This story is part of The Daily Herald’s annual look at promising local high school graduates.
EVERETT — During her sophomore year, Lizbeth Colocho could say she completed twice as much homework as her classmates.
She learned English by translating her assignments from English to Spanish and then back to English.
Her family immigrated from El Salvador when she was in ninth grade. They first settled in California, where it was easier to navigate between Spanish and English. Many of her teachers were bilingual.
The family moved to Washington in her sophomore year. That worked well, she said, except for one class — chemistry. “That was the worst!” she said. “I struggled.”
Colocho transferred from Mariner High School to ACES High School for her senior year. She likes the smaller campus and the chance to have a one-on-one relationship with her teachers.
“Every teacher has helped me,” she said.
Colocho, 17, is ASB president. School principal Marcie Polin called her “smart, delightful, and a natural leader.” She’s graduating with a 2.87 GPA.
Colocho participated in both Key Club and Math Club during her junior year. Her favorite classes are math and science. She volunteers with the homeless feeding program at New Horizons Church in Monroe.
Her career goal is to become an oral surgeon. She said she became interested in dentistry from the example of her mother, who was a dentist in El Salvador.
Her mother died when Colocho was 11. She took over responsibility to raising her younger sister, who was just a year old, for the next two years.
Colocho is being recruited by the Navy, and following graduation she plans go to boot camp for two months in the Chicago area. Once she completes initial training, she said she will be given a choice of four universities to begin her studies.
Her advice to fellow students: “Everything can seem dark, but they should focus on what can happen in the future. The future can always change if you want it to change.”
Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486; salyer@heraldnet.com.
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