ROCK BRIDGE HIGH SCHOOL CLASS OF 2020

SAM POKHAREL

Sam Pokharel is the daughter of Subhash and Bijayata Pokharel. Sam is graduating with Highest Honors from Rock Bridge High School and will be attending University of Missouri-Columbia, where she will be majoring in Biochemistry on the Pre-Med track. During her time at RBHS, Sam was the Founder and President of Ellis Fishel Cancer Outreach Club, Vice President of Giving Girls Opportunities, VP for Chemistry Club, Core Leader for Red Cross,  and Senior Tutor. Sam is proud of the work she put into building relationships with teachers and fellow peers and her continual effort in her academics. Sam encourages the Class of 2021 to take school seriously, but to make the most of memorable experiences. Also, start college applications early because deadlines come faster than they would think! Congratulations, Sam!

ERYN PUETT

Eryn Puett is the daughter of Tammy and Don Puett. Eryn is graduating from Rock Bridge High School and will be attending Missouri University of Science & Technology in the fall to study Business while continuing her athletic career in basketball. During her time at RBHS, Eryn played varisty basketball all four years and was a basketball state finalist during the 2019-2020 season. She was also a member of FCA, DECA, and National Honor Society. When looking back on her high school years, Eryn will be being able to see her friends every day, but she is proud of these friendships she made and of how she was able to make the most out of her high school experience. Congratulations, Eryn!

REAGAN RICHARDS

Reagan Richards is the daughter of Beth and Rusty Richards. Reagan is graduating from Rock Bridge High School and will be attending the University of Missouri-Columbia in the fall, where she will be majoring in Nursing through the Honors College. During her time at RBHS, Reagan was a member of the FCA, Tri Theta, and competed in the state championship meet for the varsity swim team all four years. She is proud of the relationships she formed with both her friends and her teachers, especially teachers like Mrs. Clemens, Mr. Myers, and Mrs. Wessel, whom she will miss the most. Reagan encourages the Class of 2021 to live in the moment and to not spend too much time planning for the future to the point where they have nothing to remember about high school. Congratulations, Reagan!

RACHEL NICOLE RIEGEL

Rachel Nicole Riegel is the daughter of Kari and Darly Kaczan and Jack Riegel. Rachel is graduating from Rock Bridge High School and will be attending the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York where she will be pursuing an Associate's Degree in Baking & Pastry Arts and a Bachelor's Degree in Food Business Management. During her time at RBHS, Rachel ran Cross Country and was a member of FCA and SkillsUSA (Baking). She received third place in the Commercial Baking Composition at the SkillsUSA National Leadership Conference in June 2019 representing the Columbia Area Career Center. When looking back on her high school years, Rachel will miss seeing her friends and teachers every day and the high school experiences as a whole, including football games, dances, etc., with the exception of her senior year which was cut short. Rachel moved to Columbia her sophomore year and is thankful for the friends and mentors she has had since. Although she will be attending college in New York, she will always cherish the friends and memories she has made in Columbia. Rachel encourages the Class of 2021 to get involved, for it's a great way to meet new people, discover new passions and talents, and leads the way to incredible opportunities down the road. Congratulations, Rachel!

KAYCEE REED

Kaycee Reed is the daughter of Heather Reed. Kaycee is graduating from Rock Bridge High School and will be taking a gap year which she will use to save up money to go to college. Looking back on her high school years, Kaycee will miss the experience and meeting new people the most. Kaycee encourages the Class of 2021 to live their senior year to the fullest. Congratulations, Kaycee!

MIRA SACHDEV

Mira Sachdev is the daughter of Sherri and Rick Sachdev. Mira is graduating from Rock Bridge High School and will be attending the University of Missouri-Columbia in the fall to study Nursing. During her time at RBHS, Mira was a member of Rock Bridge Young Life, and she also danced for Columbia Performing Arts Center. Mira became a Christian during her freshman summer of high school, and she says that decision made her the person she is today. Looking back on her high school years, Mira is proud that she was able to keep her grades up while balancing an incredibly busy schedule, and she will miss her friends that she has been with for the last four years and longer. Mira loves to make people smile and plans to work in health care in the future with the intent to make a difference in someone's life. She encourages the Class of 2021 to enjoy every minute of their senior year because it goes by faster than they could ever imagine. Congratulations, Mira!

