Meet Winter Park High School’s 31 valedictorians

Kathryn Abely will be going to Davidson College, where she’ll be studying biology before studying to be a pediatric nurse practitioner. Abely said she’s always wanted to do something involving children.

Patricia Abely, Kathryn’s sister, is headed to Davidson College, as well, to study psychology and mental health. She ultimately wants to become a psychiatric nurse practitioner.

Carly Auerbach is attending the University of Florida next year and has her sights set on either business or economics. “I like that you can interact with people and lead people,” Auerbach said.

Sara Bartlett will be going to Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, where she’ll study social entrepreneurship. Bartlett spent eight days last summer in the village of Pacaya in Guatemala, teaching a sewing class.

Emma Bishop plans to attend the University of South Florida, where she’ll dive deeper into her two biggest interests: politics and the arts.

Everett Christian is headed to the University of Florida to study either mechanical or civil engineering. He dreams of creating parts for cars but also has an interest in building environmentally friendly homes or transportation.

Julia Finfrock plans to attend Vanderbilt’s engineering school and possibly work at her family’s engineering firm. “I’ve always loved problem-solving and I loved building things when I was little,” Finfrock said.

Ansley Fleming will be going to Clemson University, where she’ll be studying accounting. She’s always had a passion for math, and when she’s not solving equations you can find Fleming at the softball field.

Lawson Hefler is headed to the University of Florida, where he’s considering studying civil or industrial engineering. Hefler said he doesn’t have a dream job but instead wants to keep his options open.

Hana Herndon will be running cross country and track next year at Georgia Tech after a decorated four years at Winter Park High School, where she helped capture multiple state championships. She plans to study civil engineering.

Ryan Kainz hopes to get into the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis but is also considering either Richmond, Wake Forest, Florida or Florida State. He hopes to study economics or political science before studying law.

Alexis Kidd will be heading to Florida State University to pursue a double major in communications and Spanish. At Winter Park, she fell in love with broadcasting about international news.

Madelyn Kidd, Alexis’ sister, plans to attend the University of Florida and major in communications as well. She hopes to one day be a journalist for a publication such as National Geographic.

Courtney Larson will be going to Northwestern University’s McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. She’s looking to pursue research in biomedical engineering but possibly another interest: creative writing.

Kevin Li is currently leaning toward Yale as his college of choice, where he plans to double major in biology and economics. He dreams of starting his own hospital in China.

Bijal Mehta plans to attend Northwestern University and is undecided on her major. She sports a wide variety of interests, including band, the cricket club and Indian classical dance.

Rebecca Michel plans to attend the University of Florida. She’s undecided on her major but wants to pursue possibly engineering or the medical field. “It would be really cool to be an engineer at Disney,” Michel said.

Alexandra Moore, or “Sasha” to her friends, will be going to Stanford University, where she’ll be on the rowing team. She’s unsure on her major but she’ll likely minor in computer science, she said.

Anna Myers is headed to Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville to study education. She hopes to move on to graduate school from there, where she’ll pursue her dream of teaching deaf children.

Taylor Pearson said she hasn’t decided where she’s going yet for college, but she’s between University of Florida, Vanderbilt, Georgetown and University of Virginia. She dreams of being a business owner or politician.

Kennedy Rand will be attending Georgia Tech, where she plans to study engineering. She wants to work with people while exploring her passion for math and physics.

Nicole Sarna is still deciding between Georgia Tech and the University of Florida, but she looks to study biomedical engineering. “My mom is an engineer, so I’ve always had the idea of being an engineer in my mind," she said.

Madeline Schmitt will head to Vanderbilt University, where she earned a scholarship to their Peabody School of Education and Human Development. She has an interest in cognitive psychology.

Emily Sedwick plans to study international business at Elon University in North Carolina. She was inspired to join that field by her father, who deals ancient shipwreck coins from around the world.

Milan Shah is attending Duke University next year for engineering. He’s still choosing between mechanical, electrical and biomedical engineering. Economics would be his minor of choice, he said.

Anna Steltenkamp is going to Duke University. She’s considering environmental studies and global cultural studies for now — both would give her an opportunity to work internationally.

Julia Story will be studying accounting at University of Florida next year. Story hopes to use that degree to one day become a CEO and become her own boss. “If you have a background in [accounting], you can do anything."

Judin Thomas plans to attend the University of Virginia’s McIntire School of Commerce. He has an interest in investment banking. “I like the idea of this whole system that’s created basically out of nothing,” Thomas said.

Stuart Thomas will be attend the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, to study mathematics. Math is everywhere, Thomas said, because every field of science runs on math. He hopes to teach math at Rollins College.

Iolanda Weidgenant will be attending Johns Hopkins University in the fall to study biology. Growing up in Brazil, Weidgenant remembers petting dogs wandering in the streets, sparking a passion and sympathy for animals.

Brooke Worthington has her sights set on either Rollins College or the University of Florida, where she’ll be looking to study the policy side of public health or become a physician’s assistant.