Falcon High SchoolValedictorian Johnathan Nordby plans to join the Air National Guard after graduation, then attend Stanford University in California. Since he will graduate high school with an associate degree in business, Nordby plans to study accounting in college. Ultimately, he would like to work for the Federal Bureau of Investigation in forensic accounting. Nordby said the sports aspect of high school led to some of his favorite memories. ìI really enjoyed playing (soccer) but also growing a connection with those in my school,î he said. ìDuring the sports seasons, we got to watch the games together, and we became more like a family than I thought we would.îSalutatorian Austen Brewer will attend La Salle University in Philadelphia as part of the five-year nurse practitioner program. She will graduate high school as a certified nursing assistant. Brewer said she plans to play volleyball for the university. Her favorite memory was the luau-themed Senior Sunset event in the Falcon High School commons, where the senior class gathered to watch the sunset. ìI was part of the senior committee that put it all together Ö a lot of people came, and it was a good bonding experience for our class,î she said.Vista Ridge High SchoolValedictorian Sean Kosman will attend the University of Colorado Boulder after graduation; and, although he is unsure about his path, he said he will probably look at science, technology, engineering and math-related degrees. Kosman plans to continue running cross-country at CU after competing for the first time this past school year. ìThere are so many good memories from high school but on my third cross-country run, I did super well; and, at the end of the race, I threw up,î he said. ìThat is probably my favorite one.îSalutatorian Sarah Aragon will attend the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs and plans to study nursing. She said she hopes to get involved in the Bethel Student Nursing Association, a leadership program at the university. Since Aragon said she has been concurrently enrolled at VRHS and Pikes Peak Community College, she should be able to finish the four-year program in three years. ìOne of the best memories from high school was getting to go to PPCC,î she said. ìI got to know some awesome people and made some really good friends. I think we are going to carry on those friendships for a long time.îSand Creek High SchoolValedictorian Jessica DeLeon will attend CU Boulder in the school’s engineering program. She said she is thinking about electrical, mechanical or biomedical engineering for a future career path. During high school, DeLeon said she participated in the Future Business Leaders of America group and played volleyball, both of which she plans to continue through college. “My favorite memory was the last volleyball game of my senior year,” she said. “The seniors had to sub out and let the next year’s seniors play. It was very emotional.”Salutatorian Rebecca Knoche will attend the Barrett Honors College at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona, with plans to study computer science. She said she is considering a career working for a tech company and would like to join a computer science group for women while she is in school. Knoche would like to continue playing club soccer in Arizona. Her favorite memory from high school was playing in the Final Four game with her Sand Creek teammates. “It was a really important game for me because it was the last one of my high school career,” she said. “I was surrounded by people who love me and even though we lost, it was a really great way to finish out high school.”Editorís note: The D 49 salutatorians and valedictorians did return NFH calls for comments related to their graduation plans. Only one other person from Calhan High School returned calls.
