532 - Fall 2013.pdf

Student Profile
Elena Saavedra Buckley’14
SPS Senior Shoots for the Stars
Senior Elena Saavedra Buckley ’14 is an extremely well
rounded student. She has excelled greatly at Sandia Prep in
both the eyes of her peers and the teaching staff. Originally
from Seattle, WA, Saavedra Buckley considers herself a true
Albuquerque native after living here for thirteen years. She
began her student career at Sandia Prep in the sixth grade.
Since then, she has become involved in numerous ways,
including playing on the varsity volleyball team; competing
with the Mock Trial team; participating in the OLP as a
Camping Associate; writing for the Sandia Prep Times; and
volunteering as a member of the National Honor Society.
“What’s cool about being a Sandia Prep student is one’s ability
to be involved in a vast range of activities,” Saavedra Buckley
said. “Being involved with things on campus feels more like
school is a part of life, rather than just something I attend.”
Saavedra Buckley describes herself as “organized, but a bit
all over the place.” Classes she enjoys the most allow her to
explore the history or philosophy of the subject. With such a
busy schedule, Saavedra Buckley said it is important for her
to find time to think everything through and analyze it. “That
works against being busy, sometimes. On the other hand, I
dislike not having something to work on,” Saavedra Buckley
said.
Saavedra Buckley has had teachers who have impacted her
in tremendous ways. “[Mr. Olson ’05] has helped me with my
writing, ways of looking at the world, and how to see things
with a critical eye.” She gave Mr. Briley credit for always giving
her new movies to watch, books to read and ideas to evaluate.
“Mrs. Goessl, my newspaper teacher, is one of the sweetest
women I have met and is absolutely gifted at helping people
improve their writing skills.” She also enjoyed Mr. Beamish’s
math classes, “because he pushes his students to think beyond
the notes and the whiteboard.”
Soon Saavedra Buckley will make her way to college, but
the first step in that process is choosing the right school.
“Right now, I’m mainly considering schools on the East
Coast, both for a break in the Southwest weather and the
great opportunities,” Saavedra Buckley said. She is looking at
Harvard, Swarthmore, and Brown as her top three choices.
Her ideal job after school is becoming a teacher in a subject
she loves or an astronomer observing the stars. She hopes
that she will also have time to write poems “with heavy doses
of nature imagery” and to observe “the cosmic microwave
background at huge telescopes.” She smiles and adds that
might require her to live in some mountain range.
Saavedra Buckley’s experience at SPS has influenced the
person she is today through the various opportunities
provided both on and off campus. “Prep is a perfect place to go
for a person like me who has a fair amount of interests based
outside of school, because I’m able to bring those on campus
and develop them.” She advised new and current students to
“find what you love doing at Sandia Prep and beyond.” She
added, “If you don’t have certain interests, that’s okay, because
this is a good place to find them. Join clubs, activities, and
sports, and don’t be afraid to put yourself in new situations.”
Her drive for education stems from Saavedra Buckley’s rich
family history. Her grandfather, Louis Saavedra, came from a
small mining town in New Mexico. Rather than following in
the footsteps of his family who were miners, he went on to get
a college education, the first in his family to do so. Saavedra
went on to found Albuquerque Technical-Vocational Institute,
now known as Central New Mexico Community College. He
also served as mayor of Albuquerque from 1989-1993. “He
came from these humble roots, and without him, I would
not have had any of the opportunities I have today,” Saavedra
Buckley said. “His cravings for education and knowledge really
inspired me.”
Saavedra Buckley’s hard work and dedication is evident
through all her achievements at Sandia Prep. She was recently
named a National Merit semifinalist. She also received
Sandia Prep’s prestigious Ruth Hanna McCormick Simms
Award last year. She is currently exploring the philosophy of
expressionism under Ms. McColl as an independent study.
She has “cycled” through a lot of passions, but she said that
a common thread throughout them is finding connections
between art, science, books, information and the world. While
Saavedra Buckley will soon bid goodbye to Sandia Prep, her
intellect and diverse interests will guide her as she moves on to
college and what promises to be a very bright career.
- Andrew Harrington
15 532 • Fall 2013