Dispatch Student of the Week: New Albany's Ava Mingo wins close race
New Albany High School's Ava Mingo was the winner in this week's Dispatch's Student of the Week poll.
Mingo secured 2,851votes, or 28.2%, of the 9,580 votes cast this week to edge Travis Allen of Northridge High School, who received 2,185 votes, or 21.6%.
Here is Mingo's nomination, from the school:
Ava Mingo, New Albany: “Ava is a dedicated scholar who faces obstacles with determination and a smile. She always rises to the challenge and puts forth her ‘best work, first time, on time,’ the Senior Seminar motto. She excelled at her Senior Seminar project, shadowing and teaching younger students at Buckeye Gymnastics, where she has trained for many years. She pushes herself academically by taking Honors and AP courses and is motivated by the learning experiences all her courses provide. She is involved in both academic and extracurricular activities, as she is a varsity cheerleader, a member of National Honor Society and a member of the Black Student Association. She volunteers in her community as an assistant coach for New Albany Youth Cheerleading, in the nursery at her church and at the Ronald McDonald House. New Albany High School is very proud of Ava!”
Here is Allen's nomination, from the school:
Travis Allen, Northridge: “Senior class president. Attendee of Buckeye Boys State 2023. Hartford Fair King 2023-2024. Student Council. Honor student. Staff selected Service Award winner. Staff selected Leadership Award winner. Nursing home volunteer. Cross Age Tutor. Varsity swim team captain. Club swim team. 4-H member, club president. 4-H National Leadership Team. Hartford Fair Junior Fair board president. National 4-H Conference attendee. Urban Immersion Project delegate to Washington, D.C. Working toward sports pilot's license.”
Students were nominated by participating central Ohio high school principals, teachers and guidance counselors for outstanding academic and school achievement and community service.
Here were the other nominees and what was said about them:
Shannon Cordle, Marysville: “Shannon will be graduating with a 4.29 GPA in the spring and will be attending MIT, where she will pursue a degree in Biomedical Engineering. Shannon showcases her academic prowess and dedication to learning as a National Merit Commended Scholar and a member of the Spanish National Honor Society. As captain of both the soccer and track teams, she demonstrates exceptional leadership and sportsmanship. Shannon's kind, compassionate nature, coupled with her hard work and commitment, make her a role model for her peers at Marysville High School. Shannon ranks in the top 5% of her class, solidifying her academic excellence. Her achievements, character, and dedication make her a deserving recipient of this honor. Marysville is so proud of Shannon Cordle and cannot wait to see what she accomplishes in her life beyond high school.”
Allison Foltz, Millersport: “Allison served as a volunteer junior staff member at HOBY Ohio South, a youth leadership organization, in 2023. She will also be returning on staff this upcoming summer in 2024. She has 250+ community service hours throughout high school, with a focus on youth mentorship and education. She has been a volunteer at Khan Academy, a national education nonprofit, for five years, and currently holds three different volunteer positions with them. She works closely with Khan Academy staff, moderating site discussion forums, answering support questions about navigating the site and creating and carrying out bi-monthly computer programming contests for the site. Allison served as a project manager for Millersport’s Columbus Zoo Teen Eco Summit Group during her sophomore and junior years. As a member of this group, she attended the Columbus Zoo's panel of environmental experts semiannually to learn about developing techniques to build sustainability projects. She has also helped maintain our school's student-built bioswale and presented our ongoing bioswale project to 200+ students across 30 schools in the Columbus area. Notable awards: President’s Volunteer Service Award (August 2023), AP Scholar with Honor (July 2023), Pleasantville LaSertoma Youth Service Award (March 2023), Artwork published in Celebrating Art (Spring 2022 Edition, Fall 2022 Edition). Allison will be attending Ohio University in the fall to major in Integrated Language Arts Education, with the hopes of becoming a 7th-12th grade English Language Arts teacher.”
Kylie Gibson, Newark Catholic: “Kylie Gibson is a standout athlete and exhibits leadership qualities aside from three sports that make her a standout student, giving her all at everything she does. In addition to record-breaking success on the court, she was chosen as a leader for the recent Kairos retreat and Hard as Nails, as well as involved in National Honor Society, Key Club and Student Council and was selected by her peers as homecoming queen. Kylie is humble, kind and respected by her teachers, classmates, coaches and all whom she encounters.”
Nevaeh Hillyard, Marysville Early College: “Nevaeh is a confident, capable leader at the Marysville STEM Early College High School where she currently serves as the president of the National Honor Society. She is active in the engineering pathway and has earned varsity letters in track and field. Nevaeh volunteers to lead tours, serves on student panels and is an amazing ambassador for our school. Her NHS advisor and English teacher, Lois Everitt, says, ‘She is smart. She is interesting. She is talented. She is a leader. She will go the distance for any task. Nevaeh Hillyard is the best NHS president I have ever seen.’ "
Suvam Konar, Thomas Worthington: “Suvam is arguably the most academically gifted student in the class of 2026. He is ranked No. 1 in his class of 439 and earned an A+ in courses such as AP Calculus BC, AP Chemistry, AP Computer Science, and AP US History. Additionally, his standardized test scores place him in the top 1% in the nation. Suvam also has started a math tutoring service for his classmates! He is working with a selected group of students after school to help them stay ahead in their math class. Further, based on Suvam's PSAT Math score, he was asked by the College Board to be an SAT tutor! Suvam also participates in his high school's math league and is a "critical member" of the TWHS Science Olympiad team. He's a great young man who is passionate about everything he does.”
Cailin Mascarin, DeSales: “Cailin was a leader on her team's top-scoring unit at the recent We the People competition at the Ohio Statehouse. Cailin is a member of the National Honor Society, captain of the bowling team and a Student Council representative. She was the Field Commander for the Stallions' Marching Band this past fall as well. Cailin plans to study Forensic Science, with a concentration in DNA analysis in college.”
Kassie Patterson, London: “Kassie has been on the Merit Honor Roll for three years and a member of National Honor Society for two years. She was named a Junior Kiwanian last year by the London Kiwanis Club and made the Clark State Dean's list in fall 2022 and spring 2023 and was also named a Phi Theta Kappa member this school year. Kassie has participated on the LHS basketball team all four years and was named special mention all CBC her sophomore year, second-team all-CBC her junior year and received the Junior Scholar Athlete Award her junior year. Kassie will graduate in May 2024 from London High School and Clark State with an Associate of General Science degree.”
Sophie Reich, Licking Heights: “Sophie has a 3.65 GPA. She has been a varsity cheerleader for four years and is currently the captain. She has also committed to Bowling Green as a cheerleader. In addition, she's Licking Heights’ yearbook editor and a member of the school's National Honor Society. Sophie is actively taking many CCP and Honors classes prepping her for her time at Bowling Green.”
Audrey Stankunas, Granville: “Has a 4.26 GPA. She is an AP Scholar with Distinction. Among her many accomplishments, Audrey has started her own state council with the Ohio Department of Transportation, published an independent research journal, organized two voter registration drives at GHS and was the social media chair and youth lead on a successful school levy campaign. She is a member of the National Honor Society, the Latin Honor Society, Global Scholar and Joyce Ivy Summer Scholar. She is also the captain of the girls' tennis team at GHS.”
Jaylyn Teague, Westerville North: “Jaylyn is amazing. Outgoing, smart, motivated, helpful senior. One of the top students I have ever worked with in my 15 years in education. She is going to do great in her future!”
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: New Albany high school's Ava Mingo wins Dispatch Student of the Week
