. Being able to be that voice for PCA and speak up was important. I think that did have a positive impact in the way that PCA has had a few changes this year and helped out quite a bit.

Why did you choose to attend CSU to study political science and journalism?

Well, I chose CSU because I want to stay close to home. That was number one. I have my friends here. My family's here, and I wanted to save money on tuition. I also got into the University of Colorado Boulder, the University of Northern Colorado and the University of Colorado Denver, but I just wanted to stay close to home.

When I was younger, I did the Giving back, emPowering, Strengthening our culture (GPS) program with the Black/African American Cultural Center at CSU. That also played a really big part. I just got to know some people there, some of the faculty and I think it's a very good school.

Political science, I chose that because I have a strong interest in politics, policy and law. I'm always interested in learning how the process of government works and what I can do to inspire change within that. I would love to run for public office someday, probably not President, but the U.S. House or even the Colorado House of Representatives would be nice. I love the art of making legislation and using it for good instead of bad. I think there are always those few good people who are in politics to make a positive change, and that's what I want to do.

When you go to CSU and major in political science, they require you to do a double major or minor. I chose to double major in journalism because I have always been interested in that side of stuff as well.

You mentioned potentially looking into law school or a master's degree in education. What career paths are you considering for the future?

Law school, I'm still 50-50 on. I like law, so law school is just a thought. I don't know if it'll actually happen. I've kind of thought less about it as time went on, but I might want to become a teacher, maybe.

At PCA last year, I was the teacher aide for my teacher Emily Gillis' fourth-period eighth-grade class. I grew such a good bond with those eighth graders. They really started to look up to me because I was always in their class, and I was teaching. I just helped them out with their work, and I saw the impact that I had on them.

Also, teachers here, like Allison Meyer, Emily Gillis and Troy Krotz have had the biggest impact on my life. I’ve known them since I started Journey, and I just want to be able to do that for other students. I was struggling when I started here, and they never gave up on me. They always gave me positive energy and never doubted me when a lot of schools did in the past. It was nice to come to a school where I was appreciated. I want to be able to be that for other kids. I mean, there are some students who don't let teachers have that impact on them. There are some students who are just outrageous, I mean, I used to be that student, but I want to help other kids who may be struggling.

What does being a first-generation college student mean to you?

It’s crazy you just asked that question because I just received the First Generation Scholarship at CSU. It's a big thing, and it's really nerve-wracking. It’s important to me because I have seen how my family has struggled a little bit, you know, and I’m not saying that I don't want to be like them because they were very, very strong, but you know, we had lived paycheck to paycheck, and there were times where we did run out of money. I just want to be able to have a career that I enjoy and have a job that I enjoy and be able to live comfortably while doing that.

No one is forcing me to go to CSU, I'm choosing to go on my own, just because I want to break the generational curse that's been in my family forever. I want to be able to prove to other students who may come from a background like mine, you know, who may not have had the privilege of growing up with money, that it’s possible. My parents both grew up in bad parts of California. They wanted a different life for me, which I was able to achieve here, and I'm just happy about that. It's difficult to put into words. I’m very excited to be going off to college, but I’m also nervous and I don’t want to let my family down.

What prepared you the most for graduation?

My teachers. That’s it. I had a really, really rough time in elementary school and in middle school. I got into trouble quite a bit because I was going through a lot, and I took that with me to middle school. Then I got expelled, and I came to a school where they really cared. I was able to be myself and have people around me who supported me. If I didn’t come to PCA I probably wouldn't be graduating. I probably wouldn't be on my way to CSU and be salutatorian of my class because I wouldn't have had the same support that I have here.

When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? How is that similar or different than what you want today?

When I was younger, I wanted to be a singer, which I still want to do. I intend on trying to produce and record my own music soon. I still want to pursue that while I'm also in college.

That has changed, obviously, as I've gotten older and realized that not everybody can be a Beyonce or Rihanna, so now I'm pursuing a degree, and whatever job comes after that. Hopefully, it's something I enjoy.

What are you the most excited about for graduation?

