Celebrating The Best & Brightest Class of 2026 Winners
years ago, The Gazette launched the Best and Brightest scholarship program during a time when headlines too often focused on conflict and division among local teens. After a tragic incident in 1991, the narrative surrounding youth in our community grew increasingly bleak. Determined to shift the focus toward hope and highlight the achievements that truly defined the majority of our young people, The Gazette created the Best and Brightest scholarship program to honor students whose integrity, talent
and service were strengthening the Pikes Peak region. What began as an effort to illuminate the good has grown into one of our community’s most enduring traditions. Today, the program is powered by Gazette Charities Foundation, with continued support from The Gazette, ensuring this legacy of recognizing excellence remains strong for generations to come. As we commemorate its 35th year, Best and Brightest continues to uplift and celebrate young leaders who embody the promise of an even brighter future.
Danielle Ramacciotti Executive Director Kelly Spieker Program & Events Manager
Fina Ibañez Marketing & Communications Intern
GAZETTE CHARITIES FOUNDATION STAFF
BY KELLY SPIEKER AND FINA IBAÑEZ
Behind every student recognized as one of Gazette Charities Foundation’s Best & Brightest is a history shaped long before applications are submitted or awards are announced.
For the Khammash family, that history includes three Best & Brightest scholarship winners. In the following Q&A, sisters Sara, Hadeel and Ramah reflect on their individual journeys, the experiences they share, and how a family culture rooted in support and unconditional love paved the path they are on today.
What did the recognition of winning Best & Brightest mean to you at the time of your award?
Sara: At the time, it was a huge honor to be recognized not just for academics, but for leadership and involvement in my community. What stood out most to me was the idea that people in my community believed in my potential. It gave me a sense of confidence right before transitioning into college, and it made me feel like the work I had put in throughout high school made a difference.
Hadeel: I was so incredibly excited and humbled by the award. I applied, not knowing, or thinking I would win. I always wanted to be the best version of myself, and winning the scholarship meant that the things that I worked towards and wanted to be were recognized, which to this date has been one of the biggest achievements I have earned.
Ramah: It meant a lot because it recognized years of hard work and commitment. It also gave me a lot of confidence going into college, especially as I was also named a Boettcher Scholar, which made the moment feel even more meaningful and motivating.
How
did watching your sister(s) receive the award influence your own goals or confidence before and after high school?
Sara: Watching my sisters grow and pursue their own paths has been something I’m incredibly proud of. Seeing their dedication, resilience, and the way they’ve taken on challenges has reinforced how important it is to support and uplift one another. Before high school, it reminded me that the example I set could have a lasting impact, and after high school, it’s been rewarding to see them build on that in their own unique ways. More than anything, their growth has been a source of pride and perspective. It’s a reminder that success isn’t just individual, but something shared within our family.
Hadeel: Growing up, I always looked up to my older sister [Sara]. We were less than two years apart, and she was always so accomplished and an amazing role model. Seeing her win, I, like many other things, wanted to be just like her. It influenced me to be the best version of myself and want to make a difference beyond myself. Seven years later, I got to watch my little sister [Ramah], who was becoming her own person and leader, win the same award. She surpassed any image of what I thought she could be, and she showed what she could achieve.
Ramah: Watching my sisters receive the award definitely raised my expectations for myself. It made the goal feel more real and pushed me to stay disciplined. At the same time, it gave me confidence because I had seen people close to me achieve it, so I knew it was possible.
In what ways did the Best & Brightest scholarship shape your education, career path, or sense of possibility moving forward?
Sara: The scholarship helped shape my mindset more than anything. While the financial support was appreciated, the recognition itself expanded my sense of possibility. It encouraged me to pursue opportunities I might have otherwise hesitated to go after—whether academically or personally. It reinforced the idea that I could aim high, take on leadership roles, and pursue a meaningful career path without limiting myself.
Hadeel: When I won the award, I met many wonderful people from UCCS, the university I would be attending in the fall. The connections I made through Best & Brightest made starting college less daunting, knowing the kind of people that UCCS had! It also made me want to apply to other scholarship opportunities, and though I did not get all of them, I put myself out there and tried to challenge myself to achieve things that I may not otherwise try.
It reinforced my mindset of aiming high and following through. Going into electrical engineering at Colorado School of Mines, I carried that same confidence and work ethic, and it helped me believe I could take on challenging opportunities like research, leadership roles, and hands-on design projects.
Sara Khammash Hadeel Khammash Ramah Khammash
Sara Khammash 2017
Looking back now, what lesson or value from your Best & Brightest experience has stayed with you the most?
Sara: The biggest lesson that has stayed with me is the importance of believing in your own potential, even before others recognize it. The application process itself required reflection and self-advocacy, which taught me to articulate my goals and values clearly. That has carried forward into interviews, career decisions, and personal growth. These are things I apply to my daily life, clinical practice, and personal growth.
Hadeel: One lesson that has really stuck with me is to always put good into the world, and it will find its way to the right people. When I was applying for Best & Brightest, I did not know how many people would know and be interested in the work and community that I was interested in. A large part of who I was and who I am now revolves around community service and giving back. Best & Brightest took something I cared deeply about and allowed me to share it with the greater community.
Ramah: The biggest lesson for me has been consistency. Success came from showing up every day and putting in effort over time, not just one big achievement.
Where
are you now, and how do you see your high school experiences connecting
to the life you’re building today?
Sara: I’m graduating medical school from Rocky Vista University in May 2026 and will begin my residency in pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine in San Antonio. Looking back, many of the habits and values I developed in high school- discipline, service, and leadership- are directly connected to what I’m doing today. The Best & Brightest experience was one of the early moments that helped solidify my confidence and direction, and it continues to influence how I approach challenges and opportunities.
Hadeel: Right now, I am working on my PhD in immunology at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, where my research focus is Type 1 Diabetes. I have always had a love and passion for science and was lucky enough to be in a high school where my teachers shared [that passion.] The love I have for science lasted through high school and college and ultimately led me to pursue higher education in the things I am most passionate about.
Ramah: I’m currently a student at Colorado School of Mines, studying electrical engineering. This summer, I’m interning at Westwood in wind energy, which has been a really exciting way to apply what I’m learning in class to real-world projects. A lot of the habits I built in high school—like time management, leadership, and staying involved—still carry over into my college life and opportunities like this.
What advice would you give to today’s Best & Brightest students?
Take full advantage of the award and recognition, but don’t see it as a finish line; it’s a starting point. Continue to challenge yourself, stay curious, and remain open to new opportunities. Also, don’t underestimate the importance of community and relationships. The people who support and believe in you can have a lasting impact, so invest in those connections and, when you can, pay that support forward to others.
Hadeel: My best advice is not to be afraid to go after the things we are passionate about and care about. Being driven by the things I care about and the change I wanted to see happen was a large reason I think I became a Best & Brightest recipient. Taking risks and doing things I originally was afraid of have turned out to be some of the most rewarding experiences that I have been through.
Ramah: Focus on the process more than the outcome. Stay consistent, get involved in things you actually care about, and don’t be afraid to challenge yourself. The recognition will follow naturally.
we turned to the people
laid
What’s the secret to raising three Best & Brightest
scholarship winners?
Our focus was always on raising our kids to be kind, honest, and useful to their bigger family and community. We wanted them to develop the discipline to be reliable, consistent, and committed to follow through, not quit when things become difficult, and not leave things unfinished simply because they got bored or tired. We never forced any of them to play a certain sport or study a specific field. Those were their choices. Our role was to expose them to many different things in all fields like sports, academics, music, and much more. But they chose their own paths. One became a doctor, one chose research, and one is studying engineering. Finally, we made family the number one priority in life: family at home, at school, at work, and throughout the community. We tried our best to surround them with very good people, people who pushed them to become better, work harder, and to lead by example. Most importantly, our family surrounded them with unconditional love, regardless of wins, losses, grades, or awards.
The Khammash sisters remind us that excellence does not begin with college acceptance and scholarship awards. Their journey is proof that when young people are surrounded by belief, guidance and love – excellence becomes a natural extension of who they are.
Aiman and Rajaa: It’s all about character.
Lastly,
who
the foundation beneath all three sisters’ success; their parents, Aiman and Rajaa.
Ramah Khammash 2025
Hadeel Khammash 2018
MOST LIKELY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE
With sincere thanks to our Best & Brightest judges
Judging Panel
Andrew Huggins
Assistant Director of Postsecondary Access and Success, Peak Education
Andy Rovella
Development Manager, Pikes Peak Hospice & Palliative Care
Congratulations to all of you! I hope that you continue to inspire others and achieve all your goals, hopes and dreams.
Brea Reimer-Baum
Chief Advancement Officer, Catholic Charities of Central Colorado
Brianna Goodwin Chief Development Officer, Colorado Springs Sports Corp
Congratulations, Class of 2026! Keep dreaming big, working hard, and enjoying every step of the journey ahead.
Britton Varn
Regional Donor Relations Manager, Lutheran Family Services Rocky Mountains
We are so proud of each of you and can’t wait to see where your future leads. Thanks for all your hard work in high school. Know that we are rooting for you during this next chapter of your lives. Go follow your dreams and move mountains!
Carol Keenan
Program Director, Westside CARES
We love the many and varied gifts you share! Good luck in all you pursue.
Carrie Kemp
Regional Philanthropy Officer, American Red Cross
Cathy McKinley
Community Engagement Manager, Partners in Housing
Congratulations to the Best & Brightest –you all are truly amazing!
