![With their T-Wolves held high, the varsity volleyball team huddles together in preparation at a match in early September. The team is 6-0 in match play and will start the second round of district play next week. “The second time isn’t going to be easy,” Head Coach Lori McLaughlin said. “That's the thing about this district. The coaches are so good and very skilled with what they do and every team is usually different the second time that we play. We just want to hope that we add some more finesse to our game, and then lead us into the postseason, which hopefully [has us] peaking at the right time.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/varvb-9.3-Julia-14.jpg)
![During passing period, parking lot security Alan Gallagher stands on the street between the portables and the main building, ensuring students get to the other side safely. Everyday, Gallagher monitors the parking lots, checks parking permits and helps guide traffic, even more so now with the addition of the portables. “I spend a lot of time making sure students and staff get across the walkway,” Gallagher said. “I haven’t had any real problems [with students] yet, it’s just about getting people adjusted to the new traffic patterns.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/IMG_0926.jpg)
![With her daily agenda displayed on the new interactive panels, advanced spanish II and III teacher Sofia Pickle explains to her students their tasks for the day. The new interactive panels come with many features including the ability to annotate directly on the board.“I do love the that I can display certain spanish vocabulary or spanish conjugation [on the panels],” advanced spanish II and III teacher Sofia Pickle said. “I can go and write underneath it or take notes directly on those words or the worksheet I have displayed. I really enjoy that the panels are accessible and have features that are fun for students.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Mrs.-Pickle-Panel-1200x800.jpg)
![Smiling at the camera, the Varsity Tennis team celebrates winning districts. They played against Liberty Hill on Tuesday night and won with a final score of 10- 5. “We improved a lot even from the last game,” senior Blake Hillis said. “We lost against them the last time we played [Liberty Hill], but it was really close. It was just really important for us to win this match since it was the district finals. [When we won I felt] overwhelmingly happy, especially being there with my teammates and it being my senior year. It was just really great. It [felt] like a community.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Tennis-Districts-e1728060882260.png)
![On March 20, the theatre program performed their UIL One Act play "Frankenstein". “I could barely believe what I heard after [it was] announced that we were advancing,” freshman Zack Williams said. “It was crazy. Being one of the only freshmen in the show and also [being] a lead definitely put pressure on my shoulders. I knew that the only thing I could do was my best, but that was until I started to think what if my best was not enough? I was feeling like I could never amount to being what [everyone else] thought I was. Although, after hearing that announcement, I realized that maybe I have something going for me after all.”
Photo courtesy of Cayden Bartolo](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Capture.png)
![Holding a wooden pizza toy, senior Taylor Peterson plays with small children in Bucaramanga, Colombia. During the summer, Peterson traveled to Colombia to help build an elementary school that only had two classrooms but five or six grades with one teacher. “We add[ed] two more classrooms,” Peterson said. “It’s kind of hard when you have two or three grades in one classroom and you only have one teacher. It’s very hard to actually get some beneficial learning. [The extra classrooms will give the students] a better quality of education because they’ll actually have a place specific for their learning.” Photo by Taylor Peterson](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Taylor-P.png)
![Smiling during the annual Decals with Dads, varsity starting quarterback and sophomore David Cooper and his dad Jim Cooper pose for a picture. During this varsity event, players and their dads get together to put new decals on their helmets. This year, in addition to being announced QB 1, David was also voted as one of six captains on the varsity team, a role that he had difficulty adjusting to as a younger player on varsity. “It was a struggle for me, being younger than everyone else and being a leader,” David said. “I wondered if [the team] would respect me, or if they would just see me as a younger person from a younger class. I think I've become a leader, [though] and let people know that even though I'm younger, I'm still going to lead them well.” Photo courtesy of Cedar Park Football SmugMug.](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/IMG_8493-1-1200x801.jpg)
![Smiling with her hands on the wheel in her Camaro z28, senior Brooklyn Collinsworth savors these short moments until the car returns back to the shop. “I knew there would be work to be done, but there were too many problems with the engine in the car that they didn't address originally,” Collinsworth said. “The more [SW] takes it apart, the more they realize the issues with it, but I want to keep that car forever so I'm willing to deal with that stuff so I can have a better experience later.” Photo Courtesy of Brooklyn Collinsworth](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/55E3EE4E-12B3-4B85-B1CB-464B676FD3A9_1_105_c.jpeg)
His cursor hovers over the email containing his decision that could decide the next four years of his life. His anticipation fills the room as he reflects back on his hard work and experiences. Giving up summer for internships, volunteering, and cramming extracurriculars into his tightly packed schedule has dwindled down to this moment.
Senior Sanil Desai will be attending Brown University in their PLME program. PLME is the program in liberal medical education. The program allows students to have flexibility with their majors and guarantees them a position in Brown’s Warren Alpert school of medicine. This program is unique because the students do not have to apply or take the MCAT.
“I was a little scared to open the decision letter, I didn’t expect much but when I opened it I was really excited and grateful for the opportunity,” Desai said. “I think this program suits my goals because it allows me to explore my interests in different fields such as comp sci and healthcare policy.”
His efforts in the medical realm extends all the way back to his freshman year where he volunteered in different branches of St. David’s hospitals. While volunteering Desai worked with patients and gave him insight in healthcare. Desai said that even if you’re not interested in medicine he recommends volunteering at hospitals because of how much you can take away from the experience.
“I’ve been interested in healthcare since I was little,” Desai said. “My mom and a lot of my extended family works in healthcare so I heard a lot about their experiences. Not all of it was positive but the negatives made me want to make it better and have a positive influence on people’s lives. I also feel like it’s really important in the overall development of the world. If I’m going to use my skills to do something, I’d rather use my talents to have a direct impact on humanity and you can do a lot of good in healthcare.”
Desai’s experience in the medical field did not stop at volunteering. The summer going into his senior year, he fulfilled two internships. One of them being at University of Texas at Galveston medical branch where he worked with a principal investigator. During his time in Galveston, Desai researched the effect of certain proteins on fruit flies and their neurological effects. This included conducting experiments and helping write sections of a research paper.
“It was really interesting and I enjoyed the process all together,” Desai said. “Conducting experiments and doing research broadened my experience in the healthcare world and allowed me to work closely with a professional.”
His second internship took place all up in Denver at the University of Colorado’s medical school. He stayed there for a month and a half and used data analysis programs to find trends in data that was public health related. At the end, he put together a poster and paper to put in a presentation.
“I enjoyed being able to use my experience in data science,” Desai said. “I think these internships helped not only with experience but also solidifying my commitment to the medical field. I got to work in experiments but also in medical policy.”
Desai’s hard work was not only reflected in his time at hospitals or research centers. He will be graduating as rank 4 of the 2024 class.
“My parents always believed that I could accomplish a lot of things so that always helped me,” Desai said. “Other than that I feel like I don’t want to waste my potential. One of my biggest fears is that I won’t be able to achieve everything I am capable of and that inspires me.”
According to Desai, under the PLME program, Desai will not have to decide his major until his sophomore year but he is eager to see where Brown will take him. He is thankful for his family supporting and pushing him to get to where he is today and to his teachers for the opportunities they have provided him with.
“I’m grateful for all of the amazing teachers at Cedar Park who go out of their way to help you.” Desai said. “From all of my coaches who gave me the opportunity to run with and lead the team without being in the period. To teachers like Mr. Marsh and Mr. Babich who always made an effort to get to know me beyond just the classroom. To my band directors who taught me the importance of hard work and disciplined effort. And to teachers like Mr. Henri who was eager to sponsor the garage band club and gave me genuine advice I hope to carry with me.”