I'm the most excited about graduating with all the people that I grew up with here. A good majority of the class graduating this year I've known since the eighth-grade program. It’s been really cool to see us grow up from disobedient eighth graders to prosperous seniors. I'm proud of them, and I wish them the best as well.

What advice would you give to your younger self or to another student?

Try your best but don't beat yourself up for stuff that's out of your control. You always do what you can. If you don't succeed the way that you were planning on, don't make yourself feel bad because, in the end, it's all going to be okay. That's the best piece of advice I could give to everybody. It'll be okay. You don't have to, you know, go through the five stages of grief over an assignment. Life moves on with or without.

What’s one thing you’d like adults to remember about where you're at in life?

That it's not as easy as it seems. My parents and some of my friend’s parents set these extremely high expectations through high school, but stuff happens in life. You know, students are still humans no matter what.

I think high school is a very, very difficult time for everybody. You're learning about yourself, right? You're making the first transition from middle school to high school, and that's already hard enough on you, but then you start going through all your emotions, then put on the stress of outside life, and you have got to get a job and start growing up. You start thinking about college at the end of your sophomore year. It's not as easy as I think some adults may think it is. I always hear, ‘Oh, high school is easy.’ No, it's not. It can be difficult at times. We need downtime too, and being hard on a student or on your kid might not always pay off.

Centennial High School senior Keiry Mendoza overcame obstacles to graduate early and attend UNC

Keiry Mendoza is a senior who found her passion for science at Centennial High School. She is a leader at her school and has overcome many challenges to graduate early. Next year, Mendoza plans to attend the University of Northern Colorado to study biology. Outside of school, she likes to be outdoors, paint and make music. Mendoza is a big family person and always puts them first.

Why did you choose to attend UNC, and why did you pick evolutionary biology as your emphasis?

I chose UNC because a family member of mine went there, and she talked about how amazing and inclusive it is, how everybody is this big community there. When I looked more into it, UNC had a lot of good extracurriculars and a really good educational system. I liked it. It's stuck with me since then.

And well, I like science when it involves us as human beings. It fascinates me because of where we started, where we are now and how we can advance. With this field and degree, I might be able to get into the medical field, and that interests me too.

How have your concurrent enrollment classes helped prepare you for college?

I've taken Front Range Community College classes, both medical and science. It helped me prepare for college because I know what to expect now. Over there, it was different for sure, but they taught me to be responsible.

At one point, you were unsure if you would graduate at all, and now you have graduated early. What did that look like for you?

When I went to another high school, my homeschool, I really just didn't care about anything. I didn't put any effort into any of my classes, and I was just there to mess around. I don't know, eventually, it kind of hit me, ‘You're grown up, take responsibility.’ My brother recommended this school to me because he went here. I got back on track instantly here, and they taught me a lot of responsibility.

Then, COVID happened. It just demolished my motivation again. I didn't want to go online. I didn't want to sit at my computer, so I just didn't go to classes. I didn't do my homework. I didn't really care again.

I was supposed to graduate a year earlier, and when I just ruined that, it motivated me more to finish everything. And it helped, I mean, I graduated early, so it worked.

I’m proud of myself for actually accomplishing this because I didn't think I would. I'm happy that I'm finally doing it.

What had the biggest impact on you at Centennial?

I would definitely say the teachers. When I moved here, it was like a breath of fresh air. The teachers helped you; they wanted you to succeed. It was beautiful, you know? Like, I've never had so much help with things until I came here. I've never had a good relationship with any administration, except for here.

That's the most important thing. Obviously, doing your work is important, but also, having that connection with teachers really helps. They really did help me.

What does being a first-generation college student mean to you?

I definitely feel the pressure, but it's also really honorable. Like, it's scary, but also, you're making this big change in your whole family. Being the first person to go to college is so exciting. I can't explain it. It's a really good feeling to know that I'm able to accomplish what my parents would have wanted. It feels like I'm doing it with them. They're also part of my journey, so they will also accomplish this big, big goal.

What prepared you the most for graduation?

