Q. What grade are you currently enrolled in?

A. I am in 12th grade at Salisbury High School.

Q. Who is in your family? Please provide the names of your family members: parents, siblings and pets.

A. My parents are Antonio Tacuri and Mercy Armijos, my brother is Kevin Tacuri, my sister is Yuleidy Tacuri, my nieces are Bianca Tacuri and Galia Simbala, my nephew is Leonardo Tacuri, my dog is Doky and my cat is Lucas.

Q. What is your favorite subject? Why?

A. Environmental science because I like to learn about the interaction between humans and the environment.

Q. Have you received any special awards or recognition?

A. Yes, I have received recognition in National Honor Society.

Q. Are you involved in any extracurricular activities?

A. Not right now, but I was on the school soccer team. I do volunteer hours.

Q. What is your next goal after high school?

A. Complete my ESL classes in the summer. After finishing ESL classes, I will begin criminal justice classes at Lehigh Carbon Community College.

Q. What do you consider to be your biggest challenge to date?

A. My biggest challenge is learning to speak English fluently since I have been in the United States for three years and it has been complex for me to learn the language well.

Q. What would you like to be remembered for?

A. Because of my personality and charisma, I consider myself a kind, fun and friendly person.

Q. If you could spend an afternoon talking to any historically significant person, who would you choose? Why?

A. Without a doubt, to my grandfather since he was a very important person in my life. I would like to spend an afternoon with him talking and laughing at the funny stories he knew how to tell me. I would tell him I love him and how important he is to me and say goodbye with a big hug and ask for forgiveness because I was not in Ecuador with him in the last days of his life. But he will always live in my heart.

Q. Do you have any advice for your colleagues?

A. “Success is not only what you achieve, but what you overcome. Don’t be afraid of mistakes; you have to learn from them, keep moving forward and never stop growing.” Every effort has its reward.