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KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Each year Spectrum News awards scholarships to high school students, nominated by faculty, who have excelled in and out of the classroom and this year we have four winners.
One of our winners is Ethan Ortiz Valencia, a senior at Osceola High School with a love for giving back to his community.
For Valencia, life is kind of like a marathon.
“It was just 800 (meters) and the mile,” he said.
But he keeps things a little shorter when it comes to track and cross-country; sports he feels matches his lifestyle.
“I started doing different sports but, in the end, I always just liked running around and that’s how I just got into track and cross-country,” Valencia explained. “So, that just helped me be free and do whatever I want.”
It wasn’t just about the running for Valencia but the whole experience of the meet because the four-year letterman didn’t just participate in events — he also put in more than 170 hours of volunteer work, ensuring meets go smoothly.
It’s something he says started his freshman year of high school.
“I was the only freshman on the team when I joined. They took me in and helped me set up and that’s what I wanted to do for everyone else that joined,” Valencia said. “And it’s just fun setting up the track and tearing it down together.”
He says sports also helped him find himself and grow into his now outgoing spirit.
“It was always fun, especially in the classroom, just finding new people to talk to and it was a little harder in the beginning when I was still in my shell. Now, I guess I’m a little more extroverted, I can say,” he said.
But beyond the track, Valencia is Osceola High School’s valedictorian with a 4.634 GPA, is graduating high school with his associate’s degree — dual enrolling at both Valencia College and the University of Florida — and he’s also the captain of his Science Olympiad team.
“My freshman year, I found a little group. Stayed with them and overtime that’s what really helped me get out of my shell,” Valencia shared. “It was pretty fun and ended up being super fun the first year. Second year was amazing and then with new people and being the captain the second two years.”
Outside of his 411 hours of community service and several executive roles for multiple academic clubs, Valencia also finds time to tutor and mentor.
He runs his life at a pace that some of his teachers say will take him a long way.
“I think it’s the whole mentality of Ethan focusing on what he can and cannot do,” shared Osceola High School social studies teacher Jonathan Nichols. “I think Ethan is a kid that figured out he can do anything he needs to do. You can do anything you want to do.”
And with his family and teachers encouraging him to be the light he wants to see in the world, Valencia hopes he can inspire others to do the same.
“It’s just always been with me. I’m just always running around, trying to stay focused and not burn all of your energy out on one thing,” said Valencia. “Just keep it focus and keep it steady and keep doing what I’m supposed to do to keep going and get better.”
Valencia’s knack for giving back and the endurance he has to race toward his goals is why he is a Spectrum News High School Scholar.
Valencia will receive a $1,000 scholarship, which will go toward his academic career at the University of Florida where he will double major in nutrition and finance.
