By Doug Petrowski

Stuart Milner has big dreams. Dreams to compete at the highest level, dreams to make a difference in the world, dreams that are not that uncommon from many other members of the Mountlake Terrace High School Class of 2012.

Milner and other seniors will participate in the MTHS graduation ceremony on Thursday, June 14, at 6:30 p.m. at Edmonds Stadium. Admission is by ticket only.

The graduating seniors will be receiving their diplomas on Thursday evening, then stepping into the next phase of their lives — or in Milner’s case, jumping into the next phase.

Milner began triple jumping with the MTHS track team just three months ago, but excelled at the event. He finished third in the WIAA District One meet, just one spot from qualifying for the state meet. He was named to the All-Wesco 3A second team for the triple jump, and was noticed by the coaching staff at the University of Portland.

After talking to University of Portland track coaches and learning about their program and facilities, Milner committed to the school. “I am very excited to be a Pilot next year and my goal is to make it to NCAA Division One Championships in the triple jump.”

But Milner is dreaming beyond college track and field; he has ambitions to enter the medical field, and will be studying biology in the University of Portland pre-med program. “From there, I will attend medical school to become a craniofacial surgeon specializing in cleft palate,” Milner said. “My goal is to join the Operation Smile team, which performs free surgery to repair cleft lip, cleft palate and other facial deformities to children in need worldwide.”

Scholarships will help Milner pay for his studies at the private university. “I was awarded University of Portland’s Arthur A Shulte Jr. Scholarship valued at $56,000, which is to be divided equally over four years,” Milner reports. He also received an Edmonds School District Scholar Athlete award of $3,000.

Milner competed numerous times in track meets held at Edmonds Stadium this spring, and on Thursday he will receive his high school diploma there. He’ll be easy to spot among the graduates, for he will be the one triple jumping off into the future.