Selecting students for the Morgan Hill Times’ annual senior spotlight honor is no enviable task. That’s why we make the principals do it (and they resent us for making them narrow it down to one!) These students have navigated the labyrinth of high school hurdles and we are inspired by their optimistic outlook, refreshing attitudes and heartfelt honesty. We celebrate them, their families, their mentors and all the graduating seniors in the Class of 2013 for their accomplishments and wish them the best of luck and a fulfilling future.
LIVE OAK HIGH SCHOOL
Mark Holmstrom, 18, Morgan Hill
What are your plans after high school?
I will attend Stanford University in September and I plan to major in Mathematics.
Favorite high school memory:
I really enjoyed running for ASB Office each year. I made it a personal tradition to plaster the school with uniquely humorous election posters. I always had fun brainstorming poster ideas and seeing the reactions of the students and staff. Since I saved them over the years, I went back and put up all of my old posters for my final election. Even those unaffiliated with the school commented on my posters.
What was your biggest challenge in high school?
My biggest challenges in high school were staying on top of things and balancing my time.
Extracurriculars:
Boy Scouts, lacrosse, math club, math competitions, community game night, ASB Leadership, math coaching and tutoring, and assistant archery rangemaster.
What inspires you?
Service to others inspires me. I have always worked hard to give back to the community. Seeing others benefit from my experiences is enriching to me.
What’s your dream career?
I would love to be a math professor someday.
Favorite subject:
Definitely math
What you’ll miss the most:
All of the people: classmates, administrators, and teachers who I won’t be able to see every day anymore.
Advice to incoming freshmen:
Don’t be afraid to go out there and try new things. Get involved in extracurricular activities, push yourself in your academics, and make new friends.
*****
CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL
Zaira Medina, 18, Gilroy
What are your plans after high school?
After high school I plan to attend Evergreen Valley College for two years and from there I hope to transfer to a four year university, preferably San Jose State.
Favorite high school memory:
Choosing one memory out of all the wonderful memories I have made in high school is very difficult, but one memory that comes to mind and brings a smile to my face is of a couple months ago in central, we had a contest against our advisory classes and seeing everyone come together and have fun, enjoying each others company was the best.
What was your biggest challenge in high school?
My biggest challenge in high school was getting the homework done. I was a huge procrastinator.
Extracurriculars:
The only things I did do outside of school were hangout with friends. I wish I could’ve joined a school sports team but I never had the chance to.
What inspires you?
One thing that inspires me is seeing my parents proud and happy of me. Seeing their smiles and telling me I’ve made it is what truly inspires me to go further in life and surpass any obstacles that I may face to be whom I want to be.
What’s your dream career?
My dream career would have to be a photographer. I would love to travel around the world and capture natures untouched unnoticed beauty that many people don’t give a second look at. Nature holds the definition of beauty.
Favorite subject:
My favorite subject would be history. It has always been my strongest subject. I’ve found it very interesting and intriguing how everything in today’s world came to be and how history repeats itself.
What you’ll miss the most:
What I will miss the most from high school would have to be seeing everyone on a daily basis. I will miss growing up next to these students I’ve known since kindergarten. I will miss making memories in and outside of class.
Advice to incoming freshmen:
The best advice I can give all the incoming freshmen would have to be to picture themselves on stage their senior year, to picture themselves looking over at their loved ones and them clapping and cheering them on. I would tell all the incoming freshmen that they can make it happen! As long as they stay with the right crowd and focus in school and of course have fun they will do just fine!
*****
SOBRATO HIGH SCHOOL
Sara Orozco, 17, Morgan Hill
What are your plans after high School?
I am the fifth of eight children in a family living in Paradise Valley, Morgan Hill. I have every intention of visiting my beloved high school, Ann Sobrato, until the last days before I head north to Washington. I am 17 years old, and will be turning 18 this coming Monday (June 17th).
This fall, I will be moving to the dorms at Seattle University, where I will continue to participate in the extracurricular I have enjoyed in high school. In doing so, I intend to finally decide on a career path in concordance with one of my passions. This could mean studying law, public affairs, or translation.
Favorite high school memory:
Freshman year I found myself in a gigantic, gray, itchy wig. I found myself spending hours on a rocking chair. And I found myself being called, “Grandma” by a handful of people whom I met while working on Ann Sobrato’s Haunted House in 2009. At first, I was horrified by the nickname, and horrified that it seemed to be sticking. Four years down the line, being affectionately referred to as, “Grandma Orozco” warms my heart. Grandma Ozoco’s grandchildren has become an extensive group of loving, unexpected friends. My grandchildren are not the people I spent the most time with in high school, but they are people I saw every day in the halls. And my question is—why not love all of these people? How can you not love them? Everyone has their own best friends, but there is no reason we should not all be friends. So one of the most touching moments of my senior year was when a freshman came up and hugged me, saying, “Hi, Grandma!”, and I had never seen her once in my life. We are now close friends.
