Top 10 Lakers reflect on high school, look toward future

MEREDITH — Graduates of the Inter-Lakes High School class of 2026 will receive their diplomas next month, on Saturday, June 13. The top 10 students are already reflecting on their memories, and have their sights set on plans for the future.

Elise Beauboeuf

Beauboeuf’s father and grandfather are doctors, and she plans to follow in their footsteps. She took physics and anatomy, and finds both interesting, because they are such an integral part of life.

She is inspired by her grandfather, Guy Beauboeuf, a gynecologist who escaped Haiti, with the military, to come to America.

“I want to be a neonatologist, and take care of little babies,” she said. “I always think if he could go through medical school with a different language, and come from nothing, then I should be able to go through high school and college.”

Beauboeuf is a member of National Honor Society, and a class officer who helps plan prom and other events. She played soccer, and started on the varsity ski team in ninth grade when it had only four skiers, and has since quadrupled. She is part of the outing club, whose members hiked Mount Washington and went white-water rafting.

“I would say that my favorite part of school here is the clubs.”

Beauboeuf lives in Sandwich, and has played piano for the last 13 years. She works at Sandwich Children’s Center, and as a lifeguard at Sandwich Town Beach.

“It’s nice, because I get to be a part of the community in Sandwich, even though our school is in Meredith,” she said.

Beauboeuf will attend Norwich University studying neuroscience, and is working on getting her pilot’s license at Emerson Aviation, so she can fly to Vermont, for classes.

Hayden Brunell

Like Beauboeuf, Brunell has been learning to become a pilot. This aligns with his career aspiration, as he committed to Tufts University, in Medford, Massachusetts, to study mechanical engineering. After that, he could pursue aviation in the military.

“Currently I’m finishing my private pilot license, and that’s taken about a year,” Brunell, who lives in Meredith, said. “I’ve already done a cross-country solo.”

Brunell’s father was an air traffic controller in the Marine Corps, and he would tell his son stories. Driving to school, he would pass Moultonborough Airport, leading to a fascination with aviation, and a hope of pursuing it as a career.

While at Inter-Lakes, he excelled in mathematics and science, and took most Advanced Placement classes offered. He enjoyed school clubs, notably the FIRST Robotics team, where he was the driver for the Lakerbots Team 4086 robot.

“FIRST Robotics is something I’ve really enjoyed, and would recommend to others to do,” Brunell said. “It has definitely been a highlight of my high school.”

Brunell recommended younger students take school seriously, noting it's only four years of their life, and can fly by.

“It really does set you up for a good future, if you can capitalize on those four years, and go to college. Or not even go to college, but pursue your own passion.”

Claire Clark

Clark is attending NHTI, in Concord, to receive a degree as a registered nurse. She hopes this will help her come out of school without debt, when she is eventually trying to start a family.

Her primary interests in school have been English and history, noting those teachers are both personable and fun. She said they added to the environment, and made it easier to navigate school. She said they are dedicated and passionate about what they teach.

“Almost every student has a teacher they’re friends with, and they can talk to,” Clark said. “I feel like that isn’t something you’d see 50 years ago, or even 20 years ago.”

This top 10 group put a lot of pressure on themselves, Clark said, especially during their second year. She recalled crying when she got a B, and last year, she snapped in the middle of a chemistry class, needing to blow off some steam. That was a turning point.

“I wish I had known this earlier, but as long as you’re trying your best and not being lazy about it, then whatever grade I get is fine.”

Clark commutes from Franklin, with her mother who is a teacher at Inter-Lakes, and started attending the school in sixth grade. She loves reading, and thinks this is what pushed her into the honors programs.

“I’ve loved reading books since I was little, and if you know how to write, people will think you’re smart, so it helps get you into the honors classes.”

Zoya Hart

Hart will attend the University of New Hampshire, in Durham, to study biochemistry and molecular biology, and while she doesn’t have plans past that, she thinks college will give her that direction.

