Youth Spotlight: Brandon Escalante

By Nick Krishnan: Marketing and Events Manager

Brandon Escalante is a young man who values his family, his friends and his community.  Going into his junior year at Battle Mountain High School, Brandon was born and raised in Eagle County.  A true local, Brandon enjoys being outside, whether it’s snowboarding, fishing or just hanging out with friends.  I first met Brandon through SOS Outreach, and while he was initially very shy, he quickly opened up and   showed me the type of incredible human being that he is. 

Our SOS group is a mix of kids from Eagle Valley High School, Vail Christian High School, Vail Mountain School and Battle Mountain High School, and Brandon is the glue that connects all of these young men through the common love of snowboarding and skiing.  While all the boys in our group love being on the hill, Brandon is definitely the most obsessed, and his obsession manifests in a form of leadership that encourages growth in the rest of the crew. 

At one point on our first day riding together, I asked the group if anyone wanted to ride through the terrain park, Brandon’s eyes lit up with excitement.  The first to hit every feature, Brandon was just focused on himself, he encouraged others try new tricks and push themselves, his passion is contagious and spread throughout our group.  Brandon doesn’t just push everyone, he also has the awareness and compassion to know when to slow down and make sure no one in our group is falling too far behind the others.

When he’s not snowboarding, Brandon enjoys drawing and is influenced by the manga comics he loves to read.  During our SOS workshops at Colorado Mountain College, Brandon would often bring our group together by sharing his sketches.  I also got to see Brandon’s work ethic when we had a service day of helping stock shelves at the Community Market, throughout the day he was eager to complete whatever task was assigned to him and move on to the next one.  Brandon also spends time volunteering with his mom, often serving meals to the elderly through their church.

Brandon’s parents moved to the valley in 2004 from Zacatecas, Mexico.  His dad works in a welding shop in Gypsum and is also an excellent mechanic.  Brandon credits his father’s work ethic for putting his family in a position to thrive, and because of this, he looks forward to attending college in a couple years.  Like many kids growing up in the valley, Brandon’s parents moved here to pursue better opportunities for their families, and with his bright personality and strong work ethic, I’m sure the future hold endless possibilities for him.