CAROLINE SCHADE

Caroline Schade is the daughter of Andrea and Tim Schade. Caroline is graduating from Rock Bridge High School and will be attending the University of Arkansas in the fall to study Business and pursue a degree in Marketing. During her time at RBHS, Caroline was involved Key Club, Tri Theta, DECA, and was girls small group leader for The Crossing Church. Caroline also played on the girls gold team, where she is proud to have placed fourth at state. Looking back on her high school years, Caroline is most proud of her involvement because it was the clubs and extracurriculars that made high school so fun and exciting for her, and she will miss going to basketball and football games the most. Caroline will also miss all of her caring and energetic teachers, and she encourages the Class of 2021 to thank their teachers before its too late and to enjoy every moment. Congratulations, Caroline!

MERIAM SCHIEBER

Meriam Schieber is the daughter of Amanda Schieber and Glenn Korbeck. Meriam is graduating from Rock Bridge High School and will be attending a four-year college/university in the fall to study Animation & Illustration. During her time at RBHS, Meriam was a member of Color Guard and served as a leader of the Art Club who helped organize group events. Looking back on her high school years, Meriam is proud of all the experiences she has learned from, and she will miss hanging out with friends and always having a good laugh. Meriam encourages the Class of 2021 to do what they want to with their senior year and to not hold back. Congratulations, Meriam!

TANWEER SHETH

Tanweer Sheth is the daughter of Zahir and Anisa Sheth. Tanweer is graduating from Rock Bridge High School and will be attending the University of Missouri-Columbia in the fall to study Business. During her time at RBHS, Tanweer was a member of RBRO, Key Club, and Tri Theta. Tanweer is proud of how she ventured out of her comfort zone during high school, as well as how hard she worked for her grades, and she will miss the fun memories and the friends and teachers who helped her make those memories greatly. Tanweer encourages the Class of 2021 to enjoy the little moments because high school goes by fast. She urges future seniors to take risks because life is too short to stay in comfort zones. Congratulations, Tanweer!

SHANLEY SILVEY

Shanley Silvey is the daughter of Stanley and Shelly Silvey. Shanley is graduating from Rock Bridge High School and will be attending the University of Missouri-Columbia in the fall, where she will be studying Journalism through the Honors College. During her time at RBHS, Shanley participated in Marching Band, Powderpuff, and Young Democrats, and she will miss the RBHS community the most. Shanley is proud of her ability to try new things each year, and she plans to take her experiences from high school and implement her learning and work ethic to college. First, however, she’ll have to take five AP tests from home in May. Shanley encourages the Class of 2021 to never take anything for granted and to make the most of each and every day. Congratulations, Shanley!

ZACH SMITH

Zachary Smith is the son of Mike and Lisa Smith. Zach is graduating from Rock Bridge High School and will be attending the Commercial Turf and Grass Management Program at State Technical College in Linn, Missouri to work towards growing his existing lawn care business. During his time at RBHS, Zach ran Cross Country and Track and was a member of Key Club and RBRO, and he is also an Eagle Scout. Zach is proud that he survived the stress of his junior year, and he encourages the Class of 2021 to not procrastinate, but to remember to enjoy their time and to not stress too much. Congratulations, Zach!

 EMILY STELZER

Emily Stelzer is the daughter of Danny and Stephony Stelzer. Emily graduated from Rock Bridge High School last semester and will attend Moberly Area Community College in the fall to pursue a degree in Fine Arts. Emily hopes to work for a news station or help film movies and music videos in the future. During her time at RBHS, Emily was a football manager and was involved in GSA, Global Issues, and Slam Poetry. Looking back on her time in high school, Emily will miss hanging out with her favorite teachers and experiencing fun activities like Global Village, and she is glad she had the courage to talk to more people and make friends. Emily encourages the Class of 2021 to get involved as much as they can during their final school year, and to also relax with their friends and tell them they love them because one day they may not get the chance to. Congratulations, Emily!