I would say the classes here, especially science class. Because Zac Larsen, the teacher, really went in-depth on the subjects that I liked, and whenever I had a question, he always challenged me. At first, I wanted to do psychology, but I just didn't have that explosion in my head and in my heart for it. When I went to Zac's class and he started talking about evolution and all these time periods and everything, I guess he really helped me find my passion for science in a way. He also gave me a bunch of recommendations for clubs and scholarships, just a lot of science fields that he thought would work for me. He really pushed me to want that. And yeah, I never thought about that before.

When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? How is that similar or different than what you want today?

I mean, as a kid I always wanted to be a doctor for some reason, either that or a mermaid, but I can't really be a mermaid.

I got into the whole doctor idea when I was watching TV shows, but now I want to be a scientist. I feel like those can kind of match and I feel like I'm making my younger self happy with my decision.

What advice would you give to your younger self or to another student?

To myself, I’d say just to keep your head up. My younger self had a lot of obstacles that she had to face, and no matter how hard it got for her, she just kept trying. So, I guess I would like to go back and tell her that I'm proud of her and to just keep on doing what you're doing.

What’s one thing you’d like adults to remember about where you're at in life?

Go easy on us. Not only do we have to focus on school, but we also have to focus on our future. It all just piles up. Cut us some slack, just a little bit, because we do try our hardest and sometimes it drowns us, and we just need a little bit more support.

Polaris Expeditionary Learning School senior Izzy Maculo plans to explore different passions through PSD’s ASCENT Program

Izzy Maculo is a senior at Polaris Expeditionary Learning School with many interests ranging from neuroprosthetics, psychology, environmental science, aeronautical engineering and more.

Maculo is also part of the Futures Lab Aviation pathway and earned a Part 107 commercial drone license issued by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Outside of academics, she has many hobbies including creative writing, music, drawing and general arts and crafts.

Next year Maculo plans to complete the Accelerating Students through Concurrent Enrollment (ASCENT) program as a stepping stone for discovering what to pursue in higher education.

How did you know the ASCENT program would be a fit for you?

I've always been a really hardcore academic on top of everything else that I do. Before COVID, I had a GPA of 4.0, taking college courses and all of that. It was sixth grade when I decided I'm going to college. Besides, I just love education. I love learning. I love having all of those experiences, opportunities and the community that school, and college in particular, provides. Because of that, I think the ASCENT program is perfect for me.

You mentioned that you're passionate about many different fields and also passionate about LGBTQIA+ rights. Do you see your passions combining into a future career?

Without a doubt. One of my biggest passions is neuroprosthetics because on one hand, I'm fascinated by the function of neurons, and like if you lose an arm, you can’t grow back an arm. I want to change that and make it a lot easier for people to recover from extreme injuries. However, on top of that, for trans folk, one of the big things is body dysphoria, and neuroprosthetics might also be able to play a huge role in that.

How did you find your path with the Futures Lab and become a licensed drone pilot?

This year, since it was my senior year, I was basically done with all my credits, and I wanted to do something with the Futures Lab. I chose aviation. I had no idea what I was walking into, whereas everybody else was halfway through becoming a private pilot and stuff like that. Not to mention, I was one of two females in that class.

I got my drone license over the course of the first semester. It wasn't too difficult because a lot of the course was talking about all that material, but I'm really hoping that I can get into drone photography and maybe figure out some sort of career in that, probably freelance work.

I wish I took it before my senior year, so I could spend more time with that, but I’m incredibly fortunate to have been able to get into the Futures Lab and get that experience. Aviation was huge because it introduced me to something brand new, and so I'd say that definitely has given me more options post-graduation.

What would you say prepared you the most for graduation and for a future career?

Well, honestly, I have no idea what I'm going to do in the future because I have a list of a bunch of different majors or things I could pursue.

My family life started out not so great, but it got a lot better as I got older, and I'd say that even the difficulties have really helped me a lot. Because of such difficulties, I find myself having a lot more empathy and care for things. I also have mental health issues like depression, for example, and through the bad experiences, I'm able to notice and take advantage of the good things that are happening.

