ON THE RISE

Patrick Laird

Eighteen-year-old Patrick Laird is a senior at Mission College Preparatory Catholic High School. One of six children, he is best known for his achievements in football, but there’s more to Laird than athletic prowess.

What sort of extra-curricular activities are you involved in?

Aside from football, basketball, and track, I’ve been involved in ASB since freshmen year and am the ASB President this year. I’m also very interested in music—I like listening to and making music. And, I enjoy studying economics, business and investing in my free time. What is noteworthy about you? I made All-CIF and AllCounty honors last year in football. I also have won KSBY Player of the Week three times. At school I’ve received the English and Leadership class awards given at the end of the year. What is your favorite memory of all time? Winning in the semi-finals last year for football and getting to hug my brother after the game. That was the only time he got to see me play because he goes to school back East. Who or what has influenced you the most and why? My dad has been my biggest influence, for sure. Growing up, I’ve witnessed the hardest working person I know in my dad and that’s been instilled in me. I think he’s also passed on a lot of competitiveness, which my friends sometimes don’t like. If you won $1 million what would you do with it? Why? I would probably find something cool locally and donate some of it, because I think starting at a local level is key. And then, I would probably invest a lot of it so that I could have it for the future. I’ve always thought it would be cool to relieve some of the financial pressure from my parents for college, so I would probably also pay for my siblings’ college expenses. What do you dislike the most and why? I dislike when people choose to look at the negative part of everything. I think we have a huge problem nowadays with kids who just hate on anything and everything for no reason. It’s not “cool” to say something is good or to say you like something. It’s easy for kids to just say they don’t like their school or complain about where they live, and that just really bugs me. What schools are you considering for college? I’ve received offers from Cornell, Brown, and Davidson for football so those are some of my top choices. I’m getting interest from other schools, as well, so we’ll see by the time the season is over. Where do you see yourself in ten years? Hopefully owning a business or financial advisory firm in SLO. If not that, a solid job in the financial sector where I can live on the Central Coast. SLO LIFE

That’s right, the rumors are true!

Dr. Daniel’s orthodontic practice has relocated just around the corner from SLO High School at 1356 Marsh Street.

Although it’s a new address, they are still providing the same excellent care as they have for years.

Specializing in Smiles