By Anastasia Salazar
Over four years, Keely Ortiz has put in an incredible amount of work to fulfill her time here at Minarets. A club that Keely has been involved in from the start is Showband. Keely’s involvement with Minarets Showband has been nothing short of transformative. She has grown tremendously with her stage skills and singing abilities, which made her time in the showband so special. Keely explains, “I learned a lot from Showband. One is teamwork. It is important to collaborate with your bandmates and have fun together so that when you're on that stage, your love for music and singing shows.”
Since attending Minarets, Keely has made amazing connections with students and teachers who have helped her grow into the individual she is today. Keely explained that leaving her friends and the peers she has made connections with will be extremely hard, as she will miss everyone dearly. A staff member who has been an integral part of Keely’s success is the band teacher, Mr. Samuelson. Keely states, “Mr. Samuelson has helped me progress in music, such as percussion and vocals. I feel like he has gotten me to where I am music-wise, and I am very appreciative of his support over the past few years.” Keely’s amazing singing abilities are natural, but it's evident that Samuelson's encouragement has significantly enhanced her vocals.
A unique project that has kept seniors' spirit alive, and given them the chance to leave a mark at Minarets before graduating, is the SLE project. Along with every senior, Keely has had to come up with an idea that best benefits the community and Minarets. Keely’s SLE was very unique and had never been done before. As being in showband has made such an impact on her, she decided to showcase showband covers to the entire school by playing them over the intercom during passing periods. She further explains, “I decided to showcase showband talent because I wanted to gain more recognition for our band.” As their songs still play over the intercom, students are becoming more and more familiar with their beautiful voices. Giving them the attention and recognition they deserve!
Since attending Minarents, Keely has been fighting to reach the finish line and begin a new life outside of high school. Her plans for the future include attending a four-year college and majoring in education to become a high school teacher. Beyond that, she hopes to settle down in Astoria, Oregon to further her teaching career. Her aspiration for wanting to educate young minds is evident, and I am positive she will become a great mentor for her future students!
The last thing I asked Keely was what advice she would give to the incoming freshman. Keely explained, “I want incoming freshmen as well as current freshmen to know that doing your work should be a priority. It became very challenging for me to complete and turn in my work when I got behind, so I would make sure to do my work to not get behind.” Keely’s advice can hopefully help and benefit other freshmen or incoming freshmen for the next year! We appreciate Keely and all the hard work she has put into the years here at Minarets. We wish her the best, and hope she continues to work hard and do great things in the future!
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