Editor’s note: This is the sixth installment of an eight-part series highlighting graduating high school students in Garfield County.

Bridges High School senior Keaton Wesseling has called the Roaring Fork Valley home his entire life. His family’s roots in the area run deep — both his parents grew up in the Glenwood and Basalt area, and his siblings were born in Glenwood. Keaton enjoys a wide range of activities in his free time, from tumbling and stunting to hiking, camping, dirt biking and lake days. He also loves the thrill of driving, exploring new places and spending time with family and friends. Now, Keaton is ready for a new adventure: studying diesel mechanics at Colorado Mesa University Tech and joining the CMU cheer team.

Here are his responses to the Post Independent’s graduate profile questions.

Q: What is the most important thing you’ve learned during your four years of high school?
A: Not to take things for granted because everything always has a time limit. The things you do don’t last forever, so take opportunities as they come. The four years of high school are short in relation to your life, so take it all in when you get the chance. Now that I have graduated, constants in my life like class and cheer have ended, and I have needed to find new ways to learn and explore these parts of my life. Instead of being on an All-Star cheer team, a competitive sport for kids 18 and below, I have had to move to a college-level cheer that is much different. In All-Star cheer, cheerleaders compete against other teams with choreographed routines, where college cheer is a collegiate sport, and we will be performing for sports games and not competing against any opponents. The time I spent in high school learning and working on cheer has gone fast and taught me to take every moment in and not take any of it for granted. If there is something you want to do, take the chance and take the opportunity to do it while it is in front of you, because time is limited and these chances won’t be around forever.

Q: What motivated you most to do well in high school?
A: At first I didn’t have much motivation to do well or even be in school, but after switching from Glenwood High School to Bridges High School and seeing how much my mother wanted me to succeed and how hard she had worked to get me into the school, I found a new motivation to do my best. After seeing all of that, I wanted to prove to her that I can do the things asked of me, become my own person, and become the best version of myself. My mom helped me through interview processes and gave me unconditional support to get back to a place where learning was something I enjoyed and looked forward to during my day. After my newfound love of learning, I was motivated to graduate high school and pursue an education in diesel mechanics, an interest I picked up from the many hours I spent working on cars with my dad when I was young. My math teacher, Jill Napiwocki, also helped motivate me through her childhood upbringing because I felt that I could really connect to it. She was also raised in a single-parent household and showed me that you can still create a meaningful identity even with the struggles that come from a single-parent household.

Q: What will you miss about high school?
A: The friends I made, not just with the other kids but with teachers and staff at Bridges. At Glenwood, I didn’t feel that I could make new connections with anyone around me because of the lack of support and understanding. When I moved to Bridges, it felt like a flip of a switch where I was able to make new friends, not just with students but with teachers and staff as well. They were supportive, welcoming and no matter what your story was, they accepted it. They saw that everybody has their own stories and luggage, and that makes you who you are. The connections I made in high school are ones that I will remember and carry throughout my life. The friendships are ones I feel I can turn back to if I ever needed to, and they could always turn to me as well. My friends have shown me the value of commitment, especially through the hard times, and have given me support that I didn’t know was possible. My teachers have shown me things within myself that I didn’t know were there and never failed to cheer me on when I was having a bad day. Not seeing everyone who makes me smile and laugh every day will definitely be the thing I miss most about high school.

Q: Where are your post-graduation plans taking you, and why?
A: I’m going to CMU Tech for diesel mechanics, and I also got recruited onto the CMU cheerleading program. I’ve also become a coach for this new program called Rise All Stars. Mechanics has always been an interest of mine, and I have always been working on something with a motor ever since I can remember. Now that I’m making this big change in my life, I want to learn to work on bigger things.

Q: What do you most look forward to in your future?
A: Being able to go to CMU, experience college life, and live on my own while trying to provide for myself and pay for my own things. I’m also really excited to start coaching for this new cheer program called Rise All Stars, and we are partnered with another program called Rervent Rhythms. We are looking to have a special-needs team. My girlfriend has worked at WindWalkers Therapeutic Riding Center. Seeing how she’s able to help anybody do the things she loves has made me so excited to be able to work with these unique individuals and be able to help teach them one of the things that I love most.