Motivated to set themselves up for a fruitful future, seniors Matthew Rangel and Jolie Mounthongdy made sure to maximize their four years at Harker Heights. They never settled, never shied away from the hard work and never let their pursuit of academic excellence get in the way of their friendship.
As a result, the two Knights who met as Skipcha Elementary School fourth-graders reached the pinnacle of educational success. Rangel is the Harker Heights Class of 2025 Valedictorian and Mounthongdy is the Salutatorian.
For Rangel, his journey began with a blue ribbon.
“I was an average student at Skipcha. I didn’t care much about school but I cared about these ribbons that were given to students at award ceremonies for getting all A’s,” Rangel recalled. “I really wanted one of those blue ribbons but I never got one –– until the fifth grade. That’s when I decided to actually try my best, and that’s when it all started.”
The “blue ribbon” Rangel chased once he reached high school didn’t have much to do with test scores. Sure, great grades were still priority, but his work ethic was sparked and inspired by something deeper –– making his family proud.
“What I do now determines what I do later in life and I want to make sure that I do well now so that I’ll be able to retire my parents and make sure they live a happy life,” said Rangel, who, as part of a military family, was born in Germany, lived in Louisiana and had a second stint in Germany before settling in Harker Heights.
Rangel will attend University of Texas-Arlington in the fall and major in Aerospace engineering with the hopes of landing with Lockheed Martin, and one day, perhaps, working with NASA or SpaceX.
Stepping outside of his studies, Rangel filled his free hours by working a part-time job at Fire Street Pizza in Belton, volunteering for Habitat for Humanity and interning for the Directorate of Public Works on Fort Cavazos.
His overall message to his classmates and future Knights is straightforward.
“Don’t be complacent. Don’t think that where you’re at is enough,” Rangel shared. “Always fight for a higher position and to be a little bit better than the day before.”
As Valedictorian, Rangel doesn’t just talk the talk. He walks it, too.
“(Being the Valedictorian) means quite a bit,” he said. “But, I want to keep building up, because I know I have a lot of potential and a lot more to do.”
The commonalities between Rangel and Mounthongdy don’t stop with the Skipcha years. They also both attended Union Grove Middle School, were members of the Harker Heights orchestra –– Mounthongdy plays the violin and Rangel the cello –– and took plenty of the same high school courses.
They also just graduated with associate degrees from Central Texas College, and Mounthongdy’s motivating factors in achieving Salutatorian status had similar elements to Rangel’s.
“My mom pushed me the most. When I was younger, she was the one who always told me ‘If you work hard now, you’ll have an easier life later.’ So, I always did what she said. Then I realized why she told me that. It wasn’t for her benefit. It was for me. So that I could have a bright future. That motivated me,” said Mounthongdy, who was born in Thailand and also was raised in a military family.
“My parents are both immigrants. They came from nothing but they came here and made their own lives,” Mounthongdy continued. “My mom gave up everything to be here and I wanted to make her proud.”
A music enthusiast who sings in her church choir and assists in the youth ministry, Mounthongdy is headed to the University of Texas-Austin to major in biology. Her dream career is to be a dentist.
Mounthongdy said her four years at Harker Heights and the five others spent in Killeen ISD were foundational, and she credited the teachers she encountered along the way.
“The teachers here, even before high school, every educator I’ve ever been with has been amazing, like perfect,” she said. “Whenever you need help, they have tutoring. They take a lot of time. I’ve never felt like they didn’t care. I think that was the best thing ever.”
Her biggest pieces of advice for the younger generation: work hard and prioritize your time.
“All it takes is keeping yourself on track, be motivated, turn in all your stuff on time or early. That’s all you need to do. Do your best. If you need help, seek it,” she said. “Work hard now and you’ll have an easier life later. Gain experiences to be ready for what life hits you with.”
