Rising Stars 

Each spring, the local nonprofit Rising Stars puts together its Academic Achievement Team, taking nominations from every local high school’s senior class. Students are chosen based not only on their academic records, but also on their involvement with their communities and ability to translate academic skills to other aspects of life as volunteers, activists and agents of change. This year, Rising Stars chose 21 students (including the three profiled in this week’s cover story), with an average grade point average of 4.32. Meet Humboldt County’s 2015 Academic Achievement Team: