Senior Spotlight-Carlos Rivera

He takes his time putting his belongings back in his back-pack. The bell has rung and everyone else runs towards the door hoping to get home as quickly as possible, but not him, he stays in the building. Dreading the idea of not being able to go home like the others, living off of only five hours of sleep from the previous night, yet longing to spend his time doing what he loves most for as long as he needs to despite his restless nights.
Carlos Rivera chose to join the Band in the 6th grade in hopes to visit Disneyland but later recognized his love and passion for music. Band has been a big impact in Rivera’s life.
He dedicated a lot of his time and energy outside of school to practice for his concerts and upcoming shows. He spent his middle school and highschool years in band and has not stopped pursuing his passion despite his doubts along the way. Advice he would give to someone wanting to join band would be to expect to commit a large portion of your time practicing in band and in your own personal time.
It wasn’t always easy for Rivera since band practice and his performances took a lot of his time after school and time in general. In the end, he never let his doubts take over ,and ¨decided to stay” for the love of performing to the very best of my ability, as well as the people in the program who made it all the more enjoyable throughout the years.¨
Rivera not only has had doubts in band but in school in general. He faced a lot of hardships when it came to his intense time management skills. It was hard to get a full eight hours of sleep after getting home from a full day of school, band rehearsal, and homework. It was always an exhausting challenge. One person Rivera credited for all his hard work and motivation throughout his years in highschool is his father. He would put a lot of pressure on Rivera when it came to school, but he now understands that everything he has ever said and done has only ever come from a place of love and hope. His admiration and understanding of his dads heart has only pushed him further to make the best out of his ability.
¨I hope that one day I can truly make him proud and repay him greatly for all of the sacrifice that he has put in all these years to give me the opportunities he was never given at my age,” Rivera said.
Throughout his journey in band, school and his personal life Rivera learned a couple things. It may have not been a lesson he learned in class but it is one that has stuck with him. He has found himself meeting a lot of new people in his life, especially all throughout highschool. Over time he found that there was a balance between the number of people he met and the number of people who left. He learned that everyone he meets is for a reason whether it is to serve as a life lesson, a lifelong friend, or just to help one learn the meaning of words like sonder. Rivera has learned to not take people for granted and has developed an appreciation for people he has allowed in his life.
¨I will take every opportunity I can to meet someone new and welcome them into my life with an open mind now, for I do not know just how impactful they can truly become until I give it a chance.¨
All of Rivera’s hard work and lessons he has learned have paid off leading him on a successful track in band. His proudest achievement was the privilege of being one of four drum majors ,which is considered one of the highest leadership roles in band allowing him to lead the band through performances and rehearsals, his last year of highschool.
¨It was an amazing experience to be able to listen to the band and lead them through the performances and football games alongside my best friend Alina.¨
He also performed in a solo and ensemble a couple times and even earned some superior ratings on solos that made him qualify for state, his senior year. Regardless of all his concerts and shows he has partaken in there is one show he will never forget, his May recital concert he had his Freshman year of highschool. He described it to be one of his hardest yet most rewarding performances he has ever done.
¨I will never forget the intense cheers I heard from my friends in the crowd as they told me that it was really good, and it fueled my confidence in my skill as well,” he said.
With everything said Rivera’s life has just started and will continue to carry on after highschool. His love for science has influenced his extracurricular activities in school and career path. It has led him to be a part of the Science National Honor Society which he has been a member of since his junior year, the Mu Alpha Theta Math Honor Society his senior year, and National Honor Society his senior year as well. His plans are to attend the University of Houston majoring in computer science after high school graduation. He also will graduate with an associates degree giving him a head start towards his bachelor’s degree.
He wants to work for a tech company like Google or Microsoft one day. Apart from his love for science and appreciation for the study, his career path was also inspired by his older sister who has done similar.
“ It will be an easier segway for me since she is able to pass down experience and knowledge that will give me a smoother transition into the career,” Rivera said.