Video: Top Seattle students share their keys to success

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Kye Stone is an artist who hopes to one day be a professor. Rosalyn Endlich is a singer with a passion for social justice. Samuel Martin hopes to design the car of the future.

They're all national honors students, some of the top students in Seattle. We invited them and their parents to KING 5 to share some of their secrets to success.

"I definitely think that it was a lot of hard work to get here," said Samuel, who attends the Center School in downtown Seattle. His passion is industrial design.

"I really want to see the American automobile industry return to its former glory," he said.

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"If you come to school and you really have a passion about learning, a passion about preparing yourself for the future, then a lot of doors are opened for you," says Samuel Martin.

He's also in the process of getting his pilot's license.

"I think that if you come to school and you really have a passion about learning and about preparing yourself for the future, then a lot of doors open for you, and especially at the Center School," he said.

"The more you put in, the more you get out of it. And I feel like that's really important,' said Rosalyn, who attends Nathan Hale High School. There she swims, sings, volunteers, and helps lead the Gay-Straight Alliance.

"The desire to help people has always been really strong in me and I want to go to college and get the skills to better do that," she said.

"My art journal is sort of my diary in a way," says Kye, one of the top students at Rainier Beach High School.

He says his secret to success is his mom, Desiree.

"She loves and really cares about me. Wants me to succeed and do what I want to do," he said.

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"When you really want to learn and want to get as much out of classes as you can then it's a lot easier," says Rosalyn Endlich.

His mom has a tip of her own. She calls it "uncompromising vigilance."

"I've been a single parent since 1998 and I look at it as a fortress. Our home is a fortress. And they call me the 'Shield Maiden.' And I put up a kind of visual fence. My concentration is them," she said.

She says her children have always come first and she only takes jobs that allow her to be home when they're home.

"You know, I can think about myself later in different ways. But right now, my constant vigilance is making sure I'm raising good men," she said.

Rosalyn's mom, Lauri McCray, is also a single parent.

"Academics are always first and activities are second. And as far as how she does it, I have absolutely no idea," she said with a laugh.

But it's clear this mother and daughter have a very close relationship.

"Besides loving her, I like her. It's great to have her," said Laurie.

"I think we shape and give them direction and I think they go with that, wherever that direction takes them," said Tim Martin, Samuel's dad.

He partially credits Samuel's success to a close parenting partnership with his wife.

The three parents had common beliefs about raising their children.

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Kye Stone says his secret weapon is his mom. "She wants me to succeed and do what I want to do," he said.

They all believe in helping discover their child's passion and then strongly encouraging it.

They all supported alternative schooling for their kids, at different points in their lives.

And they all stressed rewards, rather than punishment, for their disciplinary practice.

"I believe in good rewards mechanism for good behavior," said Tim.

So is it just luck of the draw?

"Luck is opportunity meeting preparedness. So yeah, there's a lot of luck," said Tim.

And clearly a lot of love.

"They're the top priority," said Desiree.

All three students received some type of alternative schooling.

Samuel attended a Montessori pre-school and now attends the Center School, an alternative high school at Seattle Center.

Rosalyn went to an alternative middle school, and Kye was home-schooled through middle school.