The following are the most hardworking and consistent students that FOHI is proud to have. These students have kept their grades up throughout their four years of high school. Soon their high school sentence ends, and they will be freed into the world. The world has always been there for them to explore and through these four years they have been poking at the veil, one day hoping to achieve their dreams in whatever field they want to be masters of. These students’ curiosity has led them to conquer this stage in their life, and as time goes on, they will continue to conquer whatever they do not already possess.
These individuals are a capsule of creativity, spirit, and hard work and they have left their mark here at FOHI. Whatever stands in their way will have to move aside or be extinguished: “O’ Earth tremble for FOHI has birthed an unforgiving force and it looks upon you: wanting”. They will write another story in the pointless tale of history, and they will continue to breathe their breath and become a force so reckoning that nobody will be able to hold a candle to their grit. They will forge a new path and mark their names so deep within our world as a crucial point in history, as a group so determined that they forced their way through adversity and arose valiantly.
Julissa Ordoñez
Me: What would you yell at anyone in a lower grade than you to get where you are now?
Julissa: Get involved more and definitely take advantage of every opportunity given in high school. As a senior, I am grateful to have been involved in clubs like UA (Undocumented Allies), GEMS (Girls Empowerment for a Modern Society) and Upward Bound. Also, spending time with friends, the people you surround yourself with will definitely make or break high school, and the memories you make with them is what you’re going to carry in the future. Entering high school, it can be hard trying to find friends or people who understand you, but it is important to always be yourself and only then, you’ll end up finding yourself around genuine people who appreciate you for you.
Me: What is your favorite moment of high school?
Julissa: My favorite moment in high school is opening my semester report card and seeing all the hard work pay off.1
Me: What is your favorite flavor of ice-cream?
Julissa: My favorite ice-cream flavor is butter pecan.
Lucia Otañez
Me: What has been the hardest part of high school, that you have had to deal with?
Lucia: If I am being completely honest, keeping track of all my classes and outside extracurriculars has been quite difficult. On multiple occasions I have had to cancel plans in order to complete my homework/study.
Me: How do you get ready for tests in order to do well on them?
Lucia: A few days before the test, if a practice progress check/ test is provided on college board, I take it. I go over the topic I do not have much understanding of and complete practice problems. If no practice tests are given, I review all my rules and spend extra time studying concepts I do not understand.
Me: What is your favorite ice-cream flavor or favorite candy?
Lucia: Not an ice-cream flavor but I love the M&M Ice Cream Sandwich. Favorite candy – watermelon sour patch kids.
Jazmine Morales Diego
Me: What is your favorite ice-cream flavor?
Jazmine: My favorite ice-cream flavor is chocolate chip.
Me: What is your advice for those trying to achieve what you have throughout high school?
Jazmine: My advice is to take care of yourself. It sounds simple but it's hard to achieve when you are attempting to be a responsible student who is involved on campus and in the community. Sometimes you forget to take care of yourself. So, when you feel unwell think about what led you to feel that way and change something. Change for your overall wellbeing. That’s my advice.
Me: What is your favorite class and why?
Jazmine: My favorite class is AP Spanish Literature because Mr. Avendaño is a hilarious storyteller who connects the daily chisme with literature. PS: He also buys us burritos before the AP exam!
Gabriel Noel González
Me: What do you do to get ready for AP tests?
Gabriel: So, I make sure I have enough time to review all the materials necessary in order to ensure that I pass. As I am studying for the exam, I usually open my textbooks to start reviewing over materials coursework or whatever, so that come exam date I could feel more confident and be sure that I am sure that I am going to pass basically.
Me: What’s your favorite snack?
Gabriel: OK what is my favorite snack? Well personally I do not really have a favorite snack. I prefer meals but if I had to choose a snack probably Oreos or then just a nice granola bar—brain food.
Alexa Michelle Lopez
Me: What is the best thing about FOHI in your eyes?
