Despite chronic disease, Oak Park teen still able to graduate
Levett Washington never used illness as an excuse
By Sophia Fischer sfischer@theacorn.com

SOPHIA FISCHER/Acorn Newspapers GOTTA HAVE FRIENDS- Levett Washington, center, poses with his best friends since eighth grade. Despite missing large blocks of time from school because of his sickle cell anemia, Levett graduated with his class from Oak Park High School last week.

Keeping his dad's advice in mind helped Levett Washington overcome challenges and serious medical setbacks to graduate on schedule last week from Oak Park High School.

"Excuses are the tools of incompetence and those who use them rarely excel at anything but excuses," is one of Levett's father's sayings.

If he had wanted to resort to excuses, Levett would have had a valid excuse ready. The 17yearold suffers from sickle cell anemia. A genetic disorder, the chronic lifelong disease causes clogged blood vessels, resulting in painful attacks.

Most of the time Washington manages the disease on his own but at least once or twice a year requires hospitalization. The illness has forced him to miss as much as a month of school, then work hard to make up missed work from tough classes like advanced placement biology. Despite the absences, Levett graduated with a grade point average above 3.1.

"I've always had this drive to better myself, to make something of myself," he said. "I know where my dad came from; the other side of the tracks.

"Nobody ever thought he would succeed in high school but he got into college and did well. I really look up to him."

A native of Ohio, Levett moved with his family to Oak Park the summer before eighth grade to satisfy his interest in working in the movie industry.

The family, including younger siblings Leon, Lexis and Leia, moved to Newbury Park when he was a junior.

He wanted to move to California to pursue his interest in acting. A talent management agency visiting Ohio encouraged him after an audition.

He took a break from working after his sophomore year to focus on his studies and is now considering acting again.

"Levett's intellectual promise is exceptional . . . Levett's competencies must be considered against a personal backdrop that is determined, upbeat and positive in spite of the nearly overwhelming physical obstacles he has had to deal with his entire life," said Randall McClelland, an Oak Park High counselor.

Levett plans to attend the University of Arizona where he would like to study architecture, allowing him to "use science, math and creativity all together."

"Graduation was such a great feeling," he said. "I think my four years of hard work are really going to pay off."