Will head to Mexico for college with dream of becoming a neurosurgeon

Karol Laija Velazquez, 17, will walk across the stage of the Sedona Performing Arts Center on Wednesday as the Sedona Red Rock High School Class of 2026 Valedictorian — before crossing the larger threshold: Leaving Sedona for Mexico in the fall to pursue her goal of being a neurosurgeon.

“I’ll be nerve-wracking, but by that point, I [will] have shadowed some surgeons, and I’ll know what to expect,” she said about her future first successful surgery. “The first time you do something by yourself, it’s always exciting. Like the first time I did poke in phlebotomy. But also I was about to faint because I was scared of hurting her. Then the first time that we were let go to do our own stuff in CNA during clinicals I [thought] ‘what if I mess up?’ But again, I have to trust myself, and remind myself ‘You know this. You’ve studied this, you practice this. You’re here because you’ve done all the requirements, and you’re trustworthy.'”

Velazquez was born in Guadalajara, Mexico, and came to the United States at age 8, following her mother, and has lived in Sedona since. After graduation, she plans to spend the summer with her family before returning to Mexico to enroll in university and choosing between two schools in Guadalajara. The decision is partly practical.

“I cannot get loans to school here, so I can’t pay $44,000 a year,” she said. “I’m mostly going just because it’s going to be much cheaper for my family to pay for it, and it’s still a great university.”

When Velazquez was in eighth grade, she planned on nursing for labor and delivery. That changed when her mother Vanessa was diagnosed with a hormonal brain tumor within the last five years. The tumor is not life-threatening but it is inoperable, making it too risky to remove. That caused Velazquez to redirect toward neurosurgery.

Velazquez plans to take a gap semester off to take admissions tests, and get settled. Though Spanish is technically her first language, English has become dominant after her last decade in Sedona.

“I had to, kind of, relearn Spanish,” Velazquez said. “When I left, I left [as] a second-grader. Which is one of the reasons why I chose to take AP Spanish so I can study more before I go.”

Velazquez’s coursework at SRRHS spanned environmental science, pre-calculus, AP Seminar, language and composition, biology, calculus, English literature and Spanish. She earned her AP Scholar with Distinction honors in 2025, a spot on the Principal’s Honor Roll annually since freshman year, served as a Rotary Youth Leadership Awards delegate and later junior counselor and was selected as a delegate for the Midwestern University Health Careers Institute in 2025.

Alongside her SRRHS coursework, Velazquez completed career and technical training through the Valley Academy for Career and Technology Education in Cottonwood, earning certifications in phlebotomy and sports medicine while working toward her Certified Nursing Assistant credential, that required a 6 a.m. commute to Cottonwood and back for clinicals.

“I’m not one that has to faint at the sight of blood,” Velazquez said. “The hardest part of the class was trusting people to do the right thing when it’s also their first time. Everyone put in their application before the school year starts and we get picked by our teacher, so my point of view is you’re here for a reason so I might as well just trust you.”

“One of the things that strikes me most about Karol is her dedication to anything she’s working on. It doesn’t matter if it’s a small task or a large task because she’s putting everything she has into it. It’s not often you see that level of dedication from someone her age,” SRRHS English teacher Jill Swaninger said. “She cares deeply. She’s kind. She helps all her peers. This year, I invited some of the students that had AP Seminar last year back into the course to help mentor students during their tasks and presentations. She is just so gracious with her time.”

Outside the classroom, Velazquez served in student government all four years, finishing as Student Body president this year. She ran varsity cross country and track until a broken ankle her junior year led her to become team manager instead and she’s competed in the throwing events, such as javelin, this season. She also serves in the National Honor Society and, through four years with Interact Club, has logged roughly 150 volunteer hours.

“Velazquez is an exceptional student whose character, resilience, and care for others have made a lasting impression on our school community,” outgoing SRRHS Principal Heather Isom wrote. “I have had the privilege of getting to know Karol through our weekly one-on-one meetings, and I am continually impressed by her kindness, work ethic, and commitment to her community.”