Senior Mayra Taylor has been making a name for herself throughout the halls of West High. After living in Washington for the first 13 years of her life, Taylor moved to California.
Despite moving to Iowa from California in 2023 as a sophomore, Taylor has been testing her limits with the use of adventure. From Student Senate, playing four separate sports and even joining theater, she has truly dipped her toes into it all.
On top of making the move, Taylor changed schools 10 times, which is a large obstacle for any child. “It was fun from elementary, and then once I got to middle school, it was a little bit more difficult to make friends, especially with people who have already been friends since birth. It’s been hard, but it’s also been helpful for me to learn different things.”
Only two short years later, Taylor left California and instead moved to Iowa. Taylor shares, “It was fun getting the new experiences because I’ve never been outside of the West Coast, so it was fun seeing the new places and meeting new people and seeing how different it is from there. I was pretty sad leaving all my friends in California, but I was excited to come.”
As a child, Taylor found her love for adventure through the little things. She was heavily influenced by her surroundings, but also by the TV shows she would watch. “One of my favorite shows was Gravity Falls, and I think them exploring and trying to find new things and mysteries was a really big thing and inspired me to try new things. Also seeing all the different characters and their stuff, I wanted to experience all these things,” says Taylor.
While Taylor has always harnessed the itch for adventure, she hasn’t always been so quick to act on it. Like anybody, Taylor has had moments where she was overcome with shyness and even fear. “I was pretty shy in front of a lot of people and then over time, I got more outgoing and did more things, and it helped me realize how many things I was missing out on by being shy,” Taylor details.
To overcome fear, Taylor has always turned to a quote that she stumbled upon on Instagram, ‘You can’t be brave without being afraid.’ Taylor shares that this quote resonates with her because “the best things come from when you’re afraid, and then you push through that. Like, I was afraid to talk to people, and then they ended up being one of my best friends. If I hadn’t been brave and pushed past the fear, I would have never gained that person or that experience.”
Currently, Taylor has stepped into several roles at West. She is an active participant in speech and theater, Link Crew, Student Senate, the Wahawk Yearbook and the new and improved bible club. Student Body President, Araceli Perez-Torres, has actively participated with Taylor in Student Senate. Perez-Torres shares, “She is always willing to help out, I think, the passion she has with others and with each different club, you can really tell how passionate she is about things and how she shows it differently throughout her activities.”
In regards to why adventure is necessary, Taylor states, “adventure made me realize what I can and can’t do. Adventures, they all come in different kinds of ways, good or bad. They make me grow and be stronger as a person and live in confidence.”
Adventure is the driving force for Taylor, and she encourages all to find an adventure that inspires them, too.
