ACES High School junior Regina Lewis, 16, on Jan. 22, 2020 in Everett, Wash. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)                                ACES High School junior Regina Lewis, 16, on Jan. 22, 2020 in Everett, Wash. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

ACES High School junior Regina Lewis, 16, on Jan. 22, 2020 in Everett, Wash. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald) ACES High School junior Regina Lewis, 16, on Jan. 22, 2020 in Everett, Wash. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

ACES junior looks forward and upward to a career with planes

Regina Lewis, 16, moved from California in 2018. She built a community here by saying “yes” to new things.

EVERETT — Regina Lewis isn’t afraid of trying new things. Since moving from California in 2018, the junior at ACES High School in Everett made new friends quickly by getting involved on and off campus. After high school, she wants to be an airplane tech for the Air Force.

Question: What brought you to ACES?

Answer: I moved here from California in September 2018. This is the only school that accepted my California credits without starting over. I was homeschooled until 8th grade and this is my first real school. ACES helped me get back on track so I’m on track to graduate. I love ACES, our teachers here are really supportive. They’re funny and goofy.

Q: Was moving challenging?

A: When I first got out here I didn’t like it, I left all my friends and my life. It was really challenging, but I made new friends really quick. I didn’t ever think I would go camping outside, but church had me doing that. It was just a big change and it made me change.

Q: What have been some of your favorite classes?

A: English and math. As much as I suck at math, I love it because of my teacher. English, I don’t know how I’m even passing because I don’t like reading or writing. But it’s fun.

I tell myself I can’t do a lot of things, but if I really put my brain to it, I know I can do it.

Q: I heard you’re really involved in church choir?

A: I do soprano and alto in unison. That’s hard because sometimes I can‘t hit the soprano lines but our pastor always tell us you can do anything if you tell yourself you can.

We practice Tuesdays and Thursdays. I’m at church every day of the week for Bible study, youth group, rehearsal and actual church. It’s a lot.

Q: So is that a community you’re passionate about?

A: Believe it or not, when I got out here church was not for me. One of my friends here asked me to go but I said church is not for me. One day, she got me to go and it was amazing. Ever since then, I loved it.

I grew with them, they helped me so much.

Last summer I got baptized and ever since then it’s had a big impact. I got involved in the worship team, I did youth group, I met new people, I’ve gotten to travel, go camping.

Church is something really important to me.

Q: Your principal told me you want to be a technology engineer. What is that?

A: They work on planes and computers and stuff like that. I want to build planes. After a couple years, I want to become a tech in the Air Force to build planes for the people who serve. My uncle did that.

I looked into so many colleges and heard the engineering schools do so many cool things.

Q: Why planes specifically?

A: They’re a big impact on our world because they do so many things. They deliver most of the stuff I have in my life.

Some of my siblings are in the Air Force and the Navy so for me to be able to help them by providing them transport, I would love to be able to do so.

Q: What’s something you’re really proud of?

A: The person I am today. I’m happy with the change from this year to last year. I’m very proud of myself and I hope I keep doing what I’m doing now.

Julia-Grace Sanders: 425-339-3439; jgsanders@heraldnet.com.

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