As the year winds down, all my spotlights are ready to move onto bigger and better things. Some athletes will go on to play in college and even professionally, and some will just be everyday people. Through this, one person has managed to go through the high school experience as a regular student. I think it’s good to acknowledge those who are here for the high school experience and a normal life moving forward. Today, one of my good friends, Steven Gutierrez-Suazo, emulates the theme I am talking about. Since freshman year, he has always been here for Dowling’s lows and highs, and I think it’s time to talk about the perspective of a normal Dowling student. 

Steven Gutierrez was born on May 25th, 2007, to his parents, Jose and Fanny Gutierrez. He has two older brothers, Ivan and Noel, and Ivan won the state championship in soccer with Valley in 2016! 

Gutierrez started his early schooling at Clive Learning Academy and then eventually made his way to St. Theresa’s in 7th grade. His mother wanted him to grow up in the Catholic education system and felt enrolling him in St. Theresa would give him a good shot at it. The impact he has gotten from Catholic education is that it has exposed him to a very diverse number of people, and learned not to judge people.  

Gutierrez’s experience here at Dowling has been tough but rewarding. He challenges himself with schoolwork and hard classes, but knows it will pay off. He loves meeting new people from different cultures and backgrounds, and just learning about the world every day. One club he is involved in is H.E.R.O. (Hispanic Empowerment Resource Organization), which is a club where they talk about their DCHS experience as Hispanics. Some skills he has acquired are time management, participating in extracurriculars whenever he can, and being taught by caring teachers. 

Some teachers who have had an impact on Gutierrez are Mr. Randles, Ms. Otten, and Dr. Pommrehn. Gutierrez loves how Mr. Randles is relatable, funny, and knows how to engage with students, which can be hard as a teacher to do. He loves talking about boxing, or UFC with him, and the rapport is there when they talk about certain fighters or matches as well. Ms. Otten is Gutierrez’s pre-calculus teacher, and she has been caring, welcoming, and willing to put in effort for her students. If he is ever struggling, he knows asking her for help will clear up any confusion over the lesson. The last teacher who always impacts students and teachers alike is the wonderful Doctor Pommerehn. Gutierrez loves how she is an expert in what she teaches, and wants to see you succeed. He loves how she wants you to flourish beyond high school as well.. 

Gutierrez will be attending Iowa State and will be majoring in business. He wanted to stay close to home but also find the best along with affordable college education as well. He wants to pursue a career in marketing or business analytics because he enjoys crunching numbers a lot and breaking down problems. 

Alright, here are some fun facts about Steven Gutierrez-Suazo!

• Tottenham Hotspur fan
• Never broke a bone
• Favorite show is Regular Show
• Favorite artist is Cris MJ
• Has a dog named Ebony

 

Friends are what make or break a high school experience. Gutierrez has managed to make it for himself with the people he has met at Dowling. He loves going out to school events with them and just hanging out with them. They have helped him mature and understand the world better as it is constantly changing. One of his great friends, Manolo Paloma, since his freshman year, has built a connection with Gutierrez. They learned how to take on the world and live through the highs and lows of teen life. All the friends he has made throughout his time have allowed him to be his true self. Being a good friend of Gutierrez,  I’ve always enjoyed his company and his jokes as well. On top of driving around with him to school events, he has offered me good advice, whether it’s about life or even soccer.

A piece of advice he has to offer you readers is “Do it for your future self.” His reasoning behind that is that you are the only person who can regret what you do for yourself. He wants people to make their own decisions that will make their future self happy and have no regrets.

 One sport Gutierrez loves is soccer, or football, which is known internationally. He started watching soccer at a young age, and it’s been his whole life. His older brother, Ivan, won the state championship with Valley back in 2016 and remembers how tense the whole season was. He’s also seen some MLS teams, such as Sporting Kansas City. Some of his favorite players growing up were Messi and Neymar. He loves how Messi had the vision to make such good passes, dominated the field, and didn’t let his size bring him down. Neymar to Gutierrez was watching a youngster pop off in a man’s world. He was passionate, technical on the ball, and loved watching Neymar play.

Gutierrez’s favorite team is Tottenham Hotspur, a team located in North London, and he has been following them since 2021. He was drawn to Harry Kane and how he was scoring crazy goals. Gutierrez loved how they were an underdog team, and are a big club, but haven’t won any trophies in recent times.  The impact of soccer is tailored to everyone, but for Gutierrez, it created bonds with teams and players and exposed him to the world’s cultures. He also loves how it is friendly but competitive at the same time, where rivals can become teammates. There’s also a sense of national pride that comes along with the sport, and that is what Gutierrez loves about soccer.

Another important aspect of Gutierrez is his Honduran heritage. Growing up, he had to deal with his family not being close and traveling a lot, domestically and internationally. He wanted to assure everyone that they would never be shy to show their culture.  Through this, Gutierrez has opened his eyes to the world because it is very important to acknowledge the diversity it has, and people’s experiences around the world can be relatable. He’s had the opportunity to showcase his Honduran culture here at Dowling by participating in the Culture Fair hosted by Mrs. Kane. 

His concluding quote to me was “We are all unique, and follow your path.” You’ve got to trust yourself because if you don’t, you will lose the path you are going to take, he said to me. Don’t get lost in anyone else’s path, and know God has a plan for you at the end of the day. 

If you ever see Gutierrez in the halls or classroom, don’t be afraid to say hi. He has a lot to offer, especially about his culture and soccer. Knowing him personally, I can also say he is one of the funniest guys I have befriended as well.