Last year, senior Jessica Gutierrez was the state champion in poetry. This year, she is preparing to go to college for acting. 

“The thing that appeals to me most about theatre is the acceptance and the energy of the community. I manage to always feel comfortable around anyone who I can understand when it comes to our feelings about theatre,” Gutierrez said.
Jessica thought that when she joined speech and debate, she was going to be a debater, but she changed her mind. 

“I thought I was going to do the debate side of it which is LD but when I got into interp, it was a lot more fun, and I realized I loved acting,” Gutierrez said.

When Jessica found out she was state champion, she was very excited and shocked. 

“Crazy, I didn’t believe it at first. It kind of felt unreal and then when it all kicked in, literally the following week, all I could think was wow,  I’m a state champion,” Gutierrez said.

All of her hard work and determination had finally paid off. 

“Don’t get discouraged by losing. Losing actually helps you, and makes you feel like you need to be better. When I lost, I felt like I needed to get better, like I actually wanted to beat these people and so when you lose, it actually encourages you,” Gutierrez said.