Senior Spotlight: Reyes Murillo Blazes His Own Trail, From the Classroom to the Fire Academy

When Reyes Murillo started high school at East, he had never played a sport, joined a club, or taken an advanced course. Four years later, he’s leaving with a firefighter license, a national certification as an Emergency Medical Responder, leadership roles in multiple student groups, three jobs, and a spot at UW–Madison. His journey is a testament to grit, growth, and the power of saying “yes” to opportunity.

Murillo entered East from Sherman Middle School and Hawthorne Elementary. He quickly pushed himself outside his comfort zone, taking his first honors classes as a freshman, joining Raza United, East’s Latino student union, and trying wrestling–his first organized sport. He also started his first job that year, working in maintenance at Oak Park Place senior living.

By sophomore year, he was involved in even more: football, tennis, Green Club, Engineering Club, and a job scooping ice cream at Chocolate Shoppe. He was accepted into both the STEM Academy and the Fire Academy at MATC—ultimately choosing the latter, setting him on a path that would become one of the most meaningful parts of his high school experience.

“I think that was my favorite part of high school,” Murillo said about the Fire Academy, where he spent a semester training hands-on with real equipment, completing medical and emergency scenarios, and preparing for rigorous state certification exams. He’s now a licensed firefighter in Wisconsin and currently works part-time for the Oregon Fire Department.

Junior year brought even more activity: cross country, swim team, tennis, AP classes, and increased leadership in Raza United and Green Club. He became Vice President of Green Club and took on a leading role in Raza after a previous student leader graduated. He also completed the Fire Academy and continued working multiple jobs—something he’s maintained throughout high school.

As a senior, Murillo added even more to his plate: he became a certified Emergency Medical Responder, captained the swim team, and continued to juggle cross country, tennis, AP coursework, and three jobs: the Chocolate Shoppe, Rare Steakhouse, and the fire department.

“I honestly feel like any student could do it. They just have to want to, it shouldn’t feel forced,” he said of his packed schedule. “I want students to use their high school experience to the fullest advantage. Even if it seems like it's going to be hard, embrace that struggle, because that's what brings success.” 

Next year, he’s heading to UW–Madison to major in Agricultural Business Management and Agricultural and Life Sciences, while continuing to pursue firefighting. He hopes to join a second fire department closer to campus, where he will be a first-generation college student in his family. 

Murillo credits his parents hard work and sacrifices along with staff support as his motivators: East biology teacher Emma Watermolen, AVID teacher Kathleen Brien, Bilingual Resource Specialist and Raza United Advisor Silvia Gomez de Soriano, math teacher Karen Paschke and history teacher and cross country coach Christopher Malloy.

“If you want to be successful, you have to be successful with the people around you,” Murillo said. “You can't do anything on your own.”