FLATLINE
Jose Vazquez Colmenero had things figured out in 9th grade at Park City High School. He lived in the moment, enjoyed time in every class with amazing friends, and made peace with what he thought was his reality.
“I never studied and pretty much goofed off in every class,” he says. “I put mediocre effort into homework and exams, and I was in a mindset of, ‘This is the best I can do, I’m just not smart.’”
Then, during the summer before 10th grade, his mother shared a piece of her history that changed everything.
“My mom told me about her life in Mexico, how she had to drop out of school in third grade to earn money to help support her family… I thought, if she were in my shoes, in a town with a wonderful school district and exceptional resources, she would do much better than I did. I knew I had to change.”
DEFIB
That realization led to immediate action. And when Jose puts his mind to something with a reason in his heart, well, just watch…
“The first semester of my sophomore year was me trying my best. I started experimenting with different study habits and routines.”
Fueled by his mother’s sacrifice, Jose gained serious momentum in Secondary Math Honors 2 with Eric Janes.
“He gave mini lectures on discipline, which taught me how to suppress those thoughts of me never being good enough for school. I changed how I approach academics, which I do now with a growth mindset.”
Jose (Bright Futures, PCHS Class of 2026) has never had the luxury of focusing solely on academics. His mom leaves for work no later than 7 in the morning and returns at about 10 p.m., so there were a couple of years he was responsible for his brother’s care, with little time to volunteer, work, or participate in extracurriculars.
“There’s a 40-minute window between PCHS and McPolin dismissals, during which I would attend occasional club meetings. From 9th to 11th grades, I spent approximately 30 hours every week taking care of my little brother, while I also did chores like laundry, cleaning, dishes, etc., around the house.”
Now in his senior year, Jose works about 20 hours a week on top of a full school schedule. He saves a bit of his earnings with the intent to help pay rent if needed. Rare spare time is filled with dozens of scholarship applications, homework, and meetings for activities like Bright Futures, Cards for Hospitalized Kids, Psychology Club, and the Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA). When all of those items are checked off, he allows himself to enjoy his friends - outside of class.
STEADY EXCELLENCE
“The moment I realized that I could actually do this was the third quarter of my Sophomore year, when I missed a 4.0 GPA by a single A-minus. It was the first time my quarterly GPA came close to being perfect.”
Jose’s grades, confidence, and sense of identity will never be the same. Perhaps even more meaningful is the ability he unearthed – the ability to bounce back from his self-described horrible GPA – which he says felt like his calling.
“I find exams and tests exciting, as if it’s testing my knowledge, and it’s a big fill-in-the-blank puzzle. My confidence surged as I gained the ability to understand concepts and do homework daily.”
BRIGHT FUTURES
Jose says his participation in Bright Futures has helped him keep up his grueling pace. It taught him what to expect this year, provided life lessons and skills to help prepare for college, created opportunities for him to have exposure to career options, assisted his work to create a professional resume, and more.
As he decides whether to live on-campus or commute to The University of Utah next year, Jose is looking forward to a couple of things in particular.
“Mainly, the reading options that the library will have. Additionally, I’m most excited to be in a real university laboratory, as I hope to major in Medical Laboratory Science.”
His goal comes from the heart - for the heart.
“I realized the good things I can do if I succeed in my dream. Essentially, technology has created automatic, self-beating stem cells that mimic heart muscle cells. With enough dedication, entire synthetic man-made hearts can be created using billions of those stem cells. It could eradicate the waitlist for heart transplants and save millions of lives.”
Jose’s heart may be set on research and development at the moment, but he knows things may change. He says his plan B is to attend medical school. One thing he knows for certain:
“With enough dedication, even the rockiest start, one can come back from anything. Obviously, college classes are more rigorous than any class offered by a high school, so this lesson I learned from my high school experience will definitely guide me in a way that automatic success would not have.”
After that, wherever Jose’s heart leads him in his work, he plans to give back.
“I do plan on getting involved with Bright Futures or another first-generation education program when I’m older. I’ve seen first-hand how much BF offers, and I want to spread that opportunity to those who truly need it.”
As he works toward the creation of a heart to save thousands of lives, Jose’s self-made heart proves that grit and resilience can be engineered, too.
