Jesse Ortiz may be running on the football field and on the track, but that’s not the only thing he’s running for. 

This Saturday, along with his girlfriend, Lesley Yanez, he has high hopes they will both be crowned Prom King and Queen.

Saturday is still a few days away, and before the voting can start, it’s time to get to know a bit more about Jesse Ortiz.

Let’s get the obvious stuff out of the way. As humorous as can be, Jesse is always making people laugh and keeping spirits high.

Yearbook adviser Jeremiah Dollins tried keeping a straight face when talking about Jesse’s antics. “When he came into our studio to do make-up senior portraits this year, Jesse had everyone cracking up with his crazy facial expressions.”

Besides being incredible company, anyone who knows Jesse knows him for two things: One, Link Crew; two, Football. It makes sense. As Link Crew leader, he’s always mentoring Freshmen students. And as a football player, he’s out on the field doling out punishment to push the Yellowjackets to victory.

But enough about what we do know. Here are some things you don’t.

During the pandemic, Jesse accomplished many things while in quarantine. He learned how to play the guitar, for starters. He improved his skills by completing challenges with his friends—seeing who could make the most progress virtually. With the world starting to resume something like normal, Jesse manages to grab his guitar and play whenever he can find a spare moment.

Another thing he was able to accomplish was gaining strength by practicing holding a handstand. Seems kind of random, but the impact it had on his core strength and overall strength really helped him.

But what Jesse seems most proud of is learning English. “Spanish is my primary language,” he shared. “I worked really hard to learn English.” His efforts paid off.

And lastly, Jesse joined track this year. He played football for quite some time and got used to never giving up on pursuing his spot, or wanting to show people what he is capable of and how much of a team player he can be. Now he’s a runner and thrower for the track in addition to having been part of a CIF playoff football team.

“Something that kept me going was the fact that I wanted to prove and show people wrong, but people’s hate was something that kept me going and it worked,” he says.

And now it’s time to prove people wrong again, by winning Prom King.

Something that keeps Jesse motivated is knowing that not all people are chosen to even be on the Prom Court. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and an amazing experience. That he gets to do it along with his girlfriend makes it all the better. 

“The reason why I ran was because it’s my last year and I wanted to give it a shot because you never know what’s going to happen,” Jesse said.

Well, Jesse has shot his shot, and like the rest of us, waits until Saturday night to see the results.