SARAH STELZER

Sarah Stelzer is the daughter of Danny and Stephony Stelzer. Sarah is graduating from Rock Bridge High School and will be attending the University of Missouri-Columbia and Moberly Area Community College through the MizzouMACC program, where she will major in Communication Science and minor in French. During her time at RBHS, Sarah was involved in the French Honor Society, where she led the group in school-wide activities including Global Village Day and Mardi Gras crêpe sales. Additionally, Sarah led the French Language Club at a local elementary school, where she enjoyed teaching and working with little kids to prepare them for learning a language in the future. Although Sarah will miss high school and seeing her favorite teachers every day, she recognizes that her class has had the most interesting senior year even with a pandemic taking away what should have been the best part. Sarah encourages the Class of 2021 and future classes to take every class that interests them because now is the chance to learn as much as they can before deciding what to do with the rest of their lives. Congratulations, Sarah!

JACK STEVENS

Jack Stevens is the son of Rod and Edith Stevens. Jack is graduating from Rock Bridge High School and will be attending the University of Missouri-Columbia in the fall. Jack hopes to go into Geography and Cartography for a career and work with the Navy and Coast Guard to map the bottom of oceans. During his time at RBHS, Jack most enjoyed his time spent running Cross Country and Track and Field, as well as serving his school through Student Council and being a Senior Mentor. Jack is most proud of his Cross Country career and his ability to run for his school at State, but what he’ll miss the most about RBHS is Jersday Thursday. Jack encourages the Class of 2021 to enjoy it before it’s all gone. Congratulations, Jack!

BAILEY STOVER

Bailey Stover is the daughter of Robin and Dean Stover. Bailey is graduating from Rock Bridge High School and will be attending the University of Missouri-Columbia in the fall to major in Journalism and minor in Spanish. She will be working as a Discovery Fellow and Walter Williams Scholar to expand her education and form lasting connections.Through journalism and non-fiction storytelling, Bailey hopes to capture the honest, complete lives of marginalized groups and share their lives with the rest of the world in order to further empathetic conversations and create a more accepting society for all people. During her time at RBHS, Bailey's favorite extracurriculars included her time spent as a president of RBRO, especially Cedar Creek Therapeutic Riding Center, and she is proud of her contributions to Global Village over the past four years. Bailey also played competitive club volleyball and, this last summer, she built a website for all RBHS clubs and activities to centralize and organize information. Additionally, the RBHS journalism program occupied a major part of her high school experiences. Bailey served as Co-Editor-In-Chief of The Rock and Bearing News her senior year and for three years spent every spare moment and inumerous hours outside of school hours in J-room editing stories, pushing pages, working on the website, and building an atmosphere for hard work and excellence. She attended four national conventions, won countless personal and publication awards, and produced more stories than she can count. Bailey is grateful that, on the last day of school for the semester, her team was able to print their final issue and distribute it before the end of the day. Looking back on her high school years, Bailey is most proud of the connections she made with peers and teachers, and says she is indebted to every teacher, advisor, and adult at RBHS who helped shape her into the person she has become. She encourages the Class of 2021 to continue working hard, and she wants her peers to know that they are capable of changing the world for the better. Bailey wants the community to know that she poured her heart and soul into her education, and she will leave her mark on the world. Congratulations, Bailey!

CARSON SWAIN

Carson Swain is the son of John and Mary Swain. Carson is graduating from Rock Bridge High School and will be attending the University of Missouri-Columbia in the fall to study Marketing. During his time at RBHS, Carson's favorite activity was Global Village because he got to try foods from all over the world made by his friends and classmates. Carson is currently working on a project that reverse-engineers a game that no one has done before. Him and his team, called Team Wolfback, are working on a game called Battlestations Pacific and is dedicated to bring joy to the people around them and bring quality content to the community. Looking back on his time at RBHS, Carson is most proud of getting by and making so many friends, and he will miss his friends and teachers, especially Mr. Crosby and Mr. Fin, the most. He encourages the Class of 2021 to plan for a relaxed senior year because they'll never know what's going to happen. During this time, Carson is working on bringing more joy and helping people every day. Congratulations, Carson!

