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Student Spotlight
Ebi Bell
By JoEllen Collins for the Weekly Sun
Ketchum resident Ebi Bell will graduate early on Thursday, June 7, after squeezing two scholastic years into one.
“I’m glad I did that and proud to be part of this great group of graduating seniors,” Bell said.
To make it work, she chose to take 10 classes, including some online, each semester, ensuring she could join the seniors at this year’s graduation ceremonies.
Bell was adopted by Ketchum resident Andy Bell—(herself the daughter of Ned and Betty Bell) when she was nine months old.
“My mother has been a very supportive single mother,” Bell said. “I am also lucky to have a wonderful set of other relatives and family friends.”
As a freshman, Bell had a rough start, with a difficult adjustment to the academic requirements of high school and with the experience of being bullied.
“At first I wasn't very motivated to study,” she said. “I felt I needed to focus on myself, my peers, and my social concerns, not school, and my GPA was low. As a sophomore, I began to concentrate more on academics and started working hard to do well in the great classes here at school. Eventually, I upped my GPA by a whole point.
“My favorite class was American government, and I am seriously considering political science as a major in college.”
Bell was accepted by two of the three colleges to which she applied and now eagerly looks forward to attending the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
“My other strong academic interest is marine biology, so Hawaii will be a great place to see if that is the field for me,” she said. “All I know is that I hope to do something good while I enjoy my work. That’s an ideal combination.”
Bell received three scholarships: from the Sun Valley Realtors, the Ketchum-Hailey Rotary and the James & Barbara Cimino Family Foundation.
“I worked a lot to help assure my ability to go to college,” Bell said. “I have been a hostess at the Town Square Tavern for three years—and love that job and the people there—and am excited to start as a server this summer. I also worked as a lifeguard at the YMCA last year.
“I have grown up with a wonderful family, including my older brother and lots of aunts and uncles, all of whom went to Wood River High School, so I’ve had lots of advice. My grandmother, Betty Bell, is an example to me with her zest for life and this Valley. She was an Olympic skier, a pilot, and a writer. I also was mentored by a family friend, Dave Robrahn, who has been like a surrogate father to me, guiding me in major decisions. He is coming from Australia to my graduation.
“Because of my family and living in this community with its caring people, I think I am becoming what I was meant to be. I hope I will make a change in the world as a result.”
Each week, JoEllen Collins will be profiling a local high-school student. If you know someone you'd like to see featured, e-mail joellencollins1@gmail.com.