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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Huckleberries Online

Teen on track against the odds

COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho -- Born addicted to crack and raised in a meth house, a North Idaho teen faced an uncertain future. But today, Samantha Jernstrom is proving that despite the odds she has what it takes to succeed.

"It's definitely been a tough road. My mind frame that I'm set in is just do it. Make something of myself," Jernstrom said, while waiting for a class to start at North Idaho College on Wednesday.

 Twice a week, she carts around a heavy backpack filled with books on the Coeur d'Alene college campus. At first glance, the 17-year-old looks like your typical student."My first semester I can honestly tell you was so hard. I took chemistry, walking in blindfolded is how I can describe it," she joked about her decision to take college classes as a high school junior as part of NIC's dual degree program. KXLY  Full Story.

Why do some kids with rough backgrounds beat the odds and succeed while others with far more advantages flounder?

H/T Sam Crawford



Huckleberries Online

D.F. Oliveria started Huckleberries Online on Feb. 16, 2004. Oliveria's Sunday print Huckleberries is a past winner of the national Herb Caen Memorial Column contest.