Meet Who’s Who in the class of ’23

As this year's Torchbearer, senior Amaya Collier has spent her four years as a Knight giving. Whether it be through student government, feminism club or KASA, Collier has made it her mission to lead and make a difference. Out of all of her extracurricular involvements, it's been her time as a PAL that Collier has especially appreciated, thanks to the program's commitment to authenticity and eliminati...

Senior Atticus Adair’s two intended future courses of study couldn’t be more different from each other. Still, they are the perfect fit for him. When Adair begins next fall at Arizona State University’s Barrett Honors College, he will major in aerospace engineering and minor in musical theatre. “I’m mostly looking forward to meeting new people who are interested in the same things I a...

Senior Teagan Boyd refused to let one area define her McCallum experience. With years of dedication to both theater and visual arts, Boyd decided to double major.  “The fine arts have always been a huge aspect of my life,” Boyd said. “And one of the main reasons I applied for both performance theater and visual arts is because they are both such foundational parts of who I am as a person....

Senior Lily DaMommio found many loves during her time at McCallum. As a choir major (and this year's choir vice president), math center tutor and science center president, DaMommio has conquered both the artistic and academic spheres. As she moves on to Texas Luthern University in the fall, DaMommio has the opportunity to pursue two of her biggest passions, starting with a mathematics major. ...

Senior Jolie Gabriel will be attending Rhodes College next year with plans to major in math on a pre-med track. Rhodes checked all of Gabriel’s boxes; it seemed like the perfect fit. “Rhodes was personable in their admissions process [in a way] I hadn’t seen in other schools,” Gabriel said. “On top of that, the campus is gorgeous, in a bigger city, and a small liberal arts school,...

Senior Leah Gordon has learned many things during her four years at McCallum, most importantly is listening.  Through her membership in clubs like Student Council, Newspaper, Key Club, Environmental Knights, Feminist Club, NHS, Varsity Soccer, Model UN, Math Center and PALS, Gordon has had the opportunity to learn from those around her.  “Those different leadership roles allowed me to collaborate p...

You’d be hard-pressed to find senior Oliver Harrington without a pair of drumsticks in his hands. As a four-year band major and member of the Samba Knights and Knights of Steel, Harrington has fully immersed himself in the world of Mac percussion.  “Being a percussionist is really nice because you’re kind of uniquely positioned in that you can participate in a bunch of different ensembl...

Senior orchestra major, state violinist and concertmaster Thea Krische is all-in on music. Next year she plans to continue her career by getting a degree in music education at the Jacob’s School of Music at Indiana University. “I didn’t realize until recently that it was the right school for me,” Krische said. “I didn’t know a lot about Indiana University until I started seriously...

Tyler Mankinen entered McCallum with no major but major talent. Because he wanted to spread himself evenly between his three passions of band, dance, and musical theater, Mankinen did not audition to be part of the Fine Arts Academy before his freshman year. However, after taking Mac’s Dance 1 class and being in the Dance Ensemble of Grand Hotel in the Spring, Mankinen realized it was the pro...

For Jamie Miller, McCallum is a safe haven. From photographing an opossum in a tree junior year to laughing through logarithms in Chastity Colbert’s math class, Miller will cherish their McCallum memories forever. “I have become more independent, less of a pushover and I feel I can stand up for my personal beliefs,” Miller said. “School has gone from a place of terror to a place to learn an...

Senior Genesis Ritcherson spent her first two years of high school at Anderson, and when she transferred to McCallum last year, she was determined to make her mark. She instantly joined the color guard and cheerleading team, spreading school spirit on the football sidelines and during halftime.  “I love being part of a team,” Ritcherson said. “Since middle school, I’ve been apart of che...

  Gia Ruedas will be a proud Knight for life. After all, after three years of cheer, the McCallum fight song is permanently ingrained in her memory. For Ruedas, there is nothing quite like cheering at a McCallum pep rally. “My favorite memory from my time at Mac would probably be dancing and cheering for everyone in the pep rallies,” Ruedas said. “When I would be in the front ...

Double theater and visual art major Rhett Shields has found that in his exploration of the arts, the most important part is enjoyment. This philosophy came in full force in his recent outdoor demonstration on May 12. The piece consisted of two poster boards with blind contour drawings of every member of the 4th period AP Art class, manned by senior Owen McGuire and Corbin Campbell. Each student wo...

Senior Vaughn Vandegrift walked into the Mac halls for the first time in the summer of 2021. Her first year in Austin was already marked by joining the volleyball team.  “I literally got off the plane, the day I landed here, and went to my first day of practice,” said Vandegrift. “It was very jarring to fly across the country and then be like ‘here’s your new high school’ and it defi...

Senior Julia Wallace remembers her freshman year Taco Shack like it was yesterday.  “It was the first time I was really involved in Blue Brigade,” she said. “I remember waking up at 4am to be on the news, and having to stay up for a 22 hour day,” Since then, Julia has served four years on Blue Brigade, a social officer for two.  “BB introduced me to so many people in different...