From being incredibly funny and the life of the party to being an admirable and dedicated student, Diana Alfaro Navarro is one who shows what it means to really be an Owl. 

Diana’s been at Agua Fria for all four years and she’s been involved with many clubs such as Theatre, Key Club, Link Crew, etc. She is also a star student, taking several AP and honors classes with grand dreams for her future. 

Even while facing an erratic school year due to COVID-19, Diana doesn’t let adversity come into play when it comes to being a shining example of the senior 2021 class. 

“After high school, I plan to major in advertising and marketing at GCU and also minoring in theatre,” she said. 

At the moment she doesn’t have a specific overarching career plan as she wants to not dwell on the future too much but she has dreams of starting her own business. “My biggest goal in life is to become my own boss…and you know just be happy in the career plan I choose to decide on after college,” Diana said. 

For a person like Diana, this fits her personality as one who takes leadership positions and is smart. She would work best making her own decisions. 

“Starting as a freshman, I had a plan of going into law school but then I realized that it’s not what would make me happy,” Diana said “The more that I started joining clubs I found theatre is my passion, yet I want to be realistic as well.” 

From her beginning as a freshman, Diana always thought big about what she would want to do. After a while discovering her hobbies, she had an epiphany that she wanted to select a career where she would be financially stable and have a good work/life balance. 

Through her four years at Agua Fria, Diana learned a major life lesson that everything happens for a reason and you won’t ever be put through something you cannot handle. 

“In these span of four years a lot has changed that I couldn’t understand and I learned to evolve and become a better person because of it,” she said. 

Diana has a drive for when something needs to be done. Whether it feels impossible to overcome, you have to accept that you can’t change a situation and you could either learn something or let it ruin you. 

Senior Jimena Chavez, admires Diana for these reasons and many others. “She is so resilient,” Jimena said. “Whenever she wants to do something she will do it and she doesn’t hesitate or find a way around it…She doesn’t let anything stop her from reaching her goals.” 

Jimena and Diana pair so well maybe due to their humor, similar upbringings of being the eldest daughters in Hispanic households and holding a great love for theatre. 

Diana has had such a great impact on the theatre club and her persistent work effort is infectious to her peers. 

Jimena said, “She learned everything her freshman year and she’s always there to help others…she has a strong leadership character while you can rely on her to pull everything together.” 

Diana has held such impressive titles in the club, ranging from head of the sound department, head of tech, and being a 2020-2021 Thespian board officer. She even managed to direct her own show earlier this year! With these great responsibilities, Diana is an example of what your own hard work and passion can give you. 

Mr. Gonzalez, sponsor of AF’s theatre club, recalls Diana as “a very hardworking determined student. There have been some trials and tribulations throughout the school years, but Diana has shown great perseverance and has overcome many obstacles.  So very proud.” 

When asked about how she rose to the position of a leader in the club, he mentioned it was due to her “dedication, hardworking personality, being easy to work with, and patience.” 

Growing up as the first daughter in her immigrant household, she recalls it being difficult while also giving her an optimistic and appreciative view for the world and her family. 

“Being the oldest, we go through things alone a lot,” Diana said. “Coming from immigrant parents who didn’t have higher education, they may not understand a lot of the struggles at times but they’ve always been supportive.” 

While also having younger siblings, she feels she has to set an example to lead them to the right path for their own good. 

“Being a first generation student, I had to go through struggles where I had to seek help from outside my family environment because my parents didn’t have the opportunities that I had, and yet they’re always supportive of me through tough situations and they came to the U.S. to give me a better future,” Diana said. 

Even with these challenges in the way, Diana has pushed forward and strived to make her family and friends proud.

Diana said, “I want to thank Mr.Gonzalez for always being such a great teacher and director, for always caring for his fellow thespians and students, and for without him I wouldn’t have such a passion for theatre; the club wouldn’t be where it is without him.”

It goes to show that with your drive and determination, anything is possible for you. In my mind, when I think of someone who made an impact on others to reach their goals and to never settle for less, Diana comes to mind as one who puts in the work to get to where they want to be later in life.