Super Kid: Khadija Tarver, Everett High School

Published 6:59 pm Friday, March 30, 2012

Q: So tell me, what activities have you been involved in?

A: I played varsity soccer all four years and was captain by junior and senior years.

Q: What position did you play?

A: Sweeper, which is the last defender.

Q: Have you been involved with soccer for a long time?

A: Yeah, I started playing when I was 4 to 5 years old. I’ve been playing pretty much my whole life.

Q: So your schedule is busy?

A: I work as well, since my junior year. I probably work 15 to 20 hours a week. I’m really busy.

Q: Where is your job?

A: I’m a hostess at Scuttlebutt Brewery Co.

Q: Could you talk a little about your academic courses?

A: AP chemistry, which is like really important. I really want to go into science. AP stats (statistics) … applied math classes, something more than numbers, they’re real situations. I’m also in AP literature, an independent study.

Q: What’s your GPA?

A: GPA: 3.998 because I got an A-minus last quarter.

Q: Where have you been admitted to college?

A: To the University of Washington and Seattle University so far. I haven’t heard back from the East Coast schools I’ve applied to. There’s this program called Quest Bridge on the East Coast. Quest Bridge finalists can have up to eight of their college application fees waived. I was one of the finalists. So I used it to apply to Brown, Columbia, Yale and the University of Pennsylvania.

Q: What are you goals as far as college major?

A: I want to major in environmental studies, and double minor in international relations, maybe a double major or double minor. I want to major in environmental studies and double minor in international relations and political science.

Q: And what about your career goals?

A: I want to work for the United Nations. That’s my goal, which is why I want to go to school on the East Coast. Moving around, being in uncomfortable situations is part of the job of working for the U.N. One place for six months and one place for eight months. With those jobs you can’t settle for jobs close to home.

Q: What would you do for the U.N.?

A: I want to work for U.N. as an environmental policy coordinator, and potential peacekeeper would be really awesome.

Q: What is your favorite class?

A: Probably AP chemistry. It really challenges me. As much as I hate having a whole bunch of homework. It is a college level class. It really feels like I’m getting prepared for something.

Q: Could you talk about the people who have most influenced you?

A: Probably starting in eighth grade at Evergreen Middle School, Mr. (John) Herber.

I had him for eighth grade block class, probably one of the most challenging courses I can ever remember. He taught English, social studies, government. He did it in such a way that was so different. It was really refreshing.

Q: What did he do?

A: He taught you point blank: Here are deadlines. You’ll procrastinate, I understand that. But I don’t expect anything besides your best. That’s what he installed in all of us, his belief is you need to do your best whatever your best may be.

Q: How do you kick back?

A: The Seattle hip-hop scene is really big part of my life. I really like the local aspect about how I could go up to this person about what the music is saying and what it means. I love having that connection with people in general.

Q: What are your favorite groups or singer?

A: Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, Sol, Blue Scholars, Brothers from Another.

Q: What are your favorite movies?

A: “Good Will Hunting” is my favorite movie of all time; all the Harry Potters and “A Clockwork Orange.”

Q: What is your favorite soccer moment from high school?

A: Well, there was freshman year, probably the top moment when we won state. I was just a little freshman. I didn’t get to play a whole lot. There was one moment where me and (a teammate), the coach pointed at us and said, ‘You three go warm up.’ I thought no way. The state championship final game. Maybe 10 minutes left in the game. It was 3-0 against our longtime rivals.

He said go warm up. We’re like 14. Trying not to be totally scared. To their chagrin we ended up on the cover of the newspaper because the game ended, and we were just freaking out.

Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486; salyer@heraldnet.com.