Finally arriving at Senior Year, 17-year-old Shuani Ryberg took a minute to look back at her life leading up to being a student at St. Francis.

“This is the longest time I have spent at a single school,” she said.

She explained how she has been to eight different schools leading up to now and often switched halfway through the year. Her family typically moved as a result of financial struggles or her mom being in a new relationship. Ryberg remembered having to help her mom with cash and having to give up her life savings to pay for groceries.

Although having hit some curves in the road, her journey has helped her make some really big decisions for the future.

“I want to be a prosecuting lawyer,” she said.

In situations like murders or sexual offenses, a prosecuting lawyer tries to get the maximum prison sentence for the defendant.

“I don’t wanna defend someone who I know slaughtered children,” explained Ryberg. “I couldn’t even look them in the eye.”

Ryberg explained that anything said between you and your lawyer remains completely confidential.

“They could confess and say they are guilty, but I would still have to defend them and pretend they’re innocent.”

Currently Ryberg is living in East Bethel and working at her grandma’s restaurant, the Rustic Inn, in Stacy. She officially began working there last year, but has been helping since she was ten.

“I’m very independent,” Ryberg explained. “I always have cash in my pocket and [I am] getting paychecks.”

Ten to fifteen years down the road, Ryberg can see her own personalized version of the American Dream.

“I want to basically be stable from the time I leave my house now,” said Ryberg. “I want my whole life to pan out so I won’t have to be using a last resort for money, or a place to live, or getting food stamps or something.”

She explained how she wants to be able to plan a life for herself and be dependent only on herself.

“I wanna be known for something that I did that’s amazing in the country or the entire world,” explained Ryberg. “I want people to recognize what people do; I wanna be one of those people.”