Three Springs valedictorian makes success her priority

Technically speaking, Miranda Espinosa has been on summer vacation since February.

The Three Springs High School senior finished school months ago, and is just waiting until she can walk across the stage to make it official.

Espinosa didn’t finish early to get a head start on summer though; it was a necessary step for the next phase in her life: motherhood.

Espinosa began high school in Houston at a school that had nearly 3,000 students, the size of which caused Espinosa to experience anxiety problems.

She moved to Cheney in January 2014 to live with family and quickly took to the much smaller Cheney High School.

“Cheney only has 1,000 students, so it was a really nice change,” she said. “It helped with my anxiety issues. I was able to get well adjusted. All the teachers at Cheney were really great.”

After learning she was pregnant, Espinosa found it difficult to juggle schoolwork and the responsibilities of impending motherhood as a student at Cheney and decided to transfer to Three Springs, where she would have more control over her schedule and could work ahead in order to prepare for the birth of her daughter.

“It was really easy to get things done because of how supportive they were,” Espinosa said.

Espinosa attended school twice a week and finished her senior year in February. Her daughter was born the next month, and she has been at home with her ever since.

After graduation, Espinosa plans on pursuing a two-year diagnostic sonography degree from Spokane Falls Community College. When her daughter is older, she hopes to continue her education by enrolling in veterinary school.

It won’t be the easiest balancing act, but Espinosa knows it’s the best option for herself and her daughter.

“I’ve always thought education was something you need to advance in your life,” she said. “You have to have an education to have a good life in this country. I love learning, and whenever you go through life, you’re always going to be learning.”

Despite her brief time as a Three Springs student, Espinosa made quite the impression on the staff.

“Miranda is a self-driven student who is determined to succeed,” Three Springs Principal Ryan Fitzgerald wrote in an email. “She is not afraid of hard work and has demonstrated the ability to balance school and life responsibilities. We are extremely proud of Miranda and (the) success she has achieved at Three Springs High School.”

It’s praise Espinosa is humbled to hear.

“I’m pretty proud because I never thought that I would be valedictorian or that I would be a good enough student to warrant such a response from a principal or teacher,” she said. “It makes me proud to know I had an impact on my administrators.”