Everett, Wash.
Published: Monday, June 29, 2009

Super Kid: Laura Pfeifer, 17, Mariner High School

A worldly Beatles expert

 Memorable journey: Last summer, Laura Pfeifer traveled to Italy, Monaco and France with fellow French language students from Mariner High School. Her favorite stop was Provence, a picturesque region in southern France.

Helping hand: Laura and a friend organized "a walk for water" event that raised $1,350 to improve access to water for the people of Burkina Faso, an African country. She hopes to continue that work next year.

Rigor ahead: Her schedule next fall includes college-level advanced placement courses in European history and English as well as fourth-year French, physics, media analysis and precalculus.

Beatles fan: Don't bet any money against Laura on Beatles trivia. She has made a thorough study of the Fab Four, reading many biographies and listening to every recording she can get her hands on. She particularly likes songs written by John Lennon. She calls the teal 2002 VW Beetle she drives "Ringo."

Favorite book: "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen. "I really admire the main character Elizabeth Bennet. She is strong. She knows what she wants."

Year ahead: Laura will be president of the school's French Club and National Honor Society. She's also been involved in Teens Against Tobacco Use and Key Club.

Another voice: She will be Mariner's student representative on the Mukilteo School Board next school year. "I'm definitely excited to bring ideas to the board."

Into the woods: Laura said she's an "earthy" person, so she's looking forward to her summer job with the Northwest YouthCorps that will take her into Oregon's forests to plant trees and work on trail restoration. "I'll be living in a tent, and I get one shower a week when I get into town. It's going to be real hard, but I think I'm going to like it."

College plans: For now, she is considering the University of Oregon in Eugene and Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Ore., and is interested in studying environmental science and journalism.

Making a difference: After college, she plans to join the Peace Corps. "I don't have anything holding me back. I really want to join the Peace Corps. That's my goal."

Wordsmith: Laura enjoys learning about words. Her favorite is "anthropogenic," which means caused by humans.

Between the lines: A varsity tennis player, she rose to No. 2 on Mariner's tennis team as a junior.

Water world: During the school year, she takes a bus to volunteer on weekends at the Seattle Aquarium. She has given more than 100 hours of her time. The work has been interesting and has improved her public speaking abilities. "It's cool to teach people what I have learned."

Reporter Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446, stevick@heraldnet.com.



Super kid is taking the summer off and will return in September.
© 2009The Daily Herald Co., Everett, WA