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Military Scholars shine

Photo credit: Christina Butcher

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Northwest Military is pleased to recognize Military Scholars from area high schools who graduate in 2018. These high school seniors are veterans of multiple schools and survivors of a military "career" that included a parent's deployments, leaving best friends, and rarely having a grandparent at Grandparent's Day. Like the Dandelion, the official flower of military children, these kids have bloomed where planted and overcame these challenges to excel. Military Scholars, we salute you, and job well done!

Name - Parker Danielson

  • School - Steilacoom High School
  • Accomplishments - Danielson served as Freshman Class President, Sophomore Class President, ASB Pride Coordinator, ASB Vice President, and ASB President. He coordinated the event called "Day of Champions" for special-needs children. He logged volunteer hours with a local homeless shelter, the Tacoma Rescue Mission. He was chair of this program during his junior year as ASB vice president. In his role as ASB president, he has begun the "We Scare Hunger" food drive, to provide food for the Tacoma Rescue Mission. Danielson is very active in his church, and served as President of the Deacons and Teachers quorums and as First Assistant in the Priests quorum. Senior year, he earned All-League Lineman of the Year, first team All-Area lineman and All-State honorable mention along with being football team captain. Danielson was awarded the scholar athlete award four times for maintaining a 4.0 GPA. He served at the Pierce College Tutoring Center for a year as a Peer Tutor. He is an Eagle Scout. He was also named the Seahawks Athlete of the Week and was nominated for the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame.
  • Future Plans - After graduation he plans on serving a two-year church mission in the Tahiti, Patpeete, mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He will then attend Brigham Young University in Provo where he will study in Exercise Science. He also plans to attend Medical School at either the University of Washington or at Washington State University.


Name - Rachel Forbes

  • School - Steilacoom High School
  • Accomplishments - Forbes has maintained a 4.0 GPA for all four years at Steilacoom High School as well as being selected to be one of the valedictorians. She completed seven AP courses. She was a member of the girls' swim team and made it to the district and state championship swim meets every year. Forbes served as team captain her senior year. She led the team to a 5th place finish at the 2A State Swim Championships, the highest place ever in school history and broke three school records this year. She placed 6th at state in the 50 freestyle as well as placing 10th in the 100 free. Her relay team took 3rd in the 200 free relay, and 4th in the 400 free relay. She participated in Drama Club since freshman year, serving as its president for three years. She joined DECA sophomore year and competed at the area, state, andinternational level. She served two years as both the financial manager of the Sentinel Outpost (Steilacoom's student store) and treasurer of DECA. Sophomore year, she was inducted into National Honor Society and served as its treasurer for senior year. Forbes was elected Senior Class Treasurer. She was a member of Student 2 Student (S2S) for two years and Link Crew for one.
  • Future Plans - She will be attending the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York.


Name - Nicholas Trumble

  • School - Lakes High School
  • Accomplishments - Trumble was a member of the Lakes High School baseball and basketball teams. He served as an Executive Ignite Mentor. Trumble was awarded the Academic Excellence Award scholarship and an Army Emergency Relief Scholarship.
  • Future Plans - He will attend Texas Lutheran University.


Name - Elaina Radden

  • High School - Harrison Preparatory School
  • Accomplishments - Radden served as Secretary of GSA and was on the Pep Squad. She served as historian and secretary of Radford High School's Korean Club. She successfully passed the Japanese Language Proficiency Test N5. Radden logged many volunteer hours with Wounded Warriors, Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary Ocean Count, Foreign Language Tutoring and fundraising runs/marathons.


Name - Jennifer Lynn Niemi  

  • Future Plans - She will attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison and study foreign languages and linguistics.
  • High School - Harrison Preparatory School
  • Accomplishments - Niemi is currently school president, Chinese Club president, and captain of the Knowledge Bowl team. She has also been an Honor Roll recipient with a 4.0 cumulative GPA throughout all of high school while taking both IB and AP classes. Additionally, she is a Washington Crossing Foundation Scholar and a Fort Lewis Family Member Scholarship winner. Niemi plays the piano and was an American College of Musicians National winner and also a district and regional STEM Fair Winner throughout high school. 
  • Future Plans - She will be attending Harvard College in the fall to study Economics and Chinese.


Name - Emma Fortmann 

  • High School - Steilacoom High School
  • Accomplishments - Fortmann was selected to be a member of the 2018 Northwest American Choral Directors Association women's choir, a choir of high school students who auditioned across six states. She was also a member of the Steilacoom High School Mixed and Women's Ensembles that performed at state this April. The Women's Ensemble placed 3rd in state. She went to the cross-country state finals all four years of high school, and was team captain for the last two years. She also competed in wrestling and basketball. 
  • Future Plans - She will attend the University of California Berkeley and study Neurobiology with a minor in music.


Name - Lauryn Kesler

  • School - Lakes High School
  • Accomplishments - She served on the varsity softball team and was team captain freshman and sophomore year. She was a member of the Wind Ensemble Band where she plays the saxophone. She achieved the High Honor Roll while taking three AP classes all four years. Kesler was Student Vice-President for Overhills High School her sophomore year. She played on the junior varsity basketball team and was on the varsity soccer team. 
  • Future Plans - She will be attending University of Washington as a freshman in Fall 2018, and major in Psychology or Neurobiology.


Name - Jacob Tyler Smith

  • High School - Harrison Preparatory Academy
  • Accomplishments - Jacob is an Eagle Scout. He has been on the honor roll and Principal's list all four years of high school obtaining over $200,000 in scholarships. He lettered in high school soccer two years as his team won the league and district titles before going on to finish third at state this year. He received the Presidential Award of excellence for his academics all four years of high school. He is a member of Junior and National Honor Society. 
  • Future Plans - He will be attending Walla Walla University for Mechanical Engineering and playing soccer.


Name - Deven Patel

  • High School - Bellarmine Preparatory School
  • Accomplishments - Patel ran as a member of the Bellarmine Preparatory School cross-country team. He competed on the track team.
  • Future Plans - He will attend Tufts University and was recruited for running.


Name - Bronson Gregory Torres

  • High School - Bellarmine Preparatory High School
  • Accomplishments - Torres is an Air Force ROTC Scholarship recipient. He is a Washington Aerospace Scholar and received the Scholar Athlete Award. He was a member of the National Honors Society. Torres has three letters in varsity football and two letters in varsity lacrosse.
  • Future Plans - He will attend Montana State University on an Air Force ROTC Scholarship and will major in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. His long-term career goal is to become a commissioned officer and Air Force aviator.


Name - Isabel Morgan

  • High School - Bellarmine Preparatory High School
  • Accomplishments - Morgan is on the Honor Roll and is a National Society of High School Scholar. She was selected to the 2016 and 2017 All-Conference lacrosse teams, nominated for U19 Team Washington lacrosse team. She was the HS varsity lacrosse captain in 2017 & 2018, 2017 HS team MVP, 2018 HS team MVP, and 2018 HS Defensive Player of the Year. She won the VFW Patriot Pen Youth Essay Contest. Morgan also participated in student government, Film Club, Confidence Club President, and the Faith and Formation Club. She logged volunteer hours at the Fisher House, L'Arche and the Adopt a Family program.
  • Future Plans - She will be attending the Air Force Academy Prep School.
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