You wouldn't know it just by looking at her, but soon-to-be sophomore Lorena Estefany Dominguez, simply Estefany to her friends, speaks fluently in both Spanish and English, belly dances in her free time and is still able to be one of the fashion leaders of The Academy For Technology and the Classics.

One person who may have had a hand in shaping Estefany's exceptional life is her father.

"The person who has influenced me the most is my dad," Estefany said. She also mentions her former teacher, Karen Montoya.

"(She) inspired me to attend college, to follow my dreams and to take every opportunity in life," Estefany said.

Estefany is already a huge fan of poetry and photography, and even composes her own poems when she has an inspiration.

"I'm a dreamer," Estefany said. "My goals include learning to play the harp, learning to speak Arabic and doing as much traveling as I can."

If believing you can do something is the first step to achieving it, then Estefany is already halfway there.

"I am most proud of myself for making progress in becoming a positive person," she said. With perfect grades and friends around every corner, her outlook on life at the age of
15 couldn't be brighter.

When she gets older, Estefany has even more aspirations to accomplish. Her plans to attend college, become a court interpreter and travel the world aren't very far off. In the meantime, Estefany still likes spending time with friends and reading books, all the while maintaining an amiable view of the world.



Vaughn Fortier-Shultz is a freshman at Academy for Technology and the Classics. You can reach him at moosemanxl@gmail.com.