Oswego East Student-Athlete of the Week-Marissa Guerrero

Junior Marissa Guerrero has been part of the most decorated dance teams in Oswego East history. As a freshman, Marissa and her teammates qualified to go downstate, a first in school history. Despite a heavily changed format due to the pandemic, the Wolves qualified for state for the second season in a row during Marissa's sophomore year. Now a junior, the team nominated Marissa to captain this year's squad, believing her experience and ambition will help lead them to a third straight downstate bid, which is why she is this week's Oswego East student-athlete of the week.

As a young child, Marissa participated in several sports. "Marissa played traveling softball at seven but decided to put her focus and energy into the world of competitive dance at age 10," says Javier and Grace Guerrero, Marissa's parents.

The focus on competitive dance allowed Marissa to excel as an individual. "Marissa developed a skill-set that she has carried for many years, which is one of focus, competitiveness, determination, and the ability to critique herself technically and creatively," says Javier and Grace.

Head coach Alex Raber has watched as Marissa has blossomed from a quiet, competitive, and talented dancer into a team captain. "Marissa stepped up as a captain this year and has come out of her shell a lot," says Alex. She goes on to add, "She was quiet and shy as an underclassman, but has grown into a confident, sweet human, remaining humble and learning to use her voice for the team."

Marissa has known nothing but success during her time as a Wolf, having been a part of the first two teams to make the state tournament in school history. That success is something that drives Marissa, with her saying, "My freshman year was the first time we went downstate, and I want to keep that tradition alive."

Being a captain goes well beyond a title for Marissa. Her responsibilities include bringing out the best in her teammates and helping organize choreography for competitive routines. Some athletes may allow the leadership role to go to their head, Marissa is quite the opposite, with Alex saying, "Marissa is kind and respectful to her teammates and other competitors and students." She goes on to say, "Marissa is beyond humble, and although she is a phenomenal dancer and very smart, she always treats everyone as an equal. In her eyes, no one is beneath her and she makes sure everyone is included and no one is left behind."

Marissa has not only challenged herself as a leader for the dance team, but she is very active in school activities. She is a member of the Key Club, a co-chair of the Community Service Committee of the OE Student Council, and is a member of the Science National Honors Society.

Joining these clubs is not just for college resumes, however, as Marissa is interested in the field of Science and eventually Medicine. "I'm hoping to attend a school in California, perhaps UC Santa Barbara or UC San Diego, and major in Biology and eventually go to medical school," says Marissa.

Having enrolled in several AP and honors courses, as well as carrying a 4.0 GPA, medical school is a challenge Marissa and those around her believe she has the aptitude in which to excel. "Marissa has a few family members in fields of both Pharmacy and Medicine, and she has discussed her interest and passion in these topics since she was at Murphy Junior High," says Javier and Grace.

Robyn Mellas, Marissa's Honors Anatomy and Physiology teacher, says, "I think she would excel in the health field because she is excellent at applying information she learns in class to labs and real-life situations and understands the bigger picture of how parts of the body work together."

For now, Marissa's focus is on tomorrow's sectional tournament, one of the more difficult in the state. For any junior high students looking to become future Wolves, Marissa advises them by saying, "try to get as involved as possible because it adds to your entire high school experience and makes the journey fun." Marissa and her teammates will have the opportunity tomorrow to add to that experience at the sectional tournament, one in which they will be more than prepared.