Hello! I am Ashley Robledo and am part of Chinquapin’s class of 2020. In the fall, I will be attending Colorado College and plan to major in Race, Ethnicity and Migration Studies. I am very passionate about books and keeping memories alive. 

My passion for telling stories and reading more inspired me to research more about the process of creating a book. However, as I researched, I began to realize not many people have complete access to all works of literature. This fact really bothered me because I hate the idea of people not being given their right to learn and explore more about whatever it is they are interested in. Due to these facts, I began to research censorship in the U.S. Some of the statistics and knowledge I found were surprising. This research allowed me to see that even though we live in a country that prides itself on freedom, there is still information being suppressed from people, and something must be done. 

My research also allowed me to realize I did not know much about the history of school I attended. I knew only the basics, but part of me wanted to dive deep into the history of Chinquapin. I decided to create a photo book that captured Chinquapin. I wanted it to talk about its first years and success, but also the struggles we have faced and how we have learned to overcome them. The book I created talks about the past 50 years of Chinquapin. My goal for it is to help future generations become more aware of Chinquapin’s purpose and how lucky we are to have it.