(GROWING) UP AND COMERS VALLEY TEENS MAKE MOST OF SUMMER BREAK.Byline: Holly Edwards Staff Writer Marisol Garcia, 17, an aspiring film editor, has spent her summer writing, directing, producing and performing in three films. Lucas Mathis, 14, of Woodland Hills embarked on a rugged Outward Bound bound in an outward direction or to foreign parts; - said especially of vessels, and opposed to homeward bound nt>. See also: Outward adventure in Utah, and Steffanie Ramos, 17, spent her summer helping the needy in her Pacoima neighborhood. Monica Covitt, a 15-year-old aspiring opera singer from Reseda High School Reseda High School, established in 1955, is located in the Reseda section of Los Angeles, California, United States. The current principal of Reseda High is Alfredo Tarin. The mascot of Reseda High is the Regent, a lion welding a crown and a scepter. , spent her summer portraying Dorothy in a production of ``The Wizard of Oz'' at California State University, Northridge CSUN offers a variety of programs leading to bachelor's degrees in 61 fields and master's degrees in 42 fields. The university has over 150,000 alumni. It's also home to a summer musical theater/theater program known as TADW (TeenAge Drama Workshop) that leads teenagers through an . And Mara Hristina Iftimie, 18, of North Hollywood attended class and lived in the dorms at the University of Southern California The U.S. News & World Report ranked USC 27th among all universities in the United States in its 2008 ranking of "America's Best Colleges", also designating it as one of the "most selective universities" for admitting 8,634 of the almost 34,000 who applied for freshman admission . Instead of relaxing on the beach or crashing in front of the TV, the five San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. teens spent their summers pursuing careers, getting a jump start on college, helping the needy and testing their mettle against Mother Nature. ``I know life is short, and I just don't want to waste any time,'' said Iftimie, who moved to North Hollywood from Romania three years ago. ``I don't want to look back and regret not doing something I could have done.'' The ambitious teen - who speaks six languages and is on the honor roll honor roll n. A list of names of people worthy of honor, especially: a. A list of students who have earned high grades during a specified period. b. A list of people who have served in the armed forces. at North Hollywood High School North Hollywood High School, originally called Lankershim High School when it opened in 1927, is a secondary school in North Hollywood in Los Angeles, California. The school mascot is the husky, and the school colors are blue, white, grey. - has already earned more than 20 units of college credit before her senior year of high school. Iftimie, who wants to be either a doctor or a school guidance counselor guidance counselor Child psychology A school worker trained to screen, evaluate and advise students on career and academic matters , takes classes at Valley College in Valley Glen during the school year, and divides her free time between competing on her high school's golf team and taking modern dance classes. And for the second summer in a row, she has forgone her summer vacation Summer vacation (also called summer holidays or summer break) is a vacation in the summertime between school years in which students are off for 3 months, depending on the country and district. to take classes at USC An abbreviation for U.S. Code. . After dedicating herself to school work full time for a year, Iftimie said she plans to take a few weeks of needed rest and relaxation when her USC course ends next week. ``I just want to go somewhere and be by myself for a little while, with no television and no noise,'' she said. ``I need to just chill out chill out Informal Verb to relax, esp. after energetic dancing at a rave Adjective chill-out suitable for relaxation after energetic dancing: a chill-out area awhile.'' Meanwhile, Mathis used his summer vacation to go rafting on the white water rapids of the Green River, sleep on the ground under the stars, and scale the rocky cliffs of Desolation Canyon. During the two-week excursion, Mathis rose at the crack of dawn, ate dehydrated de·hy·drate v. de·hy·drat·ed, de·hy·drat·ing, de·hy·drates v.tr. 1. To remove water from; make anhydrous. 