With a little help from his friends, grad will be first in family to attend college

By OLIVIA KOERNIG/Whitefish Pilot

Old English letters tattooed end-over-end down the inside of his right forearm tell a sort of credo: Love life. He's just one of more than 150 graduating seniors from the class of 2008 at Whitefish High School, but in a lot of ways, he represents the class as a whole.

Justin Rubalcaba wears his hair a little scruffy and his goatee long. His button-down shirt looks ironed, but he wears it untucked and paired with jeans and sneakers.

He looks like an ordinary teenager, and he is. But he's also extraordinary. This fall when Rubalcaba begins classes at Montana State University in Bozeman, he'll be the first in his family to attend college.

"My mom's been pushing me (to go to college)," he said. "But really, Upward Bound gave me the tools. My parents were always there, but it's been self-driven."

Rubalcaba has been involved with the college preparatory organization since they first approached him when he was still in eighth grade at Whitefish Middle School. With the group, he's toured more than five college campuses and even enrolled in a couple college courses.

"We did intro to stats," he said. "It was really hard. It's pretty difficult to cram that much information in only six weeks of class."

The difficulty of the stats class notwithstanding, Rubalcaba loves math and science. He plans to study physics, which he says is the marriage of the two. Eventually he'd like to earn a doctorate degree and teach while also working as a research scientist. He credits his Whitefish High School physics teacher, Lori Martin, with fostering his love of the discipline in the first place.

"I'd like to get into theoretical physics, like string theory," he said.

In the meantime, he's been attending school here, earning a 3.5 cumulative GPA during high school. At nights and on weekends, he holds a part-time job at Dos Amigos, earning enough if his own money to buy a car.

And he has a girlfriend, Abby Bryson, whom he really cares for. They've only been dating for five months, but have known each other "forever."

"She'll be attending FVCC in the fall, but she wants to transfer to Bozeman," he said. "We'll try the long-distance thing."

Rubalcaba was approved for work study at MSU. Plus, a scholarship from Coldwell Banker Wachholz and Company will pay for his books, tuition and fees his first year. He was selected from among 21 applicants.

"It's definitely a huge help," he said. "I was looking at taking out a bunch of loans."

Another worry has been alleviated for Rubalcaba. While dorm living can often mean clashing with roommates, Rubalcaba will be rooming with a friend from Kalispell who he requested.

"It'll be cool that I won't have to try to get know somebody as soon as I get there," he said.

For summer plans, travel is on Rubalcaba's agenda. He's going to Hawaii with Upward Bound and meeting a friend in San Diego. He'll also accompany his family on vacation to a surprise destination.

While he admits he's a little nervous about leaving home and starting school in the fall, he feels mostly excitement.

"I'm really excited about being out on my own and that whole experience," he said.