photo by: Richard Gwin

The 2016 class of Journal-World Academic All-Stars includes, front row from left: Grace Brazell, Ashtyn Rottinghaus, Morgan Darter, Kari Karnes and Angela Gao. Back row, from left, are Alexander Tharp, Brio Ratzlaff and Stefan Petrovic. The two All-Stars not pictured are Christina Im and Noah Yoshida.

Whether it’s living in a small town, at a hospital or with a sibling with special needs, the experiences of the members of the 2016 Lawrence Journal-World Academic All-Star team are varied. Those experiences have led the students to pursue careers in a variety of fields as well: veterinary science, medicine, public communications.

Since 1997, the Journal-World has invited area principals and counselors from public and private high schools to nominate their most outstanding senior students for the Academic All-Star team.

This year, 23 students were nominated and submitted applications, which were reviewed by a panel of three judges. The 10 members of the team are picked based on their academics, extracurricular activities and essays and are meant to highlight some of the Lawrence area’s best students. They are all honored at a special luncheon, and one is selected to receive a $500 scholarship.

Christina Im

photo by: Richard Gwin

Christina Im, 2016 Academic All-Star.

The winner of this year’s $500 Academic All-Star scholarship is a student whose academics, writing and unique motivation impressed judges. That combination made Christina Im, a senior at Bishop Seabury Academy, stand out among the finalists — as did her story.

Im’s earliest memories are at a hospital.

Her younger brother Christian was born severely disabled and to this day is deaf, blind and nonverbal. Im and her mother stayed at the hospital for much of her early childhood, and Im was so interested and involved in her brother’s care that the hospital staff gave her the nickname of “little therapist.”

“The doctors, nurses and therapists always tried to include me in his care by allowing me to pick out his stickers, hold doctor charts, and test out the therapy toys,” Im said. “One doctor even gifted me with my own Fisher-Price medical kit so that I could ‘help’ the nurses take Christian’s vitals.”

Im said the play medical kit was her most prized possession, and her experience at the hospital is one of the reasons that she aspires to become a doctor. The other reason is that Im and her brother have the same genetic abnormality — a chromosome deletion — though with vastly different outcomes. That discovery led to Im’s particular interest in genetics.

“…My brother and I both have a chromosome deletion, but we live and function on opposite ends of the ability spectrum,” she said.

How Im’s experiences shaped her decisions and plans for the future particularly impressed Robert Harrington, a Kansas University professor and one of three judges for the competition.

“She puts stuff together, disparate things that most of us wouldn’t think about,” he said.

After graduation, Im plans to major in biological sciences with a concentration in genetics and genomics at Northwestern University.

At Northwestern, Im also would also like to minor in Spanish and study abroad. She already speaks three languages, and said she sees her interest in language as part of her future as a doctor. Her dream: to be fluent in “at least seven” languages someday.

“I plan to use my language skills to communicate directly and to build trusting relationships with my patients for when I am a doctor,” she said.

Along with her 4.41 GPA and No. 1 class rank, Harrington said Im’s writing stood out.

“Every one of these sentences is really nice,” Harrington said as he read through her writing. “…I think Northwestern is going to be very happy to have this young lady.”

School: Bishop Seabury Academy

GPA: 4.41, weighted

Class rank: 1

Parents: Sookyung Shin

Grace Brazell

photo by: Richard Gwin

Grace Brazell, 2016 Academic All-Star.

Grace Brazell has spent the last three years writing a historical fiction trilogy about Robin Hood.

The Veritas Christian School senior said she spends most of her free time working on the manuscript, which is in its sixth draft.

“As they are set in 1191, it’s involved a lot of research and interlibrary-loans, and even the acquisition of a borrower’s card in the KU stacks,” Brazell said. “The plot has changed numerous times, but the main gist of the series is, of course, Robin Hood and the legendary conflict with Prince John.”

But Brazell’s writing goes beyond aspirations to be a novelist; she writes poems, essays and short stories too. She’s also been an editor for her school’s newspaper for the past three years. Even so, she won’t let just writing define her, either.

