Junior Hershell Caldwell chooses to surround himself with his passion: music. “I love music, and I really enjoy making it,” Caldwell said. “I’m in band, so I play a lot of music all the time. I just love doing it.” While he is a lover of all music, he is partial to one instrument above all others. “I play the tuba,” Caldwell said. “It’s the best instrument by far. Don’t need anything else.”

Along with music, Caldwell is also connected to his family, often times seeing aspects of his parents’ personality reflected in his own. “[My dad] is pretty great. He’s a big fella, and he has a lot of jokes to tell you. He’s really friendly and he’s a really social person, actually,” Caldwell said. “It’s kind of weird because my mom isn’t very social at all. She has a few friends, but she doesn’t really like social situations. I think I get that from her. I’m kind of introverted in the same way she is.”

Q: What have you done during your time here that you are most proud of?

A: “Being a part of band. I really enjoy it, and I think it is helping me reach my dream to become a musician.”

Q: Who inspires you?

A: “My dad. He’s a great guy. When there’s a job to be done, he gets it done, and I want to be like that. I’m kind of lazy, so I’m still working on getting there.”

Q: What is your favorite thing about high school?

A: “My favorite thing about high school is my extracurriculars, like band and stuff like that. I really enjoy what I do in band.”

Q: What is your least favorite thing about high school?

A: “That’s easy. Homework. I don’t like going home and doing work I could’ve done at school.”

Q: What is your favorite memory from high school so far?

A: “Last year’s All Region. I’ll never forget it. The way All Region works is they separate each instrument into a different room and you play the required piece you’ve been practicing for months. We were all in our rooms and got up to the designated chair, and some of the students got really upset. There were these two guys I remember specifically. They got upset, stood up and ripped up their papers.”

Q: What do you plan on doing after graduation?

A: “I’m not too sure yet, but most likely, I’ll go to college and study music. I don’t know where I want to go.”

Q: What do you want to be remembered for after you leave Texas High?

A: “I just want to be remembered. Period. I just want my legacy to go on.”

Though Caldwell isn’t entirely sure about what the future holds, he chooses to remain optimistic and open to any opportunities that may come his way. “I really want to play a musical show,” Caldwell said. “I also want to voice act, like just a small part on a cartoon or something like that. I’ve always wanted to voice act because it seems really fun. I think I’d be pretty good at it.