JDCHS provides opportunities for diverse students to shine in and out of the classroom

Friday, Jun. 06, 2014

DRAPER — Ashley Ramos and Kristen Shimkus both excelled in their years at Juan Diego Catholic High School, graduating with honors, but their paths were very different. Ramos was involved with music and theater as well as Peer Ministry; Shimkus was an outstanding soccer player who also was a member of Student Government. At graduation, Ramos was presented with the Senior Academic Excellence Award in Theology and was an AP Scholar; Shimkus was one of five students honored with the Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta Service Award; she also earned the St. Francis of Assisi Award and was one of two named Juan Diego Girl.

This fall, Ramos will attend the University of Utah in the B.F.A. Actor Training Program with a minor in music; she would like a professional acting career. Shimkus has been accepted to the U.S. Air Force Academy, and hopes to become a pilot. 

Despite their differences, each of the two young women attributes her achievements to the same sources. They are highly motivated, but “for me it was about surrounding myself with the right people,” Shimkus said. “A lot of my success has come from the people and the teachers I’ve met here at Juan Diego. They helped me to push myself.”

Ramos agreed. “It’s not hard to surround yourself with good people here because I think there are a whole lot of them; you just have to find the ones you like to spend most of your time with,” she said.

Juan Diego’s teachers also deserve credit, the women said.

“You can tell that they care that you’re learning when they push you, and you can also tell that they care about you just as a human being in and out of class,” Ramos said, adding that the teachers also attend many extracurricular activities, supporting the students not only in class but in other ways as well.

“You can tell that they really care about you and they care about what you’re learning and what they’re teaching and that they’re passionate about it, which makes you want to succeed,” Shimkus said.

Culturally, the two are as diverse as their interests, although both were raised Catholic. Ramos is Filipino and an only child; Shimkus’ mother is from Mexico, her father is Anglo, and she has two siblings. However, neither felt out of place at the Skaggs Catholic Center, where they both went through the Saint John the Baptist schools before attending Juan Diego.

“We’re taught to be open here; curiosity is always OK but cruelty is not,” Ramos said, adding that she doesn’t remember ever being made fun of at school.

Shimkus said the lack of cliques at Juan Diego has meant that she has “friends of all ethnicities,” and “we have a lot of friends here who aren’t Catholic.” Although the school emphasizes Catholic values, “the things that they teach here are being a good person, pretty much, and that applies to all religions and even if you’re not a religion. … We accept everyone for who they are because that’s the way we’ve been treated here,” Shimkus said.

One result of living Catholic values is that students at JDCHS support each other in their activities and congratulate each other on their successes, Ramos said. “There’s a general kindness that is to be given to everyone.”

As she has ventured away from the school, such as when she participated in outside theater productions, she has found that “it’s definitely a sassier world out there,” she said.