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Desiree Huffer, a first-generation immigrant, began her journey at Sequoia High School as a reserved freshman. Four years later, after excelling as a multi-sport athlete and immersing herself in campus life, she’s graduating not only with confidence, but, as she put it, “as an entirely different person.”
“If I stayed how I was as a freshman, I wouldn’t be where I am today,” Huffer said.
Born and raised in Redwood City, Huffer is the child of two immigrants from American Samoa and Tonga. Over her four years at Sequoia, she participated in several sports, including junior varsity girls’ volleyball, varsity basketball, flag football, and track and field events.
Huffer credits sports with playing a major role in her transformation. She said that when she first arrived at Sequoia, she was often worried about what people thought of her. Soft-spoken and unsure of herself, she felt an internal pressure to act and dress a certain way to fit in.
“But then throughout the years, sports and other extracurriculars I joined encouraged me to just understand who I am…,” she said. “Now, I feel like I’ve blossomed.”
According to Huffer, her coaches pushed her to step out of her shell and embrace her true self. Competing on school teams also taught her how to take care of her body, prioritize rest, and recover from injuries. More importantly, she said, athletics improved her mental health by teaching her how to communicate her feelings and navigate the emotional highs and lows of competitive sports.
“It really helped me, because I started learning how to accommodate what my body needs, what my mind needs, and to discover what works for me and what doesn’t,” she said.
Huffer especially loves throwing discus and shot put. She said that connecting with athletes from other schools helped her form friendships that went beyond her comfort zone. Over four years, she earned numerous honors: two Central Coast Section medals (sixth and fifth place), eight to nine plaques for titles such as Most Inspirational, Most Valuable Player, Most Improved and Most Outstanding, and more than a dozen medals from track and field.
She also remained closely connected to her heritage. As a member and later president of Sequoia’s Polynesian Club, she helped organize cultural dance performances that represented Samoan, Tongan, Hawaiian, and Fijian traditions.
“I just love being energetic and being that positive energy someone can look at,” Huffer said.
From an early age, Huffer was determined to attend a good college. She enrolled in Sequoia’s Advancement Via Individual Determination program, which supports students in the academic middle with college readiness resources. The program helped her balance academics, sports and other extracurricular activities.
“I am a first-gen, and I didn’t know how to apply for college. My parents didn’t know,” she said. “Joining that class really helped me out in my personal life.”
This fall, Huffer will attend San Jose State University, where she plans to pursue art and digital design with a minor in marketing. She was also accepted to UC Merced, Sacramento State and San Francisco State University.
She has no plans to leave athletics behind and hopes to try out for her college teams.
Looking back on her high school journey, Huffer thinks her biggest challenge was learning how to prioritize her mental health by taking out self care time, rest days and checking in with herself before tending to others.
She is most proud of leaving her mark on the campus and having her name well known to everyone. She hopes to carry this ambition forward into her college life, making her mark on a larger scale.
“I really hope that I can be the best person that I can ever be.”
Check out this year’s list of Sequoia High School graduates and read our article about the graduation ceremony.
For all of our graduation coverage, go to our central graduation page.
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