The Roanoker - July/August 2014 - 21

The Brainiacs

BY DAN SMITH
PHOTOS BY DAVID HUNGATE

These Roanoke Valley 2014 high school graduates are perhaps best known
for their cerebral prowess, but there's a lot more to them than that.

MORE BIG BRAINS!Go to TheRoanoker.com/
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Brainiacs to read about: Madison Price,
Alaina Girani, Karlie Pope, Evans Schmedtje,
Sam Foster and Sarah Katherine Perkins.

OK, BOYS AND GIRLS, what we have here
are the brainiacs, that class of student that is
like really, really smart. You know, step-backand-look-again smart. They're the ones whose
hands shoot up in class, who go to Harvard,
who start companies when they're 12.
At 17, they go to summer camp at MIT so
they can learn astrophysics; their science fair
projects are titled "Examining the Viability of
Low-Cost Autonomous UAV for Search and
Rescue Operations;" they compose symphonies that they perform publicly.
They are not necessarily the top-scoring
students in their classes, but they likely could
be if they wanted to. It's a matter of priority.
Their own words are revealing. Sebastian
Wellford of Cave Spring High: "I am interested
in researching new drugs and medicines to
help prevent diseases. I hope that my leadership, critical thinking and creative skills can
help pioneer new treatments on a molecular
level."
Ryan Devins of Glenvar High: "I want to
eventually work in a research and development
THE

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capacity in the aerospace field where I can contribute to the creation of new concept aircraft
or spacecraft and bring them to commercial
aviation and the military..."
Nicholas Mikalauskas of Lord Botetourt
High and the Roanoke Valley Governor's
School: "I [have] studied telomere lengths of
DNA and their correlation with lifespan and
healthiness."
Ford Carson of Patrick Henry High School
has a simple goal: "I would eventually like to
leave this world in better condition than I
found it, which I consider to be the most important accomplishment any human is capable
of, and I believe I can do that by introducing
productive people into society and making a
positive impact on public health."
What this story attempts to do is put faces on the brains of the Roanoke Valley high
schools' Class of 2014. There's one from each
school, save for a couple (Community High
and Faith Christian) that are so small they
aren't included.
Here they are:

Morgan Leeson
Salem High
Age: 17 | GPA: 4.2
Parents: Todd Leeson, Gentry Locke Rakes
& Moore, lawyer; Whitney Leeson, Roanoke
College, history professor
College: Bates College
Selected Honors/Awards: National Merit
Commendable Scholar, president, Salem High
National Honor Society; copy editor, Laconian
staff (yearbook awarded Columbia Scholastic
Gold Crown); President French Club; officer
Salem High Student Council Association; president Rotary Interact Club; Virginia Governor's
School for Humanities and Visual & Performing Arts; Rotary District annual youth seminar;
French honor society; captain, academic team;
varsity lacrosse (first team all-region, all district, all-Southwest Virginia, three-year captain,
academic All-American U.S. Lacrosse Girls.)
JULY/AUGUST 2014

21
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