Written By: Miles Watts, Staff Writer
DEPARTURE: A look into senior Luisa Veloz’s high school experience.
As the class of 2024 passes, along go students that will become young adults in the world. One of those people is Luisa Veloz. She came to Poly as a sophomore, as she was at Bellflower Middle/High School previously. But despite being new to Poly when she transferred, she still strived to create friendships and succeed academically. And she did do that indeed as many people in the VAPA community know who she is, and she is proud of her grades in high school. For those who do not know her, or do, let us look and see who Luisa is before she leaves Poly.
As aforementioned, Luisa was successful and well known in the VAPA community. At Poly, she participated in Marching Band, Percussion Ensemble, Symphonic Winds, Wind Ensemble, Orchestra, Chamber Singers, and Bella Voce. Being in so many groups over the years is evidently going to spark many connections with peers. Also because of this, she is quite skilled in singing and playing a musical instrument. A multi-instrumentalist, she can play saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet, bassoon, piano, marimba, with her favorites being saxophone and piano. She has no particular favorite teacher, but she is fond of the VAPA instructors such as Ms. Walton and Ms. Hernandez. “I love the VAPA teachers. They are very supportive of their students” Luisa says. As any student in the arts knows, they will spend more time with their instructor than any other teacher because of festivals, rehearsals, or concerts. This creates a deeper connection between student and teacher, and Luisa is no exception. Throughout her years, she has felt that she has become a better musician, but she says that “there’s always room for improvement”.
After graduating high school, Luisa plans to attend the University of Redlands as she has gotten accepted into the academy already. At Redlands University, she will major in music education and become a band director and teach music once she graduates college. Having major influence from Ms. Hernandez, her passion for music will be felt by all of her future students and inspire them to develop their musicianship. “I plan on practicing so much so I [can] be a better musician,” comments Luisa. She also is determined to take her studies seriously so that she can “be the best teacher for [her] future students.” Even though this may have not been her initial career choice her freshman year, she has learned that is what she truly wants to do and what she wants to accomplish in that profession. During her four years in high school, she is satisfied with how much she did. “I [feel] like academically that I could have done better, but I am also very proud of how much I accomplished”. They were hard years for her, but she pushed through and achieved grades that are to be proud of.
To Luisa, band and music are key parts of her high school experience. Some of her fondest memories were playing in the pep band for football games. The main people she hopes to keep in touch with are many of her band friends, especially those in the saxophone section. “[The saxophones] have made marching band feel like a second home for me”, and she feels that they are “truly [her] closest friends”. Music has been a key part of her time in high school, as demonstrated by all of her choices in extracurriculars and her favorite teachers. Playing music has moved her to the point of wanting to pursue a career in it; to spread her love of music to her students and hopefully have music enrich their lives as it did for her.
Overall, Luisa’s high school experience has been vital, positive, and enjoyable. “I have definitely matured a lot from my freshman year,” and she has learned much about herself these past years. High school is a time for one to find oneself, and although that journey never ends, Luisa has discovered much about who she is through her high school experiences. Although she has to say goodbye to many good friends of hers, she has a bright future ahead of her and will still be in touch with them. Music is her passion and it brings people together; through and because of it, she will have no issues keeping strong friendships and making new relationships with people she will meet at college and beyond.