As seniors across Round Rock ISD prepare to end their high school experience, we take a moment to recognize the top ten students from each campus. Top ten students were asked to answer a series of questions about their journey through Round Rock ISD and their next steps.
Campus Top Ten web pages will be updated as student responses are received.
Mihir Shah
Valedictorian
What college will you be attending next year?
I will be attending the University of Texas at Austin to study computer science in the Turing Scholars program. I want to be a software engineer and do research in the field of machine learning.
What campuses in Round Rock ISD did you attend?
Canyon Creek Elementary School, Grisham Middle School, and Westwood High School.
What is your favorite memory of your time in Round Rock ISD?
My best memory was at the TFA state debate tournament in Houston. The whole experience was super fun – prepping for the next day’s rounds in the hotel lobby, sharing intel on our opponents’ arguments, hanging out with teammates between rounds, and more.
Who has been your most influential teacher in Round Rock ISD?
My most influential teacher is Mr. Mickel. In addition to mentoring me in UIL Computer Science, he piqued my interest in several fields of CS that I had never been exposed to before, which have now become my passion. He also helped me learn to solve problems more independently.
Alice Zhang
Salutatorian
Alena Zhang
No. 3
Jasmine Wang
No. 4
What college will you be attending next year?
I will be attending the University of Texas at Austin to study computer science.
What campuses in Round Rock ISD did you attend?
Laurel Mountain Elementary and Westwood High School.
What is your favorite memory of your time in Round Rock ISD?
Choosing just one memory is hard—there’s so many to cherish from over the years! That being said, some of my fondest (and funniest) memories have come from being a part of the SunDancer family. From high-kicking in Hawaii to falling quite ungracefully at contest (and laughing about it frequently afterward), there’s certainly been no shortage of memorable moments. My time on this team has filled to the brim with laughter and love, and I truly couldn’t be more grateful!
Who has been your most influential teacher in Round Rock ISD?
I am beyond grateful for all of my amazing teachers, and I believe each one has played a special part in shaping me into the learner and person I’ve become. Though I wish I could speak about everyone, I would especially like to thank Ms. Katie Willaman and Mr. Bill Blaine for challenging me to think critically and truly learn how to learn, Mr. Tim Bray for his inspiring and thoughtful influence, Mrs. Helen Wang and Mrs. Meiling Dang for being so sweetly supportive, Mrs. Christin Key for three years of bubbly enthusiasm (& making Chemistry fun!), Mr. Matthew McBrearty and Mr. Michael Flansburgh for sparking a renewed appreciation of the liberal arts in me, and Mrs. Shelby Kelly and Mrs. Jessica Steedley for being unwaveringly loving and kind. I couldn’t have done it without you all!
Joyce Zhang
No. 5
What college will you be attending next year?
I’ll be at UT Austin studying Biochemistry under the Plan II Honors program. I hope to follow my passions for science and service into the medical field. Above all, I want to live a fulfilling and adventurous life.
What campuses in Round Rock ISD did you attend?
Kathy Caraway Elementary, Laurel Mountain Elementary, Canyon Vista Middle School, and Westwood High School.
What is your favorite memory of your time in Round Rock ISD?
Going on school trips! The most memorable ones are Chicago with the Westwood Symphony, Hawaii with the RRISD drill teams, and Orlando with the Westwood Orchestra. Spending time with my friends outside of the school setting brought us all so much closer together.
Who has been your most influential teacher in Round Rock ISD?
I cannot emphasize enough the genuine kindness and care that every faculty and staff member has shown me in my 13 years in RRISD. I want to especially thank my Chemistry teacher Mrs. Wieland for helping me fall in love with learning, my dance directors Mrs. Kelly and Mrs. Steedley for supporting my dreams, and my orchestra directors Mr. Thompson, Mrs. Williams, and Mrs. Frederick, for giving me a home in the orchestra hall and a family in the orchestra.
Shreyes Kaliyur
No. 6
What college will you be attending next year?
I will be studying Computer Science at Texas A&M. I hope to pursue research into the great, broad field of Computer Science.
What campuses in Round Rock ISD did you attend?
Spicewood Elementary, Canyon Vista Middle School, and Westwood High School.
What is your favorite memory of your time in Round Rock ISD?
I really liked Robotics. The best memories have always been when we were working late at night right before a big deadline. It felt good to make something, and it was even better to make it alongside my family of Robowarriors. I’m going to miss those late nights, and I’m really going to miss those friends.
