The top two Shoemaker High School Class of 2025 graduates attended elementary, middle and high school together in Killeen ISD and two weeks before graduation they received their ceremonial stoles together.
Valedictorian Angela Nguyen and salutatorian Winona Ochoa have known each other since their days at Maxdale Elementary School and Palo Alto Middle School.
They have attended Shoemaker High School and completed the STEM Academy at Central Texas College together. All four years, they have been ranked No. 1 and 2 in the same placement of their class.
Of course, they were not surprised how the final rankings played out. They were relieved and happy.
The pair were set to earn their associates degree from CTC 15 days before walking across the Cadence Bank Center stage a second time with their Shoemaker class at 7 p.m. Saturday, May 24.
Both are headed to the University of Texas at Austin. Nguyen plans to study biomedical engineering. Ochoa is opting for chemical engineering.
Both participated in National Honor Society, Science National Honor Society and English National Honor Society.
“I feel very proud of all I’ve done,” said the top-ranked Nguyen. “I’ve worked really hard, and it’s paid off.”
She said spending half her days at CTC the past two years has allowed her to grow academically and personally. “It allowed me to grow a lot. I had to keep track of time. It was a lot of opportunity, too.”
Staying organized and using web tools and binders were part of her method to stay on top of her challenging course work.
Looking toward her next step, Nguyen said “I’ll remember the people I’ve met. I’ve been very happy with the people here.”
While optimistic, she said she’s also nervous about the uncertainty of the future.
Ochoa said she is proud of her academic success. She said her mom especially taught her the level of discipline it takes to achieve.
“My mom was a lot of my inspiration. She pushed me to be the best. She had high expectations, and I had to follow through with that,” she said.
“I kept track in planners and organized my time. Sometimes, I just go with the flow and see where it takes me.”
While she spent most of her academic effort in math and science fields, it was a history teacher, she said, who was most influential, providing an outlet from the STEM courses.
She plans to go to medical school and be a physician based on her experiences seeing medical professionals care for an ill family member.
“I’m very positive about the future,” she said. “I think I can do a lot of great things.”
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