According to senior Max Ibarra, the time you have in high school is whatever you make of it. Max is in the AVID program and is Wenatchee High School’s ASB vice president. During his high school journey, he has learned the value of choosing positivity and involvement to make his high school experience memorable.
“There’s so many different ways that I could have made my mind up about school,” Max said. “There are some people who are like, ‘Ugh, I hate school, it’s the worst thing ever.’ But we’re stuck in this for four years so we have to make the best out of it. So go out [and join] clubs, be a part of ASB… try to have that mindset.”
Max joined ASB when he ran for vice president his senior year. He’s created some of his favorite high school memories through the program. The times that he spent outside of school hours setting up prom, homecoming, morning doors and various other activities have cultivated memories for him that he will cherish.
“Spending time with people that have the same vision and mindset like I had, like wanting to make something better [and] wanting to take time out of their day and help [put together] something that’s not only impacting them but [also] a whole body of students [was my favorite],” Max said.
Max focused primarily on ASB and AVID, so he put everything he had into what he believed in and enjoyed. He desires to use ASB to help others, and his inspiration came from his friend Nico Kitos.
“This wonderful person named Nico Kitos really just inspired me to be a part of positive change and being a positive person… her and Lynn [Karalyn Norand] being at morning doors every single morning and being positive no matter the weather, always [being] there [and] saying good morning. It takes a lot of time and commitment to do stuff like that, and for them to do it every day is like, ‘I can do that for others too.’ There’s never a time when I’m not doing something,” Max said.
Waiting until his senior year to join ASB is what Max regrets the most. He recommends it highly to anyone who asks and advises that students increase their involvement however it works for them.
“Be a part of school, even if your friends think it’s lame. It doesn’t matter. As long as you like it and you think it’s something you would enjoy, you [should] still try to put yourself out there,” Max said.
Diela Barrera met Max in seventh grade, and she has too many fond memories with him to count. However, one in particular sticks out.
“This one time that we went to the carnival, that one slide that just goes down, he went to the top by himself because none of us had tickets, and he just came down laughing… sliding down by himself laughing. I feel like that summarizes him because he doesn’t need anyone to be laughing or cracking up or saying jokes or stuff like that,” Diela said.
Diela described Max as the human embodiment of a rom-com or a comedy movie, noting that he is funny and carefree. She feels they stick well together because of how alike they are.
“We’re both very [much] comedic relief and, again, very carefree,” Diela said.
Another close friend of his is Kaylee Ayala, whom he met at the library during sixth grade. Kaylee described him as mainly an extrovert and a good communicator with a huge personality. Kaylee will be attending Wenatchee Valley College while Max is bound for Eastern Washington University, but she believes that she and Max will be keeping in contact and seeing each other in the future.
“Well, obviously, we’re going to go our separate ways because we’re going to separate colleges, but I feel like we’ll be able to meet again, and it won’t be awkward… I feel like we will still be in each other’s future, we just won’t see each other every day,” Kaylee said. “He’s just my best friend.”
Max attributes who he is, from his musical taste to his personality, to his sister. He owes everything to his sister and his mom. They taught him everything about respect, kindness and how to treat others.
“My sister worked so hard during her time in high school and college. When she was in high school she was basically raising me, and my mom worked so hard trying to provide for me and my siblings. She did everything that she could,” Max said. “My mom is so strong– she is so willpowered. Nothing can stop her. [If] she has something on her mind [then] she will get that thing done. After being in a car accident, she could not walk, but she had the willpower to relearn how to walk… now she has a cane [and] is getting around, and that is not stopping her from doing the things that she loves. She’s always out, she’s always doing something to better me [and] better my siblings. The strength that she had to pull that off, to learn how to walk again after that horrible car accident, is so empowering.”
Max also views Jenaia Johnson as his mentor and teacher throughout high school. She has helped him stay on track and prepare for everything he wants to do after high school. They have walked together through all four years, and she has been a safe place for him.
“She really pushed me way out of my comfort zone. She’s really a comfort person; there are so many different aspects about her that make her so welcoming and inviting and empowering. Just being around her can instantly make everything better. Just her being her boosted my confidence that I could do anything,” Max said.
His goal is to attend Eastern Washington University for his prerequisites and then transfer to the University of Washington for a nursing degree. He wants to be a travel nurse and go to places in need. He aspires to be someone else’s “Mrs. Johnson.”
“I have had the pleasure of enduring four years with Max, from IPC to bio, to junior AVID to senior AVID, and I have obviously seen him grow because I have been on this entire career of high school with him. From Zoom Max to VP Max, he has definitely just grown into the great young man that he is, who is confident and just likes to have fun and can take on the world,” Johnson said.
Johnson has formed countless memories with Max. She has seen him through all his academic highs and lows and watched him grow into a leader who is able to bring his ideas to life.
In Johnson’s mind, there is no way that Max does not stand out. He ran for Mr. Panther, he’s WHS’s ASB Vice President and any time he enters a room, he brings life with him. What impresses Johnson the most is that despite his ups and downs, he has displayed great grit and determination.
More than that, Max and Johnson have become close friends over the past four years.
“He is like a little brother I never had,” Johnson said. “He’s funny, kind, energetic, slay, serve and queen– yes.”