I'd say that it's my family which has made my life better, as well as my teachers. At Polaris and Futures Lab, I don’t think I’ve met a teacher that hasn’t been wonderful. I’d say the community in general, just people, whether they’re good or bad, it’s all pushed me towards the person I am today.

What's one piece of advice you would tell your younger self or another student?

For myself, some advice that I always think about is, don't doubt yourself. Just stop doubting what you want to do and who you want to be. Along with that aforementioned depression, anxiety is also huge. I'd really just want to stop doubting myself. I was always like, 'I wish I could do that, but I don't think I'm quite the right person to do that,' and, you know, screw that. Just be who you want to be, regardless of what you're thinking. Anxiety isn't something that needs to control you. It's there, and it's going to make everything miserable, but well, when you're done with it, you're going to be like, 'Wow, I did that, that's pretty cool.'

I have like a million stories that are just like that. I don't know if you’ve heard of the Colorado Coralition, but it was something where you learn how to scuba dive, get certified and learn about climate change in relation to the oceans and ecosystem. Then you raise money to fly to Florida and go to a coral nursery, clean it up and plant baby corals all along the ocean floor. I was definitely afraid of water, but I still learned how to scuba dive because well, what's the worst that was going to happen? Suddenly here I am scuba certified, I have been to Florida, and I learned how to plant coral.

What’s one thing you’d like adults to remember about where you're at in life?

Screwing up is normal, and so is not being perfect. At the end of the day, no matter what happens, your kid or that student or whoever, they're still a human being. They're just not quite as able to deal with everything as you are.

There's a really fine line to walk where you have to give them the help and support that they need to be a better person while not sacrificing your own well-being or treating them like a child. It's hard, but if you just talk to them and treat them like a person, they're not going to seem like a little kid to you anymore.

Poudre High School senior Kylee Lynn passionate about psychology, pushing past self doubt

Kylee Lynn is a senior at Poudre High School, and she will be one of the first deaf students to complete their International Baccalaureate (IB) program. Outside of IB, Lynn enjoys tennis and currently plays for Poudre’s girls varsity tennis team. She has many hobbies, and in her free time, she likes to dance, read and has recently tried songwriting and creative writing. Next year, she will continue her studies in psychology at Colorado College to ultimately become a psychologist or therapist.

Question: Could you tell me what your experience in Poudre’s IB program has been like?

Kylee Lynn: The IB program is a rigorous program at Poudre High School. Right now, my HLs, which are higher level courses, are Psychology, English and History, and then my SLs, my standard level courses, are Environmental Systems and Societies and Math Applications and Interpretation. You can choose what HL and SL you want to do. My third HL is Psychology, and I chose that because I'm passionate about it. I really enjoy learning about the human brain, how and why people do what they do and the explanation behind human behavior. That also leads up to what I want to do as a career. I'm currently looking at becoming a psychologist or therapist.

What was your biggest motivation to join the IB program?

I want to have a good future; I want to have a good career and be able to be successful in my life. I think that IB is helping towards that because I'm working with other people that are also very academically inclined and want to do well. That's helping me to do the same for myself and to challenge myself, even when it's not always fun.

I've heard from, like, all my teachers that I’m the first deaf student that they've ever taught in IB. It's definitely challenging to have that disability and to be doing my classes. One of the other motivators of why I wanted to do the IB Diploma Program, as a deaf student, is that I wanted to show that I can and that I'm not going to be held back by my disability. I can still do things that other people can do too. Even if it's challenging. I'm very independent, and I want to show that I can do anything if I put my mind to it.

You have studied a lot about psychology. What inspired your 4,000-word research paper about imposter phenomenon?

The extended essay is an IB requirement, and I did it on the imposter phenomenon because it's something I've heard of before that I related to. Imposter phenomenon is a phenomenon where someone has feelings of being a fraud or feeling like they don't deserve the achievements or success that they got. I related to that in middle school, so that was something I wanted to learn more about, just to see if I'm still feeling those same feelings, and what I can do to not have those feelings anymore.

