Being valedictorian isn’t something that happens overnight. It takes a lot of hard work, time management (even when you procrastinate a little), and learning from your mistakes. For Heber Padilla, it’s been a long journey filled with lessons he’ll take far beyond high school. Even though we are high schoolers now, after graduating from college, Heber sees himself stepping into the aerospace world, working at places like Lockheed Martin, NASA, or other major aerospace companies. But before reaching the stars, Heber knows he has some things to work on here on Earth, especially his planning skills. He admits that planning is something he “desperately needs” to improve. Currently, he stays organized by doing everything after procrastinating, saying he “works better under pressure,” even if it means staying up late to finish everything. Still, Heber knows that this habit causes a lot of unnecessary stress, and he’s working on changing that for the future.
One of the biggest lessons Heber has learned during his high school years is the importance of balance. In his junior year, Heber was involved in volleyball, basketball, and NHS (National Honor Society). While being active and involved was great, it ended up being too much. He didn’t have time for himself and even struggled to get his volunteer hours done for the NHS(National Honor Society) because he was always too busy. Going into senior year, Heber made a change, he decided to focus on just a couple of activities that mattered to him (volleyball and NHS) and put real time into honing his skills in those areas. When it comes to life advice, Heber believes strongly in learning the fundamentals. Whether it’s in sports, school, or just life, you can’t do “flashy stuff” without knowing the basics. “In basketball, you can’t do a lot of flashy stuff unless you know the fundamentals,” he said. “In math, it’s really important too, because as you move up to harder math classes, you’ll get stuck if you don’t know the fundamentals.” For Heber, making sure you understand the foundation of whatever you’re doing is an important value that keeps coming back around. Heber has also had his fair share of failures, but he sees them as opportunities to grow. “Sometimes you don’t do as hot as you think you did,” he said, whether it’s on a test or in a game. It’s taught him humility and resilience, as it doesn’t matter how badly you fail because, at the end of the day, what matters is how you get back up and try again. If he could advise students just starting high school, Heber would tell them to get involved, but don’t overdo it. “You wanna focus on a couple of activities that you are passionate about,” he said. He also encourages freshmen not to just come to school and leave right after, it’s important to make friends with similar interests. At the same time, Heber stresses that slacking off in your classes isn’t an option. “You have to start now”.
Looking back, Heber wishes he could tell his freshman self not to be as shy. During his early high school years, Heber was very reserved, and it took getting involved in sports like volleyball and basketball for him to finally open up. Even then, it wasn’t just playing sports that helped him, it took a lot of maturing over time. He also would have told himself not to overwhelm himself with too many activities, but instead focus and put his time into a few things he truly cares about. As Heber closes out his senior year and prepares for the next chapter of his life, it’s clear that he’s taking everything he’s learned from focusing on fundamentals to balancing responsibilities with him. He knows it won’t be easy, but he’s more than ready to work hard, stay organized (with a little less procrastination, hopefully), and keep chasing his dreams. “Thank you”, Heber said, closing his chapter at high school but opening up a brand new book full of possibilities.
