< Previous20 | The Daily News | Education Celebration | June 2020 CONGRATULATIONS GALVESTON COUNTY CLASS OF 2020June 2020 | Education Celebration | The Daily News | 21 These are strange times that, I’m sure, have completely changed how you envisioned completing your senior year. The tremendous creativity being applied across the county by your school administrators to acknowledge your accomplishments cannot replace the right of passage of walking across the stage in culmination of your four years of hard work, but I want you to know that your accomplishments matter. What you are experiencing now – first hand – is reflective of what you will encounter as you embark on your new journey. Unforeseen circumstances, disappointments and frustrations will continue to be part of your future. What makes you unique is that you are learning to navigate these challenges early. Whatever your mission in life, rest assured that you are prepared to succeed, largely due to the grit and determination with which you have applied yourself these past few months to complete your high school career under extraordinary circumstances. Congratulations graduates. I wish you the best of luck and God speed. Sincerely, Michael E. Fossum Vice President, Texas A&M University Chief Operating Officer, Texas A&M University at Galveston Superintendent, Texas A&M Maritime Academy Michael E. Fossum ‘80 currently serves as a Vice President of Texas A&M University, the Chief Operating Officer of the Galveston Campus, and the Superintendent of the Texas A&M Maritime Academy. Fossum joined Texas A&M following his retirement from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) – Johnson Space Center in 2017. Fossum is a veteran of three space flights with more than 194 days in space and more than 48 hours in seven spacewalks during his 19 years as an astronaut. During his last mission in 2011, Fossum served as the Commander of the International Space Station. He has logged over 2,000 hours in 35 different aircraft throughout the course of his career. Fossum earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Texas A&M University and was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Air Force in 1980. He is also a graduate of the US Air Force Test Pilot School and has earned Master of Science degrees in Systems Engineering and Physical Science/Space Science.22 | Education Celebration | June 2020 Parents: Maria Dolores Preciado College you plan to attend: Baylor University Major: History What are your career plans? Creative Writing. What is the most important lesson you learned in high school and why? I learned a great many things during this part of my life, not limited to love, patience, strength, diligence and charac- ter. I think the most important lesson I learned was probably to recognize the importance of dreams, ultimately dreams are what the best of society run on. What was your favorite extracurricular activity and why? Music. I’m self taught and tu- tored in different instruments. What did you enjoy most about high school? My senior year. What are you looking forward to about college? Expanding my knowledge to help and enlighten people. What is your most important accomplishment and why are you proud of it? Of the things I have made my- self, I would say my writing is most important. I have worked on, honed and expanded it for many years and am consider- ably proud of the fruit it has born. What do you do in your free time? Read, write, spend time with my pets, play or listen to music, talk to my boyfriend, workout, video games, draw, or learn a new chore. What is your favorite show to binge watch? I don’t have one. I like “Go- tham,” “Wild Alaska,” “Vi- kings,” stuff like that. What is your spirit animal and why? Owl. They are creatures representative of intuition, foreknowledge and nighttime. They often mate for life and are admirably loyal to their families. What is one piece of advice your parents gave you that turned out to be true? Use respect everywhere you go. It will show your level of dignity, and earn you favor. What is something interesting that most people don’t know about you? I have Asperger’s Syndrome. Most people don’t expect that, because of how I’ve evidently worked on my communication skills and noise tolerance. If you could meet one famous person dead or alive, what would you ask him/her and why? A difficult question. Perhaps Vincent van Gogh. And I’d ask what made him see the world the way he did. Where do you get your news? Various sources. Research, magazines, Apple News, word of mouth. What social media platform do you think is the most influ- ential for your generation? Instagram. What is the most pressing issue of your generation? Their future. The combination of debt, people’s strength of character (or lack thereof), and environmental changes. If you could give one piece of advice to incoming freshmen, what would it be? Learn all you can, and keep yourself together; dream freely, and work to make those dreams reality. ABIGAIL LONNGI Abundant Life Christian School Leslie P. Daughtry Scholarship winner About Abigail The Daily