Uncommon Success : Young woman at continuation school draws strength from the memory of her father to graduate early and as valedictorian.

Melissa von Hallberg clearly remembers her father’s advice: If you are going to do something, you might as well do the best you can.

With that in mind, the 17-year-old completed three years of high school courses in just two years, all the while working part time. With a grade-point average of 3.7, the tenacious student will be honored at graduation ceremonies June 29 as the valedictorian of Mt. Lukens Continuation High School in Tujunga.

Outgoing, independent, outspoken and strong are words used by friends, teachers and co-workers to describe Melissa, who said her single goal was to earn her diploma. But it was an unseen force that guided her--the memory of her father, William von Hallberg, who died in a car accident in December, 1993.

“My dad had a lot of influence on me,” she said. “He was the most wonderful dad.”

Melissa and her older sister were raised by their father after their parents divorced when Melissa was 4. She was just 16 when William von Hallberg died. It happened during the school Christmas break, giving her two weeks to cope with the loss, quietly and alone, with only her sister to lean on.

“I didn’t talk about it with anybody,” said Melissa, who instead focused her thoughts on her father’s words.

When she returned to work and to school, teachers and friends said they saw a changed person, more mature and focused than ever. She tackled a full workload, steadily completing assignments to earn points toward graduation.

“She just kept on truckin’,” said Tom Rayburn, principal of the continuation school where 65 students are enrolled in individualized study programs. Many of the students have had academic, disciplinary or other problems at traditional campuses and are enrolled in half-day sessions to comply with state mandatory attendance rules, school officials said.

Melissa, who describes herself as strong-willed and independent-minded, said she transferred to the continuation school two years ago because she didn’t get along with teachers and students at the adjoining Verdugo Hills High School.

She admits to a couple of truancies there, and some teachers at Mt. Lukens suggested that some might perceive her no-nonsense style as too severe.

“Melissa has a lot of stick-to-itiveness,” said Joan Knowles, one of her teachers, who described the teen-ager as well-liked. “She just keeps plugging away and earning her points. She doesn’t procrastinate.”

Melissa is one of only five students at the school to meet graduation requirements this year. She will participate in ceremonies at Pacific Palisades High School with about 700 other graduates of continuation schools and various optional education programs from throughout the Los Angeles Unified School District.

“Missy is a girl I will miss and a girl I will always remember,” said Bill Saito, another of her teachers. “A lot of students come and go, but she is a special person,” the 31-year veteran added.

She plans to go to college--to study psychology or fashion design. But first, she said, she will need to work full time for at least six months to earn money for tuition. “I haven’t really made up my mind what I want to do yet,” said Melissa, who is finishing high school a year ahead of her peers. “I need to wait a little while and make some more money.”

Earning money is something Melissa has done since age 14. She worked in various temporary positions, mostly clerical, in Sunland-Tujunga. Then, with a recommendation from her sister, she was hired two years ago as a cashier and waitress at a Sizzler Restaurant in Tujunga.

Her sister, Jessica Just, 20, has worked at the restaurant for five years, is married and has an infant daughter. Melissa said her sister has been her substitute mother ever since she was very young. Their mother lives in Kansas and visits the two daughters about twice a year, Melissa said.

Melissa shares a rented house in Sunland with her father’s longtime girlfriend, Shelley Paar. She has a pet rabbit, given to her as a Christmas present by her boyfriend, and a dog that is a combination Rottweiler and German shepherd. An animal-rights advocate, Melissa is a vegetarian who chides her friends and teachers for eating meat.

Just, who lives with her husband in San Clemente, also stays with her baby at Melissa’s house during the week so that she can continue her job at the restaurant. The two sisters work the same 4 to 10 p.m. shift.

Alex Dobosi, the restaurant manager, said Melissa “is a very good worker.” He added, “A lot of our customers comment about how well she treats them.”

She has been working 20 to 30 hours a week as a cashier and waitress while completing her high school studies.

The only criticism offered by teachers is that Melissa is frequently late to school, which begins at 8 a.m. She makes up for it by staying later. She also has taken adult classes in the afternoon and evenings to accelerate her education.

“I go to school and I go to work,” said Melissa, explaining her busy schedule. For occasional entertainment, she said she enjoys “rave dancing” at house clubs. She also takes pride in polishing her 1965 black Ford Falcon.

Melissa credits her teachers for encouraging her to complete her studies. “They make you feel good about your work, to want to try harder and show what you’ve got,” she said.

But she also credits her father, who was a machine operator, for much of her determination. School officials said Melissa was close to her father, although she considered him to be overly strict at times, and that he regularly attended open houses and other school functions.

“He gave me a lot of encouragement in everything in life,” Melissa said. “He told me I was smart. He always said that no matter what decision I made, if it was OK with me, then it was OK with him. He made me feel good about myself.”

She carries a small picture in her wallet of her father, beaming proudly with his two daughters, taken at her sister’s graduation.

* VALEDICTORIANS: B2