Danielle Ramos is a 15-year-old sophomore at Glendale High School, and she is one of three co-captains of the current GHS color guard team. She is also involved with the Red Cross Club, Filipino Club, and Creative Writing Club on campus. She enjoys knitting and reading in her spare time.
Danielle first joined color guard when she saw a flyer for it before her freshman year. It caught her attention, so she joined during last year’s band camp, and she has been on the team ever since. Danielle became captain at the end of the last school year when her coach recognized her helpful and independent nature.
Danielle’s favorite thing about color guard is the tight-knit community that it offers her. She enjoys spending time with her teammates after school and the feeling of family that comes with it.
The most challenging part of being on the squad, for Danielle, is getting past her mental blocks. “It’s definitely a mental battle in the sense of trying to do certain things that could be scary,” she said. “Trying to overcome the fear of [your equipment] hitting you is definitely one of the hardest things.”
Danielle is looking forward to a lot of exciting opportunities coming up in color guard’s future, such as marching band and winter guard competitions. She is hopeful that her team will succeed and earn recognition as a sport within GHS.
Danielle loves it when new members join color guard because she enjoys learning about new people. She encourages more people to try it out for the team. “I think you’ll really like it,” she stated. “It boosts your confidence.”
“Even though it’s a mental game, it still makes you happy, especially when you do certain things,” Danielle said. “And the family that you get from it is very supportive and helpful for you.”
As for continuing with color guard after her senior year, Danielle would like to continue spinning alongside another marching band, but she isn’t sure about joining a professional winter guard. She has also expressed interest in judging auxiliary (another term for color guard) at marching band competitions when she’s older.
After high school, Danielle is set on going to college, and she is considering many different career paths, such as psychology, criminal investigation, and midwifery.
If you would like to join this year’s color guard team, please contact Mrs. Rangel at [email protected]. Fly that flag, Nitros!
