The person I interviewed for my senior interview is Maximus Reyes, a self-described very chill dude/baker, but is he really? I interviewed him about some basic aspects of his life and what he plans to do next. During the interview, I asked him to describe himself in three words, and he responded with “kind, lazy, and thoughtful”.  I was inclined to agree with what he said, so I threw him a curveball and asked him about any important memories/experiences he had. He responded with a very interesting story, “ In elementary school, I was playing soccer with my friends, and I tripped and ate mud.” I teared up a bit and asked him another question, about his experiences in high school, worrying it was as sad as middle school. His response shocked me when he said, “ Freshman year, I was very shy, I didn’t talk to anyone… Now I’ll talk to whoever I know.” How I see it, he transformed from a shy guy into a wonderful, confident man. He also stated he was proud to be on the boys’ volleyball team. He even said that it was his greatest achievement during high school.

Through the questioning, I’ve learned more than he lets on. For example, he stated that Volleyball impacted him the most. This surprised me because I didn’t expect a volleyball player to be impacted by volleyball, but he expanded on his response with “ … it just taught me that I can push myself more and work harder”. As the conversation continued, I asked him two big questions: what does his future look like, and what will he be remembered for in this school. His response will shock you as it shocked me. He stated that he would start working with his father after high school and go to Riohondo. He said he is going to learn construction, plumbing, and electrical work from his father. For the question about what he would be remembered for, he gave me a serious answer about wanting people to remember his kindness and how easy it was to talk to him. As the interview concluded, I found myself connected to some of his troubles and triumphs, and also learned so much more about him than he lets on. What I’ve learned from his experiences is that you can grow from an antisocial person to a chill dude who is easy to talk to. Maximus Reyes is a kind, thoughtful, and hard-working individual who should be remembered for his kindness and wonderfully tasting cookies.