White balloons flew high above Horizon High School to commemorate the life of Miguel Romero on Feb. 13 as the community gathered in HHS’s gym to celebrate Romero’s life. The 17-year-old passed away earlier in the month after being hit by a drunk driver while crossing Darrington and Pawling Street in Horizon City. His sudden passing left the halls of HHS with a quiet, yet tender atmosphere cherishing the great person he was. 

Director of counseling at Clint ISD, Angelica Bailon, says that when a student passes, she gathers counselors from around the district to help teachers and students process the news. Her team and the principal of HHS, Robert Trejo, first announced the news to faculty and staff the morning after the crash. When Trejo gave the news, Bailon noticed that many reacted to his death. 

“That was tough, because once Mr. Trejo said the name of the student, ‘Miguel Romero’, you could just see that many of the teachers were connected to Miguel. You heard some gasps and you saw lots of tears,” Bailon said. “When we asked (for) some of the names of the students that were very close to Miguel, because we’re going to start targeting them first, I had a really long list of names.”  

Bailon and her team of counselors saw a lot of the school community the morning after Romero’s death. She comments that although she didn’t know him, Bailon noticed how much of an impact he had around the school. 

“We knew that this kiddo was super loved, and well connected, that was really clear to me,” Bailon said. “It took about a team of ten of us (counselors), and we saw more than fifty plus students on that Thursday during the day.” 

Everyone agrees that Romero had a bright future ahead of him. Throughout the school, there were many who called Romero a close friend. People described him as humble, smart, and kind. Nurse aid, Lorena Ortiz, says that without him, the school’s atmosphere changed.  

“You could feel the sadness, the sadness between the students, the teachers,” Ortiz said. “It was really quiet, it was just different, you know (usually) the kids when they are walking the halls, they’re loud, sometimes screaming (but now) you could feel the quietness around.” 

In a part of Romero’s ceremony held Feb. 13, friends and teachers wrote a poem describing all the good things about him they miss. Ortiz’s colleague attended the ceremony and said it was very heartfelt.  

“The kids made a poem for him saying, ‘I love the way you made me laugh, and how you made me feel when I was sad’,” Ortiz said. “One of the teachers spoke and she also said the same thing, ‘I will never forget your favorite song that you would always tell me to play’.” 

Romero was going to graduate high school in 2025. Students, teachers and the community suffered the loss of a bright student. As people continue to mourn the loss, drunk driving continues to be a prominent problem in El Paso. Recently, fifteen people were arrested for DWI’s within a two-day period. Drunk drivers put themselves and others at risk. However, because of El Paso’s drunk driving phenomena, the community suffered the loss of an innocent life. 

Sofia Sierra is a staff reporter and may be reached at [email protected]