Her junior year, Nayelli Aguilar started her own business, creating custom shirts, flower bouquets, gift baskets and flower arrangements. She loves running her business because it allows her to participate in her favorite hobby: arts and crafts.

“I was actually prompted by [her friend] Sherlyn to start it,” Nayeli said.

Her crafting skills do not just stop there. With graduation season coming up she has been helping other seniors decorate their graduation caps. As she went through high school, she became more involved in crafts and her small business. Part of that is because she’s grown more comfortable with herself and school since being completely remote due to COVID-19.

“Junior year was the year I struggled the most with,” Aguilar said. “Having a good relationship with the teachers can help a lot, but when you don’t it can be difficult and I struggled with that.”

The big workload and the fast-paced flow of the content made junior year easier. She had to work more closely with her teachers to get as far as she has, and she’ll use the help they have given her to continue through college and expand her floral business. She plans to go to St. Phillips to study radiology in the fall.