Hart lived in Medfield, Massachusetts, before moving to Meredith, in eighth grade. She is a dancer, and spends most of her time away from school competing and training, and said that's her true love.

Academically, she excelled in science and English. She admitted she's best in science, noting there is usually a single correct answer, as opposed to English, where things can be up to interpretation.

She said the Inter-Lakes school community is tight-knit, and enjoys the size, compared with her time in Massachusetts.

“It’s a very small school, especially coming from Medfield, which was 300 people per grade, compared to 70,” she said. “We’re all friends. We all get along. Everyone here loves New Hampshire, and loves our school.”

Personal drive has been a catalyst for her success. She believed she could earn A’s in difficult classes, so she did it. It's all about finding that self-drive in your own brain, she said.

“My parents, they wouldn’t hate me if I didn’t get good grades,” she said. “I am the one who pushes myself to do this well. My mom is like, 'It’s OK if you don’t get the perfect grade.' They are all supportive, but having that self-determination has been critical for me being top 10.”

Peyton Rolfe

Rolfe has a love for language, saying she not only enjoys studying English, but Spanish has been her favorite class, and one she succeeded in throughout her school career.

“I love learning about other cultures, and also another language,” Rolfe said. “Language is where I excel.”

A lifelong Meredith resident, Rolfe said Inter-Lakes provided plenty of great opportunities. She visited Argentina and Spain, saying it was incredible she could apply what she learned in the real world.

“It’s totally different,” she said. “I thought I was super well prepared, and I was, but it is so different. I went to Argentina first, and that was a little harder. But I just got back from Spain a few weeks ago, and I definitely notice a big improvement in how I can communicate with people.”

Rolfe has a goal of teaching English as a second language. She was accepted to Saint Michael’s College, in Colchester, Vermont, but deferred her admission, to take a gap year to travel and volunteer abroad.

“I want to get experience firsthand with teaching English to speakers of other languages before I got to college,” Rolfe said. “I have something set up in Tanzania, teaching and mentoring in school for a couple weeks. I’m really looking forward to that."

Alek Pizzuti

Pizzuti is passionate about education, and has learned to manage his time and social life. This has been a key to his success, and something he hopes younger students can follow.

“School needs to be one of the priorities, because it sets you up for college. But definitely leave room for your passions, because if you’re just grinding on school and not having fun outside of it, I don’t think high school will be as enjoyable,” he said.

Pizzuti is from Center Harbor, and loves being outdoors, whether hiking, or running for the school’s track team. He is a member of the soccer team, and enjoys playing basketball with his friends in his free time.

He enjoys reading works of literature, but truly loves the sciences, excelling in chemistry and physics.

“Since I was a little kid, I’ve really liked science, and it was my favorite class in elementary school. And now kind of what I’m going for in college,” Pizzuti said.

Pizzuti said the community at Inter-Lakes is a top attribute of the school, especially this year, when the class has come together as graduation approaches. He praised the teachers and faculty, saying they look out for students when they may be having difficulties.

“I haven’t had a teacher yet who hasn’t been invested in my personal learning and journey.”

Pizzuti will attend the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, for aerospace engineering, with hopes to someday work in airplane propulsion.

Aiden Price

Price describes himself as “academically interested,” pushing himself to take AP and honors classes throughout his Laker career.

“I find myself falling into the math and science sector,” Price said. “I really enjoy physics, and I just took calculus. It works for me. I understand all of it, and having a definite answer makes sense to me.”

A three-sport athlete, Price competed in soccer, golf and track. He is part of Future Business Leaders of America and the FIRST Robotics team, which recently competed in Texas, against teams from across the world.

“I enjoy the extracurriculars offered here,” Price said. “The robotics team has been a really good experience going down to Houston, Texas. Not every school gets to do that.”

Academic success came with plenty of hard work for the Center Sandwich resident. Price gave advice to younger students, encouraging them to follow his lead, and push themselves, even if it can be uncomfortable.

“It’s not where you want to be right away, but once you find success, I think you’ll enjoy it.”

