Financial times are tough. Recessions not only pinch pocketbooks but also dampen dreams. Today’s young people know it as well as anyone.
Still, if you want to feel good about the future, look no further than The News Tribune’s 2009 All-Star Graduates.
These 12 young leaders exemplify what’s best about the thousands of Class of 2009 members earning diplomas from South Sound high schools this spring.
In The News Tribune’s 12th annual recognition, the honorees rose to the top of 113 students nominated by advisers and other staff at 42 schools, from as far north as Auburn to as far south as Lacey.
A panel of six community judges chose the All Stars based on a combination of academic excellence, outstanding school leadership, exceptional civic involvement, and, in some cases, their ability to surmount personal challenges.
“The students were really amazing; they are so focused on where they’re heading,” said Phil Chang, one of the judges. “They really are an inspiration to everybody – and hopefully to the rest of the schoolkids, too.”
The All Stars recently gathered at The News Tribune for a roundtable discussion led by Joanne Lisosky, associate professor of communications at Pacific Lutheran University.
Academic excellence is among their hallmarks.
Four All-Stars will study at Ivy League schools or the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology. JohnMark Taylor of Curtis High School, one of three winners to hold a perfect 4.0 grade-point average, is leaning toward a career in neuroscience or molecular biology after attending Yale University.
At least four All-Stars plan to become medical doctors, including Bellarmine Prep valedictorian Rajiv Iyengar. After witnessing the suffering that cancer inflicts, Rajiv did his own research on the possibility that trained honeybees might some day help detect ovarian cancer.
Each of these teens is more than a brainiac. They care about their classmates and community – and they’re turning their well wishes into action, here and abroad.
Grace Pak helped found a suicide prevention club at Franklin Pierce High, and has made two mission trips to Mexico. Saige Jennings organized activities at Washington High to bring mainstream kids and students with disabilities together.
“I get them to know people with disabilities are just the same as us,” Saige said.
The All Stars represent the richness of the South Sound’s ethnic and economic diversity. They are of East Indian, European, Vietnamese, African, Chinese, Korean, Cherokee and El Salvadoran descent.
They also demonstrate the power of personal resilience. Autumn Knutson of Graham-Kapowsin High, whose father died when she was 9 and whose “remaining family has struggled with drug addiction, will become the first in her family to go to college.
Kevin Singh, the U.S.-born son of Punjabi Indian parents, recalled how kids at elementary school taunted him shortly after the World Trade Center Towers attack in 2001. Now the commander of the Air Force JROTC squadron at Federal Way High, Kevin plans to join the military after he graduates college.
“A couple people in the hallway told me ‘You should go back and work in your gas station. We don’t need people like you here,’” he said. “That’s always hit me pretty hard. I want people to know I’m an American citizen just like anyone else and I want to serve this country.”
TOUGH TIMES
Despite their considerable drive and collection of scholarships, the All-Stars have felt the sting of the hard economic times.
As school districts downsize to balance budgets, the grads have sadly watched talented teachers receive notice they will lose their jobs next year or might have to transfer to another building.
“They’ve been taking time off, scrambling to find another job at another school,” said Anna Chow, a Foss High graduate. “It does affect teaching and our education.”
Half of the All-Stars have jobs. Anna Le of Mount Tahoma High would like to be among them. She worked at Cheney Stadium last summer, when she was among 200 other job-seekers. This year, she was among 800 applicants at Cheney.
“As soon as anyone in our family turns 16, they have to get jobs to help out the family,” she said. “It’s very difficult to get any job out there. Between needing to save for college and all that stuff like that, it’s a struggle.”
Fife High graduate Jennifer Castro considers herself lucky to be one of three people hired at a McDonald’s six months ago; only two more have been hired since. Like Anna Le, Jennifer said she must work to contribute to the family household.
“We see people all the time coming to McDonald’s asking ‘Are you hiring? Can I get an application?’ ” she said. “If not even McDonald’s is hiring, then other places aren’t going to be hiring either.”
ECONOMIC REALITIES
Economic woes are affecting college choices, as well. Nine of the All-Stars said they knew of someone who won’t go to college for lack of funds.
From the time he started high school, Jordan Dacres set his heart on attending historic Morehouse College in Atlanta. Though he was accepted, the private institution would only give him loans, despite the low income of his single-parent household.
So instead, the Clover Park High School graduate will head to the University of Washington campus in Seattle, with the help of financial aid from the college and the Achievers Scholarship, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Delaney Knottnerus of Sumner High School would like to have gone to the University of Washington in Seattle or Washington State University, but she couldn’t afford to live on campus. She’ll attend UW Tacoma and continue living in Bonney Lake.
Autumn Knutson supports President Barack Obama’s goal to expand federal financial aid and initiate new tax credits to allow more people to attend college.
But reflecting the diversity of opinion among the All-Stars, Zach May opposes that proposal.
“We have such ridiculous debt right now. It’s only getting worse and worse,” the Rogers High School graduate said. “We need to take care of our problems before doing something else.”
MOMENT IN HISTORY
Among those problems: the war in the Middle East. The conflict holds personal consequences for several of the All-Stars.
JohnMark Taylor worries for his cousin who’s been deployed to Iraq three times. Delaney Knottnerus’s older brother will miss her graduation because he’s going to Iraq on his second tour.
“It’s really hard for me to see him leave, and see the person he is and the person he was when he was little,” she said, “how happy and fun loving he was, and then how he came back.
“He wouldn’t make jokes so much as he used to and say certain things because he saw his friends die in front of him. It affects everyone in some way.”
