When Esther Lopez Gutierrez gets onto the badminton court to play, she knows that she is not alone. She and her doubles partner, Polette Nunez Almazan, make a winning pair. “Polette, is great to get along with,” she said. “! I feel like we understand each other and we’re able to teach each other.”

“My most memorable game was my first away game,” said Lopez. “I locked my phone inside my locker and was struggling to open it. Polette and I also were confused about where the bus was parked, so we just ran around. I thought we were going to be late, but luckily we made it in time.”

Lopez joined the badminton team last year because she thought it would be an interesting sport.” I wasn’t the best when I first started out, I’m still learning, I hope I make great progress!” she said.

That progress is paying off and Lopez thinks it would be a great sport to continue playing even into college, but it’s not the only thing that keeps her busy. At school, she is part of the International Baccalaureate (IB) program and the Christian Club. In her free time, she enjoys reading and drawing. “I also bake and cook sometimes,” she said.

Lopez is the third of five children, with two brothers and two sisters. Her role model is her mother “since she’s the most hardworking person I know,” she said.

After graduating from Armijo, Lopez hopes to go to either UC Irvine or UC Los Angeles.