Chris Johnson
Executive Director, The PLACE
Georgia Muno
Director of Learning & Development, Goodwill Colorado
The Best & Brightest don’t just excel, they uplift others along the way. Congratulations to each of you.
Jaron Cook
Executive Director, Father’s First Initiative
Jayme Holligan
Director of Volunteer, Events and Community Engagement, Silver Key Senior Services
Jen Furda
Director of Partnerships and Gov’t Affairs, UCCS
Jess Wise
Executive Director of Engagement, Colorado Springs School District 11
Jon Dix
Director of Transition and Employment, Mt. Carmel Veterans Service Center
Believe in yourself, lead with kindness, and face the future with confidence. Your journey is just beginning, and the world is better because you’re in it.
Josh Bailey
Executive Director, The Bloom Foundation
Lisa James
Senior Director of Philanthropy and Advocacy, Peak Vista Community Health Centers
Liz Denson
President & CEO, Early Connections Learning Center
I can’t wait to see all that you accomplish –our future is bright because you are in it!
Mary Leusink
Chemistry and Biology Adjunct, Pikes Peak State Covllege
Meg Fredrick
Executive Director, The Mindfulness and Positivity Project
Michelle Aramayo-Gilbert
Vice President of Human Resources
Clarity Media Group
Nick Maiurro
Director of Customer Experience and Pikes Peak, Big Brothers Big Sisters
Congratulations! Keep chasing big goals and lifting up others along the way. Colorado Springs is cheering you on.
Our judging panel includes community leaders, nonprofit and higher-education professionals and representatives from Gazette Charities Foundation program, the Empty Stocking Fund.
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE BEST & BRIGHTEST CLASS OF 2026 WINNERS!
Koen Beaver, Cheyenne Mountain High School.......................... page 8
Kyle Blasi, Manitou Springs High School .................................. page 9
Luke Chung, Pine Creek High School ....................................... page 10
Brayden Cutshall, Vista Ridge High School .............................. page 11
Aidan Gallegos, Harrison High School ..................................... page 12
Trent Gregg, Peyton High School ............................................. page 13
Greta Jean Kelley, William J. Palmer High School .................... page 14
Tikvah Koppisch, The Vanguard School ................................... page 15
Sophie Zhou, Cheyenne Mountain High School ......................... page 27
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Gemma Braza, Air Academy High School
Edward Gene Ferguson Jr., St. Mary’s High School
Quinn Marr, Palmer Ridge High School
Zariea Patrick, Harrison High School
Claire Shin, Palmer Ridge High School
Gurman Singh Goraya, Pine Creek High School
Rayna Sisneros, Harrison High School
KOEN BEAVER
Cheyenne Mountain High School
FAVORITE ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• Finishing my research paper at SSP;
• Staying politically informed;
• Winning the State Debate Tournament
COLLEGE PLANS
• Columbia University
• Major: Physics
Merging physics and philosophy
BY LIBBY KINDER Special to The Gazette
In the fall, Koen Beaver will begin studying at Columbia University in New York City, majoring in physics, and possibly minoring in philosophy. He relishes researching and exploring the similarities and differences between these two disciplines, both of which are concerned with fundamental questions about the universe.
Beaver stresses his personal philosophy to refrain from being one-dimensional, embracing an interdisciplinary focus on science, debate, the humanities, and international affairs. Although his principal focus at this time is on physics, Beaver is enthusiastic about his multiple interests: science in general, being an award-winning member of the debate team, serving
as a science camp counselor, and being a founding member of Model UN at Cheyenne Mountain High School.
Beaver describes a tipping point in his belief system and perspective was a result of debating a Model United Nations topic: “Organ trafficking isn’t morally wrong.” Through research, angst, logic, and skepticism, his worldview shifted. “Statistics, science, and logic gave way,” says Beaver. “I had found philosophy and discovered I love pushing logic past its breaking point.”
For six weeks last summer, Beaver attended the Summer Science Program based in Boulder.
This experience, along with being mentored by his Cheyenne Mountain High School physics teacher, Adam Bentson, capped Beaver’s self-described “lifelong craving for physics.”
“Koen has demonstrated an impressive academic skill set,” says Bentson, and “has performed as the top student in his class, not through endless hours of study, but through a pragmatic and effective no-nonsense approach to learning.”
Dedicated to currently researching climate change, Beaver asserts that “I remain further committed to moral conviction … in the future, as a researcher, I hope to bring the laboratory into the real world to design achievable and effective solutions, bridging the divide between theory and reality.” Beaver notes that logic vs. philosophy challenges his beliefs. He sees that philosophy defies science. “Debate,
physics, politics, chess — each pursuit I had kept exclusive was commonly rooted, like an aspen grove, in philosophy.”
Bentson observes that, “While many students may debate the solution to a problem … Koen is always confident in what he knows and is not afraid to make bold decisions in solving problems, even when they are contrary to the opinions of his peers.”
As the lead counselor at an AI Summer Camp last summer, Beaver demonstrated strong skills in overcoming challenges and barriers. The weeklong day camp is offered to a broad age range of students, typically 5th-11th graders. He succeeded in ensuring the camp was free, so no one who was interested in attending was left behind. Sixty kids showed up on the first day of camp, twice the number expected. Beaver dove in and worked with donors and volunteers to ensure that every camper had a positive experience and was also fed. The highest comprehension results in the history of AI Summer Camp were achieved under Beaver’s direction. “Leadership,” he says, “is caring enough to throw everything at a problem when preparation fails.”
he uses the concept of winning vs. losing. After losing at chess, he found that “… winning became irrelevant. Games, I realized, weren’t line segments but one collective path. Each win or loss wasn’t the destination but a pitstop, fuel for learning to come.”
Beaver expresses his deep gratitude to his parents for their ongoing support and encouragement, and for fostering his independence. He relates that his mother always tells him to “fight the good fight.”
As an example of Beaver’s ongoing hunger to explore long-held beliefs,
“Going forward,” Beaver says, “I aspire to fight not just the ‘good fight’ but the best fight — and I’ll fight it with every fiber of my being.”
KYLE BLASI
Manitou Springs High School
FAVORITE ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• D3F Film Festival and Shifting the Lens Forum selected short film, “For the Fogeys;”
• Best Actor Nominee, Pikes Peak Regional One Act Competition;
• Roger Maestas Award for Leadership and Integrity
COLLEGE PLANS PLANS
• Chapman University, Orange CA
• Major: Documentary Filmmaking
Impacting change through filmmaking
BY LIBBY KINDER Special to The Gazette
As a high school senior, Kyle Blasi has a clear focus on his career aspirations: “Documentary filmmaking is a means to make change,” he observes, “amplify voices, and I hope to make a difference around the world as a traveling filmmaker.”
Blasi’s future plans are currently in a holding pattern. His dream is to spend a year at the European Film College in Denmark. “It would be a sandbox for me to play in and develop my own unique voice as a visual storyteller exploring what I like best about filmmaking,” Blasi explains. Subsequent plans involve pursuing a degree in film production at Chapman University in Orange, CA.
As a 4th grader, Blasi’s interest in filmmaking took off, starting with an instructional video he made for his aunt. The writing was on the wall as he continued making creative short films that he directed, acted in, and edited.
By summer 2025, he was ready to take filmmaking to the next level when he was selected to attend the Youth Documentary Academy (YDA) in Colorado Springs. The founder and director, Tom Shepard, became an inspiration and mentor to Blasi, shepherding him through the art of documentary filmmaking.
Shepard notes that Blasi contributed to YDA in three significant ways: his enthusiasm for learning; supporting, encouraging, and empowering his production team of fellow students; and efficiently mastering technical and filmmaking skills. “It’s Kyle’s capacity to listen, his kindness and openmindedness, and his curiosity and inquisitiveness,” declares Shepard, “that make him a standout and will serve him so well in the future … working out in the world.”
With a long-term goal of winning top awards at the Sundance and Cannes Film Festivals, Blasi is already paving his way to success. During his summer at YDA, he directed his own festival-grade short film titled “For the Fogeys.” His film focuses on the life stories of the elderly, shedding light on overlooked challenges of aging.
With a premiere at Colorado College in front of 450 people, his film drew attention from Silver Key Senior Services and multiple film festivals. On a personal level, Blasi realized he could make a meaningful impact through his art while inspiring viewers.
As a multifaceted individual, Blasi is also skilled in sports, photography, and acting. He is captain of the men’s varsity soccer team and is proud of his progression as an athlete, achieved by embracing challenges and plain hard work. As a photographer, he became the first student from Manitou Springs High School to compete in the SkillsUSA State Photography Competition, placing second. He has honed his acting chops with lead roles in four school theater productions. Kindness and compassion towards others certainly deserve recognition when demonstrated by a student. Blasi himself values engaging with others and treating them with respect. He speaks of the “unifying power of creativity.”
He also describes creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere as a
soccer team captain, ensuring that kids have rides to practice and don’t feel left out. TDA director Tom Shepard identifies qualities in Blasi that he values: engagement with other students, open-mindedness and ”kind demeanor.”
Blasi thanks his parents for their support throughout his journey. He says they always believed he could do anything he chose to do and encouraged him to chase his dreams. With his primary focus on documentary filmmaking, Blasi muses, “Film helps shed light on otherwise hidden stories and can spark real change in a community. I want my work to be showcased on these global stages [Sundance and Cannes Film Festivals] so that they can reach the biggest audience with the highest potential to make change.”
