McNeil
High School
2022
Top 10
As graduates across Round Rock ISD prepare to begin the next chapter of their lives, we take a moment to recognize the Top 10 students from each campus. The Top 10 students were asked to answer a series of questions about their journey through Round Rock ISD and their next steps.
Jessica Shoemaker – Valedictorian
What campuses in Round Rock ISD did you attend?
Cedar Valley Middle School and McNeil High School.
What’s the best memory you have of your time in Round Rock ISD? Why?
My favorite memory is concocting and performing the Math Histories for every Mu Alpha Theta Math Honor Society Meeting. This involved finding out unusual information about famous mathematicians and through the use of convoluted math equations and the occasional poem, I connected the information to an important deadline in the club. These math histories allowed me to express my creative side and share my love of math with my peers, while forcing my unique sense of humor on everyone involved.
Who has been your most influential teacher in Round Rock ISD? Why?
There are so many teachers to recognize, but here are a few. Back in eighth grade, Mr. Lawrence (Geometry) and Ms. Gregory(Science) fueled my love of STEM and my desire to succeed. Mr. Gerhardstein (History) taught me to love learning outside of the STEM field and to always think outside of the box. Once I got to McNeil, Ms. Matthews (Pre-Calculus), Mr. Decker (Calculus), and Mr. Emry (Computer Science), continued to fuel my love of STEM and acted as my biggest supporters throughout the treacherous high school landscape. Lastly, Ms. Drummond (Latin) reminded me that learning can be a lot of fun, and sometimes you have to allow yourself the freedom to be creative.
What college will you be attending next year? What will you be studying?
I will be attending Massachusetts Institute of Technology and studying computer science (Course 6).
What do you hope to pursue after college?
As a field, computer science is changing quickly and I am going to see where it takes me.
Grace Sorensen – Salutatorian
What campuses in Round Rock ISD did you attend?
England Elementary, Cedar Valley Middle School and McNeil High School.
What’s the best memory you have of your time in Round Rock ISD? Why?
Some of my favorite memories include playing volleyball with amazing friends who always made me laugh, encouraged me, and kept my energy going at early morning practices. I will never forget our team dinners where we bonded and even had an impromptu musical concert or when we played an intense game of hide and go seek in the locker room. The TEAMS competition sophomore year was also so much fun with touring the Amazon building, playing Heads Up with my teammates at the hotel, and pulling through to get first in our division. I’ve also enjoyed getting food with my friends during lunch, hanging out in the library, going to psych club meetings, and of course seeing Mr .Decker get pied in the face for pi day. I will always cherish the good friends and memories I’ve made over the years.
Who has been your most influential teacher in Round Rock ISD? Why?
So many teachers have made my experience amazing while at Round Rock ISD. My 5th grade teacher Ms. Schermerhorn taught me to dream big and make the world a better place. My middle school band directors Mr. Bonathan and Mr. Alvarado hold a special place in my heart for always making me laugh and dealing with all our silliness. The positivity and enthusiasm that Mr. Prince brings to his class helped me tackle physics and accomplish more than I thought I ever could. I also appreciate Ms. Windolph who has taught me so many wise life lessons and helped me discover the world of engineering.
What college will you be attending next year? What will you be studying?
The University of Nebraska at Omaha to study architectural engineering.
What do you hope to pursue after college?
After college, I hope to design and create sustainable buildings that are beautiful and comfortable for the public.
Changxu Liu – No. 3
What campuses in Round Rock ISD did you attend?
McNeil High School.
What’s the best memory you have of your time in Round Rock ISD? Why?
One of the highlights of my time at McNeil must be aiding the “overthrow” of the robotics club government with a stuffed teddy bear. It started off as just making a “Vote Sir Bear” campaign poster for a joke, before it soon snowballed into amusing debates and a revolution. But this is just one of the many memories I will be taking with me as I leave high school. I will also remember all the fun times I had with my friends as we competed at Engineering Club and collaborated on NASA Challenges together.
Who has been your most influential teacher in Round Rock ISD? Why?
Mr. Emry has helped me develop my interest in programming and allowed me to push myself to new heights by being the lead teacher in the NASA App Development Challenge. Ms. Escalon and Mr. Berry made it possible for me to experience the joys (and frustrations) of robotics by sponsoring the robotics club at McNeil. Mr. Prince has made physics fun and interesting by passionately showing all the ways it’s present in everyday life. Mr. Decker’s class has always been difficult but has prepared me for the challenges that lay ahead of me. I am fortunate to have had so many wonderful teachers that helped me get to where I am today that I wish I could have listed them all.
