Written by Aliyah Chandra
Have you seen her walking around campus? Probably not. But you can find her a couple of feet below you, dressed in all black, a cute little lip piercing, and with a Winnie the Pooh backpack. Aero Rivas-Mattos is a beloved student here at Liberty, despite being so hard to find. Some words used to describe her by classmates and friends are, “Goofy”, “energetic”, and “kind.” Upon meeting this little thing, it was soon realized that she truly lives up to how people describe her.
Standing at 4’11, Aero Rivas-Matos is an 18-year-old senior. When she isn’t struggling to reach the top shelf, she involves herself in choir, drawing, and skating. “I just like to draw because it’s fun. I got into skating because of my friends. My favorite class is choir. I like singing and I like to think I’m good at it. I am currently a soprano, so I get to sing the higher notes.” Aero moved to Liberty in her Junior Year last February from Canyon Springs. Her overall rating of our school was a “9/10.” Some facts about this munchkin are that she is a huge fan of the band, “Three Days Grace,” her favorite color is pink, and someone she looks up to in life is herself. She was also involved in a Fanco commercial in 2015, cheerfully proclaiming, “Fanco: that’s where to go!” at the end.
Some friends of Aero’s, Seth Hansen, Blue Guzman, and Kayla Gabay, had many things to say about their pocket-sized friend. Seth, who met Aero through work, used the words energetic, random, and hyper to describe her. “If there was anything I could tell her, it would be to focus more on herself and worry less about what other people think.” Blue, Aero’s manager at work, shared the same idea saying, “Don’t change for anyone else.” Kayla Gabay, a classmate and close friend of the “gremlin” wanted her to know that not only will she miss her once she graduates but that she should one hundred percent prioritize her mental health over her grades. “Life is so much more than a letter on a paper.” She also mentioned, “there is a saying in my culture that if you do jumping jacks on New Year’s Eve you’ll grow a foot taller. You should try it out.”
While she may be hard to find in a sea of people of average height, she’s worth searching for. She’s one of a kind and most certainly irreplaceable. Her leading qualities are her confidence and kindness, which go hand in hand with making her a sweet young lady. If you ever happen to find her, 1. No, she didn’t get lost on her way to elementary school, and 2. You should immediately become friends with her. Rest assured knowing that it will be the best decision you will ever make. But act fast; by May, this senior will be off campus and out of here! Aero, the students of Liberty miss you already and can’t believe such an awesome student like you, a true patriot, will be leaving our campus. But while you are here, you truly are the best of the best (and the shortest of the short).
