Starting over and succeeding

When Joel Nitteberg walks across the Spokane Arena stage Saturday to accept his Central Valley High School diploma it will complete an arduous journey.

Nitteberg had to learn in just four short years what his classmates accomplished in 18 years of life and a dozen years of schooling. All of it. How to talk. How to walk.

In spring of 2004, Nitteberg suffered a traumatic brain injury in a bicycle accident. When he came out of a coma he had to start from scratch and relearn everything.

“I was just riding my dirt bike,” he said. “From what I understand and what my family understands, I was going up a gradual hill. Another rider came out of nowhere at me. I must have pulled my front brake because I flew over my handlebars. I must have flown over the side of the hill and down into a dip and landed on my head.”

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West Valley

Love of fashion carries her away

West Valley senior Tanya Lund’s passion for design has landed her a $78,000 scholarship to study design at the Art Institute of Seattle

Lund, who has dreamed of a fashion design career, entered her gray, wine and silvery cream-colored dress in The Art Institutes’ Passion for Fashion competition and won first place in New York City from among more than 35 submitted nationally by high school seniors.

“I’m obsessed with fashion,” she said. “It’s art to me. I know there are people who look at fashion and figure you really don’t need a brain to go off and do that. But really, there’s a lot more to it than just the clothes. It’s more about art and being creative.”

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Valley Christian

Helping others is just her way

Valley Christian’s Veronika Dragomir enjoys serving others.

“I usually go help people – that’s my hobby, I guess,” Dragomir said in describing her interests.

Since seventh grade she’s served food in the cafeteria to other students. And she’s quick to volunteer to help relatives.

Dragomir came to Spokane at age 10 with her family, arriving from a small village in Ukraine. Dragomir spoke Moldavian and there was only support at her school for Russian-speaking students.

Today she speaks Moldavian, Russian and English.

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Index

Barker2

Central Valley6

Contract Based Eduation18

East Valley10

Freeman8

Gonzaga Prep3

Liberty4, 12

Northwest Christian8

The Oaks3

St. George’s10

St. Michael’s16

Spokane Valley4

University16

Upper Columbia16

Valley Christian2

West Valley12