What college will you be attending next year? What will you be studying?
I will be attending the University of Texas at Austin to study electrical and computer engineering in the ECE Honors program.
What do you hope to pursue after college?
After college, I’m not entirely sure what I’d want to pursue. I’ve always been fascinated by the technology we have in space and would like to help advance it someday, but the field of computers and electronics is so broad and diverse that I don’t want to set anything in stone yet.
Sairamana SIvakumar – No. 4
What campuses in Round Rock ISD did you attend?
Brushy Creek Elementary School, Cedar Valley Middle School and McNeil High School.
What’s the best memory you have of your time in Round Rock ISD? Why?
Round Rock ISD has provided me with plenty of amazing memories, so I will present the ones that stuck with me most. From elementary school, I take with me the early morning bike rides to school with my neighborhood friends and frequent visits to the computer lab in second grade that remind me to not take the school chromebooks for granted. From middle school, I will never forget the Innovation Day sessions that helped me find a passion for STEM, and the chess match that resolved my months-long feud with Mr. Lawrence about chess being a sport. From high school, I will remember the times I toured the AT&T Stadium, Amazon DFW Fulfillment Center, and Galleria mall with my friends for TEAMS, and initiating a coup with Changxu against the Robotics Club Leadership with my dog and a vigilante stuffed animal. Other fun memories include losing a running race against Mr. Caswell, and attending TAME, Robotics, and Engineering Club meetings (virtual and in-person) which were refreshing after stressful school days.
Who has been your most influential teacher in Round Rock ISD? Why?
Coach Teague instilled in me the values of persistence and always putting my best effort (with the countless lab reports I rewrote), and Ms. Eustice and Mr. Prince taught me the importance of asking questions to learn concepts in depth. Mr. Lawrence and Mr. Decker always infused humor in their math lessons, helping me stay awake when I may have occasionally dozed off. I credit my interests in language and history to Sra. Gallegos and Sra. Garcia, from their “juicy” stories to deep Don Quixote analysis sessions. I am also thankful to my engineering teachers, Mrs. Windolph, Mr. Tomberlin, and Mrs. Copeland, for motivating me to pursue my interests in engineering, through challenging yet rewarding projects, and Dr. Zhao and Mr. Caswell for helping me develop my musical technique through their enthusiasm for orchestra and music theory! Lastly, I appreciate Mr. Berry and Mrs. Reed for committing their time to sponsor the Robotics and TAME clubs, and my counselor, Mrs. Kuempel, for her quick email replies and encouragement in my course interests!
What college will you be attending next year? What will you be studying?
I will be attending the University of Texas at Austin to study electrical and computer engineering in the ECE honors program. I would additionally like to pursue Sanskrit or Physics and the UTeach program.
What do you hope to pursue after college?
I hope to pursue a Masters or Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and specialize in signal processing or electromagnetics. After my college education, I hope to either conduct research for a university or work in the industry for some years. Eventually, I would like to become a teacher or professor, since students and their contributions will shape the future.
Aditya Hadavale – No. 5
What campuses in Round Rock ISD did you attend?
Brushy Creek Elementary School, Sommer Elementary School, England Elementary School, Cedar Valley Middle School, and McNeil High School.
What’s the best memory you have of your time in Round Rock ISD? Why?
My best memory in Round Rock ISD was going to Dallas for the TEAMS engineering competition with my friends and my twin brother, Akshay. Touring the AT&T Stadium that day and staying up till 2:00 AM playing Super Smash Bros in our hotel room gave me some great memories that I will always remember. Another one of my favorite memories is when I was interviewed by multiple news channels after my team won NASA’s TechRise competition. It was an experience of a lifetime.
Who has been your most influential teacher in Round Rock ISD? Why?
This is a hard question for me to answer since all my teachers have helped me become who I am today. To name a few, I would like to thank my Computer Science teacher Mr. Emry, who I was fortunate to have for the last three years. His enthusiasm and stories of his experiences in the field gave me a deeper understanding of the fundamentals of Computer Science. Next, I am grateful to Mr. Tomberlin, my engineering teacher, who helped lay the foundation I would use in my later engineering courses. His hands-on teaching not only helped me in Engineering but also gave me a better insight into Physics and Calculus.
