TRIB TOTAL MEDIA WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18, 2018 · 9
Elena McGoey
School, grade:
North Hills Senior
High School, 11
Parents: Victoria
and Christopher
McGoey
Academic
achievements:
Carson Scholar;
Highest Honors; National Honor Soci-ety;
American Legion Award.
Extracurricular activities: Research
Project on Sea Turtle Rehabilita-tion
for AP Environmental Science,
Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium;
Apprenticeship on Zoo Animal Care,
Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium,
through the Allegheny Intermediate
Unit; wind symphony; marching band.
Community involvement: Men-tor
and junior volunteer, Glade Run
Adventures, Glade Run Lutheran
Services; shadow, Humane Animal
Rescue; flutist, Joyful Noise En-semble;
teen volunteer, The National
Aviary; zoo teen volunteer, Pittsburgh
Zoo & PPG Aquarium.
Plans/goals: I am hoping to pursue
a career in veterinary medicine with
a specialty in exotic or wildlife animal
rehabilitation. I would also like to
combine a veterinary career with
animal-assisted therapy for children
with disabilities.
Katherine O’Connell
School, grade:
Aquinas
Academy, 11
Parents:
Jacinta and
Michael O’Connell
Academic
achievements:
Aquinas Academy
Athletic Program, Scholar-Athlete
Award; Magna Cum Laude Honor
Roll; G.K. Chesterton Essay-Writing
Contest, first place; Pennsylvania
Junior Academy of Science Regional
Competition, first award; Pennsylva-nia
Junior Academy of Science State
Competition, first award.
Extracurricular activities: Year-book,
editor-in-chief; lacrosse; Model
European Union; school plays; Writing
Club; Service Club; Pennsylvania Ju-nior
Academy of Science; Pittsburgh
Public Theater Shakespeare Competi-tion;
Campus Ministry Committee.
Community involvement: Bouquet
Park Pool, lifeguard, bathhouse at-tendant;
Allegheny Valley Hospital,
patient ambassador; Community
Library of Allegheny Valley volunteer;
Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacra-ment
vacation Bible school.
Plans/goals: I plan to attend college
and graduate school. I intend to pur-sue
a career as a scientific researcher.
Jake Mortimore
School, grade:
Jeannette Senior
High School, 12
Parents: Tim and
Carey Mortimore
Academic
achievements:
National Honor
Society; High Hon-ors;
Westinghouse Science Honors
Institute; Rotary Youth Leadership
Academy; Elliot Company Academic
Achievement Award; Westmoreland
County Gifted Coalition Architectural
Design Award; SAP GENYOUth In-novation
Series Award; PMEA Honors
Band; WCMEA Honors Band.
Extracurricular activities: Marching
band, trombone section leader; Drama
Club; golf; soccer; baseball; quiz team;
Science Club; Alpha Hi Y; student
council; Gifted Program.
Community involvement: Schrad-er’s
Dairy Queen; Tabitha’s Closet
Clothes Donations; Jeannette Salva-tion
Army Thanksgiving Food Drive;
Central Blood Bank.
Plans/goals: I plan to attend Saint
Vincent College in the fall of 2018 and
the University of Pittsburgh in the fall
of 2021. My goal is to graduate with a
Bachelor of Science degree in math-ematics
and a Bachelor of Science
degree in industrial engineering.
Montana Olexa
School, grade:
Yough Senior
High School, 12
Parents: Diane
and Ted Aaron and
Ron Olexa
Academic
achievements:
National Honor
Society; French National Honor
Society; Herald Standard Scholar
Athlete; High Honors; Top 5 percent;
West Newton Woman’s Club Student
of the Month; West Newton Rotary
Student of the Month.
Extracurricular activities: Cheer-leading,
captain; gymnastics; student
council; The Future is Mine, vice presi-dent;
French Club; National Honor So-ciety;
French National Honor Society;
Spirit Club; Senior Mentoring.
Community involvement: Jer-emiah’s
Place; Red Cross; freshmen
orientation volunteer; Rise Against
Hunger; Drug Awareness Walk; Col-lege
Transition Day; Yough Rocks.
Plans/goals: I will be attending
Gannon University with a major in
premedicine. I will be competing for
acrobatics and tumbling. I have also
been granted early admittance into
LECOM School of Medicine with
hopes in becoming an orthopedic
surgeon.
Brooke Nelson
School, grade:
Hempfield Area
High School, 12
Parents: Eric and
Susan Nelson
Academic
achievements:
Distinguished
Honor; National
Honor Society; Spanish National
Honor Society; Global Scholar.
Extracurricular activities: Senior
class president; junior class vice
president; sideline cheerleading; com-petitive
cheerleading; student council;
Project 18; Hempfield’s STEM Literacy
Program; musical; Interact Club.
Community involvement: Volunteer
as HAYAA midget cheerleading coach;
volunteer for Hempfield High School
Blood Drive; volunteer for Hemp-field’s
Mini THON; volunteer for Kim
Ward’s Senior Citizen Expo; volun-teer
for Stanwood Elementary Color
Run; volunteer for Special Olympics;
Employed by Platinum Salon & Spa as
spa coordinator.
