T-R PHOTO BY ADAM SODDERS — Marshalltown High School graduate Marina Rosalez counts chemistry as one of her favorite subjects from her time in high schoo

It didn’t matter the assignment she was faced with or how challenging the project, Marshalltown High School graduate Marina Rosalez always sought the help she needed and pursued academic success.

During the last four years, Rosalez’s interests were wide-ranging.

“One of my favorite parts was getting to work with a whole bunch of different teachers,” she said of her high school career. “Chemistry, art and financial literacy were some of my favorite classes.”

While her favorite classes covered a gamut of different subjects, Rosalez said she has a good idea of what she wants to do now that she has her high school diploma.

“I plan to go to Central (College) and major in psychology,” she said. “Then, I plan to go to graduate school and become a therapist.”

Along with her academics, Rosalez also focused on being a good softball and volleyball player. She said her interests are equally wide-ranging when she has free time.

“I like to write, sing, dance, draw, play sports and photo and video edit,” Rosalez said.

She said she doesn’t dance though any studio, but enjoys doing it with family for fun. When it comes to art, Rosalez said her subjects are usually other people or fictional characters.

“I really enjoy watercolor painting and I usually draw portraits of people I’m inspired by, like celebrities or favorite characters from movies,” she said.

Examples include Orlando Bloom’s elf character Legolas from the Lord of the Rings series and Tadashi Hamada from the Big Hero 6 franchise.

Rosalez impressed Marshalltown High School science teacher Mike Loupee in her time at the school.

“Marina is one of those rare students who just is driven to do her best in everything she does. She has an outstanding work ethic,” he said. “She is not going to not do well in whatever she does. She is tenacious, that’s probably the operative word.”

Specifically, Loupee said Rosalez never hesitates to ask a teacher for help if she got stuck on an assignment or project. He said that is an excellent, mature skill that will help her as she builds her life.

“I don’t worry about her at the next level because if she is concerned or she does have questions, she is going to go and find her professor, whatever the posted office hours are, she’s going to be there and she’s going to make sure she’s absoultely as successful as she can be,” Loupee said. “She was all around just an excellent member of our high school community.”