SWANSEA — Shontell Adams, a city resident and East Providence High School graduate, died early Thursday, Oct. 4, in a one-car accident on Interstate 195.

Ms. Adams, 18, was identified as the victim by Massachusetts State Police, who said the accident occurred on the eastbound side of the highway at approximately 7:30 a.m.

Ms. Adams, a second-year student at nearby Bristol Community College in southeastern Massachusetts, passed away when the late-model Jeep Cherokee she was driving rolled over and wound up pitched against a tree. The cause of the accident has yet to be determined.

Word reached her former classmates, teachers and administration late Thursday afternoon, several hours after the accident.

EPHS guidance counselor Rob Traverse called the news of his former pupil "tragic." Mr. Traverse remembered Ms. Adams as an enterprising young woman, who overcame a slow start to her academic career to finish in a flourish as she matured and gained an understanding of the importance of her education.

"She actually worked very hard to make up some lost credits from her freshman year so she could graduate on time. She then went on to a dual enrollment at BCC," Mr. Traverse, who served as Ms. Adams' guidance counselor while she attended EPHS before graduating in 2011.

"Shontell was a good kid," Mr. Traverse added. "She worked hard to get her education. I respected her very much for making her education a priority."