Senior Max Deggendorfer has lived in Portland, Oregon his whole life, and wouldn’t have it any other way. Growing up in a city so close to the mountains and ocean has instilled him with an appreciation for the outdoors. 

Before coming to La Salle, Deggendorfer attended the Franciscan Montessori Earth School where he said he appreciated their “Earth Trips,” where they would go camping as a class twice a year. This is another one of the reasons he is so fond of the outdoors today.

While Deggendorfer originally came to La Salle to follow in the footsteps of his dad — a La Salle alumni — and because of its close proximity to home, he has come to love the community he has found here. 

One of his favorite teachers at La Salle is German teacher Mr. David Lane. He appreciates the rigor of Mr. Lane’s class, describing it as both his hardest class and the one he learns the most in.

Because of this, Deggendorfer has chosen to take German all four years of his high school career. He appreciates this because he has been learning alongside the same classmates every year, allowing them to build a close-knit community.

Outside of La Salle, Deggendorfer enjoys spending time in nature by discovering new hiking trails, camping, snowboarding, and traveling to visit various national parks. Over the summer, Deggendorfer, joined by senior Leo Hartley, partook in a West Coast road trip with the end destination being the Redwood National and State Parks. Along the way, they stopped in Crescent City, California which he described as “the most gorgeous little community we’ve ever been to.” 

Deggendorfer used his passion for the outdoors, fostered by trips like this, to inspire much of his work in AP Studio Art. For his AP portfolio, he was inspired by the landscapes the Pacific Northwest has to offer and plans to create scenes inspired by what he’s seen. 

Nature isn’t the only thing Deggendorfer is passionate about, he also has a found passion and appreciation for music with his favorite genre being rock and roll. His favorite artists include Dire Straights, Billy Joel, and The Rolling Stones with his favorite album being “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars” by David Bowie.

He advises listeners to pay special attention to the lyrics.

“There’s a deeper meaning for each song, and they all kind of connect in a weird way,” he said.

As Deggendorfer looks back on his time at La Salle, he appreciates the friends he’s created and the memories he’s built. 

The advice he would have given his past self is to “just stay open; you never know what’s going to happen,” he said.

As for senior year, Deggendorfer is excited to see what this year holds. He’s looking forward to prom and Senior Sunset at the end of his year as well as playing tennis for the third, and final time, for the Falcons. 

Looking ahead to the future, Deggendorfer has his eyes set on Gonzaga University, where he applied early action. 

He’s not too sure what he wants to pursue as a major yet, but is trying to “keep the doors open [and] not close any opportunities,” he said.