NEW BRITAIN, Conn. -- Despite personal tragedies, a New Britain High School student has remained determined to succeed and has, in turn, excelled in every category.

Friends and teachers of 17-year-old Christina Fawcett describe her as smart, beautiful and respectful.

Christina’s mother, Alicja, died when she was a baby, and 10 years later, she lost her brother, George Jr. She said when her brother died, she was angry and began acting out.

“When my brother passed away, I didn’t deal with everything the way I should have dealt with it. I was like a rebel,” she said.

Christina said she pulled herself together because she wanted to make her father proud. She said her father was older and she didn’t know how much time he had left. He died at the beginning of her senior year.

“That was really hard, but I mourned by being good in school and making sure I wasn’t in trouble,” she said.

She said she is determined to move forward, no matter what.

“I take everything day by day and think about how successful I want my life to be and how I see myself in the future,” she said.

Despite everything that’s happened in her life, Christina managed to complete her coursework in three years and will pursue her dream when she graduates in a few weeks.

“I’ve always wanted to be in the criminal justice system and I wanted to be a social worker, so I found a happy medium with the probation officer," she said.

In the fall, Christina will attend the John Jay School of Criminal Justice at the City University of New York.