As Told To Taryn Finley

Justin Eduafo, 18, is a high school senior and student athlete in Dayton, Ohio. A proud son of an immigrant father, he just wants to make his family proud while he carves out his own path in life. Hes interested in studying dentistry when he goes to college.

I have a lot more depth to me than what others may give me credit for. Some people probably view me as one-dimensional, as if Im only an athlete whos not that smart or just plays video games and stuff. But Im more than that. Im empathetic and I like to help people. Im in AP classes and getting the best grades of my high school career. And I love fashion, video games and music. Im interested in things people would probably be surprised to learn.

I go to a private Catholic high school in a city thats pretty segregated, though my school is becoming more diverse. Every senior class at my school experiences a spiritual retreat called Kairos. Its a transformative tradition that includes self-reflection, prayer and affirmations. I was really happy to be there, mostly because I was grounded and glad to be out of the house at the time. But it proved to be a really cool experience.

Our class wrote letters to each other. I wasnt familiar with a lot of people in our Kairos group, but I was surprised to read in their letters to me that some of them were intimidated by me. I guess since I was always hanging out with the popular group they thought I was different than I was when they got to know me on the retreat. A lot of times, Im more observant than talkative. Maybe people thought I was unapproachable, but that couldnt be further from the truth.