Williams High School has announced its Top 10 students for the Class of 2022, which actually included 11 students due to an apparent tie in their final grades. Four of the top-ranking students in the Class of 2022 received both their high school diploma and an International Baccalaureate diploma when Williams held its commencement exercises earlier this month.
Each of the Top 11 students at Williams High School say they are planning to go on to college. Six are headed to the state’s flagship public university, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; two are headed to N.C. State University; three will be leaving the Tar Heel state to attend college, including one who’s headed to Clemson University in South Carolina in August.
Valedictorian Timothy Felten, 18, is the son of Peter Felten and Sara Walker of Elon. Felten graduated earlier this month with his high school diploma as well as an International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma from Williams High School, currently the only Alamance-Burlington high school that’s certified to offer the advanced academic program.
In addition to meeting the state’s requirements for graduation, high school students who participate in the IB program are required to successfully complete three core requirements in subjects such as: language/ literature; language acquisition; humanities/social sciences; mathematics; and the arts, as well as environmental systems and societies, according to the International Baccalaureate Organization, which developed the program.
During his four years at Williams, Felten was a member of the robotics team; ethics bowl; played on the tennis team; and participated in “Exoplanet” research, part of an ongoing Advanced Placement (AP) student research program focused on confirming the existence of previously-unknown planets.
Felten is planning to enroll this fall at Williams College, a private liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts.
Salutatorian Anthony Coble, 18, son of Chad and Maria Coble of Burlington. He recalls his memorable experience in high school was when the Bulldogs won the N.C. High School Athletic Association 3A state championship game in soccer several years ago.
Coble is planning to attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, for which he has been awarded a $7,500 yearly Blue Sky Scholarship and the Eddie & Lin McAteer Scholarship.
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The other top graduating students are (in alphabetical order):
Emma Dooley, 18, is the daughter of Jonathan and Stacie Dooley of Burlington. She graduated with her high school diploma as well as an IB diploma.
Dooley says her favorite class at Williams High School was AP Statistics, taught by Lydia Allen, and her most memorable experience was seeing the men’s soccer team win the 2020 state championship.
Her extracurricular activities in high school included serving as a volunteer and shift leader for the North Carolina Democratic Party.
Dooley plans to enroll at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin this fall and has received a Tuition Exchange Scholarship, which she says will cover $45,860 in tuition.
Jordyn Guye, 18, is the daughter of Angela Hammack of Burlington. She plans to enroll at Clemson University this fall, where she hopes to major in psychology and minor in dance. Clemson University has awarded Guye more than $9,000 in grants and scholarships, per semester, to attend.
During her time at Williams, Guye was a member of the Bulldogs’ dance and competitive dance teams; National Honor Society; National Art Honor Society, National Technical Honor Society; National English Honor Society; National Spanish Honor Society; and Mu Alpha Theta, a national high school mathematics honor society.
Addison Holt, 18, is the daughter of Michael Holt of Gibsonville. She has been accepted into the N.C. State University Honors Program, for which she has been awarded a $500 Ann Beamon Memorial Scholarship and a $1,000 Pete Stout Scholarship.
Holt says her most memorable experience in high school was making it to the fourth round of the women’s soccer playoffs late last month. She also played on the girls’ varsity basketball team and was a member of the cross country team, in addition to being active with the youth group at her church.
Mary Huneycutt, 18, is the daughter of Chris and Betsy Huneycutt of Burlington. In addition to earning her high school diploma, Huneycutt also earned certifications in lifeguarding, first aid, and CPR through the American Red Cross Lifeguard program.
Huneycutt plans to enroll at UNC-CH this fall, for which she has received a $1,000 Ladd Fuquay scholarship.
She says her favorite class at Williams High School was AP literature and her most memorable experience in high school was cheering on the Bulldogs when it won the boy’s state soccer championship in 2019.
In addition to working as a server at the Village Grill in Burlington, she took dance lessons at the Burlington Academy of Dance and Arts; participated in the youth group at Front Street United Methodist Church in Burlington; and worked during the summer at Don Lee Camp & Retreat Center in Pamlico County.
Daisy Martinez-Jimenez, 18, is the daughter of Abel Martinez Pimentel and Rosa Jimenez Santos of Burlington. She plans to enroll at UNC-Chapel Hill this fall, for which she has received a $1,000 Williams High School Memorial scholarship.
Martinez-Jiminez says her favorite classes at Williams were her math classes with Lydia Allen and art classes with Elizabeth Wooten. She was a member of the Elon Academy, a non-profit college access and success program for academically promising high school students and potential first-generation college students from needy families in Alamance County.
The Elon Academy offers three consecutive summer residential experiences prior to the sophomore, junior and senior years, as well as year-round Saturday programs for students and families, according to the university.
In addition to participating in the Elon Academy, Martinez-Jiminez was also a member of the National Art Honor Society; the Mu Alpha Theta math honor society; and National English Honor Society during her time at Williams High School.
Jacqueline Nguyen, 18, is the daughter of Minh and Tram Nguyen of Burlington. She graduated with her high school diploma, as well as an IB diploma.
This fall, Nguyen will head to UNC-Chapel Hill, for which she has received a $2,000 Kiwanis Scholarship. She says one of her best memories from high school was going to watch the Bulldogs’ soccer games with her best friends.
While at Williams, Nguyen served on the student council and participated in: the National Art Honor Society; National Honor Society; National English Honor Society; Mu Alpha Theta; Key Club, an international service organization for high school students; Beta Club, a nonprofit national youth organization dedicated to developing future leaders; and the College Ambassadors Club.
Amelia Pardue, 18, is the daughter of Margaret and Joe Pardue of Burlington.
Like several of the other top-ranking students in Williams High School’s Class of 2022, Pardue plans to enroll at Carolina this fall.
During her time in high school, Pardue was a member of the student council; National Honors Society and National Arts Honors Society; the Bulldogs’ dance and girls’ soccer teams; D.R.E.A.M. Team, which works to spread awareness about the dangers of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco; in addition to participating in several other extracurricular activities.
Valerie Troxler, 18, is the daughter of Jeff and Veronica Troxler of Burlington.
After receiving her high school diploma and an IB diploma, Troxler plans to enroll at N.C. State University, for which she has received an Ann Beamon Memorial Scholarship.
While at Williams High School, Troxler served on the student council and participated in the National Art Honor Society; Mu Alpha Theta; National Honor Society; and National English Honor Society.
Her favorite class in high school was AP statistics, taught by Lydia Allen; and one of her most memorable experience was watching the boy’s basketball plan in the state championship at the Dean Dome in Chapel Hill, Troxler recalled.
Aidan Walsh, 18, is the son of Michael and Melissa Walsh of Burlington. He also will be heading off to Carolina in the fall, for which he has received a $1,000 Williams High School Memorial scholarship.
Walsh says one of his favorite experiences at Williams was “keeping the student section fired up on Friday nights and beating Western [High School]” in football during his sophomore year.
Walsh served as president of the National Honor Society and as vice president of the National English Honor Society at Williams; played varsity lacrosse all four years; and was active in the youth group at First Presbyterian Church in Burlington.
