My Top 5 Moments of 2025- Valeria De La Rocha by Valeria De La Rocha

Making the cheer team- May 26

vdela29_2 — 2026-01-07 19:14:25 UTC

I chose this moment because I´ve worked so hard in cheerleading. I have been doing this since I was 6 years old, and I have been dedicated to it. Throughout my cheer years, I knew I always wanted to cheer in high school, but as I stopped competing in cheer, it felt like a huge chapter of my life was closing. I didn´t realize how much I would miss it. I didn´t think it would feel much different because it's the same sport. It felt like such a dream come true, an accomplishment. The girls on the team are so wonderful and welcoming to the new girls. The coaches are so supportive and amazing. This helped me calm my nerves in high school because I already had new friends whom I could ask for advice. Every game was so surreal, so fun. I grew in confidence while joining cheer, and I thank the coach for allowing me to join such an incredible team

My quince day- September 13th

vdela29_2 — 2026-01-08 19:06:41 UTC

This was my favorite moment of 2025 because of the time and memories I created on this day. I am the only granddaughter and daughter, so I wanted to make this day big. I have always dreamed about this day and wanted to grow up quicker so I could experience it. My court, friends, and family made this day so special and made me feel special. I chose emerald green and my dress color as it complemented my skin well. I chose gold to be the accent color. I had 9 people in my quinceañera court, 2 of them my cousins, 1 boy and girl, the boy being my main chambelan, and the other 7 were some of my best friends. Though this was a stressful process planning everything I would do anything to go back and experience it all again. My church was in Baldwin park where my parents got married and my hall was in West Covina. After my church we went to Chick-fil-a and the West Covina Mall. I wish the night went slower because it truly felt like a blink of the eye.

The first football game- August 23rd

vdela29_2 — 2026-01-09 05:38:30 UTC

The first football game was so memorable to me. It felt like the first time I was on the cheer team, I felt so included. It was the first time that JV cheer was cheering with varsity on the field for the first game. Though I was freezing, it was all worth it. My favorite part about it was the cheer team in our coaches' room getting ready, doing each other's hair and makeup. I miss our football game days so much because of those small moments. There would be days were we would all order a bunch of food since we were not allowed to leave until after the game was over. There was a time when we ordered 60 chicken nuggets, 2 pizzas, and lots of Wingstop. I truly am grateful that I was able to experience that day with girls I didn't know I needed. Every year of high school, this will be the season I look forward to the most. We also have a huge snack box, and that is one of the only reasons I go to the games..

Disneyland-November 4th

vdela29_2 — 2026-01-12 18:32:27 UTC

On November 4th, one of my best friends, Samantha, asked me if I wanted to go to Disneyland with her as a last-minute plan. This was one of my top 5 moments because of the fun and memories we made. It was the Tuesday we did not have school. She picked me up around 1, and we stayed until 9:30. We didn´t think it would be packed because it was a weekday, but it was. We got on about 5 rides and walked around both California Adventure and Disneyland. We had a lot of fun, and I am very grateful that my brother bought my tickets. Samantha's dad bought me a matching stuffed animal, so we can remember that day. We were both so tired once it hit nighttime, so after we got in-n-out to fill us up. It took us about 45 minutes to drop me off, though I was asleep, so it felt like 5. I love side quests, so I was really excited the whole day, especially because it was not planned. I was surprised my parents, especially my dad, let me go with 3 hours' notice.

Halloween Horror Nights-October 26th

vdela29_2 — 2026-01-13 19:10:35 UTC

This is one of my favorite moments of 2025 because I went with a lot of my cousins. My family and I are very close, no matter our ages, and we hang out with each other more than we hang out with our friends. Both my brothers and a few of my cousins know how to drive now due to thay they drove us there. We are now growing up, which means we spend more time together without our parents. On this day, we visited Universal Horror Nights at around 6:30. Before entering the actual amusement park, we walked around CityWalk, ate, and took pictures while waiting for my brother and a couple of my cousins to arrive. I was so scared to face the clowns as we walked in, so I went in the middle of my cousins, though the clowns still scared me. After a while, I eventually got used to the scary actors, but the haunted houses were my favorite because everything was so unexpected. I didn't eat basically all night, so by the end of the night, I was so tired and wanted to go home. On the way home, I took the best nap of my life that felt like 5 minutes. This was a very fun night, and I am very grateful that God blessed me with the family I have.