Spokane7
67°
December 26, 2011 in City
Graduate who sought Obama speech thrives at Whitworth
Ana Soto, pictured on the Whitworth University campus, was one of the Bridgeport High School seniors last spring competing to get President Barack Obama to speak at their commencement.
(Full-size photo)
The Bridgeport High School graduate spent last spring in the spotlight when her senior class earned national attention as one of three finalists vying to have President Barack Obama as graduation speaker.
These days, Ana Soto is happy to blend in at Whitworth University, where there are more students than the population of her north-central Washington hometown.
Her favorite part of college: “Prime time in the dorms. You get to literally cut someone’s hair or have cookies and milk or make a doorstop,” Soto said. But her favorite, favorite time is “at 10 p.m. every night. There’s a dance to just one song. You get to de-stress then go back to studying.”
Soto was among a handful of students featured in a Race to the Top commencement challenge video early this year. The Bridgeport High class of 2011 is 95 percent Hispanic, and all 37 were accepted into college. A decade earlier, only 41 percent of the school’s seniors had graduated on time.
Although the school didn’t win, the White House sent a Cabinet member – Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, who, like many of the graduates, was a child of Latino immigrants and the first in her family to go to college.
“It was a really memorable experience,” Soto said. Signed, framed photographs of Solis with Soto’s family hang in her parents’ living room. “It was really inspiring to me to see a Latina in a position like that.”
Soto, along with several former classmates, recently returned home for the holidays. She and a few others were invited to speak to students about their experiences thus far.
Seven of the students recently spoke to Bridgeport middle and high school classes about their first quarter in college, said Bridgeport High School Principal Tamra Jackson. Also represented were Washington State University, the University of Washington, Eastern Washington University and Wenatchee Valley Community College.
The 2011 graduates “continually reiterated to take advantage of the opportunities we have at Bridgeport,” Jackson said. “Take the college courses; it’s helped in college. And they are doing well in their classes.”
Soto, who is pursuing a double major in biology and Spanish, took enough college courses in high school to enroll as a sophomore. “It was a nice perk having the upperclassman status, being able to register before other freshmen and some sophomores.”
By spring, she expects to be a junior.
Jackson also hoped the former students’ enthusiasm about education would help encourage her current students.
“They are so different than this year’s senior class. They were very high-energy and highly motivated,” she said. “I don’t believe it ever entered their mind that there was anything they couldn’t do. I want this class to have the same courage and confidence.”
Soto is one of the prime examples.
After high school graduation, the soft-spoken teen spent the summer working 10-hour days, sometimes seven days per week, as a print system operator for the Chelan Fruit Cooperative. She took only two weeks vacation before starting college.
“It was worth it, because I was able to invest in my education,” said Soto, who plans to become a family physician.
Soto’s studies keep her busy, she said. So the teen doesn’t venture far from campus; she’s content with the activities, such as theater and musical performances, at Whitworth.
So far, the young woman hasn’t decided where to go to medical school. She’s taking college one step at a time. “I’m just worried about getting through college, right now … soaking it in.”
Plus, there are still experiences Soto has been told are the tradition for Whitworth University students: “Break a plate in the cafeteria, catch a pine cone while it’s falling, get hit by a Frisbee and get engaged the spring term before you graduate.”
Recent stories by Jody Lawrence-Turner
School districts emphasize science, trades May 26, 2012 4- Students to pay, work for prank May 24, 2012
- Sandpoint High students vandalize school in senior prank May 23, 2012 7
- Spokane schools officials’ pay frozen May 15, 2012 18
- Redinger brings fresh direction, expectations to District 81 May 13, 2012 7
Bruce (aka thatoneguy) on December 26 at 11:51 a.m.
Congratulations to Ana and this terrific group of kids.
paulti on December 26 at 2:29 p.m.
I remember some of the rude comments by some of the usual posters on this site. What do you people have to say now? Congrats to this young lady and her classmates.
spnelson on December 26 at 5:55 p.m.
Reason #6795-c that I seldom read this paper, “articles” like this. This country is facing some serious problems, like trillions of dollars in debt, added too of course by the savior of this kid. Instead of talking about issues, this paper runs puff pieces about this little Obama minion. So Spokesman, who is this girl related to who works at the paper? I am assuming some sort of personal connection, because this is a dumb story, even for you. Here’s an idea- in 3 or 4 years this paper could run another story about this kid, and how she is 100k in debt, but can’t find a job with her degree, thanks again to her savior, Obama.Got a feeling you won’t put that on the front page. Ana is a just a kid- she will probably get smart in a few years, and grow out of minion status. This paper, however, deserves no such consideration. The Spokesman should truly be embarassed by pumping out junk like this and calling it news.
misjustice on December 26 at 6:07 p.m.
This is a human interest story; if you are a human it has interest.
Kudos to this young woman, despite the mean spirited comment above, she deserves some positive press. She entered college at the sophomore level, is a double major, and worked all summer to help finance her dream. YOU GO GIRL!
Don’t let some yahoo tell you that you can’t accomplish your goals!
greenlibertarian on December 26 at 8:04 p.m.
Shorter spnelson: BAH HUMBUG!
Some people…
Traveler on December 26 at 8:21 p.m.
In a word, spnelson: Sheesh.
You mention all the rotten sh*t that’s going on in the world (which the S-R covers frequently, if not often enough for you), and complain about a story about a woman who is happy with her life because it’s not “newsy” enough. There’s more to life than car crashes and legislative standoffs, ya know.
This article is a follow-up to several stories the S-R did earlier this year about Bridgeport — a story that made national news, as Bridgeport was one of the final three high schools in the running for Obama’s speech. I don’t know about you, but I like learning “whatever happened to” some of the folks in these human interest stories.
Bruce (aka thatoneguy) on December 27 at 1:17 p.m.
Apparently, as long as there is anything bad going on in the world, nobody has a right to pay attention to anything good.
Shame on anyone who was heartless enough to enjoy time with loved ones over Christmas* while the economy is in the toilet and whatever else bad is going on.
Meanwhile this girl plans to become a doctor. Maybe when your heart gives out from lack of nourishment, spnelson, she will save that thing that technically has to be called your “life.”
*(by the way, the War On Christmas, a.k.a. Hanukkah, isn’t over yet)
therailroader on December 27 at 2:27 p.m.
It must have been a slow news day for publishing this article. This one was better than one recently published by the SR about the perils that transgendered people living in Washington, DC have in finding a legit job. Not sure why we would even care here in WA state, however, nothing else of interest must have been happening locally.
I don’t remember cookies and milk when I lived in a dorm in the mid 70s ~ sounds pretty boring to me!