Aaron Estrada has made a name for himself on the soccer field and in the classroom at Catholic High School in Little Rock.
With the Rockets hoping for a chance at the 6A state championship, Estrada was a leader as a striker. CHS entered the state tournaments as No. 1 in 6A Central. Estrada helped them secure a quarter-finals victory over Rogers May 16, scoring the only point. On May 17 CHS beat Springdale, heading to the state championship.
As a midfielder for Arkansas Rising, Estrada has stayed committed to soccer each fall.
“I’ve been playing soccer since I was 6, and then when I was 10 I joined United Soccer Club, and then it turned into Arkansas Rising. I played there until last fall. That was my last club season. And I’ve been a four-year varsity player here.”
Soccer has been the avenue where Estrada can make friends with students of all grades.
“It’s easy to make friends. I spend a lot of time with them, so you’re forced to be friends with them and the younger classmates. I can connect with the juniors and sophomores. I’m not just in class with seniors all the time. I also have time to socialize with the underclassmen.”
While he won’t play soccer on the collegiate level, he hopes to play intramurals at the University of Arkansas, where he plans to study accounting.
Excelling in the classroom has already been a priority. He ended high school with a 3.96 GPA.
“My parents always wanted me to do well in school,” the 17-year-old parishioner at St. Edward Church in Little Rock said. “They always pushed that on me. And my older brother told me that once you start high school, everything matters, like grades, if I wanted to go to college, which I am. He said you have to keep good grades the whole time, not just your junior year, sophomore year…. School is relatively easy for me, but I still study.”
His parents also instilled in him the importance of maintaining his Spanish skills.
“Spanish was the first language I learned, so it’s always been there,” he said. “I speak mostly Spanish at home; it’s always going to be a way to communicate with my family. In college, I think I could connect with other people that speak Spanish better. It could be something we have in common, and I can make friends. In the workforce, I’ve always heard that it is good to have a second language.”
As he leaves CHS, he said he is grateful for the guidance the school has shown him.
“The biggest thing is discipline,” he said. “This school is all about discipline and professionalism, like the uniform every day and the haircuts. I think that’s a very good thing to take away. It will be very useful in professional fields, whatever I decide to go into. Communication also. We can’t have our phones here, so we are forced to socialize, which is a very good thing, and that could be very beneficial next year when I am trying to make friends and network. Also, all the friends I’ve made. I’m sure I will stay connected with a lot of them. They will be there for me when I need them, and I will be there for them as well.”
