Community: Mallory Striplin is known for her outstanding leadership skills and involvement in various extracurricular activities. After transferring sophomore year to WJ from Texas, she found clubs as a way to connect to her peers, explore new academic subjects and spread cultural awareness. She has been a co-captain of the Mock Trial team, captain of the Step Team for the past two years and vice president of the Chinese Honor Society. Mallory is a co-facilitator for study circles and has worked at the county level where she taught administrators how to lead the program. Additionally, she is a member of various clubs including the Black Student Union, South Asian Student Union, Math Honor Society, Science National Honor Society and National Honor Society. Mallory will be attending the University of Maryland, College Park and joining the Integrated Life Sciences Honors College. She plans on majoring in chemistry and minoring in Chinese, as part of the pre-med and pre-law track.
“Show up, be engaged, and play the long game. What high school has really taught me is that hard work pays off. Your effort will be rewarded. Most of all, don’t underestimate the effect you have on others.”
Music: Torben Mucchetti developed a passion for music at a young age, influenced by his father and brother who played guitar. Jealous of their skills, he started practicing seriously, honing his skills during the COVID pandemic. Gaining a newfound interest in jazz and blues, as well as confidence as a musician, he eventually began playing in bands starting last summer. Torben is currently a member of the band “The Haze,” formed in October, which performs gigs locally. He aspires to make a living from music someday. Torben plans to major in jazz guitar and performance at the University of Tennessee, aiming to improve his skills as much as possible.
“I’m really thankful for WJ’s music program, especially Ms Morris and Mr K. They really helped me flourish. Also, Bradley West, my drummer, introduced me to jazz. Without him, I wouldn’t be the musician and man I am today.”
Academic:
Senior Allison Xu is the academic spotlight for the 2024 class. Xu has spent her high school career building a perfect academic resume for colleges, and it paid off as she plans to attend the University of Pennsylvania to pursue business at the Wharton School of Business. Xu is the President of the WJ DECA Club, Co-Captain of Mock Trial, Online Editor-in-Chief of The Pitch, Editor-in-Chief of The MoCo Student, President of Spanish National Honor Society, Vice President of National Honor Society, and President of Creative Writing Club. In addition to running the mainstream academic clubs, Xu has won many academic awards, including the 2024 Maryland Student Journalist of the Year Award issued by the Maryland and D.C. Scholastic Press Association, Carson Scholar Award for demonstrating the highest academic achievement standards, integrity and civic and social responsibility, a National Merit Finalist for scoring in the top 1% on the PSAT and a finalist in the New York Times Personal Narrative Contest out of 11,000+ submissions around the world. Regarding DECA, which was vital in Xu’s Wharton application, Xu won first place four times in the Maryland DECA State Competition in Business Finance Series (2024), Business Services Marketing (2023), Retail Merchandising Series (2022) and Principles of Marketing (2021). For fun, Xu enjoys creative writing and performing as Youth Poet Laureate of Montgomery County.
“In high school, always look for new opportunities, stay curious, and don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. You can learn something from all of your experiences, whether they were successes or failures, and ultimately keep growing.”
