In my time spent with Andore Horruitiner, a sophomore at Battle Mountain High School, my mind opened to a wonderful realization: youth hold inspirations that wield mighty power for all. From the very concrete to a world vision, we can all learn from Andore.
Joy, for Andore, is the ability to be himself, the absence of fear in a world of criticism. When he spends time with his brother, Tiago, and his father, Bratzo (a near-professional soccer coach), Andore feels safe from the subconscious nagging that affects youth in their public spaces, like school. These times are not without challenge, explains Andore, “I am so jealous of my brother! Everything comes so easy to him. It may seem that I am grumpy because of this, but I am not. I am truly proud of his talents.”
What can we learn from this statement? Eagle County can be a better place if the different cultures represented here could dissolve the latent boundaries. Andore sees a mentality that allows people to hold on to, and possibly perpetuate, fear of one another. Acknowledgment that “we all have our own lives and cultures, but we are one community” will lead to more success for everyone. This statement comes from a youth who has known multiple cultures and difficulty assimilating in them. He has moved from Florida to Peru and then to Colorado. Each of the eight moves he has made has taught him the resiliency necessary to assimilate. Do you hear a message of peace? I do.
Andore recognizes his ability to overcome challenges and is proud of that skill. His growth stems from 1st Sergeant Sosa, his Junior ROTC teacher from his days in Florida. Andore lives by Sosa’s mantra: “Every obstacle is self-imposed.” Andore explains that he applies this to his everyday life, solving problems at every turn, so that his dreams can come true. His dream is to be an amazing soccer player and coached by the best coach he knows, his dad. Oh, his other dream: that the people of the world put their differences aside and join together for an awesome cause: our Earth. Don’t we all want our dreams to come true? Perhaps lessons from Andore can help us all.
Sandy Schroeder is the Communities That Care coordinator, a subsidiary program of the Eagle River Youth Coalition.