Even when she was little, Claire Senn loved diesel trucks.

Her father works for Paccar Technical Center in Burlington, and she remembers handing greasy tools to him as he worked on projects.

“I see a truck coming down the road and my heart pounds,” Senn said. “I wanted my future to be a part of it, also.”

Now 18, the soon-to-be Sedro-Woolley High School graduate will further her passion at WyoTech in Laramie, Wyo., a school for diesel mechanics. Her courses will include a mix of welding, frame testing and engine performance.

Senn is among the roughly 40 percent of Sedro-Woolley’s graduates who attend two-year colleges after graduation, said Sedro-Woolley High School counselor Ellie Slabodnik.  Of those students, most will end up at Skagit Valley College because it is close to home, she said.

Senn and other high school seniors from Sedro-Woolley and Concrete recognize the challenges posed by the current economic crisis. But the careers these soon-to-be graduates are pursuing — diesel mechanic, computer information systems, nurse and lawyer — will enable them to ride out the recession.

But making what they see as a practical choice doesn’t mean they’re leaving their passions behind.

Senn could finish her training at WyoTech in six months, but she wants to learn more.

“I would love to be in management,” she said. “I love the whole business world, but I also love being in the shop.”

Some of her family and friends were apprehensive about her chances for success. “‘You’re too small, you won’t be able to pull that wrench,’” she remembers them saying.

But Senn, a petite 5-foot, 105-pound girl, faces this criticism head on. “You can’t stop me,” she said. “I’m going to do it anyway.”

Senn sees the vital role diesel trucks play in the nation’s economy, and wants to be a part of it.

“Things don’t get transported without those diesel engines,” Senn said. “I want to make sure they’re safe while being on the road.”

Kyle Lewis, 18, also is interested in the inner workings of machines. But his passion is computers.

The Sedro-Woolley High senior said he first became interested in the field during a freshman PC support class, where he took computers apart, learned how they worked and put them back together.

The ever-changing nature of technology also drew him, Lewis said.

“I like the fact that modern technology evolves so quickly.”

Lewis plans to attend Skagit Valley College and study computer information systems. He said he’s the go-to guy if any of his friends or family have computer problems, and that suits him just fine.

Jobs in the field are plentiful because “everybody needs computers,” he said.

Nurses also are in short supply. Slabodnik said several Sedro-Woolley seniors are planning to enter the field.

Tessa Sanchez, who plans to be a nurse, said she has always been drawn to helping people.

Eventually Sanchez wants to work overseas and in a neo-natal unit. But this fall, she starts that journey at Skagit Valley College.

Sanchez initially considered the University of Washington, but quickly realized the cost would be out of reach. A two-year college, she said, was the perfect fit.

“It’s close to home and has a really good placement rate for all of the graduates,” Sanchez said of Skagit Valley College’s nursing program.

She has volunteered throughout her high school career, both for animal and human causes. After graduating from college, she plans to continue that trend.

“I’ve always wanted to go to Africa,” she said. “There’s a nursing program in the Peace Corps to teach HIV/AIDS education to people in Africa.”

The cost of a four-year education was also a factor for Brandi Dellinger, a Concrete High School senior, in choosing Skagit Valley College.

She was accepted to the University of Washington for a pre-law program. But when offered scholarships to play soccer and softball at Skagit, she took another look at her choices.

“If I do this I can get my transfer degree, I can stay at home, I can continue playing sports — which I love. I’m not ready to give that up yet,” she said. “I don’t really need to leave yet. I can do that in two years. It will give me time to grow up.”

The sports scholarships made the decision for her, she said.

Dellinger’s interest in law began while her mother was a bail bonds agent. For 10 years, she heard stories about negligent and drug- and alcohol-addicted parents — and the children affected by their choices.

“I want to become a lawyer who helps children who have been abused by their parents who are into drugs and alcohol,” Dellinger said.

Dellinger plans to get her transfer degree while playing sports, then go to UW or Gonzaga University in two years to continue her education.

Kate Martin can be reached at 360-416-2145 or at .