Q: What were you involved in?

A: I was involved in honors classes and in journalism. I was also on the football team. I was the most talented football player to never catch a pass.

Q: What’s a typical outfit for high school Mr. Vela?

A: In the 80s, when I went to high school, people had big hair, so my hair used to be pretty big. My dad always used to make sure that my jeans had creases, that I ironed them every night, that my shirts were pressed, and that my shoes were shined.

Q: What advice would you give to your high school self?

A: I would say “believe in yourself, be willing to work hard for what you want and remember that in life you can have anything you want, but you can’t have everything you want.”

Q: What’s your most memorable high school experience?

A: I went to a journalism convention in Anaheim, which was a national convention. We competed in a lip syncing contest and we won first place.

Q: Who’s your favorite musician? Why?

A: Doctor Loco’s Rockin’ Jalapeño Band. He plays music that’s good to dance to and he tells important messages in his music

Q: What’s your favorite movie? Why?

A: My favorite movie is “Lean on Me.” I admire the vision of Mr. Joe Clark; I admire his belief in high school students to accomplish their goals.

Q: Who’s your favorite superhero and why?

A: Because of my relationship with the author of this super hero, I would say his character is my favorite superhero: and he’s called Aztec of the City. The character is based in San José. I’m inspired by the author’s passion and dedication to create and to keep this super hero alive.

Q: What’s your guilty pleasure?

A: Eating cookies because there’s no nutritional value and I’m raising small children and I try to tell them they can only eat nutritious food but there goes papi going into the cookie jar.