News is proud to award the Leslie P. Daughtry Scholarship to deserv- ing college-bound graduates from Galveston County. Named after Leslie P. Daughtry, publisher of The Daily News from 1967 to 1987.These scholarships are awarded to each of the 15 high schools in Galveston County.June 2020 | Education Celebration | 23 Parents: Antoinette Thompson and Larry Menifee College you plan to attend: Stephen F. Austin State University Major: Mass Communications What are your career plans? To ultimately work with people and better my community. What is the most important lesson you learned in high school and why? In high school, I’ve learned to never set your expectations too high for a certain thing. I feel as if we, as a society, have high expec- tations for lots of things and as a result, we are left disappointed be- cause those expectations weren’t met. High school has taught me to just live in the moment. What was your favorite extracur- ricular activity and why? Student council is my favorite ex- tracurricular activity because I have been apart of it for six years and it has taught me skills I will need throughout my entire life. What did you enjoy most about high school? I’ve probably enjoyed my friend- ships and bonds made with all types of people the most. What are you looking forward to about college? I am mai my looking forward to growing as a person in college and really focusing on my future career. What is your most important accomplishment and why are you proud of it? My most important accomplish- ment would have to be getting voted student council president. It allows me to be dependable and a person everyone can go to for clarity. What do you do in your free time? If I’m not doing homework, I am typically working out, playing volleyball, or on the beach with friends. What is your favorite show to binge watch? “Big Brother.” What is your spirit animal and why? My spirit animal would have to be a sloth because of how cool and laid back I am. What is one piece of advice your parents gave you that turned out to be true? Being myself will get me the fur- thest in life. What is something interesting that most people don’t know about you? One thing a lot of people don’t know about me is that I’m an extremely good cook and plan on attending culinary school after I get my degree at SFA. If you could meet one famous person dead or alive, what would you ask him/her and why? If I could meet one famous person, it would have to be Frank Ocean. I’d as him if he could release his new album faster. Where do you get your news? Friends, family and Channel 13. What social media platform do you think is the most influential for your generation? Snapchat. What is the most pressing issue of your generation? I feel that the impact of social media has put lots of pressures on what we expect out of people and how we think people should look. If you could give one piece of advice to incoming freshmen, what would it be? My advice to incoming freshmen would be to take freshman year serious for it could be a burden to their high school career in the future if not taken serious enough. LARRENZE MENIFEE Ball High School Leslie P. Daughtry Scholarship winner About Larrenze24 | Education Celebration | June 2020 Parents: Kim Flax-Freeman and Duane Freeman College you plan to attend: University of North Texas Major: Communication design and nonprofit leadership What are your career plans? I intend on using my degrees to go wherever the lord leads me. My dream is to open a nonprofit organization that helps families and their communities. What is the most important lesson you learned in high school and why? I learned that not everyone thinks like you and that it is important to always keep an open mind. This is important because if everyone is always close-minded, there will never be room for change in the world. What was your favorite extracurricular activity and why? I honestly cannot choose. I think they all helped me grow in differ- ent ways. What did you enjoy most about high school? Growing as a person with my best friends by my side. What are you looking forward to about college? Growing even more and learning about the things that I love most. What is your most important accomplishment and why are you proud of it? I think my most important accom- plishment is serving my commu- nity well. I think that awards and medals are amazing, but I love seeing people’s needs being met. What do you do in your free time? I like to do anything that has to do with art. I also enjoy hanging out with my friends. What is your favorite show to binge watch? There are so many, but right now it would have to be “New Girl.” What is your spirit animal and why? Definitely a cheetah. They seem really chill and fun at the same time. What is one piece of advice your parents gave you that turned out to be true? “Be friendly to those who are friendly.” I have made so many friends that I would not have made if I did not always have this in the back of my mind. What is something interesting that most people don’t know about you? I have two rods and 16 screws in my back from a surgery I had my