April 2023 – Education Day featured a speed dating style session that highlighted the Houston High School ambassadors. They were able to tell community members about their involvement not only at school but in the community as well. These students were able to share advice they would give to incoming students, their plans for the future, what has been most rewarding for them, and so much more. Here is a brief overview of what each student ambassador shared about their involvement with Houston High School and the Germantown community.
Nolawi Alemayehu
Nolawi Alemayehu is a science focused senior who plans to further his education by going into the medical field. He wants to pursue scientific research as a medical physician. His love of chemistry has been a driving factor in all of his aspirations. He was also a National Merit Finalist, and he received a personal congratulations from the mayor. He is thankful for the opportunities he has had that will now allow him to continue his education with full scholarships.
Chandni Karuhatty
Chandni Karuhatty, like Nolawi, is also hoping to go into the medical field. Her job of teaching young kids how to code has shown her that although coding isn’t her favorite thing, she does love working with children. She hopes to become a pediatrician. Chandi is also a senior, and she is also the founder of the Hindu Student Association. As a second generation immigrant, she started this association to help students understand their culture and background. She is also a section leader for the marching band, and she placed in All State this year. She is on the bio-medical debate team and the board of Health Occupational Students of America (HOSA), and she credits debate for having taught her so much more about the medical field.
Logan Wu
Senior Logan Wu was credited by the United States Chess Federation as a Life Master, and he considers this to be his biggest accomplishment with chess. He has also had the opportunity to play chess all over the world, including traveling to Mumbai in 9th grade. Logan is also a senior, and he plans to go into biology or neuroscience. His advice to students who are trying to figure out their own path would be, “Keep on going. Persist.” He tied this back to chess saying that some of his travels resulted in many losses, but it was the overall experience of all that time spent playing chess and traveling that has helped him the most.
Hannah Moore
Senior Hannah Moore is the president of Houston High School’s drama club, and she also participates in productions for the school district and the city. She most recently played Roxie in the school’s teen version of Chicago, and this past fall she directed a musical called Growing Up. Her favorite production that she has gotten to be a part of was Fiddler on the Roof. She played the role of Chava, and she says, “I am Jewish, so being able to play a role like that was an honor.” During high school experience, Hannah struggled with not knowing if she was good enough for the accolades that she was receiving. She encourages other students who struggle in this way to advocate for a strong community. Although her ultimate goal is Broadway, she is most motivated to work hard by knowing that her hard work can be inspiring and uplifting to those that come to see each show.
Bridget Igadwa
Bridget Igadwa is a senior, who is president of Health Occupational Students of America (HOSA). She is also a part of the Medical Congress Leadership Program, and this program paid for her to study abroad for an internship program. Through this program she was able to perform surgeries, complete lectures, examine cadavers, and deliver a baby. This was her first experience as a medical student, and she hopes to become a cardiology surgeon.
Zora Cunningham
Zora Cunningham is also a senior, and she is president of the Beautifully Unique Club. This female empowerment club encourages women to feel powerful and beautiful in their own skin. Speakers come and talk to these students about all different avenues of being confident on your own. Zora runs the social media for the class of 2023, and she is the co-president for the Key-Club. This is a community service club, and they are currently working on hosting a senior citizen prom. She is also Vice President of Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) where she competes in role plays, primarily retail merchandising. This allows her to create mock marketing campaigns for companies, and she has won 2nd on the state level. She interned with Hershey and helped promote the campaign Beat of the Future which highlighted cities with a music history.
Sarah D'Souza
Senior Sarah D'Souza is involved in International Club which hosts International Extravaganza each year. Sarah shares that the most impactful thing she has learned from being a part of International Club is seeing that other students also want to spend time learning about different cultures. The club is student led, and Sarah says she is continuously inspired by everyone’s want to be involved as much as they can to help celebrate diversity. She is also a member of the band and made All West this year. For marching band she plays flute, and for concert season she plays bassoon. She is in Health Occupational Students of America (HOSA) as well, and she hopes to pursue a career in the medical field.
Yuka Yang
Yuka Yang is also a senior, and she is also a part of the Houston High band. She is very music focused and takes on a leadership role. She has been playing the piano since she was four years old. She is also on the tennis team. Yuka’s mother is Japanese, and Yuka participated in the University of Memphis' Japanese co-curriculum. Although she has been involved in multiple programs that made a difference in her life, she believes that piano and music will stick with her the most. She hopes to continue studying piano by double majoring in Music and Economics.
Jack Umsted
Senior Jack Umsted has been involved in both Track & Field and Cross Country. His advice to incoming students would be to get involved to help build a community for yourself. He says, “Going into high school, I knew that I wanted to do something to make friends and help make that transition easier. Running Track and Cross Country was a great way for me to do that.” As he continued his high school career, he began focusing more on gaining college credits, and he switched to playing golf as well. Jack will attend the University of Tennessee at Knoxville in the fall, and he is currently an alternate for the prestigious Haslam scholarship. After starting his first business at age 13, he now plans to study Supply Chain Management.
Grace Magnini
Artist Grace Magnini is only a junior, and her art showcases incredible talent at a young age. She began creating art when she was in middle school, but she became more serious about her work this past year. Grace is involved in the collective Contemporary Arts Memphis, and last summer, she participated in an intensive art experience where she fully pursued her artistic abilities. She uses her life experiences to then transition those memories into her artwork. She hopes to inspire those around her to share their experiences, both good and bad, in order to better themselves saying, “You can’t keep everything inside. You’ve got to find a way to share it. There’s always someone else going through the same thing you are.” Grace was commissioned to paint a piece of art for the Germantown mayor’s office, and she is currently working on art for the city of Germantown.
Faith Degawa
Faith Degawa is a senior, and she has been dancing for years with Studio B in Germantown. She competes Hip-Hop for her studio, but she is trained in ballet as well. Faith started her own business in recent years, and she makes stickers for cars, artists, small businesses, and more. She has recently been commissioned to design stickers for Leadership Germantown. Considering her strengths, Faith is hoping to blend her entrepreneurial spirit with her major of Chemical Engineering.
Trevor Hodgson
Senior Trevor Hodgson is a captain for both the Track & Field and Cross Country teams, and helps coach the elementary and middle school teams. He also volunteers for Memphis Youth Athletics on the weekends, and he is a camp counselor for them each summer. He is also president of the environmental club and participates in tree-planting and community clean ups. Trevor spends a lot of his time outside running, so he wants to help the community stay beautiful. He hopes to study engineering, maybe environmental engineering, but more than anything, he hopes to make a difference for those around him in whatever he pursues.
Joseph Opferman
Senior Joseph Opferman is a varsity swimmer for Houston, and he is also the president of knowledge bowl. He is an Eagle Scout, with which his friend Trevor Hodgson helped him complete his project of building bridges on the trails at Shelby Farms. Joseph shared that most of the ambassadors are all friends, and it has been a great experience being a part of it. He is also the student representative for the school board. He gives student insight for policies, and he is present at every meeting. He will attend Notre Dame in the fall.
These student ambassadors are so important to the GMSD community, and we are so thankful for their involvement. For those that are seniors, we wish you well on the next step of your journey!