Through tears of joy and tears of sadness, Alicia May De Los Reyes has taken high school as a ground to explore her identity and root herself to the love and support of her friends and family. Though her shyness kept her from branching out and getting involved at Mission Hills, she made many great memories outside of school such as going to the beach with her friends, getting boba, and attending concerts for some of her favorite bands.

   “I camped out for the first time when I was in high school. I went to go see a K-pop boy band in LA and I slept on the street. It was organized by a fan and she talked to the police, so because it was a sidewalk, we were allowed to be there. My dad thought that everyone there was crazy,” De Los Reyes said bursting into laughter.

   Building a close relationship with her dad was important for De Los Reyes in order to navigate through high school. Her dad, who she claims is street smart, taught her the value of self-empowerment and courage for which she is very grateful.

   “My dad is a C’s degrees kind of guy. If I was doing bad in a class he wouldn’t yell at me for it. I guess my dad just wanted to ensure that I would get passing grades and not drop out since he didn’t go to college himself,” De Los Reyes said.

   Since De Los Reyes is the eldest sibling in her family, she bears the pressure of setting a good example and learning to navigate through high school while also preparing for her future following her senior year. De Los Reyes believes a big part of what led to her success as a Grizzly was the patience, understanding, and encouragement she received from her favorite teacher who she believes is both a papa bear and cheerleader at heart.

    “Mr. Cargile is my bestie! He is my home skillet biscuit. He is everything to me. He was my at school dad and therapist. I sought him for emotional support. I respect him and thought he was super chill, even though he was such a dad because his favorite movie is ‘The Hunt for Red October.’ I also thought it was cool that he listens to Sublime,” De Los Reyes said.

   Although she feels that there is a lot of uncertainty in what the future will hold for her, this headstrong taurus is sure of one thing: leaving San Marcos in hopes of reinventing herself. She will be attending UC Riverside in the fall to major in liberal arts.

  “I just felt like I had to move away before my life really starts changing. I could just stay here, but why?” De Los Reyes said.