What was your biggest challenge in high school?
Calculus. At Sobrato, it’s a family. It’s a community. The calculus community in Mrs. Gharibyan’s classroom is unlike any classroom community I have ever encountered, and it is certainly unlike any math class. The support and energy in calculus has been incredible. Nonetheless, calculus has been my greatest mountain in school. The hardest part was that my best friend is a mathematical genius, and would score perfectly on test after test; that was not the case, for me. Learning to be open about my weakness in the subject was difficult, as I have never particularly struggled in school. But calculus taught me to cope, to STUDY! And to think! It was ultimately a humbling experience. And surprisingly, an enlightening one. I love calculus!
Extracurriculars:
I have always loved performing, and thus, found myself at home in Ann Sobrato’s performing arts center, where I formed such memories as acting in a haunted house, can-canning as a “Swingette” with the school’s marching band, and singing my heart out as the lead in the 2012 showing of “The Boyfriend”. But while my days often ended at Denny’s after performances, my fun always began at 7 a.m. in zero period A.S.B. Sobrato’s leadership program is headed by the remarkable Mrs. Carroll, whose infectious energy has driven me for the past four years. A.S.B. has given me the thrilling opportunity to see behind the scenes of almost every event that takes place on our campus, and the opportunity to form any intimate relationship with our staff and student body. This year I was blessed to have served as the A.S.B. president, which only opened up more possibilities!
What inspires you?
Getting involved with A.S.B. was inevitable, for me. I have a love of people that has been with me all my life—it’s a welcome side effect of being one of eight kids. My siblings are my inspiration. They are talented musicians, artists, and thinkers. They are eclectic. They are eccentric. They have enormous personalities. We all push each other to new levels of creativity. At four in the morning, one may open my door to discover my brother, writing a song, and me, dipping a paint brush in mineral spirits. We feed off one another’s energy, and passion.
What’s your dream career?
Regardless whether I pursue law, or become a speech pathologist, or translate for the UN, I ultimately intend to stand before a classroom someday, and write my name on the board. Hello, class. My name is Sara Dove, and in the third grade, I knew that I would one day be a teacher. I hope to bring all of the juice of my experiences to the classroom, and impart my love of life and knowledge upon my pupils. My dream is to be that eccentric teacher students are always ranting about after class. My dream is to make others dream.
What is your favorite subject?
As a lifelong reader and writer, English has definitely been my favorite subject in school. I find what one may call, “sick pleasure” in completing the AP British Literature and Composition practice AP exams. They fascinate me. I openly proclaim myself a Shakespearian enthusiast; I memorize monologues [for fun]. After reading Walt Whitman’s “Leaves of Grass” junior year, I stayed up an entire night producing what may have been the best essay I have ever written. My teacher had not assigned any essay on “Leaves of Grass.”
What you’ll miss the most:
Many of the staff members at Ann Sobrato have made lasting impressions on me. They have been my teachers, coaches, and friends. I’m going to miss their voices. There’s Mrs. Bailey, and her renown laughter. There’s Mrs. Gharibyan, whose gorgeous accent and attitude opened my heart to the previously black subject of math. There’s Mrs. Audino, whom I rant with for hours on end. And there’s Mr. Barne’s—his room is jam packed with students during lunch day in and day out for a reason. Finally, there is the custodian, Todd. He and I are aware of one another’s grueling schedules. At ten o’clock one evening, I was on campus finishing a project. I crossed paths with Todd. We shook our heads, both smiling and wondering, “What the heck are you still doing here?” Todd has done so much for our school, but many students have no clue what his name is. But he is part of the staff of Ann Sobrato, and he is a part of what I am going to miss the most about high school.
Advice to incoming freshman:
My advice to freshmen: You’ll hear, “don’t procrastinate” and, “do all your homework—trust me” a million times. There’s a reason for that. But my special word to you is to try to appreciate teachers as human beings. Teachers are not the subjects they teach. They are not the homework they assign. There is a difference between disliking someone’s teaching style and disliking them as a person. If you can truly understand this, you may discover some of the most moving friendships of your lifetime. I certainly am not a fan of mathematics, nor did I appreciate the workload in AP World History, but my calculus teacher and my World History teacher are dear to me—they are incredible people.
My experiences on the Sobrato Mock Trial team have been so powerful that I am seriously considering going to law school, though I am still talking it out with family and praying about this huge decision. Nevertheless, my only regret about Mock Trial is not having done it all four years! Aside from having introduced me to some of my most beloved friends in high school, mock trial has strengthened my analytical, verbal, and improvisational skills as individual. I am set on joining the Mock Trial team at Seattle University this coming fall.
