A sneak peek at Baylor’s Class of 2020

Every summer, we take a look at some of the freshmen who will be joining the Baylor family come fall. The three new Bears featured here were each the valedictorian of his/her class, but come to Waco from homes as near as Houston and as far as Virginia. Here’s your first look at Baylor’s Class of 2020:

* Third-degree black belt Tristan Vasquez comes from a big family; he says his role model in life is his grandfather, who raised eight sons and three daughters and “always provided for his family.” The valedictorian of Faith Academy in Victoria, Texas, aims to do the same, beginning by studying philosophy at Baylor before going on to law school.

* Jazmin Gonzalez (pictured above) loves music, having played flute since 5th grade, earning state band honors twice, and serving as drum major last year at South Houston High School in Pasadena, Texas. But at Baylor, the National Honor Society and National Hispanic Honor Society president plans to study nursing. “We will never stop learning, but we will always improve,” the SHHS valedictorian told her classmates. “Our conquering of education never stops.”

* A two-time class president at Portsmouth [Va.] Christian Academy, Joshua Rocconi plans to major in business at Baylor before going into the ministry. As valedictorian, he challenged his fellow seniors “to not let the talent that God has given you go to waste. God hasn’t called you to a life of laziness. He doesn’t want us sitting on the sidelines watching everything take place, he wants us out there, impacting the world for him.”

Sic ’em, #BU20!