During his first two years of high school, Grant Schuetze didn’t think his classes were important.
“I kind of stopped trying,” he said.
It wasn’t until his junior year that he learned how dire his situation was. “My counselor said, ‘You don’t have enough time to graduate with your class,’” he said.
He decided to enroll in ACES, the Mukilteo School District’s alternative high school that focuses on students at risk of dropping out. He started this school year with 14.5 credits, far short of the 22.5 needed to graduate.
“I made up about two years’ worth” of work, Grant said, while juggling the responsibilities of an after-school job in Snohomish.
It was a question from Abi Phillips, then his girlfriend and now his fiancee, who helped him turn things around. “What’s really important to you?” she asked.
Grant said he wanted to make a good living and have a good career. “Well, you need a good education for that,” she said. Grant said it helped him realize “I needed to stop being so lazy.”
“One of the things I’ve realized this year is it’s kind of cool knowing you can set your mind to something and actually accomplish it,” he said.
Grant, 19, said he has two ideas about a future career: working at Boeing or joining an electrician apprenticeship program.
Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486; salyer@heraldnet.com.
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