Redmond Grad Overcomes Personal Challenges to Pursue Career Goals

Like many of this year's graduates, 17-year-old Amy Lemus has had her sights set on college for several years. Originally intent on becoming a lawyer, Amy changed her plans sophomore year to pursue a career in law enforcement—a field she decided would be just as exciting but require a little less schooling.

"I think it's just the adrenaline rush," Amy said of her plans during an interview last week at the high school. "There's no day that's going to be the same."

Following in her older sister's footsteps, Amy will attend Bellevue College and plans to eventually transfer to the University of Washington and earn a degree in criminal justice.

She will join 458 of her classmates Wednesday in walking across the stage at Key Arena and earning her high school diploma. But unlike many of her fellow students, Amy has had several ups and downs on the road to a college education.

Although she entered high school driven to succeed, Amy started out with educational accommodations in lower-level classes. Over the next three years, she took it upon herself to enroll in more and more rigorous classes, including AP Government, AP Environmental Science and an honors writing class.

Amy's parents are Salvadorian immigrants who grew up in poverty and dropped out of school in the third and fourth grade. She worked as a waitress for 10 months before quitting last August to help her father run his landscaping business, putting in six hours of work most days during the past school year.

Last year, she also missed two weeks of school because of a health scare and had to make up her final exams. Despite those challenges, Amy has improved her grades throughout high school and will finish with a 3.2 GPA.

Although high school has been a tremendous balancing act, Amy has continued to prioirtize her family's Christian faith and said she's learned a great deal about what's important in her life.

"A lot of students don't do exactly what I do—they don't manage a business, they don't have to go to church for two-and-a-half hours," she said. "It was just finding that time as well as people who understand what I have to go through."

Ellen Zambrowsky-Huls, a counselor at Redmond High School, said she is pleased but not surprised by Amy's success, given the determination she showed early on.

"She always remembers every part of her life, and it's really amazing to watch that," Zambrowsky-Huls said. "She's been such an a great role model for other people, and I don't think she even realizes it."

Editor's note: Are you the parent or other relative of a 2011 graduate? If so, Redmond Patch would love to feature your graduation announcements and photos on the site. Click for more information.