EARLY – The Early High School graduation ceremony for the Class of 2024 will take place at 8 p.m. Friday, May 24 at Longhorn Stadium.

Griffin Cheslock, son of Jason and Lori Cheslock, is the valedictorian while Reese Estess, daughter of Zack and Brittany Estess, is the salutatorian.

“It’s an honor, especially at Early,” Cheslock said of earning the valedictorian accolade. “My class is super competitive academically. It’s less a reflection of my abilities and more a reflection of the class as a whole.”

Estess said of being named salutatorian, “I was blessed to be part of a super competitive class. Being able to grow with them, being able to learn with them the last four years has been amazing. It’s really an honor.”

Cheslock is bound for the United States Coast Guard Academy, and earlier this spring he signed a national letter of intent to play football there as well.

“The main reason I’m going is because they really specialize in engineering and that’s what I’m passionate about,” Cheslock said. “I’m going to major in mechanical engineering and afterwards I want to fly for the Coast Guard. You’re obligated to serve for seven years. I want to fly and they have programs set up where you can get your Masters and Doctorate degrees. I want to stay in until I get my Doctorate and then I want to go to NASA and hopefully fly for NASA.”

The next stop for Estess in her educational journey is The University of Texas.

“I’m going to major in Philosophy with a Pre-Law track within their honors program,” Estess said. “I chose UT because of their diversity. It’s a large place with an opportunity to meet a lot of new people and really make connections there. I’m also really interested in UT’s law school.”

Along with football, Cheslock also took part in Future Problem Solvers and the National Honor Society, and was a member of the powerlifting and track and field teams.

Extracurriculars for Estess included the Texas Midwest Community Network ‘Time to Shine,’ which resulted in the sun dial at the Early Town Center, along with student council, Longhorn Theater Company and National Honor Society were she served a president. Also a member of the Community Problem Solvers Team, this year’s project “Operation Skill Drop” has qualified at the international level and the students will be heading to Indiana this summer for the competition.

Regarding how high school has readied the students for the next stage of life, Cheslock said, “Compared to where I came from, the academics are definitely more in-depth. There’s a broad selection of classes you can take. I was actually able to get my associate’s degree on May 3 from Ranger College because of the amount of dual credit they offered here. Also the AP curriculum here is really good and that’s considered the standard for college placement, so I feel I’m prepared academically for what college has to throw at me.”

Estess added, “Early has helped me prepare for college in every single way possible. The amazing teachers that really invest in us and help us, I can’t stress that enough. The way that they emphasize the information we’re learning through different avenues, they help through learning how to talk in front of people, and also how to write, so fine and hard skills.”

As for what they will miss most about Early, Cheslock said, “I would definitely say even though the Coast Guard is a smaller community compared to the other service academies, it’s still bigger than what I’m used to. They run with 1,100 students on campus and I’m used to small schools. That tight knit community where you know everyone is something I’m definitely going to miss.”

For Estess, “I’m going to miss the people the most. I’m definitely going to have to come back here a lot. It’s a such a family unit type of feeling. You know everybody at Early and you know what they’ve been doing. I like that and I like being able to talk to everybody every single day.”

Cheslock, who arrived in Early prior to his junior year, wanted to express thanks to those who aided in his transition.

“Mrs. (Brittany) Dunlap was really one of the more personable teachers toward me at first,” Cheslock said. “In a small school, it’s nice to grow up in, but it can be hard to fit into if you’re new. She really made me feel like I was at home here and was able to foster connections with other teachers.”

Estess also extended thanks to those who helped her as well, saying, “My parents have really helped me believe in myself and believed in me, along with my teachers, everybody in my family, and my friends.”

Looking 10 to 15 years down the road, Estess said, “I see myself graduated from law school and pursuing law. Hopefully building a community in Austin, hopefully having friends, having fun, and living life.”

Cheslock’s future plans include, “Hopefully flying for NASA. I really want to be an astronaut. I just think that’s so cool, it’s something everyone talks about wanting to be when they grow up. But I’m on the track now where I could see it to fruition and that would be really cool.”