Imagine: a sarcastic sounding boy with a love for the Beatles and a height so tall you probably need to look up to talk to him. With sentences littered with curse words and a schedule filled with APs, this example is none other than senior Quique De La Cruz. Known for his witty sense of humor, superb volleyball skills, and extroverted personality, Quique De La Cruz will surely be missed in the city of Claremont as he heads off to Boston University in the winter semester. As his top out-of-state school, Boston University included the undergraduate program that was exactly what De La Cruz needed to succeed for the next four years.
“I got into the College of General Studies [for Economics], which allows you for the first two years of school to focus on your hub credits and then your third and fourth year, you can really focus on your major that you selected when you applied.” De La Cruz said. “With the program, you get a gap semester, so essentially I’m going to be starting in January. It’s exciting because I’m going to London for the school study abroad program for a semester abroad in the summer of 2023.”
At Boston University, De La Cruz plans on immersing himself in extracurriculars, particularly with the Puerto Rico Student Association, Undergraduate Economics Association, and the recreational volleyball league. He finds that working with students around him with similar interests and academic passions will help him find new connections in college. Of course, De La Cruz will continue to go on planned workout trips at the “S-tier workout facility” that Boston University has to offer. To quote De La Cruz, he just “comes in with his little card and *does flexing muscle moves.*”
With no fear or nerves of moving away so far from Southern California, De La Cruz is excited to live in a city that is full of variety and new experiences, especially with the different weather Boston experiences.
“I think I’m going to be sad to leave all my friends and all my connections, but I’m actually more excited than nervous. I feel like it’s kind of an escape. It’s a new beginning.” De La Cruz said. “As a person who has never really been around any snow or anything besides the warm weather of California, I’m really excited to see the four seasons, I won’t lie. Especially in Boston, you get so much of everything.”
As he still has a little less than one week left of his senior year, De La Cruz would like to thank the teachers that made an impact on his four high school years, specifically Mr. Tucker, Mr. Thomas, and Mr. Easton.
“Mr. Tucker really gave me that foundation of hard work and how to study for really hard tests in AP Bio. With Mr. Thomas, I found out what it means to have a really genuine teacher who cares about his job more than I’ve ever seen.” De La Cruz said. “And Mr. Easton, of course. He really put me on that Economics path, you know, and made me fall in love with the subject. I really like how he taught it and I can’t wait to learn it at a higher level.”
To all freshmen and underclassmen, De La Cruz gives a piece of advice: be more kind while still being yourself. As he closes out his final moments in Claremont and gets ready for the big move to Boston, De La Cruz reminisces on his favorite memories at CHS.
“Mr. Easton’s sixth period AP Economics class. That class will always stick with me.” De La Cruz said. “My favorite memory is a little inside joke: playing Monopoly instead of taking my AP Economics final.”
De La Cruz would like to thank and shout out his mom and dad, his sister Lily, Elliott, Ryan Singleton, Mauricio, Fernando, Andrew, Luke, Noah, Luan, Kenny, Brodie, Taylor, Ryan Reycinos, the Volleyball team, Luke Scott, and anyone else who left a positive impact on his life. Congratulations, Quique, and good luck on your journey to the East Coast!