Houston seniors plan for future

HOUSTON — Seniors before Spring Break are comparable to Dwight D. Eisenhower before D-Day. It is the night before the storm and no longer are there 36 weeks for seniors to make a decision about what to do with their lives. It is down to nine. Here is a glimpse at four Houston High School seniors who are ready to graduate and to take on the world. They offer a cross section of what seniors across school district plan to pursue in the fall.

Jessica Origer, from Catholic Minnesotan roots, grew up in Anchorage and the Mat-Su Valley and plans on attending St. Benedict’s University in St. Cloud, Minn.

“I chose Minnesota because I want to get away from everything I know so I can see new things,” she said.

However, familial roots drew her to St. Benedict’s. Both parents hail from Minnesota and her older brother, a 2009 HHS graduate, attends the school. The majority of Origer’s family still resides in Minnesota. Her family base and a few choice classes at Houston High have her well equipped for fall. Origer names chemistry, college composition and volleyball as high school experiences that have prepared her well. Origer visited a bevy of colleges in Minnesota, but favors what St. Benedict’s has to offer in terms of business programs and extra curricular activities. Origer is also the recipient of a $14,000 annual scholarship from St. Benedict’s.

Josh Bridge lived in Lancaster, Pa., until this year. Bridge, an avid outdoors enthusiast, hunted and fished in the rural areas of Pennsylvania while growing up. So it is easy to understand why Bridge plans on attending the University of Alaska Anchorage in the fall.

“Alaska has a lot of opportunities in the outdoor spectrum from recreational activity to my desired profession of wildlife biologist,” he said.

Bridge has enjoyed his time at Houston High. He thinks the student body’s acceptance of people with various interests reflects that of a college atmosphere. He credits research and outside resources with helping him make his decision.

Victoria Gruen is in the top 10 percent of Houston High’s 2010 graduating class. Holding a cumulative GPA of 3.85 as well as participating in several extra-curricular activities and community service projects, Gruen has earned free tuition at any Alaska university as a UA Scholar. However, a college campus isn’t where you’ll find Gruen in the fall. Basic training for those enlisted in the Navy begins Sept. 14 in Illinois.

“After almost completing my senior year, I realized college would be a bad choice,” she said.

Gruen made her decision early this year, but had thought about the armed forces all through high school. She plans to pursue a career as an information technician. It is Gruen’s discipline, willingness to work well with others and a close-knit community that has prepared her for a career with the Navy.

Josh Anderson, Valley native and Houston High senior, chose an alternative to both college and armed forces by entering the carpentry trade apprenticeship program. Orientation starts soon. The 4-year-old program includes 3,000 hours of on-the-job training and more than 100 hours of in-class studies. Anderson decided three months ago to become a carpenter apprentice, “I didn’t want to go to college, or the armed forces, and (the carpentry trade) is really good pay.”

Anderson has been preparing for a career in carpentry his whole life, it seems, as he grew up around it with his father, a finish carpenter. Anderson also took woodworking classes at Houston High.

Seniors who are struggling with what to do after graduation can still take the SAT/ACT test on March 13 and May 1. For those wondering what to give their 2010 graduate, a job is always welcome.

Marilena Staudenmeier is a senior at Houston High School.