Terrific Teens: Idaho Falls teen graduates HS with AS degree; plans to study nuclear engineering
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IDAHO FALLS — Ava White will graduate as salutatorian from the Idaho Technical Career Academy (ITCA) this Tuesday. Earlier this month, she graduated with honors from the College of Eastern Idaho, earning an associate of science degree in general studies.
Having spent the past four years dedicating much of her free time to studies — working up to 18 hours a day on schoolwork, according to her father Dain White — Ava will take yet another class this summer. Then, in the fall, she will attend Idaho State University, majoring in nuclear engineering.
“I always knew that I was interested in science,” Ava said when asked what drew her to that major. “I wanted to do a lot in my life, and it seemed like science is really the way to do that.”
Ava was born in northern Idaho — Moscow. Her family moved to Idaho Falls when she was 10. That was when INL, and a potential career in science, came into focus. Graduating high school having already earned an associate’s degree is a feather in the cap toward her aspirations of holding a position at INL. And she credits ITCA for achieving that.
She was born with a trio of medical conditions — hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome and Raynaud’s syndrome — which made ITCA’s online classes much easier for her than in-person classes would have been.
Among other symptoms, Ava explained to EastIdahoNews.com, she deals with regular dizziness and nausea, and her body at times struggles with cold weather. So being able to attend class without having to walk in the snow is massively convenient as she doesn’t have to “battle (her) disabilities everyday” to go to school.
Besides, Ava began attending ITCA — which has long held online classes and perfected operations of remote education — in 2020, when other schools were having to figure out how to do so.
Asked what her plans have in store for her after obtaining a bachelor’s degree in nuclear engineering, Ava said she anticipates continuing her higher education journey. As for where, she said she does not expect to leave Idaho but would for the right circumstance.
“I really like Idaho. If I can find a better school to go to, sure, I’ll go where ever the wind takes me. But I’m definitely not itching to get out of Idaho,” she said.
When she has free time, Ava enjoys sailing, the outdoors (symptoms permitting), and playing and listening to music.
“I spend a lot of time on weekends working on schoolwork, but I really like to go camping and hiking. I’m crazy about music, too. I love to play music, and I always make time to go to concerts,” she said.
Ava has played the marimba — which is similar to a xylophone — since she was five and more recently took up the accordion, kalimba and piano. Asked what kind of music she enjoys, Ava said she is a huge fan of punk music.