Got a spare moment? Remarkably, Amanda Vargas does tooÂ… but just barely.

Somewhere among earning the honor of graduating class valedictorian at Providence High School, taking advanced placement classes, serving as senior class president and even interning at NASA, spare moments for Vargas have become quite a precious commodityÂ… moments that are usually spent volunteering at the hospital.

Vargas has honed her passion for serving the community by being a consistent volunteer in the medical field. In fact, volunteering is what has affirmed Vargas' goal to pursue a career in medicine.

"I've always been interested in medicine and working with children, so this past summer when I volunteered to be a camp counselor at a local camp for special needs children, it was a ‘make–or–break' volunteer activity for me," said the 18 year–old go–getter.

The camp Vargas refers to is Camp CAMP (Children's Association for Maximum Potential). There, Vargas cared for a camper with severe cerebral palsy and spastic quadriplegia. Vargas compared the experience to becoming an instant physical therapist, a respiratory therapist, a nurse and a camp counselor at once.

Even though she was terrified of failing, Vargas decided to immerse herself in the medical culture her senior year, first by volunteering at the oncology ward at the Metropolitan Methodist Hospital, then by dedicating many Saturdays and sometimes half of her school days to its neonatal unit.

"I had to test myself, to see if I had the strength," said Vargas.

Her first day in the neonatal ward was in one word, "amazing." Seeing three births in one day is not the way one may picture a typical teenager spending his or her weekends.

The key to Vargas and other rising stars' success in the community is what her Providence High School Academic Counselor Evelyn Griess sums up in one word: Doer.

"Don't be an observer, be a doer," said Griess. "Of course, the observing precedes the doing, but don't stop at the observation."

Griess said she is proud of all of her students and is especially grateful that Vargas was able to encourage underclassmen at the private school to continually be vigilant about ways to serve the community.

Vargas' determined drive for community service is one reason local Ford and Lincoln Mercury dealers selected Vargas as one of the 225 recently–graduated, high school seniors in San Antonio to receive one of Ford's Salute to Education scholarships.

"It's great to support students like Amanda who share Ford's philosophy about giving back to the community," said Marc Cross, Salute to Education Co–Chair, Dealer Principal and General Manager of Jordan Ford.

This scholarship celebrates 20 years that Ford Motor Co. and local Ford and Lincoln Mercury dealers have recognized community–minded San Antonio students through scholarships.

"Salute to Education is another example of Ford's long–time commitment to helping students get on the right road toward obtaining a higher education," said Mike Trompeter, Salute to Education Co–Chair, Dealer Principal and CFO.

Along with the Salute to Education scholarship, Vargas is being awarded a scholarship from the University of Texas and has been honored by the National Hispanic Recognition Program.

Even though it is summer break, Vargas' ambition continues. To commemorate the end of her high school years and the beginning of college, Vargas will spend part of her summer as an intern at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center for the prestigious 2007 Summer Program in Biomedical Sciences. During the internship, she will be given the rare opportunity to conduct a research project in one of the biomedical disciplines, under the guidance of a full–time member of the M. D. Anderson faculty.

Vargas believes that this internship is another opportunity to bring her closer to her goal of becoming a pediatrician for children with special needs, a niche she feels is not being met. "There are so many children who have autism, cerebral palsy, spastic quadriplegia and I don't think there has been anybody to really represent them," said Vargas.

This motivated, young adult is bound for UT this fall to study pre–med. She chose the Austin school over Rice and even Johns Hopkins University, in part, because she was handpicked for UT's esteemed, Dean's Scholar's Honors Program.