In April 2014, Daniel Ramirez stood proudly on the stage of the Achieve Gala as our student keynote speaker. As a soon-to-be graduate of North High School, Daniel was extremely excited to embark on the next chapter of his life. With his first year of college completed, we wanted to catch up with him to see how he’s doing.
[hr]My first year at University of Colorado Denver was a blast. I was surrounded by so many people who all shared a love of education with me. I met many people from various backgrounds. Every person is unique in their own way, so I took advantage of meeting all the new people I could. I also got to learn about myself. I took each challenge I faced and used it as an opportunity to mold me as a person. I learned that college is about knowing who you are and learning from those around you.
My first year was tough. I faced a lot of academic challenges. I struggled when it came time to study for exams. I was stressed since I knew the exams were such a huge part of my grade; I couldn’t afford to do badly. I never felt so challenged in my life, especially in my science courses. I had to focus on my time management. I had a lot of new things to balance, so I had to spend quality time learning how to keep the many balls up in the air. I am thankful that my DPS teachers taught me how to be resourceful. I was able to use the support of the academic centers to help me prepare for my exams.
I encourage all DPS students to utilize the resources that are available to them in their school. High school students should talk to their counselors about classes and opportunities that align with the major or career path they’d like to study. Students should also take full advantage of the Advanced Placement (AP) courses; they come in handy for graduation requirements and provide a foot in the door for college readiness. It will never hurt to have college credits under your belt! Lastly, I encourage all DPS students to live life in the moment. There were so many times that I kept saying, ‘I can’t wait to go to college.’ Now that college is here, I have had so many times when I wish I could re-live parts of my DPS education. I will forever be a North Viking and a DPS scholar!
