1/31/08

Student Spotlight

Lakewood senior wants to help others smile

by Beckye Randall

A senior at Lakewood High School, DaQuana Williams is an engaging young woman with a positive attitude and a surplus of determination. Self-confident and intelligent, DaQuana knows who she is and where she wants to go.

She spent much of her childhood in New York City and still visits family members in the city whenever possible. “I love to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there again,” said DaQuana.

On the other hand, she admits she had trouble adjusting to the slower pace of rural Snohomish County after living in thriving southern California the past few years. A member of a military family, DaQuana has attended four different high schools, transferring to Lakewood when her stepfather was stationed in the area.

“It’s hard to come to a new school for your senior year,” said Lakewood High School principal Dale Leach, “but DaQuana is working to make it special. She has quickly assimilated into student life and is making a unique contribution to our school community.”

College is very much on DaQuana’s mind, and she is focused on achieving her goal of attending a 4-year school. To that end, she works as many hours as possible at the Lakewood Target store, saving every penny toward college because she knows she has to rely on her own financial resources.

She’s already determined her eventual career, coming to a decision following an emotional presentation in eighth grade.

“I’m going to be a plastic surgeon,” she said confidently. “Not to make people prettier, but to help those with birth defects or burn injuries. I want to help.”

Her other vocational passion is hair styling, and her friends often call on DaQuana to fix them up with weaves or braids.

DaQuana is inspirational, a born leader who goes beyond expectations. Leach explained, “She was in charge of [the Martin Luther King Jr.] assembly, and instead of it being a one-day event she and another student distributed quotes on topics of diversity and acceptance, and teachers are taking a few minutes each day to discuss the quotes with their class.”

“The idea,” said DaQuana, “was to challenge students to think about and live that spirit throughout the day.”

One of her favorite quotes came from Barack Obama: “We need to internalize this idea of excellence. Not many folks spend a lot of time trying to be excellent.”

“Why settle for average when you can do so much more?” said DaQuana. “For instance, I’m having trouble in calculus but I’m determined to do better. Just passing isn’t good enough.”

DaQuana is the oldest of a mixed family that includes two stepbrothers, two brothers and two sisters. Only her 14-year-old brother, a freshman at Lakewood, lives with his sister here in Snohomish County.

DaQuana Williams exhibits the rare qualities of leadership, courage and optimism that will help propel her to success. She is a positive influence on those around her and hopes to extend that influence through her dream of college and a career as a plastic surgeon.