Who has been your most influential teacher in Round Rock ISD?
Every day for two years, I was nervous walking into his class, and relieved walking out the door. I never knew what to expect. But from the first day, Mr. Chalk always made sure I was thinking. He gave me a place where I had to come up with, and then share, original ideas. And although this process of “Taking a new step, uttering a new word, is what people fear most”, Mr. Chalk, like Raskolnikov, understood that it is also what makes us grow.
Anna Bown
No. 7
What college will you be attending next year?
I will be attending Harvey Mudd College, for a joint major in computer science and math. After college, I hope to pursue computer science while continuing to learn all in my areas of interest.
What campuses in Round Rock ISD did you attend?
Canyon Vista Middle School and Westwood High School.
What is your favorite memory of your time in Round Rock ISD?
Picking one memory to represent a period of 7 years just doesn’t do justice to the diversity of the good memories I’ve had throughout the years, but I can say that what these best moments share is the connections that they helped forage. These shared moments range from sincere conversations to hysterical laughter, from the scale of IB ball to conversations in the abandoned corners of the school, from daily routine to a one time event, but in their full range, all of these best memories are of connecting with others, and together embracing our oddities.
Who has been your most influential teacher in Round Rock ISD?
There are numerous teachers who have helped shape not only what I know, but also who I am today. Madame Macharia, you helped keep me balanced and reflective through the roller coaster of the past four years. Ms. Saenz, you showed me the power of reaching out for help and helped my inner perfectionist accept that no one can or has to be good at everything. Mr. Mickel, you were always up for a question to nerd out about, from spreadsheets to edge cases to puzzling 64 65 74 61 69 6c 73.
Justin Lang
No. 8
What college will you be attending next year?
I will be attending the University of Texas at Austin to study business and computer science. The world is my oyster, right? Although I can’t tell you what exactly they are, I’m excited to embrace whatever adventures await me in the future.
What campuses in Round Rock ISD did you attend?
Spicewood Elementary School, Canyon Vista Middle School and Westwood High School.
What is your favorite memory of your time in Round Rock ISD?
My favorite memory has to come from my four years with the soccer team. Of course every moment is memorable when spending time with the boys, but the highlight came my junior year when we were able to win district at the Warrior Bowl in front of our home crowd.
Who has been your most influential teacher in Round Rock ISD?
To my most esteemed scholastic mentor Mr. Scott Chalk, thanks for teaching me that sometimes two plus two may equal five. Thanks for teaching me that sometimes a silent Native American has the most to say. Lastly, thanks for teaching me to avoid cliches, a lesson as true as actions speaking louder than words. Try to not make my sister cry too much next year :).
Emily Nguyen
No. 9
What college will you be attending next year?
I’ll be attending Stanford University to study Chemical Engineering. I am currently undecided, but the first step is to figure out more about myself and what I want to do over the next four years. However, my ideal career would synthesize my passion for natural sciences with an outlet for creative application. I am planning to further explore my interests in engineering and science at Stanford and see where I go from there!
What campuses in Round Rock ISD did you attend?
Forest Creek Elementary, Laurel Mountain Elementary, Canyon Vista Middle School, and Westwood High School.
What is your favorite memory of your time in Round Rock ISD?
I will always cherish every experience I had at Round Rock ISD, and there are too many moments to choose from! Throughout all these years, the most notable highlights were: the Great Watermelon Seed-spitting Contest of fourth grade, Camp Write-Along, awkward middle school dances, English ISP presentations, DECA trips, and the adrenaline-inducing lunch blocks before a Calculus test. The small moments of laughter I shared with my friends that have made the past thirteen years enjoyable are memories that I will always carry with me.
Who has been your most influential teacher in Round Rock ISD?
I am grateful for all of my fifty-six teachers and the impact they had on my education. I would like to give special thanks to Mr. Scott Chalk, my AP TAG English teacher, for teaching me to venture far beyond my comfort zone and to go with my third thought; to Ms. Katie Willaman and Mr. Craig Sullivan, my Precalculus and AP Calculus teachers, for removing memorization from math and showing me how to piece abstract concepts into a beautiful coherence; and to Mrs. Natalie Wieland, my AP Chemistry teacher, for teaching me to embrace failure — to fail fast and fail forward.
Emily Lu
No. 10
