Is thankful to live in the Wood River Valley
By Emilee Mae Struss
Nineteen-year-old Russian native Karina Stelck said moving here and attending Wood River High School has allowed her to dream big for the first time in her life.
“I’ve experienced a lot of hard times in my life,” Stelck said. “But every bad thing I’ve dealt with I try to make it into a positive.”
Stelck was raised partly by her birth mother and in a Russian orphanage before being adopted by a California couple 13 years ago.
Life was better, but she felt restricted until her aunt and uncle, who live in the Wood River Valley, welcomed her into their home to give her a fresh start.
“I’m so thankful for them,” Stelck said. “They’ve helped me so much and I feel like I can dream for the first time in my life.”
A big part of WRHS is the ‘Personal Project,’ which students must complete before graduation. Taking the time to research her options led her away from the military and to work as an Emergency Medical Technician, or EMT.
“It’s that adrenaline that pushes me to work well under stress and remain calm,” she said.
Stelck is currently training with the Ketchum Fire Department and, after graduation in 2019, she hopes to attend CSI or Central Community College, in Bend, Ore., to be an EMT and, eventually, a paramedic.
“Unlike most jobs, as an EMT you don’t know what’s coming tomorrow,” Stelck said. “That’s exciting to me.”
Stelck is used to pushing her own limits as an athlete. She has played basketball for eight years and participated in track and field for four years. Last year she tried out for pole-vaulting and made it to the state championships in that event. This year Stelck plans to continue track and field but is giving up basketball to focus more on her newly discovered career path.
Musicians like NF, a well-known Christian rapper, and other rap artists and hip-hop genres have had a great influence on Stelck. She listens to music and spends time in nature, which provide her with comforting metaphors for her life’s situations.
It was while watching a bird build its nest outside of her home here that she found a comparison to her own nesting. The bird, which she has named “Mama Kate,” flies to that same location every spring to lay its eggs. Stelck said that one day, while she was watching the bird, she realized she, too, has found her home.
“Coming to the Valley, I’ve realized that unconditional love does exist and your dreams can someday become your reality,” Stelck said.
And that’s her plan—to pursue her unhindered dreams and to simply “go with the flow of life.”