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Exploring the Depths: Biology 1407 Students Dive into Squid Dissection 🧑‍🔬

Peek into the Life of a Carter Junior: A Glimpse into Ashley Gonzalez

When asked, ‘What is your favorite academic subject?’ people often respond with ‘math, science, reading, history,’ but not Ashley. Ashley’s favorite subject is painting. For her, painting is more than just painting; it’s a way to express her feelings.
“I like to do many things; I am very talented, but I love to paint. Painting just lets me express myself beyond anything,” Gonzalez said.
As a young academic student, Ashley must learn to balance her hobbies and passions with schoolwork. But how does she do it?
“I have a lot going on school, sports, and church. I know it might not look like a lot, but I rarely have time for myself (like hobbies). However, I control my schedule and make time for homework and other activities.”
However, it’s not solely about homework; it’s also about setting and achieving goals.
“My main goals here in high school are to participate in many extracurricular activities and to make my parents proud.”
With these goals come challenges, and Ashley is prepared to overcome them. Here’s how.
“One of the most challenging moments that I had to go through during high school was not having doubt. So yeah, having to give myself positive comments so that I could realize that I am capable of doing things was one of my hardest challenges.”
Naturally, school and schoolwork can become boring, but Ashley has a unique strategy for staying motivated and focused on her academic studies, which sets her apart from others.
“God motivates me to keep going. He is like my strength, and I know that relying on him will make me feel so much better whenever I have doubts. ”
As a junior, Ashley’s horizon is brimming with exciting opportunities and new adventures waiting to be embraced. Here’s a glimpse into the swarm of avenues she eagerly anticipates exploring.
“I want to influence those who believe they cannot reach their goals. I want to be a cop (SWAT), and I know that I’ll have to go through a lot with that. I’m a great student with okay grades, but I know I will be a significant influence and motivation to those who don’t believe in themselves and make them think that anyone can reach their goals, even if no one believes in them. ”

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Navigating Through Ups and Downs: Carolina’s Academic Journey

Senior Carolina Amador is a National Honor Society dual enrollment student dedicated to succeeding as a Redwolf. When Amador heard about dual enrollment classes at JCECHS, she knew it was the right place for her. Amador wants to support her parents financially so she can take most of her basic core classes before she becomes an undergraduate.
As a freshman, Carolina took dual enrollment classes, which were full of ups and downs.
“At first, I wasn’t sure how to balance these courses with my regular classes as they required more work and commitment; however, through every class, I learned to work in a way that best suited me,” Amador said.
Balancing high school coursework and college-level classes has been difficult for Amador.
“I don’t have a secret to balancing it either; I simply remind myself that the work won’t get done on its own,” Amador said. “I think of the benefits of completing all of my work on time with an adequate amount of efficiency, whether it be my high school diploma or my associate’s degree.”
Amador was elected to serve as the NHS Historian, a position that she cherished.
“As the Historian, I am also in charge of collecting photos of everything we have done throughout the year and completing our pages for the yearbook,” Amador said.
Influencing Amador’s personal and academic growth, NHS has been a significant factor in her educational career.
“NHS has served as a reminder always to do my best,” Amador said.

Senior Thrives in National Honor Society Role

Daniela Flores, a Jimmy Carter High School senior, isn’t simply a student; she’s also a member of the National Honor Society (NHS).
Flores finds joy in reading and is passionate about animals. Over the last two years, she has actively participated in extracurricular activities such as track and soccer with Palmview High School. She is also set to graduate with an associate’s degree in criminal justice.

“The past two years, I have done extracurricular sports, with Palmview being track and soccer. I love animals and reading. Each year has come with its challenges, but I’m glad to be graduating with my associate in criminal justice,” Daniela said.

With various commitments, Daniela has discovered the secret to effectively managing academics, extracurricular activities, and personal commitments while balancing a busy schedule.

“The biggest secret to managing everything is not to procrastinate and plan. I use my planner to write out all my assignments, games, and events to see what needs to be done each week.”

However, in addition to these responsibilities, Flores is also a member of the NHS, which has positively impacted her academically.