What college will you be attending next year? What will you be studying?
I will be attending the University of Texas at Austin to study computer science.
What do you hope to pursue after college?
After college, I plan to pursue a master’s degree in Business or Computer Science.
Ye-un Christina Go – No. 6
What campuses in Round Rock ISD did you attend?
McNeil High School. I moved from South Korea during my freshman year!
What’s the best memory you have of your time in Round Rock ISD? Why?
I, a (self-proclaimed) Mr. Decker portrait artist, had a lot of fun decorating the ‘Decker Wall’ on one corner of his whiteboard. Filling up the empty space with a variety of Mr. Decker’s “multi-verse identities” (i.e. Kirby, Mario, Sans) was almost, but not quite, as fun as learning calculus… I may have also used Mr. Luna’s mini whiteboards in an attempt to branch out the multi-verse agenda. My four years in TAME (Texas Alliance for Minorities in Engineering) with Ms. Reed were also filled with incredible stories. The state competition trips with Susanna were by far the most memorable: screaming while soaring down the zipline, eating breakfast half-asleep, crunching numbers on our calculator while watching the sunset in the woods, and taking each other’s prank pictures while sleeping in the bus.
Who has been your most influential teacher in Round Rock ISD? Why?
I was blessed to have met so many wonderful teachers both in and out of the academic context, and I thank every one of them for their heartfelt and unconditional support. Ms. Torrance, while she has retired as of now, bloomed my passion for visual arts and molded me into the artist I currently am. Her firm guidance has polished my skills for a richer and more creative expression, and her warm encouragement motivated me to persist through my slumps. During my transition from ‘art as a hobby’ to being an internationally published artist presenting my work to 99 different countries, Mr. Torrance was the one to spark the beginning of my journey, and I couldn’t have asked for a better mentor than her.
What college will you be attending next year? What will you be studying?
I’ll be attending the University of Texas at Austin as a Computer Science major and full-tuition Merit Impact Scholar.
What do you hope to pursue after college?
After graduation, I wish to pioneer a career in my niche interest of Computer Vision, Visual Arts, and Human-Computer Interaction.
Jennifer Kim – No. 7
What campuses in Round Rock ISD did you attend?
England Elementary School, Cedar Valley Middle School and McNeil High School.
What’s the best memory you have of your time in Round Rock ISD? Why?
Some of the best memories I have had is with the McNeil band. In particular, I loved dressing up as a meme with the other drum majors during summer band. The football games, competitions, and even the hard rehearsals were all amazing, because I was going through it with the best people. Another one of my favorite memories is eating lunch in 8th grade in Mrs. Gregory’s room with my best friends.
Who has been your most influential teacher in Round Rock ISD? Why?
My most influential teachers have been my band directors Mr. Dimiceli and Mr. Muñoz. They have both supported me all throughout high school and have taught me so much about leadership and teamwork. I also want to thank Mrs. Edsel for teaching me to always be passionate about what I want to do and Mrs. Hedlund for always making my day better. I’m so grateful for all the teachers I have had and the difference they’ve made in my life.
What college will you be attending next year? What will you be studying?
I will be attending MIT and be studying either bioengineering or computer science and molecular biology.
What do you hope to pursue after college?
I hope to further my education or pursue a career in bioinformatics after college. I want to study and find new ways to improve the medical field using computer science.
Namish Kukreja – No. 8
What campuses in Round Rock ISD did you attend?
Great Oaks Elementary School, England Elementary School, Cedar Valley Middle School and McNeil High School.
What’s the best memory you have of your time in Round Rock ISD? Why?
It’s difficult to pick one memory out of the past 13 years, I have a lot of favorites. Our elementary school TAG class performing our fractured play named “The Prince and his Toaster” and making our entire 5th grade class completely lose it was a memory I’ll never forget. There’s the QuizBowl practices tournaments of 8th grade, where we raced to answer trivia questions, obsessed over sea cucumbers, Pluto, and Magellan, and had a good time whether we won or lost. Then there’s the intense Saturday morning practices and competitions of high school competitive programming, in a room full of chatter and keyboard tapping, where I learned how to work with a team and learned so many new concepts. There’s also the countless memories of DECA competitions, arguing about $35 in a hotel room with friends, wandering around the streets of Dallas, Fort Worth, and Houston after spending a day in a business suit, and walking two miles to a convenience store or to get boba.
