BEST & BRIGHTEST: Finding heritage in new language

TO OUR READERS: This is the last in a series of stories featuring The Gazette's Best & Brightest high school seniors, Class of 2009.

As a child, Laurel Goycoolea didn't yet know about the bond she shared with the small Mexican village she and her family visited every few years.

But she still felt a connection to the historic colonial town of Alamos in Sonora near the Sierra Madre mountains.

"Tripping over bumpy cobblestone streets, munching on tacos de carne asada and wishing ‘buenos dias' to passers-by, I felt a deep union and a resolute safety," said Goycoolea, who was born in Colorado Springs. "The village talked to me, and I drank in its captivating sights with my greedy senses."

When she was about 13 years old, her father told her his great-grandmother and her larger family were born and raised in Alamos.

"After that, the Mexican breeze and the Alamos dust gilded my eyes," she said, "and I could see nothing but an enchanted past."

About two years later, during their next trip to Alamos, she began a path that she plans to continue throughout life.

"Alamos has always left a spicy, magical taste of heritage in my mouth. It was sitting on a porch, watching men drive by in rusty trucks, listening to women scolding impish children, that I resolved to learn Spanish," Goycoolea said. "The language was always beautiful to me - more like a beat the tongue played than a language. I longed to understand the rapid words, to more fully connect with my Hispanic roots."

Goycoolea, 18, is in her fourth year of Spanish classes, and learning the language has been one of her biggest challenges. Her current class, she said, "tends to push my mental tank empty."

Still, she's thankful for the language that connects her to her family's heritage.

She plans to become an English teacher, but it doesn't mean she'll leave the Spanish language behind.

"As a teacher, the ability to broaden students' horizons will be in my hands. I anticipate using my influence to reconnect my Hispanic students with the beautiful mystery of a rich language," she said. "Without my own connection, I would lose the drive and passion I now hold. In my eyes, allowing others to unknowingly abandon this heritage would be a cultural travesty."

As her dad did for her, she hopes to help others realize and learn about their Mexican heritage.

"Without his guiding arm, I would know nothing of a heritage that converges with my passion, my goals and my soul. So many Hispanic youths know nothing of their history, of the daily traditions of their ancestors. Living in America, we often forget to look outside of our borders at other Spanish-speaking countries," she said. "Like a cloud blocking light, limited perspective leaves my peers in the dark."

LAUREL GOYCOOLEA
Mesa Ridge High School

Parents: Bob and Cathy Goycoolea

College plans: Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles to major in English

If you had a million dollars, which philanthropic organization would you form and why?

"I'd want to help kids become more aware of global problems like poverty and hunger - like in Africa - and inform people of the issues so they can do more to help."

Other details: National Hispanic Recognition Program Scholar; National Forensic League Academic All-American and Degree Outstanding Distinction; Academic Letters, Forensics and Renaissance; Principal's Honor Roll; Double-qualified for Colorado High School Activities Association state competition in forensics