Niwot High School Senior Spotlight: Emma Ortiz

The Left Hand Valley Courier is known for its coverage of athletes and arts students at Niwot High School. The Courier also honors an array of students who 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 Emma Ortiz's classmates and teachers consistently describe her as a "bright light" within NHS. They say her positivity can be felt from miles away.

Niwot educator Sarah Demmel recommended Ortiz as a Senior Spotlight subject for this reason.

As editor-in-chief of the NHS yearbook, Ortiz has taken on a multitude of responsibilities. Normally, the position was reserved only for senior students, but Ortiz has served in this position for over a year after being appointed during her junior year.

Ortiz said her time spent as editor-in-chief has been her proudest achievement as well as being incredibly rewarding. Niwot Yearbook's success has been extremely apparent over the past few years under the leadership of Cassandra Longo.

Currently, Ortiz is deciding what she will pursue in college. She hopes to stay connected with her passions for writing and media through double-major or minor programs.

Ortiz said, "There's lots of things I want to do so it's hard to just pick one right now. Hopefully college will help me sort stuff out."

With an interest in psychology, Ortiz has applied to over 20 schools with the intention of pursuing either psychological sciences or neuroscience.

She said, "I'm really interested in clinical psychology and criminal psychology. Or, I would also enjoy becoming a therapist for teens and young adults, or do family and couples therapy because those are things I really value and know I can help out with."

Currently, Ortiz's "top five schools" are the University of Tennessee Knoxville, University of South Carolina Columbia, University of San Diego, Syracuse University, and Biola University.

She is passionate about an array of topics, but over the years, music is one of her favorites. Ortiz taught herself how to play guitar and she has been collecting guitars and ukuleles since the fourth grade. She also enjoys filmmaking, whether it be through short vlogs or short films.

Ortiz is also trilingual. Her first language is Spanish, and since then, she has excelled in both English and French.

Through babysitting, yearbook, and leadership positions at her church and in youth groups, Ortiz has built community connections that will last a lifetime. With hopes of finding her next path through further education, Ortiz will continue to hone her skills and thrive, just as she has at Niwot High School.