Niwot High School Senior Spotlight: Maria Arrece Garcia

The Left Hand Valley Courier is known for its coverage of athletes and arts students at Niwot High School (NHS). The Courier also honors an array of students who choose to pursue activities such as community service, robotics, academics, and topics that fall under the S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) umbrella.

Niwot High School senior Maria Arrece Garcia has been an integral part of the Niwot community throughout the past three-and-a-half years she has spent as an NHS student. Not only is she a talented student academically, but she is also extremely well-rounded in other aspects of her life.

As Niwot High School's Student Body Vice President, Arrece Garcia has taken on a multitude of responsibilities in addition to her extracurriculars, college applications, and other interests. Arrece Garcia balances a variety of activities including being a mentor for the First Lego Leagues program, a member of the Colorado FIRST Student Advocacy Group, and leading a robotics team.

Arrece Garcia has spent nearly eight years participating in a variety of robotics programs and currently is serving her second year as the Fabrication Subteam lead on one of Up-A-Creek Robotics' teams.

In addition, she also plays an important role in the Up-A-Creek Robotics Strategy and Outreach Team. Through her involvement in this team, she was selected as a FIRST Dean's List Finalist, a prestigious honor awarded to only two students in Colorado, at the 2024 FRC Colorado Regional.

Arrece Garcia said, "Robotics is one of my biggest passions. I am the fabrication lead on my team and was able to lead a team of 10 students last year to make over 1400 parts in three months. I have learned how to use 15 different machines and [develop] incredible leadership skills."

Arrece Garcia had an internship this past summer at Source Energy Company where she gained first-hand experience in engineering while working on projects that will go into space in the future.

Arrece Garcia spoke passionately about her love of helping others. To her, community service has never felt like a chore since it has always been a part of the activities she pursues.

After running an after-school STEM program alongside her robotics team at Up-A-Creek Robotics, Arrece Garcia was strongly impacted by the inclusive nature of the program. She said, "Running a bilingual STEM program was my most memorable experience-students' faces lit up when I cracked jokes in Spanish and showed how someone like them could accomplish incredible things."

Along with her passion for robotics, she enjoys community service, painting and drawing, and staying active. Arrece Garcia said, "My room is filled to the brim with paintings I have done and furniture I have given a new look with paint."

Arrece Garcia shares a love of popular pop star Taylor Swift with her sister which has brought them closer. Over the past two years, she has listened to nearly 59,000 minutes of Swift's music, stayed up until midnight for new releases, and made countless song-themed friendship bracelets.

In addition to her sister, Arrece Gracia's parents have also influenced her love of music. "I am the proud daughter of a Peruvian father and a Mexican mother. I have had these two cultures in my life, and as a result, developed a strong love for music in Spanish, from bachata to reggaeton," she said.

In the future, Arrece Garcia hopes to find herself in a stable career after receiving a college education. Her goal is to continue learning, feel joy in her work, and make a positive impact on the world while doing so. She is currently awaiting responses from the impressive 15 colleges she has applied to and is looking to study mechanical engineering next fall.