TEEN WINS $2,500 AWARD HART SENIOR HOPES CASH WILL HELP WITH PRINCETON TUITION.Byline: Amy Raisin raisin, in botany and cooking raisin, dried fruit of certain varieties of grapevines bearing grapes with a high content of sugar and solid flesh. Although the fruit is sometimes artificially dehydrated, it is usually sun-dried. Staff Writer NEWHALL - With a national scholarship topping her list of achievements - yearbook editor, pianist, straight-A student, track runner - Hart High's Victoria Yom tosses a curve ball into the mix of near-perfection. ``I'm a really big procrastinator pro·cras·ti·nate v. pro·cras·ti·nat·ed, pro·cras·ti·nat·ing, pro·cras·ti·nates v.intr. To put off doing something, especially out of habitual carelessness or laziness. v.tr. . My room is just crazy,'' admits Yom, one of 2,500 high school students nationwide to win a $2,500 National Merit Scholarship. She hopes the National Merit Scholarship Corp. award will help pay for tuition at Princeton, the prestigious New Jersey university that currently has the 17-year-old on its waiting list. But the aspiring as·pire intr.v. as·pired, as·pir·ing, as·pires 1. To have a great ambition or ultimate goal; desire strongly: aspired to stardom. 2. environmental lawyer admits that her full ride to the University of California at Berkeley (body, education) University of California at Berkeley - (UCB) See also Berzerkley, BSD. http://berkeley.edu/. Note to British and Commonwealth readers: that's /berk'lee/, not /bark'lee/ as in British Received Pronunciation. is a formidable backup plan. The mounting awards and distinctions come as no surprise to her high school counselor A school counselor is a counselor and educator who works in schools, and have historically been referred to as "guidance counselors" or "educational counselors," although "Professional School Counselor" is now the preferred term. , who has witnessed Yom's charity work, academic prowess and her will to try her best the past four years. ``Her ability to stand out in front of her peers and lead them at this age is not an easy thing to do,'' said Hart counselor Dan Houghton. ``She's easily one of the top students I've worked with in my 13 years here.'' The daughter of an acupuncturist and a registered nurse, Yom said she didn't grow up with the pressure to succeed, only to give everything her best effort. ``Like with running, I'm not a very good runner at all. But I needed P.E. credit so I started cross-country,'' she said. ``At first I could barely run a lap, but when I built that up to six miles, I was really proud of myself.'' Yom admits that going away to college will be a transition, moving away from the comforts and cherished company of her family, and especially her younger sister, Jessica - ``my best friend.'' ``That's way scary. I'm so dependent on my family for encouragement,'' she said. ``I can share deep things with my mom, and my family always has interesting discussions.'' Yet, just as she manages to succeed despite that lurking See lurk. (messaging, jargon) lurking - The activity of one of the "silent majority" in a electronic forum such as Usenet; posting occasionally or not at all but reading the group's postings regularly. procrastination, Yom said she'll work through the homesickness and eagerly embrace college life. ``I'll be homesick home·sick adj. Acutely longing for one's family or home. home  sick , yeah, but I don't think that will deter me from experiencing everything about college life.'' CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color) Hart High School Hart High School may refer to:
Shaun Dyer/Special to the Daily News |
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