LUKE CHUNG
Pine Creek High School
FAVORITE ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• Running my first marathon;
• Seeing the kids I taught how to debate win state;
• Coaching on the All-American Model UN team
COLLEGE PLANS
• United States Military Academy at West Point, NY
A commitment to global service
BY LIBBY KINDER Special to The Gazette
The ambitions of Luke Chung center on changing people’s lives and creating a better world. As he begins college in the fall at the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY, his progress toward his goals continues the accomplishments forged in elementary and high school. Chung explains that he will gain skills at West Point to make important decisions in contentious regions of the world. “I felt I belonged there,” he says, by virtue of his steadfast dedication to service.
“My background has afforded me a deeper appreciation for the opportunities and freedoms you can’t find anyplace else,” explains Chung. “I wanted to go to West Point
to defend opportunities that my life is evidence of.” Chung describes being a product of military action, as his father immigrated to America from war-torn Vietnam, and his mother from Korea. Consequently, Chung considers his parents the biggest influence on who he is today. They are role models of hard work, genuinely good people, and strong examples of pro-activism.
Starting in grade school, Chung has taken caring action. He began fundraising for clean global water at age 7 by running races. To date, he has raised over $30,000. “I’ve seen that change doesn’t just require experts who do it all, but seven-year-olds bold enough to step up and do what they can.”
At the age of 8, Chung began corresponding with Eric, a boy living in a mud hut in rural Rwanda. Along with issues related to genocide and poverty, Eric and his family struggled daily with the global water crisis. “Since then,” says Chung, “I’ve been drawn to international affairs and economic development.”
When he was 11, Chung climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa, with the purpose of fundraising for clean water. “All I wanted was an excuse to give up,” says Chung about the climb, but he persevered and learned powerful lessons about himself and his ability to accomplish what he sets out to do.
As president of the Pine Creek High School debate team, Chung has found an opportunity to use his skills in a leadership role, to compete, and to mentor younger students. For the past 3 years, he has served as president of his
school’s Model UN and has gone on to the international stage, participating in a Model UN conference in Istanbul, Turkey. He found himself conflicted by brewing political tension vs. peace. He describes “… the beauty of Model UN is that it lies within this gap between the real and the ideal. It exists because its students are united in the belief that the change they pursue is possible …”
As a member of World Vision Next Gen, a community of high schooland college-age leaders fighting global poverty, Chung has been part of major fundraising campaigns that raised $1 million for famine relief in Somalia. “In the future, I’ll study international relations and economics, which form the backbone of policymaking, to continue advocating for the most vulnerable communities across the world.”
Chung says he will likely major in War Studies at West Point. He explains that he loves history, international relations, and the study of war as a science. His passion for debate and participation in Model UN intersect with his desire to deliberate on significant issues and represent the
United States on the international stage.
Stephanie Cornelio, Chung’s College Career Counselor, highlights his multitude of attributes. “His ability to fundraise and support the mission of World Vision Next Gen is indeed remarkable!” Student Council, Model UN, Speech and Debate, and mentoring his peers are all areas where Chung excels; she continues. “Luke is a genuinely great person … and he makes our world a better place because of his benevolent commitment to serving others.”
BRAYDEN CUTSHALL
Vista Ridge High School
FAVORITE ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• Obtaining a private pilot’s license at the age of 17 through a scholarship earned at AFJROTC;
• Having a GPA higher than 4.0;
• Earning high scores in various AP classes
COLLEGE PLANS PLANS
• CU Boulder
• Major: Engineering
A tenacious spirit propels student to achieve
BY RACHAEL WRIGHT
Special
to The Gazette
Vista Ridge High School Senior Brayden Cutshall’s life was upended after several deeply difficult events placed a huge emotional and financial strain on his mother, Ashley. Cutshall was in the 7th grade when the trauma and pain began to severely affect his grades.
“At the end of my 7th-grade year, I saw my report card, and it deeply upset me,” Custhall said. “I realized I had a choice: I could give in to the pressures of my environment or step up. I decided I had to adapt or my family’s situation would worsen and I wouldn’t achieve my dream of commissioning in the military.”
Cutshall also saw the pain his mother and sister were going through and recalls staying up until 3 a.m. on a school night in 2023 to help his mother move house and save much-needed money by not having to hire movers.
“Looking back on it,” Cutshall said, “moving with my family so much strengthened my ability to grow, adapt, and push through with a team to achieve a common goal.”
Cutshall never looked back after that low point in 7th grade. He will graduate with a 4.38 GPA and a 1460 SAT score, and will attend CU Boulder in the autumn. In those lean years, Cutshall also found a lifelong passion: aviation.
“I have dedicated my entire academic career to a career in aviation,” Cutshall said. “I want to achieve a degree in aerospace engineering to work for a defense contractor by designing planes.”
Cutshall’s original goal was to attend the United States Air Force Academy and commission as a pilot in the military, thereby following in the footsteps of his greatgrandfather, who flew bombers in World War II for the Army Air Corps. He was nominated by Congressman Jeff Crank to attend the USAFA.
“I was elated,” Cutshall said. “It was one of the happiest moments of my high school career. I felt everything I had worked towards was paying off”.
Through sheer grit and determination, Cutshall earned a scholarship, which enabled him to become a licensed pilot at age 17 after just 8 weeks of training. But due to medical reasons, Cutshall had to lay down the dream of being a military pilot.
“It was very disappointing,” Cutshall said of learning that a military career wouldn’t be possible. “But I have learned to live with the philosophy to always keep pushing and never give up, so I pivoted to Aerospace engineering as a secondary career goal.”
Cutshall has never forgotten how difficult school became during the upheaval in his personal life and has found immense satisfaction in tutoring.
As a part of the Air Force Junior ROTC, Cutshall joined other cadets in tutoring groups of students. Cutshall’s mentees were some of the most successful in the program and won more competitive activities than any
other group.
“I received a thoughtful letter from the students I tutored and the teacher in charge of the program expressing their gratitude, showing me the impact patient leadership and service can have on others,” Cutshall said. “Helping others is something I absolutely love and plan to continue doing well into college.”
Cutshall’s long-term goal is to make a positive impact on the world and, one day, retire
his mother and provide her with a stable, good life in her old age, as a way of thanking her for her love and care during his childhood.
“My family has helped me grow into an adaptable, resilient team player and individual,” Cuthsall said. “I will work toward a career that will provide financial freedom so that one day, I can help my mother and family for all the trouble they have gone through to help me.”
AIDAN GALLEGOS
Harrison High School
FAVORITE ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• Co authored a nationally published education research book;
• Presented original research on food insecurity at the FRAC National Anti Hunger Policy Conference;
• Raised over $5,000 for youth programming
COLLEGE PLANS
• University of Denver
• Double Major: International Studies & Public Policy
Future diplomat embraces servant leadership
BY ROBIN INTEMANN
Special to The Gazette
One of Aidan Gallegos’ favorite memories is leading last year’s Harrison High School seniors in the Panther Grad Fest because it cemented not just what was ahead for him, but also where he’d been.
“It’s where you walk through the different schools (in the district) you’ve gone through,” he explained. “I got to see and hear their memories and knew then that would be happening for me this year. It was awesome celebrating.” He was able, along with the other upperclassmen, to revisit familiar places and see former teachers and staff.
Much of what made that event special for Aidan was the awareness of how much he’d accomplished. In his Best and Brightest application, he wrote that since his first day of kindergarten, “…HSD2 and I have built a long, mutual commitment. The district has poured into me, and I have worked just as hard to give back.”
Aidan’s ways of giving back are many. He has established himself as a leader in multiple areas, including excelling academically, serving as cross country captain, and serving as a student board representative, among many others. The latter is the liaison between students and district leadership. He has participated in numerous leadership conferences across the country. “I wake up every morning and see my entire collection of lanyards from conferences I’ve attended, roughly 18,” he said. “I’m
proud of myself for that… in my role as student representative, it’s given me the opportunity to amplify student voices and my own.”
When it comes to leadership, Aiden said his style is servant leadership. “I’m willing to take initiative with people to put them in front while working side-by-side with them.”
Aidan plans to attend the University of Denver, where he’ll study international relations. This aligns with a long-term goal of creating what he calls The Empathy Atlas. This is an idea he first thought of as a nine-year-old. “When I was at Soaring Eagle (Elementary School), we had foreign exchange students from Vietnam. Through them, I learned a perspective I never knew about and that everyone has a story,” he said. “It was honestly awesome getting to know my first foreign friend and learning from him.”
What Aidan learned was empathy, which is something he continues to cultivate. “I’ve realized that everybody has their own unique and complex life,” he said. He has friends from around the world and plans to travel to learn more about other cultures and lifestyles. The goal is to compile his findings, which will also include how other nations interact and how policies impact
movement.
“My decision to attend DU was very intentional,” he said. “I plan to study abroad during my sophomore year, living in different countries, getting to know their people.” Ultimately, Aiden said he would like to become a diplomat using what he’s gleaned from The Empathy Atlas.
Another area Aidan identified as a source of pride is how comfortable he is with who he is, something he cited as an accomplishment. “I feel I was finally able to fully understand myself senior year,” he said. “It’s something that’s taken time, but I appreciate who I am. It might also have something to do with the 112 essays about myself that helped.”
