Without a sense of accomplishment, Rifle High School senior Skylar Thompson gets anxious.

“I’m afraid of failure,” she said. “Which is a problem.”

“I have high expectations to do well, and my family has the same expectations,” she said.

Thompson graduates Rifle High School with a 4.0 grade point average and is headed to the University of Arizona with $35,000 in scholarships.

“It’s really awesome,” Thompson said. “I’m really glad I have the opportunity to go through college without any debt.”

Thompson enjoyed her days of cheering and playing clarinet in band, but now she’s simply looking forward to simply starting a new chapter of her life.

“I think learning how to grow with new teachers has been really fun for me to do,” she said. “Then also, this year has been really awesome to finish a chapter of my life and move on to the next one.”

“All the memories worked together to create the one that I have now.”

Thompson’s big problem right now is that she can’t decide whether she wants to study math or to pursue a degree in science and technology.

Either way, she’s more than ready to take the next step.

“All of my graduation things and senior nights, I haven’t cried,” she said. “I’ve been really thankful and excited, but I was just ready to move on to something else. I think I have been ready to graduate and go to college halfway through my junior year.”

Reporter Ray K. Erku can be reached at 612-423-5273 or rerku@citizentelegram.com.