Everybody knows him at school. His closeness to students and friendly attitude often make us forget he’s a class assistant and not just another boy in the group. As we enter his office, he’s focused on lots of students’ report cards, filling in grades, as the sun starts going down on a Tuesday afternoon. After checking his watch, he stands up to reach for the bell. He notices me; he knows we’ve come to interview him. Gustavo Capello '99 smiles at us as we sit down. “So, Gus, I promise this will be short, as I realize how much work you have to do” “Oh, these? Not a problem, they’re due Friday. There’s time”.
When we asked about his life as a HS student, his eyes went melancholic, remembering past days. “I graduated in 1999; it seems yesterday when I was walking home after graduation ceremony, but this happened ten years ago. Time goes by really fast!” After his good times at high school, he told us, he wasn’t certain of what to do next, but after much deliberation, he decided to go to Law School. Now he’s only four subjects away from the diploma (Good for you, Gus!). “But still, High School years are the best in life; enjoy the ride while you can.” His smile widened even more, and he started laughing. While we were wondering what the cause of this laughter was, Gus, still giggling, managed to answer the question. “I’m sorry… I just remembered an anecdote from my time here! When I turned fourteen, my classmates cut my hair here at school. Although everyone got sanctions (those who cut my hair, me for letting them, and everyone around for not doing anything about it) we had a great time. It was some mischief to remember. But the funniest story was when my classmates and I organized a party at the Primary School so they called a dancer to entertain the crowd but when this man started dancing, everyone realized he was a stripper!!” he laughed.
“English from school was very important and helps me in my everyday life” he also added. He could travel to many different countries and meet new people by speaking this universal language. “Thanks to the English I learned at school nowadays I can watch movies with no subtitles because I really understand what they are saying”.
“Oh look at the time! I had to ring the bell two minutes ago. This has been a long break. (He reaches for the bell, and this talk comes to an end) See you around guys; you have to go to class now.”
As we left the office, we looked behind. How many Law students who are about to get their diplomas do you know? Perhaps many. Now, how many of these you know, that in addition are always smiling and in a good mood? In our case, only one: Gus. To the school, he’s just a good class assistant. For us, the students, he’s a friend.
by Federico Scidá and Maggie Navarro
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