As he extends his hand into the sky, an arc forming with the beat of the drums in his hands, Diego Cornejo closes his eyes and opens them into the sea of instruments and begins the performance.

Diego Cornejo, a senior this year at AHS, is the first Hispanic drum major in the history of the AHS band and has acknowledged this accomplishment with much modesty.

“I didn’t try out freshman year and then my sophomore year I did not get it, even with the push of Colleen, one of the band members who saw my potential.” said Cornejo who did not get a spot until the end of his junior year.

In fact, Cornejo admits that he wasn’t very good at the drums at the beginning

“I actually wasn’t very good at the drums when I started, but I definitely practiced a lot just to get better.

This year he is the conductor of the band, meaning he leads the band in warm ups, marches, and practice.

Cornejo has achieved much since the end of junior year, excelling in competitions that AHS Band performed in.

“I actually got two awards that said I was one of the best drums majors in the competition when performing,” Cornejo said.

He has had a lot of support from all of his teachers, especially his Spanish teacher, who encouraged him to speak up about his accomplishments.

Diego is from El Salvador, located in Central America.

Cornejo’s main focus has always been his education and working hard to receive his IB Diploma.

“I’ve definitely worked as hard as IB would let me,” he jokingly said, as IB is one of the most rigorous academic challenges in the school.

Cornejo plans to attend Boston University after he graduates, which has a great music department in order to further his studies in music.

By Andrea Melendez

Photographer