TRENT GREGG
Peyton High School
FAVORITE ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• Founding the Peyton Junior Senior School Tutoring Center;
• 3A All-State Basketball Honorable Mention;
• President of Student Council for Junior and Senior Year
COLLEGE PLANS PLANS
• Colorado School of Mines
• Major: Mechanical Engineering
A combination of academics and ‘pay-it-forward’ mindset
BY RACHEL STOVALL
Special
to The Gazette
Best and Brightest winner Trent Gregg “demonstrates exceptional leadership and commitment.” These are the words of his student council sponsor at Peyton High School.
Trent currently carries a G.P.A of 4.25. As the President of the National Honor Society and Student Council, Trent is recognized as a leader. Whether on the basketball court, implementing clothing drives, mentoring students, or during his classes, he has made it his goal to ensure those around him feel seen and supported.
Trent understands needing support. As an elementary student in advanced classes, he reported feeling isolated and struggling with difficult academic material.
High school students who tutored him had a strong impact, helping foster his success. Their support inspired his decision to start a peer tutoring program at his school.
Emily Holmes, the student council sponsor at Peyton High School, talks about Trent saying, “I have personally witnessed Trent tutoring a younger student who greatly benefited from his encouragement … his compassion, reliability, and follow-through have made a lasting impact on our school culture”.
After graduating, Trent dreams of being a mechanical engineer. So, while attending Peyton High School, he has been taking college-level classes, including Calculus 1 and 2. He has classes at both Western State and Pikes Peak State College.
“These classes pushed me farther than I have ever been pushed. This experience has been incredible, even though it was a long grind to finally see and achieve my end goal.”
His specific vision is to earn a degree in Mechanical Engineering at the Colorado School of Mines.
Watching his own brother and sister-in-law join that close-knit community, combining problemsolving and tangible design, inspired him. He knew he wanted to join the school because they push the boundaries of what is possible.
“To me, a career in engineering is about more than just solving technical equations; it is about the ‘pay it forward’ mindset.” This mindset shows up in Trent’s athletic life as well.
During his interview, Trent told us how proud he is to have earned the 3A Honorable Mention in Basketball. He says his experience on the varsity basketball team has been a defining chapter in his life.
He believes their back-toback winning seasons were a direct result of teamcentered chemistry. But he and the team recently learned a hard lesson with an unexpected loss in the regional finals. Recounting the disappointment, he says, “We learned that we aren’t guaranteed to win, but that taking the journey together was actually the important part.”
Trent’s dedication to service goes beyond his
athletic commitments. In his sophomore year, he noticed a need for a winter clothing drive. Wanting to make the greatest impact, he formed a partnership between the two traditionally rival communities of Peyton and Rocky Ford.
He convinced the Rocky Ford Athletic Director to participate during an away game, and together, they organized a joint drive during the home football matchup. By bringing both towns together, they collected 15 bags of clothing, which were donated to Springs Rescue Mission in Colorado Springs.
Trent learned that a single initiative could bridge divides and create change.
This experience reinforced his conviction that genuine leadership requires compassion and the adaptability to meet people where they are.
He talks about his hope moving forward, saying:
“In the future, I want to enter the professional world not just as a capable engineer, but as a mentor who understands that a single helpful gesture can create a ripple effect that lasts for years, by connecting with people and building relationships to serve.”
GRETA KELLEY
William J. Palmer High School
FAVORITE ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• Global Health Buddies founder;
• Founder and Head Coach of D11 Free Recreational Soccer Program;
• Data-driven policy advocate, conducted research to inform policy decisions and contributed to initiatives elevating diverse perspectives
COLLEGE PLANS
• Dartmouth College
• Major: Quantitative Social Science
Emphasis on service and connecting communities
BY LIBBY KINDER Special to The Gazette
As a high school sophomore, Greta Kelley learned the true meaning of the popular song lyrics: “Even when I lose, I’m winning.” When she lost the Student Council election that year, she felt she was losing her position as a school leader. “But in reality,” says Kelley, “that loss gave me time to listen … to ask questions that no one else was asking and to see leadership in a different way.”
When a change at William J. Palmer High School from a traditional schedule to a block schedule was met with dissent from students and teachers, Kelley says her curiosity about why the decision was made led her to found the Student Sounding Board. The board’s purpose is to respectfully incorporate student voices and growing ideas into administrative decisions. After six months of research, Kelley presented her findings to the school board and superintendent. Although the policy was not changed, her efforts resulted in opportunities to
connect with district leaders. “That combination of listening and problem-solving now shapes how I approach everything I do,” Kelley observes.
Through challenges to hold her ground and advocate for the community she was representing, Kelley says she “learned that research can be an act of service …” She discovered value in the connection between data and quality relationships. The lessons she began learning through her initiative as a high school sophomore continue to shape the person she is today and who she will become.
Kelley explains that service is a strong emphasis in her life. Her parents laid the foundation for her at an early age to recognize the importance of community involvement. “At home,” she says, “service was never something we talked about. It was simply part of life.”
Another accomplishment Kelley takes pride in is being the founder and head coach of the Free Recreational Afterschool Soccer Program. As one example of her dedication, she encouraged and gave confidence to a timid student by teaching him soccer skills and developing a strong personal connection with him. She even made sure he had a soccer ball to practice with.
After a trip to Belize, where Kelley witnessed a significant lack of education and health resources, she co-founded Global Health Buddies. The program develops a partnership to learn from and connect with
other countries through videos, wellness kits, and correspondence. Kelley found another way to stress the importance of relationships. She is in the process of expanding the program to other countries through an online app that she will continue to oversee.
Kelley will continue striving to build connections through relationships as she enters Dartmouth in the fall, majoring in Quantitative Social Science with a double minor in Public Policy and International Affairs. She sees herself as a participant in the political arena with a potential career in government and diplomacy. She will use data to inform decisions and connect with people she serves. “My parents,” Kelley says, “taught me that caring takes time and persistence, and that service is not a single act but a way of living. I hope my life continues to speak through
constancy and empathy, and the daily work of showing up to make my community stronger.”
Palmer High School Social Studies Teacher and Student Council Sponsor Keith Ferguson notes that, as Student Body President, Kelley “… is already operating at a level of professionalism that is not simply rare for a young person, but rare for a person of any age.” Ferguson continues that establishing the Student Sounding Board illustrates “Greta’s superb ability to combine research, leadership, and advocacy in service of others.”
TIKVAH
KOPPISCH
The Vanguard School
FAVORITE ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• Creating and running a school wide science fair;
• Establishing the only Society of Women Engineers Next in Southern Colorado;
• Captaining a rocketry team and founding the social media page for it (ballistic_ducks.tarc)
COLLEGE PLANS PLANS
• University of Tennessee Knoxville
• Major: Aerospace Engineering
Aspiring engineer redefines success
BY RACHEL STOVALL
Special
to The Gazette
Even for the Best and Brightest, Tikvah Koppisch is extremely successful. Her academic career — including 15 Advanced Placement Courses — causes school staff to describe Koppisch as “rigorous as she is curious.” A National Merit Scholar, she currently has a cumulative G.P.A. of 4.314.
According to her college counselor at the Vanguard School, over the last 18 months, Tikvah has also read 291 books. Her interests are wide-ranging - from The Lucifer Effect by Philip Zimbardo to Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. She accomplished this feat while also taking a calculus course at UC Berkeley.
Tikvah told us in her application, “I have wanted to be an engineer since fifth grade.” But this young woman didn’t gain her success
alone. She found a way to take others with her.
Koppisch is acknowledged in her counselor’s recommendation letter as “a builder of communities, a student whose leadership is rooted in inclusion and initiative. She’s told the Gazette, “In high school, I established the only Society of Women Engineers Next (SWEN) in Southern Colorado, destigmatizing the presence of girls in STEM.”
SWEN’s community outreach is making a meaningful impact, showing kids that STEM welcomes innovators of all backgrounds and ages. Third graders build robots, and high school girls like Tikvah are shaping a brighter future. Last year, the group also completed the first science fair at The Vanguard School in over a decade.
But Tikvah said that her favorite community at school is the rocketry team. She took it upon herself to rebuild it after last year’s graduation. The 2025 team was mostly seniors and their departure was devastating.
Under Koppisch’s leadership, the rocketry team is thriving. According to her coach, the team has reached new heights because she has organized and planned their activities while fostering a culture of collaboration and enthusiasm. They now have an Instagram page featuring videos of team members she produced. The page receives between 5,000 and 9,000 views each month.
When asked what goals she had for the future, Tikvah Koppisch quipped, “Chase success, not dreams!” She continues, “But in my case, there’s
never been a difference. Everything that I have accomplished is a dream made reality.”
When pressed to explain that thought further, the young woman explained, “Dreams are the motivator, but success is the journey. Success is found in the discipline you learn and the friends you make.”
Tikvah plans to attend the University of Tennessee through its Engineering Honors program. She has decided to earn a degree in Aerospace Engineering with a minor in Nuclear Engineering. Tikvah credits her accomplishments to her family, her parents, her younger sister, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Tikvah commented, “Everything I do comes from Jesus. I was raised in church, but I knew that last year it was time to take ownership of my own faith. Especially as I plan to move so far away.”
Her young faith has been tested. You can tell when Tikvah tells
the story of how she overcame an accident that caused her a severe injury. She was walking barefoot at an outdoor party when she accidentally stepped on something hot. The resulting third-degree burn was painless due to nerve damage in her foot, but recovery still required three weeks on crutches.
