Although Terrence DeLaCruz has been at Armijo since his freshman year, those years have each been very different, not because of his involvement with sports or clubs, but because of the connections he’s made with his friends.

“I went to a few events and games, like the Teachers vs Students at lunch, for example,” he said. Otherwise, he hasn’t created many school-specific memories. “The thing I am going to miss the most is having the opportunity to just hang out with my friends during school and have fun with them and my cool teachers.”

“My favorite memory of Armijo is when Mr. Clawson was telling us his scary stories during October and building them up until Halloween,” he said. And while DeLaCruz wasn’t really involved in extracurriculars, he had considered trying out for the wrestling team in his junior year. Shortly after that, the campus was shut down, sports were cancelled, and students were forced to work from home.

Distance learning is just one of those things that DeLaCruz has taken in stride. “COVID-19 hasn’t really impacted me that much personally, but it has affected school,” he said. “It changed my perception of senior year by making it feel really weird. This year is supposed to be really meaningful as it is my last year at Armijo, but distance learning has made it feel like any other school year.” Physically, though, this year is anything but normal.

He is leaving Armijo, but next year’s freshmen can look forward to a more “normal” high school experience, and DeLaCruz said that he would encourage them to keep their grades up, especially during the early years. “If you fail during those early years, then it will determine if you are on track or not to graduate senior year, so you should always keep good grades the first two years, then after that you can do what you want,” he said.

In spite of the pandemic, DeLaCruz is leaving with fond memories. “I enjoyed my time at Armijo and I wish I could do everything over again,” he said. “It feels just like yesterday that I was just a freshman going into high school for the first time, not knowing what to expect. I am grateful for all the fun memories and cool friends I made along the way.”

The next chapter in his life will begin in the fall. He has plans to study Computer Science at Solano Community College and that will be his first step into being a Computer Technician or something in that area.