Know the Aztecs:

Ashlynn Gilmore

From the Farm to the Suburbs

By Ariana Arredondo

Everyone remembers his or her childhood with great nostalgia.

Television shows, game, and old toys all fill our heads when we think back to our younger self.

Sophmore Ashlynn Gilmore did not have the typical suburban childhood. Rather than playing with the neighborhood kids, or going on school field trips to the zoo, Gilmore grew up feeding farm animals and playing on her family’s farm with her three siblings.

“I’ve gotten to experience some things that most don’t,” Gilmore said. “Like driving an hour to go to the grocery store, or having to do a whole bunch of chores for the farm.”

Gilmore lived on a farm about 100 miles east of El Paso, up until about age 10. Unlike the buzzing school environment most of us remember, the classroom where Gilmore learned her ABCs had less than five kids in it. Since the school had a shortage of both students and teachers, it was common for multiple grade levels to be taught by the same teacher. Gilmore soon experienced more traditional education when she moved to the city.

“It was a little odd to go from having a school of three kids to having a school of 103,” Gilmore said.

The shock she experienced when she was first introduced to public schools in the city was evident.

Today Gilmore is involved in both the honor choir and IB program here at El Dorado. She’s grateful for the greater range of resources she has here to make sure her future is a success.

“I feel like I have more opportunities,” Gilmore said.

In the future, Gilmore plans to find herself in a classroom full of lively kindergartners, sharing her knowledge with the next generation of budding minds.