Jose Lopez is a hardworking student loved by many teachers. You might see him in the science hall with Dr. Yoham or Dr. Hueck, but have you ever stopped and wondered about who he is? 

School day  

    Jose’s schedule consists of many difficult subjects; however, he tries hard in all of them and loves them with passion. First thing in the morning he goes into AP Government and Economics with Mr. R. Rivera. He enjoys this subject because government affects the everyday life of the people. “When you are ignorant about the government, you are ignorant about what is going on around you,” he stated. He believes that we as a society should be more active by petitioning the government on things that need to be changed.  

    He then goes into Honors Probability and Statistics with Ms. Prieto, a subject in which he finds great interest. “You always hear the word probability, but often time you don’t know where it’s coming from. That class does a great job at explaining what it is and what is valid or not,” he adds. 

    AP Physics with Mr. J. Rivera is on top of the list. Not only is it important to him as it is the subject that is needed to become an engineer, but he also loves the fact that it is very analytical and you don’t need to memorize everything. “Teachers like Mr.Rivera make physics fun,” he said.  

    Jose has great admiration for Ms. Munguia, his Calculus BC teacher. He believes that she is one of the most dedicated teachers that work consistently in assisting students to do well in class. Jose stated, “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Ms. Munguia. She’s an amazing teacher that has done amazing things for the math students who do not have the best advancement in their studies.” 

    Out of all his classes, nothing will top his favorite of all time, AP Research with Dr. DeNight, “The man, the myth, the legend,” he added. In this class, he is investigating a topic in psychology. He is glad to be with “the best English teacher I ever had.” 

     Although it is hard, Jose manages to balance out all his courses. Senioritis is a term where students in their final year of high school experience a decline in their motivation for school. Although he is not a victim of it, Jose has experienced a small decline. “It is not exactly because I’ve been lazy,” he says, “but because I’ve taken on new responsibilities.”  

His love for STEM 

     Jose Lopez is a big lover of the sciences, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Although he didn’t know much about the subjects when he came to Miami High, he has always loved science since middle school. After a life-changing experience, his love for science became a big part of his life.  

   He said, “I’ve lost important people like my dad back in my home country Honduras due to the crippling healthcare that there is.” He believes that science can change the way we diagnose and treat different diseases and damage to the human body. “With innovations and technology we can find a way to create a better healthcare system and make it more affordable and mobile,” he added. 

    He believes that everyone should explore science if they are curious about nature, how the human body works, how different diseases affect the human body, and how to find solutions affecting humanity. “You just have to be curious about your environment,” he said. “Things such as breathing might look simple, but it is such a complex process on a molecular level.” 

Outside of school 

     Always knowledgeable about what is happening around the world, Jose’s hobbies involve watching news channels on YouTube or Netflix documentaries about the government. He is not an avid movie person, but if someone is watching a movie that catches his interest, he will most likely watch it as well. Sci-fi is his favorite genre and movies like “The Flash” and “Fast & Furious” are his favorites.  

   If time allows, he loves to read books on psychology. His current read is a book called “Sapiens” which goes into how humanity came about. “The author mentions that we all came from Africa which I find interesting because people often judge others based on skin color. If there were to be another species of humans, society would start killing each other as we cannot tolerate differences,” he said.  

    In spite of his busy school schedule, Jose also works as a cashier at Burger King. When the place is short-staffed, he is also responsible for preparing the food or restocking cups. Although difficult, he manages to balance his activities by being resilient and multitasking. “I start doing homework at 11 p.m. and tell myself not to fall asleep because if I do, I will never finish,” he stated. He tries to be lenient on both, but he will always choose school first.  

    After all the activities going on in his life, he finds comfort and relaxation in nature. He is the type of person that relaxes by going up a tree or walking around the park. “I don’t relax by talking to others because I feel like that stresses me out even more,” he said. “Therefore, nature is my happy place.” 

Future plans 

    Rice University is Jose’s dream school. When asked why he applied, he stated confidently, “ I always try to shoot above the stars to get somewhere in the middle.” He loves the inclusivity and support Rice provides its students as well as the multiple research opportunities and engineering majors. This school is located in Houston, Texas, one of his favorite places which provides an environment where he would thrive not only as a student but as a person. “It would be like home far away from home,” he said. Even if he does not go to Rice University, he will still feel like he has done his job as a student.  

    He has plans to pursue a Ph. D. in biomedical engineering as he believes it has the potential to revolutionize the medical field. He has great hopes of working in a company that creates new medical tools that enhance and save the lives of minorities. Later on, he hopes to be the founder of a company that aligns with his goals.  

   “I’m like a boat in the middle of the sea,” he said, “Some wind may come by and blow me from my current plans.” Because of this, Jose has multiple interests and options. He is a lover of pedagogy so teaching others is something he would love to do in the future, and when he can’t stand anymore and is in a wheelchair, he would like to go into politics because he wants to be able to change some things that affect the community.

“I always try to shoot above the stars to get somewhere in the middle.“ 

—Jose Lopez