We The People Bio - Taylor Valdez

Junior Year 2009 -

It was my senior year in high school, and I was returning for my second year on the cheer team. During my first year being a Sky View cheerleader, I had made 15 sisters, 15 best friends, a family of 16 cheerleaders. My coach, Natalie Tueller, was a mother figure to us, one of my heroes to this day. Even though sometimes she would raise her voice when we goofed off too much during practice or games, she loved us like her 16 little dancin' children, and we all knew it. I was ecstatic for the coming year, for it would be full of new experiences and new relationships with the new members.

Summer, 2009 -

I got stuck in a dangerous and bad situation, the end resulting in an obligation to resign my position as a cheerleader from Sky View High. I was devistated, heartbroken. I worried day to day what life would be like without those close friends on the squad. "Would people judge me? Will my friends still accept me?" I was terrified of my reputation in the high school and also the image I would portray of my own character.

Senior Year 2009 -

Dragging myself out of bed everyday, I managed to survive through school day by day. A deep and saddening feeling would drown me each time I spotted a blue and white cheer uniform in the halls. I would love to support the sports teams of my high school, but the pain of watching what had slipped out of my hands was too much to handle, yet I pasted on my smile for the public eye.

One of my classes was Government with Mr. Rigby. He was big and tall and... kinda scary. His wife had been in the hospital, so we had a substitute teacher for the first few weeks. We learned where all the states were located on the US map (duh...) the branches of government (duhhh...) and told a few jokes along the way. Our first major project in the class was to group into members of 5, and pick an elected 'president'. We were instructed to write a speech about current political issues, and speak in front of the class. My group picked me to run for 'President'. Also, we made a cute little slideshow with a picture of me standing in front of the flag to go along with it (super cute!) and also made pins for everyone that said 'Vote Valdez'. It ended up that when competing against my fellow 'candidates' in presenting our speeches, I ended up winning. I felt pretty good about myself! After all, I WAS the only girl running. The trimester was almost over, and taking into account my aspiration for becoming a lawyer, I considered to request being transferred into AP government. I needed to fill the open space from cheer third hour, and AP government was third hour. I had heard a little about We The People, but not much. Although I had little knowledge on the competition, I had a deep and passionate interest for law, public speaking, and also formally written documents. After talking to the cousilor and Mr. Rigby, I was pretty intimidated and questioning if I was ready for all the hard work and hours of study necessary. I thought about it for a few days and after thinking about the hard times I've gone through with cheer, I decided I would try something new. I decided I needed to be dedicated to something that I love. I needed to bond with people now that I could not have the close bond with the cheerleaders anymore. My counselor put the class on my schedule and I was in!! At first, I was so lost with all the politics and government issues, and especially the history part. I had not taken any history classes past the normal required basic history class. I was in deep trouble... or so i thought.

Now -

I finally got familiar with the tough subjects, the big, tall, scary teacher, and even the crazy students in WTP. I finally understood the format of We The People and everything that it includes. After weeks and weeks in the class, I have learned more than political issues and how government works. I have learned that putting on a cheer uniform and looking cute isn't what life is about (trust me, I was shocked.) Life is so much more complex than what it may seem. I found that there are people that care about you and who you really are behind the cheer uniform. My classmates in WTP do not judge me, for any reason, whatsoever, and I believe they never will. I consider each one of them, some more than others, my best friends. On top of that, I learned SO much about the Constitution, government, and all the things people say are 'boring', but they just don't come off that way to me. I now find them one of the most important things in our lives and now recognize the need to be educated on these topics. I have learned so much about studying (first... do it), different techniques and most of all determination.

I look back today on the tough times I have been struggling through, and am so thankful for what WTP has done for me. We took state championships and now we are heading to Washington D.C. to compete in Nationals. Sitting in the competition room is so rewarding knowing how hard you have worked for this moment, even if you do not perform at your best. It is an amazing feeling of accomplishment as you look to your left and right to see your team mates next to you, supporting you.

We stand together, we fall together. We The People.