2016’s 20 Under 20: Marissa Johnsen, Battle High School

Marissa Johnsen, 18, Battle High School

College plans:

United States Naval Academy, Class of 2020.

Post-graduation plans:

College, and then serve as a commissioned officer in the United States Navy.

Favorite club or extracurricular in high school:

Student council, soccer, and cross country.

Proudest accomplishment in high school:

Being the first individual at Battle to receive an appointment to a military service academy.

Best advice I’ve ever received:

Always smile, and life is what you make it.

Biggest lesson learned in high school:

The biggest lesson I learned was to be myself. High school is a difficult enough time, filled with uncertainty and big life decisions, and being comfortable with who I am allowed me to thrive.

Future goals:

Protect and serve my country.

Person I admire and why:

I admire my mother. Due to her health issues, my mother wakes up to extreme pain every day, but you would never know because she doesn’t talk about it. She always tells me how proud of me she is, but what she doesn’t realize is how proud of her I am. She is a different, rare type of strong — she is strong for others, always trying to enjoy life even when it is muddled by pain.

What you do for fun:

I love working out! I am especially fond of CrossFit, Krav Maga, and MMA. I also love hiking, water skiing, jet-skiing . . . pretty much any outdoor activity you can think of, I like it.

CBT’s 20 Under 20 celebrates 20 Columbia high school seniors who are ready to accomplish big things after graduating. Congratulations to the 2016 20 Under 20, and to all Columbia high school grads.