Alexa: You can always lean on your FOHI family. For example, my friends, classmates and teachers were always there to give me a helping hand when I needed it. They are always welcoming, and that is comforting.
Me: What has helped you achieve so much in all of your years at FOHI?
Alexa: My parents and my teachers (especially Mr. Garate) pushed me to be the best version of myself. They assisted me all four years. I think my persistence also helped me to do well in school. I strived for straight A’s and worked hard to maintain it that way.
Me: What is your favorite ice cream flavor or favorite candy bar?
Alexa: I love Rocky Road!! Chocolate can sometime be a little plain, but the marshmallows and almonds make it special.
Rain Navarro Tabora
Me: How have you managed to have time for school being a part of so much in FOHI?
Rain: I honestly just forced myself to be disciplined rather than be motivated because I knew that motivation would come and go but being disciplined would allow me to stay on track. Whenever I really wanted to be a part of something else, I would just join and not think twice about it, but I reminded myself to stay disciplined with school as it is my first priority.
Me: What has kept you motivated to keep going and keep working towards reaching your goals?
Rain: I would say something that constantly motivated me even when I wanted to give up was the fact that I wanted to make my parents proud and take advantage of the opportunities that they sacrificed so much for.
Me: What is your favorite flavor of ice-cream or favorite candy?
Rain: Favorite ice-cream is strawberry because it is never anyone’s first choice, and my favorite candy is anything sour or gummy.
Arleen Sosa De Avila
Me: How has FOHI helped you towards achieving your goals?
Arleen: FOHI has definitely helped me achieve many of my goals. To begin, FOHI has helped me get accepted into many colleges and helped me prepare to attend the one of my choices. It has not been an easy journey for sure but here at FOHI you receive support from teachers and friends to get you through it all. Which is one of the main things that helped me achieve being top ten and committing to a great college.
Me: What is your favorite ice cream flavor, favorite candy, or snack?
Arleen: My favorite ice cream is rocky road, and my favorite candy is sour patch watermelon gummies.
Juliet Lopez
Me: Who is your favorite teacher through all your high school years?
Juliet: It would have to be Mrs. Bhatti.
Me: What is your favorite high school memory?
Juliet: Definitely Rallies with the rest of the Water Polo team.
Me: What is your favorite candy or ice cream flavor?
Juliet: I would go with black cherry.
Viviana Hernandez
Me: What has kept you motivated through high school?
Viviana: Being able to use the opportunity given to me by my parents to the best of my ability to make them and myself proud.
Me: What has been the best part about your experience in FOHI?
Viviana: The best part about my experience at FOHI has been stepping out of my comfort zone and creating new bonds with those around me.
Me: What is your favorite candy?
Viviana: My favorite candy is Duvalin. 2
Hector De Dios Perez
Me: Which year would you consider to be your hardest year and why?
Hector: I would say my hardest year was Junior year because Mrs. Bhatti’s class and sports would not let me sleep until 3am on most days. I was tired pretty much the whole year. Though sometimes I slept in her class while sitting up. 3
Me: What is your favorite flavor of ice cream or favorite candy bar?
Hector: My favorite candy bars are those chocolates from the fundraisers they use to make us do in elementary school and middle school.
The reason for me asking what their favorite ice cream or favorite candy flavor is, because maybe what they snack on helps them to becoming so successful. While interviewing Gabriel, he told me that the food you eat does help a lot when one is trying is being successful.
Also, some of these snacks overlap, so I might be right. I will continue to investigate it.
About the Contributor
Merdardo Saravia Zelaya, Staff Writer
Medardo is someone who never knows what is going on due to sleeping for about 11 hours per week. It’s not all bad, Medardo’s favorite show is Infinity Train, with his favorite season being the very first one. He is a strange person keeping busy with school and the desire to be good at writing.
authors note: must be nice
authors note: Duvalin is not appreciated enough in 2024 I feel.
authors note: totally relate to Hector on a spiritual level, I would also fall asleep on my chair- it happened a total of 5 times…