“I’m an aspiring novelist and poet who moonlights as a musician and is the proud owner of a rather obnoxious number of books and a sweet little ball-python named Kevin,” she said.

Brazell plays cello, piano and guitar, and enjoys singing and composing music. She’s been a member of her school’s praise band for the past three years. In addition to earning a 3.98 GPA, her other activities include track, drama and student council.

Here future plans, though, do center on reading and writing. She plans to attend Wheaton College in Chicago and major in English — a potential double major in psychology or history — with minors in music and art. Apart from school, she has another goal.

“After I finish [the Robin Hood trilogy], which ought to be somewhat soon, I plan to start in either on a fantasy pirate book, or a retelling of the folk tale of Tam Lin,” she said.

School: Veritas Christian School

GPA: 3.98

Class rank: 2

Parents: Darrell and Deborah Brazell.

Morgan Darter

photo by: Richard Gwin

Morgan Darter, 2016 Academic All-Star.

Certain choices are uncommon in the small towns of Kansas. Being a Democrat and a vegetarian would likely both qualify, and Morgan Darter is both. But the De Soto High School senior said she has learned from being different.

“I am usually surrounded by people who have different views,” she said. “From such interactions I have learned how to make the most of situations by listening to and respecting others’ opinions.”

Darter runs track and cross-country, participates in student council and holds a 4.1 GPA, and she said the experience of having minority viewpoints has helped make her a better team member, leader and student.

“These experiences have helped me to broaden my perspectives, grow as a person, sharpen my own ideals, and learn from others,” Darter said.

Darter also has a variety of other high school experiences, including playing in the marching band, symphonic band and pep band. She has participated in Scholars’ Bowl for the past three years and this year is the team’s captain.

But being a vegetarian — a choice she made five years ago — has particular relevance to Darter’s future. She said that she strongly believes in the value of all animal life and would like to work in the veterinary field.

After graduating from high school, she plans to attend either Michigan State University or Purdue University and major in Veterinary Technology. Though headed far from home, she’ll take her small-Kansas-town experience with her.

“In the future, I know I will be able to use what I’ve learned as I work toward my degree in Veterinary Technology,” she said.

School: De Soto High School

GPA: 4.1, weighted

Class rank: 16

Parents: Kevin and Stephanie Darter

Kari Karnes

photo by: Richard Gwin

Kari Karnes, 2016 Academic All-Star.

Kari Karnes has a 4.0 GPA, performs in the marching band and earned a varsity letter in volleyball, dance and choir. The Lawrence High School senior said that her success, though, has a lot to do with her first role model: her older sister Kate.

“Without her guidance and example, I would not be nearly as successful as I am today,” she said.

Karnes said that her sister does everything to the best of her ability, and she never blames anyone for her struggles. But Karnes said her sister is more than just a role model.

“Sisters can be a great gift because they can be friends, parents, coaches, therapists and teachers all rolled into one,” she said.

Karnes herself is also a lot rolled into one. In addition to her academic, athletic and musical activities, she has participated in programs such as Adopt a Family, Habitat for Humanity and been a “cat companion” at the Lawrence Humane Society.

Next school year, Karnes will attend the University of Iowa, where she has been accepted in the honors program. She plans to major in neurobiology and psychology.

School: Lawrence High School

GPA: 4.0

Class rank: 1

Parents: Joseph and Jan Karnes

Stefan Petrovic

photo by: Richard Gwin

Stefan Petrovic, 2016 Academic All-Star.

As student body president at Lawrence High School, Stefan Petrovic said he sought to include students from various socioeconomic and racial backgrounds in the school’s student-based decision making.

Petrovic said one way he attempted to make the LHS student government more inclusive was to create better communication between the student body and student council.

“It has been my goal this year to bridge this gap via the re-establishment of the student-led Advisory Board and the initiation of direct Student Council outreach and coordination with school clubs,” Petrovic said.

