Round-Up seniors

Yearbook has taught me how to delegate work, collaborate and rely on others instead of just keeping to myself. My favorite memory has to be our last late night as it was a bittersweet night that also marked the legacy that we as seniors are leaving behind.”

Yearbook has allowed me to form so many friendships, and I have known these girls for three years now. It’s been the best, and I know it will be something we look back upon ten years from now.”

Pant chronology editor

My favorite part of yearbook is whenever we are down on the field at pep rallies and football games. Over the past few years, yearbook has helped me grow in the sense of leadership and organization skills that will allow me to handle deadlines.”

AlexseniorsRenfro editor

My favorite part of yearbook is the creative process and knowing that I am involved in creating this item that people hold onto and look back upon fondly. Ultimately, it has helped me become more vocal. When I first joined, I was very quiet, but I have become a leader that guides an entire staff.”

My favorite part of yearbook has been capturing all of the memories during the school year as I believe that I am so fortunate to be able to do something so wonderful and to be able to share that with others. Yearbook has developed my time management and leadership, which will help me traverse a busy schedule in college.”

ElenapeoplesRamey editor

What does it mean to you to be in the top 10?

“It’s a great recognition to have. That being said, I don’t pride myself on being ranked in the top 10. I’m proud that I have gone through the effort and been able to dedicate all the things I do to get to where I am today. It’s not about the number, it’s about the process that I went through to be able to achieve that. “

What are your goals for the future?

“I have a variety of interests that I have been able to develop throughout high school, such as public policy through debate, computer science, more specifically computational biology and also economics. As you can tell, I’m all over the place. I pride myself on that, because I can create that multidisciplinary approach when I go to college. The world is now moving to a place where you combine fields to create meaningful changes in society, and I want to encompass a lot of my interests to create one specific pathway.”

What was the hardest lesson you had to learn during high school?

“Not everything goes your way. There are a lot of times, especially in the short term, when things that you want to go your way are not going to go your way. That’s just how life works and being able to accept that fact is something that I found hard to do. Moving on from that is something that I have been able to learn over time.”

What does it mean to you to be in the top 10?

“In my sophomore year, I wasn’t expecting that I’d be ranked second my senior year. It’s a culmination of everything I’ve been working towards, especially my academics. While I wasn’t fully expecting it, it was a rewarding feeling.”

What is your secret to success?

“Not being afraid to start something new. It may feel like you’re the only one in your high school that’s interested in whatever you like to do. For me, I was learning Japanese by myself, but when you’re learning a language, the communicative part is the most important part. I started the Japanese Club here at CHS and it’s over 30 members strong. If you’re really passionate about something, don’t be afraid to step up as a leader and share that passion with others at school.”

What does it mean to you to be in the top 10?

“It means a lot because I worked hard throughout high school. To see that my hard work paid off and I was able to earn a spot shows that all the effort I put in actually means something. I reaped the fruits of my hard work.”

What is your secret to success?

“Working hard and putting effort into what I’m doing.

That’s the case for everything, not just academics. If it’s choir, band, sports or anything in life, if you put effort towards it consistently, then you’ll reach your goals, that’s what I did. I put effort into each and every one of my classes and that’s why I was able to do so good.”

What does it mean to you to be in the top 10?

“It’s an honor. This is the culmination of what I’ve been doing for the past three years. I view it as a big accomplishment of mine, and it’s also a testament to the people that surround me. I have a good support system of my friends, my parents and teachers, especially. It is as much of an accomplishment for them as it is for me, and I try to share that with them.”

How did you stay motivated and what was your motivation throughout high school?

“Part of my motivation is that my parents come from humble beginnings. They have not had as comfortable of a lifestyle as they’ve given me. They have worked really hard to give me these opportunities. It would be rude of me to not take advantage of them.”

What does it mean to you to be in the top 10?

“It’s a result of all the work I put in, a cherry on top. It wasn’t exactly the goal, I never aspired to be in the top 10 or anything like that. I knew I wanted to get into college and I knew I wanted to be a doctor. I put the work into courses and then it happened.”

What does it mean to you to be in the top 10?

“I am grateful to be in the top 10, but it is not the biggest achievement. The reason why people are so invested in class rank is because ranks seem like something that determines someone’s intelligence or their worth. I don’t have to be the one to tell you that that’s not true. To me, the only opinions that matter in my life are my own and my family’s. Although I’m grateful to be in the top 10, I don’t think it is the biggest thing that someone should look at.”

What are your goals for the future?

“My biggest dream is to retire and open my own bakery with a bunch of little pastries and food. That is the ultimate dream, but it is a bit too far into the future. Right now, I’m not entirely sure what I want to do. I’m majoring in nutrition at the University of Texas at Austin, so I know I want to go into the medical field. But, in regards to what exactly I want to do, I’m not exactly sure. I don’t want to be a nutritionist or a dietitian, but I do want to learn about food and how that affects people.”

What does it mean to you to be in the top 10?

“It is an indicator of learning the concepts. I’m really fortunate that I had fun learning, which in turn led to my better grades.”

What are your goals for the future?

“I want to continue my art exploration. It is going to be a lifelong journey. Hopefully, I will be able to make a career out of it. Going into computer science and studio art at Carnegie Mellon University, I want to be able to find connections, enter the art scene professionally and try to be a commercial artist. I want to be able to make media that inspires the younger generation because watching old Disney movies such as Mulan, Cars and The Incredibles inspired me to pursue art. If you really enjoy something, you get that similar feeling. I want to be able to give back to other people just like how I was inspired by others.”

What is your secret to success?

“It’s the connections and the friendships I made along the way. I’ve had classes where my friends teach me most of the lessons. The relationships you make, the people that you hang out with and the group that you have allow you to be exposed to opportunities. It gives you access to an entirely different set of perspectives. It helped me become successful in high school.”

What does it mean to you to be in the top 10?

“It’s cool, having a rank that high shows all the dedication and effort I put in. It feels like I have something to show for doing all the homework and extra assignments.”

What are your goals for the future?

“I want to be a physician and go on the medical path at UTD. All the hard work I did to get into the programs and colleges in high school sets me up for undergrad as I’ll have to repeat, in hindsight, the process to get into med school. The hard work I’ve done now kind of makes it to where I know what I’m going into to become a physician.”

What does it mean to you to be in the top 10?

“It’s an achievement that reflects all the work I’ve put in, and I’m really proud to see how far all my work has taken me”

What are your goals for the future?

“The habits I’ve made these four years in high school will help me succeed in college. It lays a framework because college is obviously a lot harder. It’ll definitely be easier to succeed in college and will set me up for success in my career and getting a job.”

What is your secret to success?

“I don’t think there’s a real secret, but in terms of getting ranked, work as hard as you can to get the best grades you can and that’s really all.”

What are your goals for the future?

“In the future, I’m thinking about going to graduate school after undergraduate school for immunology. Right now, I’m trying to go into the research course, but that might change. I want to be an immunologist or something dealing with viruses. I think that my study skills and hard work will translate into college and give me a leg up since I know what I need to do to study for tests.”

What was your motivation throughout high school?

“There are two major things that have helped keep me motivated over the past four years. First off is something most people know: having a twin. Claire and I always like to joke that rather than needing parents to keep us accountable, we have each other. Plus, she can relate to what I am going through during stressful times much better than anyone else can.”