MANSFIELD – All it takes to start a fire is a spark. Mansfield Senior High School shows that annually.
This year’s SPARK Conference on Sept. 17, drew students in to hear from Mansfield Senior alumni during a day of speeches and conversations.
“For our students, SPARK is about exposure, inspiration, and possibility,” said Mansfield Senior High School principal Kris Beasley. “It gives them an opportunity to hear from people who have taken different paths and to begin thinking about what their own future could look like.
“For me, it is also about responsibility. I see SPARK as part of our responsibility to prepare students not only academically, but personally and professionally.”
The conference featured a list of notable alumni and other Mansfield-area representatives who addressed students; 28 in total.
Among them, Mansfield Mayor Jodie Perry, NASA astronaut Mike Gernhardt, former pro football player and firefighter Jake Soliday, Mansfield city councilman Aurelio Diaz and more.
Diaz fit naturally as a speaker. Though he’s a Texas native, Diaz grew up in Mansfield, graduating from Mansfield Senior in 1995.
“It was surreal,” Diaz said. “Looking out and realizing, ‘Wow, you’re possibly either a mentor or an inspiration to this younger generation. That was something I never expected.”
Diaz spoke to the crowd of students with authenticity, attempting to ignite the proverbial spark in every one of them.
“Diaz was a natural choice for SPARK because of his connection to Mansfield Senior and to our community,” Beasley said. “There is something powerful about having someone who walked these same hallways come back and speak to our students about his journey.
“Aurelio wasn’t simply speaking to our students as a community leader; he was speaking as someone who had once sat where they were sitting. That connection matters.”
Diaz caught up with former classmates and current students alike at SPARK. It was a moment that transcended generations for him.
“Afterwards, I had the opportunity to speak to about five students who were active in band and orchestra, which is pretty cool because those are the students I was in high school with,” Diaz said. “This is the clique I would be hanging out with if I were here.”
While high school seniors look ahead to graduation, they have a major life decision to face. Whether that’s college, the military, the work force or an alternative route, Diaz and SPARK’s other speakers hoped to inspire students to take charge.
“Whatever you do, put a lot of thought into it,” Diaz said. “My message is that your spark starts with having strong support in your life: family and friends who give you that guidance.
“I didn’t really have mentors growing up … There weren’t a lot of people who I gravitated towards or who looked like me then. So I didn’t have that until I graduated high school – my first year in Columbus – working and trying to be a musician.”
Diaz has made a successful career without mentors. He’s back in the city he grew up in, representing it as its Fifth Ward councilman. However, his hope is he can be what he didn’t have for the students who were in his shoes 30 years ago.
“Our students need people who will see potential in them, challenge them, and help them understand that their current circumstances don’t have to define their future,” Beasley said. “That’s something we need to continue building into SPARK and into the culture of Mansfield Senior.”
