Teen Face: Potter Valley High athlete aspires to help others

Potter Valley High School senior Britlynn Rodriguez is a girl in motion. She plays volleyball, basketball, softball and soccer, participates in speaking competitions, works weekends, studies enough to maintain mostly A’s and still finds time to hang with her friends and family.

“I love to go to Montgomery Redwood, the beach, anything outside,” she said.

But with all that activity - which also includes being this year’s homecoming queen - something has to give. “My room is very rarely clean,” said the 17-year-old.

The rest of her life appears organized and on track.

She plans to attend CSU Chico in the fall to study nursing. She had considered and was accepted by other colleges but chose Chico because it has a good registered-nursing program and was more affordable than others. Rodriguez is earning money for tuition by working at her grandparents’ restaurant, Club Calpella.

Rodriguez eventually wants to specialize in pediatric nursing but not immediately. Once she’s a registered nurse, Rodriguez plans to take a break from school to join the Peace Corps or some other organization through which she can assist poor people in South America.

She said she’s long wanted to do something like that. T he desire was recently piqued by a documentary about four college friends who filmed a trip to Guatemala, where they lived on about $1 a day for several months in order to gain real-life perspective on poverty. An estimated billion people in the world live on $1 a day.

Rodriguez attributes her desire to help others to growing up in a big, extended family.

“That’s always been a huge part of my life, helping each other, making sure everyone is thriving and doing well. I always thought the world could use a little more of that,” she said.

Her mother, Heather Baarsch, said her daughter has always been thoughtful and conscientious, always looking out for her younger siblings.

“She’s always, always been like that. A lot of people have referred to her as an old soul. I believe that,” she said.

Rodriguez credits her mother, who struggled with a tough childhood, for giving her focus and drive.

“She basically gave up her whole life to raise us. She showed me it’s possible to do the things that people don’t think you can,” she said.

Baarsch pushed her children to play sports, both to keep them out of trouble and help them concentrate on school work, something that worked for her growing up. Rodriguez started playing T-ball when she was 6.

Her mother is now her softball coach. Rodriguez said softball is probably her favorite sport but it comes a little too easily. For more of a challenge she joined the boys’ soccer team, the only team available since the school dismantled its girls’ team. “This year, we have three other girls. It’s awesome,” she said.

Potter Valley High School coach Paul Monlux said Rodriguez is a rare athlete and student who is compassionate and puts her heart into everything she does.

“I am looking forward to seeing what Britlynn does beyond high school because I believe she is going to change the world and we are lucky to have her in our lives,” he said.

You can reach Staff Writer Glenda Anderson at 462-6473 or glenda.anderson@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @MendoReporter