It was an interesting topic, and it's something I think a lot of other students can relate to. I wrote in my essay that a lot of high-achieving students tend to experience imposter phenomenon even more because they feel like when they have success and they have those achievements, they don't deserve it because someone did it better, when that’s not necessarily true. You have to learn how to overcome that and to push past that self-doubt and realize those are things that you do deserve and that you are worthy of.

I thought if I knew more about imposter phenomenon, like the statistics and what you can do to dissipate those feelings, it might help me when I go off to college. I’m going to Colorado College, which is a very academically inclined school. I feel like I might start having those feelings linked to imposter phenomenon again, but I'm hoping that because I have this knowledge, I can fight back those feelings and know I do belong here, I worked hard to get here.

What prepared you the most for graduation?

I would say the IB program. I would have been able to graduate without it, but the IB program did teach me how to challenge myself, and it taught me how to overcome a lot of things that I had perceived as almost impossible to do.

My parents have also helped me a lot because they knew that I needed to be challenged, and I needed a lot of encouragement to achieve hard things. All my teachers have done a really good job of teaching, and I think that's helped me a lot with my success in class.

When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? How is that similar or different than what you want today?

When I was a kid in elementary school, I wanted to be a vet. Then I started to realize that that’s kind of disgusting with all the infections and stuff, and I didn't know if I wanted to do that as much. But I liked animals and I wanted to help them. In middle school, I was looking at being a doctor and I did seriously consider it until I realized just how much work and how much schooling you have to complete to become a doctor.

But now, I want to become a psychologist. All of those careers are very similar in that they help other people or animals. I think that was an interesting pattern, and I think the reason why I'm leaning toward psychology right now is because it's a topic that's interesting to me, and it's something that I can apply to my everyday life. Yeah, I think being a therapist is going to be a good career path for me.

What's one piece of advice you would tell your younger self or another student?

A piece of advice to my younger self would be to not worry as much because when I was younger, like in middle school, I would worry about everything. I was very insecure about a lot of things. That led me to view the world as this place where I had to fight to belong, to exist and to feel good about myself. In the end, it's not going to matter as much, you're not going to remember any of it, and you're going to be working towards bigger, better things. Learn to let go and just look towards the future rather than dwelling on the past.

High school is a phase where you start to learn who you are and what you want to do. That doesn't mean that you're going to know who you will be by the end of it, but it helps you get past that middle school stage of like, ‘Oh, I'm trying to be cool, I'm trying to be popular, but I also feel super insecure about myself.’ High school is where you start to mature a bit, and you start to realize you need to do something with your life. It’s an important stage. It's not always good, but it's not always bad. You learn a lot from it.

What’s one thing you’d like adults to remember about where you're at in life?

Try to remember what it was like at this time, being a high schooler, being a kid, not knowing what you're going to do with your life. I think that's something a lot of adults forget and need to remember so that they can better sympathize with people going through this stage of their life. Adulting is hard, and I think that a lot of adults are already used to it, so they don't understand that a lot of high schoolers need to learn how to be an adult.

Not everyone is going to follow the same path as other people. There's no one-size-fits-all-route to success. Everyone finds success in different ways. A lot of people think college is the best way to get a job and find success, but I don't think that's true. I know it sounds hypocritical because I am going to college, but I know a lot of adults that didn't go to college, and they're still successful. I think that's something a lot of people and not just adults need to remember: Everyone finds success in their own ways. There's no one way to do things.

PSD Global Academy senior Max Cochran finds belonging and a future in mathematics

Max Cochran is a senior at Poudre School District Global Academy who has a strong passion for mathematics and works hard to include all students.

Cochran jumps in to support students and staff alike and always acts with kindness and encouragement. He has overcome significant adversity and triumphed as a positive school leader in Ambassadors, math enrichment, Garden Club and as captain of the PGA esports team.

Not a lot of people would say math is their favorite subject in school, what sparked your interest in mathematics?

