Most people take four years to get through high school. Grades are important, choosing classes takes careful precision, and attendance makes students successful. However, some students simply don’t want to settle for the four-year plan.

Lizbeth Segura Ramirez is one of the few Armijo students in the Class of 2023 who will finish out her high school in 2022. She is able to graduate a semester early, but it is a plan she’s had in mind for a while.

In her freshman year, Segura had taken seven classes so she was ahead. Over the summer between her junior and senior year, she took a class at Solano. By taking extra classes over the course of her high school career, Segura has been able to shave several months off of her time in school.

With high school out of the way, she plans to attend a trade school to further her education. She eventually wants to be an ultrasound technician and will be able to start earlier than her classmates. That doesn’t mean she’ll stop working to focus on school, though. She currently has two part time jobs and has learned to balance school and work effectively.

Many of the most popular activities in the senior year happen in the spring, but Segura does not intend to miss them all. She still has plans to attend prom and might even find herself taking part in Senior Sunset, the annual parking lot painting and, of course, walking across the stage at graduation in June.