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Amanda Jensen excels at Liberty High

By Ripley Howe
News-Sentinel Staff Writer

Amanda Jensen

Amanda Jensen didn't like high school.

While that fact alone may not set her apart from her fellow high school graduates, Jensen, 18, did something about it.

Jensen transferred to Liberty Continuation High School from Lodi High because she could get more work done faster, and graduate sooner, she said.

And that is just what she did.

Jensen completed her work at Liberty six months ago, and has been working and spending time with her friends as she waits to attend San Joaquin Delta College.

There, she will take graphic arts courses, and plans to pursue a career in art and animation. She says she is a big fan of Disney cartoons.

A lifelong Lodi resident, Jensen credits her early graduation to simple hard work.

"I just did more work, mainly," she said. "I barely talked to anybody. I just did my work."

Jensen says she's glad she made the move to Liberty to complete her senior year.

"I liked it. It was different from other high schools," she said. "At Lodi High, on your first day, no one really talks to you or anything, but at Liberty my first day everyone said 'Hi' to me."

While in high school, Jensen was active in the swim team and received attendance awards. She also helped out her instructors as a teacher's aid.

Jensen says that her most memorable high school experiences were while she was drawing in art class.

She also liked Liberty High because it gave her the freedom to work at her own pace.

"The more papers you do, the more credits you get," she said. "So I did a lot of papers."

In fact, she said, she probably ended up doing more work than was necessary.

"I forget how many credits I ended up with, but I know I got more than I needed to graduate."