Santino Dewyer graduated in January from Scriber Lake High School, where teachers encouraged his passion for the outdoors and his artistic talents. Dewyer now aspires to a career as a park ranger. To reach that goal, he’s working full-time at a Petco store and preparing to study environmental sciences at Shoreline Community College.
Getting to this point hasn’t been easy for the 19-year-old. Dewyer wasn’t taking school seriously until his junior year, when he grew worried about graduating. He transferred from Lynnwood High School to the alternative program at Scriber.
Obstacles along the way included bullying during middle school and an unstable family life. Dewyer and his mother were evicted from their north Lynnwood home earlier this year. Throughout his childhood, he struggled to get to know his biological father.
Question: What got you interested in becoming a park ranger?
Answer: I’ve always liked the outdoors. One day, I went on a school field trip to Lake 22. Me being me, I ended up being the first person to the top and the first person to the bottom. One of the staff members from school said, “Hey, you should be a park ranger.” And then it just hit me. That’s what I wanted to be.
Q: You mentioned you like animals. Has that always been the case?
A: They used to call me the animal boy in elementary school. I always read the animal books and I always knew a lot about them. I was one of the guys who liked to collect bugs. I’ve been into fishing since I was a little kid.
Q: You also draw?
A: Before I went to Scriber, I wanted to become an artist because I could draw really good. I like to draw with pencils and to draw with pens. I’ve done some paintings with acrylics and watercolors. I’ve tried pretty much everything … ceramics, glasswork.
Q: Why did you transfer to Scriber?
A: I kinda screwed up my first three years of high school. I wasn’t really passing any of my classes. I was just goofing around and not taking it seriously. In my junior year, I talked to my counselor and I said I didn’t think I’m going to graduate. I heard some things about Scriber, that it was a school for troublemakers, but at the same time, it’s a way to get credits fast.
Q: Is Scriber a school for troublemakers?
A: I wouldn’t really say that they’re troublemakers. A lot of the kids there have been through a lot already at a young age. Just like me, they’re looking to start over or to become a better person.
Q: What obstacles have you faced at home?
A: Me and my mom, we struggled financially. We ended up getting evicted from our home. We weren’t getting along. Before we even got evicted, I left home on my own for a bit.
Q: What about at school?
A: Bullying was something I was struggling with in middle school. I was bullied a lot for my teeth. I had crooked teeth back then. [He later got braces.] I was very hyper. When I came to school, I couldn’t just sit down. I never knew how to do the homework, especially when it came to math. I never really seemed to get it. I never really had the patience for it.
Q: Tell us about your father.
A: Before I was born, my biological father left on a business trip and never came back. When I was 10 years old, I met him for the first time. He said we could hang out and get to know each other. But after I met him, he never contacted me again. When I was 16 or 17, I got back in contact with him. Now we’re kinda cool. I plan on trying to visit him. Right now he’s living in Canada. I have four other siblings on the other side of the border who I haven’t met yet.
Q: How did Scriber help you turn things around?
A: I just had the support I needed. Not one student goes to Scriber and isn’t asked, “What do you want to do in the future?” Teachers would always comment on my art and say that they wanted to see more. Sometimes I talked to teachers about things that were going on in my home. All they did was listen and they were there for me. When I got there, teachers put me in a leadership class. It just changed from then on. I started to have a different view of people, life …
Q: Would you like to give a shout out to any teachers?
A: Yes. Marjie Bowker, Dave Zwaschka and Chris Brown.
Q: What are your plans after Shoreline CC?
A: Evergreen (State College) or Central (Washington University).
Q: What’s your dream job?
A: Working as a ranger in Olympic National Park.
Q: Why?
A: I want to learn about Washington’s forests, plants animals. I want to educate people to go and to teach them about these places and to teach them to take care of them.
When you’re out there, it feels like an adventure. You always see something new. You never leave disappointed.
Noah Haglund: 425-339-3465, nhaglund@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @NWhaglund.
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