I like to joke that my family has the mathematics gene. My mother went to college briefly for accounting, and my sister has been this major role model in my life. She went to University of Colorado (CU), she got a double major in physics and mathematics, and I'm like, ‘You're crazy' and she's like, 'It was a couple more classes.' She's been a really large support in helping me get into math.

I feel very passionate about the way that mathematics is typically taught in education. I feel like mathematics is a language; it's the language we use to describe the way our world functions, from quantum physics to the stock market, right? But it’s taught, I like to say, from a textbook, because it's all about memorizing the formulas and not understanding what is actually going on beneath that formula and why the numbers change in the way they do. That's what I find so fascinating about math. I love finding cool patterns. I just feel very strongly that if we taught math in a way that's more intuitive to understand, we'd have so many more people interested in the field.

Could you tell me more about the work you do with Ambassadors and the esports team?

Ambassadors is our school’s Peer Program. We do presentations, we run the Give Next program for our school and we organize events based on what we see that students might need and want to do. It’s very student driven. I want to, ideally, start expanding outwards, so I can do things like that in more communities.

I also have so much fun in esports. Our school’s esports teams started last semester. It was originally me and three other people, but we've had about five or six more people join this second semester. Currently, we only have a competitive team for Super Smash Bros Ultimate. Last season we made it to the Elite Eight, we finished in seventh place for the Mountain Time zone region. The league we use is PlayVS and we're in Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) this season, which means we get to compete against more local schools. We actually competed against Timnath Middle-High and Rocky, and so that's been extra fun.

Right now, you plan to follow in your sister’s footsteps and attend CU. Do you have a specific major or career in mind?

I definitely want to stay somewhere in the field of mathematics. However, a pure mathematics degree doesn't do very much unless you want to stay completely in the academic fields. Which, I would be totally fine with, but those jobs are very limited.

I wanted to take more math courses and some science courses, specifically Computer Science, because I also have a lot of fun with that. I’ll just see what I naturally gravitate towards, what I have the most fun doing because I feel like that's really important. Then, potentially getting a teaching license can't hurt anything either.

You’ve mentioned getting a teaching license and have thought about coming back to PGA as a math teacher. Which teachers inspired you throughout your education?

The teachers and also PGA as a whole have done so much for me. The community here is really inspiring to be around, mathematics in particular. We have a teacher, his name is Mark Blumstein, he's just a joy to be around. I was in his Algebra II class, and he taught it in a way that showed it in a more intuitive sense, and so I was able to really engage with the material.

He saw that I was doing two hours of extra work on the extension problems because I would just get really into them and started asking more and more questions. He made an enrichment class for me, so I could get credits for the extra work I had done. This year, we were able to make it into a math enrichment course that has about eight students total participating in it. It's so much fun. The teachers and staff here are just really in tune with what students are interested in.

What would you say prepared you the most for graduation and for your future after?

If I hadn't found PGA, specifically with its hybrid model, I probably wouldn't have finished middle school, let alone high school. I could never go five days a week, eight hours every day, but having PGA as an option, I can still get that in classroom experience, that foundational knowledge to do the rest of the week's work asynchronously. That has been very crucial for me, and I feel like even if I didn't want to go into mathematics, I could still find something else I wanted to do and have a pretty good chance of being successful at it because of the skills that I've learned.

It hasn't been a very smooth road to get to where I've been, but if it wasn't for the people around me always supporting me and just being reminded that I'm cared about and that I matter, I definitely wouldn't have made it this far.

What did you want to be when you were a kid and how is that similar or different to what you want now?

I honestly have no idea what I wanted to be as a kid. I think I maybe wanted to be a dog walker, because I just really liked dogs, and I still really love dogs, but little me was just a goofball.

What’s one piece of advice you would give to your younger self or to another student?

Honestly, I think I would tell them about this poem from Emily Dickenson, ‘Hope is the thing with feathers.’ I love that poem so much, and I think it's important because she doesn’t say that hope is something you never stop hearing, she just says that the tune of it never stops. Even if you lose sight of hope that doesn't mean that it's not still there, it's just something you have to find your way back to.

What’s one thing you’d like adults to remember about where you're at in life?