freshman year. If you could meet one famous person dead or alive, what would you ask him/her and why? It would definitely be Jackie Hill Perry. I would ask her about how she loves people and God so well. Where do you get your news? If I am being completely honest, Twitter. What social media platform do you think is the most influential for your generation? At the moment, TikTok. People will do literally anything just to become famous on that app. What is the most pressing issue of your generation? Being too connected. There is no need to get to know anyone anymore because we feel as if we know it all through social media. If you could give one piece of advice to incoming freshmen, what would it be? Do not spend all of high school trying to impress people, because there is a really high chance that they will forget you. Do what makes you happy. KRISTIAN FREEMAN Bay Area Christian School Leslie P. Daughtry Scholarship winner About KristianJune 2020 | Education Celebration | 25 Clear Creek High School Leslie P. Daughtry Scholarship winner Parents: Eric and Lori Severson College you plan to attend: University of Texas at Austin Major: Journalism What are your career plans? I want to be a journalist, I am not exactly sure what type yet. As of right now, I am leaning toward being a political journalist. What is the most important lesson you learned in high school and why? The most important lesson I learned in high school was that I could achieve anything I wanted to, as long as I put in the effort. This was an important lesson to me because there were always moments when people put me down, and told me I could not achieve what I did, and I let them get to me. But I realized that with enough hard work and effort, I could do anything I put my mind to. What was your favorite extracurricular activity and why? My favorite extracurricular is newspaper. I love writing stories, doing interviews, taking pictures, but most of all, I love putting it all together to create the newspaper. What did you enjoy most about high school? The thing I enjoyed most about high school was being on the newspaper staff. I took journalism classes in middle school and when I joined newspaper in high school, my pas- sion for journalism only grew stronger. What are you looking forward to about college? I am looking forward to college because I am eager to see what the exciting yet scary “go- ing off to college” experience is like. I am ready for the independence and freedom that is going to come with going off to col- lege. I am ready to grow more as person and begin my higher education journey as well. What is your most important accomplish- ment and why are you proud of it? My most important accomplishment in high school is becoming editor-in-chief of my school’s newspaper, The HiLife. This is an accomplishment I am especially proud of because I worked my way up to the position the three years I was in the program. Also in my junior year, the top writers for the staff competed in UIL, and we were crowned District Champions! It was the first time that staff had won the award in a few years. What do you do in your free time? In my free time, I normally go on bike rides, play my Nintendo Switch, watch YouTube videos or spend time with my pet bunny, Otis. What is your favorite show to binge watch? My favorite TV show to binge watch on Netflix is “Jane the Virgin.” What is your spirit animal and why? I would have to say my spirit animal is an owl. I think that owls are strong, wise, intel- ligent and graceful. I think we are similar in these ways. What is one piece of advice your parents gave you that turned out to be true? A piece of advice my parents gave me that turned out to be true is to trust my first in- stincts. I feel like my first instincts are almost always right, and their advice is what has guided me to make good decisions. What is something interesting that most people don’t know about you? I think something interesting most people don’t know about me is that I am left hand- ed, which in away makes me ambidextrous. While I write and eat using my left hand, I do everything else with my right; playing sports, using scissors, shaking hands, etc. The world is not designed to accommodate left-hand- ed people so I just have to know how to use both hands! If you could meet one famous person dead or alive, what would you ask him/her and why? If I could meet any famous person, I would want to meet Beto O’Rourke. During his campaign for Senate is when I really started to take interest in politics. He is such a big inspiration to me. His enthusiasm and ambition is what I believe made him to close to taking Ted Cruz’ seat in office. I would want to ask him: What inspired you to run for senator? Where do you get your news? I get my news in may ways, I read The New York Times and The Washington Post online. I watch MSNBC on TV. I watch The Daily Show with Trevor Noah on YouTube, but my favorite way of getting the news would have to be in story meetings with my own newspaper staff! What social media platform do you think is the most influential for your generation? Even though