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

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

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

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