Hello everyone! My name is Noelia Lopez and, as you can see here, I am Editor-in-Chief! I hope you are very pleased with the outcome of my section alongside the talent of Freedom High School students! As the school year continues, my main concern is satisfying you (the viewers) with knowledge of our students, campus, and teachers. The Student Life section has been filled with interesting topics including the homecoming lunch rally, the effects of being a bystander, day in the life of Melanie Valadez, and much more! If there are any comments, questions, or concerns surrounding the page, please feel free to send me an email!

A little “autobiography” about myself: I am a 16 year old student athlete enjoying my last two years of high school as a Junior. Aside from writing, I enjoy my time by being with friends and family. Growing up in a very family oriented environment, I’ve been taught the importance of having support and cherishing valuable memories with those who are alongside me! One of my favorite hobbies to do in my free time is to travel. I've had the luxury of traveling outside the country and exploring cultural differences throughout the world. I enjoy finding beauty in every aspect and like to capture the “little” moments through photography. Whenever words disenfranchise me, I immediately rely on photography by viewing an event, emotion, or expression through a different angle.

Before the school year began, I signed up for journalism without realizing the great effects it would have on me, as a writer, creating something memorable for the community. It genuienly is a privilege having a safe environment learning “real life” situations in the workfield of writing. As an aspiring journalist, being in a leadership role has allowed me to gain perspective and expand my comfort zone by working with other motivated people. Looking back months from now, I definitely see a broad difference journalism has brought forward to me. I was a very timid person unwilling to look at new activities, especially coding, but after dreadful nights of watching YouTube videos and accidentally deleting pages I’ve worked on for hours…I can now say I’ve made the newspaper my new, but stressful, hobby and can hopefully continue holding this position till the end of my high school career.

Education has always been an important topic for me. Having ancestors who immigrated to the United States for better opportunities has shaped me to be a young, dedicated, individual. I value hard work and the significance of expressing one’s cultural background. As I continue my studies past high school, one goal of mine is to study abroad in Guadalajara, Mexico. Just like my Mom, I am inspired to follow my dreams and meet difficult obstacles at a young age. I am grateful to have two loving parents (along with siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents) allowing me to grow up believing the sky's the limit. In every step back, whether it was when I struggled to learn English or the transition from middle to high school, I always had my peers pushing me to meet high expectations I could overcome!