“I am beyond grateful for that burn … because it gave me an inner strength brought out through outer weakness. “
Her sister, whom she describes as “My best friend in the whole world,” supported her consistently and without judgment. During that time, Tikvah learned a lifechanging lesson - that requesting or accepting help does not signal weakness but rather demonstrates trust and mutual support.
“We as humans are social creatures. We get where we get together. I have never really been alone.”
NAOMI KRUSE
Homeschooled
FAVORITE ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• Winning grand prize at the Pikes Peak Science and Engineering Fair;
• Published coauthor on fern gametophyte research;
• Varsity tennis captain, Palmer Ridge High School
COLLEGE PLANS
• Westmont College, Augustinian Scholarship
• Major: Pre-med, Minor: Math
Loss fuels change and a sense of purpose
BY JESSICA VAN DYNE Special to The Gazette
Naomi Kruse is doing the work of The Lorax.
Earning recognition as one of The Gazette’s Best and Brightest, the homeschooled 17-year-old continues to “speak for the trees” as the iconic Dr. Seuss character did. But Kruse has done a lot more than simply speak.
In her relentless drive to help the charred forests of the American West heal from wildfires, she has researched ecology, planted new life, and taught others to do the same.
It might come as no surprise that wildfire recovery holds personal significance for Kruse, since the Black Forest fire displaced her family of 11 back in 2013 when their home burned, leaving nothing but a pit in the ground.
What might come as a surprise, however, is how the experience
of loss fueled Kruse to be a conduit for change rather than a victim of circumstance.
“At first, recovery meant practical things, borrowed clothes, donated toys, temporary housing, and rebuilding life,” Kruse wrote in her Best and Brightest essay.
“But as the years passed, I began to notice something deeper, nature was not recovering at the same pace as people were. That realization became a defining moment, and I wondered, ‘How can ecosystems rebuild?’”
That question launched Kruse into a quest of her own.
She began by researching ponderosa pine trees and methods for restoring montane ecosystems. Eventually, she developed a two-year community project called Paper for the Planet, where she planted biodegradable paper infused with native seeds and fungi to spark microbial life and native flora.
It didn’t end there, though.
Kruse assembled seed kits with other students so they could get involved, and later she adapted her kits and sent them to California communities that had also suffered from catastrophic wildfires.
“Watching families go through the same loss we experienced transformed the project from personal healing into shared purpose,” Kruse wrote.
And that sense of purpose has extended even further for Kruse, who leads Forest Fridays — a hands-on nature program for elementary and middle school students — and A Doll for Ev-
sisters started to provide dolls to girls who have lost their homes in natural disasters or are facing difficult circumstances.
Perhaps helping others and teaching younger kids comes naturally to Kruse because that’s what her eight older siblings modeled for her. Growing up in such a big family is what Kruse calls the biggest privilege of her life.
“All eight of my older siblings are like teachers and parents to me, especially with research I do or projects I want to do,” Kruse said. “There is always someone who can help me.”
And that’s all thanks to her mother, Kruse said, who was conducting research at Stanford University when she decided to start
continuing to pursue a dream of becoming a doctor.
But that dream remains alive with Kruse, who intends to follow a premed track at Westmont College to become a doctor and has already made headway in medical research.
In May, she will compete in the International Science and Engineering Fair, the world’s largest science competition for high schoolers, where she will present research she conducted with a professor at Pepperdine University on the use of Vitamin C in vaccines versus other chemical additives.
“She inspired me to be a doctor to continue on that goal and dream of hers,” Kruse said of her mother. “She’s really the most influential person in my life.”
SHAYNA KUDUMULA
Pine Creek High School
FAVORITE ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• Vice President of Media Relations for Colorado HOSA, elected in front of over 2000 members;
• 1st Place in Health Education at Colorado HOSA State Leadership Conference;
• Successfully diagnosing an illness that a Nigerian patient had with Leadership Initiatives
COLLEGE PLANS PLANS
• University of California Los Angeles
• Major: Psychobiology, Pre-med
Focusing on cells and souls leads to medical aspiration
BY JESSICA VAN DYNE Special to The Gazette
Shayna Kudumula’s past, present and future have seemingly coalesced around a single focal point — medicine.
As a child, Kudumula’s interest in medicine began with a fascination with the human body’s ordinary functions, which held a world of microscopic mysteries.
As a teen, her growing passion led to solving public health challenges for Nigerian communities during a health care internship, as well as leading online awareness campaigns about neurological disorders.
And now, starting this fall, her medical aspiration will mean the beginning of a physiology degree on a pre-med track at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
“Medicine stood out as the one field that fights the invisible enemies of the body while nurturing the human spirit, where building trust can be as life-saving as any other treatment,” Kudumula wrote in her Best and Brightest essay. “No other profession asks you to understand both cells and souls, to care for the science and the story behind every patient.”
Studying cells and souls is exactly what Kudumula, a student at Pine Creek High School, did last summer.
During her internship with Leadership Initiatives at Georgetown University, Kudumula developed a creative, affordable solution to protect women and children in Bauchi State, Nigeria, from mosquitoes in a region plagued by malaria.
Using a shea butter-lemongrass ointment, Kudumula created an effective remedy for outdoor mosquito protection.
“Her leadership and vision transformed the project into an innovative, culturally resonant and data-driven campaign,” Katrina Lewis, the medical director for the internship, wrote of Kudumula. “Her solution bridged that critical gap, providing a sustainable and accessible intervention that was grounded in both scientific evidence and cultural context.”
During the internship, Kudumula also worked with Nigerian doctors to diagnose patients suffering from deadly diseases such as anemia, malaria, and typhoid fever. With the help of video-call technology, translators and local doctors administering tests, Kudumula diagnosed and treated a patient with malaria.
“It was very rewarding,” Kudu mula said. “I made her feel safe and comfortable.”
Kudumula’s achieve ments don’t end there.
In addition to her success on the varsity tennis team, teaching Ukrainian students English and earning awards in business communications, Kudumula dedicated time and effort to lead an epilepsy awareness campaign.
After losing a friend to ep ilepsy at age 15, Kudumula raised more than $9,000 for the Colorado and Wyoming epilepsy foundation. She also designed and shared educational presentations about seizure first-aid and
connected individuals with epilepsy from around the world in a virtual support group.
It was through that support group that Kudumula met a woman whose infant struggled with epilepsy. Kudumula later talked the young mother through a first-aid situation while the mother waited for first responders to arrive. The first aid saved the child’s life.
“This campaign made me realize leadership is about showing up and being present when people need you most,” Kudumula wrote in her essay.
Kudumula didn’t only show up for that woman in her support group; she showed up for the 3,000 stu-
dents and health care professionals she served as the 2025 Executive State Vice President of Media Relations for Colorado HOSA Future Health Professionals. In that role, she revamped the statewide website and social media platforms, which built connections, increased the visibility of student achievements, and provided students with crucial resources to pursue careers in health care.
The diversity of health care and medical experiences that Kudumula participated in solidified her desire to pursue a career as a certified doctor, which she hopes will someday culminate in her own clinic and public health nonprofit.
BARTON LI
Pine Creek High School
FAVORITE ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• 2x FBLA Entrepreneurship State Champion;
• Boettcher Scholarship Finalist;
• Daniels Fund Semi-Finalist
COLLEGE PLANS
• Carnegie Mellon University
• Double Major: Business Administration & Computer Science
Combining creativity and business ventures leads to success
BY ROBIN INTEMANN Special to The Gazette
For Barton Li, success and satisfaction are two different things, but both have roots in the same source: making a difference. By all accounts, the Pine Creek High School senior radiates success, but he’s quick to note it’s not his goal despite impressive academic, entrepreneurial and personal achievements. “Feeling successful is not my focus. It might feel like it’s very satisfying knowing something I’ve done might have made a difference, but success itself always means you have to do more because you don’t know when to stop. So, it’s not that glorious,” Li said.
Li plans to study business and computer science at Carnegie Mellon University. In 2025 he participated in data science programming at Stanford University. Before that, he founded two businesses, one that fosters nonprofit innovation, the other that develops websites. He is also involved in numerous extracurricular activities at school, including serving as senior class president, and Li typically works at China Menu, his family’s restaurant, two to five hours a week. He said it’s practically where he’s grown up. “At first I was an annoying little kid, but I learned to be someone who’s able to make customers more comfortable and want to be there.” The restaurant is where he first honed his website design skills. In his Best & Brightest application, he wrote, “Working at the restaurant for over half my life, I learned that
technology isn’t optimal for small businesses; it’s a tool for survival.”
In middle school, Li started helping with the finances by using Excel and doing the math. He explained, “It was only my parents working there with only my mom serving and orders were backing up. So I realized that me doing the finances in the back of my family’s restaurant really wasn’t helping. I knew I needed to start talking to people. Speaking skills are important and can be applied to so many things, so I started working on that. At first, I failed miserably and probably dropped food on people, but eventually, I
learned the entire menu (200 items) and became more confident.”
On juggling school, work and business ventures, Li says: “There’s a saying in business that some things are sacrificed to complete other tasks. For me, it’s about weighing the subjects I feel I know best and trusting myself to do so, so I can concentrate on other areas where I might need to spend more time. For example, at work, I serve customers; go in the back to take a look at some material to ensure that I know what I need to know.”