“Being part of NHS has taught me the importance of giving back and appreciating all things. It has motivated me to maintain high grades in order to be a role model for the rest of the students,” Flores said.

Flores said that her high academic achievement is partly due to the influence of NHS and her desire to be a role model for others.

“I had Ms. Camarillo as my first-periodandacher my sophomore year, where she had all of the meetings with her officers, and seeing the passion within them and the change NHS was doing for our community motivated me to join. Being a member means being part of something bigger than yourself to impact our community more,” Flores said.

The four pillars of NHS—scholarship, Leadership, Service, and Character—have enabled Flores to demonstrate a high level of proficiency in those areas both in school and within her community.

“For scholarship, I have maintained high grades and learned that learning is a lifelong journey that will never end. For leadership, I have been in various leadership positions with clubs in the school. For service, I have been able to serve my community by attending awareness walks and helping out by volunteering at my church. For character, always try your best to have a good attitude and represent the characteristics you want to see in the world,” Flores said.

While helping the community is important, Daniela also faces academic responsibilities at home.
“Planning. Dedicating a good 10-15 minutes to plan out what I will be doing with my time and knowing when I need to cut things out to get what I need to get done, done,” Flores said.
Numerous challenges are faced regularly as an early college student, but as a senior, even more challenges are thrown your way. This is how Daniela overcomes them.
“One of the challenges has been learning how to connect with colleges and figure out how to work through the process of applying to colleges and scholarships, but with practice and help from the staff here, I have been able to learn how to overcome them,” Flores said.
Just when you think the challenges are over, more emerge, including stressful times like midterm exams. However, Daniela relies on her faith, trusting that everything will work out.
“It does get difficult at times, but knowing the relief I will feel once they are over and I have completed them is the main thing that allows me to look into the future and believe it will all work out. As a Christian, I know that everything will work out as it should, and whenever I feel like skipping on studying, I remind myself that “you reap what you sow,” and if I want to earn a high score, I need to study,” Flores said.
As the school year draws to a close and Daniela prepares to graduate from Jimmy Carter, her visions for the future are clear. The impact of NHS continues to shape her journey ahead.
“I don’t know where I will be attending university, but I will be majoring in Criminal Justice and Marketing. My ultimate goal is to become an attorney, and my backup plan is to work in Customs. Community engagement is a factor I want to continue to pursue throughout my life, so wherever I end up, I am sure I will continue to serve my community,” Flores said.

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A Balancing Act: Managing school work and a passion for singing

Audrey Brown is an accomplished junior student at Jimmy and has many reputable achievements. Apart from many accomplishments—an NHS member, president of TAFE, UIL participant, and member of the Psi Alpha Psychology Club— she is also a choir student, a role which comes with many responsibilities.

Audrey hopes to increase her rank and do more as part of the choir. Last year, she struggled to keep up and noticed herself putting in less effort, letting her group down when she was needed. Now, she vows to be more focused on it as part of her academic duties and as a passionate interest.

“Things got hectic with testing and all kinds of stuff at Jimmy Carter,” she explains. “And when I was busy with that, I started to neglect my choir group. So this year, I want to make sure that I’m actively paying attention to that part of my life and my education, to ensure that I’m there when they need me and that I’m doing everything I’m supposed to. “

For Audrey, choir is an important part of life; she started in elementary school and has loved it since. She feels it’s fulfilling; blending in with a bigger group, learning skills she otherwise wouldn’t have, and having a general love for singing and music makes choir a rewarding experience. “I like music,” Audrey remarks. “Choir is just the natural progression of that.”

Being in the choir means Audrey has the opportunity to engage in skill sets that aren’t necessary at school:

Reading music sheets.

Collaborating with her section.

Being able to take criticism are key to performance.

Audrey has struggled with procrastination, which she credits as one of her most significant issues at work. She has missed choir often due to events at Jimmy and wants to coordinate more with her director and section this year to ensure she still participates. “One step that I definitely can take to make sure that I’m getting that balance between school here and the choir is making sure that I’m like checking in with my director all the time,” she states.

