Ariana Engles

I am a high school senior who has a wide variety of interests. I'm involved in a wide variety of clubs, I am a leader within many of them, and I'm also involved in service and sports. My motto is "service above self". Outside of school, I scuba dive and play several instruments.

I have competed in the UIL and TFA Debate circuits and I have been team president for 2 years. My primary debate style is LD, and my primary speaking event is Informative Extemp, but I've also competed in CX, PF, Persuasive Extemp, and done a little judging in the Austin area.

Within student council, I have been sophomore historian, executive secretary, and executive parliamentarian. I have attended the TASC Conference twice. I have played a large part in the planning of 2 homecoming, 2 Red Ribbon Weeks, election processes, a class fundraiser, and much more!

Active member for all of high school. Currently the Vandegrift intermediary between Rotary International and our local Interact chapter. Recipient of the Rotary Youth Leadership Award in 2015, and subsequently attended RYLA camp.

Relay for Life has been one of my favorite activities in High School. I was on the Sponsorship Committee my freshman year, and have been a Sponsorship Committee Head since I was a sophomore. Vandegrift hosts the largest Relay for Life in the state of Texas and in three years we have raised $109,000.

Though not always the best athlete, I absolutely love flag football! I play center and cornerback and have played both 5-on-5 and 7-on-7. I love the spirit our team has! We definitely work as a team for every win (which we attain more often than not!).

June of 2015 I attended a research camp where, with my close friend Holly, we independently studied the effect of endocrine disruptors on invertebrates (crickets and brine shrimp) and yeasts (S. cerversiae) with some very interesting results. I hope to pursue research in college.

July of 2015, I attended the Hispanic Youth Leadership Institute at UT-Dallas. HYLI was hosted by the Hispanic Scholarship Fund. There, I spent a week with the brightest young Hispanic leaders from across the country. We learned about leadership, and met with "Hispanic Heroes".

In Spanish Honors Society, we honor both the Spanish language, spanish-speaking culture, and try to learn more about both! We frequently have 'Spanish Dinners' where we spend the whole dinner speaking in Spanish and enjoying traditional dishes. We also do community service and tutor in Spanish.

This year, I am the senior class representative for Key Club. I love being in Key Club because it gives me extra opportunities to enact my motto "service above self". I have done such volunteering as the Susan G. Komen 5K, Trunk or Treat, and a variety of other service projects.