She has courage.
She has ambition.
Maria Krauter knows that she has what it takes to achieve those goals, and she won’t let her perfectionist nature or her habit of procrastinating stop her.
Krauter, 16, was born in Washington, D.C. Her family moved to Bakersfield when she was 2 years old, and she is now an incoming junior at East Bakersfield High School.
“In my sophomore year, I branched out and stepped outside of my comfort zone,” said Krauter, claiming her newly found confidence as her biggest and greatest achievement. She learned to meet new people, take risks and enjoy new adventures.
Krauter is actively involved in the tennis team at East High, also being one of the few devoted members of East High’s book club. She enjoys reading, playing basketball and keeping up with the news in her spare time.
“I like to know what’s happening in the world,” she said.
After taking part in journalism in school, Krauter grew more interested in the field, and she applied to attend the summer journalism workshop.
Her next big goal is to attend a four-year university in California, preferably UC Berkeley. She hopes to major in journalism and turn it into a career.
“I want to go into a career where I enjoy what I do,” she said.
In the meantime, Krauter looks forward to giving her cousin from Spain a tour of California this summer, expecting to struggle communicating with her choppy Spanish.
– Dariane Nabo