After tallying all of the Junior class’s collective votes, the results are in, and we here at The Spellbinder are more than happy to announce that the winner of the student spotlight is Bryan Rodriguez!

With parents who didn’t finish high school, Rodriguez came here to Middle College three years ago to finish the dream that his parents never did. “Coming to Middle College gave me the chance to make them proud, to go out and get the opportunities that they never had growing up,” Rodriguez stated. Through all of the trials of his teenage years, Rodriguez has managed to maintain a 3.3 GPA, and has been awarded Student of the Month several times, all while keeping everyone in his life on an equal level of love and appreciation.

If you see Rodriguez in the halls, you may recognize him by his band shirt or his long, curly hair; both distinctive characteristics are personal to him. Although Rodriguez may seem to have a hard exterior, inside he’s been labeled as one of the sweetest people here at MCHS by several students. Rodriguez is known to be caring and understanding of everyone, no matter who you are and no matter what situation you’re in. From helping low-income children at Heroes Elementary with their homework every single Friday to donating to Locks of Love, Rodriguez truly is an individual we should all look up to. An amazing friend, Bryan has brought the people around him countless gifts, both mental and physical, whenever the time calls for it.

Rodriguez’s hobbies include video games such as “Fortnite” and “Overwatch” and listening to heavy metals bands such as Slipknot and Slayer. Having played with Bryan, I can tell you that he’s not the best, but he puts forth a valiant effort to finish every game of “Fortnite” strong. Time with Bryan is filled with laughter, jokes, and most of all encouragement. Another one of Rodriguez’s passions is cooking, something that he doesn’t openly share with everyone he meets. He is an amazing cook who brings the local flavors of downtown Santa Ana into every one of his dishes. He aspires to own his own food truck one day and travel around the country giving food to low-income families everywhere. “I just want to see people happy and food makes lots of people happy, no matter who they are. Plus, it’s something I’m good at so why not do it.” When I asked his fellow students to describe Bryan in one word they said, “Kind,” “Caring,”  “Sweetheart,”  “Metalhead,”  “Funny,”  and “Awesome.”

Although Bryan doesn’t look it, he is one of the most caring, kind, and respectful people to have ever walked this campus. Whether you know him for his love of metal, or love him for the things he’s done to make you smile, Bryan is an outstanding student and an even greater friend to those around him. For that, Bryan is more than deserving of this honor.