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Graduate’s accomplishments inspire students ‘to do more’

Comstock Park — Senior Walker Saincome never knew Miguel Nava, the U.S. Marines captain and 2013 Comstock Park High School graduate who died in February during a helicopter exercise, but Nava did leave an impression.

“I think he is pretty inspiring,” said Walker, who has a brother, 2021 Comstock Park graduate Grant Saincome, serving in the National Guard. “I know from what I have learned about him, he was voted most likely to be successful for his class, and then you see all that he did in the years after he graduated from high school. 

“It makes me want to strive to do more.”

As part of the 10th Annual Freedom Cruise, a portrait of Nava was presented to his family during a Sept. 6 assembly at Comstock Park High School. That evening, the high school’s football game against Holland Christian was designated as a “patriot game,” where veterans could attend for free and were recognized at the game. 

Students return flags as they prepare to enter the school auditorium for a presentation honoring a former Comstock Park graduate, Marine Capt. Miguel Nava

“I think it is important that our students understand what Nava’s legacy was and the platform that he lived by,” said Assistant Principal Tony Petkus, who was the athletic director when Nava attended Comstock Park High School.

Petkus described Nava as a humble person who always put others first. He said Nava also had some lofty goals and achieved quite a bit in his brief lifetime, which included entering the U.S. Naval Academy, becoming an officer and a pilot.

“I think learning about him and his life inspires you to do better,” said ninth-grader Kiera Susick. “You want to live the life that somebody else didn’t get the chance to do.”

Read more from Comstock Park: 
For this grad, it’s all about turning negative energy into positive actions
Finding focus and a fresh start through automatics

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Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
Joanne Bailey-Boorsma is a reporter covering Kent ISD, Godwin Heights, Kelloggsville, Forest Hills and Comstock Park. The salutatorian for the Hartland Public Schools class of 1985, she changed her colors from blue and maize to green and white by attending Michigan State University, where she majored in journalism. Joanne moved to the Grand Rapids area in 1989, where she started her journalism career at the Advance Newspapers. She later became the editor for On-the-Town magazine, a local arts and entertainment publication. Her eldest daughter is a nurse, working in Holland, and her youngest attends Oakland University. Both are graduates from Byron Center High School. She is a volunteer for the Van Singel Fine Arts Advisory Board and the Kent District Library. In her free time, Joanne enjoys spending time with her family, checking out local theater and keeping up with all the exchange students they have hosted through the years. Read Joanne's full bio

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