Janet Cervantes-Aguirre is a senior at Hooker High School. She’s a basketball standout and said her inspiration to play the game came from those who played before her. 

“Watching the upperclassmen play inspired me to join and give it a try,” Cervantes-Aguirre said. “And as the years went by, I fell in love with the competitiveness and the bonds I formed with my teammates.” 

Passing those bonds on with the younger players is now something she keeps in mind when she steps on or off the court. 

“Just how I looked up to the other girls ahead of me, I know these younger girls do the same with me to learn as much as they can about the game of basketball,” she said. “As I’ve made my own mistakes, I try to give them advice based on my own experiences. Oftentimes when mistakes are made, they’re unintentional turnovers that were meant to help the team. When those get made, I tell my teammates, especially the young ones, to keep their heads up and keep playing their game.” 

After high school, Cervantes-Aguirre said she wants to attend Southwestern OSU and pursue a Bachelor of Science degree in order to become a labor and delivery nurse. In her free time, she said she enjoys traveling to new places with her family and friends and discovering new series to binge on Netflix. 

Beyond everything else, Cervantes-Aguirre extolled the importance of passing down the traditions of excellence at Hooker High School. 

“Character is the set of values you bring onto the court such as discipline, hustle, and displaying leadership,” she said. “By being consistent with those things, you can bring them into real world settings such as with friendships, schoolwork, and a job.”