Catching up with Cole Guerra

Cole Guerra reflects on his time at Aquinas and reveals what his life is like now.

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Elesia Guerra

Cole Guerra stops for a picture during a hike in Wyoming.

Elesia Guerra, Editor-in-Chief

With the school year almost over, we are reminded of another class graduating. They get to take part in all of the events at Aquinas which revolve around graduating: senior mass, baccalaureate mass, and graduation. However, the class of 2020 did not get to participate in all of these different occasions due to the pandemic preventing them from happening. To give his perspective, alumnus Cole Guerra talked about his personal experience at Aquinas, specifically with graduation, and what he is currently up to now. 

Cole, spontaneous and adventurous, was involved in a range of different extracurriculars during his time at Aquinas. The sports and activities that he participated in were: football and rugby and bowling and show choir and so on. He played football for three years and rugby for two years. Cole stated that rugby had the biggest impact on him in high school and he wished that he played it sooner. His favorite memories from rugby are the ones that encompass the camaraderie and traveling. He mentioned that his favorite class was geography with Mrs. Mersman and his favorite teacher was Ms. Kennedy, who taught a few of his math classes. Cole made a lot of memories during his summer going into junior year. He went with a group from the school, including Ms. Kennedy as one of the teachers, on a mission trip to Costa Rica. It was there that he got to know more about his classmates and talk to people that he had not talked to before. However, all of these extracurriculars soon came to an end as the pandemic struck the world in March 2020 of Cole’s senior year. 

All of the moments that came with being a senior and graduating were unavailable to him. After spring break, Cole’s classes were online and he could not physically spend time with his friends. By May, his senior year was over and he was done with high school, yet, he still technically had not graduated. It was not until July of 2020 that he officially graduated. The class of 2020 had a graduation ceremony outside on the football field. The seats for the graduates were placed six feet apart. Cole added that they had to wear masks inside of the school before and after the ceremony. Due to the summer heat and unusual circumstances, the boys were allowed to wear shorts and a polo shirt. When walking across the stage, there was a fiberglass screen between him and the president at the time, Dr. Ford. Cole had to fist-bump Dr. Ford through the screen which he found to be really strange. Since the class of 2020 did not have a senior mass, they brought up their item that reminded them of their time at Aquinas at graduation. Cole did not bring anything up, however, his twin sister, Elena Guerra, brought up her planner. While Cole is grateful to have had graduation, he wished that they had the baccalaureate mass and graduation in May. He thought that it would have been cool to finish the semester off when it did because he felt like his graduation took place too late. 

Cole and a fellow classmate start their walk outside for graduation. Photo courtesy of Michele Gress.

Since Cole’s graduation, he has continued his studies at the University of Wyoming. His major is Outdoor Recreation and Tourism Management. Cole is a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity. He spends most of his time outdoors either fishing or hunting. Also, he is a fly fishing guide in Montana. Cole is extremely grateful to get to do what he loves every day. He has met great people and been to amazing places all from following his passion, the outdoors. 

Cole guides people on a hike. Photo courtesy of Elesia Guerra.

Cole’s reflection on his time at Aquinas, especially with graduation, has led him to be appreciative of the arbitrary moments that come up in life. His advice to the class of 2023 is to “enjoy these last moments with your friends and take advantage of opportunities because you might not ever get them again.”