Leslie Quezada finished her senior year with high achievements academically and has already began to take the next step in her career. Following an internship at the Toyota dealership in Glenwood Springs, she is ready for what’s to come following Yampah Mountain’s graduation on Friday.

Here are her responses to our graduate profile questions. 

Q: What is the most important thing you’ve learned these last four years?

A: The most important thing I have learned these past four years doesn’t have to do with education — it’s actually something called Glossier’s five basic needs. The five needs are power, love and belonging, fun, freedom and survival. I learned that keeping them in balance in our life is important because when we lose balance we feel our of control. 

Q: What motivated you most to do well in high school?

A: My biggest motivation is Annalise. She was an advisor my first two years at Yampah, and she never gave up on me and always found a way to keep me going and helped me in my hardest times. I felt very cared for, and that made me want to do good to make her proud. I also want to thank my advisor Jack for believing in me and being understanding and helping me succeed. He never failed to tell me how proud of me he is.

Q: What will you miss about high school?

A: I will miss the environment I was given. Yampah has truly found a way to make me comfortable and make me want to be myself and do my best. I’ve never in my time there felt like I was talked down to or made to feel like a kid; I was talked to person-to-person. Not to mention they are super understanding and do everything they can to help you in the way you need. 

Q: Where are your post-graduation plans taking you and why?

A: My plans post-graduation are to get a job at Toyota when I turn 18. I’m also working on a 2002 Toyota Celica, so I’m very excited to see how that turns out. I’m trying to see where life takes me at the moment, but wherever it is, I know it will be good.

Q: What do you most look forward to in your future?

A: What I most look forward to in my future is the adventures I’m going to take and the life experience I’m going to earn. I’m very excited to be an adult and get an apartment or house in the future. But most of all, I’m excited to take what I learned here and share it with others because my time at Yampah was truly life-changing, and I wouldn’t have traded my experience there for anything.