Othello graduate takes the challenge

OTHELLO - Ana Ramirez-Zurita said it's important to keep taking the challenge.

"I always challenge myself, so I can do better," she said. Ana, part of the Othello High School class of 2014, almost got overwhelmed by the challenges she faced, she said. And part of doing better was learning which challenges to accept and which to let go, she said.

Ana's mom Martha Zurita is a single parent with three kids, a tough circumstance on its own, and even tougher when combined with some English language limitations. Martha Zurita had to work hard to make ends meet, her daughter said.

Mom was gone working a lot, and there were days when she had trouble coping with everything, Ana said. That was tough, because a lot of Mom's attention had to go to places other than the kids.

"It was really hard when I was younger," Ana said. But the kids, Ana, her sister Elena Zurita, and brother Gustavo Sanchez, leaned on each other. In fact, their mom encouraged them to take care of each other, she said.

And they were encouraged to make the most of school, she said. The kids worked hard, participated in extracurricular activities. Elena played sports, finished school with an almost-perfect GPA, and had a job on the side. "I always looked up to my sister. She's the genius of all of us," Ana said. "She is my inspiration."

Everybody at Othello High School knew Elena, which caused its own kinds of problems for Ana, when she got to OHS.

There were expectations that Ana would be like Elena, and at first she tried to meet them, Ana said. She got involved in everything, and after a while it turned out to be a little too much.

It started to overwhelm her, Ana said. Luckily her mom saw it, recognized it and asked her to talk to the school counselors. That helped, Ana said, and it was part of the process of forging her own identity, including at school.

Ana was in the Avid program, Othello's Leo Club chapter, the Trio program; she was a wrestler and played soccer. She worked at Adams County Pet Rescue, and is active in her church, Bethel Assembly of God. She finished her high school career with a GPA above 3.0.

The next step is college, which will be Washington State University. It's an exciting prospect. "I want to start something new," she said. It's a big step, but that's okay. "I'm a little nervous, but it's a good nervous, I guess." She's considering a career in human development, she said, possibly psychology.

She said she would tell other kids to persevere. Things might not be going right, but sometimes it takes time for them to come around. If the road is bumpy, kids should talk with someone they trust, she said, "and always strive for the best. And always try to grow."

Even when it looks like it won't happen or it can't be done, she said, it can be. "You never give up."