Resilience. Curiosity. Kindness. 

Those are just a few of the points on Quinn Pascual’s compass for life, and so far, they’ve navigated the Discovery Canyon Campus High School senior through life’s peaks and valleys. 

The first valley came when Pascual was only 2 years old.  

What started as a bout of seizures, high fevers, and a bizarre skin rash turned into a diagnosis of Kawasaki disease, a rare condition that can cause lifelong heart and vascular complications. The diagnosis required that Pascual receive intravenous treatments of purified proteins and antibodies from blood donors, and resulted in a long period of relearning to walk and perform other motor functions, such as smiling.   

“Without their donations,” Pascual wrote in his Best and Brightest essay, “my health would have taken a turn for the worse, and I would never have become the person that I am today.” 

And that person today? He strives to pay forward the kindness he received as a child.  

Sometimes that kindness meant organizing school-wide fundraisers for childhood cancer research as Student Body President. Sometimes it meant feeding warm meals to homeless people in Alamosa with his church. Sometimes it meant simply encouraging other students on his track-and-field team as its captain. But whatever the act of kindness, it has always meant reaching out to others. 

“His thoughtful and compassionate nature ensures that he considers the well-being of his peers in every decision he makes,” Clare Koppin, Pascual’s student council advisor, wrote. “He is passionate about service, and consistently looks for ways to give back to those in need.” 

It’s a mentality that earned Pascual admission into Princeton University this fall, where he intends to study public and international affairs. 

Perhaps Pascual’s track in higher education shouldn’t come as a surprise, considering his involvement with climate change activism and community service. 

It was through an internship with Good Trouble Climate Coalition and a summer program with the Pikes Peak Justice and Peace Commission that Pascual said he was inspired, witnessing how community leaders made an impact in their towns.  

Pascual made an impact of his own, serving on the high school student council all four years, helping plan events, coordinating charity drives and serving as District Liaison between other schools. 

“He is truly one of the most impactful individuals in the student council group,” Koppin wrote, “and I know he will continue to strive for excellence in himself, his actions, and his community.” 

Pascual’s excellence doesn’t end there, though. His tenacious spirit has carried over into his success in sports, too. 

When a broken back the summer before ninth grade ended his lifetime involvement in gymnastics, Pascual found other paths. He started teaching younger kids gymnastics instead and began pursuing a track-and-field career.  

As a state championship contender in pole vault and a Princeton recruit, Pascual’s bar seems to keep rising higher with his sights set on possibly competing in the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. 

“That’s probably far-fetched,” Pascual said. “But that’s a little goal I have for the future.” 

Olympics or not, Pascual’s future seems to be a bright one.