Throughout the school year, BVH students work towards academic excellence, following the tradition of having class a valedictorian and salutatorian. One of the top ranking students is salutatorian and senior Sebastian Higuera-Rodelo.
While Higuera-Rodelo is an upstanding student, he must balance his personal life along with academics. This juggle of assignments, tests and schoolwork with personal life is kept under control by his diligence and strict time management.
“It is hard because I take up so much time working late nights where I sleep late, around midnight. Then again, [I take] as much time to do work during school before going home,” Higuera-Rodelo said.
Higuera-Rodelo focuses on completing assignments during school to limit the amount he does at home. This helps free up time for his personal life outside of school. Higuera-Rodelo views assignments with value, regardless if completing them results in even the smallest amount of credit.
“Some strategies I [use are] taking advantage of school time to do work, classwork or homework, because then there’s less I have to do at home. For any assignment, regardless if it’s late, I submit them because then at least I am getting some points out of it,” Higuera-Rodelo said.
Higuera-Rodelo also makes time for extracurriculars like the Robotics Club, which follows his interest in pursuing mechanical engineering. This club allowed him to meet various new friends and supervisors, including English Language Development, Theory of Knowledge and International Baccalaureate Literature teacher Jason Good.
“He’s a really good student. It’s interesting because he’s quiet, but he’s also very outgoing. Almost a contradiction there. I’ve always been impressed by that he always has a very positive attitude,” Good said.
Good recognizes Higuera-Rodelo as a strong leader, allowing him to take the position as president of Robotics Club this year. Teammates and classmates note how his strong yet friendly demeanor makes him easy to befriend and bond with.
“He is easy to get along with, students feel comfortable approaching him about different ideas. He’s good at squashing self-doubt on the part of his teammates. He really helps motivate them to do as well as he knows they can and continue with robotics,” Good said.
While remaining an outgoing student, Higuera-Rodelo does not stray away from his status as a salutatorian. He continues his academic excellence by listening to his teachers, following class rules, showing a positive mentality and eager to learn
“I feel that not everyone can remain so positive in every situation. I’ve never seen [Higuera-Rodelo] upset. I don’t know how that’s possible, but he’s always seemed happy and easygoing while working hard.,” Good said.
Not only did Robotics Club strengthen Higuera-Rodelo’s relationships with teachers and friends, but also helped find his passion. After being in the club for nearly four years, Higuera-Rodelo decided early on that robotics club was the path to his future career.
“I want to be a mechanical engineer, that’s what I’m going to study in college. Robotics helped me realize that this is something I really enjoy. It’s what inspired me to want to pursue this,” Higuera-Rodelo said.
The workload that high school puts on Higuera-Rodelo does not hinder him from making meaningful relationships outside of the school. BVH senior Nicolette Luna has a strong relationship with Higuera-Rodelo and views him as an excellent student and peer.
“He’s very smart, driven in what he does and ambitious in anything that he’s interested in. He’ll approach it confidently and put his heart into it. [Higuera-Rodelo] is very organized, intellectual and kind,” Luna said.
Luna’s connection with Higuera-Rodelo is shown by her admiration for his hard working personality. This admiration drives her to be as much of an engaging student as he is, motivating her to join the BVH mock trial team and partake in organizing the Bonita Fest.
“I admire his work drive and him as a person as well. When I found out he was salutatorian, I was really happy for him. It was very well deserved,” Luna said.
Higuera-Rodelo’s words and mannerisms echo from student to teacher, showing just how he managed to place as a salutatorian for BVH. He further shares wisdom to any underclassmen who look to achieve academic success.
“Even if it’s late, always turn in your work or whatever it is you have done. Take advantage of your free time. Another thing is senioritis, I didn’t think it was real junior year, but it is very real. Some advice for other kids is to not let it get to you,” Higuera-Rodelo said.
