ACADEMIC

Academic All-State 2019: Regional standouts from Northwest Iowa

Des Moines Register

The northwest region includes Buena Vista, Calhoun, Carroll, Cerro Gordo, Cherokee, Clay, Crawford, Dickinson, Emmet, Franklin, Hancock, Humboldt, Ida, Kossuth, Lyon, 
Monona, O'Brien, Osceola, Palo Alto, Plymouth, Pocahontas, Sac, Sioux, Winnebago, Woodbury, Worth and Wright counties. 

► PHOTOS:Meet the top state and regional students 

► ACADEMIC ALL-STATE 2019:All the nominees since 2010

TOP 10 STUDENTS STATEWIDE FOR 2019

► 2019 REGIONAL STANDOUTS:Central | Northeast | Southwest | Southeast

► WE WANT YOUR FEEDBACK: Don’t see your school represented and want to be included in 2020? Have a question or comment about the selections or the rest of the section? Contact section editor Lucas Grundmeier at lgrundme@dmreg.com or 515-284-8142.

Paul Ching, Carroll Kuemper Catholic, Top 5 Northwest Region, Academic All-State 2019

Paul Ching

Carroll Kuemper Catholic 

ACT score: 33

GPA: 4.15

College: Drake University

Major: Actuarial Science and Violin Performance

What are your life goals? My ideal career would consist of being an actuarial consultant at an insurance company or a consulting firm. I enjoy challenges, whether they be physical or mental, and the work presented by the role of an actuary can be challenging and engaging mathematically. I hope to move to a relatively bigger city that not only caters to the needs of my potential occupation but also provides a plethora of opportunities pertaining to my other interests. In Iowa, the best choice for me would be Des Moines, as it is a bustling insurance hub and also has limitless opportunities and activities that I would be more than willing to participate in, most notably the Des Moines Symphony as my love of music rivals that of my love of math. However, I am willing to travel and live wherever my future takes me.

What challenges have shaped you, and how? Overcoming my differences with my peers at school. I live nearly 45 minutes away from school and as a result, I have basically grown up away from all of my friends and classmates, while most of my peers live in town and right next to each other. As a result, they became close-knit cliques, while I was alone and not in any friend group. Additionally, my interests greatly differed from my classmates, such as violin or piano. These set me apart from everyone else, and I began to question who I was because of how different I was from everyone and how alone I felt. Several years later, I have learned to be proud of the person I am. I have embraced my differences, and have no regrets in taking the road less traveled by. It has made all the difference for me.

Best high school memory: My best high school memory is making it into the All-State Orchestra for the fourth year in a row and making friendships there that are still strong today.

Grace Kiple, Sergeant Bluff-Luton High School, Top 5 Northwest Region, Academic All-State 2019

Grace Kiple

Sergeant Bluff-Luton High School

ACT score: 35

Class rank: 1 of 118

GPA: 4.0

College: Undecided

Major: Undecided

What are your life goals? Professionally, I would like to have a career I am passionate about. I want to enjoy going to work every single day. Personally, I want to get married and have a family.

What challenges have shaped you, and how?  Balancing all the different parts of my life. I'm involved in sports and activities, I take extremely difficult classes and I want to have fun. I am constantly trying to balance sports, activities, homework, studying, scholarships, applications, spending time with family, spending time with friends, staying active and getting enough sleep. It is a struggle! I have learned a lot, but I hope to slow things down a little when I get to college.

Best high school memory: I can't pick just one! Supporting our teams at state, proms, homecomings, memories from the dance team, Friday night football games, the list goes on. High school has had a lot of incredible moments!

My favorite place in Iowa: Sergeant Bluff. I have traveled a lot, but I always love coming back home. It's a cute little town,and I love it.

My day is not complete until I ... sing. I love to sing, and I'm pretty sure I sing every day whether I mean to or not. It just happens!