I don’t have one, probably Twit- ter. So much happens on Twitter, we even see our president using it now. So much news is generated from Twitter it’s hard to keep up with, but I think that is what our generation is about, having a constant flow of information. What is the most pressing issue of your generation? The most pressing issue for my generation is most definitely climate change. My gener- ation is listening to the science. We know that if we do not take action now, when the consequences of climate change are upon us, it will be too late. Our lives and our future depend on electing a leader that will take climate change seriously, electing a leader that doesn’t believe that climate change is a hoax. I believe that the 2016 election is really what made my generation so politically involved. If you could give one piece of advice to incoming freshmen, what would it be? One piece of advice I would give to fresh- men is to have fun in high school, but still take it seriously. I believe what made me so successful now is that I set up a good foun- dation for myself of studying freshman year. While my senior year is being cut short and I am wishing that I would have gone to a few more football games now, I still think taking my work seriously took me far. MORGAN SEVERSON About MorganClear Falls High School Leslie P. Daughtry Scholarship winner 26 | Education Celebration | June 2020 Parents: Brandy German College you plan to attend: Southern Arkansas University Major: Interactive Media What are your career plans? Edit sports film and photography. What is the most important lesson you learned in high school and why? Having good character is more important then being popular. What was your favorite extracurricular activity and why? Track — I love to pole vault. What did you enjoy most about high school? The variety of classes, clubs and activities that are available to help guide me to the career path I am choosing. What are you looking forward to about college? Meet new friends, learning all about interactive media and track. What is your most important accomplishment and why are you proud of it? Track — Set the school record in pole vault. I like to always challenge myself to be better at what every I do. What do you do in your free time? Take pictures, workout. What is your favorite show to binge watch? Old professional track meets with a focus on pole vault. What is your spirit animal and why? Tigger because I am all over the place. What is one piece of advice your parents gave you that turned out to be true? Your GPA starts from the moment you walk in the door your freshman year. What is something interesting that most people don’t know about you? I am a pole vaulter. If you could meet one famous person dead or alive, what would you ask him/her and why? Any professional pole vaulter — will I jump if I wear your shoes? Where do you get your news? Internet and YouTube What social media platform do you think is the most influential for your generation? Snapchat and Tik Tok What is the most pressing issue of your generation? Communication face to face. If you could give one piece of advice to incoming freshmen, what would it be? Your GPA starts when you walk in the door. Stay focused and goal driven while still having fun. DYLAN GERMAN About DylanJune 2020 | Education Celebration | 27 Clear Springs High School Leslie P. Daughtry Scholarship winner Parents: Phuong and Lien Pham College you plan to attend: University of St. Thomas-Houston Major: Biology What are your career plans? I plan to pursue entrance into medical school to study to become a skilled physician in residency and beyond. What is the most important lesson you learned in high school and why? The most important lesson I learned in high school is hard work and dedication to your passions pay off in the long run. What was your favorite extracurricu- lar activity and why? My favorite extracurricular activity was being a part of the fine arts depart- ment and competing in art competi- tions each year, including VASE and the Scholastic Art & Writing competitions. What did you enjoy most about high school? I enjoyed building lasting relationships with my friends and learning a lot about myself and others in the process. I am grateful for having a group of friends that encourage me to be the best version of myself I can be. What are you looking forward to about college? Having been accepted to the UST Hon- ors program, I am looking forward to meeting a new community of likemind- ed and driven students to learn and succeed alongside. What is your most important accom- plishment and why are you proud of it? I received a pin from UTMB Volunteer Services indicating that I have com- pleted over 400 hours of community service at UTMB over the course of four years in high school. I am proud of this accomplishment because that pin represents my dedication to the organization and how passionate I am about the field of medicine. What do you do in your free time? I have always enjoyed drawing and reading in my free time. What is your favorite show to binge watch? My favorite show to binge-watch