One thing Li said he wanted to emphasize was the importance of
his family connection. “I have my parents at home and my parents at work, where they’re my boss. There’s no real chance to talk there. At home, depending on the week, because some days are busier than others, we usually have time, where we play pool and talk about random ideas. Truly, the connection I have with my family is very important.” Li has shared his expertise with others besides his family. He’s mentored elementary students and assisted friends. “For me, satisfaction comes from helping people,” Li said.
ANNIKA LINDEMANN
Lewis-Palmer High School
FAVORITE ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• DECA chapter president + 6th in state (Quick Serve Restaurant Management event);
• Speech & Debate 4th in state (Original Oratory event) and 5th in state (Program Oral Interpretation event);
• Suicide Prevention Partnership Teen Board member
COLLEGE PLANS PLANS
• To serve a mission for the church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints
• Minerva University
• Major: Communications and International Relations
Busy schedule motivates student’s interest in communications & international relations
BY ROBIN INTEMANN Special to The Gazette
A lesson about moving forward from mistakes and challenges from her third-grade teacher is something Annika Lindemann has never forgotten; in fact, it’s been a driving force for her ever since.
This helps explain her involvement in school activities while maintaining an impressive academic standing. When asked about what she considers her most challenging and fun activities while in high school, she said, “It comes back to the clubs, they’re both fun and very challenging because I tend to over-involve myself, which is on me.”
Speech and debate was an example she cited where she applied that long-ago-learned lesson that came to mind. She said speech and debate, in particular, fit the category of fun and challenging.
“It’s one of the things I work the hardest for because it’s the one that’s come the least easily for me, but it’s also where I’ve grown the most,” she explained.
“You have to write, edit, rewrite and then memorize something that’s 10 minutes max. I’d been working really hard and felt overwhelmed by the time I got on stage,” she said. “I just forgot what I was going to say. I was mortified in the moment and embarrassed, but I learned from that, and when I made that same presentation again, I placed really high, so I was really proud of myself because it taught me a lot.”
Overcoming challenges and turning them into fun experiences is
something Annika seems to do naturally. In her Best & Brightest application, she recounted her experience of moving to Germany as an 11-year-old. She’d fallen asleep on a display bed in Ikea. After being rudely awakened by an employee in an unfamiliar language, she plead ed, unsuccessfully, with her par ents to move back to the States.
The family stayed put, and Annika slowly embraced being in a foreign country where she not only made friends but also learned the language and dis covered that making the effort to accept the changes had its benefits, even if it wasn’t al ways easy.
Annika described her sched ule as “complicated.” It’s easy to see why: She has leadership roles in the school’s National Honor Society, DECA, stu dent council, Key Club, Envi ronmentalism Club, and Suicide Prevention Partnership Teen Board, among others. She also participates in track, theatre, speech and debate.
“Being so involved, I’ve had to learn how to manage my time,” she said. “Trying to study, meet commitments, and stay fit for track all mean I had to find a good bal ance, but I feel super good about all of it.”
Annika said she’s “ex ploring her options” re garding college plans. She may take next year
to serve a mission for her church. When she does enroll in college, she wants to pursue communications and international relations.
She identified the United Nations as the best place to pursue these. Meanwhile, Annika continues to enjoy her busy schedule, which al-
EMMA LUU
Pine Creek High School
FAVORITE ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• Being baptized;
• College decisions;
• Scribble Sprouts – a literary initiative helping others tell their stories
COLLEGE PLANS
• Will attend Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, or Columbia
• Possible Major: Comparative Literature & Sociology
Student journalist has varied interests
BY RACHAEL WRIGHT Special to The Gazette
Pine Creek High School valedictorian Emma Luu has always been fascinated by stories about overlooked moments and lives. In childhood, she lovingly chronicled the lives of the bugs and insects in her family’s garden, beginning a lifelong passion for journalism.
“Bug writing is captivating, but two-legged subjects were an entirely new thrill,” Luu said.
Luu became a student journalist for Best Version Media, the LA Times High School Insider, and the School of the New York Times, devoting herself not only to identifying stories that merited space but also those that would draw in high readership.
When the small non-profit organization, Imprints of Honor, reached out to Luu to write up the
for their next book, she hesitated. The coordinator for Imprints of Honor told Luu the book’s readership would be small.
“I had spent years chasing the industry’s metrics of success — clicks, views, readership — empirical proof my words had a footprint,” Luu said. “Could a story with such a limited audience still matter?”
But when Luu met Private James Swanson, a Navy midshipman, she was riveted, hanging on every word, watching every tremor, and smiling at the spark in Swanson’s eyes as he told his story.
“I remembered what I loved about bugs was never the projected readership,” Luu said. “It was about noticing what had been overlooked.”
A year ago, Swanson passed away; his son-in-law wrote to Luu, explaining how much Swanson had looked forward to her visits and how the family had delighted in both the familiar stories and the new.
“The book didn’t need millions of readers,” Luu said.
“It found the right people, and that was enough.”
Luu found more overlooked stories in her own family when she visited her Vietnamese relatives in fifth grade. The gulf between Luu and her cousin Em Gái might have been a chasm. Em Gái couldn’t
read, growing up in poverty she had none of the inherited opportunities Luu did.
“I began tutoring class mates during lunch and recess,” Luu said. “The ed ucation gap widened in high school. In an increas ingly competitive world, these disparities can create life-altering consequences.”
Spurred by the memory of Em Gái and the under served students in Colora do Springs, Luu co-founded Apex SAT, a student-led non profit dedicated to bridging the education gap. Apex SAT offers free college prep services, online SAT/ACT/ AP review sessions, summer camps, and personalized college counseling with stu dents from top universities. It was launched in Colorado, but Luu and her co-founders, Amari Luu and Emmett Smith, realized educational inequality was a global issue.
“We expanded across oceans, reaching over 70 countries — from Nigeria to Taiwan — and raised over $38,000 while serving over 8,000 students through 400 volunteer tutors,” Luu said. “No paycheck came, but the reward arrived in an email: ‘I got a 1,600.’”
Luu finds it insane and hard to wrap her mind around the success of Apex SAT.
“I owe a lot of credit to my brother, Amari Luu, and friend Emmett Smith, who co-founded this with me,” Luu said. “It was a team effort over the span of nearly five years.
Apex has always been a pay-it-forward project. I look back on my family and their sacrifice, and I thought, the least I can do is let that heart and impact continue onward.”
Luu hasn’t decided upon a university for the fall, and is divided between Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, and Columbia, nor has she decided which of her many interests she’ll pursue. But she does know one project she wants to be a part of.
“My mother was a successful architect and artist and put everything on hold for me,” Luu said. “She’s my very best friend, she’s started illustrating picture books, I want to encourage her any way I can, just as she has uplifted me.”
EVANGELINE MCFARLAND
Cheyenne Mountain High School
FAVORITE ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• Golf Team Captain, one of the top 20 golfers in the state;
• Student Body Secretary/Treasurer;
• Eagle Scout
COLLEGE PLANS PLANS
• Georgetown University
• Major: International Political Economy
A passion for global policy and social issues
BY RACHAEL WRIGHT
Special to The Gazette
Cheyenne Mountain High School senior Evangeline McFarland once made a mistake. The sort of mistake that could derail her entire high school golf career. She’d miscounted her strokes, marking one less on the 18th hole. Her best-ever round, a milestone she’d been working toward for years, was wrong.
“I felt like I had let down every person who worked with me to get here,” McFarland said. “Tears burned in my eyes as I messaged my golf coach. He explained the scores had already been finalized … this was a serious issue.”
McFarland had taken up golf to cope with the stress of living in Germany on an American military base, as friends came and went, and nothing was familiar. McFarland’s confidence was shattered, but instead of letting herself be overcome, she shared the experience with her teammates and found not condemnation but understanding and acceptance.
McFarland was made team captain later in the season and learned then that leadership is not about perfection but about how you handle imperfection. The experience had been hard, but she’d grown as a person, teammate and leader.
McFarland plans on attending Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service to major in International Political Economy. A deep passion for policy and social issues was stirred when she participated in her first debate
tournament. The topic was guaranteed housing, and McFarland’s opponent argued that people didn’t have the right to housing.
“The statistics on my page became people,” McFarland said. “With each data point I saw the growing unhoused population in my hometown, and my disgust at the lack of empathy grew.”
McFarland threw herself into researching global issues like the disenfranchisement of minorities and found that her passion for policy could easily be coupled with her other passion: mathematics.
“Being able to analyze the quantitative causes of social issues was the perfect way to join my pas sions,” McFarland said. “Econom ic shifts impact class behavior, and a census can impact resource distraction. I knew my life’s goal was to make people’s lives bet ter through creating hu man-driven global policy.”
McFarland has already made huge strides along this path by participating in a volunteer group to re define the mission and val ues of Cheyenne Mountain School District 12.
“I worked with a com mittee of nurses, teachers and administrators, and we each came in with different priorities,” McFarland said. “I wanted to reduce pressure on students while others fo cused on maintaining aca demic standards and rigor.”
McFarland dedicated her self to facilitating productive
conversations and saw that the inclusion of varied viewpoints was necessary for meaningful change.
“This new environment has effectively addressed the fundamental issues at our school and students have seen significant change,” McFarland said. “While the new direction is not a perfect solution, I took the first step to prioritize the student over the grade, making my school a better place for everyone.”
