Valedictorian Brennan Fritts will attend the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology this fall, where she plans to compete on the women’s volleyball team. She played varsity volleyball for four years at Midtown, earning-first-team-all-region honors from her sophomore through senior seasons and landing on the AVCA All-American Watch List as a senior.

“I’m excited to continue playing volleyball,” Fritts said. “I hope that I can bring everything that I’ve learned and continue their successful program, and hopefully help them to go further than they have.”

Throughout high school, Fritts was involved in a wide variety of clubs and leadership roles.

“I have been very heavily involved with the Southerner newspaper as an editor-in-chief. I was in Beta Club, and I served as a National Honor Society officer,” Fritts said. “Outside of school, I volunteered at Northside Hospital, and I worked with the Organ Donation and Transplantation Alliance.”

Fritts said to balance her diverse range of activities, she had to develop and maintain her time management skills.

“I had so much going on that in order for me to keep up with everything, I had to make sure I prioritized what was most important,” Fritts said. “I learned that getting things done ahead of time was the best way to stay ahead.”

Fritts is currently undecided on her major but is exploring several academic paths. Her options reflect her interest in math and science.

“I’m not really sure what I want to do with my major yet,” Fritts said. “I’m considering a mathematical economics major with a minor in biomedical engineering, but again, I’m really not sure yet. I’m hoping to use the next four years to figure out what I want to do.”

As she graduates and moves on to her next chapter, Fritts hopes her time at Midtown has made a meaningful difference.

“I hope to have left a positive impact on everyone that I’ve interacted with at Midtown,” Fritts said. “I don’t expect to leave a lasting legacy or anything behind, but with the time I did spend here, I hope that I made some positive connections and will have lasting relationships as I leave.”

Eric Snell, the Class of 2026 Salutatorian, will attend the University of Pennsylvania, where he will enroll in the Wharton School of Business.

“I am not decided yet,” Snell said. “But, I want to concentrate in either finance, AI management or healthcare integration.”

Snell said his academic drive has been consistent throughout high school, but he didn’t initially realize how high he ranked in the class.

“Freshman year, I was just getting good grades, and then I ordered my transcript and found out that I was ranked second, so I decided to try to keep a high rank,” Snell said. “Also, I was always pretty academically-inclined, so I decided to lean into it and go for it. It was challenging but kind of fun in a way, always having something to aim for.”

Outside the classroom, Snell is involved in several clubs and extracurriculars, balancing a mix of academic, service-based and athletic activities that keep him busy throughout the year.

“I am most involved in the debate team, Hearts for Honduras, ultimate frisbee, FBLA and Ethics Bowl,” Snell said.

Snell credits debate with teaching him lifelong skills, pushing him to grow as a student and leader. He said he hopes to carry these skills to college.

“Debate has taught me so much,” Snell said. “It has given me the skills of research and looking for both sides to a story. It taught me how to be confident and speak clearly and convincingly, as well as how to think on my feet and find quick solutions to problems.”

Snell said his family played a huge role in allowing him to be successful throughout high school, consistently supporting his goals and helping him stay focused.

“My family really let me be myself and encouraged me to explore what I wanted to explore,” Snell said. “ They supported me and gave me all the resources that I needed to get to where I am today.”

STAR student Nick Fedorov is set to attend Harvard University in the fall. He said he has had a steady support system throughout his time in high school.

“My family has always encouraged me to be focused on my academics and provided financial support for any activities I did participate in,” Fedorov said. “Additionally, my teachers have found opportunities for any interests of mine and also participated in thought-provoking discussions with me, which encouraged me to work on many academic projects.”

Fedorov said his work ethic was shaped early in life.

“When I was young, my parents motivated and disciplined me to work hard for my personal and academic goals,” Fedorov said. “On top of that, I knew that anything I worked hard towards I could achieve, especially academic opportunities, which could increase my quality of life later on. Essentially, setting myself on a goal and using the things my parents taught me to work towards, it allowed me to achieve them.”

Fedorov has been a dedicated member of the debate team for all four years of high school. Outside of school, he also ran several small businesses in his neighborhood.

“I’m most involved in debate, by far,” Fedorov said. “It was the activity I was committed to for four straight years, at school, at home and during practice. I also had some local businesses I ran across my neighborhood, which focused on taking care of people’s houses, pets, plants and more.”

Fedorov said he is still exploring his academic interests as he prepares for college.

“I’m planning on attending Harvard University, concentrating in economics, though I may change my concentration as I’ll only declare it my sophomore year,” Fedorov said. “I’ll have lots of time to take general education classes and find other interests of mine. Eventually, I think I may want to go into some sort of policymaking or government role.”

Posse Scholar Gabby Witmer earned a full-tuition scholarship to Vanderbilt University. She said her drive to maintain high academic standards throughout high school came from within.

“A lot of my motivation came from myself and my own personal goals,” Witmer said. “I genuinely enjoyed doing well academically, and in some classes I almost treated it like a challenge to see how few points I could lose. Doing well made me feel accomplished and motivated to keep pushing myself.”

Witmer was initially nominated for the Posse scholarship by teacher Robert Bass. She said this sparked her interest in the program and led her to seriously pursue it.

“I was actually nominated for the Posse Scholarship by Mr. Bass, and before that, I honestly did not know much about it,” Witmer said. “As I researched it more, I realized what an incredible opportunity it was, not only financially but also because of the strong sense of community and support the program provides.”

Witmer serves as president of Beta Club, president of the  National Honor Society and vice president of the Black Student Union, roles that have strengthened her communication and collaboration skills. She said balancing rigorous academics with multiple leadership roles has required intentional time-management skills.

“I think it is important to be realistic about what you can handle and to recognize that leadership is about teamwork, not trying to do everything alone,” Witmer said. “I also rely heavily on organization, especially through using a written agenda to keep track of assignments, meetings and deadlines. Writing everything down helps me stay focused and manage my time effectively.”

Looking ahead, Witmer said she is excited for her transition to Vanderbilt, adding that she is looking forward to the new opportunities that come with it.

“I am incredibly excited to experience a new environment, meet new people and begin this next chapter of my life,” Witmer said. “Overall, I am trying to approach the transition with an open mind and a positive attitude. Rather than worrying about potential problems before they happen, I want to focus on making the most of the opportunities and experiences ahead of me.”