William “Billy” Mullenmeister is Valedictorian, an athlete, and homecoming king. To many, these achievements may seem unattainable, but Mullenmesiter believes it all comes down to hard work and motivation.
“I am pretty intrinsically motivated, meaning I motivate myself. I like to push myself to do well in school. That being said, I was also motivated by my teachers, peers, and parents,” said Mullenmeister.
Mullenmeister always knew he wanted to do well in school. He worked to maintain a good class rank and strong grades, but never had his sights set specifically on the title of valedictorian. His hard work paid off, and he will be attending Barrett The Honors College at Arizona State University in the fall.
Though Mullenmeister’s hard work paid off, his achievements did not come without a fair share of stress.
“One thing I would change about my high school experience is the pressure I put on myself. I would stress myself out over assignments for no reason, as well as my races in cross country. I think I was just a little too stressed at times, but I turned this around in my junior and senior years,” said Mullenmeister.
His advice to underclassmen hoping to do as well as him in school is to not lose focus.
“Do not beat yourself up over one disappointing grade, and just to make sure you are listening to what all of your teachers want you to complete,” said Mullenmeister.
While Mullenmeister clearly values academics, he was also a very active member of the student body. During his time at Cactus Shadows, he served as captain of the boys cross country team, and was a member of the track and field team, Spanish Honors Society, and Science National Honors Society.
“My favorite CSHS memory was my experience on the Cross Country and Track teams. Any time that I spent with the distance team was super fun. That being said, if I was choosing a specific instance it would be winning homecoming king with my best friend Olivia Cordes as the queen,” said Mullenmeister.
Mullenmeister believes his hard work has prepared him well for his future, and hopes others learn from his time here at Cactus Shadows.