The valedictorians include Suzanna Lauralyn Anderson, Jack Andrews, Zachary Evans, Jovan B. Galevski, Polina Gokun, Kunal S. Parikh, Eun Hye Grace Park, Yufei Mimi Mao, Ian C. McCune, John E. Mohr, Benjamin Noble, Daniel Brent Rambo, Christopher L. Ricks, Heather Thomas and Daniel J. Virden.

To qualify as a valedictorian, Mankins said a student must have a 4.0 grade-point average or higher at the end of 8 semesters.

• Anderson, daughter of Jerry and JoLynne, plans to attend Bowling Green State University in the fall to study creative writing and music education, with a focus on piano and violin. She was inducted into the National Honor Society as a sophomore, participated in the RHS Orchestra, the hand bell choir, the tennis team and the Renaissance Gold Card program. She plans to teach music in the public school system.

• Andrews, son of Ron and Debbie, plans to study animal science and veterinary medicine at Ohio State University. Andrews was on the soccer team, was a member of the orchestra and was vice president of the NHS. He also participated in the Ski Club and was a Raider Kick-Off Mentor his junior and senior years.

• Evans, son of Greg and Nancy, plans to attend Miami University to study chemical engineering and mathematics. He said he plans to also study economics and participate in think tanks. He said he enjoyed the experience he had at Ohio State, where he took honors analytical calculus.

• Galevski, son of Blgoja and Zorica, plans to attend Ohio State University to study political science and history. He was a member of student council and the NHS and was a Raider Kick-Off Mentor. After graduating from OSU, Galevski plans to attend law school and help people who live in poverty. He said he is not ruling out a career in politics.

• Gokun, daughter of Mikhail and Galina, said she plans to attend Case Western Reserve University to study chemical engineering with a minor in theater. She was a member of the marching band and wind symphony and participated in the Eastland Career Center Performing Arts program. She wants to live in New York City and act in a small theater company in off-Broadway productions while using her engineering degree to start her own company developing industrial chemicals.

• Parikh, son of Sailesh and Sonol, plans to attend Ohio State University, studying chemical engineering and business. He was on the tennis team, the varsity In The Know team and was president of NHS. Parikh plans to complete a master's degree in chemical engineering and course work in political science in hopes of owning his own chemical engineering firm.

• Park, daughter of Sangheon and Miyeon, plans to study pharmaceutical sciences at Ohio State University. She was a member of the ski club, the cross-fire German club and was International Club president. Park said she plans to become a pharmacist or participate in a research group to develop better medicine for diseases such as cancer.

• Mao, daughter of Yvette Qu and Karl, plans to attend the University of Texas at Austin to study business. She has played flute since fifth grade and was a field commander in the marching band and participated in the Eastland Performing Arts program. She said she plans to travel the world, with specific plans to explore Greece, while using her business degree in the area of multimedia and film.

• McCune, son of Leslie and Beth, plans to attend Rochester Institute of Technology and study Mechanical Engineering. He was on the bowling team and played cello in the orchestra. He plans to work as an engineer for an automotive racing team and travel across the country in hopes of settling in a career with an automotive company such as BMW.

• Mohr, son of David and Karen, plans to attend Wittenberg University and study political science and German. Mohr was a member of the concert band, marched with the Raider Marching Pride team and completed four years of German language study. He plans to attend law school after completing his undergraduate studies then attend a university in Austria to continue his German studies.

• Noble, son of Robert and Diane, plans to attend Emory University in Atlanta to study pre-medicine. He played on the baseball team, lettering three years, and was in NHS for two years. He said he plans to continue playing baseball at Emory and plans to become a pediatrician focusing on children.

• Rambo, son of Christie Schlaegel and Brent, plans to attend Ohio State University to study nuclear physics. He said he enjoyed his AP coursework and is proud that he held a job throughout his high school years. He aspires to work as an engineer at a power plant and wants to be a part of a movement to develop the use of nuclear energy to replace the country's dependence on fossil fuels.

• Ricks, son of Larry and Cathy, will attend the United States Naval Academy to study systems engineering. He lettered in basketball four years, baseball two years and was a Raider Kick-Off Mentor for two years. He said his future is in the hands of the U.S. Navy and hopes to graduate as a systems engineer and become a naval officer.

• Thomas, daughter of Bruce and Kristi, plans to attend Indiana University to study Slavic languages and literature. She was a member of the marching band, the concert band, the pep band and the hand bell choir, as well as a member of the In The Know Team. She said she hopes to travel the world and use her degree in Slavic languages and literature to work as an interpreter or for a position in international relations.

• Virden, son of Larry and Joyce, plans to attend Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego to study political science. He was a member of the concert and marching band and participated in the performing arts program and the drama club. He is considering a career in law, possibly involving environmental issues.

dowen@thisweeknews.com