“Every Friday we would either walk or drive to a basketball court in Towngate, and we would just play basketball there till like 6 o’ clock.” Skyler Aidan Ruiz. Cuban-American. Going to Barry University. Leo, but he doesn’t read into that much. He’s laid-back, and he’s positive. You can almost always catch him smiling or laughing, even when he’s in a bad mood. He knows that good vibes are what can make or break a character, and so he doesn’t really want to be around other people who tend to be negative all the time. But at the same time, Skyler’s not much of the social type. He usually stays to himself, away from the crowd, and would rather stay-in to workout and listen to music than to party. He has no desire to fake a smile for the world and to do things he doesn’t like doing. Regardless, he does wish to work on his communication, though. He hopes to become more of a people-person and to make more friends. And he hopes to continue following his value of working hard “because you never know when your time’s gonna come.” And so, he’ll become a firefighter and military officer in doing so. His family, after all, is “pretty much soldiers,” and firefighting has always been in his mind since his 3rd grade teacher told him that’s what he should be (after she had seen him on the monkey bars so many times). He’ll also be able to fulfill his childhood dream of becoming a hero, of course. And with that, Skyler will someday find himself settling in a Miami 2-story, 2-garage home with a wife, 2 kids, and a dog. He’ll still be into football and basketball, and he’ll still be a person who’s big on honesty and trust when it comes to love. Charter support team: Zach H., Josh H., Craig, Devin P., Devin R., Matthew W. Favorite movies: “anything superhero” & Fast and Furious. Favorite artists: Juice Wrld, Lil Tjay, Drake, XXX Tentacion. Favorite song: “One Take” – Lil Tjay. Advice for charter underclassmen: “Live highschool to the fullest. It’s really short, really short.”

• By: Jena Manning