This month, the journalism class at PUHS launches a series of profiles of the class of 2018. Look for more profiles of these talented and interesting young people in upcoming issues of the PRT.

Elena Graham: Changing The Way We View Art

By Alicia Valenzuela

Elena Graham sees the world as a canvas. She has been in art for her four years in high school and if she could change anything, she would change how people see art so they could see how important it is.

After graduation, Graham wants to become a tattoo artist. “I like making people happy and building their confidence,” says Graham.

Her sister, Janna, has influenced her the most and motivates her to keep going to school. “We all have to go to school. It has been alright. I didn’t play any sports and wasn’t in any clubs,” says Graham, “but I spent a lot of time in the art room!”

The biggest life lesson Graham has had to face is the acceptance that “the people around you are going to hurt you, but you have to move onto better things. Don’t dwell on things. To my 13-year-old self, I would tell her to get her life together; don’t depend on anybody
else.

“If I had a month off I would go to Amsterdam. They have big waffles there,” smiles Graham. But on a more serious note, she would like to visit the Van Gogh Museum to see his art. “I would have liked to work with him. He’s my bro, man. I really like reading books about him because everyone sees him as being crazy or insane but there is an unseen side of him.”

Graham’s talents encompass playing the piano, painting, and drawing. “During high school,” she says, “I learned that I’m a rebel; I don’t like being confined and I just want to be free.”

Chris Miranda: Ready To Get Up and Get On!

By Kurt Whitcoe

Chris Miranda is a fun, outgoing, athletic senior at Patagonia High School whose charisma will serve him
well when he enlists in the U. S. Army. “I want to become a soldier and help people who are in need the most,” says Miranda.

Miranda has been a star Lobo athlete. He started playing sports as a freshman, and only got better from there, eventually learning how to become a team leader. Miranda has
been the quarterback of the football team, point guard in basketball, pitcher in baseball, and cross country runner, as well as addicted to lifting weights during weight training class.

Miranda created many fond memories in his four years of high school, but he says his favorite one is when his 2017 Lobos Basketball team went to state in Prescott. “It was a great experience with my team, who are now considered brothers to me,” says Miranda.

Miranda has been a part of student council and works as a lifeguard for the Patagonia Public Pool during the summer time.

Chris says that his teachers have been the main influence on him and that the greatest competition in life is with oneself, “So never give up,” says Miranda. If he could go back to his 13-year-old self he would say, “You’re an idiot,” but now, he would tell his 18-year-old self to “Get up and get on.”

Issac Vasquez: “Spur 1 for 90”

By Fabian Monge

Isaac Vasquez, senior at Patagonia High School, has always
enjoyed roping and ranching with his family and wanted to do that as a career up until his senior year. He now has his mind set on enlisting in the US Army. “I wanted to try something new and help out my country,” says Vasquez. His Army service will likely help fulfill one of his personal wishes to “bring world peace.”

Besides having fun being with friends, Vasquez says his high school experience helped him discover that he is a nice guy. “When I want to, I can be really nice,” he says with a smile.

Lobo fans will remember Vasquez as an outstanding athlete who played varsity football for three years and varsity basketball for four years.

Vasquez grew up in Santa Cruz, Mexico, and goes there in the summer and during any free time he has during the school year. His family has a cattle ranch in Santa Cruz where
he punches cows and learned to team rope in his spare time. During competitions he has won $250, two buckles team roping, and a saddle for winning first place at a competition in Mexico. “I grew up doing it and it was very appealing to me,” he reflects.

“Spur 1 for 90,” a bronc riding saying, is Vasquez’s motto which encourages him to hold on and ride out any situation he encounters.

Mariana Roberts: Ready for the U.S. Army

By Desiree Merino and Fabian Monge

Mariana Roberts, senior at Patagonia Union High School, has had her mind set for a while on what she wants to do after high school. She will join the U.S Army and hopes to become a surgeon, taking after her father who was a high-ranking warrant officer and who also influenced her to join the Army.

During high school, Roberts has been a member of the tennis and cross country teams. She won several JV awards for cross country and “was a dedicated member of the team for three years,” said coach Jim McMahon. Roberts has been in the art class since her freshman year and has won many awards, most notably, first place in the adult amateur division for photography at the Santa Cruz County Fair.

Roberts says she has enjoyed art her whole life, but especially during high school. “Mariana creates with a heart in tune with the flow of the universe. Her intelligence, kindness and positive attitude shine through each photographic composition or painting. We are lucky to have Mariana in our art classroom because she is so empathetic of, and encouraging for, the other creative spirits around her,” says PUHS Art teacher Elizabeth McCowin.

Roberts does not have much free time on her hands, but when she does she is most likely binge watching “Supernatural” on Netflix or taking a peaceful hike.

Roberts says her mother has influenced her the most because she showed her that anything is possible, you just need to work at it. Someone that inspires Roberts, and proved that anything is possible, is Demi Lovato because of her ability to transform her life of addiction into a healthy lifestyle and successful career.

“Be true to yourself, don’t hold back on who you are as a person,” is Roberts’ life motto.

Fabian Monge: Unconfined

By Chesed Chap

Fabian Monge is a fun-loving graduating senior who took every opportunity that Patagonia Union High School offered him. Starting his freshman year, Fabian played football for the Lobos until senior year when he became a manager for the PUHS soccer team. When not on the field, Fabian could be found enjoying Mrs. Hayes’ English class, which he describes as his favorite part of the school day.

Components of the high school experience that Fabian enjoyed include his friends and the fact that due to the small community, all the students at PUHS were familiar with each other. Fabian looks back on his high school years at Patagonia fondly. “One of my favorite high school memories is probably the career fair field trip to Cochise College my junior year. It was a very fun trip with all of my friends.” During these four years of self-discovery, Fabian blossomed into what he describes as a “cool, caring, and outgoing” person.

Following graduation, Fabian plans on getting a job at the local mine before studying at Carrington College to become a vet tech, and then ultimately a veterinarian. Along with accomplishing that career goal, Fabian says that in his adulthood he hopes to travel and experience different places.

When asked of his inspirations, Fabian names his mother, Ivonne. “My mother inspires me the most because she is such a hard worker and a perfect role model.” Fabian says if he had a motto to live by, it would be “You are confined only by the walls you build yourself.” This quote sums up Fabian Monge: an unconfined soul with much he hopes to explore.