Foundation Fighting Blindness would like to acknowledge a young man who is overcoming his vision challenges and exemplifying leadership for many others to follow.
Following his diagnosis of Stargardt’s Disease in 2006, Rhett was determined to continue his personal motto of having no excuses in life when striving to achieve his goals. Those who’ve followed Rhett’s story know he hasn’t let his legal blindness slow him down one bit. He continued to lead his peers on the field and in the classroom and has amazed onlookers with his determination and ability to succeed at each new opportunity.
Rhett is legally blind. With vision of 20/200, what most of us can see at 20 feet, looks like a distance of 200 feet for Rhett. What also isn’t typical from a person with this difficulty, is that most people would never know it. Because he is able to achieve success at a high level and to compensate for his lack of vision by making his own creative accommodations, many times people simply forget, or don’t realize, that he has a vision issue.
As a Standley Lake Gator, Rhett jumped into the high school scene with both feet. He earned the starting quarterback position three out of the four years he played and led the team as captain every single season. During his senior year as his team worked toward the State 4A tournament, Rhett had an opportunity to be interviewed for a sports feature by his all time favorite sports news outlet, ESPN. Not only was Rhett able to tell his story of perseverance to the American sporting audience, but the piece also ran in Spanish on ESPN Deportes across North and South America. His team ended the season with only the school’s second state tournament appearance ever. Rhett was not only passionate about football. He shared another of his passions, the love of the Colorado outdoors, when twice he volunteered as a high school counselor to guide and teach a class of 6th Graders at JeffersonCounty’s OutdoorEducationLaboratorySchool. It was difficult to determine who enjoyed the week more, Rhett or the 6th Graders.
But Rhett’s activities have not been limited to the halls of StandleyLake. He has also been extremely active in the Foundation Fighting Blindness. Rhett considers himself lucky, and recognizes the fact that there are so many people with other challenges more difficult than his. He believes it is incumbent upon him to raise funds, awareness and to advocate for others facing difficult life challenges. Rhett has served as a spokesperson at the Blind Taste of the Rockies and also hosted a golf hole at the Scramble for Sight. This past year Rhett rallied his entire varsity football squad to show up at 7AM and help setup for the 2012 Colorado VisionWalk.
This journey with Stargardt’s Disease has not been a solo adventure. Rhett has been accompanied along the way by his family. His parents, Rick and Cindy, along with his sister, Chaye, have been active members of the Denver Chapter of the Foundation Fighting Blindness. They approach each event and activity as a team and continue to work tirelessly toward a cure or treatment for retinal degenerative diseases.
Rhett has never been one to back away from a challenge either. When presented with the opportunity to apply for the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, Rhett chose to accept this most difficult path through high school. His efforts and hard work in the classroom have earned him many accolades including the prestigious Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Award, an academic letter three years running, and a regular spot on the Principal’s Honor Roll. As a result of Rhett’s determination and perseverance and his high level of achievement in the IB program, he can look forward to entering college as an academic sophomore.
At this time, Rhett’s next chapter is still up in the air. Currently he is awaiting admission acceptance to Stanford, Colorado State, Cornell, University of Denver and CU-Boulder. Whichever institution Rhett selects, he plans on a Political Science major, studying law and government so that he can continue his efforts to make a difference in the world around him.
Rhett Gutierrez in the Media:
Rhett Gutierrez Receives $15K Scholarship from John Lynch Foundation - Read the Full Article
Foundation Fighting Blindness would like to acknowledge a young man who is overcoming his vision challenges and exemplifying leadership for many others to follow.
Rhett has never been one to back away from a challenge either. When presented with the opportunity to apply for the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, Rhett chose to accept this most difficult path through high school. His efforts and hard work in the classroom have earned him many accolades including the prestigious Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Award, an academic letter three years running, and a regular spot on the Principal’s Honor Roll. As a result of Rhett’s determination and perseverance and his high level of achievement in the IB program, he can look forward to entering college as an academic sophomore.