is “Criminal Minds.” What is your spirit animal and why? I believe my spirit animal is a bee because they are hard-working and dedicated to what they do, and I hope that one day I can be as beneficial to humanity as bees are. What is one piece of advice your parents gave you that turned out to be true? My parents always told me to focus on my own path despite what other peo- ple may think, and it has allowed me to become more driven and passionate about what I love to do. What is something interesting that most people don’t know about you? Something interesting that most peo- ple don’t know about me is that I love to cook and bake. If you could meet one famous person dead or alive, what would you ask him/her and why? If I could meet one famous person, I’d love to meet Leonardo da Vinci and ask him what he thinks about all the art and innovations that were inspired by him today because I believe he is one of the most influential individuals in history. Where do you get your news? I receive my news from online posts, articles and videos regarding current events. What social media platform do you think is the most influential for your generation? I believe the social media platform that is most influential in my generation is Instagram. What is the most pressing issue of your generation? I believe the most pressing issue of my generation is the growing competition in the future job market as technology becomes more prominently imple- mented in our lives. If you could give one piece of advice to incoming freshmen, what would it be? My one piece of advice is to make the best of and be thankful for the re- sources available to you, including your teachers and counselors. KIM PHAM About KimDickinson High School Leslie P. Daughtry Scholarship winner 28 | Education Celebration | June 2020 Parents: Veronica and Michael Quiballo College you plan to attend: Undecided between UT Austin, University of Michigan, University of Alabama or Universi- ty of Houston Major: Biomedical Engineering What are your career plans? I plan to major in biomedical engineering then go to graduate school for law. I then want to go into the Navy and become a JAG Lawyer. What is the most important lesson you learned in high school and why? The most important lesson that I learned in high school was that if I don’t work hard from the start, I lose the opportunity to have a strong foundation. Like with chemistry, in the beginning it was easy and I just breezed through it and didn’t really focus, but near the end, it got harder and I lost the knowledge to do those prob- lems since I wasn’t focused. What was your favorite extracur- ricular activity and why? My favorite extracurricular would have to be tennis. As the top play- er at Dickinson, I always had these younger players looking up to me and I enjoyed being a mentor and playing competitively. What did you enjoy most about high school? I enjoyed the opportunity I had to learn from these amazing teachers and to forge lifelong friends. What are you looking forward to about college? I’m looking forward to living on my own and being independent with my own decisions. Living on campus and experiencing all college has to offer. What is your most important accomplishment and why are you proud of it? My accomplishment that I’m most proud of is raising my dog. I was given my dog the beginning of freshman year and he was my sole responsibility. I took him and trained him and did everything. He came out to be a fine young dog and he is my pride and joy. What do you do in your free time? In my free time, I workout and read different classic novels. I play any sport that is in season also. What is your favorite show to binge watch? My favorite show to binge watch is “Rick and Morty.” What is your spirit animal and why? My spirit animal is a bear because I like to eat a lot and sleep for long periods of time. What is one piece of advice your parents gave you that turned out to be true? A piece of advice is that you can’t succeed alone. What is something interesting that most people don’t know about you? Unknown to many people is that I can sing really well. I’m not sure why I don’t share it but very little people know that fact. If you could meet one famous person dead or alive, what would you ask him/her and why? I would ask Isaac Newton why he had to curse us with his three laws. Where do you get your news? I look at the news on Apple News. What social media platform do you think is the most influential for your generation? Instagram would probably be the most influential, but Tik Tok is rising up. What is the most pressing issue of your generation? I feel like it is the want to go viral or be famous. If you could give one piece of advice to incoming freshmen, what would it be? Start strong because by the time you realize you need to work hard, it’s too late. CALEB GARCIA-QUIBALLO About CalebJune 2020 | Education Celebration | 29 Friendswood High School Leslie P. Daughtry Scholarship winner Parents: Mai Dao and Tuong Tran College you plan to attend: University of Houston Major: Chemistry What are your career plans? I plan to go