Behind a fabulous performance is someone who knows how to make the spotlight shine. A talent for lighting, a strong perseverance and a very hard work ethic, Jonathan Salgado is someone who is always willing to make a difference and always puts his talents to the test. Tyro Times spoke with Jonathan Salgado about his achievements, what motivates him and why he would want to compete for Mr. Cardinal

Suheidi Gaxiola: How has your experience at SBHS been so far?

Jonathan Salgado: It has been an okay experience. I met a lot of new people and I got out of my comfort zone. I talked to a lot of new people that I didn’t think I would talk to. I just mainly met a lot of new people; I am not a talkative person, I am more to myself. Getting out of my comfort zone and talking to other people really surprised me.

SG: Do you have any favorite moments here at SBHS?

JS: I would probably say theater. Right now as I know it is definitely theater. Working on the lights in general, making the show more understanding for the audience and just doing the lights really are just my favorite parts here at SBHS.

SG: What inspired you into becoming a Mr. Cardinal contestant?

JS: I never had it on my mind. During prom when I won for Junior prince, Jamie, the Mr. and Miss Cardinal director came up to me and told me that I should join.

SG: You chose “hardworking” as a word to describe you. Could you give me an example?

JS: I want to say theater. There is a lot of stuff that you need to do in theater in order to do it right. You are never just sitting around,  you are always moving and doing a lot of things that require being a hard worker.

 SG: How was your experience in theater?

JS: My experience in theater was really fun, I met a lot of new people. That’s how I got mostly out of my comfort zone and talked to new people. It really is just a fun experience, you go on field trips, you do plays, overall it is just a very fun experience.

SG: What was your biggest challenge while being here at SBHS?

JS: I want to say the biggest challenge that I faced while being here is trying  to keep up with my grades. I get lazy sometimes and I don’t really like to do the work, so I would say keeping up with my grades. I would say sophomore year was the hardest year, it was mainly just honors classes that was making it hard to really do and finish my work. It was a lot on me. 

SG: Your biggest achievement is being a lighting technician. Was there anything that inspired you into achieving that?

JS:  When I first joined theater, I never really knew what a lighting technician was. When I joined, I was taught the stuff and at first I did not really like it. I never really knew what I was doing until I got the hang of it. I got better and eventually I got good at it. Sooner or later I started doing the lights here. For example, I did the lights for the Mr. and Miss Cardinal pageant, and I did the lights for sports events. It’s a really fun experience once you know how to do it. I think that is my greatest accomplishment because I could do something that most people can’t really do. 

SG: You hope to gain responsibility from this experience. Is there anything else you would like to gain?

JS: Probably friendship. I would like to have more connections with people and overall just have more friends. I think friendship is also key, at the same time it is not really a big big thing. Friends come and go and they don’t stick with you their whole life. You have to be careful with who you call friends. But I think responsibility is more important than friendship.

 SG:  Is there something that motivates you to keep going?

JS: Something that motivates me to keep going is probably everyone. Everyone is just so energetic, joyful, everyone is always in a good mood and just seeing them really puts me in a good mood. You see their energy and it’s like everyone has the same energy and it’s all good energy, really good vibes. I think it has impacted my life a little because I learned a lot from being a contestant, so I definitely think it impacted my life. 

SG: What would you like for everyone to remember from this experience? 

JS: Something I want everyone to remember is that it’s going to be a fun experience and that you see the world more clearly. You are able to do a lot of fun things, help out people, and just that it has a big impact on you. That is something a bunch of people need so I want everyone to remember it more like that.