Petrovic himself is involved in several school clubs. He is the construction coordinator for the LHS Habitat for Humanity Club and president of the National Honor Society and the Geography Club. He also participates in debate, Model United Nations and the Scholars’ Bowl.

Outside of LHS, Petrovic conducted research on the impact of climate change on indigenous communities and young people, working in collaboration with professor Daniel Wildcat of Haskell Indian Nations University. He was a speaker on youth participation on combating climate change at the 2015 Rising Voices Conference. All Petrovic’s experiences have led him to want to work in the public sphere.

“My participation in Student Council, Geography Club and my collaboration with Haskell has instilled in me a yearning for the betterment of the public good,” Petrovic said. “It is through actions, not words, that young people in the Lawrence community and around the world will be able to achieve their full potential.”

Petrovic will attend Harvard University next school year and plans to major in government with a minor in statistics. As far as the more distant future, he said he would like to go to law school and later practice constitutional and anti-trust law and work in the public policy realm.

School: Lawrence High School

GPA: 4.09, weighted

Class rank: 1

Parents: Uros and Zina Petrovic

Angela Gao

photo by: Richard Gwin

Angela Gao, 2016 Academic All-Star.

You may have seen Free State High School senior Angela Gao busking in downtown Lawrence, playing her violin on the sidewalk. Other days, she performs in concert halls.

Changing environments and adapting to new situations is something Gao — who moved from China to Canada to Kansas — had to deal with since a young age. When she moved from China to Canada, she was 5 and didn’t know English.

“While English still sounded like a jumble of sounds and shapes to me, every night I would sit in front of the TV and watch kids’ shows or read children’s books, piecing together the fragments that I did know and absorbing the ones that I did not,” Gao said.

The move from Canada to Kansas was also a change, Gao said, but less extreme. Even as Gao came to call Lawrence home, she sees her music as another shifting environment. Gao plays in her school’s orchestra and was selected for the KMEA all-state orchestra the past three years.

Wherever she may be playing, Gao said the technicalities behind performing a concert never occur in the same way. And in more informal settings, such as busking with her friends downtown, the variables are even more diverse.

“Even when my music is flying around because of the wind or we can’t find the right place to perform, I always manage to find a way to hold the music together and seek out the perfect shady spot,” Gao said.

Next school year will bring more change for Gao. She will be attending Rice University and plans to major in chemical and bio-molecular engineering.

School: Lawrence Free State High School

GPA: 4.0

Class rank: 1

Parents: Jenna Wang

Ashtyn Rottinghaus

photo by: Richard Gwin

Ashtyn Rottinghaus, 2016 Academic All-Star.

For the past six years, Ashtyn Rottinghaus has volunteered for the Special Olympics. And within 10 years, Rottinghaus said, she’d like to be a director of a nonprofit organization that also benefits those with disabilities.

Rottinghaus’ sister, Kelsey, was born with cerebral palsy, and Rottinghaus said that growing up with someone with a disability helped her figure out her purpose. Since she was in the eighth grade, Rottinghaus has worked with Kelsey and her fellow classmates in their “Living Skills” class, teaching lessons or helping with other activities.

“There’s no doubt I’m here to educate, advocate and make a difference in the lives of those with special needs and their families,” Rottinghaus said.

In addition to her volunteer work, Rottinghaus has participated in Future Business Leaders of America, and this year was the organization’s state president. Rottinghaus is also on her school’s yearbook staff and student council, and this year was the class president. She also played on her school’s volleyball, softball and basketball teams.

Rottinghaus plans to attend Wichita State University and major in marketing and communications. With those skills, she hopes to work for a nonprofit “such as the Special Olympics, The Cerebral Palsy Foundation or the March of Dimes, where I can use my speaking abilities and my passion to provide a voice for those who may not otherwise have one,” she said.

School: Wellsville High School

GPA: 3.9

Class rank: 4

Parents: Steve and Dawn Rottinghaus

Noah Yoshida

photo by: Richard Gwin

Noah Yoshida, 2016 Academic All-Star.