In Germany, McFarland founded the country’s first female Scout Troop, which she said became an integral part of her identity. Parents were at first shocked that
McFarland is proud that she started so many of those girls on a path of community service and personal growth.
As her own path widens going into university, McFarland says she looks forward to being part of a positive, fundamental change in the world where basic human needs — food, shelter, healthcare, and schooling are met worldwide. “I know that my life’s goal is to make people’s lives better through creating human-driven global policy,” McFarland said. “There’s nothing more fulfilling than making a positive change for others.””
SOPHIA MELPAKAM
Doherty High School
FAVORITE ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• Boettcher Scholarship;
• Class Valedictorian with 4.6 weighted GPA;
• Student Body President
COLLEGE PLANS
• Will attend either Colorado School of Mines or University of Colorado Boulder
• Major: Engineering (will concurrently await admissions decisions from U.S. Service Academies)
Dynamic leader values duty and service
BY RACHEL STOVALL
Special to The Gazette
The college counselor at Thomas Doherty High School recommended Sophia Melpakam for the Best and the Brightest award with the highest of praise.
“I have worked with thousands of students, and Sophia is at the top of them all. I truly cannot express in words how amazing she is.”
Sophia is the Doherty 2026 valedictorian and student body president. She also has a G.P.A. of 4.6. In addition, she is the captain of the varsity cross-country team, runs track, and swims on the girls’ swim team.
Melpakam has been awarded the Boettcher Scholarship (a full-ride scholarship) to any Colorado university or college. But she may not use it because she is also being considered for admission to the United States Military Academy at West Point.
When we interviewed Sophia, the first thing she shared was how she helped organize The Harvest of Love campaign — to raise food and funds to benefit the Care and Share Food Bank. Sophia collaborated with faculty and administration to design activities that raised awareness of local food insecurity and mobilized the school community to actively participate in alleviating its impact.
She continued her story noting, “These efforts … raised nearly $26,000 and collected over 10,000 pounds of food, the highest totals in recent school history.
Melpakam told us, “I think about people in need a lot.”
Sophia also says that she takes nothing for granted. As the daughter of a first-generation immigrant, she was raised in a multi-ethnic home with a profound respect for America. Through personal conversations with her grandmother, Sophia gained an alternative perspective, realizing that the privileges she enjoys in America are precarious for her family, who live in their native India.
She understands that political and religious persecution, widespread poverty, and inadequate infrastructure are common in other nations. During her junior year, over a summer in Oaxaca, Mexico, she observed limited access to clean water, sanitation, and nutritious food.
She was there studying Spanish on scholarship and teaching English. She saw how economic hardship, violence, and unreliable law enforcement impacted local communities’ well-being.
These experiences reinforced her commitment to uphold Americans’ constitutional rights and civil liberties.
This is why she applied to West Point. “From an early age, I was driven by my deep-rooted passion to attend a service academy. Having grown up in a military town, I had the unique opportunity to frequently interact with enlisted personnel ...”
She pauses to think, continuing, “Each of those engagements has left an indelible impression of duty, courage, sacrifice, service, and leadership — attributes that I admire and strive to emulate in my daily life.”
When asked what she attributes her success to, she became quiet, her face contemplative.
She told The Gazette how losing a close friend and swim teammate in a crosswalk accident during her sophomore year deeply affected her. While grieving, she found healing by connecting with others who shared similar experiences.
Sophie, like many others, attended a candlelight vigil, found comfort in loved ones, and supported her friend’s family, which helped her move from “paralysis to purposeful action.”
She fiercely advocated for enhanced safety measures. By mo -
bilizing the school community, Doherty High School was the first in Colorado Springs to receive the “Safe School Zone” designation. This initiative successfully implemented reduced speed limits to ensure a safe commute for all students.
She speaks seriously of her internal change, “This journey of going through adversities has committed me to channeling my energy and effort in areas where I can make a difference rather than dwelling on external factors beyond my control. I do all I can to help students to feel seen and remembered.”
Using innovation, collaboration to impact the world
BY RACHAEL WRIGHT
Special to The Gazette
Brock Oliver was at a crossroads when he started at Pine Creek High School: either let the weight of personal struggle overwhelm him or lean into the support of friends and family.
“It became evident that regardless of what uncontrollable obstacles came into my life,” Oliver said, “there would always be something, or someone of value nearby. I wanted to live my life with admiration for my surroundings, optimism for the future, and purpose.”
Oliver dedicated himself not only to his own academic success, graduating with a 4.71 G.P.A. and a 1,510 SAT score with acceptance into the University of Chicago, where he will study molecular engineering, but also to his family and community, dedicating himself to a life lived in a reciprocal manner, always choosing to give to the world rather than merely to take.
“I firmly believe that by building and encouraging the future thinkers of our generation, the world will truly become a better place,” Oliver said. “One of the main ways I give back to this community is by solving a problem that has personally affected me: a shortage of financial literacy knowledge.”
Oliver co-founded Redefining Entrepreneurs in STEM (RES) to connect students with businesses and teach career development skills, so students can make informed financial decisions and take control of their lives.
Oliver also oversees RES Youth, where he teaches classes of thirty 4th graders the skills necessary to hold jobs and think like entrepreneurs.
“Working with youth at RES has taught me the importance of treating people as the base unit in any operation … it means personalized support for the students, and paying attention to the lessons we prepare,” Oliver said. “As somebody grateful for the opportunities I have received, this is also a great way for me to pay it forward.”
Oliver is extremely passionate about a crisis facing roughly two million people a day, a crisis made worse by war and conflict: access to fresh water. Several Middle Eastern nations have invested in desalination plants, but the high energy costs make it unfeasible for poorer areas.
“On the STEM side of things, we must first implement innovative techniques using knowledge on the molecular level,”
Oliver said. “Then, with the process streamlined, we must incorporate the business knowledge to get water from the ocean to underserved communities around the globe.”
Oliver sees the need to synthesize business acumen and STEM ingenuity to solve problems.
“I don’t just want to see what can be done on molecules, nor the astounding success of a business,” Oliver said. “I want to see the two come together to have
a real-world impact. I wouldn’t make this my goal if it weren’t for the legacy I want to leave behind: restoration and betterment of humankind through innovation and collaboration.”
In addition to his long list of achievements, like 2nd Place in DECA State Leadership Conference, QuestBridge National College Match Finalist, and Daniel’s Fund Scholarship Finalist, Oliver also earned the Global Fundraising Award for his fundraising to support a Nigerian business.
“We raised over a thousand dollars to help a small Nigerian motorbike company get off the ground,”
Oliver said. “A friend of mine found the opportunity, and I wanted to be a part of this process. My contribution was to help ensure we hit our fundraising goal.”
Whether at home, doing chores and chauffeuring his siblings to take some of the mental load off his mother, Amanda, or internationally, being the catalyst to change lives across the world, Oliver is committed to giving back.
“People aren’t meant to be selfish,” Oliver said. “The sheer generosity people continue to show me demonstrates the very existent concept of humanity, and the impact that giving back to the world has.”
QUINN PASCUAL
Discovery Canyon Campus
FAVORITE ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• Student Body President;
• Track and Field Team Captain;
• School District Liaison
COLLEGE PLANS
• Princeton University
• Major: Public Policy at the School of Public and International Affairs, pole vaulter for Division 1 track and field team
Merging resilience and kindness to have an impact
BY JESSICA VAN DYNE Special to The Gazette
Resilience. Curiosity. Kindness.
Those are just a few of the points on Quinn Pascual’s compass for life, and so far, they’ve navigated the Discovery Canyon Campus High School senior through life’s peaks and valleys.
The first valley came when Pascual was only 2 years old.
What started as a bout of seizures, high fevers, and a bizarre skin rash turned into a diagnosis of Kawasaki disease, a rare condition that can cause lifelong heart and vascular complications. The diagnosis required that Pascual receive intravenous treatments of purified proteins and antibodies from blood donors and resulted in a long period of relearning to walk and perform other motor functions, such as smiling.
“Without their donations,” Pascual wrote in his Best and Brightest essay, “my health would have taken a turn for the worse, and I would never have become the person that I am today.”
And that person today? He strives to pay forward the kindness he received as a child.
Sometimes that kindness meant organizing school-wide fundraisers for childhood cancer research as Student Body President. Sometimes it meant feeding warm meals to homeless people in Alamosa with his church. Sometimes it meant simply encouraging other students on his track-and-field team as its captain. But whatever the act of kindness, it has always meant reaching out to others.
“His thoughtful and compassionate nature ensures that he considers the well-being of his peers in every decision he makes,” Clare Koppin, Pascual’s student council advisor, wrote. “He is passionate about service and consistently looks for ways to give back to those in need.”
It’s a mentality that earned Pascual admission into Princeton University this fall, where he intends to study public and international affairs.
Perhaps Pascual’s track in higher education shouldn’t come as a surprise, considering his involvement with climate change activism and community service.
It was through an internship with Good Trouble Climate Coalition and a summer program with the Pikes Peak Justice and Peace Commission that Pascual said he was inspired, witnessing how community leaders made an impact in their towns.
Pascual made an impact of his own, serving on the high school student council all four years, helping plan events, coordinating charity drives and serving as District Liaison between other schools.
“He is truly one of the most impactful individuals in the student council group,” Koppin wrote, “and I know he will continue to strive for excellence in himself, his actions, and his community.”
