Coppell High School senior Katherine Anderson is ranked No. 10 in the CHS class of 2021. Anderson will attend the Georgia Institute of Technology and study aerospace engineering.
Katherine Anderson
What does it mean to you to be in the top 10?
To me, it was a really big achievement and accomplishment. It wasn’t a goal I always had, but I knew that I worked really hard and my greats were really good. I was definitely surprised.
What advice do you have for younger students?
Do things that you’re interested in and really challenge yourself in those areas. Don’t do stuff just because it’s hard, because you won’t be able to find that motivation if it’s not something you’re really interested in.
What is something you wish you told your younger self?
I would’ve said “don’t be so stressed, because it’s not worth it.” Being stressed is not going to help you. I would’ve told myself to not worry about failing, because if you work hard, you’ll do well. There’s not some secret weapon that’s going to make you fail.
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Amav Khambete: Innovative
Coppell High School senior Amav Khambete participates in swimming and leads the Japanese club CHS students voted on the 19 most influential seniors in the graduating class of 2023.
A peach tree growing in Coppell High School senior Amav Khambete’s garden in 2019 led to one of his greatest passions.
Khambete devoted his high school years to four main activities: learning Japanese, cultivating his personal garden and the community garden, conducting neuroscientific research and varsity swimming.
Despite being too young to adopt a plot in the Coppell Community Garden, an exception was made for Khambete after his home garden became too large. Since, he has grown produce in and out of his home, including peaches, figs, grapes and other berries. He gives back to his community by donating the produce he grows.
Khambete is also the swimming team captain. His passion for swimming grew in an effort to improve his mile times his first year on the team.
His interest in research also stemmed from his freshman year after meeting seniors that would balance research at local universities with their swim practices. Upon taking all AP science courses, Khambete took on a research project at UT Southwestern to research drug development. His research awarded him the title of Regeneron Science Talent Search Scholar out of 300 competitors.
“I started high school looking up to the seniors on my swim team who were balancing multiple things at once,” Khambete said. “But I’d like other students to know it’s not inaccessible to them. Research can be started by anyone in anything they’re interested in.”
Khambete hopes he leaves a legacy at CHS that teaches underclassmen scientific research is within their reach.
In the fall, Khambete will pursue neuroscience research at Harvard and work in labs that collaborate with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to further research he started in high school.
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