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Home Town: Tulsa

Jack Carson

Booker T. Washington High School 

First in his class, Jack Carson is a National Merit semifinalist and U.S. Presidential Scholar candidate. He was selected for the Research Science Institute program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, after which he was hired as the first high school researcher in the MIT Jasanoff Lab. Before this, Carson worked on NASA/Federal Aviation Administration Geographic Information Systems while researching computational chemistry and artificial intelligence at the University of Tulsa. He has been appointed to the Cherokee Nation Tribal Youth Council and has served as president of the Tulsa Native Youth Board and multiple organizations at his school. He plans to pursue a double major in MIT, studying computation and neural systems as well as philosophy.  

Academic All-State Sponsor: Cherokee Nation

Rylee Cole

Jenks High School

Rylee Cole is member of the Jenks Varsity Pom team, Student Council, National Honor Society and is a Distinguished Service Graduate. She served as the Jenks DECA Club president and is a DECA state champion in the start-up business plan category. As a varsity pom team member, she is a three-time All-American, five-time state champion, two-time academic state champion and a two-time national champion. She is an active member of her church youth group leadership. Cole plans to attend Brigham Young University and major in business strategy.  

Academic All-State Sponsor: R.H. Harbaugh and Konnie Boulter, The Oxley Foundation Legacy Fund, Tulsa Community Foundation

Joy Crow

Thomas A. Edison Preparatory High School

Joy Crow is a National Merit finalist and an Advanced Placement Scholar with Distinction. She is first-chair violist in her school’s advanced orchestra and in the Tulsa Honors and Tulsa Honors Baroque Orchestras. She has been on class board throughout high school and has been class treasurer for two years. She attends Tulsa Girls Art School and is a part of her school’s art program. She has been in Girl Scouts since kindergarten and is an active member of The Park Church of Christ and The Park Youth. Crow plans to major in biology at Abilene Christian University. 

Academic All-State Sponsor: Williams

Leslie Espinoza

Booker T. Washington High School

A Gates Scholarship finalist who is Top 10 in her class, Leslie Espinoza has been recognized by the College Board as a National Hispanic Recognition Program awardee and an Advanced Placement Scholar with Distinction. She is a member of Youth Philanthropy Initiative, where she is part of a team working toward the prevention of human trafficking. She is also a lead for her school’s robotics team, and a Tulsa Higher Education Consortium fellow. She has been recognized as a Columbia University Engineering Scholar and a University of Pennsylvania Early Exploration Program scholar. Espinoza hopes to dual major in bioengineering and business administration at Rice University. 

Academic All-State Sponsor: The John and Donnie Brock Foundation

Elaine Gao

Jenks High School

Elaine Gao is a National Merit finalist and a United States Presidential Scholar nominee. She is captain of her school’s mock trial team and speech and debate team, but also the Key Club Lieutenant Governor for the Texas-Oklahoma district. In mock trial, she received the Justice Marian P. Opala Best Attorney award. In speech and debate, she was Top 60 in the nation for foreign extemporaneous. In Key Club, she received the Robert F. Lucas Outstanding Lt. Governor award. She has published many of her writings, including poetry, short stories, academic research and a young-adult novel, “The Oracle.”

Academic All-State Sponsor: Dr. Terry L. Mills (AAS ’88) and Dr. Dianna L. Mills

Karissa Lu

Jenks High School

Karissa Lu is a National Merit finalist, U.S. Presidential Scholar candidate, GE-Reagan Foundation Scholarship semifinalist and an Advanced Placement Scholar with Distinction. She’s captain of the swim team and a member of the Jenks Pre-Med Society, Science National Honor Society and National Art Honor Society. She participated in the St. John Auxiliary Junior Volunteer Program and interned with the biopharmaceutical company Extracellular Concepts. Having spent a summer doing research with the Yale Summer Program in Astrophysics, she has developed an interest in astrophotography. Lu plans to major in biomedical engineering.

Academic All-State Sponsor: JD Young Technologies

Ryane Owens

Bixby High School

A class valedictorian, Owens has been president of her school’s Interact Service Club for two years. In addition, she was recognized as one of the College Board’s Rural and Small Town Scholars and as an Advanced Placement Scholar with Distinction. She is a percussionist in her school wind ensemble and has served as front ensemble captain. Owens is an active member of her church and loves serving on mission trips. She plans to attend John Brown University and major in biochemistry. 

Academic All-State Sponsor: Mabrey Bank

Diya Patel

Jenks High School

Diya Patel is a National Merit Commended Scholar, an Advanced Placement Capstone and AP Scholar with Distinction recipient and a distinguished service graduate. She is co-president of Art Club, publicist of Pre-Med Club and member of the International Scholars Program. She has conducted research on DNA transformation through OKSTARS. She also participated as a 2023 Jenks TEDx speaker, auctioned paintings through Operation ART and painted murals for Jenks 10 District. She has been a violinist for the Tulsa Youth Symphony and Jenks Chamber Orchestra. Additionally, she volunteers at St. Francis Hospital. Patel plans to major in neuroscience on the pre-med track. 

Academic All-State Sponsor: Williams

Brody Read

Broken Arrow High School

Brody Read is a National Merit finalist, Advanced Placement Scholar with Distinction and DECA Entrepreneurship State Champion. He is a National Honor Society member and the president of his school’s DECA chapter. He enjoys playing drums and working on car engines and has started an auto-detailing business that provides multiple services. His brother, Brady Read, was an Academic All-Stater in 2021. Read will attend the University of Tulsa and triple major in computer science, computer simulation and data science. 

Academic All-State Sponsor: Heyman Evergreen Foundation

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