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

Colorado Rocky Mountain School graduate Spencer Mortell is chasing the rapids — and his dreams. Whether it’s paddling with friends and teachers or striving for academic excellence, Spencer has spent his high school years pushing himself to grow both in and out of the classroom. This fall, he’s heading to Davidson College in North Carolina to study economics and applied mathematics, with an eye toward understanding how math can explain human behavior. But when he’s not hitting the books, Spencer is chasing an even bigger goal: winning the kayak freestyle world championships.

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: The most important thing that I have learned during high school was how to fail. That everything is not going to happen on the first try, and there are going to be times when you do not understand a concept or fail to get your ideas across in writing. However, it is giving it another shot and trying again that makes you better and creates growth in a person.

Q: What motivated you most to do well in high school?
A: I have always put a lot of pressure on myself to achieve a high standard. I know that I am capable of producing excellent work, and that drives me to work hard to create things. I think that I have this fear that I would be letting myself, my teachers, and my parents down if I did not complete work to the best of my ability.

Q: What will you miss about high school?
A: I will miss kayaking with all my friends and teachers after school. The faculty that are a part of the kayak program have grown to be some of my closest friends. The students who are a part of the kayak program will continue to be lifelong kayak buddies.

Q: Where are your post-graduation plans taking you, and why?
A: I will be attending Davidson College in North Carolina this fall and plan to study economics and applied mathematics. I have always been interested in how money works and how math can be used to predict patterns in human behavior. I hope Davidson teaches me to predict human behavior through math.

Q: What do you most look forward to in your future?
A: I want to win the kayak freestyle world championships. This has been a dream for the last four years now, and I grow more inspired to pursue it every day. The next world championships will be held in Spain, and I hope to get top 10 at that event. Then eventually, at some point in my kayak career, win a world championship.