I'd say, remember to talk to teens like they're adults and not like they are children. Even though we're still in that transitioning part, from adolescence to full-fledged adulthood, the way that people talk to you really matters. Not just in the sense of the relationship you form with them, but how you internalize that. The more you talk to teens as adults, the more prepared they're going to be to become adults.

From robotics to DECA, Fossil senior Adarsh Payyakkil combines passion for business, engineering

Adarsh Payyakkil is a senior at Fossil Ridge High School who wants to help improve people’s lives through engineering and business. Payyakkil is very involved within his school and the community as a member of the Highlanders Robotics Team and Fossil Ridge’s DECA. Next fall, he plans on going to The University of Texas at Austin for electrical and computer engineering and dreams of working at a tech company or potentially starting his own tech business one day.

Question: How did you get involved with robotics?

Adarsh Payyakkil: I actually started doing robotics in third grade, with Lego Robotics back then. I was at Traut (Elementary) at the time, and it was a community-based team, but it was made up of the parents of kids at Traut. We kept going until eighth grade, so it included kids at both Preston and Kinard (middle schools), but it wasn’t necessarily a school team.

I did that for five years, and in eighth grade I joined a FIRST Robotics Competition team, the Highlanders. That was when I realized I wanted to do engineering for the rest of my life. I started off doing programming with the team, and I learned a lot of programming languages, learned to code the robots, coded cameras, and since then, I've gotten a few other opportunities.

I coded a mobile app that would help keep pedestrians safe from cars and traffic accidents, and I also got an internship with one of our main sponsors of our robotics team, Neaera Consulting Group, a local tech company. They got a contract from the U.S. Department of Transportation and Virginia Tech's Transportation Institute to build an autonomous rover that would come out of the back of an autonomous Ford Lightning and block off a lane of traffic after an accident. I got hired, as well as some other kids on the team, to be interns, and we worked with some of our mentors as well as other professional engineers. I stayed more on the programming side, but yeah, we developed that full rover and designed it.

You mentioned that joining the Highlanders was when you realized you wanted to do engineering for the rest of your life. What was the moment that sparked that passion?

I joined the FIRST Robotics Competition team in eighth grade, so it's like the real big metal robots. That year, I started with programming the cameras. There's a bunch of targets on the field, so you'd use the camera to have the robot auto-align to it and place a game piece there, which was the game for that year.

We went to three tournaments. At the first tournament, it didn't work. In the second tournament, it crashed the robot code, so we didn't play in a match, and we didn't use it. Then the third one was the World Championships, and that was the time that it actually ended up working. I think the fact that I worked so hard throughout the season and having it culminate at the World Championship was special.

You found your passion for robotics early on, but is that what you always wanted to do as a career?

So, I had a few different things that I wanted to be when I was a kid. I think I started off wanting to be a famous tennis player, and then after that, I wanted to be an author. Then, that was when I was doing Lego Robotics, and finally, I got to the high school level of robotics and that's where I found my passion for engineering. It's kind of a complete 180 from, you know, English to engineering.

What would you say prepared you the most for graduation and beyond?

I think a lot of the stuff that PSD has offered has given me that opportunity. Obviously, having clubs like DECA and Future Business Leaders of America at school has helped me find my passion for business and entrepreneurship and, also, having robotics programs has helped as well.

I took a STEM seminar class last year, so me and my friends got to do a capstone project. We fundraised all the materials, talked to sponsors, got it all together, designed a project, and programmed it. Having classes where it's not just, you know, you have calculus, and you learn the math and the science behind a lot of stuff, but then you also get to apply it through those different clubs and other classes is really cool.

What work have you done on the business side of things with DECA?

I started doing DECA in ninth grade, and I was in the DECA pathway at Fossil. I took four classes throughout my four years in high school, where they mixed learning about business with DECA as a club, and that's been helpful. The class combines all the concepts that you learn with a project, and it's a nice way to get experience with how a business might work in real life and explore that on your own, as well as learning the fundamentals of business.