into the medical field and become an oncologist, a doctor that studies cancer. I have always wanted to be a doctor ever since I was young. The complexities of the human body have always fascinated me, so I want to study it more and hopefully help others in need. What is the most important lesson you learned in high school and why? Always take everything one step at a time. Although it feels like the weight of the world is on your shoulders, it is okay to take a step back and readjust. It is okay to make mistakes, but we should learn from them. They can sometimes be our most valuable lessons. What was your favorite extracur- ricular activity and why? I loved being apart of my school’s recycling club. It was a place where my friends and people who shared the same beliefs about the environ- ment came together to promote the importance of preserving the environment and world. What did you enjoy most about high school? My teachers and friends made the last four years in high school special. They helped and taught me new things about life and about myself. They are the ones who helped shape me into the person I am now. What are you looking forward to about college? I look forward to all the new expe- riences I will have in college. This is the beginning to the rest of my adult life, so I want to savor each moment. We only get one first in our life, so I am excited for every- thing college has to offer. What is your most important accomplishment and why are you proud of it? Despite all of the good grades and test scores, I am the most proud of being involved in my school’s recy- cling club. I am able to share and promote simple ways to preserve our environment. Although what I do is small in comparison to others, I believe my small contribution will eventually make a big change. What do you do in your free time? I enjoy spending my downtime reading a good book with a nice cup of tea. If I am not reading, then I love to spend time with my friends going on silly adventures. What is your favorite show to binge watch? “Friends” or “The Office” are two of my favorite shows in the world. They are filled with such humor and delight that I can always go back and watch. What is your spirit animal and why? I always like to believe my spirit animal is a turtle. They have a hard shell that protects them from the dangers of the outside world, but they have a soft interior that is so caring and gentle. Like a turtle’s shell, I show my confidence to the world through my hard work. How- ever, on the inside, I am a caring person that only wants to best for everyone. What is one piece of advice your parents gave you that turned out to be true? My parents always told me to be strong and brave despite the world around me. They told me it was my job to not let anyone else tell me what I could not do or be. It is my strength in the face of others that will always help me conquer any obstacles that get in my way. What is something interesting that most people don’t know about you? I love to bake all types of treats. From cookies to cakes, I love to make any desserts from scratch. It started off as an experiment for me to make my own cookies, but then it became one of my favorite hobbies. If you could meet one famous person dead or alive, what would you ask him/her and why? I would love to meet Elizabeth Blackwell. She was the first woman to receive a medical degree in the United States. During a time when women were treated differently from men, she became a doctor and pioneered education for wom- en in medicine. Her life was filled with many hardships, but despite all of the difficulties, Blackwell accom- plished her goals and helped the future of women in healthcare field. Where do you get your news? I typically get my news from my subscribed online newspapers. With the advancements in tech- nology, it is easier for me to access any important information from the news or media when articles are alerted to me on my phone. What social media platform do you think is the most influential for your generation? I believe that Snapchat or Twitter are two of the most influential so- cial media platforms of my genera- tion. Each one offers pros and cons, but generally they are the ones that most kids I know use. What is the most pressing issue of your generation? The most pressing issue of my generation is the deterioration of the environment. I am extremely passionate in preserving the world and all its natural beauty. Climate change is a real problem that will continue to effect not just the lives of my family and I, but rather it will continue to effect the lives of my fu- ture family for generations to come. If you could give one piece of ad- vice to incoming freshmen, what would it be? Enjoy the few four years you will have walking the halls of your high school. You never know what could happen, so work hard and diligently. These next four years are a critical time in your life that will shape your incredible future. Along the way, take some time to relax and hang out with friends. It is okay to have fun and make incredible memories. ELIZABETH TRAN About ElizabethNext >