Heather Blandon is a Miami High senior that is not only known for her intellectual abilities but her brilliant personality that makes you feel like you’ve known her for ages. 

School life 

       Being ranked Summa Cum Laude was one of the many accomplishments that Heather has received.  Many might think it’s a gift or she didn’t have to work hard to be able to get it. However, it’s much harder than it sounds.  

    In freshman year she decided to take AP Spanish Language and Culture, which was an introduction to all the rigorous work that was to come because in the next year she took AP Spanish Literature as a sophomore and that consisted of a lot of memorizing. 

      In junior year she made the important decision to take AP Chemistry, AP English Language and Composition, AP Calculus A/B, AP Seminar, and AP Biology. This changed her life because, like others, she gets tired and stuck in some classes. 

     She said, “I took five advanced placement classes my junior year, which caused me to feel like I couldn’t think or concentrate, and my reading comprehension worsened. I literally felt like an airhead.” But she didn’t let that stop her from trying and she looked at many ways to improve in school.  

    She states, “For me, learning is a necessity. I learn to not be misinformed or manipulated by anyone else, but also because it makes me feel a little wiser.” She says she couldn’t have made it without the support of her friends. She states “I had two very close friends, whom I spent a lot of time with, and I was always happy to be with them. I felt like I belonged somewhere in such a big school.” 

    All her hard work paid off at the end when she was granted the Quest Bridge scholarship to Washington University in St. Louis. The process was tedious and stressful for her because of the amount of time it took to complete it.  When she won the award, she didn’t feel anything in the beginning. She states, “I don’t think I was as happy as my friends were when they found out, but their happiness quickly stuck to me. So, the more I thought about it, the happier and prouder I was.” 

Personal Life 

      In Heather’s free time she enjoys reading books that make the time worthwhile. “I love stories, whether they’re real or not because I learn from them,” she said. 

    She enjoys reading so much that she is part of two book clubs in different libraries: one of them is a Spanish book club, where she reads books in Spanish, and the other one is a horror book club, which focuses on certain genres such as horror, suspense, and thriller. She also enjoys watching movies and series that distract her from school for a while.  

       After a long day in school, she also enjoys listening to music. She said, “Music makes me feel grateful for being able to hear something so beautiful and alive.” Whenever she has a task to get done, music helps her concentrate.  

    She recommends listening to calm music with no lyrics. However, for her it’s post-rock or synthase because she says, “Listening to those two genres slows things down for me and helps me think; it fills me with a sense of peace. It’s almost therapeutic.” She also likes to listen to rock, pop, folk music, phonk, synthwave, and retro music. Recently, she’s listened to EDM music, especially House music. She states, “Overall, I’m pretty much open to any music genre.” 

      Having accomplished so much in high school, Heather saw that she can achieve anything she put her mind to. She states, “It leaves me with no excuse but to work hard to achieve my goals.” 

       In the future she imagines herself in a home enjoying family time and privacy. She wants to visit many beautiful places such as her home country Nicaragua and enjoy her peace.  

Family 

      Heather and both of her parents were born in Nicaragua, but her two little brothers were born in Miami, Florida. Her favorite childhood memory that she misses the most involves her cousins in Nicaragua and admiring the mountains there. The other is running around in the park without a care in the world.  

      She stays connected to Nicaragua by calling, texting, and always staying up to date with her family back there. Heather enjoys listening to her family’s stories that motivate her to try hard to accomplish her hopes and dreams. “The two family members that were the most inspiring for me are my parents because they are the ones who always pushed me to do my best and supported me,” she said.