Mustang High School sophomore cheerleader Julissa Lopez has learned that success is built long before Friday nights under the lights. As a base on the Broncos’ cheer squad, she embraces the behind-the-scenes work that keeps her teammates in the air and the crowd on its feet.
Lopez, a 10th grader, said she draws daily motivation from home. “My brother inspires me to balance school and sports while thriving in both,” Lopez said. That example has helped her juggle an advanced course load with the demands of a year-round cheer schedule.
In the classroom, Lopez gravitates toward numbers. She lists Algebra 2 as her favorite subject and points to Coach Walker as her favorite teacher. The same problem-solving mindset she uses in math shows up on the mat when she and her teammates are working to perfect stunts and pyramids.
“I’m a base on the cheer team,” Lopez said. “I love experiencing hype moments when our skills are going right.” Those moments are the payoff for hours of preparation. During the summer, the Broncos practice three days a week for two hours a day to be ready when school starts.
Away from cheer, Lopez enjoys quieter pursuits that show another side of her personality. “I like to read and rhinestone things,” she said, a hobby that requires patience and attention to detail.
Lopez said athletics has already shaped who she is and who she hopes to become. “Athletics has taught me perseverance and people skills,” she said. Those lessons show up in the way she communicates with stunt groups, pushes through tough practices and supports her teammates.
One of those teammates, senior cheerleader Kaitlyn Weston, has become a role model. “I look up to Kaitlyn Weston – a senior on the cheer team,” Lopez said. As Lopez continues her Mustang career, she hopes to carry forward the example Weston has set and become that same steady presence for younger athletes on the squad.
