Christian Rivera Downey is a senior at Hoover High School. Born on November 5th and raised in San Diego, he’s Mexican and Irish but grew up surrounded by his Mexican family. He is someone true to his beliefs and values, even if it means facing a crowd of pitchforks.

In groups, he’s funny and carefree, but individually, he’s thoughtful, wise and always looking to make others feel seen. Photography became a serious pursuit after summer trips to Japan and Poland in 2025, inspiring him to invest in a Ricoh GR IIIx HDF and capture the world. Although not fully invested in astrology, he admits that the Scorpio sign trait matches almost perfectly with the traits of his personality.

Christian loves music, especially his favorite band, Death Grips, whom he’s seen live twice and hopes to one day honor with a tattoo. When it comes to his favorite food Christian swears by anything brothy and heart-healing, whether it’s pozole, pho or ramen. A movie that really touched Christian is Paris, Texas, which he’s only seen once and doesn’t think he could watch again because of how deeply it moved him. His all-time favorite though is House Of A 1000 Corpses. He even named his mounted deer that’s above his bed “Otis” after one of the characters in the movie. If reincarnation was confirmed to be what happens in the afterlife, Christian hopes to come back as a weeping willow tree.

Christian plans to major in accounting and become a forensic accountant, a field that perfectly combines his interests in law, criminal justice, business and English. Christian believes his contribution to changing the world starts small and simple, making people laugh, making them feel cared for, and reminding them they matter.

“Maybe a smile or a laugh can save a life.”