Who has been your most influential teacher in Round Rock ISD? Why?
Mrs. Armantrout, our TAG teacher who challenged us as young elementary schoolers and changed the way we thought at an extremely young age, everything after her class felt so much easier.
Mrs. Gregory, Mr. Gerhardstein, Mr. Lawrence, and Mrs. Margulies who went out of their way to encourage us and challenge us; they all had extremely eclectic teaching styles, which made every day interesting – you never knew what to expect walking into their classrooms, but you would always walk away smiling.
Mr. Emry, who pushed me to my limits in gaining knowledge on computer science and gave me the opportunity to participate in Computer Science UIL and the NASA ADC, and basically showed me my future career.
Mr. Norwood, who consistently supported me and helped me in my pursuits of business, and taught me how to plan, lead, and communicate effectively, and put up with the energy of our DECA officer team.
Mrs. Edsel, who always pushed us to think a little further than we did, to dig deeper instead of scratching the surface; I’ll never forget the heated arguments about whether Brave New World is a functioning utopia or not (IT IS), and hearing all the crazy weekend stories of Eashaan, Garrett, Marley, and so many more in her class.
What college will you be attending next year? What will you be studying?
I’ll be attending the University of Texas at Austin studying computer science.
What do you hope to pursue after college?
As of now, it’s a little unclear where I want to go, but I know I want to either create a start-up business, or research the applications of computer science in the fields of space and medicine.
Siona Kalambi – No. 9
What campuses in Round Rock ISD did you attend?
Brushy Creek Elementary School, Cedar Valley Middle School and McNeil High School.
What’s the best memory you have of your time in Round Rock ISD? Why?
One of my favorite memories comes from eighth grade when my friends and I were recruited by our science teacher, Ms. Gregory, to paint the periodic table on her ceiling tiles. We argued over what music to play and what colors to use, but in the end we had the elements color-coded on the ceiling. If ever we needed to reference it, we just had to look up.
Who has been your most influential teacher in Round Rock ISD? Why?
One of my most influential teachers is Mrs. Schoener, my fourth grade teacher from Brushy Creek Elementary who enthusiastically read books out loud; we laughed together, cried together, and learned to love literature together. At Cedar Valley, I have to mention Ms. Gregory and Mr. G. I can never forget the periodic table of elements and the first ten amendments. At McNeil, I have to thank Mr. Vuong and Mrs. Edsel for patiently answering my questions no matter how long it took or how late it was. Finally, Mr. Bowen is just the best for his insights on art and its history, making me look at my work from different perspectives, being the best club sponsor, and making everything frog themed.
What college will you be attending next year? What will you be studying?
I will be attending Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida to study motion design, a combination of graphic design and animation.
What do you hope to pursue after college?
Through the medium of motion design, I would like to tell stories that help us learn to empathize not only with others but with ourselves. My ultimate goal is to make people feel through the stories I’d like to tell.
Christina Ko – No. 10
What campuses in Round Rock ISD did you attend?
Cedar Valley Middle School and McNeil High School.
What’s the best memory you have of your time in Round Rock ISD? Why?
One of the best memories I’ve had would be the time I played Mao with a group of friends during mid-terms week. Mao is a card game where the players figure out the unspoken rules during the game. Most of us were beginners, so we had absolutely no idea what we were doing. The first rule was to stay silent, so we used confusing, funny hand gestures to try asking the non-beginners if the card moves we did were allowed. This chaotic but enjoyable time I had with my friends playing Mao was truly unforgettable.
Who has been your most influential teacher in Round Rock ISD? Why?
I am grateful for all of the teachers I have had for helping me grow and become the person I am today. However, I would especially like to thank Ms. Eustice for answering my endless amount of questions on chemistry even during her lunchtime; Ms. Edsel for being like a mother figure, encouraging me to challenge myself, and giving me life advice; Ms. Sur for reassuring me when I had self-doubts; Ms. Dugan for teaching me that failure is more of a learning experience than a setback; Ms. Gregory for highlighting the importance of teamwork, and Mr. Gerhardstein for making each class fun and exciting.
What college will you be attending next year? What will you be studying?
I will be attending Rice University to study neuroscience and environmental science and be on the pre-med track.
What do you hope to pursue after college?
After college, I hope to become a psychiatrist and an environmentalist.