JADEN TORBET

Jaden Guy Torbet is the son of Jared Torbet and Carma Bushnell. Jaden is graduating from Rock Bridge High School and will be attending Moberly Area Community in the fall for two years and then transfer to the University of Missouri-Columbia. During his time at RBHS, Jaden was a varsity wrestler as well as a member of the varsity Track & Field team. Looking back on his high school years, Jaden will miss his friends and his teachers, and he is proud that he brought all of his grades up from failing to A's in one week. Jaden encourages the Class of 2021 to stay strong, and to know there is a lot more to high school than grades and assignments. He encourages future classes to keep their heads up and to stay out of drama. Congratulations, Jaden!

TIEN TRUONG

Tien Truong is the daughter of Tuan Truong and Thanh Nguyen. Tien is graduating from Rock Bridge High School and will likely be attending the University of Missouri-Columbia in the fall to study Biomedical Engineering on a Pre-Dental track. Her biggest dream is to become successful enough to pay off the sacrifices her parents made for her and her brother while growing up. During her time at RBHS, Tien played lacrosse and was a member of Science Bowl, HOSA, Math Team, and RBRO. Tien’s greatest accomplishment in high school was not using Google Translate to converse every day. She moved to the United States from Vietnam her freshman year, and it was very hard for her to communicate with little English. Now that she is more fluent in English, she is proud that she is able to communicate with everyone without having to use a translator. Tien will miss having the world be her oyster (once homework was out of the way, of course), and she encourages the Class of 2021 to try their best in school, but to remember to have fun with friends as well. Although school is an important priority, Tien suggests mental happiness should be a priority, too. Congratulations, Tien!

SERGIO PICO VAZQUEZ

Sergio Pico Vazquez is the son of Linda Vazquez and Gerardo Pico. Sergio is graduating from Rock Bridge High School and will be attending the University of Missouri-Columbia in the fall to study Aerospace Engineering. During his time at RBHS, Sergio played soccer, and he is proud of all the great friends he made. Looking back on his high school years, he will miss being around those friends every day while learning, and he encourages the Class of 2021 to make the most out of their senior year, and to treat every day as if it is their last day of high school. Congratulations, Sergio!

ALEXIS WALKER

Alexis Walker is the daughter of Brian and Kristin Walker. Alexis is graduating from Rock Bridge High School and will be attending the University of Missouri-Columbia and Moberly Area Community College in the fall through the MizzouMACC program, where she will be studying Health Professions or Nursing. During her time at RBHS, Alexis ran Cross Country and Track and was a member of BruinThon, Key Club, and RBRO. She also obtained her CNA through the Columbia Area Career Center her junior year. When looking back on her high school years, Alexis will miss the people, espeically her Cross Country team and the family that it has become. Alexis encourages the Class of 2021 to live in the moment because they never know what will happen tomorrow. Congratulations, Alexis!

KATELYN WEATHERFORD

Katelyn Weatherford is the daughter of Ted and Stephanie Weatherford. Katelyn is graduating from Rock Bridge High School will be attending the University of Missouri-Columbia, where she will be majoring in Health Professions with an emphasis in Physical Therapy and minoring in Psychology. She will also serve as a Small Group leader for The Crossing and plans to rush in the fall. During her time at RBHS, Katelyn ran Cross Country and Track and Field, where she helped her team clinch a 2nd place finish at the XC state championship, and she was a member of FCA, MizzouThon, Young Republicans, and the Light Bible Club. Katelyn is proud of the friends and memories she made. Those people and those moments, along with XC and track, are what she will miss the most about high school. Katelyn encourages the Class of 2021 to enjoy every second and embrace every opportunity. Congratulations, Katelyn!

HANNA WEBER

Hanna Weber is the daughter of Libby and David Weber. Hanna is graduating from Rock Bridge High School and will be attending the University of Missouri-Columbia in the fall to study Nursing and later obtain a Master's Degree to become a Nurse Practitioner. During her time at RBHS, Hanna was involved in Choir and Show Choir, and she is proud of a challenging guitar solo she performed in the Show Choir show her sophomore year. Additionally, Hanna is proud of her dedication to her school work and grades, as well as her commitment to music and how she has grown in that field of her life. Hanna will miss her friends and the supportive community of people including her teachers and peers, and she encourages the Class of 2021 to soak in their final year, get to know their peers and teachers better, and enjoy their little community while they can. Hanna is optimistic about the future and hopes this year will be something she can look back on in a positive light, even though it's not so great right now. Congratulations, Hanna!