Senior spotlight: Ava Churchill

By Leanndra Martinez

It’s not everyday that a high school student is seen with a pin that says, “I think, therefore I am Republican” and is actually able to back up their political stance. Then again, it’s not the average teenager whose dream it is to be the first female president of the United States of America. But Ava Churchill is on a different level of intellect than the majority of her peers.

“I see things differently than the average high schooler. I see past images and have a lot of friends from different groups. Once we graduate and move on, nothing is going to matter except for who you are,” she said.

Because of this philosophy, Ava has a diverse group of friends. She has friendships that date back to elementary school, some that she made while at a summer long band camp called Impulse Drum and Bugle Corps, and still more that she recently developed a bond with since the choir trip to Yosemite. It’s her quirky, funny, and outgoing personality that has made her so well liked by a variety of people. Senior Max Carrillo, her best friend said, “Ava has this way of making everybody feel special. She is my pal and my confidant. I can tell her the most embarrassing story because she is like a light tight box.” One of her favorite high school memories was of her seventeenth birthday party, a day that the barriers between all her different groups of friends came down to celebrate her birthday.

“All the cliques and assumptions we make about each other in school don’t matter because people can have fun and bond when food is involved,” Ava said.

Though Ava does have a wide group of friends, her best friend is her older sister, Leah Churchill. The two didn’t start out very close, but today they are best friends and are thinking about going into business together. “Now we’re like the same person and we understand each other. She is ying and I am yang,” she said.

While many have barely began to think about what they want to do with the rest of their lives, Ava knows where she is going and how she is going to get there. This fall, she is planning on applying to both USC and UC Davis where she will major in entrepreneurial business. From there, Ava wants to travel and learn about business around the world so that she can build up enough knowledge to become a good politician who knows the economy and how to fix the problems. As she rises in political status, she will eventually run for president of the U.S.

Though these may seem like high aspirations, they are feasible for her because of her passion for politics and for helping people. She recently went to a one-week junior statesmen workshop and had the opportunity to meet the person who started the governor recall in California.

“It reaffirmed my passion about how I really want to create change in California. It also made me realize how much work that needs to be done in order to create the change, “ Ava said, “I plan on fighting the big bureaucracy until life is how our founding fathers intended it to be.”

Her love of history has played a large role in her passion for politics. Thomas Jefferson, the radical ideas of the founding fathers, and philosophical morality came up as her political inspirations. She described Jefferson as a political genius who had a passion about what he thought was right. “Jefferson should be the idol for all modern Republicans, except for the whole owning slaves part,” she said.

This passion that she has for politics came not only from her love of history, but also from her parents. She credited her dad for turning her into a Republican because he always talked to her about politics and kept her informed about what was going on in the world. Though her mom is a Democrat turned Republican, Ava credits her for showing her what the world is about by taking her on trips to other countries.

“She taught me to get over my shyness and to meet new people,” she said.

From Biology Club president to the sales and marketing director for Achiever’s International Club, Ava has a wide variety of interests. While politics are important to Ava, music is just as big a part of her life. She spent the past three years playing the baritone horn in band and was also a part of the Drumline. She spent her summer in the Impulse Drum and Bugle Corps and received the award for most improved. Not only can she play the drums and horn, she also sings in Chamber. “If I could have two careers, I would be a musician and a politician. Or maybe just a musical politician,” Ava said.

While Ava is involved in everything from Chamber to Bio Club, she sees many students who are just going through the motions of school. She said, “Ask yourself what you are doing and realize that you do have a purpose, so work hard for it!”