Being involved in choir, college, and various academically challenging extracurriculars, Audrey knows the ins and outs of stress very intimately. When asked about any advice she’d give to those struggling academically, she encourages others to ask for help and to be kind to themselves.

“I’ve spent a lot of time beating myself up over missing things or things falling through the cracks,” she begins. “But, let yourself live. Don’t spend time being a perfectionist because it will drive you up the wall; you won’t get anywhere. Be forgiving with yourself and others because we’re all having similar experiences here.”

Audrey’s experience with stress and managing her workload is not unique; almost everyone has struggled with schoolwork at some point, but Audrey’s advice reflects the importance of something a lot of people tend to neglect when it comes to school: self-care.

Senior Sets Sights on Psychology Career, Advocates Early College Route

As the graduation season approaches, Jimmy Carter High School’s senior, Daisy Escobedo, is not only preparing to receive her high school diploma but is also on the cusp of earning an associate degree, thanks to her enrollment in a dual credit program. Escobedo’s dedication to her studies and her clear vision for the future stand out as she shares her academic journey and career aspirations.

“Currently, I am a dual enrollment student working towards having an associate degree by the time I graduate high school. I have been working towards this goal since my sophomore year of high school,” Escobedo said.
She strongly encourages her fellow students to seize similar opportunities, emphasizing the importance of passing the Texas Success Initiative (TSI) assessments. “I highly encourage Jimmy students to pass their TSIs as soon as possible so they can experience college classes and a lot of learning not offered from the standard high school curriculum,” Escobedo said.

Looking beyond high school, Escobedo has her sights set on a career in psychology, though she acknowledges the need for direct experience in the field.
“After graduation, I hope I get the opportunity to gain minor psychology experience since my career choice is in that area,” Escobedo said.
She is exploring local volunteer opportunities to gain relevant experience, mainly through Hidalgo County services like Work Solutions for students.

Escobedo’s strategic approach to her education and career is supported by her mentors and counselors, including Ms. Luna, her CIS mentor.
“I have discussed these plans with my CIS mentor, Ms. Luna, about how I will stay local at UTRGV since they already provide great programs and classes that help many students,” Escobed said.
Escobedo also plans to work over the summer to support her college expenses.

Escobedo has learned valuable life skills from balancing academics and work through her job at a Mexican restaurant.
“I am working at a Mexican restaurant, which has taught me socializing skills and outside-world problems that require critical thinking and effective solutions,” Escobedo said.
Her priority remains to complete her academic work efficiently to ensure she can rest and recharge.

Escobedo envisions a future where she is both academically and financially accomplished.
“Hopefully, in five years, I will finish school and be debt-free from the university since I’ll be staying local. I hope that I have completed my bachelor’s degree in psychology and gained experience helping individuals solve their problems,” Escobedo said.
Her desire to give back to her community reflects her gratitude and commitment to those who have supported her educational journey.

Daisy Escobedo’s story is a testament to the resilience, foresight, and ambition of today’s youth. It inspires others to pursue their dreams with determination and a clear sense of purpose.

Striving to be a pediatrician

Cayden Salinas, a freshman at Jimmy Carter, is currently looking forward to one day studying in the medical field while still having fun experiences.

“I wanna study in the medical field and be a pediatrician,” said Salinas.

His mother inspired his passion for being in the medical field and becoming a pediatrician.

Salinas is also involved in extracurricular activities at his comprehensive school and Jimmy Carter. He is currently in the orchestra and the chess club.

“I’m in the chess club and orchestra. I got into the orchestra because I thought it would be fun, and it is,” Salinas said.

When he wants a break from work, Salinas looks forward to watching One Piece after finishing his work. He sometimes believes he is meant to be a food critic because he loves food.

Salinas enjoys doing it for the experience and flavor. Doing all this helps him relieve his stress and take a break from his work.

His advance is never to stop being bothered by losing, for it’s like you have lost twice.

Salinas believes there is always room for improvement and something to learn, so you should never settle.