Plans/goals: I plan to attend either
Penn State University or West Virginia
University’s Honors College to earn an
undergraduate degree in premedicine/
biology with aspirations of attend-ing
medical school and becoming a
pediatrician.
Jared Patula
School, grade:
Mt Pleasant Area
Junior/Senior
High School, 12
Parents: Frank
and Denise Patula
Academic
achievements:
Manager of Key-stone
Boys State TV; National Honor
Society; National Society of High
School Scholars; Westinghouse Sci-ence
Honors Institute; Sparkle Award
nominee; Excellent Honors.
Extracurricular activities: Junior
varsity quiz team; varsity quiz team;
Ligonier Fencing Club, beginner foil
instructor; Bots IQ; Physics Club;
Library Club; Spanish Club; SADD;
Chemistry Club; Chess Club.
Community involvement: Overly’s
Country Christmas; Buddy Day at
Twin Lakes; D.A.R. Braddock Trail
Chapter Yard Cleanup; Back to School
Night; Westmoreland County Fair
Lion’s Club booth; Norvelt golf outing.
Plans/goals: My primary educa-tion
goal is to acquire a Bachelor of
Science in computer engineering from
PennState University. I intend to be-come
a computer hardware engineer
after college to further my goals of
creating more efficient processors and
hard drives.
Natalie Napolitano
School, grade:
Quaker Valley
High School, 12
Parents: Dominic
and Maria
Napolitano
Academic
achievements: PA
School of Excel-lence
in Agricultural Sciences; sum-mer
scholar; full merit scholarship;
National Honor Society.
Extracurricular activities: YMCA
Youth and Government; ACE Engi-neering
internship; Science Olympiad.
Community involvement: Parkway
Sustainable Food Distribution Initia-tive;
Ambridge Food Desert Ameliora-tion
Project; Carnegie Science Center.
Plans/goals: I am passionate about
community wellness, and hope to
work for nonprofit or government
organizations domestically and
internationally, crafting policy to help
enhance community health and pros-perity.
I plan to pursue a dual degree
in business and nursing science at
the University of Pennsylvania, fol-lowed
by an advanced degree; I will
also continue to volunteer in college
by incorporating my own community
development nonprofit that would
help bring food-related businesses
and grants to local communities.
Jillian Palko
School, grade:
Serra Catholic
High School, 12
Parents: James
and Mary Beth
Palko
Academic
achievements:
Women in Science
Day Award from Seton Hill
University; Ruby Honor Roll, Highest
Honor; National Honor Society; Sci-ence
National Honor Society; French
National Honor Society.
Extracurricular activities: Junior
Achievement; Math League; French
Club; paid accounting internship;
classical piano; National Barrel Horse
Association, active member.
Community involvement: Greater
Pittsburgh Community Food Bank
volunteer; Three Rivers Hospice.
Plans/goals: My goal is to pursue
a career in finance with a business
degree from the University of Virginia,
along with owning a farm, so I may
board horses and adopt dogs and
cats to give them a home. I hope one
day to be able to start a disability
assistance dogs organization to have
a service/therapy dog accompany a
person in public places or perform
everyday functions that one is limited
due to a disability or setback.
Amanda Moser
School, grade:
Hampton
High School, 11
Parents: Gina and
Gary Moser
Academic
achievements:
Top 5 percent of
class, weighted
GPA 4.714, unweighted GPA 4.0;
Westinghouse Science Honors Insti-tute;
to be inducted in National Honor
Society Delta Chapter Spring 2018;
High Honor Roll.
Extracurricular activities: Founder
and president Best Buddies Inter-national
Hampton School District
Chapter; Peer Buddy; Best Buddies
International Leadership Conference;
Hampton Community Lifeguard;
Youth Swim Instructor; soccer; bas-ketball;
track & field; FBLA.
Community involvement: Teen
Board Member Allegheny General
Hospital Food Insecurity Board; volun-teer,
Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh
(transplant unit); religious education
teacher; assistant leader, Bible camp.
Plans/goals: I plan to attend a
four-year college, where I will major
in biochemistry with a Spanish minor.
After college, it is my intention to at-tend
medical school, where I will train
for a career as a surgeon.
Julia Painter
School, grade:
Penn-Trafford
High School, 12
Parents: Robert
and Laura Painter
Academic
achievements:
National Honors
Society; High
Honor Roll; Noble Warrior Award;
Media Literacy Internship (English
department liaison); AP Scholar; dual-enrolled;
preschool student teacher.
Extracurricular activities: Stu-dent
Union senior class president;
Penn-Trafford High School Warriors
for Christ Campus Bible and Outreach
Club; volleyball; Cornerstone Youth
Ministries; Pro Life Club.
Community involvement: Intern for
Genres Kids with Cancer charity; guid-ance
office aide; Refuge Church junior
high youth ministry; Refuge Kid’s girls
small group leader.
Plans/goals: I pursue the studies of
secondary English education (Inte-grated
Language Arts Major) at Ce-darville
University, having found great
enjoyment in the time and resources
I have invested in working alongside
students. It has taught me that lead-ers
are servants, and teachers are
learners. I aspire to be a mentor, an
educator, a teacher of impact.