Raised in military families, Makenna Dempsey and Marie-Noelle Hanul Medlin have known many homes and schools in locations spanning the United States, Europe and Asia.
Yet, in a fascinating happenstance, after all of that travel, the seniors –– both born in North Carolina –– wound up as next-door neighbors and Killeen High’s top-two graduates in the Class of 2026.
Dempsey, a multi-sport athlete with aspirations of joining the United States Space Force, is this year’s valedictorian. Medlin, who’s fluent in German, Korean and English, is the salutatorian.
Coincidences and commonalities seemed to pile up the more the two students recently discussed their past, present and future –– their dads were classmates at West Point and both attended North Carolina State for grad school, advanced placement statistics was the seniors’ favorite class this year, and their graduations speeches are a work in progress.
However, the paths to their current standings were carved in their own ways.
Valedictorian Mackenna Dempsey
Dempsey arrived at KHS as a sophomore. She played three seasons of volleyball and softball and two years of basketball for the Lady Roos. She said athletics were instrumental in streamlining her acclimation into an environment much busier than previous stops in Virginia, Colorado and Kansas.
“I had never lived in a city this size. It was a really big change. It took me a little while to adjust but I found my friends, I found a support group, and the teachers here are all really great,” Dempsey said. “I think playing sports was a big part. Volleyball is where I really found that community.”
While sports were an enjoyable activity that reinforced the importance of discipline, commitment and mental toughness, they added to Dempsey’s demanding workload, which these days also includes two jobs. She said she managed it all by taking everything one day at a time.
“I have been ranked first all four years of high school, but I didn’t necessarily think it would stay like that. It was a lot of hard work, lots of late nights, and a lot of perseverance. It wasn’t very fun at times,” said Dempsey, Killeen High’s National Honor Society president.
“But, I’m very competitive. I think that comes from me playing sports. I also received a lot of support from my teachers and parents, who really believed in me, and I was like, I’m not really doing this for myself, but for them so that they can see me succeed.”
Next fall, Dempsey will attend the University of Notre Dame where she’ll major in aerospace engineering and join the school’s Air Force ROTC. She said she’ll head to South Bend, Indiana, grateful for the three years in the KHS halls.
“I think the biggest thing I’ve learned is that success is shared. I definitely did not get here on my own. I needed a lot of support and had to learn how to ask for help,” Dempsey said. “I worked hard on my own but I had a lot of people motivating me and encouraging me.”
Salutatorian Marie-Noelle Hanul Medlin
After stints in Kansas, El Paso, Virginia, South Korea, and Germany, Medlin became part of “Roo Nation” as a junior. She said switching high schools after two years at her previous location was a difficult transition, but she leaned on her experience and tapped into a learned bravery that helped ease some of the uneasiness.
“Moving a lot has helped me grow out of my comfort zone, take initiative and put myself out there for new opportunities,” she said. “The teachers are very supportive, and my counselor as well, and for the most part I just had to put myself out there.”
That approach led to Medlin finding a new friend group and helped keep her on track academically –– a journey that required an unforeseen uphill climb.
As Medlin tells it, her perfect 100s didn’t exactly transfer over to KHS, placing her in the top 20 when she arrived. That didn’t sit well.
“My old school didn’t have class ranks, so I didn’t know that existed until I moved here. The first time hearing about it, I was intrigued,” said Medlin, who enjoys drawing and playing the guitar. “But, my 100s turned into 95s because there was no numerical transcript. I’ve always been a hard-worker, motivated and driven but that made me really mad and that anger made me work harder.”
And it paid off.
In the fall, Medlin will enroll at the University of North Carolina, from where she was one of just 20 out-of-state students to earn a full tuition scholarship from the university’s Science Scholars program. Medlin said she plans to major in chemistry and has her eyes on medical school.
“I’ve learned to just be curious, especially about other people. Throughout my life, my favorite part about moving to so many places is meeting new, different people. I love all the diversity,
Experiencing what I’ve experienced is something that is so meaningful.”
Dempsey and Medlin will address their fellow classmates during KHS’s commencement ceremony at 2 p.m. Friday, May 29, at Cadence Bank Center in Belton.
Photos of all KISD valedictorians and salutatorians: https://www.killeenisd.org/photos