Branham High School's Eric Iwashita is Stanford-Bound

Eric Iwashita comes in wearing an argyle sweater and track pants. He has a smile on his face from the get-go and extends his hand to shake mine.

He was working in the front office of his high school, Branham High, when I came in, and from what they tell me, this is one of the long list of things he does when he's not working on his schoolwork.

Eric plays golf, reads to kindergartners, plays the guitar and ukulele and is the Associated Student Body president.

As we walk outside, teachers, administrators and students all say hello to him, smile and walk on. This kid's got something ...

This is part of a series of high school graduation stories that will run throughout the week, highlighting high school seniors at the various school sites and their stories.

All the schools within the district had their graduation ceremonies Thursday.

This is Eric Iwashita's story.

Patch: How are you feeling?

Eric Iwashita: I'm feeling very energetic, enthusiastic. It's the last day of class.

Patch: What will you miss most?

Eric: The people, especially my leadership class, because we've developed friendships. We're like a family.

Patch: What will you miss least?

Eric: Waking up at 6 a.m. to get to class at 7 a.m.

Patch: What are you looking forward to?

Eric: The freedom and independence. Be able to do whatever I want. No restriction on when I have to study or when I have to go to bed and being treated like an adult.

Patch: Who inspires you?

Eric: My parents have always inspired me, but beyond that, Dan Vu, the executive director of Northern California Youth Leadership Seminar.

He's one of the most genuine people I'e ever met. Always been there for me and my family. Inspiring me and my sister at this conference. He really has a big heart.

Patch: What teacher made an impact in your life?

Eric: There are quite a bit. I'm closest to Mr. Flora, my golf coach for last three years and adviser for the acoustic club. And Mrs. Henebry, my cross-country coach for the last two years, PE freshman and sophomore year. Been really motivational.

Patch: What college are you planning on attending?

Eric: Stanford University. It was my first choice. I'm so happy to go there. My mom went there, so I kind of have been indoctrinated.

Patch: Are you the first to go to college in your family?

Eric: No. My mom, Julie Iwashita, went to Stanford; my dad, Scott, went to UC Santa Barbara, then USC for dental school.

Patch: What do you want to be when you grow up?

Eric: That's totally up in the air. My current interests is economics. I could go down bio med too. It'd be cool to be an astronaut, too.

Patch: What was your favorite high school memory?

Eric: The journalism-sponsored acoustic night. Our class worked so hard and ended being the biggest fundraiser that year: $1,400 for the journalism program.

Patch: What was your most difficult high school challenge?

Eric: Balancing all my different activities. I'm really involved both on and off campus.

Patch: What was your favorite class?

Eric: Leadership.

Patch: What was your least favorite class?

Eric: AP Physics, and not because of the teacher, but because it was impossibly hard!

Patch: Why is it important, to you, to go to college?

Eric: So that I can give back in a great way, have a greater impact.