By Eera Bhagwat and Penelope Nunes
Behind every event, whether it is a dance, football game, or rally, there is a woman that does the work nobody else wishes to do. She strives to make our school a better place one day at a time. That incredible woman is Laura Saldaña. She not only has so much passion for our school, but she dedicates so much time to making sure everything is run smoothly. She prioritizes Westmont and ASB over things in her personal life, simply to make sure all students are happy and feel seen. Her pride and commitment will not go unnoticed—let’s dive back into her high school years to find out some interesting facts about what makes her her!
Where did you go to high school?
Canyon Del Oro in Arizona.
What was your school’s mascot?
The Dorado.
When did you graduate?
1996, it was a great year!
What was your favorite class in high school and why?
All of my performing arts classes, as well as senior AP Gov class, we were taught how to think and analyze, plus got to teach class for 3 days
What was your most challenging class and why?
Probably my AP Calc BC, I dropped it mid year because my mind was not clicking.
What extracurricular activities were you involved in?
I was involved in orchestra, choir, band, where I played the drums, and I was involved in a bunch of clubs.
What was your favorite extracurricular activity and why?
Orchestra, that was my first musical stuff I did so I had been doing it for a long time. I did all three in college but that was my first love, I had a lot of people and friends involved, we even toured part of Europe playing.
Who were your favorite bands/artists/songs while in high school?
I am definitely a 90s R&B/hip-hop type of person. I loved Salt-N-Pepa, TLC, and En Vogue.
What was your favorite TV show in high school?
Torn between Fresh Prince, and Dawson’s Creek.
What was your favorite novel?
Animal Farm or The Fountainhead.
What was your favorite movie while in high school?
My favorite movie has been The Princess Bride.
What are your favorite memories of high school?
All the football games, riding the bus to the football games for band, touring Europe with the orchestra, and senior prom!
What is your least favorite memory of high school?
There was this bus I was riding to a football game, I was at the back and this young freshman had drunk too much soda and puked out the window, it flew back in and hit me. It was orange soda too…Absolutely disgusting.
What time did school start and end?
No idea.
What was your GPA?
I actually do know this one, we didn’t have weighted grades so I had a 3.83.
Did you receive any awards?
Yeah, I got a lot of awards within the music program, and I was the equivalent of drum major for orchestra. I also received a national scholarship, so college was totally free.
How did you get to school (if you drove, what kind of car)?
When I was a kid, my parents drove me, and then I got a car as soon as I could, a huge brown station wagon…it got me where it could.
Did you ever have to go to the dean’s or principal’s office? Why?
No, but I definitely had a couple teachers that didn’t like me.