Losing a loved one is one of the most difficult and gut-wrenching experiences one can ever go through in life. Losing my little brother Evan, who we affectionately call E, was the most tragic event I have ever experienced. The accident occurred 5 years ago, just 3 weeks after he turned 10. He was trying to make it from California to Texas to see me compete on Team USA after making the US National Football team. My mom and I flew out to start practices, but Evan was afraid to fly so he decided to travel out with our dad, and grandparents, in their RV instead. He was called home when my grandpa fell asleep behind the wheel in Arizona and the RV rolled. An accident that severely injured my dad and other family members in the RV. After the accident occurred, I had to battle through grief and indescribable pain and depression, despite having a demanding schedule of being a full-time student, keeping my grades up, scouting and completing my Eagle rank project requirements, volunteering for the American Brain Tumor Association, playing football, and working to help my family financially. Football alone is demanding with the mandatory before and after school practice schedule, rigorous workouts and training. It took so much strength and perseverance for me to stay focused and committed to these endeavors, but I knew I couldn’t let my angel down. I found strength in the amazing support network around me, numerous brothers on my football team who were there for me on my toughest days and leaned into my faith heavily to see me though. After Evan’s passing, I dedicated over 500 community service hours to rebuilding the desert tortoise rehabilitation pens at The Living Desert Zoo in Palm Desert, California for my Eagle Scout Project. The desert tortoise is our State Reptile and is endangered, but more than that, my little brother fell in love with them when he did his first-grade school project on them, and I knew I had to find a way to help them. It was a difficult and emotional project that took me over a year and a half to plan and carry out, wrought with many obstacles including a windstorm that almost destroyed it, but one that was so meaningful to me and helped the Living Desert Zoo with establishing their Head Start program, in conjunction with the San Diego Zoo, to help rear baby desert tortoises from hatchlings to a size big enough to reintroduce them into the wild. The pens I built will help with the last step of the process, acclimating them to the harsh desert conditions before release. I also helped establish the Evan Fuentes Campership Fund with our local California Inland Empire Scouting Council with donations received from family and friends. The campership fund helps children in need pay for scout summer camp and leadership retreats in hope that it develops the same love of scouting, outdoors and camping as Evan had. Ultimately, the loss of my little brother has helped shape my calling in life. My lifelong goal is to continue to share my passion for helping others by becoming a firefighter and earning my bachelor’s in business administration, so I can move up the ranks in the department I end up working for. I want to be able to save as many lives as possible in hope that other families don’t have to say good-bye to their loved ones prematurely.

What truly sets me apart is my ability to overcome life’s obstacles and persevere in the face of tragedy. I was in 8th grade when my little brother was killed in a rollover RV accident 5 years ago trying to get to my football game in Texas after I made the US National Football Team. Losing my best friend and little brother left me distraught, but with a newfound appreciation for how fleeting life can be, and how important it is to make an impact while we are here. Everything I do now is in honor of his memory which fills me with the drive to succeed and help others to make him proud. After Evan’s passing, I dedicated over 500 community service hours to rebuilding the desert tortoise rehabilitation pens at The Living Desert Zoo in Palm Desert, California for my Eagle Scout Project. The desert tortoise is our State Reptile and is endangered, but more than that, my little brother fell in love with them when he did his first-grade school project on them, and I knew I had to find a way to help them. My love of making an impact has also benefitted the non-profit American Brain Tumor Association. After finding out my mom had an inoperable benign brain tumor, I began advocating at the age of 5 and dedicated hundreds of hours of community service to raising awareness in the community and funds totaling over $11,000 for research for better treatment options and to ultimately find a cure—not just for brain tumors, but all types of cancer. Throughout high school, I have carried a full courseload including AP and IB coursework, while maintaining a 3.67 cumulative GPA, playing Varsity football, and working as a concierge and barback. I learned how to effectively balance my time between work, school, community service, sports, scouting, and philanthropy, all while adapting to life without my brother and feeling the devastating impact of my parent’s subsequent divorce. I’m thoroughly enjoying my high school EMT class and working toward my certification to get me one step closer to realizing this dream. I should pass certification by the end of May and plan to start working on an ambulance to earn 1,200 paid hours so I can enter the year long paramedic program at Palomar College. In addition to earning my Paramedic license, I plan to obtain both an AS degree in Fire Science and an AS degree in Business Administration, before applying for acceptance to Palomar’s Fire Academy. Helping others has been a lifelong calling and I’m excited to embark on this career path of fighting fires to help our community and saving lives to help our citizens. I’m thankful for the work experience and connections I’ve made through my EMT internship at Riverside University Health Sytem Hospital, a level-one trauma center, and with AMR ambulance. My lifelong goal is to continue to share my passion for helping others by becoming a firefighter and earning my bachelor’s in business administration, so I can move up the ranks in the department I end up working for. I want to be able to save as many lives as possible in the hope that other families don’t have to say good-bye to their loved ones prematurely.