Senior Mercedes Rodriguez has lived in Oregon her whole life, attending Christ the King before moving right next door to La Salle.
At La Salle, she is a member of both the cross country and track team. She is very fond of running, as she said, “I feel like I zone out, and forget about the problems I have.”
Through the cross country team, she has been challenged and inspired by her coaches to push herself further, and has had the opportunity to meet many new faces.
Slowing her roll, Rodriguez likes to stroll through Portland and enjoy the view of the city, especially at night, because of its serenity. She likes to explore the great outdoors, especially with her family.
Throughout her life, she had always looked up to her mom because “she always helps and she doesn’t really give up.”
She enjoys spending time with her family. “I’m pretty close to my siblings,” she said, “even though one of them is two years younger than me.”
She and her family go on many road trips, with one of her favorite destinations being California. A highlight of those trips was visiting the Redwoods, where she made lasting memories with her family. “We got out of the car and were like, ‘Oh my gosh they’re so big,’ and we took pictures with them,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez loves nature and she hopes to travel the world in the future to wander around nature, and to explore cultures in other places. “I hope to travel after high school, and study abroad,” she said. “I want to explore.”
In the future, Rodriguez plans to move out of Oregon, aiming to live in either Washington or California because of the weather.
Her love of math influences her desire to one day go into business or accounting, given how she likes to work with numbers. Mercedes’ favorite classes are AP Calculus AB and Biology. “Those are classes where you actually have to apply things and memorize stuff,” she said.
Rodriguez likes to know why things work the way they do, she said, “because those are classes where you actually have to apply things and memorize stuff.” She enjoys AP Calculus AB because it allows her to do so.
For incoming freshmen, “ask questions if you have any during class,” she said. “Because I used to be really quiet during class and I feel like I would have gotten a lot more out of the class if I asked more questions.”
During her time at La Salle, Rodriguez has learned many lessons. When she first started at La Salle she was a bit shy, but if she could give her freshman self some advice she would recommend, “not giving up, and trying new things,” she said. “Putting yourself out there.”
“Be more open and open yourself up more, and don’t really care about what other people think,” she said.
In her free time, Rodriguez enjoys thrifting in Portland and listening to music.
She doesn’t have a specific genre she listens to, but if she had to choose one it would be R&B. Two of her favorite artists are Kendrick Lamar and SZA, and was very glad to see more features on both of their newly released albums.
Rodriguez plans on joining the upcoming flag football team. She believes that it is a great way to end her high school career.
Correction: Feb. 19, 2025
A previous version of this article incorrectly stated Rodriguez’s math class as Pre-calculus instead of AP Calculus AB.
