Senior Spotlights From the Class of 2023 (May 3, 2023)

 

 

By ELISE DALLEY

The Progress

Marcus Shambaugh has imagined graduation day for a long time. Now that the time has finally come, he says it is a very “bittersweet feeling.”
Marcus has been a positive force for good at Moapa Valley High School. He is always found helping out a person whenever he can, and is always cheering others up with his contagious kindness.

He has been involved in many sports and extracurriculars during his high school experience. Student council, cross country, and track and field are just some of the things he’s spent his time involved in.

Marcus said that he initially decided to run cross country because it was something both his dad and brother did. After trying it out he learned that he truly loved the challenge of distance running.
Come graduation, Marcus is most excited to see all his hard work pay off when he shakes the hand of MVHS principal Hal Mortenson and receives his diploma.

After graduation, Marcus plans to stay local for college and be heavily involved in U.S. Air Force ROTC.
“If all goes right, I will be an officer in the Air Force working to become a pilot,” Marcus said.

Sage Overson has been an outstanding asset to the Moapa Valley High School for all four years of her high school experience. Having lived in Moapa Valley for the majority of her life, she has a deep sense of school pride and community awareness.

Being involved has been a big part of Sage’s lifestyle. She has participated in various sports and activities such as tennis, track, flag football, and volleyball.
She is also involved in the arts. She is a Ceramics 3 student and spends much of her time making beautiful pottery.

Sage says her favorite part of high school has been the various dances that the student council has put on. She also has loved her ceramics class, and playing powderpuff football.

Sage has always had a big heart and a kind spirit. She is always one for giving heartfelt compliments.
“My advice to all the freshmen would be to do what makes you happy even if it’s unpopular,” Sage said. “You’ll make mistakes and wish you would have done a few things differently come your senior year, so at least be kind. It makes life so much easier.”

Sage plans to attend Southern Utah University in Cedar City in the fall. She will be majoring in journalism. She plans to use her writing to spread awareness and make changes in the world.
“I’m so excited to travel and meet new people.” Sage stated. “Especially ones of different cultures and backgrounds. No matter how far I go, my roots will come from MVHS.”

 

 

 

 

By HECTOR RUIZ

The Progress

Nayeli Andrade is a bright-eyed and passionate VVHS senior who has worked hard to get to where she is now.

Through her high school experience, Nayeli has focused on swimming and preparing for a career in the medical field. Nayeli plans on studying at Utah Tech in pre-med eventually leading into medical school.
“From a very early age I knew I wanted to pursue medicine, I was either going to be a doctor or a nurse,” she said.

When asked what her fondest high school memory is, Nayeli brings up her win with the VVHS Swim team at state.

Nayeli recounts her challenges with the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions and the gap that it caused in her 4 years of high school. “I feels as though they are not exactly complete because of it,” she said.

Describing her high school experience in three words she chose Unusual, Learning, and Fun. She said that Covid made her experience unusual. Not only was high school an academic learning experience, but she also learned many life lessons which will only help her down the road. She said that her 4 years were just fun in general.

Nayeli talked about the things she’s going to miss the most about high school. She said that it’s going to be the people. “Although we’re not all friends, I don’t think I have enemies,” she said of her classmates. “But it’s going to be weird not to see all these people in high school.”

Nayeli cites her swim coach as one of her biggest inspirations throughout her high school experience. Coach Shaun was able to leave an impactful message with Nayeli advising her that while she comes from a small town she should not get stuck in the “small town” mentality and become complacent. These words ring in her mind.

Asked what advice she might have for the incoming VVHS freshman class, Nayeli said, “Stop and smell the roses while doing the bigger things for your life, don’t be scared to go out and have some fun.”

Nayeli’s final tidbit of wisdom for her future self is: “Don’t be so afraid to do something, that your fear paralyzes you.” She added that while she may not feel the need for these words in the moment, she may need them down the line.

Being one of the most memorable seniors of the class of 2023, Leonardo Campos-Calleros has built a reputation of being a fun, friendly, and caring person for all those near him.
Leonardo sums up his senior year with three words: fun, crazy and loud. He explains that he had fun doing so much in so little time and his outgoing persona made sure that his year was filled with loudness.

His extracurriculars included soccer and student council. Student council was stressful for Leonardo, but he enjoyed the people he worked with.

Although he is well known around the school, Leonardo said that he wasn’t seeking popularity at all. Talking more in-depth about his experience he states that because of this enigmatic personality that people attribute to him he is often judged prematurely, “it sucks because when people don’t know me like that, they judge me and think I’m annoying, until they really get to know me,” he still enjoys where he’s at and says that he loved being able to inspire people to step out of their comfort zones.

Leonardo brought back fond memories of how VVHS teacher Mr. Davis was able to get him back on track and essentially changed the course of his life and his mindset. Through persistence and caring about him, Mr Davis was able to get him back on track.

“He was checking up on me constantly,” Leonardo said. “Not only did he help me through high school but through church as well and got me back to being just a good person.”

Leonardo plans to serve in the military for four years. He also has his eye on becoming a police officer after that. He said that he wants to be a part of something bigger than himself.

When prompted to talk about his biggest life lesson learned in high school Leonardo said, “Putting your all into all you do. I genuinely didn’t, which I kind of regret but if you want to see an actual effect and feel the happiness of seeing the success, put your all into it.”

Leonardo says that he will mis the amount of people he talks to. He believes that going into the military might require him to be less social and boisterous than he was before.

The words of wisdom that he would impart to younger high schoolers is: “Don’t miss out on any of the events! Get involved as much as you can and go to everything you can.”

He also has a bit of advice for his future self. “Don’t forget where you came from,” he said. “Don’t forget the people you’ve known and formed relationships with.”