West Valley senior working her way up

Every morning when her alarm clock starts blaring at 3 a.m., West Valley High School senior Sandra Ayala jumps out of bed with enthusiasm.

That's right -- enthusiasm.

Ayala is graduating at 7 tonight at the Yakima Valley SunDome
after years of following an extra-
ordinary schedule: Wake up when
the moon is still out, work at McDonald's until school starts, attend classes, return to work at McDonald's until 9 or 10 p.m., do homework, and be in bed by midnight.

"I always wanted to work because I felt it was unfair that my parents had to work so hard while (my brothers and I) just kind of chilled at home," Ayala said. She has two brothers, ages 13 and 15.

Although her parents discouraged her from it, the 18-year-old Ayala always felt an obligation to contribute to the family income.

As a little girl, she would accompany her parents to the orchards in Cowiche to help pick apples. At 13, she got her own job thinning trees, and when she turned 15 she helped to manage a bridal shop in Yakima.

"She sacrificed a lot," said her mother, Ana Lilia Ayala. "(Our family) doesn't come from humble roots. We fight for what we want, and we always obtain it."

When Ayala's dad lost his job as a service technician and became ill with an ulcer only a couple of months before her graduation, Ayala did the only thing she could think of: She worked some more.

"It was really hard for me to accept the fact that he was lying in a hospital bed," she said.

Ayala started working as many McDonald's shifts as she could fit into her schedule, which meant waking up at 3 a.m. every day before school.

"I would wake up with such energy just because I knew that what I was doing was for my family," Ayala said.

Her dad recovered both his health and his job, and Ayala is now focusing on the future with a reduced work schedule at McDonald's.

In the fall, she will become a student at Central Washington University, making her the first in her family to go to college.

"I feel so happy and proud," said her father, Ramón Ayala. "I've always been confident in her abilities."

Ayala plans to double major at CWU in international business and lin-guistics, with a minor in German.

"I've always wanted to see the world and travel," she said. "I figured the only way I was really going to be able to do that and truly know my way around is if I could speak all kinds of languages."

Having studied German since the eighth grade and after spending a summer in Germany, Ayala considers herself trilingual. Her native language is Spanish.

Ayala said her ultimate goal is to become an international corporate representative.

"It's a longshot, but I have to dream big," she said with a chuckle. "I'd like to represent a big company like a hotel chain, or even McDonald's."

But above all, Ayala plans to stay close to her family.

"It's not where you're at, but who you're with," she said, reciting her class motto.

Dawn Hester, Ayala's high school counselor and third-grade teacher, said she really admires Ayala's commitment to her loved ones.

"That's just her, she will do what needs to be done," Hester said. "She has a real sense of responsibility to her family and friends."

Hester also noted Ayala's ability to do well in school despite all the hardships.

"She kept her grades going, and some kids who don't even work can't do that," she said.

And though Ayala would be feeling dead tired at school in the mornings, she always had a smile on her face.

"You can always count on (that smile)," Hester said.