2016 Seniors of the Year

College: N.C. State

Parents: Shelly and Brent Alman

Highlight: For her senior project, Mallory worked to create plastics made from biological matter instead of petroleum. She created plastics made from kudzu.

Memento: A fishing cap that belonged to her grandfather. “He worked at NASA...He wore the cap to all the Ashbrook games to make people laugh. I like to be really silly too, but I want to be an engineer like him.”

Senior of the Year

College: Washington and Lee University

Parents: Beth and Greg Archer

Highlight: Played a key role in a movement called “See Something. Say Something.” It’s a way for students to break the pattern of bullying and disrespectfulness.

Memento: A bracelet with the “See Something. Say Something” printed on it. “I wear the bracelet as a reminder of the importance of kindness, and how far kindness can go.”

Senior of the Year

College: Duke University

Parents: Marianne and Brian Conti

Highlight: Amanda created a club called Girls in STEM. It was a way for girls to discuss science. The group also works with girls in elementary school.

Memento: Her summer book from Governor’s School. “I went to study natural science. It was the first time I got to immerse myself in science and use advanced equipment.”

College: Clemson University

Parents: Christine and Michael Dawes

Highlight: She created a program called Students Teaching Seniors. It was a program at South Iredell Senior Center where she and other students volunteered to help senior citizens learn about computers.

Memento: A photo of Alexandra with Pat and Marlene, two women she worked with as part of her Students Teaching Seniors program. “They were the first two ladies I worked with.”

Senior of the Year

College: Florida State University

Parents: David and Dawn Dworak

Highlight: Severe childhood ear infections left her with severe hearing and speech deficiencies, Her hearing returned after surgery. It took 10 years of therapy to learn to speak clearly. Today she is her school’s salutatorian.”

Memento: A decorated wooden Russian nesting Matryoshka doll, from her great grandmother, who was taken at age 13 to a work camp in Germany and not reunited with a family member for more than 30 years.

Senior of the Year

College: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Parents: Justo and Robin Garcia

Highlight: Co-founder of Girls Engineer, which introduces middle school girls to engineering through hands-on activities.

Memento: Keepsakes from her first state leadership conference for Health Occupations Students of America, which has helped her find a sense of community and confidence to speak in public.

College: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Parents: Manuel and Carmen Garmilla

Highlight: She has been preparing for a career in chemical and biological engineering but also was committed to her school’s varsity dance team and service work in the Dominican Republic and Jamaica.

Memento: Panoramic photo of participants at YMCA’s Blue Ridge Leaders School, which teaches leadership skills through health and physical education.

College: Wake Forest University

Parents: John and Anney George

Highlight: She was moved to study medicine after her grandmother was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Doctors in New Jersey said her grandmother had six months to live. Once in Charlotte, doctors estimated she’d have 1.5 years.

Memento: Her first set of ankle bells, worn since childhood for classical Indian dance. As a Catholic, she sees the bells as a symbol of unity in diversity.

Senior of the Year

College: Appalachian State University

Parents: Danielle Fish and David Greaves

Highlight: He hopes to combine his passion for art and human rights by designing visual pieces that inspire conversation.

Memento: Second-place ribbon for his win in the 2015 Congressional Art Competition, a national high school contest.

College: United States Military Academy West Point

Parents: Keith and Kelly Helmendach

Highlight: He has chosen a military career, in part, because in his experience happiness comes through helping others, as he has been able to do through Boy Scouts and other programs.

Memento: Structural engineering drawing from a challenging Eagle Scout project. He used the drawings to build a 10-by-12-foot picnic shelter for the Mint Hill Police Department, with much input from local building inspectors and other officials.

Senior of the Year

College: Clemson University

Parents: Omer and Constance Heracklis

Highlight: She was one of the leaders in planning and hosting the “Night to Shine” prom for individuals with special needs. The event was at Southminister Church.

Memento: A laminated newspaper page featuring an article about the “Night to Shine” prom. “It changed my life,” she says.

College: UNC Chapel Hill

Parents: Tina and Matt Hubert

Highlight: She started the “Day of Silence” in 2014 as a movement against hatred and bullying. It was an event where students were silent for the day to bring attention to those issues. Gabby also has been an activist for the Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay and Transgender community.

Memento: Emails she received from transgender students who thought no one was supporting them.

Senior of the Year

College: Harvard

Parents: Nicholas and Mary Kapur

Highlight: He is passionate about musical theater, but what he learned in statistics class helped him see a connection between seemingly disparate things.

Memento: T-shirt for his school’s recent production of the Broadway musical “In the Heights.” The back of the shirt says “ever day has the potential to be the greatest day of your life.”

College: Furman University

Parents: Audrey and Isreal Lightner

Highlight: She is student body president and a recipient of the Hollingsworth Scholarship.

Memento: She brought the trophy she earned in first grade for earning straight As. “It reminds me of dedication and the hard work I put in. And it reminds me that I must keep doing that.”

Senior of the Year

College: Harvard

Parents: James and Jane Lowell

Highlight: As an English tutor at his language magnet school, he has been able to pursue his passion for world culture and helping people from different backgrounds succeed.

