Throughout my four years at Rocky Mountain High School, I have never regretted my decision to experience my last years before adulthood here. I have learned that if you open up and go out of your comfort zone, you can meet and experience what makes high school at Rocky so great.

Since I was young, I have always been a withdrawn person. Throughout elementary school, I had a small group of friends and thought that was all I’d ever have and wanted. I was the kid in class who never spoke first and chose to blend in with others rather than make myself known. I was the kid in the class who the teacher picked to answer questions to try and bring out my voice. I was the kid who saw the COVID pandemic as a good thing–as a way to not talk to others.

I came into high school as a freshman with the same mindset. And I was ok with it…for about half of my freshman year. At that point, I watched my friends meet new people and start to connect with the Rocky community.

My last quarter as a freshman, I decided I would discover what everyone enjoyed about Rocky. As soon as I tried to engage in the Rocky community, I was instantly accepted.

Since then I have joined many clubs at Rocky. I have joined DECA/FBLA Which has helped me figure out what type of career I might want to go into after high school. It has also let me connect with people who have the same interests as me.

I also Joined Cultural Arms. Here I am able to spread awareness about all the different cultures that we have at Rocky–Rocky has many different cultures that I’m happy I am able to celebrate and inform others about.

Most recently, Rocky has given me the opportunity to be a part of Los Lobos. This club is a place for kids with Hispanic heritage and kids who might not quite be fluent in English to go and connect with each other. Here I have gotten to meet some amazing people and connect with what makes Rocky such a good school.

Since I have come out of my comfort zone, I have experienced the spirit Rocky students have for this school. I used to watch from the side, afraid that I would be judged, or worse, kicked out of the crowd. But when I built up the courage to join the crowd, I realized no one cared about how you looked or acted as long as you showed your love for the community and school you were a part of.

Rocky is accepting of everyone and always seems to want to help others. I think this is why we are so good at raising money for different fundraisers. One of the most notable fundraisers Rocky partakes in is Adopt A Family.

Adopt A Family is a fundraiser Rocky works on every year to raise money and give gifts to families who don’t have the means to really celebrate during Christmas. The first time I decided to help with Adopt A Family was the most fun I’ve experienced doing a fundraiser.

Seeing the joy and excitement staff and students have when they finally got their family made it hard to just stand on the side and watch. When I volunteered to help get presents out to different cars, it was nice to see how well-connected Rocky was as we worked as a team to help others.

Because of these reasons, I am happy I got to experience Rocky for all it can be and not sit and watch these last moments go by. If I could give any advice to students at Rocky I would recommend enjoying every year here and help to build this amazing school community.

I know at times it can seem hard to open up or go out of your comfort zone, but I promise you if you find the right group of people and do not let yourself get in the way of what you can accomplish, you will truly be able to see just how great this school is.