As the school year comes to an end and graduation starts closing in, seniors are excited about getting ready to start a new chapter in their life. This is also the case for Dimond High Senior Tyiana Washington.

Originally starting at Robert Service High School, Tyiana Washington transferred to Dimond High the second quarter of her sophomore year.

Washington said, “My family who had kids at Dimond were upset that I went to Service, so I moved to Dimond for a fresh start.”

In her spare time, Washington likes to write, sing and research history and different topics.

Her favorite things to research are on black history and certain people like Eartha Kitt or Dorothy Dandridge.

Washington said, “I think Eartha Kitt is really cool because, she spoke 4 languages and sang at 11. She traveled and did stuff that was not common for someone of that race to do at that time.”

Washington plans to attend Randolph College in Virginia and major in Psychology.

“Psychology because, I [have] always been fascinated with it. How the mind works and why people do what they do. I took AP Psychology this year so I could see if I like it and I really like it so that’s why I’m going to major in it,” said Washington.

Close friends of Washington would describe her as extremely intelligent, humorous and a hard worker.

Desjorey Tanuvasa, one of Washington’s best friends and is a senior at Dimond, said, “She’s really intelligent. When it comes to assignments and projects and such, she is really straight-forward on what needs to be done and she knows how to set her priorities straight. She is not afraid to ask for help, and being lost on a subject is not her thing. She’ll be right then and there on clearing things [up] with her teacher so that she fully understands the material.

“I know that she does what she [has to do] to make sure that she gets the best out of school so that she can go farther in life. I really admire that about her because some people [are] fools and [think] school [is a] playground.”

Tanuvasa and Washington have been friends since junior high, when they both attended Mears Middle School. Tanuvasa admires the growth she has seen with Washington along the years they have been friends.

“I’ve gotten to really know her and I’ve seen sides of her that most haven’t. I really am happy to have been there to witness her grow as a person and who she’s becoming. Her individuality has not changed that dramatically, but she has learned from over the years and she is continuing to learn, understand [and] know herself more,” Tanuvasa said.

Tava Fereti, a senior at Dimond, believes Washington’s honesty and humor are a couple of her most notable traits.

“When I first met Tyiana in middle school she had an attitude, but then I got to know her and we became friends, and I found out that’s just how she is.

“She won’t lie about how she feels, she will tell you to your face. She is funny and [really] goofy all the time, I literally can’t with her sometimes.

“She is also really smart and is on top of all of her school work all the time,” Fereti said.

Other close friends of Washington agree that she is mature for her age and is very goal oriented. They also agree that these many good traits will give Washington a huge advantage for her bright future.

Meghan Jones, a Dimond senior, said, “[At school], Tyiana is isolated. She would rather go to her class than sit around in [the] commons.

“She has a good bond with most of her teachers and she is never outspoken in a classroom.

“As an individual, she is funny, loud and goofy, but only around her closer friends. She is wise beyond her years and thinks more like an adult than a high school kid.”

All these statements prove that Washington is an extremely hard worker and strives to do her absolute best with school, work, and her everyday life.