Editor’s note: The Reporter salutes some of the best graduating seniors from each of the Auburn School District’s four high schools.

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Carlos Lopez Jr. appreciates his good fortune, his place in time.

The son of Guatemalan immigrants, he is about to become the first in his family to attend college.

The opportunity humbles him.

“I don’t like to feel too much pride. It’s just because I’m really lucky, really,” said Lopez, an Auburn Riverside High School senior who graduates Saturday, one of eight 4.0 students in the 381-member class of 2012.

Gifted in subjects ranging from math to music, Lopez will take his talents to the Ivy League grounds of Rhode Island’s Brown University on a scholarship this fall.

The well-rounded Lopez hasn’t committed to a specific area of study but acknowledges that he has so much to learn and give.

“To be honest, I really have not thought about that too much because I can’t really narrow myself too much,” he said of his choice of study. “I have so many interests, from politics, government, literature, science, engineering. It’s because I love so many things that I find it hard to narrow myself down, which I know I will have to do, eventually.”

For all his success, Lopez credits the values and work ethic his parents instilled in him. Angelina worked whatever odd jobs she could find, and Carlos Sr., picked sugar cane in the Guatemalan fields.

Struggling to make ends meet without a promising future, each moved to America. They met and married in the U.S. It was a bold step, but it opened the door to a better way of life.

The young Lopez understands as much.

“They basically wanted me to have a very good future, which is the reason they came to the United States,” he said. “They came here not knowing any English and not having any money at all. They just supported me with good intentions.”

His family has since found its way, just as Lopez found his stride at Auburn Riverside, blossoming as a student leader.

He flourished in a variety of clubs and activities, among them band and robotics.

The sky is the limit for this young man, who made the most of an encouraging, learning environment.

“The opportunities I have had here and the knowledge I’ve gained from all these teachers … I am going to remember them the most,” Lopez said. “They really want to engage the students. They go beyond just teaching.”

Sumner LaValley

In might be a male-dominant field, but Sumner LaValley won’t be intimidated. She is determined to make her mark as an engineer. She intends to run the show one day.

Besides, she admits, “I’m kind of a natural leader.”

LaValley, a senior graduating from Auburn Riverside with a 4.0 grade-point average, is among a growing force of young women joining the engineering field.

Outstanding in math, LaValley is perhaps even better in judgment.

“You can work hard and you can succeed,” she said. “I’ve watched so many people kind of slip off and make bad decisions. There’s definitely the path to the right decisions, taking hard classes and getting good grades and making good choices.”

LaValley found her footing with the strong support of her family. Her father, Chris, has a degree in mechanical engineering with an MBA.

He works at Microsoft. Her mother, Winsora, teaches third grade at Lake Tapps Elementary School.

At Auburn Riverside, LaValley excelled in and out of the classroom. She played volleyball for three years, ran cross country and participated in Raven Crew and other activities. She looks forward to coaching volleyball.

But she especially blossomed at math, her love, behind sound instruction.

“I like that the answers are either right or wrong. There’s not really any gray area,” she said. “You can’t write your way into a right

answer. I like the formulas and figuring them out and how you can piece them together.”

LaValley will take her considerable skills to Montana State University. She has family there, and is ready to embrace the beauty of “Big Sky Country.”

“I just love the place,” she said. “I can’t think of a better place to be.”