As a staff writer and copy editor, Mauricio Herrera Cruz made many contributions to our news publication. His stories have the highest views of all of our stories this year. It is clear that Mauricio finds stories that are important to our community and his high readership shows that relationship. Beyond writing for The Jag Journal and entertaining his peers, what he enjoyed the most as a student at Segerstrom was learning about economics because, to him, he felt like he understood it naturally. In his free time, Herrera Cruz enjoys playing the guitar and listening to rock music. He is the oldest of two, growing up with only his mom and sister.

1.  What is/are your favorite memory(ies) of Segerstrom?

Some of my favorite memories from high school are writing a fake constitution for my government class and messing around with my friends in classes we had together. I also remember presenting for my AP Psychology class with my group and dressing up as Willy Wonka. This year, some of my best memories have been making business cards and starting a fake business where I would go around selling people stocks.

2.  How has your high school experience at Segerstrom shaped your life?

My high school experience at Segerstrom has shaped my life by helping me break out of my comfort zone and be more social. When I first started, I was quiet and introverted, but throughout my high school experience, I started to become more open to new experiences, and slowly I began to break out of my bubble. I found out that I had a talent for presenting and writing, which made me much more talkative and social. Some of my closest friends I also made in high school are thanks to the experiences that I went through.

3.  What are your plans after high school graduation?

After high school. I plan to attend Cal State Fullerton to major in business and then start my own company. If I have the time, I’d like to pursue a degree in law and maybe try to become a lawyer in the future. I plan to get my driver’s license at the end of the year when I turn 18 and maybe move into my own apartment in a year or two with some friends.

4.  What is one piece of advice you would give to an incoming freshman?

One piece of advice I’d like to give to incoming freshmen is to enjoy life while we have it. Time flies and although at the beginning you’ll feel like you just want to go home, at the end of your high school experience, you’re going to wish you talked to that one person or had five more minutes to relive all those experiences. Don’t be scared to break out of your comfort zone because, at the end of the day, we’re all trying to find our way in life. We all have a little magic in us to reach whatever dreams we want, we just have to stop and live in the moment.