Jessica Kratz, Sioux City Bishop Heelan Catholic, Top 5 Northwest Region, Academic All-State 2019

Jessica Kratz

Sioux City Bishop Heelan Catholic

ACT score: 34

Class rank: 1 of 119

GPA: 4.36

College: Agustana University 

Major: Nursing

What are your life goals? Upon completion from high school, I am planning on attending Augustana University in South Dakota and study nursing. While in college, I hope to travel abroad and continue service work. One of my goals is to join the Peace Corps and do mission work abroad. As a nurse, it is my professional goal to work in a pediatric wing of a hospital. Later in life, I would like to get married and start a family. On my bucket list is to travel abroad and see the seven wonders of the world. My ultimate goal is to find personal and professional happiness while working to help people better their lives.

What challenges have shaped you, and how? Because my older sister was amazing at everything she did, I have always felt a great deal of pressure following in her footsteps. My perception is that I am always being compared to her. Slowly, I have begun to realize that I am my own person and that I need to create my own legacy. I have tried to involve myself in activities outside of what my sister did to establish my own niche. Through this, I found a passion for performing by involving myself in show choir and theater. I have learned to do things that I am passionate about and focus on the things that make me happy, instead of being an exact copy of my sister.

Best high school memory: Completing at the National Qualifying Speech and Debate Tournament this year. After completing all day long, we stayed up much of the night laughing.

My favorite place in Iowa: The Woodbury County Fair. As a 4-Her, I spend a lot of time at the fair; and it has become my favorite place to spend my summer.

My day is not complete until I ... take the time to reflect on my day, thank God for the great things that have happened to me that day, and focus on how I can make tomorrow an even better day.

Richard Nyunt, South O'Brien, Top 5 Northwest Region, Academic All-State 2019

Richard Nyunt

South O'Brien

ACT score: 32

Class rank: 1 of 34

GPA: 4.0

College: University of Iowa

Major: Pre-Med

What are your life goals? To become a general surgeon in order to help people. My biggest goal is to better the lives of others around me and in the community. Sustaining a comfortable living is also a goal, but it isn't entirely the most pertinent.

What challenges have shaped you, and how? The educational and in the music programs at my school. They push me to be better every day and I have grown from it immensely.

Best high school memory: My favorite memory is actually going to state jazz band for the last 4 years. Going each year is a huge honor and a lot of fun.

My favorite place in Iowa: Iowa City. I'm very excited to attend college there next year and I love the place. I'm a huge Hawkeye fan and I love the atmosphere of the place.

My day is not complete until I ... have fun with my friends, which isn't very hard to do.

Lucas Udelhofen, Mason City Newman Catholic High School, Top 5 Northwest Region, Academic All-State 2019

Lucas Udelhofen

Mason City Newman Catholic

ACT score: 34

GPA: 4.07

College: Iowa State University

Major: Architecture

What are your life goals? For years, I have been fascinated with unconventional and unique architecture. On the other hand, environmentally friendly structures have always inspired me because of the minimal impact they make. When I move into the professional world in a few years, I hope to participate in the design of these types of buildings, whether it is residences, a company's headquarters, or public structures. One day I would like to open an architectural firm of my own that can set new precedents in the areas of design and sustainability.

What challenges have shaped you, and how? I have attended a relatively small school my entire life, so stepping outside of my comfort zone was something that I was rarely forced to do. This caused me to almost always choose the most comfortable and safe route with any activity I undertook. As I grew older, I became increasingly quiet. However, my last couple years of high school, I decided that this was no longer acceptable. I began to take classes that would introduce me to new people and participate in activities that, two years earlier, I would have never even considered. This led me to discover new passions and make the most of my final years in high school.

Best high school memory: The school musical, "Bye Bye Birdie." This last fall, I had the opportunity to help with the musical

My favorite place in Iowa: Clear Lake on a summer morning. I have many memories of early mornings on the water with my family where the only sounds are the waves and the birds.

My day is not complete until I ... plug in my earbuds and listen to music. I play music when I’m driving, studying or unwinding at home.

► ACADEMIC ALL-STATE 2019:All the nominees since 2010

TOP 10 STUDENTS STATEWIDE FOR 2019

► 2019 REGIONAL STANDOUTS:Central | Northwest | Northeast | Southwest | Southeast