Celeste Perez

Celeste Perez – Texas
Nomination by Azalea Rosas-Perez
Photography by Seniors By Vaughanadora
Issue 84 of Inspiring Teens Magazine
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​Nomination: Celeste Perez, 16, a Junior attending La Pryor High School. Not only is she in the top 5 of her junior class but is also taking dual credit college courses and enrolled in a CNA program with plans to join the medical field. Aside from her busy academic schedule, Celeste also participates in various sports. She is currently on the cheer squad, volleyball team, track team, and is a part of the marching band as not only a flute player but also a drum major. She has also participated in the gifted and talented program and the national honor society.

Photography by Seniors By Vaughanadora
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​What does taking dual credit college courses entail on your end?
Taking dual credit college courses helps me to get ahead, so that when I go to college, I’ll already have my basic courses out of the way. It also helps that my high school pays for all the college courses that I attend, and I also receive high school credit for these courses.

What is the CNA program and how does it factor in with your school work?
A CNA is a Certified Nursing Assistant that works under a Registered Nurse or a Licensed Practical Nurse. I am currently enrolled in this college program through my high school and will hopefully be a licensed CNA before I graduate, which will help me find a job in the medical field while I finish college.

What are you hoping to do in the medical field?
I am hoping to either be a cardiologist or a pediatrician.

Tell us about your cheer career.
I’ve been a cheerleader since 7th grade. As a Junior, I am now in my 5th year in cheerleading, and have been voted All-American at cheer camp 3 years in a row.

What is a favorite memory with your cheer team?
My favorite memory with my cheer team would have to be attending cheer camp. You are not only able to bond with your team, but with the other schools as well. As we are learning new dances, cheers, and stunts, we are also learning to trust and be comfortable with each other.

What position do you play in volleyball and why does it suit you?
My position in volleyball is a middle front, but I’m not sure why it suits me.

What is your favorite accomplishment in track?
Just being involved in track is an accomplishment for me. I suffer from asthma and my lungs are not the strongest, but I love running and at the same time, it helps me to strengthen my lungs.

What do you love most about being in the marching band?
What I love the most about being in the marching band is all the love and laughs that I get to share with the rest of my band members, while also accomplishing our goals of being an award-winning band.

What is your favorite genre of music to play and why?
My favorite genre of music to play would have to be pop music because the songs are faster and more outgoing.

What was your time in the gifted and talented program like?
My time in the gifted and talented program was fun because we were able to do several projects that were challenging to complete.

What inspiring things about you does your nomination not cover?
Celeste Perez is a beautiful soul. She is smart, kindhearted, selfless, and shy, among other things. Once you break through her shyness, you find she has a great sense of humor, and you see she is the type of person that anyone can depend on with no questions asked.

What else would you like to talk about?
Things that I enjoy doing when I'm not involved with school activities is spending time with my family, reading, and writing. I am the oldest of my siblings. I have two brothers and a sister. Our ages vary, so I am the closest with my 13-year-old brother. He is one of my best friends. Reading and writing are things that I enjoy doing that help me relax. They take my mind off some things that may be a little stressful at the moment and help me clear my head.

What do you feel passionate about or could talk about forever?
What I feel most passionate about would have to be my family. I am very close with both my parents and I love all 3 of my siblings dearly, but I would have to say that my most favorite person in the world and the one person that I could talk about forever would have to be my oldest brother, Jose, known by everyone as "Cuatro".

How did you find your photographer? What was your experience like? What did you love most?
I heard about my photographer through a social media post on Facebook. She was recruiting juniors and seniors from our surrounding areas to be a part of her team. I let my mother know that I was interested, and she took me to a meet and greet that the photographer had arranged. I decided to apply and was lucky enough to have been chosen and given the opportunity to participate and be a part of her team. My experience with being a part of Seniors By Vaughanadora has been a challenge, and I mean that in the best way. Being taken out of my comfort zone for some of the photoshoots is the scariest feeling, but then seeing the results and how my pictures turn out, is the most thrilling feeling. The fact that I was able to get through my fears and accomplish the task is fulfilling. What I love the most from being a part of Seniors By Vaughanadora, is the bonding and time spent with my photographer, Roxann, and the other models on the team. It feels like a second family. The support that we give to one another is amazing. I know a lot of my confidence comes from this group of girls. I'm grateful that I was given the opportunity to meet every single one of them and have them a part of my life. Especially my photographer, Roxann. She's a firecracker! She brings the best out of me.

Why do you want to be in Inspiring Teens Magazine?
I never would’ve imagined that a small-town girl like me would have the opportunity to be in Inspiring Teens Magazine. I've always been shy in front of a camera or when meeting new people. I would want to be in Inspiring Teens Magazine because it would allow me to show other girls out there like myself, that are just as shy or lack that little bit of extra confidence, that they too can come out of their shell and that putting themselves out there, setting their fears aside, can give them access to opportunities that they otherwise wouldn't know existed.

If you had nothing to do and all day to do it, where would we find you?
You would definitely find me at McDonald’s. I will be sitting there with my best friend, Omar, eating the chicken nuggets and drinking the sweet tea that he paid for.

What is up next for you that you are super excited about?
I am really excited about being a senior next year.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years/what are your plans?
In 5 years, I see myself still attending college and preparing myself to become a pediatrician or cardiologist. Hopefully by then, I will have made up my mind on which of the two I want to be.

3 Things on your bucket list
I want to learn how to speak fluent Spanish.
I want to watch a sunset with all my friends together.
I want to travel to Paris.

Who do you find inspiring?
My mom because she is so strong and goes through so much and still manages to take care of all of us while also working and being the best mom she can be.

Look for Celeste in issue 84 of Inspiring Teens Magazine!
*Interviews are not edited after received from our inspiring teens - what you read is who they genuinely are!

click here for more information on issue 84

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