Anna Chow reflected on the moment in history that the All- Stars are experiencing – and the moments ahead that they can shape.
“As we go forward, we know there’s going to be sacrifices on our part. Right now we’re in a struggle in our nation,” Chow said. “We made it through the Great Depression with the unity of everyone together, and around the same time, going through a war, and difficulties with other nations and countries.
“As long as we’re all united as one, it’ll get us through.”
ABOUT THE PROJECT
The News Tribune asked South Sound high schools to nominate up to three of their best and brightest students for the newspaper’s 2009 All-Star Graduates team, the 12th year we’ve given the honor. Students were nominated for their academic achievement, school leadership, community involvement and/or special talent or ability. The 42 participating high schools nominated a total of 113 students. A panel of six community judges selected 12 All-Star Graduates from among those nominees.
The judges were:
Phil Chang, former executive director of the Asia Pacific Cultural Center.
The Rev. Gregory Christopher, president of the Tacoma branch NAACP and pastor of Shiloh Baptist Church.
Lt. Gen. Bill Harrison, former Fort Lewis commander and Lakewood mayor, for whom Harrison Preparatory School in Lakewood was named.
Judy Jones, South End Branch director, Boys & Girls Clubs of South Puget Sound.
Judy Nelson, youth services director, Pierce Library System.
Sue Piotrkowski, News Tribune marketing.
The nominees were:
Auburn Riverside High School: Christopher Jaques, Cale Skagen.
Todd Beamer High School, Federal Way: Linda Diep, Joshua Mussa.
Bellarmine Preparatory School, Tacoma: Victoria Fragoso, Julia Freeburg, Rajiv Iyengar*.
Bethel High School, Spanaway: Shelley Brewer, Amber Dickson, Teniya Lacy.
Bonney Lake High School, Bonney Lake: Marika Barnes, Theresa Edwards, Danika Wilcoxson.
Cascade Christian High School, Puyallup: Kristen Morgan, Devin Ossman, Hannah Velling.
Clover Park High School, Lakewood: Jordan Dacres*, Leesandra Moore, Airol Mae Salanga.
Curtis High School, University Place: Maria Dogero, Tyler Smelt, JohnMark Taylor*.
Decatur High School, Federal Way: Lindsey Estes, Megan Hestir, Cameron Schilling.
Emerald Ridge High School, Puyallup: Kyndell Andrews, Nicholas Bleich, Jolessa Moore.
Enumclaw High School: Joshua Jirava, Kaitlin Norton.
Federal Way High School: Paige Edmiston, Tamina Mahdi, Kevin Singh*.
Fife High School, Fife: Antonio Aldrick, Jennifer Castro*, Tierney Kuhn.
Foss High School, Tacoma: Anna Chow*, Shablee Sipes, Stanislov Walmer.
Gig Harbor High School: Allyson Gibson, Rachel Seibert, Alexander Sundell.
Graham-Kapowsin High School: Leah Addison, Pauline Blount, Autumn Knutson*.
Harrison Preparatory School, Lakewood: Michelle Barreto, Sydney Connell, Brian Hoffmeister.
Henderson Bay High School, Gig Harbor: Brandon Balogh, Maria Fechko.
Thomas Jefferson High School, Auburn: Jessica Oscoy, Alexa Tavasci.
Lakes High School, Lakewood: Jessica Edgecomb, Kaitlyn Kessel, Nnadozie Okoroafor.
Life Christian Academy, Tacoma: Olivia Knesal-Meininger, Andriana VanderGriend.
Lincoln High School, Tacoma: Mikela Moore, Carlos Olivares, Abigail Smith.
Mount Tahoma High School, Tacoma: John Barr, Anna Le*, Thu-Ha Truong.
North Thurston High School, Lacey: Elliott Appel, Loc Hua, Ana Ordonez.
Orting High School: Su Hyun Jung, Alison Williams.
Peninsula High School, Purdy: Hanna Broback, Gene Lee, Alex Winter.
Franklin Pierce High School, Tacoma: Grace Pak*, Alicia Peebles, Rachel Wilder.
Puyallup High School, Puyallup: Jung Yun Choi, Karl Heinz, Danny Serna, Hien Vu.
River Ridge High School, Lacey: Bethany Jensen, Cody Miller, Jessica Tarvin.
Rogers High School, Puyallup: Chelsea Allen, Eugene Cheng, Zachary May*.
Spanaway Lake High School: Jonghyun Thom, Olivia Thomas.
Stadium High School, Tacoma: Luke Kneeshaw, Eduardo Vega.
Steilacoom High School: Brandon Lawton, Khanh-hoa Luong.
Sumner High School: Sarah Josten, Brittany Fulton, Delaney Knottnerus*, Jody Petitt.
Tacoma School of the Arts, Tacoma: Ruth Nalty, Asia Tail, Ellington Tynes.
Vashon Island High School: Clarissa Boyajian, Calen Winn.
E.B. Walker High School, Puyallup: Asacia Thompson.
Washington High School, Midland: Christy Suelki Lee, Saige Jennings*, Cheline Schroeder.
White River High School, Buckley: Victoria Marsh, Brandon Skyles.
Wilson High School, Tacoma: Becca Christenson, Laura Kjellesvik, Hyeyoung Lee.
Annie Wright School, Tacoma: Kyra Mungia, Maya Pisel.
Charles Wright Academy, University Place: Xavier Al-Mateen, Jacqueline Bolt, Wenxin Shen.
* All-star winner.
