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<< Previous   of   Next >> Kevin Nortz / The Herald  (click to enlarge) Marysville Mountain View senior Justina Velazquez, 17, overcame a lot of adversity in her high school education. She is interested in photography and plans to attend Everett Community College in the Fall.   ADVERTISEMENT   Related Stories • Super Kid: Alyssa Woodard, Lynnwood High School senior 12/7/09 • Super Kid: Allison White of Darrington 11/30/09 • Cascade High senior a leader in school's food drive 11/9/09 • Super Kid: Piano man Eric McElroy 10/26/09 • Super Kid: Proud to farm 10/5/09 • Super Kid: Laura Pfeifer, 17, Mariner High School 6/29/09   CONTACT THE HERALD Melanie Munk, Features Editor munk@heraldnet.com   Published: Monday, June 8, 2009 Super Kid: Success after rough start for Marysville senior Justina Velazquez, 17, Marysville Mountain View High School senior Switching schools: Justina attended Everett High School, then Marysville-Pilchuck High, before landing at Marysville Mountain View, an alternative high school, two years ago. The small classes and credit retrieval program at Mountain View were a good fit for her. "I love it. If I didn't go here, I would be have been a super senior twice. The teachers really care." Diploma day: Velazquez will graduate Tuesday, on time with her class. It's a huge accomplishment for a teen who earned just one credit her freshman year. She skipped class a lot and ran away from home. She eventually returned and decided she needed to finish school before she could live on her own. Shooting hoops: Basketball kept Velazquez motivated to earn good grades and graduate. Since Mountain View doesn't have a team, for the past two years she's played forward for the varsity team at Heritage High, a Marysville school tailored to American Indians. "I can't play basketball unless I have good grades. I always wanted to play college ball. You can't get into college unless you have good grades." College plans: In the fall, Velazquez plans to begin studying photography at Everett Community College. She also wants to take business courses with the goal of owning a photo studio. She hopes to play basketball for the school. Lummi member: Velazquez is a member of the Lummi tribe, but she lives on the Tulalip reservation. She enjoys living on the reservation because it's easy for her to get help. Velazquez and her younger sister live with their older sister, Dena Jimicum, 35, and her family. She's lived with them since she was 7 years old. Before that she was in foster care and was delighted to finally live with her sister. Role model: Velazquez looks up to investigative television journalist Lisa Ling. Velazquez and some of her classmates heard Ling speak in Seattle earlier this year. "I like how she goes to extremes, goes where she wants to and shows the world what else is out there." Reporter Kaitlin Manry: 425-339-3292 or kmanry@heraldnet.com Know a super kid?: E-mail schoolfyi@heraldnet.com. READER COMMENTS Be the first to comment. You must be a registered user and verify your e-mail address to post comments to blogs or articles on HeraldNet. To register, click here. To read other terms and conditions, click here. Log out

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