Dude, be nice.

On Dec. 11, motivational speaker Mike Smith made a special appearance at Downey High to address the struggles that teenagers may be experiencing and encourages youth to make a difference. All varsity athletes, school leaders, freshmen, and sophomores attended one of his three assemblies.

As students sat through his hour long assembly, Smith spoke not about what he wanted to change in society, but about what he will change in society. Smith shared personal experiences about his challenging high school years. He spoke about how he was “the lame kid,” during his freshmen year.

“I was that kid,” Smith said “I was the outcast.”

Smith went through drastic changes throughout the summer after his freshman year and came back his sophomore year a brand new person. Smith joined multiple sports and soon became one of the popular kids. After touching the heart of an unpopular freshman during his senior year of high school, he realized he wanted to make a difference.

Junior, Maria Pena was touched by Smith’s speech and his dedication to helping others.

“It touched me so much because a lot of people may come from bad backgrounds and it is just so amazing how one person can change his way of life to assist others,” Pena said.

Smith’s assemblies were the same for the freshmen and sophomores but he did something a bit different for the leaders and varsity athletes. He spoke about how the leaders and athletes of Downey High are role models, whether they know it or not. His main goal for these students was to encourage them to leave Downey High with a positive legacy for others to remember them by.

Junior, Chanel Villanueva, a varsity track and field athlete and Link Crew member, was inspired to become a better person and leave her own legacy at Downey High.

“Mike Smith’s speech opened my eyes for sure as a leader and an athlete. He easily connected to me and my troubles in high school,” Villanueva said. “He also delivered the unexpected on what a leader needs to be in their school.”

Smith’s visit inspired students to become leaders and help others. As Smith ended his assembly he said “Speak for the silent, stand for the broken,” the quote tattooed on his forearm, that reminds him of his life’s mission.

About the Contributors

Noemi Lozano, Copy Editor

Senior Noemi Lozano will be part of The Downey Legend for her second year as copy editor by taking on the responsibility of making important documents needed to have a successful deadline. She first heard about The Downey Legend from a photographer her sophomore year and joined her junior year where it really helped her become more social. “Freshmen year I was really shy and now I can’t stop talking,” Lozano said. She is a big people person but one of her biggest pet peeves is when people say her name wrong or mistakenly call her Naomi. One of Lozano’s favorite shows is Orange is the New Black. During her free time she listens to her favorite artist Kid Cudi .One of Lozano’s goals is to move to San Francisco. “I just want to get away from here and explore,” Lozano said. Another goal of hers would be working with kids, because she wants to follow in her older sisters’ footsteps: one is 25 years old and teaches children with special needs, and the other is a 28 years old speech therapist.

Marianne Aguilar, Photographer/Sports Editor

Marianne Aguilar, one of The Downey Legend’s photographers, is one of the newest members on staff. Aguilar entered her senior year with a determined mindset taking on the responsibilities of being a part of newspaper, as well as Downey High School’s yearbook staff. “Recognition is the best feeling,” Aguilar said. “I like being a part of this school.” Former Downey Legend photographer, Monique Munoz, was the person responsible for pushing Aguilar to apply, “She [Munoz] is like a sister to me, and I would always tag along and help her while she would shoot games,” Aguilar said. “The CIF Football game was insane!” Before Aguilar began living the life of a busy high schooler, the 16 year old grew up witnessing her grandma, Esther, living as a professional photographer, traveling around the world and having her shots featured in underground ads. Although many of her family members constantly reminded her of the potential she had when she held a camera, Aguilar did not wish to explore that field. It was not until her junior year, years after the unfortunate passing of her grandma, that Aguilar began to get behind the camera and understood the enjoyment her loved one felt when photographing. “Once I tried it, my grandma’s daughter would tell me ‘that’s the Esther in you’ and that’s when I realized I liked taking pictures,” Aguilar said. With college right around the corner, this senior hopes to attend Texas Tech University to major in Sports Therapy. Wishing to have a future full of travel, it is clear the timidly kind yet hard worker is persistent in becoming the first in her family to go to college. Eager to begin shooting school events for this year, Aguilar said, “My goal is to have my picture framed in the C building next to my best friends,” in reference to the victory featured in The Downey Patriot Munoz shot after the Vikings won CIF. It is up to Aguilar to decide the kind of mark she will leave on Downey High School’s campus.

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Elizabeth • Jan 20, 2014 at 1:21 PM

I thought his speech was awesome! Most of my friends are the kind of people that want to help others and make others happy but it can be hard when you get shot down by that person you want to converse with. Due to being called weird or annoying, I don’t talk to people oh so much anymore but I try…


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