Diego Soto Lopez
Diego Soto Lopez is a rising 12th-grade scholar at Deerfield Academy who aspires to become an aerospace engineer. In addition to his studies, he has taken an engineering course at San Diego Mesa College and has also served his community by providing feedback on transportation solutions for the 2021 SANDAG Regional Plan through the Urban Collaborative Project. He has also served on San Diego City's Youth Commission, where he was appointed by Mayor Todd Gloria. Deigo attended the APA National Planning Conference in 2022, speaking about his and his peers' efforts to help make his community a better place to live. Diego also participated in a walk audit with Circulate San Diego to identify traffic calming measures on 47th Street, Diego noticed the need for a clean-up and organized the Scholars Clean-Up to ensure that his peers had safe paths to school. He enjoys finding ways to help both his peers and the community.
"Everyone should be able to live in a safe, healthy environment! As a future engineer, I will imagine, plan, create, and improve environments for our families, friends, and community." - Diego Soto Lopez
High School
Deerfield Academy 2022/23
The Philosophy of Happiness (Fall Course)
Mind, Meaning and Reality - Philosophy (Winter Course)
Topics in Art History
Honors Physics 2 - Calculus-Based
AP Calculus BC
American Identities - English
Dance 2
Junior Varsity Soccer
Performed in Deerfield's:
Fall Family Weekend Performing Arts Showcase
The Nutcracker
Gompers Preparatory Academy 2021/22
AP Calculus AB
AP Physics
AP US History
American Literature
Digital Animation
Elected to student government (ASB)
Varsity Soccer Captain
Completed Engineering 151 at Mesa Community College
Perform in School's Musical Productions
Motown musical (spring 2022)
Community Involvement
Urban Planning
Every community should be a safe place for all. Being a part of The Urban Collaborative Project has allowed me to help plan and make our community a safer place to live. I am helping with ways to reduce traffic congestion and to allow safer walking paths.
We identified areas that need improvement, from the size of sidewalks to solutions to slow traffic in areas that are highly used by pedestrians.
On the corner of 47th Street and Imperial Avenue. Students walk across this busy street every day on their way to school.
We are doing a Walk Audit of 47th Street, in order to recommend solutions to make our community safer for everyone
City of San Diego
Youth Commission -
District 4 Appointee
Youth Commission -
District 4 Appointee
"I am excited to appoint this group of smart, talented, and community-oriented young people to the City’s Youth Commission,” said Mayor Todd Gloria. “It’s been years since the Commission was active and I’m looking forward to the important recommendations the Commission will provide to the City to make sure we are appropriately supporting and serving young people.” San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria - (October 2021)
In May of 2021 one of my friends Kevin, and I saw there was a challenge for people of our community to get a vaccination appointment, and COVID was hurting many families in our community. We came up with an idea to have a pop-up vaccination event. Eventually, we partnered up with San Diego City Councilmember Monica Montgomery's office in supporting and promoting an event at the Jacobs Center in our community, that allowed walkups with no appointment necessary. The event was a huge success. We are at the San Diego County Administration Building receiving an award from Supervisor Nora Vargas, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, and San Diego City Councilmember Monica Montgomery.
Ballet
January, 2022, 11th Grade
"I remember that nervous night in 6th grade, as I sat on a wet railing, swinging my cold feet. I was hesitant. I was afraid of stepping out of my comfort zone. I was used to sticking to soccer as my only extracurricular, going to school solely to be with my friends, and playing video games as soon as I got home. I never would have thought of taking a class with all girls. But ultimately, I jumped off the rail, and I took my teachers advice.
I signed up for the new elective class: Ballet." - Diego Soto Lopez
May, 2017, 6th Grade
December 2022
Scenes from the Nutcracker
Summer 2017
Boys Ballet started with an IDEA --- In the summer of 2017 with 20 ballet Boys (who also played soccer on the middle school team) going to Scripps Performing Arts Academy, by school van, three times a week (in 2016-2017), the boys asked if they could build a ballet studio at our school. The Director of our school said yes and during the summer they converted an old classroom into a Ballet Studio with the help of Scripps Performing Arts Academy. Boys Ballet at Gompers Preparatory Academy was born!
BOYS DANCE TOO.
Glue foam on the bottom of the wood, to make it a sprung floor
working long hours to make the studio
All ballet boys signed the bottom of the last board that was placed at the entrance to the studio
The day before the studio would have Vinyl Marley floor installed
Fall 2017
Above, my first class of ballet. I'm the 3rd in the back on the right. Mr. Gary Sevani, in the center, is our teacher - August 2017
Summer 2021
We were allowed back into the Ballet Studio, at Scripps Performing Arts Academy to continue with Ballet.
Left to right: Diego, Christopher, Daniel, Jaziel, Brandon, Andres, Diego (ME), Mr. Gary Sevani (teacher), Diego, Cisco, Osvaldo, Ryan, Kevin (@Scripps Performing Arts Academy)
