Going above and beyond in extracurricular activities is one thing, yet being able to do that and graduate at the age of 16 sets Melanie Perez apart from the rest of her class. As a sophomore involved in so many things, Perez has been forced to learn that her work ethic must be a strong foundation on and off the field.

In order to participate in something, you should be dedicated to it. Being apart of something that does not make you happy doesn’t motivate or help you get better. Therefore, being involved in both soccer and band, Perez must find a motivating passion in order to make the most of every game or performance.

“Soccer for me is a passion. It’s just something that I’ve done since I was little and I just wanted to do it in high school, too. For band, it’s my art credit and it’s where all my friends are. It’s a really fun activity and it’s a good all-around school sport,” said Perez.

Although Perez has a strong work ethic, extra curricular activities make it a little difficult for Perez to concentrate and focus on what is important in school. With the help of learning how to manage time, she is able to to put grades in the front and make it her number one priority.

”I’m always trying to balance out my extra curricular and my grades. Grades always come first, but it’s just balancing everything. It takes a lot of time management,” said Perez.

With a strong motivation comes a strong inspiration and Perez gives credit to her parents when it comes to inspiring her to be her best. Immigrating to a new place takes a lot of work and effort, so Perez works hard to show that her father didn’t come here without any reason, and coming to America was worth it because of the available opportunities.

”I think what motivates me is my parents. My dad was born in Guatemala, so he’s an immigrant and citizen here. He worked and so did my parents’ parents. They came here, for this country, all the opportunities that it has,” said Perez. “So I think just wanting to succeed and prove that they moved here for a reason is a lot to motivate me.”

The fifteen-year-old clarinet player has a lot of high school credits that will allow her to graduate before her actually graduating class, 2020. Although she is still unsure about the decision to graduate early, it is still a possibility she may do so.

”I don’t know if I want to graduate early. I’m ahead in my maths and my English and I’m double blocking science next year. I can graduate early next year at 16, which means I’ll be going to college when I’m 16,” said Perez. ”It’s something that takes time; I will decide in this incoming semester to see when I will graduate.”

After high school, Melanie plans on being a hard working university student and wants to be in the medical field.

”I plan on going to a university to get my undergrad and then to med school after that because that’s what my dream is. I want to be an orthopedic surgeon,” explains Perez.

As of now, Melanie Perez just wants to live in the moment and make decisions as she comes across them. She wants to take her time and not rush things in order to see where they go.

“My short term goal would probably be to get through this semester, because I’m very stressed right now. A long term goal is just pursuing my career,” said Perez.