Editor’s Note: Principals from every area high school were asked to choose a 2008 graduate who represented the spirit of their school to serve on a discussion panel. Nine Skagit County high school seniors met with Skagit Valley Herald reporters and editors last week in a panel discussion to discuss their plans after high school, and one student who couldn’t make the panel was interviewed later. We asked them, on the cusp of adulthood, facing a faltering economy, a prolonged war and major environmental crises, what they think of the challenges ahead.

ANACORTES HIGH SCHOOL
Name: Leslie Baca
Age: 17
Plans after high school: Baca wants to study international comparative studies with a focus on Turkey and the surrounding region. She will attend Duke University on an ROTC scholarship. She will serve at least four years of active duty in the Navy after graduation and four years in the Reserves.
Person who made a difference in her high school career: “Mr. (Chris) Pearson was one of the first people that told me I could do stuff. He really encouraged me, especially in my writing, to do really well. He expected a lot. Before I was thinking about colleges, he told me I could get into Harvard or Princeton if I wanted to. … It’s important to have that kind of inspiration.”

BURLINGTON-EDISON HIGH SCHOOL
Name: Josh Lott
Age: 18
Plans after high school: Lott wants to study natural resources at the University of Idaho in Moscow. Eventually he wants to guide and outfit for an outdoor therapy company, taking people on retreats to help them deal with life’s problems.
Person who made a difference in high school career: “Charlie Herzberg is a golf coach, and he’s one of my teachers. The last four years, I was scared to death of him because he’s kind of one of those guys, he’s really smart. He’s a great guy, but you can never tell if he’s joking or if he’s serious. I got to know him better over my high school career. I don’t know if he realizes it or not. I won’t usually admit something like that, especially not to him. … I don’t know if he realizes it, but he’s made such a big impact on me in my life in me becoming who I am right now.”

B-E NORTH ALTERNATIVE SCHOOL
Name: Ashley Gibson
Age: 19
Plans after high school: Gibson wants to attend community college and study criminal justice to become a probation officer. She will be the first in her family to attend college.
Person who made a difference in high school career: “Ms. (Linda) Larrabee has helped me in the years since I’ve been there, especially this year. I was really struggling in this one class, and she spent her extra time to help. … She would make sure that she would stay, and I would stop by after work, and she would stay there, and she would help me. She did that over 10 times this semester. She really does care for her students, and she wants her students to succeed. She works extra hard, more than a teacher normally does. I really appreciate her hard work and how she loves her students.”

CONCRETE HIGH SCHOOL
Name: Eddie Mitchell
Age: 18
Plans after high school: Mitchell wants to study business administration at the University of Washington and eventually enter hotel management in Las Vegas for a large chain.
Person who made a difference in high school career: “I’ve been going to Skagit Valley College for a while, and there are some awesome instructors. The one that’s had the most influence on what I want to do, business administration, is Dick Johnson. … He’s like one of the only business teachers at Skagit, and he pretty much tries to fail you. But since he does that, it really pushed me to dedicate myself to those classes. I had thought about switching majors, but this is something that I really enjoy so much, so I stuck with it and studied for my classes to show him that I can do it. Outside of class when I would go to his office for help, he would actually say ‘You’re getting this. You’re going to do good when you get older.’ He’s just a different person in class. It’s a joy for him. I think he goes to bed at night trying to think of ways to make students’ lives horrible. … I’d like to thank him for actually doing that because it showed (me) that it is something that I really enjoy doing because I stuck through it.”

EMERSON HIGH ALTERNATIVE SCHOOL
Name: Sarai Ayon
Age: 18
Plans after high school: Ayon wants to become a veterinarian and plans to attend Skagit Valley College to complete prerequisite courses. She will be the first in her family to attend college.
Person who made a difference in high school career: “There were two teachers in my school, one is an AmeriCorps volunteer. (Katherine Pickard) took me places to volunteer and camping trips and stuff like that. It really opened my eyes, that other than high school, it’s not just going to classes and sitting there and getting out at 2 p.m. and that’s it. She really taught me that it can be fun and a good experience.
“The other teacher, Lucy EveryHope — she’s been so patient with me because I learn in a different way. She’s tried so hard and helped me with my class work and helped me absorb information. She even reads to me. … I don’t think I would’ve graduated without her.”

LA CONNER HIGH SCHOOL
Name: Chris McKnight
Age: 18
Plans after high school: McKnight wants to study marine biology at Pacific Lutheran University. He believes global warming will open up new fields in his study area.
Person who made a difference in high school career: “My biggest influence would be the football coach, Mr. (Mike) Compton. My junior year, I (was a teaching assistant) for him. He’s a PE teacher for a second-grade class. One thing that I’ve always wanted to do is I’d really like to work with kids, and I liked the way he worked with them. I feel like I learned so much from him. He’s just such a good guy. I really look up to him.”

MOUNT VERNON CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
Name: Matthew Boffey
Age: 18
Plans after high school: Boffey intends to pursue pastoral studies at Moody Bible Institute in inner-city Chicago.
Person who made a difference in high school career: “My math and British lit teacher, Mr. (Paul) Westra. He’s one of those all-around really wise men. … He’s really there for every student. He’s really calm and patient. He’s never, ever yelled, ever. Even if he raises his voice just a tad over normal speaking level, everyone’s (shocked) because he never gets upset. He’s very calm and very composed, and he has a very strong faith. … He taught me to be a better man.”

MOUNT VERNON HIGH SCHOOL
Name: Jorge Palma
Age: 18
Plans after high school: Palma plans to take a year to work and save money to attend Skagit Valley College next year. He wants to study art and will be the first in his family to attend college.
Person who made a difference in high school career: “The principal, Mr. (Dave) Anderson, inspires me because he gives good speeches at assemblies, and he’s always there for us. I always see him talking to students, checking the classes and seeing how they’re going. The other would be Ms. (Stacy) Lewis, she’s the leadership teacher and also English. She showed me how to be a better leader. She helped me with my English. … She’s like a second mom to me because she has helped me throughout high school.”

SEDRO-WOOLLEY HIGH SCHOOL
Name: Kathryn McGoffin
Age: 18
Plans after high school: McGoffin wants to study business at Gonzaga University.
Person who made a difference in high school career: “This person is not a teacher, but she works at my school. I probably spend more time in her office than I do in any classroom. Her name is Nita Hodgins (the Associated Student Body bookkeeper and secretary). Since my freshman year, she’s the person I went to. When I was having a bad day, I would go cry in her office. And the days where I was super happy, I would fly through one of her little windows and slide across the counter. She celebrated with me when I was happy and helped me when I was upset. She was my second mom, and I couldn’t have made it through high school without her.”

STATE STREET ALTERNATIVE HIGH SCHOOL
Name: Lissa Lawler
Age: 18
Plans after high school: Lawler wants to study business at Skagit Valley College, eventually translating that knowledge to the art world. She is also considering a teaching degree.
Person who made a difference in high school career: “I have this teacher, Tim McHugh. He’s phenomenal. He’s very inspiring. He always sought out work that would interest me. … He gave me an opportunity to learn more about myself and the things I love and the things I want to do. … He’s made my whole high school experience worthwhile, and I’m glad that I stuck it out and had the experience to be in his class and be his student.”