'So many opportunities': Area seniors ready for challenges ahead

Joshua Byers, The Tribune-Democrat, Johnstown, Pa.
·4 min read

Mercedes Mull’s time at Conemaugh Township Area High School was full of academic challenges, great friends and extracurricular successes, she said.

Although she’s slightly nervous about the future, the soon-to-be-graduate said she’s excited about moving on to college.

“I love school,” she said. “I love to learn, and I always see everything as a great opportunity.”

ACADEMIC ALL-STARS 2024

Mull is one of the 32 Academic All-Stars showcased in The Tribune-Democrat’s Living section Saturday. The high school seniors that are featured are rounded students, excellent in some areas, above average in others. All of the students were selected by their respective schools.

Mull had a weighted grade-point average of 4.14 and participated in a variety of Advanced Placement courses, including physics, calculus, literature and language. She had a successful run with the Technology Student Association and was a member of the National Honor Society and the Interact Club.

“The school offered so many opportunities I could take, and I wanted to take them all,” Mull said. “My schedule worked out pretty well so I could fit everything together.”

This fall, Mull will attend the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, where she’ll study mechanical engineering with the goal of earning her pilot’s license and seeking a career in aeronautical engineering.

ACADEMIC ALL-STARS 2024

Mull was inspired to pursue this field by her great-grandfather, Harry Chamberlain, who used to build his own airplanes and fly them. Although she never met him, she’s heard plenty of stories and seen videos of him working, she said, and if he was alive, she’s sure they would be quite close.

Mull job-shadowed this past summer at Nulton Aviation Services, the fixed-base operator at John Murtha Johnstown-Cambria County Airport, and said she loved tinkering with the aircraft.

Overcoming setbacks

Academic All-Star Connor Rosko’s career at United High School was filled with similar levels of achievement.

The senior held a GPA of 101.4%, took four AP classes, ran varsity cross country and track, and was a member of the varsity soccer team and captain of his American Youth Soccer Organization team starting in 2010.

Rosko also participated with the Quiz Bowl team and received a National Merit Scholarship letter of commendation and a National Rural and Small Town Recognition Award.

Despite these successes, Rosko said his achievements began with a setback. At the beginning of his sophomore year, he suffered a concussion during soccer practice. His recovery led him to challenge himself more in school, having put his life more in perspective, he said.

“Seeing what I was capable of and the challenges with that really showed me that I could do more,” Rosko said.

He started out with Quiz Bowl, but quickly added track and cross country, followed by the AP classes and more.

Rosko said his concussion, combined with the drawbacks of virtual education during the COVID-19 pandemic, gave him the confidence to take on a larger workload.

After graduation, he plans to attend Shippensburg University to study mechanical engineering, with the goal of working in the automotive industry.

He has always been interested in science and from a young age has been fascinated with vehicles, specifically motorsports and auto racing. As he grew up, his interests grew with him, especially as he learned more about the engineering, physics and mechanics of racing vehicles.

Although he’s nervous to leave high school, Rosko said he’s ready for the next journey. He said he’ll miss his teachers and classmates at United – being at a small school brought them all closer together, he added – but he’s excited to enter the world.

“I’m confident whatever I do next, like go to college, will be a smooth transition,” Rosko said.

‘Hard workers’

Alicia Heinrich said her time at Bishop Carroll Catholic High School in Ebensburg was great because she had “amazing teachers” and “the most wonderful people as friends.”

“My favorite memories are all of my athletic competitions with all of my friends,” the Academic All-Star said. “I will definitely miss all the friends and sports the most.”

Not only was Heinrich the captain of the basketball team, but she also captained the softball and volleyball teams, in addition to serving as the chief student ambassador and earning a place in the National Honor Society – all while maintaining a 96% GPA.

“I loved every sport that I played,” she said. “I loved the family aspect of the volleyball team, the competitiveness of the basketball team and the pure joy of the softball team.”

Her parents and teachers kept her motivated through all of that work, she said.

“My parents have always been hard workers, so they’ve raised me to be one as well,” Heinrich said. “The teachers show that they care about my education, so it is my responsibility to show them I care about it, too.”

This fall, Heinrich will attend Indiana University of Pennsylvania to study exploratory education. Heinrich said she wanted to major in that field because she wants to positively influence students the way she was influenced at Bishop Carroll – a guiding principle she plans to carry throughout her life.