2. To preserve by removing water from (vegetables, for example). meals, carried a canoe two miles uphill, and sometimes slept on the ground with no sleeping bag and no tent. ``At first I wondered what I'd gotten myself into,'' he said. ``Then I started to have fun.'' The point of all the physical suffering, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. his Outward Bound hosts, was to develop an indefatigable spirit, enterprising curiosity, compassion and sensible self-denial. While Mathis said he still may fall short in some of those categories, the trip taught him self-motivation and made him more appreciative of the comforts of home. ``I missed my bed and the refrigerator more than anything,'' he said. ``And I don't wait around to do chores anymore. It definitely made me less lazy.'' Garcia, who entered her three movies in San Fernando High School's third annual iCan Short Film Festival, said participating in the event has been an all-consuming effort. It can take two weeks to a month to produce one three- to four-minute film, she said. ``To us, watching TV is a waste of time,'' said Garcia, one of 100 student moviemakers who participated in the weekend film festival. ``We'd rather be here working on films together and coming up with new ideas. It's a place to be creative and fun and express who you are. You don't always have to be who people expect you to be.'' The three films created by Garcia reflect the range of her personality. The first is a slapstick slapstick Comedy characterized by broad humour, absurd situations, and vigorous, often violent action. It took its name from a paddlelike device, probably introduced by 16th-century commedia dell'arte troupes, that produced a resounding whack when one comic actor used it to comedy done in the style of a 1920s silent film about a girl in search of true love who stumbles into the arms of a drunken man. The second is a thoughtful documentary about prejudice and skin color in Mexico, describing the bias against Latinos with darker complexions. And the third is a macabre spoof of popular beef commercials titled ``Cat, It's What's For Dinner.'' For Ramos, the greatest joys of her vacation have been watching children's eyes light up when they get a bag of toys, or seeing the gratitude in a mother's face when she finds a new pair of shoes in the right size. ``The people who come in here are so grateful for things, and they really mean it when they say thank you,'' she said. ``They have no money to buy anything, so they don't care about brand names or labels. It's a great feeling that just rubs off on you. Everyday I wake up, and I can't wait to go to work.'' Ramos has been working at MEND - Meet Each Need with Dignity - which provides food, clothing, tutoring and dental care for homeless or low-income families in Pacoima. She got the job through California Intern Summer, a nonprofit school- to-career initiative that creates thousands of internships every year for students and educators. Ramos has been working in the clothing department and will soon start doing computer work and manning the telephones. She said the communication and computer skills she is learning at the center will help her in her ultimate goal of becoming a child care social worker. ``I need all the experiences I can get because I want to be ready for the world,'' she said. ``I might even come back and volunteer here when I go back to school this fall.'' This is the fourth year Covitt has participated in CSUN's TeenAge Drama Workshop, a six-week summer workshop produced by the university for 45 years. In a recent rehearsal, Covitt commanded the stage in her blue-and-white checkered dress, pigtails This article is about the hair style. For the connectors, see Optical fiber. Pigtails (also known as angel wings and bunches, or Twin Tail(ツインテール/TsuinTe-ru) in Japan. and red glitter pumps, reading her lines with emotion and authority. ``Playing Dorothy has been so much fun. It's the best role I've ever had,'' she said. ``I kind of act like her because I get excited about new things like she does, so I get to act like myself.'' While Covitt is drawn to acting, she said her true love is singing, and she hopes to be an opera singer someday. Whether she's acting or singing, though, Covitt said the rush of performing is the same. ``It's nerve-racking and an adrenalin rush because you're so nervous and excited in a good way,'' she said. ``After rehearsing over and over, when everything comes together just right, it's a real feeling of accomplishment.'' CAPTION(S): 5 photos Photo: (1 -- color) Monica Covitt, 15, right, portrays Dorothy in the CSUN CSUN California State University Northridge TeenAge Drama Workshop's production of ``The Wizard of Oz Wizard of Oz reaches and departs from Oz in circus balloon. [Children’s Lit.: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz] See : Ballooning Wizard of Oz false wizard takes up residence in Emerald City. [Am. Lit. .'' Charlotte Schmid-Maybach/Staff Photographer (2 -- 3 -- color) At left, Mara Hristina Iftimie, 18, right, spends her summer before her senior year of high school taking classes at USC. Marisol Garcia, 17, right, works on a film for the iCan Short Film Festival. David Sprague/Staff Photographer Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer (4 -- 5) Steffanie Ramos, left, sorts through clothing during her summer volunteer job with Meet Each Need with Dignity. Below, Lucas Mathis, 14, hangs out in his Woodland Hills back yard after returning from a two-week Outward Bound adventure in Utah. Charlotte Schmid-Maybach/Staff Photographer Phil McCarten/Staff Photographer |
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