Dishman Hills: For Samantha Vazquez, the future looks like Gonzaga, then law school

It was in a Dishman Hills High School history class that Samantha Vazquez first heard of the Chicano Movement, also known as El Movimiento.

Her teacher had written it on the board as one of the various movements she and her classmates could choose to study.

“We all actually got to pick our own civil rights movement that we wanted to do and I chose the Chicano rights movement,” Vazquez said.

Exploring the subject gave her a way to connect to her family background, something that had been difficult in the past. Growing up, her father’s addiction issues created distance among her relatives, and it left her without a natural exchange of family stories.

“Not getting to learn where you come from or why certain things are the way they are, definitely sucks,” Vazquez said.

What she learned about the movement struck a chord and left her with a new passion for understanding how society treats different groups of people.

“There were some students in Southern California, teachers told them, ‘Why even bother coming to school? Why do you show up?’ A lot of times to women they ask, ‘Why do you care? You’re going to end up pregnant and a housewife,’ or stuff like that where it was just like students were treated very unfairly. Teachers were very known for beating children at that point. And because it was Hispanic or (people of color) versus white people in Southern California,” Vazquez said.

Vazquez has always been one for mentorship and volunteering. She mentors elementary students in STAR Club in Millwood – the same program that offered her solace and mentorship as a child. Now her passion for caring for her community has grown into a new sense of direction for her future field of study.

“Sam joined us at Dishman as a virtual student returning from the pandemic kind of lost,” said Gabriel Rose, dean of teaching and learning at Dishman Hills. “Through our mentoring program she found a purpose for education and set her sights on a career path that would allow her to help people. She is attending Gonzaga in the fall with a plan to continue on to law school.”

It’s been a journey for Vazquez, and you would never know it with the confidence and self-possession she embodies as a senior.

“I struggled with mental health really bad when I was in my sophomore year of high school,” Vazquez said. “I ended up actually spending two weeks of my high school career in the hospital. Switching to Dishman, I was failing all of my classes and just felt like I couldn’t breathe. The weight of the world was on top of me. Dishman really held my hand while I got back up on my feet, and I’m graduating with straight A’s.”

When Vazquez isn’t volunteering or in school, she’s on the track riding BMX. She has a natural competitive side – this last season she suffered a cracked sternum, yet still refused to give up her chance to compete in finals.

“I had already paid all the money to be on the track so I said, screw it,” she said. “And they were so mad at me when I showed up to the track, but the EMTs had an oxygen tank on standby for me.”

Vazquez is Gold Cup No. 1 in the region, and ranks second in the state. The adrenaline of the competition aside, it’s the sense of community in BMX racing that matters most to her. Her team is called PAK, which stands for Parents and Kids, emphasizing the fact that many people come together to support each racer.

What Vazquez looks forward to most after graduation is taking everything she has learned about law and putting it toward real world change. In the meantime, she’s making change through helping one person at a time. Her favorite strategy? A classic dad joke to help people laugh when they’re hurting.

“My favorite one is, what do you call a nervous dinosaur or an anxious dinosaur? A nervous rex.”