STUDENTS CREATING THEIR OWN PATHS EARLY INSPIRATION HITS TEENS, FROM GRAPHIC ARTS TO POLITICS.

Byline: Naush Boghossian Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA - Christian Jorge won top honors for his quick grasp of automotive concepts.

Valencia High School architectural design students won five of seven awards given at a drafting competition.

And Hart High Senior Jennifer Nedd found passion in graphic arts class.

While some high school students are studying feverishly to do well in school to get accepted to a good college, there are students who are not only following their passions, they're making marks in their future careers.

``I would be with those million other kids who are now wondering 'What am I gonna do next,' if I hadn't switched to the graphic arts class,'' Nedd said. ``I was excited about getting up at five in the morning to get to my classes. This is what I want to do forever.''

While those students with the highest grade point averages, SAT scores and the best college acceptances usually claim the limelight, this year the William S. Hart Union High School District held an awards ceremony for those who rarely get recognized - the aspiring architects, mechanics, scientists, athletes and politicians.

When Nedd began taking graphic arts classes as part of the regional occupational program in her junior year, her family was against it.

But after she and two teammates placed first in an academic and technical decathlon where they created a newsletter, took a test in 500 graphic arts terms and competed in a game show, her parents opened their eyes.

``My dad was totally against it, saying printing is a man's job,'' Nedd said. ``But the awards showed them if I can receive awards for it, I can do it in the future.''

Other students are following her path.

Branden Morris, 17, started making home movies in the seventh grade, and was the sportscaster in his middle school and high school news programs. By the time he became a junior, he won top awards in editing, directing and secondary video production in a statewide student media and multimedia festival.

His video on Valencia High's ``Every Fifteen Minutes,'' a program on drunk driving, won against more than 7,000 other student entries - an impressive feat considering he filmed, edited and premiered it within a day.

``It's really amazing, trying to take it all in,'' Morris said. ``It tells me that they are not only interested in academics, but other people who not only pretty much know what they want to do for a living, but they want to excel at it.''

Hart High senior David Deloria is in the top 25 percent of his class, but is known for his swimming ability.

Swimming competitively since he was 10, Deloria said he developed his skill only two years ago.

``I started training harder and was more focused, because I saw that I had the potential to do something great,'' said the 17-year-old, who's on the varsity team.

His determination to excel coupled with his swim team's drive to leave high school with a California Interscholastic Federation championship led the team to victory their senior year after placing a disappointing second to Crescenta Valley the past two years.

At the same competition, Deloria placed second in the individual medley race and third in the 100-yard freestyle.

Next year, Deloria plans to attend the University of California, Santa Barbara, on a full swimming scholarship.

``It's nice that everything is coming together - getting recognized, going to college,'' Deloria said. ``Basically, you just work hard and good things come out of it.''

For senior Michael Jonas and junior Dana Huber of Valencia High, it was going to the final round of student congress and competing with the state's best speakers in the National Forensic League - a speech honorary society represented in 2,600 schools nationwide.

As members of a group whose past members include Oprah Winfrey, Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer and newswoman Jane Pauley, Jonas and Huber participated in speeches, debates and mock trials.

``When I meet kids from other schools, I see that they may not be the smartest kids, but they all have something to say,'' said Huber, who plans to pursue a career that combines biomedical engineering and law. ``Everybody has an idea and speech and debate helps bring those ideas out.''

Jonas said he applied his speaking skills into a business club, the Distributive Education Clubs of America, for which he also qualified for international finals.

He plans to attend the University of California, Santa Barbara, and is considering studying acting, writing, directing and producing, business and politics - a goal he believes is attainable because they're all somehow related.

``Our adviser would tell us that Americans' greatest fear - greater than the fear of death - is that of public speaking,'' Jonas said. ``So if you can surpass that and master it, you can do anything.''

His adviser, Joseph Marcucilli, said the formula for success for these students, which allows them to stand apart from the others, is hard work and determination.

``The common thread between all these students is they want to be the best they can be, and they're willing to expend that kind of energy,'' Marcucilli said. ``These are highly motivated kids.''

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(1 -- 2) Many local teens are looking beyond typical schoolwork to their future careers. Branden Morris, above, won top awards in editing, directing and secondary video production in a statewide student media and multimedia festival. Ryan Schauer, left, has won awards for his architectural drafting skills.

Gus Ruelas/Staff Photographer