R obert Reiden Walker is the son of Kim Robertson, and the grandson of Kay Coale, William Coale, and William Walker. My siblings are Kaleb Robertson, Konnor Robertson, and Kaylee Robertson. I have lived in Okemah my entire life, and consequently, I attended Okemah Public Schools throughout my academic career. I took piano lessons for 8ish years from Robyn Custar, and I continue to play in what little free time I have left. I also was a member of band 8th grade and freshman year where I played the trumpet. I play video games. I enjoy chess, Rubik’s cubes, and board games. I am currently an IT intern at Finley & Cook PLLC. I was team captain of the academic team 11th and 12th grade years and a member in 9th and 10th grade. I was a member of student council; I tried to start an ACT club to help others; I volunteered at the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma with my brother; I almost perfected the SAT (1560) and the ACT (35), receiving distinctions from the College Board organization for my outstanding scores while being from a rural town and being part of the Latinx group. My favorite subjects in school were math and science. Anything from Algebra to Calculus and from Biology to Physics has always been fun and intriguing. I will be attending the California Institute of Technology this fall where I will be studying Computation and Neural Systems. I will be focusing on neural networks, prosthetics, and brain machine interfaces. I will be pursuing a Doctorate in my field so that I can work at a prestigious college and teach the next generation of Nobel Prize Winners while doing research of my own. I hope to win the Nobel Prize in Physiology someday. M y name is Colton James Parish. I am a senior at Okemah High School, and I plan to attend Oklahoma State University. I am pursuing a career in electrical engineering. Following my bachelor’s, I may decide to go for a graduate degree, but I am undecided as of now. In high school, I participated in football, basketball, powerlifting, track & field, beta club, and student council. I regularly donate blood, and I also help with the Okemah Little League. I was also awarded with All-Star by class in football for halfback. My academics and athletics were always one of my top priorities. I believe with my hard work ethic and discipline, that I achieved the goals that I had set for myself. It has truly paid off in the long run. I have qualified for state in powerlifting and track multiple times, and, as I mentioned, received All-Star. As far as academics go, I was accepted into Oklahoma State University’s engineering program. This was my top priority. I worked hard to get that acceptance letter. Another academic goal included graduating high school with at least a 4.1 weighted GPA. While I haven’t graduated yet, I think it’s safe to say I have that one in the bag. Overall, I am proud of myself and what I have achieved. I believe I have given myself a good reputation, and people know how strong my work ethic is. High school has truly been a blast, and a rollercoaster of emotions, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. 2023 ACADEMIC ALL-STARS ROBERT REIDEN WALKER COLTON PARISH
