THE UNION DEMOCRAT (SONORA) -- Calaveras High School senior Zoey Spears, 18, one of five named valedictorian for maintaining a 4.0 grade point average throughout high school, will attend San Francisco State University in the fall to study journalism.
Despite some trials and tribulations and the difficulty of “the pressure of maintaining perfect grades and finding a balance between extracurriculars and academics,” she said, it was the goal of eventually working for a nonprofit organization and advocating for victims of human trafficking that pushed her to succeed.
“One of the most important things I've learned is that life is exactly what you make it. Well, you complain about high school as much as you want, but in reality you are the one that determines what your experience is,” she said.