The contrasting backgrounds of Noah Yoshida’s parents have let him see two perspectives.

Yoshida’s mom, Susan, is from a big family in southern Louisiana, and his dad, Ty, is Japanese and came as a teenager to the United States for boarding school. Yoshida said his parents’ backgrounds offered him a unique upbringing, as did his visits to see family on both sides.

“During my visits I get to see two very different cultures, and I get to compare and contrast them with my life back in Kansas,” Yoshida said.

That bicultural experience has shaped his thinking and his goals, said Yoshida, who is a senior at Bishop Seabury Academy.

“These experiences have led me to become more open-minded and accepting of people and cultures different to my own, and have sparked my interest in other countries (and) cultures,” he said.

Yoshida would like to be an architect, which he said he sees as a “global field.” He would love to use his career as a means to travel and meet people and experience cultures from around the world.

In addition to being a prefect for his school’s student senate, Yoshida also plays on his school’s tennis and soccer teams. He has also volunteered at Lawrence Memorial Hospital and the Lawrence Community Shelter.

He is undecided about where he will attend school next year, but Yoshida is planning on studying architecture either at Kansas University, Notre Dame, Rice University or Washington University in Saint Louis.

School: Bishop Seabury Academy

GPA: 4.3, weighted

Class rank: 2

Parents: Ty and Susan Yoshida

Alex Tharp

photo by: Richard Gwin

Alexander Tharp, 2016 Academic All-Star.

Alex Tharp’s interests run the gamut. He’s an outdoorsman, a thespian, a football player and a musician.

He’s hiked around the country, acted in his school’s theater productions, been a guard in football and played the trumpet in the band. The thing he has been the longest though, is a Boy Scout, which he said he has participated in since elementary school.

“One of, if not the, most important events in my life was when my dad started a Cub Scout Pack,” he said. Tharp’s father, Chris, began Cub Scout Pack 3067 after Tharp expressed interest becoming a Cub Scout but there wasn’t a pack at his school. Tharp earned his Eagle Scout award in September 2014 and has continued in scouting since, earning three additional awards.

“Scouting has given me some of my defining characteristics through adversity,” Tharp said. “Because of Scouting, I have learned perseverance, patience, preparedness, social and literal survival, first-aid skills and responsibility. I have learned to be a leader and have gained leadership experience.”

Tharp plans to major in mechanical engineering and minor in military science with the Army ROTC program at Kansas State University. After graduation, he said he can see himself either staying full time in the Army and “living on bases and traveling the world” or working in the private sector while staying in the Army National Guard or Army Reserves.

School: Veritas Christian School

GPA: 3.98

Class rank: 3

Parents: Chris and Amy Tharp

Brio Ratzlaff

photo by: Richard Gwin

Brio Ratzlaff, 2016 Academic All-Star.

For Brio Ratzlaff, building things out of Legos isn’t just a hobby. Ratzlaff said when building something out of the blocks you begin with an idea, and in that way it’s like a simplified version of engineering.

“Engineers have to work backwards and puzzle out the pieces and design from the vision of the final product,” Ratzlaff said. “I do the same thing with Lego, just with much less moving parts.”

That process is what got Ratzlaff interested in engineering. He said he has a fascination with mechanical innovations, from submersibles to airships.

“The challenge of problem solving and the reward of a functioning machine rising from the puzzle pieces is what draws me to engineering,” Ratzlaff said.

In addition to being ranked first in his class with a 4.08 GPA, Ratzlaff plays in his school’s concert, marching, pep and jazz bands. He has also participated in the Scholars’ Bowl for the past four years, and been the team’s varsity captain for the past two.

After graduating from high school, Ratzlaff plans to study aerospace engineering. He is still undecided on which school he will attend; he has been accepted to the Kansas University School of Engineering, and has applied to the University of Colorado Boulder, the University of Michigan and Stanford University.

School: Perry-Lecompton High School

GPA: 4.08, weighted

Class rank: 1

Parents: Jerome and Jessica Ratzlaff