Price is attending Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, in Troy, New York, for aerospace engineering. He hopes to go into the defense sector, saying last summer, he studied astronomy at St. Paul’s School.

“I really enjoyed it, so naturally aviation and possibly space, aerospace engineering met the criteria for me,” Price said. “I don’t think I want to be the one go to space, but I’ll help build the thing to send someone there.”

Jenna Spiegler

Spiegler has a love of reading and writing, and a work ethic beyond her years. She commutes from Laconia, works at Dunkin’ in Meredith, and spends much of her free time volunteering throughout the Lakes Region.

“I just love to work, and help support my family,” Spiegler said.

A key to Spiegler’s success has been a focus on education, with a variety of learning opportunities. She recommends taking accelerated classes, but also taking fun classes, like she has at the Huot Career and Technical Center, in Laconia.

Spiegler’s favorite class was teacher prep at the Huot, which gave her experience working with children. This year there has been a focus on attaining certifications, and also hands-on learning in a classroom environment.

“I’ve been doing an internship in the fourth grade for 15 weeks now, and worked in the seventh grade last year, and second grade at Woodland Heights,” Spiegler said. “I have a lot of preparation for being a teacher, even though I don’t really want to be one.”

Spiegler will attend Plymouth State University, to study psychology, and hopes to become a school counselor.

“I’ve always wanted to help people, but I love talking to people about careers, jobs and aspirations,” Spiegler said. “When they’re going through hard times, I like to be able to talk them through it. I really want to be everything that my counselors have been for me. I want to be able to help kids, because they are the future.”

David Walker

Walker has a wide variety of interests that go beyond academics. He is on the track team mainly as a jumper, and also enjoys skiing, skateboarding, and playing soccer. He also has a love for all kinds of art, including painting, wood carving, digital art, sewing, and music composition. Those outside interests tended to coincide with his schooling, as well.

“My favorite subjects were electronic music, AP computer science, painting, precalculus, and AP calculus,” Walker said. “Electronic music really helped me learn more about music composition, and I would probably not be at the level I am now without this class.”

He said AP computer science was a fun challenge, and he would add new parts to each assignment to test his limits. At one point, he coded a 3D cube that could be scaled and transformed on all three axes.

“This class will help keep my options open as I progress through college and consider job opportunities,” he said.

Walker, of Center Sandwich, plans to pursue a job that requires math in some way.

One thing he wishes he knew in his first few years of high school was to pursue opportunities outside of school, including internships, jobs, or summer camps.

Walker has a goal to challenge himself by designing things helpful and amusing to others. He said once he has more experience with internships and college, he will have a better idea of his future path.

“I can see myself pursuing app or game design, architecture, computer-aided design, or some kind of engineering in the future,” Walker said. “Another goal of mine is to experiment in different areas I find interesting, to narrow down my ideas for future plans.”

Walker will be attending Concordia University, in Montreal, Canada, as a computation arts major.

Thea Wright

Wright will be attending Saint Anselm College, in Goffstown, majoring in finance, and the hope is to start a career as a personal financial adviser after she attains a master’s degree.

Wright has done exceptionally well in mathematics, and also explored business. This led to her focus on economics, which she intends to study in college.

“I’ve taken some AP micro- and macroeconomics classes, and also had an internship with the Town of Meredith doing financial analysis,” Wright said. “I was in their Town Hall, and they set me up with some data to project for future years.”

Wright praised the teachers at Inter-Lakes, saying they helped her along when she was struggling. They pushed this Center Harbor resident to improve, and ensured she would be successful.

She admitted she can sometimes procrastinate, but over time, has learned how to properly manage her time.

“Stay organized and make sure you don’t miss assignments, and if you do, make it up as soon as possible,” Wright said. “Also, try to enjoy high school. I did a lot of stuff and was involved in everything, so it didn’t leave me a lot of time. But whenever you do have time, don’t just doomscroll. Go out, be with your friends and spend time with them.”