David Soto ’24: humble rock star

Plank Article Nick Ryan ’26

“He’s part of a rock band,” Caden Kelly ’25 said, “I believe he’s a platinum artist as of now and will soon be touring internationally.” 

You may think those words are spoken about someone like Drake or Beyonce, but in fact, they are about a member of Jesuit’s class of 2024, David Soto. While Caden’s statement is not factually accurate, it’s clear that David has built himself a reputation at Jesuit as someone who excels at anything he puts his mind to.

As a true “Man For Others,” David is a kind and caring person and the leader of many activities on campus: he is on the varsity water polo team, is the Editor in Chief of Moorings, vice president of the Foreign Literature Club, Director of Communications for Latinos Unidos, and a member of Mock Trial. 

In each of his many roles, David stays true to himself and works to make the school a better place. His AP U.S. History teacher Mr. Paul Rose has noticed his contributions.

“His energy permeates Jesuit,” Mr. Rose said. “For example, he and his band performed for the car show last May and did a great job. He is one of those unsung guys who works behind the scenes so students’ experiences are great.”

David is a leader in several areas of the Jesuit community and looks to Jesus for his leadership philosophy. He believes that humility is the main component behind every good leader.

“Being a leader isn’t everybody serving you,” David said. “It’s you serving everybody else. It’s being part of a community and trying to help as many people as possible. We see that in Jesus, who was the leader of the entire world. Yet to his disciples, he literally washed their feet, so leaders have to humble themselves.” 

David is always a light-hearted person, brightening the lives of those around him, and Caden is no stranger to this.

“He’s really fun to be around and is pretty funny,” Caden said. “David knows when to take a joke. He values his friendships a lot and will be there if a friend needs help, or just wants to hang out.”

David agrees that his positive way of thinking is a large part of his personality, and he believes that others should adopt his positive outlook.

“I always manage to see the bright or funny side of everything because I think everything in life is humorous,” David said. “Most of life is humorous. If we [look to] find humor, I think we can find humor in almost everything.”