Pascual’s excellence doesn’t end there, though. His tenacious spirit has carried over into his success in sports, too.
When a broken back the summer before ninth grade ended his
lifetime involvement in gymnastics, Pascual found other paths. He started teaching younger kids gymnastics instead and began pursuing a track-and-field career.
As a state championship contender in pole vault and a Princeton recruit, Pascual’s bar seems to keep
rising higher with his sights set on possibly competing in the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
“That’s probably far-fetched,” Pascual said. “But that’s a little goal I have for the future.”
Olympics or not, Pascual’s future seems to be a bright one.
MADDIE SPRINZ
Rampart High School
FAVORITE ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• Student Council executive member (3 years);
• Team Colorado Volleyball coach (2 years);
• Math Lab lead tutor
COLLEGE PLANS PLANS
• Colorado School of Mines
• Major: Mechanical Engineering with an Aerospace Focus
Looking to the stars with compassion and commitment
BY JESSICA VAN DYNE
Special to The Gazette
There’s no doubt that Madeline Sprinz is a star, and one day she plans to help the rest of humanity explore them.
The Rampart High School senior’s whip-smart intellect and can-do attitude are propelling her to follow her passion for aerospace engineering this fall at Colorado School of Mines in Golden.
Her first exposure to aviation came when she was four years old at the Colorado Springs Airport, where her grandpa, a retired pilot, brought her along to an airplane sale.
“That day at the airport sparked a lifelong journey,” Sprinz wrote in her Best & Brightest essay. “I devoured every airplane and space book I could find. I’d spend hours outside at night, peering through my telescope or borrowing my dad’s phone to use the star-mapping app.”
That was only the beginning of her research endeavors.
As a sophomore, Sprinz attended SolidWorks, an engineering camp at her soon-to-be college. Later, she crafted a fully functional jet engine model using more than 300 3D-printed parts. Beyond her academic studies, where she earned Dean’s List status, she was honored with the Society of Women Engineers Certificate of Merit in Science and Mathematics.
That’s all proof of Sprinz’s genuine desire to learn, something one of her student council advisors, Jordyn Wieland, finds emblematic of Sprinz.
“She frequently shares insights from her Calculus classes at UCCS, her independent study in organic chemistry, or her engineering projects,” Wieland wrote.
But Sprinz’s achievements aren’t just to amass knowledge and skills for herself. Instead, she utilizes them in the various teaching roles she’s assumed to give back to her community.
Whether teaching 11- and 12-yearolds the fundamentals of volleyball or tutoring students in math or mentoring younger high schoolers in student council, being a helping hand comes naturally to Sprinz.
“That’s why mentorship is so im portant to me,” she said. “Because I have so many people I can trust, I want to be that for other people.”
Among the people Sprinz trusts are her parents, her student council advisors, her friends and her closest buddy Abby — her older sister.
“We’ve been so close since I was born,” Sprinz said of her sister.
“She’s amazing.”
Some might also use that word to describe Sprinz — especially when it comes to her work with the stu dent council, where she manages marketing, social media and student conces sions as well as serving as prom chair and homecom ing co-chair and helping gather thousands of dollars in corporate donations for the school’s annual “Bald 4 Bucks” fundraiser. During the keystone event at Ram part, students shave their heads to raise money for
Blood Cancer United, a nonprofit that funds blood cancer research.
This year’s event carried heightened meaning for Sprinz after her friend Cora, who was to be honored at the event, succumbed to leukemia
I had done more, and who turns compassion into commitment,” Sprinz wrote. “This is how I am choosing to find something positive in Cora’s death. I cannot change what happened, but I can
AFIFAH ZEESHAN
Discovery Canyon Campus
FAVORITE ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• Ru nning a successful fundraiser for the St. Baldricks Foundation under Student Council
• E ncouraging students to be more environmentally aware
• Placing 2nd place in PF debate at the Speech & Debate 4A State Tournament as a junior
COLLEGE PLANS
• UC San Diego
• Major: Political Science & Public Policy
A plan to advocate for the underserved
BY ROBIN INTEMANN
Special to The Gazette
Afifah Zeeshan readily admits she was shy when she started attending Discovery Canyon Campus as a fourth grader; it was not the way she was previously described, and not at all what her personality is today.
“As a little girl, I was pretty spontaneous, but I became shy, I think, from moving here from California; it was a brand new school, a brand new environment, and I quieted down a lot. Once I got into speech and debate my parents recognized
She said, “I was lucky enough to take a speech and debate class. The teacher was so much fun that I ended up joining the speech and debate club. My friend and I paired up for the 2x2 event, and we were so competitive together that we thought we’d never stop doing it. I surprised myself at how direct I could be.”
Zeeshan said her parents had always told her she should become a lawyer because she could always find loopholes.
Zeeshan does envision a career as an attorney, specifically assisting the underserved. She plans to attend
and public policy. Toward her goal, she participated in a mock trial program at Stanford Uni versity and volunteered for Teen Court.
In her Best and Brightest essay, Zeeshan wrote, “My long-term vision is to create balance in a broken (legal) system and push for reform where humanity and justice are valued over rigid judg ment.”
Zeeshan said she will most miss the mentors and com munity she has had at DCC. “I have a mentor at the high school who used to be a prosecutor, so it will be a shock for a while knowing I won’t be seeing these people. Plus, in all my classes, I’ve found such sweet people; it’s a very uplifting community; there’s stability that you don’t always find. Also, I learned to focus on community through the student senate (student government). It has a family sense, and I loved that. It’s shaped the leader that I am today.”
cuisine,” she said. “But I really adore helping people. Being in a bigger city, I know I’ll see a lot more ways to directly impact more people. I really like hearing about other people’s stories and how they got to where they are.”
As for what she is looking forward to, Zeeshan said she has two things in particular she is excited about: one she described while laughing, and the other she stated in a more serious tone. “First,
Although she identified several activities and achievements of which she’s proud, she said, “I’m proudest of becoming more outgoing in my personality. I’m so proud of how the little kid in me grew into who I am now. I’ve been able to find myself and I’ve learned to be more forgiving of myself.”
Then, as an afterthought, she added, “I’m also proud of doing so well in state public forum debates. Those were ‘I made it moments.’”
SOPHIE ZHOU
Cheyenne Mountain High School
FAVORITE ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• Developing an algorithm detecting AI-generated vs. human art and getting to present research paper internationally;
• 2x State Tennis Championships, team and individual titles;
• Award winning artist, won at Scholastics and other art shows
COLLEGE PLANS PLANS
• Will attend either Stanford or Yale
• Possible Major: Computer Science or Economics
A passion for computer science and art
BY RACHEL STOVALL
Special to The Gazette
Like many of the Best and the Brightest winners, Sophie Zhou is an exceptional student. She anticipates attending Stanford this fall. Her twin passions for Art and Computer Science have carved out for her an art-activist niche that she can set her life in.
She is also a member of the non-profit organization All In AI, which runs summer camps to teach underrepresented students about machine learning. Sophie is motivated by working with these students and enjoys running the free summer camps at her school.
Zhou is most proud of being selftaught — when struggling with something, she often had to just “figure it out.” She shared a story in her application that illustrated how often she grappled with stress. She experienced difficulties with verbal expression because she was the only family member fluent in English, but at times her skills fell short.
“The insurance rep snapped after six-year-old me stumbled over my words, while translating my mom’s broken English. The line went dead. I was old enough to translate — but not old enough to be told our circumstances.”
Art has allowed Sophie to identify and acknowledge her own emotions. She created images that gave words to feelings that were too painful for her to say aloud.
One of her pieces, depicting her mother’s “ruby-red hands” performing CPR on her — symbolically reviving her disconnected Asian her-
itage, elicited more reaction than anything she could have explained in words. Through her artwork, others were finally able to understand her emotions, without her having to disclose too many personal details of her circumstances.
Sophie describes her emotional growth facilitated by the creative process. “Constant redrawing wrestled authenticity out of me, forcing me to process my emotions. Art empowered me to make a statement.’
So as generative AI emerged — producing thousands of pieces of art per second and saturating the internet often with plagiarized art — Sophie felt that human artists were being overshadowed. It felt as though she was her six-year-old self again: powerless and unable to express herself. The identity she had reclaimed through art was shattered.
Zhou used her passion for computer science to push back against the AI plagiarizing art trend.
“As I investigated more scalable methods of distinguishing AI art from human art I wondered, could I use computer science algorithms to tease out artists’ unique quirks, shaped by their context and influences or, ‘micro-clues,’ in their work? For guid ance, I cold-emailed Dr. Shu Kong, a professor re searching generative Al, and joined his lab.”
Sophie’s work in this area resulted in a publication presenting a new state-ofthe-art approach for detect-
ing art plagiarism. Her work has the potential to protect the livelihood of artists all over the globe.
But she wasn’t finished yet. Zhou wanted her work to reach beyond research papers, so she created VanGotcha, an online game where players identify real Van Gogh paintings from AI-generated fakes.
VanGotcha educates artists on spotting plagiarism. The website even offers them the option to submit their own artwork, so the plagiarism detection algorithm can protect it in the future as well.
Seeing 2,000+ users join this effort has given Sophia hope that they can achieve something more for artist protection.
“Nowadays, I’m ex ploring Al-detection in video since Al-generat ed content threatens the notion of truth in media. It is an even
harder technical problem, but the algorithms I can use to solve it are both intellectually fascinating and key to protecting artists for years to come.”
