Morales-Gomez, while sad to be leaving this school, is excited to see what his future holds. photo by Evelyn Jackson
Emanuel Morales-Gomez is a dedicated student leader who has left a lasting impression on the TJ community.
An extraordinary person is one who has accomplished so much and still has the opportunity to learn more in the future. Emanuel Morales-Gomez is a prime example of such an individual. He has made a name for himself in the community by being a part of important groups and organizations at Thomas Jefferson High School. He is the chapter president of four TJ clubs and organizations: Skills USA, Speech and Debate, National Technical Honor Society (NTHS), and the TJ Junior Classical League. Morales-Gomez wears many hats in these roles; he’s also a state officer for SkillsUSA, the chapter secretary for TJ’s Interact club, the chapter secretary for TJ’s National Honor Society (NHS), the state secretary for Colorado Junior Classical League, as well as being on the youth advisory board for Colorado Young Leaders. Despite Morales-Gomez’s busy schedule, he still manages to be a part of TJ’s Careers and Communication Technology program (CCT), where he is a part of both the Journalism and Computer Science pathways.
Morales-Gomez became involved because he believes it’s important that the current youth get their voices out into the world in order to be heard. He believes that “youth have the power to make a change right now” and “that their community is the perfect place to start to create a difference” Morales-Gomez points out that if students are able to learn more and become more knowledgeable, they should take advantage of these opportunities. Right now, young people must learn about differing opinions and perspectives so that in the future they are able to have important conversations or arguments. Morales-Gomez finds that with his wide range of clubs he is able to see things through different lights and different lenses. This helps him become a better leader and overall person.
While Morales-Gomez loves all of his clubs, he finds himself looking forward to Speech and Debate the most, as it has helped him come out of his shell. Before his freshman year, the coach of the club left the school, which caused him to have to go between multiple coaches; as one coach would leave another would arrive that knew nothing about the Speech and Debate program. Morales-Gomez helped teach the new coaches how the program works and how to make the club the most successful it can be. This constant teaching and talking to others helped him become more extroverted and improved his ability to have good and successful conversations with more people. He even wrote his college essay on the topic because of its effect on him. Speech and Debate has given him the ability to become better at public speaking along with becoming more of an outgoing person. If he were to suggest one particular club to a newcomer at TJ, he would recommend Speech and Debate because of its ability to help students develop their creativity and the incredible community that it offers. He loves how all of the officers welcome new people as well as returning students. This leads to what makes Morales-Gomez an extremely important part of TJ; he has become a bright light throughout the school. He is always ready to help whenever it is needed and loves to give back to the community. He is an extremely enthusiastic and energetic person to be around, giving back to the environment the school creates.
Morales-Gomez is a part of the CCT program at TJ. This is what first attracted him to applying to TJ, despite not living very close to TJ. He decided to choice in and, luckily, got accepted. He even lives 30 min to an hour away, which shows his dedication to coming to TJ and making it better than before. Morales-Gomez is heavily involved with the CCT program. Currently, he is the Photo Editor for the Newspaper staff. This position has helped him become better at teaching others, as he has had the opportunity to teach other students about the software and publication processes that help the class run smoothly.
When Morales-Gomez graduates in May, he intends to attend college and major in either Sociology or International Studies. From there, he hopes to become a professor and spread his love for community and knowledge. If Morales-Gomez were to give one piece of advice to anybody, it would be to always try everything. Even if someone may believe they would dislike or not be interested in a group or club, it is important to experience the world as much as you can. “You only live once,” stated Morales-Gomez. At the end of this school year, TJ’s students and staff will miss Morales-Gomez so much, but his lasting impression on everybody he’s met will always be a part of this community.
