GCHS Valedictorian Makayla O’Brien, Co-Salutatorians Mariah Voeltz and Elizabeth Wink

By LeAnn R. Ralph

GLENWOOD CITY  —  Makayla O’Brien is the valedictorian of the Glenwood City High School Class of 2018, and Mariah Voeltz and Elizabeth Wink are the co-salutatorians.

Makayla is the daughter of Tanya and Chris O’Brien.

Her most memorable event in high school was qualifying for cross country state championships all four years.

“My freshman year was the first time a girls’ cross country team had ever qualified for state, so it was a really cool experience to make history. By continuing to qualify year after year, we were able to turn our success as a team into a legacy,” she said.

Her favorite memories of cross country were going to Action City as a team and team movie marathons. In fact, cross country was Makayla’s favorite activity in high school because her team “bonded like a family. I also learned how to pole vault during my sophomore year and have enjoyed doing that.”

Makayla attended the state DECA conference for three years in a row, and during her sophomore year, she qualified for DECA nationals in Nashville, Tennessee.

DECA is an international association of high school and college students and teachers of marketing, management and entrepreneurship.

“One memorable event from that trip is our bus broke down in Kentucky on the way home, so we ended up not getting home until 2 a.m.,” she said.

Makayla’s favorite classes were AP English, “because Mr. Popko made it fun and relatable,” and  entrepreneurship and marketing classes “because I like learning about business and Mrs. Hentz was a fun teacher.”

Makayla’s activities in high school included cross country, track and field (grades 9-12); basketball (grades 9, 10, 12); band and choir (grades 10-12); National Honor Society and Student Council (grades 10-12); and DECA (grades 10-12).

After graduation, Makayla plans to work as an overnight camp counselor at YMCA Camp Icaghowan in Amery. She will be working there most of June and July before heading off to college in August.

Makayla will be attending Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida, next fall where she is majoring in international business.

“I like traveling, and I want a career in a business field. Although I’m not certain of my exact career path, I either want to work for an international company or get a job in the tourism industry. I chose Eckerd because they have phenomenal study abroad opportunities, and they have a great location on the water and close to the amenities of a large city,” she said.

Mariah Voeltz

Mariah is the daughter of Joe and Donna Voeltz.

Mariah’s most memorable event in high school was being chosen as prom queen at her junior prom.

Her favorite high school classes were biology, chemistry and human anatomy.

“I enjoyed biology and chemistry because I was able to learn more about the elements on the periodic table and the different classifications of animals,” she said.

During high school, Mariah participated in a variety of activities: National Honor Society (2016-18); marching band (2010-13, 2015-17); concert band (2010-13, 2015-18); show choir (2016-18); concert choir (2010-2018); class treasurer (freshman); class secretary (sophomore and junior); vice president (senior); DECA (2017-18); student council (2016-18); National History Club (2015-18; secretary senior year); track and field (lettered in varsity 2015); volleyball (2015-18, lettered in varsity 2015; team captain 2016-17; second team All Conference 2017); basketball (2015-18) (lettered in varsity 2016; team captain 2016-17 and 2017-18); softball 2016-18 (lettered in varsity 2016; second team All Conference).

Mariah is planning to attend the University of St. Thomas and will major in biochemistry.

Elizabeth Wink

Elizabeth is the daughter of Brent and Lorelei Wink.

Her favorite activities have been qualifying for state in cross country for four years and track for three years. She agrees with Makayla that the girls’ cross country team being the first ever to qualify for state in their freshmen year was a memorable experience.

Elizabeth’s senior year of cross country was her best, while her freshman year was her previous personal best.

“This year, I beat that time by almost a minute. I placed 8th at the conference meet, which meant that I was second team All Conference. I had never been All Conference before so this was a goal of mine,” she said, adding she also placed 87th at the state competition, and her goal was to place in the top 100.

School musicals were memorable activities as well.

During her sophomore year, Elizabeth played the part of Eileen in “Back to the 80s.”

“I got to rock out to ‘Walking on Sunshine,’ and I loved playing that role,” she said.

This year, Elizabeth played Gabriella in “High School Musical.”

“This was a lot of fun for me because I grew up watching the ‘High School Musical’ movies. I knew all of the songs and the story, so it was a lot of fun to watch it come together on stage,” she said, adding, “I also enjoyed throwing pie all over Maggie Wallin’s character, Sharpay, at each show.”

Elizabeth’s favorite class is human anatomy.

“Mrs. Ohman has always been one of my favorite teachers because she has a passion for the subject  that has always been contagious for me. I have had an interest in pursuing a career in the medical field, so excelling in this class has affirmed that interest,” she said.

She enjoys physics with Mr. Ketola as well.

“He is also a favorite teacher of mine because of his life experiences. He always tells crazy stories about his life, and it’s refreshing to be taught by someone who has experienced the world and encountered diverse things,” Elizabeth said.

During her high school career, Elizabeth participated in DECA (four years); National History Club (three years); National Honor Society (two years); cross country (four years); track and field (four years); and Glenwood City Royalty (one year).

Elizabeth plans to attend the University of Wisconsin Madison with a major in biology.

“I chose biology because it can be applied to many different career fields, and I will be able to explore a lot of career options,” she said, noting she is interested in a career in the medical field.

“I have thought about the possibility of going to medical school after I obtain my undergraduate degree. That is a strong possibility, but I may change my mind or discover a better path,” Elizabeth said.