Kerr County area Valedictorians, Salutatorians share college plans on The Lead Live

Four exceptional students from Tivy High School and Ingram Tom Moore High School appeared on The Lead Live this week to discuss their academic achievements and future plans, with three of the four heading to Texas A&M University in the fall.

Hannah Hood, Tivy’s valedictorian, and Peyton Bailey, the salutatorian, joined Principal Rick Sralla to represent their school ahead of their May 23 graduation ceremony. From Ingram Tom Moore, valedictorian Brody Vanacker and salutatorian Jeceleyn Cruces appeared before their graduation tonight at Schreiner University.

The strong pull of Texas A&M University emerged as a common theme, with Bailey, Vanacker and Cruces all choosing the College Station campus for their undergraduate studies. This trend reflects A&M’s continued appeal to top students throughout Kerr County.

Tivy High School’s Top Two

Hood will break from the A&M trend, heading to Texas Christian University in Fort Worth to study allied health science with aspirations of becoming a physician’s assistant specializing in dermatology. She earned a full chancellor’s scholarship worth approximately $83,000 annually — what she calls “a $300,000 education.”

Her decision to stay closer to home came after her mother’s battle with cancer, though Hood noted her mother is now cancer-free but “not entirely in the clear.”

“I initially planned to go out of state, possibly Florida, but realized I wanted to stay closer to home,” she explained.

Hood, who has lived in Kerrville her entire life, excelled in mathematics while finding dual credit English her most challenging course. She competed in cross country and track, reaching the state cross country meet as a sophomore despite never running more than a mile before training that summer. She also served as president of Spanish Honor Society and secretary of National Honor Society, while working in the bakery at Cafe at the Ridge decorating cakes.

Bailey represents the third generation of his family to attend A&M, following his parents and grandparents.

“I’ve grown up going to A&M, loving A&M,” Bailey said. “A major attraction for me was the environment at the football and all the sporting events.”

Originally accepted into construction science, Bailey switched to nutrition after deciding the initial major wasn’t his calling. He plans to transfer to biomedical science once space becomes available. Like Hood, Bailey found dual credit English his most challenging course and has completed numerous AP classes.

Bailey spent four years on Tivy’s football team and played basketball until his senior year. He participated in Student Council, National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society and Young Life. Bailey, a lifelong Kerrville resident, attended both Nimitz Elementary and Tally Elementary.

Ingram Tom Moore’s Achievers

Vanacker will join A&M’s engineering program with hopes of majoring in aerospace engineering. His ambitious goal involves helping create the next generation of the SR71 Blackbird spy plane or potentially a passenger version.

“I think it’s like one of the coolest planes,” Vanacker said of the legendary aircraft.

A&M’s faculty impressed him, particularly the presence of three astronauts teaching there, two of whom have traveled to space. The university edged out the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, partly due to proximity to home and existing support networks. His grandparents live about 30 minutes from A&M, providing family support nearby.

Vanacker, who has lived in Ingram his entire life, ran cross country since his sophomore year and played football as a freshman before transitioning to filming varsity games and practices. He adapted to new huddle film technology this year and served in National Honor Society since freshman year. He also participated in UIL competitions in current issues and accounting as a junior.

Regarding the role of artificial intelligence in his future field, Vanacker acknowledged it “could go either way” as a tool that might make engineering easier, though he worries people could rely on it too heavily.

Cruces, the salutatorian, will also attend A&M to study applied mathematical sciences, which she describes as “engineering math.” As a first-generation college student, she chose A&M for its tradition and history with first-generation students, hoping to find her “crew” and access more resources. She considered both UT and A&M before making her decision.

After exploring options her first semester, Cruces plans to pursue either engineering or accounting. However, her passion lies in agriculture, where she may eventually return after earning her engineering degree to advocate for the industry she says many people don’t understand and that is “at risk.”

Cruces was heavily involved in the FFA program, calling agriculture “her thing.” She showed swine at the county fair, selling a pig for $8,000 this year and keeping the pork in her family’s freezer. She didn’t come from a traditional agricultural background but started showing as a freshman after her teacher, Mrs. Reeves, suggested it — a decision that surprised her parents.

Through FFA, she participated on multiple teams including homesite, land, agricultural issues, radio, agronomy and wildlife. These experiences taught her to identify plants and sparked her interest in crop growing and managing tensions between rural and suburban areas where farmers face financial challenges.

Beyond agriculture, Cruces ran cross country all four years and competed in track. She participated in theater and band during her freshman and sophomore years and was part of the UIL prose and poetry team. Like Vanacker, she shared thoughtful views on artificial intelligence, calling it a powerful tool that could help industries like agriculture while expressing concern that using it in school makes students “lazy” and “ruins a person’s work ethic.”

Principal Sralla, who has known many of these students since junior high when he served as assistant principal at the middle school, praised the graduating class.

“Hannah and Peyton are extraordinary young people,” Sralla said, “and the school is filled with them.”

The Lead Live episode showcased not only individual academic excellence but also the strong educational foundation these Kerr County schools provide their students as they prepare for the next chapter of their academic careers.