Everyone on campus sees him at least once a day. He diligently delivers slips and “daps up” students on the way out, filling them with smiles and conversation. That’s the type of person senior Arturo Rodriguez Zepeda is.
On campus, Arturo is well known for being a hardworking office assistant, a tenacious wrestler, and–Arturo’s personal favorite title–homecoming prince. No matter who it may be, Arturo is always there to encourage and uplift other students.
Senior Benjamin Villalobos, one of Arturo’s close friends, says Arturo is full of life and fun to be around. With this energy, Arturo is also one of Villalobos’ biggest supporters in sports, attending every boys varsity tennis home game to support his best friend.
FUHS French teacher Alexandra Walker says Arturo is kind to everyone and is always willing to cheer them on no matter what. His high level of moral character, distinguishing right from wrong, makes him a special friend to all. Having seen Arturo since his freshman year of high school, Walker is proud of how far he’s come.
“I remember when he was doing the homecoming campaigning, people had added negative things to other students’ posters and he was really quick to correct that, even though he wanted to win.”
“When Arturo won homecoming court they came in after the assembly altogether so when Arturo was coming in, the entire class made a tunnel and cheered for him,” said Walker. “That’s just how that class as a whole is, very much supportive of each other that way.”
However, Arturo wasn’t always this outgoing. When he was a baby, Arturo said his speech staggered behind, later being diagnosed with autism. In the beginning, he recounts struggling to socialize despite wanting to make friends. Amidst this hurdle, he didn’t let it get in the way. With the help of Arturo’s first friend in elementary school who initiated conversation, Arturo put lots of effort into reflecting the same warmth given by his first friend onto others. With the influence of a friend and his courage, Arturo is now the type of student loved and respected by all students.
Most may know Arturo as the friendly assistant or homecoming royalty but those in sports know him for his overflowing passion for wrestling.
Arturo started wrestling his junior year. Often watching wrestling clips online, with the push of his friend Landon MacGill, captain of boys varsity wrestling, Arturo decided to take a shot at it. With no prior experience during his first match, Arturo took home a win.
FUHS wrestling coach Sashrati Ferdaws credits Arturo’s competitive nature and grit, striving for continuous improvement through his own efforts despite struggles. Ferdaws emphasizes Arturo always wanted to succeed because he wanted his friends to watch him win. He says Arturo learned quickly how to distinguish his strengths and weaknesses which led to his victory.
“He was losing a lot, he would get pinned, then he started slowly fighting off his back, then started scoring and pinning people,” said Ferdaws. “He never got demoralized, he just kept pushing at it.”
Despite Arturo’s gift in wrestling, he hopes to pursue a different career in the future. Attending Fullerton College, he hopes to become a biotechnology laboratory assistant. Although this is not an easy career, one of Arturo’s many hobbies is making quotes to strengthen and inspire himself along with others. He says one of his most frequently reflected quotes goes, “Always believe in yourself and the work will pay off.”
