Editor’s note: The Auburn Reporter salutes some of the best graduating seniors from each of the Auburn School District’s four high schools. The top graduates were selected by their respective schools.
Sara Davis
By her own admission, Sara Davis once copped a bad attitude, used her fists too much, got into constant trouble.
Drifting into failure at 15, she didn’t care.
“I wasn’t motivated to do anything,” the West Auburn High School senior said of her years at Auburn High. “The school’s too big, there’s too many people, not enough one-on-one time with the teachers to get extra help. It was easy to get lost in the crowd, and that’s what I did. For the longest time I was hanging out with the wrong crowd, doing the wrong things.”
School authorities noticed what was happening. They approached Sara’s parents, Anousay and Marjorie Bounpraseuth. When her folks mentioned Auburn’s alternative high school, West Auburn, Davis said nuts to that.
“I told my parents, ‘I don’t want to go there, that’s where all the bad kids go’. I’m like, ‘I don’t think I’m that bad.’ But when I came here, I realized it’s not a place for bad kids, it’s a place for kids who are misunderstood and need the extra help and time.”
Clearly West Auburn was the tonic Sara needed — she’s about to graduate near the top of her class.
What she found at the school kindled a love in her heart for history, particularly the political side of U.S. History. It even gave her a grudging respect for math.
“I’ve gotten way better grades here than I had been getting,” said Davis. “It took a lot of hard work, but I am proud of it. West Auburn has done me a lot of good. It’s given me like a second chance, a new opportunity on life. I owe this school. Every success that I make is because of here. I like all the teachers here. All of them helped me in their own way, even the people who worked in the front office. There isn’t anyone here I don’t like, not one person who hasn’t helped me.”
Plans that once seemed unthinkable are now unfolding.
In October Davis heads off to Oregon to attend the Art Institute of Portland. There, she will study to become a chef.
“Ultimately, my five-year goal is to work up to chef management and ultimately own my own restaurant. You know, nothing too big. Each program I plan to attend is about a year long. The first one is the diploma program, which is about 13 months. The next one is the art of cooking, then there’s a couple more and the last is chef management, which is about two years. I like to eat, and I figure if I cook, I can eat more.
“…I’m not one of those bad kids, just misunderstood. I have a hard exterior, but inside I’m a big, old teddy bear. I like to read and write and help with the family business A&M Shiny Windows.”
Davis, who is adopted, said her parents and her grandmother are her heroes.
“They’re hard workers. I’ll be the first one in my family to finish high school. They’re more proud of me than I am of myself. But if it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be here. I probably would have dropped out, and who knows where I would be,” said Davis.
Heleena Seltz
Just call Heleena Seltz “Giggles.”
Her chums at West Auburn High School stuck her with that nickname for reasons that become crystal clear after a few moments spent with her.
“I laugh a lot,” Seltz said, giggling.
Just a few years ago, however, Seltz’ situation was nothing to laugh at. Seems she always found something better to do than attend her classes at Auburn Riverside High School.
“I used to never go to school. I didn’t really care. I didn’t feel like I fit in there,” Seltz recalled.
Life changed when the Auburn School District moved her to West Auburn High School
Seltz found a home, and a light began to go on.
That she’s graduating near the top of her class is a matter of growing up, Seltz said. It’s about learning from her mistakes. And it’s about staff that care.
“All the staff here, especially Bonnie and Kitty in the Learning Center, they want to know how they can help you. They always pushed me. They knew I could do better than I was doing. When I started here, I never did a lot. I came to class, but I didn’t do my work a lot. Then I started talking more and got more focused. I set goals. I wanted that diploma because I didn’t want to let down my family or anybody else.”
“At West Auburn, I feel like I fit in. Everybody’s nice to me. I love the teachers. It feels like a family here. I love it here. The hardest part was getting motivated to get my diploma. Before, I didn’t really care, I just wanted to sleep and hang out with friends. I went to school to socialize. Now, I am more focused. I set goals now and everything,” said Seltz.
The girl who never came to class now plans to be an EMT/paramedic.
“I love helping people, and I’m OK with blood and stuff,” Seltz said.
Seltz still finds time to volunteer for the City of Auburn, lending a hand with the Parks, Arts and Recreation’s Late Night program for kids. She also volunteers for the department’s Tobacco Fairs, visiting sixth-grade classes with an anti-smoking message.
She has been a volunteer with the City since the sixth grade. She also does a lot of fundraising for Auburn Youth Council and has been its vice president for about three years . She is also vice president of the Career, Technical Education club and volunteers for Clean Sweep do. She works for William Bryant at the Commons in Federal Way.
