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Top Students Cactus Shadows names valedictorian and salutatorian By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski
C
actus Shadows High School named its valedictorian and salutatorian, as Billy Mullenmeister and Elizabet Cave, respectively, for the Class of 2020. Attending Cave Creek Unified School District since kindergarten, Mullenmeister went to Desert Willow Elementary and Sonoran Trails Middle schools. He’ll go on to ASU’s Barrett,The Honors College, to study biochemistry with the hopes of perhaps being an optometrist. “I don’t know what my career choice is, but one potential career option for me is an eye doctor or an optometrist,” he says. “In my first four years, I have to take general science classes and I wanted a strong foundation in biology and chemistry.” The key to becoming the valedictorian was putting forth a consistent effort throughout high school. “A big part of it, too, was not putting too much stress on myself,” says Mullenmeister, who ran track and cross country in school. “You’re not perfect. My freshman and sophomore year, I think I was too intense. I needed to scale it back, then school went more smoothly. You just have to remember, you’re a student. You’re not perfect. Mistakes happen.” Cave has been attending CCUSD since the fifth grade, having gone to Black Mountain Elementary and Sonoran Trails Middle schools. She’ll study biology and minor in business through ASU’s Barrett,The Honors College. “I really want to attend med school and become an anesthesiologist,” she says. “The majority of my life, I’ve been surrounded by people in the medical field and I’ve seen what medicine can do.” This fall, she’s planning on rushing sororities because they’re an “amazing way to get involved in what’s going on at ASU. I have a few friends who have gotten involved in it and they love it.They’ve met amazing people and made really good connections.” While in CCUSD schools, Cave played 12
JUNE 2020 | JULY 2020 NORTHVALLEYMAGAZINE.COM
Elizabet Cave and Billy Mullenmeister. (Photo courtesy Elizabet Cave)
Elizabet Cave is Cactus Shadows High School’s salutatorian. (Photo courtesy Elizabet Cave)
The top 3% of volleyball for nine years, the Class of 2020 as well as National Honor are Kendall Fender, Society and science club. Bryce Brown, Emma “In those nine years Petronella and playing volleyball, I learned Michelle Uddin. teamwork is important,” Top 5% of the Class Cave says. “You can’t get a of 2020 are Hailey hit without a set and you Steenhoek, Abigail can’t get a set without a Nosan, Veronica Boyle, pass. Volleyball is a team Drew Seiser, Trenton Billy Mullenmeister is headed to sport. You have to learn Dianovich, Georgina ASU’s Barrett, The Honors College, after graduating as the valedictorian at to work with each other. Kartsonis, John Stevens Cactus Shadows High School. (Photo Once you work together, and Suman Zahir. courtesy Billy Mullenmeister) that’s where the real Top 10% of the Class magic happens.” of 2020 are Holly Beck, Cave’s key to success in CCUSD was to Tyler Fair, Russell Liberman, Annalysse not see her classes as a chore, but as a way of Bacon, Serena Sabbara, Brittany Whalen, expanding her scope of learning. Antonio Cartin Ferradino, Megan Schreiber, “I enjoy what I’m learning and get into Alison Tobin, Sydney Perry, Lucas Sample, it,” Cave says. “That’s really helped me over Romi Takamura, Hannah Dicksion, Karrine the years. I wasn’t part of the IB program, Arenz, Maximus Rigler, Emilie Leazier, but I took IB biology for two years. In that Gabriela Marchica, Kelsea Clays, Katelyn class, we did amazing experiences. I had the Mizera, Reece Toso, Jaclyn Kennedy and opportunities to dissect a sheep brain, a sheep Alexandra DePinto. heart and a sheep kidney.” “Congratulations to all of these student Rounding out the top 2% of the Class of exemplars of Falcon excellence,” said 2020 are Taylor Rotenberg, Ryan Hildebrand, Superintendent Dr. Debbi Burdick. “We are Colin McConnon, Olivia Cordes, Megan so proud of them and look forward to hearing Mathews, Lauren Jankowski and Jacob about their continued success in their future LaRue. endeavors.”
