by Priya Cheema and Jessica McGrail
Senior Jake Dowell has been a vital part of Minarets since his freshman year with his involvement in many extracurriculars including Future Farmers of America (FFA), E-sports, the California Scholarship Federation (CSF), and ASB Leadership. Yet, Minarets has also been important to him as he explained, “Minarets has affected my life by showing me that I can create anything I wish if I put my mind to it and how to do things like the present and speaking in front of others.”
For Dowell, the Future Farmers of America has been his main involvement over the last four years where he has served on multiple different officer teams, regional, sectional, and chapter. With his many accomplishments, Dowell stated that his was favorite was "getting a regional office and winning state parliamentary procedure.” This does not take away from other accomplishments such as committee chair international delegate in Indiana which took a lot of work and time to achieve.
Minarets had also taught Dowell to take initiative, which motivated him and his a few friends to create the Cavalry, Minarets' first-ever e-Sports team. As a junior, he saw that a lot of people were interested in e-Sports, including himself, and felt it would be a welcomed addition to the school. There were many difficulties with starting the new club, which included getting help and support from teachers and administrators. Thanks to Dowell's persistence, the Cavalry continues to expand and have helped students find 'their place' on campus.
When it comes to his advice for future Mustangs, he would say to any incoming freshman to “make the high school what you want it to be.” As for his future, Jake plans on attending either Fresno State or Cal Poly after high school to pursue Agriculture Communications.