One of the biggest school-based fundraisers of the year, Senior Survivor was a big success this year! With 6 teams, they raised $26,000 collectively. Senior Survivor consists of fundraising, community challenges, and all of the teams staying at the high school for a week straight.

Together, Anna Bode and Cesar Garrido-Hernandez raised money for Micaela’s Hope, a local foundation which aids in mental health awareness and suicide prevention. For more information click here.

They raised money for Micaela’s Hope through many different ways, however one was definitely their favorite.

“My favorite fundraiser was when Anna and I did the restaurant takeover at Chicharo’s and we made breakfast burritos,” said Cesar. 

They especially loved fundraising because they knew how important Micaela’s Hope is.

“We chose Micaela’s Hope because we think mental health is really important. It felt really good to help them out. They were very appreciative, and since they were local, we got to interact with them which was good,” said Anna.

Not only was the decision of Micaela’s Hope seamless, so was their friendship during the challenges faced throughout the week.

“I chose Cesar because I didn’t think I would get annoyed with him and I thought we would work well together and both were true. We thought we were going to hate each other by the end of the week but we just got closer,” said Anna.

Cesar even added, “I’d say I definitely wasn’t annoyed with Anna either, she was not hard to work with. We were both very indecisive, but in the end it all worked out pretty well.”

Despite their success as a team, the challenges really tested their personal limits.

“My least favorite challenge was the definitely hot sauce shots, absolutely never again, I’m scarred,” said Anna.

Sleeping without a bed on the hard school ground accompanied by poor sleep was really eye-opening for the team.

“We’re really fortunate that we don’t have to go through that everyday, whereas some people like our classmates have to.  Staying awake for college class was nearly impossible. I was splashing water on my face,” said Anna. 

Their experience was filled with sleep deprivation, hard challenges but also fun, stronger friendships, and some questionable challenges. They finished in second place, but their experience was worth it, as they raised $4,480.16 for Micaela’s Hope!

If you’re an underclassmen, make sure you consider competing for Senior Survivor. And no matter what grade you are in, make sure to check out the other stories about our beloved Senior Survivor’s this year!