Fresh out of high school. Fresh into college. Four alumni give us some final words of advice before going their separate ways.

Each year, the OC Register complies a database of four top graduates from public and private schools throughout the county. SMCHS chose Austin Drysch for academics, Tyler Cotner for arts, Haley Wan for athletics and Nina Riegelsberger for service.

Graduating as an IB Full Diploma student with a 4.88 GPA and 2360 SAT score, valedictorian Austin Drysch is the definition of a scholar. Just an hour drive away at UCLA, Drysch is majoring in economics and minoring in systems biology, and plans to go to medical school and become a surgeon in the future.

“I am excited to face the challenges that will accompany my new experiences at UCLA,” Drysch said. “I am grateful for all the opportunities I have had that have led me to where I am today, from my experiences at SM to everything outside the high school community. It is never too early to expand your horizons, and I am glad to have kept that in mind the past four years.”

Drysch’s passion for biology led him to start the nonprofit Pre-AMA to raises funds for local health-care programs. He also became the only high school student selected to participate in the graduate-level UCI Surgery Program over summer.

“For those who are interested in medicine, I would have to advise you to find a balance between the sciences and your other interests,” Drysch said. “You will have plenty of time to delve into biology over the course of your life, so feel free to major in what you are most interested in, even if that is economics. It will make you a whole lot happier in college and will likely serve you better in the long run.”

Alumni Tyler Cotner, the king of the arts and AP/IB scholar with a 4.33 GPA, is now at Boston University for music composition and theory. You may have seen him at football games as captain of the drum line. Or you may have heard him play the classical guitar. If you went to any plays, you would have seen him act as many lead roles for Talon Theatre.

“I feel incredibly honored and humbled even to have been fortunate enough to be presented with all the opportunities afforded to me,” Cotner said. “The time I’ve spent working on various projects and pushing to improve my skills have not gone to waste in the least. But in my honest opinion, as long as you believe in what you’re doing and you yourself enjoy it, then your time is never wasted.”

Not only was Cotner recently named SMCHS’s Outstanding Student in Performing Arts and OC Register’s Artist of the Week, but he also received international recognition. The original score he composed for The Crucible was a finalist in the International Thespian Festival this summer. And as a result, Cotner received his first professional recruitment to design sound effects for Including Shooter by Nicholas C. Pappas.

“Never underestimate the power of a network,” Cotner said. “Reach out to teachers and instructors and build a relationship. They can help and guide you in ways that you probably don’t even know about yet. SM’s performing arts faculty is particularly adept at this. You’ve got great resources at your hands; use them!”

A multi-talented athlete and AP/IB scholar, alumni Haley Wan graduated as a record holder for both water polo and swim with a 4.71 GPA. She is now off to Princeton University for financial engineering and polo.

“I am very content and proud of the things I have accomplished through high school and I would not change any of my experiences for anything,” Wan said. “I am also extremely grateful for every coach, teacher, parent or teammate that has guided me or helped me throughout my journey and owe all my accomplishments to them. Every 6 a.m. practice and every hour in the pool were well worth it, and I don’t regret a single second of time and energy I spent in my sport.”

Her time and energy undoubtedly paid off. Wan was the first student in SMCHS history to earn the title of OC Athlete of the Year. And as if that wasn’t enough, Wan won America’s first ever FINA Youth World Championship title with the Women’s Youth National Water Polo Team in Madrid, Spain just last week.

“Follow your passion and do as much of it when you are young to really explore what your specific interests are,” Wan said. “Always try something rather than shy away and regret it.”

While most kids were still playing with Barbie dolls or Hot Wheels cars, alumni Nina Riegelsberger had already founded a used school supply drive as a third grader. This service project with the Father Marc Orphanage in Haiti has stuck with her for ten years and has expanded to supplying art schools in Santa Ana as well. Riegelsberger was also a leader in Key Club, Mock Trial, Model United Nations and the Vacation Bible School at her church.

“I would not be the same person if I didn’t have that connection with the community,” Riegelsberger said. “Living in Orange County we are given so much, so it’s our job to give back to those who aren’t as fortunate. Service opens certain doors in life and gives us the perspective that most of the world does not live the way we live. It teaches us to cherish humanity.”

The dedication that Riegelsberger has to the community follows her to college. After graduating as an IB Full Diploma student with a 4.63 GPA, Riegelsberger is now at Fordham University for pre-law. She plans to join Global Outreach and focus on the education of children in South Africa by forming partnerships with preschools that lack volunteers.

“I think that finding something you are passionate about is the key,” Riegelsberger said. “Don’t participate in a service organization just because everyone else is doing it. If you find something that you really care about, then it makes it all more satisfying. Be creative in service and recognize things that need to be fixed that not many people recognize.”

These four Eagles are models of persistence and passion, and there is no doubt they will be soaring to new heights at their new homes.