I've enjoyed DECA because it's almost like robotics but for business. I think my favorite memory was probably my junior year. We did a 20-page manual on a high-frequency trading company. They trade stocks at fast speeds, and they make a lot of money doing that. We researched that and made a full business plan. We took that to state, got second place and went to nationals after that.

What’s one piece of advice you would give to your younger self or to another student?

For both, I would say explore a lot of interests. Obviously, I did that full 180 from English to engineering, but I think if I hadn't, I would have been doing something completely different. I think it's important to explore all the options, and there's so much stuff that all the schools offer. Taking advantage of those resources while you have them is really important.

Fort Collins senior Jacob Peterson created his career opportunities while in high school

Jacob Peterson is a senior at Fort Collins High School who has already stepped into a potential future career as a student. He currently works as a plumbing apprentice for Fort Collins Heating & Air Conditioning and didn’t wait for the opportunity to come to him. Peterson went out and connected with the business and then asked his school counselor to help work the apprenticeship into his schedule. He realizes the value of hard work and puts forth his best effort at both school and his job. Peterson maintains a strong GPA even with the number of hours he is investing in his apprenticeship. He has shared his experience with peers and encourages them to consider careers in the trades. In his free time, he likes to hang out with his family and friends and plays baseball.

Question: Not a lot of people choose a career in plumbing. When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up, and how is that different or similar to what you want now?

Jacob Peterson: When I was a kid like, maybe sixth grade or so, I was thinking of going into automotive type of stuff. I researched that more, and I found out I could do that as a side job over the weekend. I like cars, they're pretty cool, but I think that would be a hobby that I could later learn more about. But yeah, I was thinking of trades. I switched over to plumbing because that could be an actual job for me.

What is it like being a plumbing apprentice as a high school student and is managing the balance between work and school difficult?

I don't think that it's too hard, at least for me. I feel like my apprenticeship is also like a hands-on kind of school because I’m learning there too, but I’m also getting paid. I get to work between 7 and 7:30 and work until about lunchtime. Since I'm a senior and I don't have too many classes I go to class in the afternoon.

How did you find this opportunity?

I knew that I wanted to go into the trades, I just didn't know what I wanted to do yet. I did some research on different trades and looked into plumbing. I was curious about how bathtubs and sinks were put in and how pipes run everywhere. I was always interested in that so after researching I thought that sounded pretty cool, and I gave it a try.

I was wanting to find a job and a career to stick with and wanted to get a head start as early as possible. I looked online for different jobs, and I applied at a couple places. The very next day my master plumber reached out.

Are there any classes you’ve taken that inspired your passion for the trades or helped you in your apprenticeship?

I've known that for a while, since probably middle school, that I am a hands-on person and I want to do a hands-on job.

I've taken a couple woodworking classes, which helped me be more hands on and to know how to use tools more because I didn't know much about different tools.

I also took a welding class that helped me get more hands on and learn about safety too because we have to wear welding helmets and we have to wear the jumpsuits. We took tests on those to understand safety better, at least in welding. That helped me because I'm doing construction now, so you got to be safe.

Now that you’ve already started working in the trades as a plumbing apprentice and got a feel for what it’s like, is this something you'd want to do after high school or is it a steppingstone to get you to somewhere else?

I'm thinking of staying as a plumbing apprentice after high school, because I like it so far. But you know, it's the first trade job that I've tried. In the future I might look at different trades to try but for right now, I think that plumbing is a good job and so far, I'm going to stay with it.

You have shared your experience working in the trades with other students, what advice would you give?

I would say, find out what you want to do and then go and do that. Go and figure out how you can get there. Whether it's going to be college, or if you know that you like to work with your hands and you don't mind getting dirty, you can look into the trades. It just depends on what you want to do.

I have some friends that are looking into trades, and I just tell them that it's whatever they want to do and to maybe give it a try. I always tell them to research more about it. I recommended one of my friends to go into plumbing, or at least work with me in the company, because we have an open apprentice spot. I knew that he wanted to go into the trades and he could give it a try if he wanted. Now, I mostly tell people if they know what they want to do, and it's more hands on, then give trades a try.