CLASS OF 2021
Featuring Delvin Amador
Remarkable! Resilient! Revolutionary!
STUDENT INTERVIEWS WITH THE CLASS OF 2021
The Burbank Arts & Education Foundation is proud to highlight students in the CLASS OF 2021 who have been part of the robust STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) programs in the Burbank Unified School District classrooms. We hope you enjoy reading about their experiences and getting to know them as we celebrate an important milestone in their lives: high school graduation.
Today, we present to you Delvin Amador, who attended Burbank High School, played on the football team, and developed a passion for math and science. Delvin will be attending PCC for one year then has committed to the University of Kansas where he will study architectural engineering.
“I had been helping with the younger players. I had been demonstrating some drills to work on and I was teaching a lesson about not giving up and always giving it your all. I realized then that with the younger kids, I am able to implement some of life’s most important skills.”
My name is Delvin Amador, I am 17 years old, and I graduated from Burbank High School.
What activities were you involved in while in high school?
I played football for BHS and Burbank Vikings Youth Football. I ran track and field for Burbank Vikings. I was in the Car Club, the United Helpers Club, and this year I worked on the BHS Yearbook.
If you have an artistic passion, through what medium do you most like to express yourself?
I enjoy writing poetry about things I see around the world or the feelings that are caused due to specific events. I was in 10th Grade in Mrs. Zadoorian’s English class, we were working on a poetry unit and from there I broke out of my shell and I started to take a liking to writing poems.
What art experience in the schools are you most proud of and how did it impact you?
I am most proud of my first poem, we were taking words and phrases from books we read in the English class and we were making original poems with the word usage of others. This is what made me realize I had a passion for writing.
What science or math experiences in BUSD impacted your future goals?
Science has always been my top class. As a result of doing well in Science and Math, I wanted to pursue a career which happens to be engineering, specifically Architectural Engineering.
How did you get interested in architectural engineering?
I have always been strong in math and science. I like the certainty of knowing whether or not an answer is correct which is why I like math. My interest in architectural engineering came about through my dad. He is a general contractor who specializes in carpentry. I had decided to go and see what it is that he works on and I saw something that interested me. From then on I have been wanting to take part in that business except on the other side. I am interested in being able to draw out plans while also making others smile.
Was there a moment when you realized that you as one person could affect change? If so, describe that experience and what you hope to do with it.
There was a time when I was helping with the Burbank Vikings Youth Football and I had been helping with the younger players. I had been demonstrating some drills to work on and I was teaching a lesson about not giving up and always giving it your all. I realized then that with the younger kids, I am able to implement some of life’s most important skills.
What advice do you have for younger students?
My advice for younger students would be to take every opportunity given to you. Sometimes it will seem as if there is no door to lead you into new things during your lifetime. You never know what awaits you unless you try. For example, Jeff Bezos took an opportunity to sell books online and he is now the owner of arguably the most successful marketplace. Always, always take the opportunities. It is not until you try that you can say it didn’t work out.
What is the most important thing you’ve learned during the pivotal, history-making pandemic?
The most important thing I learned was to not take anything for granted anymore. Before the whole pandemic, I had taken seeing friends, going places or even going to school for granted. I learned to appreciate things while we still have them and to appreciate and especially learn how to relay to others how much we care about them.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Do you expect the arts and/or sciences to continue to play a role in your life and if so, how?
In 10 years I hope to have a company with a group of engineers and architects as well as a mini building company mainly for remodels. Art and Science will most definitely have an impact for the reasons of needing to draw out diagrams (Art) and then needing to know the physics and basics of other things (Science).
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