Senior Ava Flores has accomplished a lot during her time at Carlsbad High School. She was the Co-Preident and Captain of the Speech and Debate team and the President of the Model United Nations team. She has recently committed to Johns Hopkins University. 

Flores has made a name for herself by being involved in many activities around the school, such as being a part of the gold team, speech and debate, mock trial and Model UN. With her commitment and the amount of time put into activities that she has put her dedication towards. Effort and time management are something that Flores has done time and time again. 

“Things have been stressful dealing with college apps, speech and debate, and all other things I am involved in,” Flores said. “At the end of the day I know it’s all worth it because it’s taking me on the right path to what I want to become in the future.” 

On all accounts, Flores has many people helping her achieve her goals, including junior Chloe Norton, who is Vice President of the Model UN. Norton has participated in MUN for two years and is willing to help when someone has a question about what the MUN is all about. 

“Essentially, what MUN is a group of members who are on the team acting as United Nations representatives,” Norton said. “In doing so, we attempt to solve the issues through negotiations by tackling real-life situations that may happen around the world.”

There is plenty that goes into getting ready for a Model UN conference. From going to meetings, writing papers and overall practice, it is a big effort to make sure things run smoothly and that everyone is up to the task that is at hand. 

“With a great president such as Ava everything has been easy, and she is a great role model when looking to the future,” Norton said.

Model United Nations is a small part of what Flores does as a whole. She is also the Co-President/Captain of the Speech and Debate team, where she works closely with senior Nate Watts, another president of the team, where they manage 150 students competing in 17 events at a variety of schools around the San Diego District. Flores has mentioned how working with the team is an amazing experience. 

“Being Co-President of the team is something that is a challenge but overall a great experience,” Flores said. “Working with everyone to get ready for these competitions has been something I really enjoy. It’s always fun working with so many people even if they don’t compete in the same events as me.”

A member of the Speech and Debate team, Brenna Curtis a senior has been a friend of Flores. Curtis has been with Flores, experiencing and watching what Flores does on a day-to-day basis. 

“Ava is very dedicated,” Curtis said. “I know that she works hard to do everything, and she doesn’t stop until the job is done. Knowing Ava for as long as I have, it’s been a fun experience to watch her run around doing everything she does.” 

With a large number of people on the team and preparing for competitions such as the State Speech and Debate tournament held at Carlsbad High in April, pratices and events are fast-paced. 

“With such a large competition coming up, the pressure is definitely on, but with all the time taken and the amount of practice the team does, I feel that the team is ready and with Ava along with Nate leading things are certain to turn out good for our team,” sophomore and team member Elena Perez said.

Despite all this, Flores has already committed to studying at Johns Hopkins University where she will study to become a gynecologist. 

“Johns Hopkins has always been a dream of mine, and I am so excited that I have finally committed to the school,” Flores said. “I feel as though it is something that I have been waiting for, and now it’s finally here, I’m ready to take on the new experience of being at such an amazing school.”

Flores plans to run for positions such as class president at Johns Hopkins and hopes to make sure that her college experience is memorable. 

“I feel as though running for class president or any type of leadership during college is something that I can strive for,” Flores said. “I want to experience what it’s like to get to that place of leadership, even if I am out of high school.”

Flores is highly dedicated to everything that she does. Other peers have noticed this and have commented on how she is always looking for the next opportunity. Paving a way for herself and making the world she wants to live in is something that Flores prides herself on. 

“Ava is always one of those people you can count on and expect to be there for you,” senior Delaney Armstrong said. “She is such an amazing friend, and I’m happy that I get to be her friend and experience so many things with her. I truly believe that she was a wonderful and successful bright future.”