Memento: Scarf for the Italian football (soccer) team Roma. A soccer player himself since he was 5 or 6, Lowell has been inspired by the team and dreams of seeing a game that includes Francesco Totti, the team’s captain.

College: Amherst College

Parents: Edward McMillan and Margaret Divish

Highlight: His proudest accomplishment was building a worship center and stage outside of Matthews Presbyterian Church.

Memento: An award from his German teacher, who is also a mentor, recognizing his work in German Club and German Honor Society.

College: UNC Chapel Hill

Parents: Harish and Kamini Mirchandani

Highlight: He is the student body president for the school’s first graduating class.

Memento: A “Live Strong” bracelet given to him by his grandmother. “I like the message. The bracelet is a part of me. It reminds me that no matter how hard life gets, I’ll be there.”

Senior of the Year

College: Appalachian State University

Parent: Sonja Moore

Highlight: Served as a volunteer intern at his former middle school where he mentored students and helped with conflict resolution.

Memento: His pay stub from working at Food Lion. “This summer, I’m going to Spain, Portugal and France. I got the job to pay for the trip myself. It was a coming of age, manhood moment.”

College: UNC Chapel Hill

Parents: John and Frances Noblitt

Highlight: Plant genetics is her career choice because, for her, it is a meaningful way to serve humanity through science.

Memento: A keepsake holder from Italy, a gift from her late grandmother. “When I was little I always helped my grandmother in her garden.”

College: Duke

Parents: Wendy and Timothy Portelance

Highlight: Used a 3D printer to improve the design of a prosthetic hand for children with upper limb deficiencies. Reagan is interested in biomedical engineering.

Memento: Her lucky baton. Qualified for the state track meet as a sophomore, junior and senior as part of the 4x800-meter relay team. “The baton reminds me of success. We used it at nationals and state meets.”

College: State University of New York

Parents: Ronald and Martha Rick

Highlight: Practicing for several hours a day moves her closer to her goal of becoming a professional dancer. She also sees other options for being in the profession, including running a dance studio.

Memento: ballet shoes.

College: University of South Carolina

Parents: Angela and Tim Robinson

Highlight: She attended Palmetto Girls State, a week-long program that emphasizes leadership and citizenship. She wants to go into public relations or government work.

Memento: A pair of eyeglasses. She sustained an eye injury that left her temporarily blind in one eye. “I didn’t want contacts. I wanted a reminder that I can overcome anything with support.”

College: Georgetown University

Parent: Nancy Astle

Highlight: As president of Relay for Life, she has raised more than $6,000 to honor the memory of her father.

Memento: Her passport. She’s a dual citizen of the United States and Canada. “My dream is to be in foreign service.”

College: Georgia Institute of Technology

Parents: Gopal and Swapua Skiddapur

Highlight: He got his first opportunity for leadership through Boy Scouts, serving as senior patrol leader. Other opportunities came for him as a karate instructor and president of his school’s National Honor Society chapter.

Memento: “Raj mahal,” his replica of the Taj Mahal, produced on a 3D printer – after fixing the printer with help from others.

College: N.C. State University

Parents: Brandon and Sonia Snead

Highlight: Concerns about climate change, loss of the world’s forests and threatened global water supplies are shaping her career path.

Memento: Award for Junior of the Year.

College: Davidson

Parents: Dawn and Tim Stegall

Highlight: Played for the bluegrass band Stonewashed. They performed for benefits, church services and nursing homes.

Memento: A World War II photo of his grandfather, Ward Napoleon Stegall, who served in the 83rd Division during World War II. “He definitely had an impact on me. He’s the type of man that I aspire to be. He loved family, country and he loved the Lord.”

College: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Parents: Timisha and Scott Waters

Highlight: At age 16, she did her first solo flight as a pilot.

Memento: The back of the shirt she wore for her first solo flight. It’s a custom, after your first solo flight, to have the back of your shirt saved to honor the event, she said.

Senior of the Year

College: Furman University

Parents: Dawn and Lee Whitley

Highlight: She started the Republican Club at her school. She wanted to fight student apathy.

Memento: Her T-shirt from the Republican’s Club.

College: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Parents: Jerome and Adele Williams

Highlight: His passion is social justice and he understands that in a community everyone has different abilities and resources. Engineers can help mitigate disadvantages. Prosthetics and efficient products for the home are examples of engineered products that make a difference.

Memento: Chain that he carries in remembrance of family and friends, including a cross from his grandmother and dog tags from his “band of brothers,” members of his church basketball team.

College: UNC Chapel Hill

Parents: Blia Yang

Highlight: Her parents came to the United States from Vietnam, and she will be the first in her family to attend college. A career in medicine would be a way to take advantage of the opportunities she has been afforded.

Memento: A plaque for her eighth-grade win in the 2012 Do the Write Thing Challenge. The contest encourages students to get involved in reducing violence in their homes, schools and neighborhoods.

This story was originally published June 3, 2016 at 4:02 PM with the headline "2016 Seniors of the Year."